Advice on T.V. purchase

[JPLB22]

I'm going to be buying a new T. V. real soon. I've decided on either Plasma or LCD. If LCD, I like the Sony's, either the Bravia 46" or I believe Sony also has a 50". If it's Plasma then it will probably be the Panasonic 58". Regardless of which one I finally choose it will be 1080P.



My main question is on longevity. Which one will last longer, Plasma or LCD ? The salesman was telling me the Plasma is rated for 60,000 hours. which at the rate I watch T. V. , that's plenty of life out of it. The T. V. will be used for everything; sports, movies on DVD, regular T. V. programing, a little PS2, ect. Both LCD and Plasma seem to have a great picture.



I don't have a Blue Ray or HD DVD player. I do use component video for my DVD player though. I'll probably get HD cable, so I'll use the HDMI for that. Speakers don't really matter to me, I've already got a nice home theater set up.



Sorry for being long winded. What do you guys/ladies think is best LCD or Plasma ??



TIA



Jeff

 

[klenger]

I prefer LCD myself, and Sharp LCDs seem to be pretty good. One thing you might consider, being in Utah, is that plasma TVs don't like high altitude. I used to be a real Sony fan, but it seems over the last 5 years or so that Sony is trying to live off from their old reputation, but is not providing quality products. Good luck.

 

[broncojohn]

I have a Samsung 62" LCD. I like it a lot, I use it for basic tv, dvd's, and the occasional Xbox 360 game time. I have had it for about 2 years and no issues as of yet. The best buy salesman talked us out of plasma, saying they had issues with them or something along those lines, I dont recall what,it was a while ago when we bought it. Its been good so far, amazing picture with basic Verizon vios and even better with the Verizon HDTV channels.

 

[JPLB22]

I too have heard of the altitude problem with Plasma. From what I've heard, they will start to make a buzzing noise when you get high enough. If that's the only side affect with altitude and Plasma, I think I'll be alright in the valley, since I've never heard one buzz.



I also like the Sharp, it has a very good picture too. Both the Sony and the Sharp direct view LCD's seem to do a very good job of producing a true black. A lot of other LCD's seem to have a lighter more gray black. But the one thing I have trouble with on the Sharp is the frame around the screen is very shiny and reflective, seems to pull my attention away from the screen.



Keep em comin.



Jeff

 

[TowPro]

2 weeks ago I bought a 55" Sony Rear Projection LCD for $1499. 00. It was the best TV I could afford. Its only 720 but I could not tell the difference between it and 1080 in the showroom, besides I could not afford a 1080.

there was a 50" plazma for the same price, but the sony looked so much better. yes I know I will need to replace the projector bulb every couple years.

I have Dishnetwork, so I ordered the HD receiver and HD package.

I run the HDMI cable from the dish receiver to the TV, then a fiber optic cable from the Dish receiver to the Audio Amp for soround sound. (NOTE: the new dish receiver does not send Dolby 5. 1 over the HDMI cable, you need to use the fiber to get the signal to the audio amp.

I also run a fiber cable from the TV output to the audio amp so when I watch HD off the cable TV I can hear souround sound (I have basic cable as part of the internet access, and it includes a couple HD channels).

For the DVD I will run component Video to the TV and Coax Audio to the audio amp.

All I can say about the pictures is "WOW". you will find you start watching stuff like National Geographic and discovery just to see the pictures!

Edit, forgot to mention, I think the Xbox is a HD DVD player for $199. 00

 

[JPLB22]

I was just talking to another salesman today and he told me none of the plasma T. V. 's are 1080, he says all plasma is 720 right now, is this the case ?



I don't know how much that will affect my decision, because I can't tell a difference in the showroom either, from a 720 to a 1080. But I hear that in the near future most broadcasts will be in 1080, and I'd like a 1080 T. V. when that happens.



Jeff

 

[scootergmc]

Plasma 1080P's are relatively new on the market and all the ones I have seen are still well over $5k. Prices will be plummeting as they always do...

 

[JPLB22]

Well we went with the Panasonic Plasma. It will be a little while before we hook it up. But I really hope it has the 20 year half life that I was told by different saleman.



Jeff

 

[scootergmc]

Good choice. Panasonic Plasmas get very high marks in consumer reviews.

 

[rbattelle]

Best of luck with the plasma. I'm sure it will serve you well.

I have a 50" Panasonic LCD projection TV. Love it. My opinion of Panasonic is good, because I have yet to have any Panasonic consumer electronic item crap out on me.

Ryan

 

[Bob Wagner]

Good choice. Panasonic Plasmas get very high marks in consumer reviews.

I went Panasonic 50" and I am very please with the quality. 5 year warranty too

 

[Mactruck]

You can't go wrong with a panasonic.

I did my research and I was picking between that and the Pioneer elite series.



I got the Pioneer 50" elite Plasma and have enjoyed it .

 

[JPLB22]

I also spent some time looking at the Pioneer Elitle series, the picture was awesome. I just couldn't pass up the deal on the Panasonic



I am hoping for some great reliability. My previous T. V. was a Philips HD digital widescreen, a CRT. The picture on that T. V. was really good, but it didn't last very long.



I've got some more questions, if ya'll don't mind.



1. Which will give better picture quality, component video cables, or HDMI ?



2. Will I get any benefit out of a HD DVD or BlueRay DVD player, seeing as how the T. V. is only 720p ?



3. Is there any sort of maintenance I could do to make the T. V. last longer ?



TIA



Jeff

 

[HEMI®Dart]

Correct me if I'm wrong. A Plasma TV will give you a better HD picture than LCD?

 

[Mactruck]

I've got some more questions, if ya'll don't mind.



1. Which will give better picture quality, component video cables, or HDMI ?



2. Will I get any benefit out of a HD DVD or BlueRay DVD player, seeing as how the T. V. is only 720p ?



3. Is there any sort of maintenance I could do to make the T. V. last longer ?



TIA

Jeff

1. HDMI is the best with Component cabling being a close second.



2. I'm suprised the TV is only 720p. Most are 1080i. Check with the mfg's specs online. Most HD-dvd's are 1080P. That is the best spec so far. Getting a 1080P TV is the best way to see these but a 1080i will look good as well.



3. No Maintenence. Just keep it cool. (ie. Ventilation)



As a side note My 50" Pioneer Plasma is 1080i. I have Comcast Digital cable which the HD channels are broadcast at 1080i. I Don't watch DVD's very often so I didn't feel the need to upgrade to 1080p. If you are primarily using the tv for HD-dvd's or Blue Ray. Go with 1080P. If not go with 1080i. Thats as low as I would go.

Just my honest opinion.

 

[Mactruck]

Correct me if I'm wrong. A Plasma TV will give you a better HD picture than LCD?

Plasma I believe gives better Depth to the Image. but more expensive.

It is also good for 160 degree viewing. You can see the picture at almost all angles to the TV



LCD Is less expensive and good for Smaller size TV's 42" or less.

LCD is also meant to be seen more directly. The picture doesn't look as good if seen from the side.



Here is a link that's a good reference. Plasma vs LCD: Which is right for you? - TVs

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

I was just talking to another salesman today and he told me none of the plasma T. V. 's are 1080, he says all plasma is 720 right now, is this the case ?





Jeff

He is wrong. The Akai (Samsung) 42" Plasma I have runs 1080p and I got it for 1600 bucks at circuit city a year ago. IT ISA PLASMA MONITOR ... meaning it does not have a built in tuner you need a cable or satalite box to watch broadcast tv. (And I have my 360 on it) But be forwarned if you have static images on a plasma that image can burn in. That is why it is a good idea to use the white screen flush feaure after gaming for a few minutes.

 

[JPLB22]

Thanks for the tip ToolMan ! I won't be gaming on it too much, the PS2 will be hooked to a different T. V. most of the time.



I looked around a little bit online but could not find the info I was looking for, as to what my T. V. really is, 1080i, 720p ??? The T. V. is the Panasonic 58px600u.



I didn't even know their was a 1080i, what is the difference between 1080i and 1080p ?



Jeff



*edit: I finally found some info, it can handle 720p or 1080i

 

[rbattelle]

1080i is interlaced, 1080p is progressive-scan. Basically, progressive scan outputs each line to the screen top to bottom in sequence. Interlacing outputs first the odd lines, followed by the even lines, effectively reducing the video bandwidth by 1/2 (I think). Interlacing is a method that permits better quality video in low-bandwidth environments. In other words, interlacing permits more lines of resolution than progressive scan does for a given bandwidth. Someone correct me if I'm mistaken.

I've been led to believe that there is no discernable difference between 720p and 1080i, since the progressive scan on the 720 lines works out to be just as good as the interlacing of 1080 lines. I have no idea whether that's true.

Ryan

 

[Bertram65]

I just finished a project were I put 9 plasma and LCD screens in an office, I used Panasonic plasma for the large screens, 65", and LG LCD for the smaller ones, for the picture quality and price you cannot beat the new LGs, the largest ones were 47" 1080P, lots of features to, 3 HDMI inputs and direct PC input. They seem to have solved the viewing angle issue on the LCD, it is very close to plasma now.