HDTV Help

[dfnkt]

Hello All.

I am looking to purchase my first HDTV in the next few months and I was wanting some input on what is currently available. To start off, I am looking for a 42-47 inch HDTV capable of at least 720p/1080i either plasma or lcd for $1600 or under. If you feel that spending just a bit more for some nicer features or a better picture I'm open to suggestions. I would like the set to have 2 HDMI inputs.

The TV will be going on top of a tv stand in the living room with the main seating approximately 5 1/2 - 6 directly in front of the tv. The room is fairly bright with a decent size window that during the day time shines directly on the tv (though you can close the blinds).

The TV will be used for the wife to watch her precious football games, for myself to enjoy my XBOX360 (Halo 3) and for the two of us to enjoy DVDs (collection approaching 400).

I have been reading around on the CNET HDTV site and I am currently looking at 42 inch models from Panasonic, Vizio, and Samsung. They talk a lot of video noise and plasma sets having some issues with misrepresenting primary colors (green on the set i was looking at). That's all fine in the tests they do, but how much is your average joe going to pick up on the fact that the green has a slight blue tinge to it? Thanks for your input!

EDIT: Also what is the expected lifetime for a plasma / lcd tv? What are your options to replace parts as compared to having to replace the whole tv. We watch the tv for maybe 2 hours a day

 

[dfnkt]

bump

 

[kalrith]

First of all, is your viewing distance really 5 1/2 to 6 feet? If you currently have a CRT TV, the screen on a flat panel will be further back and will therefore increase your viewing distance. I would be certain of your viewing distance before going any further, as it will determine what size and what resolution you should purchase.

I recommend going to a store and viewing various TVs with various resolutions at your viewing distance. You might even want to bring a tape measurer so that you're sure you're at the correct viewing distance. At that distance you might see SDE (screen-door effect) on a 42" 720p plasma. If you do, then you're not going to want to get one of those. That will limit you to the Panasonic 42PZ700U (I think) for a 1080p plasma in your size range. There are many 1080p LCDs in your price range. I personally think that plasma has a better picture than LCD, but some people disagree. Also, if you will be watching a lot of TV in the sunlight, then an LCD will do a better job in that situation (but the Panasonic 42PX77U does almost as good of a job in bright light as LCDs). Just don't get the Samsung LCDs with the glossy screen. They reflect light just as badly as plasmas do.

I would also recommend reading up at avsforum.com. There's a wealth of information there, so much that you'll probably never need to start a thread on a topic, because most topics have already been covered.

The average Joe won't tell much of a difference between a $1,300 Vizio and a $3,500 Pioneer, let alone notice that primary colors are being misrepresented. Most likely you wouldn't notice the off color unless it's right next to another TV (like in the store).

I'm not sure about LCDs, but most plasmas today are rated at a 60,000-hour half-life. This means that they will be at half of their original brightness at that time; it does not mean that they will no longer function. At 2 hours per day, a plasma would last you 82 years! Hopefully you'll upgrade before then

 

[buck]

http://www.avsforum.com/

There is ALOT of reading, but if you really want to study your purchase, do it there.