Help me pick a 42" TV

[CU]

I am looking at this one http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?catg=8538. Is there a better TV for the price.

 

[sivart]

This:
http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/nav...677&pCatg=5884

 

[CU]

I may hook a computer up to it from time to time, so 720p may be a problem. What do you think? With HD content which will look better? How about SD, or old VHS tapes my young kids watch. Lots of hand me down Barnies, Teletubies, etc. I don't think they care much about the quality though. Basicly which has better upconversion?

 

[kalrith]

The Panasonic is likely to have a better scaler than the Phillips, so it should make all your SD stuff look better. Unless you watch TV for 4-5' away, you won't notice the difference between the 720p and 1080p (and even at that distance you might not). I will say that I've seen 50" 720p plasmas go for around $700, so you might want to shop around a bit.

I watch 50+% of my content on an HTPC connected to my 720p TV. The only qualm I have with it is that it will only accept a 1360x768 signal even though the native resolution is 1365x768. This results in a 4mm black line on the left side of the screen. I'm a very picky person, but I still don't notice it unless I get 1-2' from the screen and look for it.

 

[sdifox]

I may hook a computer up to it from time to time, so 720p may be a problem. What do you think? With HD content which will look better? How about SD, or old VHS tapes my young kids watch. Lots of hand me down Barnies, Teletubies, etc. I don't think they care much about the quality though. Basicly which has better upconversion?

why is 720p a problem for computer? it's 1280x720.

 

[kalrith]

why is 720p a problem for computer? it's 1280x720.

A 720p signal is 1280x720; however, "720p" TVs are almost always 1366x768. It would be more accurate to call them 768p TVs, but that would add a lot of confusion when 720p is close enough and familiar to most consumers.

The resolution of the above Panasonic is actually 1024x768, but the pixels are rectangular. According to the manual (link to pdf), it will accept a 1366x768 signal, so you shouldn't have the afore-mentioned problems that I have with my TV only doing 1360x768.

The other issue is screen real estate. It's obvioius that a 1080p TV will have more screen real estate when used as a computer monitor than a 720p TV. This shouldn't really be an issue unless this will be used as a dedicated computer monitor for productivity or if the viewing distance is close enough (<5') to notice the limitations in 720p. Web browsing works just fine on my 720p TV, and everything looks really great on there. Actually 720p would be better if you're far enough away to make 1080p more difficult to read.

 

[CU]

It seems the plasma is the better TV, but maybe not as good a price for it. I will look at both on Sat. and decide then. I need to do some reading up on the pros and cons of plasma and lcd also. I had though plasma was a older tech that was being phased out.

 

[sivart]

Yes, manufacturers are making more and more plasmas in new screen sizes, so it must be being phased out.

LCD response time it what keeps me away. I can't stand smearing while watching sports.

 

[kalrith]

Here's my take on LCDs vs. plasmas:

LCD Pros:

Lower energy consumption (you'll save about $15/year in electricity if you watch 9 hours of TV every single day)
Handles bright rooms better
Are readily available in sizes smaller than 42"
​

Plasma Pros:

Lower price/size and PQ (esp. at sizes 50" or greater)
Better viewing angles
Better blacks
Better display of motion
0 input lag (this matters a lot with PC or console gaming)
​

Unless you're a save-the-environment-at-all-cost kind of person or will be watching the majority of the time in a bright room and don't believe in curtains, then my personal opinion is that plasma > LCD at sizes > 41".

I would like to clarify the bright-room aspect. This is mainly if light is shining directly on the TV. Plasmas are plenty bright enough to look good in a bright room, but they don't do quite as well as LCDs with light shining directly on the screen. All plasma screens have an anti-reflective coating, so don't think that it's going to be as bad as watching a CRT with no anti-reflective coating. Many LCDs these days have a glossy finish instead of a matte finish. I would choose a plasma over a glossy LCD for a bright room, but if dealing with reflections was my main TV-buying criterion, then a matte LCD screen would be at the top of my list.

I personally watch 80% of my TV either at night or with the curtains closed, so there's no way I'd choose LCD over plasma. Even with the light shining on my screen, it still looks quite good with the anti-reflective coating.

Just to show that I'm not a sold-out plasma fanboy, I recently bought a 32" LCD TV to use as my computer monitor. Hmmm, if only I could've gotten a 32" 1080p plasma for $380 shipped...

 

[CU]

OK, I am starting to lean to plasma's Would the TC-P42S1 be worth the extra money over the X14 model at Sams. By the way the X14 seams to be based off the C1 and not the X1 as one would think.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Don't forget to mention no buying lightbulbs for plasmas, although they do eventually die out after 5-10+ years...usually 10+ with newer tech. I've had an LCD, LCoS, and DLP; but from all the info I've picked up through the years I would choose a plasma now unless I had plenty of room to sit the DLP somewhere. DLP Mitsubishi's are a great choice for budgeted big screen choices.

 

[kalrith]

Don't forget to mention no buying lightbulbs for plasmas, although they do eventually die out after 5-10+ years...usually 10+ with newer tech. I've had an LCD, LCoS, and DLP; but from all the info I've picked up through the years I would choose a plasma now unless I had plenty of room to sit the DLP somewhere. DLP Mitsubishi's are a great choice for budgeted big screen choices.

False!

"Older" plasmas (like my 3yo Pioneer 5080) only lasted 60,000 hours to it HALF life. In other words if I left my TV on 24/7 for 7 years straight, then it would have half the maximum brightness as it did when it was new. Who knows how long it would take to actually die out.

The new plasmas are even better with a 100,000-hour half life.

Edit: You do know that LCD TVs don't last forever, right? They also have a half life, which used to be 100,000 hours, but I'm not sure what it is for current LCD TVs.

Edit2: Sorry if I sounded like a jerk. You seemed to simply be ignorant of the facts rather than slinging mud at plasmas. Being defensive is my automatic reaction to people saying to stay away from plasmas because they'll cost you $30/month in electricity, die out after 5 years, get burn-in, etc.

 

[0roo0roo]

yea 720p is poor for desktop use, its not enough pixels for desktop. for very simple usage its fine. esp if you sit back since you won't be able to read anything at 1080p desktop at 6 feet anyways. for video on a 42" it can be ok as that size is hardly large once you sit 6-8 feet back, and if 720p is the compromise you make to get better color/contrast of plasma at a low price then thats the deal you take. at larger sizes its certainly better to go 1080p.

 

[CU]

Well I picked up the TC-P42U1 from Best Buy. I had a small gift card there anyway. However when I got home I find out hhgregg is having a 20&#37;-30% sale next weekend. So, I may take it back next weekend if hhgregg has something cheaper. Any thoughts on the one I got?

I did look at the 720p plasma at Sams. I just didn't like being able to see the pixels/graininess from a few feet away. Might not could have seen it setting on my couch, but it just bothered me knowing it was there.

 

[CU]

Well the screen on the TC-P42U1 is just to reflective. So, I am going to take it back and buy the S1 from sears.

 

[CU]

I got the S1 from sears. $699-$35 BCB = $664. So it cost less and there are very few reflections now.