Help picking a new TV

[Craig234]

My old 42" Sceptre LCD I was pretty happy with has to be replaced now.

I'm interested in a 42" - 52", probably another LCD (I don't like the Plasma screendoor effect).

A direct replacement of the Sceptre would run $1000. Some other, nicer TV's run from $1800 (Samsung 46") to $2500 (Sony 46").

Use is TV and DVD, possibly PC gaming later.

Any tips where the 'sweet spot' is today? At the moment I'd rather spend less than more.

 

[flexy]

care to elab what the plasma "screen door" effect is? Sorry..too lazy to go over to AVS now and read about "so called" flaws which this or that display technology is supposed to have.

I <3 my 50" Samsung Plasma, PN50450. A steal for the price. In addition it has 3d capabilities

Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screen_door_effect

(Shrug....and i do have this? Says who?

But on a serious side-note....check the new Samsung DLPs if you think Plasma is not for you.

 

[JJChicken]

Originally posted by: Craig234
My old 42" Sceptre LCD I was pretty happy with has to be replaced now.

I'm interested in a 42" - 52", probably another LCD (I don't like the Plasma screendoor effect).

A direct replacement of the Sceptre would run $1000. Some other, nicer TV's run from $1800 (Samsung 46") to $2500 (Sony 46").

Use is TV and DVD, possibly PC gaming later.

Any tips where the 'sweet spot' is today? At the moment I'd rather spend less than more.

42" IMHO is the sweet spot right now for LCDs. You can get some bravias for a cheap price and other companies are also competing quite a bit in that range. Go for 1080p but.

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: flexy
care to elab what the plasma "screen door" effect is? Sorry..too lazy to go over to AVS now and read about "so called" flaws which this or that display technology is supposed to have.

I <3 my 50" Samsung Plasma, PN50450. A steal for the price. In addition it has 3d capabilities

Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screen_door_effect

(Shrug....and i do have this? Says who?

But on a serious side-note....check the new Samsung DLPs if you think Plasma is not for you.

I'm sure he's talking about 720p plasmas. You won't see the screen door effect on 1080p plasmas.

As for "the sweet spot" for HDTVs, I'd say 50"-52" is the sweet spot. Bigger is better (without going to extremes), but I'd say 50" should be the minimum for an HDTV in a normal viewing environment. And the new line of Samsung LCDs provide a GREAT bang for your buck.

 

[kalrith]

How close are you sitting to your TV? I sit 9 feet away from a 50" 768p plasma and don't see SDE. I just barely start to see it at 6-7 feet. A 1080p plasma should pretty much eliminate SDE even if you sat 6 feet from a 50" plasma.

Some people are more sensitive to SDE than others; however, there is a certain distance from any given TV at which even someone with bionic eyes would not see SDE. All too many people think that they "need" 1080p or that plasma's SDE will ruin the picture quality, so they spend insane amounts of money on a 52" 1080p LCD and sit 12 feet away from it (at which distance you can't see the increased resolution from 1080p, and you wouldn't see SDE even on a 768p plasma.

I'm not saying this to bash you in any way. However, there's plenty of research out there about the pros and cons to the different TV technologies and whether or not you need 1080p (this chart should help with the resolution; avsforum should help with the rest).

I originally thought I didn't want a plasma because they are very prone to burn-in and start to dim after only a few years. If I had just walked into Best Buy and bought a TV without doing research, I would've bought an inferior TV to the one I have. I learned that I had a lot of misconceptions about the technologies and what was most important to PQ (contrast ratio, color saturation, and color accuracy are all more important to the PQ than resolution--i.e. 1080p). I learned that at my viewing distance of 10 feet (now closer to 9) I wouldn't benefit from 1080p. I also have a very light-controlled room in which a plasma's black levels really shine compared to similarly-priced LCDs. Therefore, my budget of $2,000 bought a much better 50" 768p plasma (Pioneer 5080) than any 50" 1080p TV out there.

 

[flexy]

as i interpret this..."screen door effect" means visible pixels...respective the room between them..and making the screen look like..uhm...a "screen door".

My set is 720P and i cant confirm this at all...sure not for watching content...and also not using the set as a monitor...besides issues like slight "grain" (now compared to a monitor)....

As i mentioned on various places also...also over on AVS...1080p is a nonsense which VIRTUALLY and LITERALLY doesnt show any beenfit over 720P...maybe if you go 60" and bigger....but IF then it's so marginal that its a non issue.

Also..the thinking "i need 1080p" for using a set as monitor might be a fallacy...that is...EXCEPT you have some SUPER set-up in SLI with two 8800GTS or soe other monster graphics cards....to even THINK about using 1920x1080 as a gaming resolution.

Different story if you do NOT game....and just really, really need this resolution for applications/desktop.

This said..again...even with "only" 1360x768 i think my 720p sammy does extremely well as a monitor..no "pixelation" or obvious SDE....also coming from me as a plasma noob EXPECTING to see each single pixel on such a huge screen.

Add:

Reading over at AVS...and observing my own 50" set...."minor" so called "flaws" here and there....like dithering etc....which AT FIRST seem odd if you're only used to a MONITOR....but all those "issues" are virtually non-existent if you use the screen in normal viewing distance, say 5'-6'.
People look at a 50" screen from 10" difference and see "flaws"...and then they post in various forums about their findings....but a 50" is certainly not meant to be watched from 10" distance

As for the various display technolgies, Plasma, LCD, DLP, etc..etc....yes you can spend months and you will always have a guarantee that EACH of those techs will expose ONE downside which is inherit to the tech used..be it Plasma, LCD, DLP.

One technolgy has the better blacks, the other shows fringing...the other tech has lag....or "trails"....the other has image retention problem....this goes on forever. The best choice is really just enjoy the set and NOT expect that (at current) there is the PERFECT tech out without ANY "flaws" or side-effects whatsoever. That's just not the case.

 

[cliftonite]

Costco B&Ms have the Pioneer 50" 1080p Kuro for $2600. You wont find a better picture for the price.

 

[montypythizzle]

I only see the "SDE" when I am about a foot from my 50" plasma, but who sits a foot from a 50" tv?