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Looking for a new (plasma?) TV, at least 40", $800 budget...?

Sulaco

Sulaco

Diamond Member
Hey guys,

So I'm coming from a NON-HD 27" CRT, and I finally feel it's time to step into the late 20th century.

Some information:

  • This TV will be mainly used for gaming. Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, and older consoles as well. I'm also looking at the possibility of potentially hooking it up to my PC as well.
  • This TV will be in my bedroom. Most gaming will be done from a chair 5-6 feet away, but occasional movie watching from my bed roughly 12' away.
  • Light movie watching
  • Very light TV watching (I don't even have cable or satellite)

For gaming, I've been told (by reading this forum amongst others), that plasma is really the way to go.

My budget is pretty firmly set at $800, and I think I do not want to go below 40". 42" is really preferable. Anything higher is fine of course, but I don't want to pay hundreds more for a few more inches I really don't need.

My budget is pretty firmly set at $800.

Right now, my front runner seems to be this:

Panasonic - VIERA 42" Class / 1080p / 600Hz / Plasma HDTV
Model: TC-P42U2

$719.00

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Panasoni...&skuId=9761059

I'm also looking at Best Buy, mainly because they offer the same model online with FREE shipping and NO TAX to my zip code, so that would save an easy ~$40 off buying in-store.

Unfortunately, Plasma offerings seem to be kind of meager below about 50", and I'm a little reluctant to buy a TV I can't see in action in a store first.

Anyway, I'm just looking for advice, feedback, or general opinions on this set, or anything better/comparable in the same size and price range.

Thanks to all for any feedback!
 
Are you looking for a decent increase in size over your 27" CRT? If not, then that's probably as good as you'll find anywhere. If it were my $$$, I'd skip the 1080p and get a 720p Sammy or Panny for >$600.

If a bigger, better tv is your main driving force, the Samsung PN50C450 can be found for less than $800 and will easily deliver a better experience for you.
 
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Dell has a 42" 720p Panasonic plasma for $469 and 50" 720p Panasonic plasma for $599 right now. Could knock off another 3% if you use DPA to pay.
 
My friend has a Panasonic Viera plasma tv (42", 1080p, model TC-P42S1). It definitely had some image quality issues on default settings. This model in particular had problems with a green cast to the image. After doing some basic calibrations using the disk found on AVS and some calibration filters I found online for cheap, the picture looked great.

That said, some of the Viera models are definitely better, but I'd recommend them.
 
Couple of things about 720p, guys:

I was thinking of using this set with my PC. I've read that 720p is too low a res for effective desktop computing. Is this true?

Also, as my post probably indicates, I'm generally not one who upgrades TVs very often. That is to say, I'd like this TV to be able to last me several years. Is 720p sufficient for my uses do you think? Or would 1080p provide greater usable longevity for current and future stuff?

Thanks.
 
Sulaco said:
Couple of things about 720p, guys:

I was thinking of using this set with my PC. I've read that 720p is too low a res for effective desktop computing. Is this true?

Also, as my post probably indicates, I'm generally not one who upgrades TVs very often. That is to say, I'd like this TV to be able to last me several years. Is 720p sufficient for my uses do you think? Or would 1080p provide greater usable longevity for current and future stuff?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Stick with 1080p.

As for the 42" 1080p TC-P42S1 my friend has, I believe they got it at HH Gregg for around $600-650.
 
samsung LN40C630. it's right around your price range. i upgraded to the ln40c630 from the 2008 model LN40A550, and i have to say, these 2010 samsung models are phenomenal. i use it for the same exact purposes you do. xbox, ps3, computer, and movies.
 
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Sulaco said:
Couple of things about 720p, guys:

I was thinking of using this set with my PC. I've read that 720p is too low a res for effective desktop computing. Is this true?

Also, as my post probably indicates, I'm generally not one who upgrades TVs very often. That is to say, I'd like this TV to be able to last me several years. Is 720p sufficient for my uses do you think? Or would 1080p provide greater usable longevity for current and future stuff?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

True, 720p is probably too low to really be used as a PC monitor.

As far as being a future proof television, the only issue that I would be concerned about would be 3D viewing. 720p will be adequate for broadcast television for many, many, many years to come.
 
Thanks for all the comments guys.

I'm noticing many recommendations for larger 720p sets.

Again, this will be a set in my room, that I will sit no more than 5 to 6 feet away from when gaming. As nice as it might be, I'm not really sure a larger set is going to be much better for my purposes.

Also, I've read that the difference between 720p and 1080p is mostly unnoticeable, unless, like me, you're sitting within a few feet of the screen.

Would the difference be noticeable in gaming at that distance?
 
you wont notice it hooked up to a console/TV/DVD at your distance, however you WILL notice it if you run a PC into it and say load up windows
 
Anubis said:
you wont notice it hooked up to a console/TV/DVD at your distance, however you WILL notice it if you run a PC into it and say load up windows
Click to expand...

Agreed. With a 50" TV at a 5 or 6 foot viewing distance, 720p vs. 1080p will become visible. Maybe with a 46", but not with a 42" unless you're a "pixel peeper".

Mostly, though, you need to decide if you'll be using it as a monitor. If you've decided to use it as a computer monitor, get the best 1080p LCD you can afford.
 
If I'm not mistaken, he'll have more "space" to work with things at 1080p on the PC. He might not notice 720p vs 1080p with other material, but it will make a difference with a PC at any difference simply due to the extra real estate the higher resolution provides.
 
Out of your price range, but I absolutely love my Panny P50G10 (1080p), which was $1200 when I bought it in January. Panasonic does a great job with their plasmas, and yes, I would go 1080p if you plan on using your PC on it at all.
 
Ok guys, been doing some thinking.

I'm starting to have second thoughts about the "PC monitor" idea. Seeing how cheap good 24" and up monitors are now, if I feel the need to upgrade to more screen space for my PC, I think I'll just go the route of buying a new PC monitor.

That said, I'm still a little worried about noticing much of a difference when gaming. If I did get a 720p set, it would likely be larger than 42" (because I could afford it), and many of you are saying as the size increases, so does the noticeability of 720p vs. 1080p. So it seems to be a double-edged sword.

And no, unfortunately, I can't save up and just get a 50" 1080p set and call it a day.

What would you guys do in my shoes?
 
Sulaco said:
Ok guys, been doing some thinking.

I'm starting to have second thoughts about the "PC monitor" idea. Seeing how cheap good 24" and up monitors are now, if I feel the need to upgrade to more screen space for my PC, I think I'll just go the route of buying a new PC monitor.

That said, I'm still a little worried about noticing much of a difference when gaming. If I did get a 720p set, it would likely be larger than 42" (because I could afford it), and many of you are saying as the size increases, so does the noticeability of 720p vs. 1080p. So it seems to be a double-edged sword.

And no, unfortunately, I can't save up and just get a 50" 1080p set and call it a day.

What would you guys do in my shoes?
Click to expand...


Only thing that outputs 1080p is bluray/PS3/not sure about xbox 360. HD TV is 720p or 1080i. That should help your decision.
 
For 5-6 foot gaming/PC use, 42" 1080p is perfect (and IMO much cooler than any desktop monitor). For 12' movie use, you want 50" or bigger.

Note that 42" 720p sets are actually 10*7 rectangular pixel! Only 50"+ 720p plasmas give you 13*7.

I'd just set up an armchair closer to the 42" set for movies. 😉
 
I am 99.9% sure that YOU, migrating from a 27" SD CRT would not notice any difference between a 720p or 1080p 42" screen. I am 100% sure that pixel dimensions would mean absolutely nothing. You MAY see the difference between 720p and 1080p on a 50" screen, but that is going to be dependent on video source and whether you are actually playing/watching or just messing around and literally making a conscious effort to see the difference.

Both PS3 and Xbox 360 have games that run at 1080p, although you have to use the HDMI connection on the Xbox 360 to get that.
 
smitbret said:
I am 99.9% sure that YOU, migrating from a 27" SD CRT would not notice any difference between a 720p or 1080p 42" screen. I am 100% sure that pixel dimensions would mean absolutely nothing. You MAY see the difference between 720p and 1080p on a 50" screen, but that is going to be dependent on video source and whether you are actually playing/watching or just messing around and literally making a conscious effort to see the difference.

Both PS3 and Xbox 360 have games that run at 1080p, although you have to use the HDMI connection on the Xbox 360 to get that.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Disgaea maybe.

Most 3D games on both consoles are rendered at something between 450p-550p and scaled up.
 
mfenn said:
Yeah, Disgaea maybe.

Most 3D games on both consoles are rendered at something between 450p-550p and scaled up.
Click to expand...

I assume then that means that the actual difference between 1080p and 720p in gaming in those situations is nil?
 
Sulaco said:
What would you guys do in my shoes?
Click to expand...

Get a 42" 1080p plasma that fits in your budget. Just make sure you calibrate it. If you don't already know, you can get a free calibration disc from the AVS forums (or find a THX DVD that has calibration tools, like a Pixar movie). Then get the blue filter needed for the color and tint calibration (either from eBay or THX).

mfenn said:
Most 3D games on both consoles are rendered at something between 450p-550p and scaled up.
Click to expand...

Do you have a source for this? I've only heard of a few games that do this (ex: Halo 3, Modern Warfare 1 and 2, etc).
 
What is your gaming device? If you're going to be playing games through the PC still, you'll want to play at 1080p as it will give you a better FOV. If you're playing console games, it's a toss up. Many console games run at 720p anyways, so you might be wasting money to go with 1080p.
 
simonizor said:
What is your gaming device? If you're going to be playing games through the PC still, you'll want to play at 1080p as it will give you a better FOV. If you're playing console games, it's a toss up. Many console games run at 720p anyways, so you might be wasting money to go with 1080p.
Click to expand...

As I said, gaming on the TV will be on all the current platforms (PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360).

As far as PC gaming goes, I'm debating whether to use it as a monitor or not, as its not in the most convenient spot to be used as a monitor.

Still, all 3 consoles, plus many older (non HD) consoles will be used as well.
 
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