To get 120hz or not to?

[techwanabe]

Originally posted by: kalrith
I added to your quote to point out that the speakers in the 650 only sound decent for TV speakers. Even compared to a cheapie HTIB, they suck (like all TV speakers with the possible exception of some rpj sets). I think you're incorrectly assuming that you can't take advantage of a home-theater system. It doesn't have to be cranked up, have lots of bass, or have 7 huge speakers (possible limitations in your apartment) in order to provide a huge improvement over the sound of your TV speakers. Even spending $400 on a receiver and two bookshelf speakers would be leaps and bounds above the sound quality of your TV speakers, and you wouldn't have space or loudness issues. You could also get a system upon which you could build in the future. Many people think that it's best to buy an HT system all at once, but it's often best to spend your whole budget on a receiver and 2 speakers and then add components (sub, then center, then surrounds) later on. You'll wind up with a better system in the end, and you'll be able to enjoy markedly better sound right now. I recommend reading through yoyo's sticky for some excellent information on this subject, and then you can make your own thread (after searching through others, of course 😉) stating your budget and asking for recommendations.

I don't have buyers remorse in the sense that I'm not unhappy with my TV. The picture is great and I think i made a good choice. Rather the old axiom I read here all too often is true, that whatever you think is big enough, get a least one size bigger. Big enough is often thought later to be not quite as big as I would have liked! As it is, viewing distance is about 8 feet and size isn't bad. If I really want a more "movie" experience, sometimes I'll sit a little closer.

As far as the speakers are concerned, two factors have kept me from getting home theater so far. 1) My upstairs neighbors would rumble through my ceiling and annoy the hell out of me, so I didn't want to risk doing that to anyone in my apartment complex, and 2) I'm unemployed and looking for work so the expense is something I'll put off for now. I used to use a boom box plugged into my 27-inch tube TV for better sound over the crap TV speakers. At least with the Sammy, the buildt in speakers sound way way better most little TV speakers - not bad at all. No, not HT but still decent for now.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: techwanabe

Originally posted by: kalrith
I added to your quote to point out that the speakers in the 650 only sound decent for TV speakers. Even compared to a cheapie HTIB, they suck (like all TV speakers with the possible exception of some rpj sets). I think you're incorrectly assuming that you can't take advantage of a home-theater system. It doesn't have to be cranked up, have lots of bass, or have 7 huge speakers (possible limitations in your apartment) in order to provide a huge improvement over the sound of your TV speakers. Even spending $400 on a receiver and two bookshelf speakers would be leaps and bounds above the sound quality of your TV speakers, and you wouldn't have space or loudness issues. You could also get a system upon which you could build in the future. Many people think that it's best to buy an HT system all at once, but it's often best to spend your whole budget on a receiver and 2 speakers and then add components (sub, then center, then surrounds) later on. You'll wind up with a better system in the end, and you'll be able to enjoy markedly better sound right now. I recommend reading through yoyo's sticky for some excellent information on this subject, and then you can make your own thread (after searching through others, of course 😉) stating your budget and asking for recommendations.

I don't have buyers remorse in the sense that I'm not unhappy with my TV. The picture is great and I think i made a good choice. Rather the old axiom I read here all too often is true, that whatever you think is big enough, get a least one size bigger. Big enough is often thought later to be not quite as big as I would have liked! As it is, viewing distance is about 8 feet and size isn't bad. If I really want a more "movie" experience, sometimes I'll sit a little closer.

As far as the speakers are concerned, two factors have kept me from getting home theater so far. 1) My upstairs neighbors would rumble through my ceiling and annoy the hell out of me, so I didn't want to risk doing that to anyone in my apartment complex, and 2) I'm unemployed and looking for work so the expense is something I'll put off for now. I used to use a boom box plugged into my 27-inch tube TV for better sound over the crap TV speakers. At least with the Sammy, the buildt in speakers sound way way better most little TV speakers - not bad at all. No, not HT but still decent for now.

I agree about the size. I originally planned to get a 32" TV but really wanted to step up to a 42", which I thought at the time was the perfect-sized TV. I wound up getting a 50", which was ginormous compared to our 27" CRT. Now it seems like the perfect size for watching TV from 9 feet away, but when I pop in a movie, I would definitely prefer a larger screen. I'll probably eventually get a projector setup for that, but it's certainly not in the budget right now. And I'm far from complaining about the size of the TV, because I immensely enjoy it every time I watch it, and the PQ is simply incredible.

Well, a pair of bookshelf speakers would certainly not rumble anyone else's apartment. However, if the money's not there, it's a moot point. If it ever is, then I think you'd be very pleased with even a $300 setup like what was recommended in this post. Of course, you'd be even more pleased with a more-expensive setup, but sometimes you just have to live within your means and buy what you can afford (which is sometimes absolutely nothing).

 

[PJABBER]

I went through the whole decision making process at the end of last year and actually bought a top of the line 120hz Samsung LCD. Even with the high refresh rate I did not find motion scenes in action movies and sports to be that smooth, ie lot of smearing. It was great for still images and even gaming but not for my primary use which was live action sports and HD/Blu-Ray and regular DVD watching. I returned it, went with a Samsung plasma and am way happier with the picture quality - super smooth images and no smearing!

A couple of factors which have not been mentioned -

Off axis picture quality is considerably better with a plasma. In a small room you are going to have friends sitting at much greater angles to the screen and LCDs lose quality when you sit away from being straight on to the screen, horizontally and even more so vertically. You can't stand and get a quality picture. Plasma has a great picture no matter how extreme the viewing angle.

Heat. A plasma does run warmer than LCD. In a small room you will feel it.

Contrast. LCDs offer high dynamic contrast specs but have relatively poor native contrast. LCD is getting better, but plasma has the most natural color and black levels are 10 to 100 times better than LCD, meaning the picture will be more lifelike instead of washed out looking.

Screen reflectivity. Screen coating minimizes it but it is a factor if you watch in a room with lots of direct sunlight. LCD screens have been better here as most have plastic screens but lately have been manufactured with glass like the plasmas and thus may have reflectivity issues.

Brightness. Plasma works great in a dim room, not so well if you are trying to watch in a super sunny environment. LCD pumps out a lot of light, works better in bright environments, but the contrast limitations make it less appealing than plasma in dimmer environments.

I really spent a lot of time with LCD sets but my experience is that plasma has a way better overall picture under almost all viewing environments and you don't have to worry about refresh rates at all.