TV help - *and sound*

[nefariouscaine]

I'm doing some shopping around right now for a friend that wants to replace his SD Sony WEGA CRT TV.

We're looking at around 2000 for the TV itself - Technology doesn't matter but bang for buck is. Looking for something with 1080 resi and has the ability to display a good image from standard def channels as they will be watched the majority of the time for now. There will not likely be the involvement of Blue Ray or HD DVD as this guy is a little too simple for that right now. I might change that but...

I don't have a ton of experience with TV's and figured I'd be able to find some in the know people.

This won't be used as a monitor either - strictly living room viewing. Preference to size close to 50 inches. DLP, Plasma, LCD all viable options as we can work around size of the unit. Let me know your thoughts and especially if you use or had the model in question.

Thanks

*edit*
would also be interested in hearing suggestions on boxed combo's on surround sound for about 500 - We're not dealing with a audiophile but decent quality is always nice.

 

[SLCentral]

I'd do the Panasonic 50PZ700U. Goes for around $2k online, and is a great plasma. This is considering his living room is not very bright; no windows directly behind the TV, etc. Plasmas in general are made out of glass, and therefore, will glare with lots of ambient light. It's not as bad as CRTs, but it is still there. A great rule of thumb is if his current CRT glares, a plasma will likely glare too.

LCD's don't have that glare issue (with the exception of most of the Samsung models), but keep in mind they do usually cost more inch-for-inch, and IMO, will not give you as accurate or as vivid of a picture as a plasma will. The richness in colors I have seen in a plasma have yet to be matched by an LCD. Samsung's 81-series come close, but the MSRP of the 46" is $4K, with street price likely somewhere around $3K.

If your friend can extend his budget, I'd go with the Pioneer 5080. I believe they can be found online (check Invision displays, great store), for around $2500. IMO, this picture is significantly better then the Panasonic. The black levels on the Pioneer have reached a new high, to the point where when watching in a dark room, black bars on the top/bottom or sides actually blend into the bezel. That's not something any other plasma or LCD can do. The 5080 is a 720p set (the 5010 is 1080p, but more expensive), but despite the resolution, looks better then the Panasonic or Samsung 1080p plasma. Keep in mind the Pioneer also has better processing then any other set, meaning that the non-HD sources, like SD or DVD's, will look significantly better then on other TV's.

You say the $2000 is for the TV itself. Is there a budget for audio, or did your friend not consider that at all? If it wasn't considered, and your friend doesn't want to pay more for a audio system, I'd suggest stepping down to the Panasonic 50PX75U, which is their lower-end 720p model, and can be fond for around $1500. Use the extra cash for some sort of audio system, because the home theater experience will be much more improved with some sort of sound, rather then a slightly nicer TV.

Hopefully this helps. If you have any more questions, post away

 

[nefariouscaine]

He has the money for audio so that will be extra -- I'll throw about 300-500 at him for that and I'm sure he'll go for it. He's pretty simple as far as things like that go and I'm sure would be happy with just about any sound setup.

I'll check into the Pioneer like suggested and see if he's willing to bump up a little on the TV - and I'll see about the Panasonic as well

To add to it - any suggestions on 500ish surround sound? I'm a 2.1 guy myself for the most part - I know decent brands and how to look up parts of high quality but really might be looking at a "box" set (receiver and speakers combo) for this, as ease of use/configuration will be higher selling points.

I've seen more people pointing to Plasma over LCD but I'm not really hearing much about DLP??? -- Anyone have opinions on that technology comparing to Plasma?

 

[SLCentral]

Originally posted by: nefariouscaine
He has the money for audio so that will be extra -- I'll throw about 300-500 at him for that and I'm sure he'll go for it. He's pretty simple as far as things like that go and I'm sure would be happy with just about any sound setup.

I'll check into the Pioneer like suggested and see if he's willing to bump up a little on the TV - and I'll see about the Panasonic as well

To add to it - any suggestions on 500ish surround sound? I'm a 2.1 guy myself for the most part - I know decent brands and how to look up parts of high quality but really might be looking at a "box" set (receiver and speakers combo) for this, as ease of use/configuration will be higher selling points.

I've seen more people pointing to Plasma over LCD but I'm not really hearing much about DLP??? -- Anyone have opinions on that technology comparing to Plasma?

DLP, properly set up, can produce a fantastic picture, but personally, I don't see it coming close to plasma. It lacks that 3D-depth and punch the plasma colors give you. I recently went from a Samsung 50" high-end DLP to the Panasonic 58PZ700U and the difference is night and day.

The major reason as to why I stay away from DLP is maintenance. I hate the fact that I need to replace a bulb for ~$300 every ~4 years. Pain in the ass to me.

 

[Tiamat]

so much for tv, so little for audio?

"Sound is 50 percent of the motion picture experience"
--George Lucas

 

[nefariouscaine]

Originally posted by: Tiamat
so much for tv, so little for audio?

"Sound is 50 percent of the motion picture experience"
--George Lucas

honestly the friend of mine I'm doing this for is a very *simple* guy

I haven't talked to him since last night when he asked me about it but I'm imagining needing to do some explanation about why he'd bother with speakers when the TV has 2 already

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: nefariouscaine

Originally posted by: Tiamat
so much for tv, so little for audio?

"Sound is 50 percent of the motion picture experience"
--George Lucas

honestly the friend of mine I'm doing this for is a very *simple* guy

I haven't talked to him since last night when he asked me about it but I'm imagining needing to do some explanation about why he'd bother with speakers when the TV has 2 already

I apologize, i didnt read your post carefully!

Since he is concentrating on TV and not really hi-res movies, (or movies in general) he seems to be a candidate for either no speakers, or just some simple 2.1 setups (or those "soundbar" type speakers that simulate surround sound all from one long horizontal type speaker).

 

[sao123]

I like DLP sets... they make great budget tv sets...

Personally, I just got the 61 inch samsung LED dlp set for $2199, delivered from onecall.com with an amazon pricematch. The 56 inch can be had for probably about $1800 if you look for the best deal.
I havent completed setting up my livingroom because I am also in the process of moving in to my new house... but I'll post some pictures soon.

As far as entry level sound, the onkyo HT-SR800 is a good choice for less than $500, one that I heavily considered before purchasing my $850 piecewise home theatre sound.

though for your friend, if he wants to just use the TV speakers... he might be better to just use his full money to buy a better TV... and dont forget the stand... theres an extra $250 you'll be needing for the project.

also, I like to recommend with any larger set... consider an upscaling DVD player... even if you are not going HDDVD or Blueray, it makes a considerable difference when watching already owned DVD's... The oppo 980 can be had from amazon for about $175.