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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Aug 26, 2008 11:21:39 GMT -5
The insurance is picking up the damage caused by a flood we had a few weeks back. One of the many items they're going to replace is a 51" rear-projection TV. Since they don't make those any longer what in your opinion is a better option?
I heard plasma is better for sports and movies, but I've also heard it was given a bad rap.
I was also told that I shouldn't consider an LCD unless we're talking 1080 (?).
Opinions anyone? Much thanks.
Dis
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Post by The New Guy on Aug 26, 2008 12:02:19 GMT -5
From what I've read and observed:
LCD's are easier on electricity. They tend to have sharper definition at the edges and brighter colours.
Plasma's suck down electricity like there's no tomorrow and kick off a ton of heat (if you walk into any electronics store and walk down an aisle of televisions you can tell which ones are plasma just by standing in front of them). Their edges are smoother, and the colours are 'richer' (they do dark colours better than LCD's). Plasma's bad rap comes from early plasma televisions, where the intense heat they generated damaged the television and burned images into the screen.
However, the best way to determine what you want is to walk into a store and look at what's around. Any store worth it's salt will have something playing on the televisions, and if not - ask! Fiddle around with the settings too, and if possible check at other stores - some of the electronics stores in the GTA have been known to set cheaper televisions with settings that are off, or to supply them with a weak signal for the display feed. And then pick the one you like best.
For resolution, 1080i is the way to go - but 1080p is fine. You may find even lesser resolutions are more pleasing to your eye.
(By the by, 51" projection is not equal to 51" HDTV - HDTV's usually have a different aspect ratio than old televisions (which were just slightly off square). To have truly the same size television you may want to go one or two steps higher.)
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Post by jkr on Aug 26, 2008 12:07:29 GMT -5
From what I've read and observed: LCD's are easier on electricity. They tend to have sharper definition at the edges and brighter colours. Plasma's suck down electricity like there's no tomorrow and kick off a ton of heat (if you walk into any electronics store and walk down an aisle of televisions you can tell which ones are plasma just by standing in front of them). Their edges are smoother, and the colours are 'richer' (they do dark colours better than LCD's). Plasma's bad rap comes from early plasma televisions, where the intense heat they generated damaged the television and burned images into the screen. However, the best way to determine what you want is to walk into a store and look at what's around. Any store worth it's salt will have something playing on the televisions, and if not - ask! Fiddle around with the settings too, and if possible check at other stores - some of the electronics stores in the GTA have been known to set cheaper televisions with settings that are off, or to supply them with a weak signal for the display feed. And then pick the one you like best. Why would they deliberately set the TVs incorrectly? |
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Post by HABsurd on Aug 26, 2008 12:07:51 GMT -5
The insurance is picking up the damage caused by a flood we had a few weeks back. One of the many items they're going to replace is a 51" rear-projection TV. Since they don't make those any longer what in your opinion is a better option? I heard plasma is better for sports and movies, but I've also heard it was given a bad rap. I was also told that I shouldn't consider an LCD unless we're talking 1080 (?). Opinions anyone? Much thanks. Dis As a general rule I would say the picture quality of Plasma is superior. Assuming that the plasma is a Pioneer which is superior to other brands, Panasonic being second. Color and contrast is far superior to LCD. Note that burn-in is not the problem it once was. However, like all things there are caveats. The above may not be true if: 1. You intend to use it as a computer monitor 2. The room is very brightly lit. 3. You intend to live at a high altitude, e.g. Denver. In which case LCD may be a better option and yes go for 1080. If you are a size doesn't matter kind-of-guy, i.e. $3k for an 11" TV, the picture on a OLED is astounding. I quickly found the following reviews which are on point: www.hometheatermag.com/plasmadisplays/907kuro/index.htmlwww.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/televisions/hdtv/plasma-tvs/reports/lcd-vs.-plasma-tvs/overview/lcd-vs-plasma-tvs-ov.htm |
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Post by CrocRob on Aug 26, 2008 12:16:45 GMT -5
From what I've read and observed: LCD's are easier on electricity. They tend to have sharper definition at the edges and brighter colours. Plasma's suck down electricity like there's no tomorrow and kick off a ton of heat (if you walk into any electronics store and walk down an aisle of televisions you can tell which ones are plasma just by standing in front of them). Their edges are smoother, and the colours are 'richer' (they do dark colours better than LCD's). Plasma's bad rap comes from early plasma televisions, where the intense heat they generated damaged the television and burned images into the screen. However, the best way to determine what you want is to walk into a store and look at what's around. Any store worth it's salt will have something playing on the televisions, and if not - ask! Fiddle around with the settings too, and if possible check at other stores - some of the electronics stores in the GTA have been known to set cheaper televisions with settings that are off, or to supply them with a weak signal for the display feed. And then pick the one you like best. Why would they deliberately set the TVs incorrectly? Because if a cheaper TV looks as good as the more expensive TV, why would you purchase the more expensive one? |
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Post by Polarice on Aug 26, 2008 12:16:55 GMT -5
LCD for sure Dis. I have a plasma and a LCD...both 1080p but the Plasma has image burns on it from television logos. Like TSN, RDS etc.
Both picture are almost Identical, with the Plasma being a wee bit brighter....but the LCD is the TV i use the most.
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Post by The New Guy on Aug 26, 2008 12:26:02 GMT -5
Why would they deliberately set the TVs incorrectly? Because if a cheaper TV looks as good as the more expensive TV, why would you purchase the more expensive one? Give the man a prize! I've been into Futureshop more than once looking for a television I've never gotten around to buying, and with a little fine tuning I find I can make the cheaper Futureshop brand (Insignia I think) look as good or better than televisions that cost $500 more. Of course the big guns - the ones that are twice the price of the cheap ones - are still superior. No amount of tuning can compensate for that. But yeah - always eyeball, always play with the settings, always tinker. Ask if they have a return policy if you don't like it once you have it home (because lighting in your house != lighting at the store). If you find a few that you like see if you can get them arranged in such a way so that you can do a side by side comparison. Try viewing them from wide angles, if that makes a difference to you. Make sure it has lots of inputs and, more importantly, the right kind of outputs for your surround sound system. With technology you can never take too long to consider your options. |
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Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Aug 26, 2008 17:11:12 GMT -5
I generally go with what is on sale and looks good at the time of purchase.
I can stand in a store and compare the most minute details choosing one brand or technology over the other.
In reality, when you get home it never looks as good as it did in the store with amplified HD feeds and careful tuning and adjustments. It's incredible to me the way things have gone full circle. In the old days we has to adjust B&W tv's to get rid of the snow, horizontal and vertical holds to get a clear picture of the indian on one of the channels. Steel wool on rabbit ears was fine tuning.
Years later almost any tv adjusted itself.
Now we are back to getting a professional adjuster to set up expensive HD tv's that have lost the ability to self adjust.
Careful analysis of a 1080P with over a million pixels is lost on eyes that are no longer 20/20 sitting 9 feet from the tv. It's like giving a Russian tank a ticket for making an illegal U-turn on a highway in Georgia.
Plus ca change..............?
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