Plasma...HD...LED...LCD...LED-LCD...?????????

[ericire12]

Technology is rapidly beginning to advance beyond my ability to see!

OLD!

[Timothy]

NOT SO OLD!

Give it time young man!  Give it time!

It takes a lifetime to get this ornery!

 

[ericire12]

Give it time young man!  Give it time!

It takes a lifetime to get this ornery!

 

*Getting off the lawn as quickly as I can

 

[CDR]

Bill,

You should do some research on another addicting forum.....AVS Forum, a forum for audio and videophiles. Once there you will have access to a knowledge base that remarkably extensive to say the least. You can go to the Plasma page as well as the LCD and LED pages that will really guide you well.

Essentially, the vast majority of videophiles agree that the finest HD television sets ever made were deemed so because of their outstanding black levels which translate into a jaw dropping picture.  Specifically, the Pioneer Elite Kuro plasma TVs have held this honor for years, albeit at a very high price. Only plasma has attained these inky blacks and, although recent LED sets like Samsung and Sony have improved prior dark gray levels offered by LCDs, they can't approach those offered by the best plasmas.   

The Pioneer company ceased production of televisions in 2009 to the dismay of the world's videophiles and remaining stock has been swept up. The good news is that the new reigning champion, Panasonic, has purchased the rights to the Kuro technology and hired many of their people so expect the quality to continue and improve.  Take a look at the Panasonic V series, this year's just came out and next years' will be Kuro technology. I bought a 54" V10 about 10 months ago and Panasonic Blue Ray player and it is about as good as it gets, absent a Pioneer.  It was less than half the price of the Pioneer Kuro for about 5 percent less black level so an outstanding value at around $2,000. Also, the new Panasonic PDP panels were introduced in 2009 and use a small fraction of the energy of all previous plasmas and are nearly as stingy on power consumption as LCD panels.  The PDP panels also have a 100,000 hour half life so they are good for years.

For those looking for HDMI cables, the only place to go, as I learned on AVS Forum, is Monoprice.com. The best AV cables made for about 80 percent less than Monster HDMI cables, which are a rip off that is almost criminal. Further, if you are in need of ink jet printer cartridges, you should check out Monoprice.com

Good luck Bill, but next years' Panasonic plasmas will be something definitely worth waiting for if you aren't in a hurry.

[ericire12]

$2,000.

I paid WAY less for my Sony, and I still damn near got a boner while watching The Masters. Yes, I know LCDs dont come close to plasmas for aspect ratio

[Sponsor]

[m25operator]

This May I will have had my Panasonic 42" HD widescreen plasma for 2 yrs, it is a 720p not 1080, I love it, it has tons of inputs and out puts on the back and front, I like having some inputs on the front for cameras, video and games, mine even has an SD card on the front for reviewing pictures. It was 1100 out the door with a 5 yr extended warranty. It sits on a base on my dresser in the bedroom, so lots of cooling area around it. It weighs 80 lbs so easy to move.

In may 2006 I bought a Mitsubishi, 52"HD LDP, 1080P, with all the bells and whistles, picture was very good, but the 780p Panasonic is better. At 18 months, the Lamp went out, 500.00 from Mitsubishi  , I did not have an extended warranty, replaced the lamp, but now I know, if you let the lamp go out to the point, you get no picture, it takes out the lamp drivers, 600 - 1,000 fix. After reading all the info from previous owners, this is common and Mitsubishi could care less. I will never buy another LDP or Mitsubishi product, except maybe some old used audio equipment. I still have the TV and will probably get it fixed, just don't know when.

I never went for extended warranties before, but on a 1k or better investment, and it only costs like 80.00, I will from now on.

[CDR]

I paid WAY less for my Sony, and I still damn near got a boner while watching The Masters. Yes, I know LCDs dont come close to plasmas for aspect ratio

You can only imagine what could have happened to your quasi-boner had you watched Phil putt out on 18 through a Panasonic V Series 1080p Plasma HDTV.       


Here's some idea........... 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO3Ifdm9lVY

[philw]

LED -  LCD  is what I would get 

also make sure it is 1080  HDMI  and  100Hz  panel


this is my set up
the TV is a 32" Philips  LCD  that is 100hz with 3 HDMI   



the HiFi  is a  Sony Muteki  7.4 Surround   everything is connected with HDMI  including a computer I have sitting behind the TV  and all though the amp  apart from the Wii 



I personally won't be getting a  3D TV's  are a bit of a waist of time  at the moment.

I could not get larger than 32"  as it needed to fit in to the cabinet we got ages ago 

[Rastus]

I think plama gives the best picture.  Go for a high refresh rate.  Get all of your prices from newegg and bestbuy off the internet then check out...yes, ...SEARS on the internet.  Sometimes Sears beats them both.  I picked up a pair of Samsung 52 inch plamas Christmas 2008 and I saved $500+ per set buying from Sears, hence the two instead of one.  Plus Sears supports our troops and their families...so I gotta get that plug in.  Hit and miss on selection, but see about Overstock.com just in case...and they support Wounded Warrior Project.

On the HDMI cable....it makes life so much simpler when you plug in VCR's, DVD's, sound systems, etc...makes it worth it but stay away from Monster Cables...I agree that their pricing should be a criminal offense.  Buy an HDMI cable just for reasons of hookup and control.

Really, LCD or Plasma are both good, plasma is hotter uses more power but better picture.  Just watch that refresh rate and compare during action scenes...if a vid begins to look "watery" then it's not refreshing quickly enough.

My 2 cents.

[crusader rabbit]

One of the posts made a point of saying that his plasma needs a lot of air as it tends to get warm.  That warmth is energy that you get to pay the electric company to use.  Tenant of mine got a new plasma and doubled his electric bill.  Of course, he's a fat slob who watches the tube nearly all the time.  Normal usage would still see an increase in electricity.  I'd vote for and LED-LCD, but, as was also said earlier, they're coming down in price with every passing month.   But, since the dollar is also coming down in value every month, it could be a wash.

Submitted for your consideration by,
Crusader (who watches tv on a 12-year-old box that's been paid for since I got it and won't get replaced until it dies)