Expert Advice Needed In Picking A Television...please? Options

[shaj]

I'm extremely sorry if this is the wrong place to post this question...

I had no Idea where else to ask it :|

I have an ancient Widescreen CRT. I'm finally considering upgrading to an HDTV.

Now the TV is going to be used for the following (in Descending order):

1) Original Xbox to play games and watch media using Xbox Media Centre (Hopefully Upgrading soon to 360)

2) Watch DVD Movies

3) Watch SD Satellite Channels

I went around looking for screens last night and found the following to be the best (I'm not mentioning the model numbers as I live in the Middle East and although the tvs are basically the same, the model numbers don't corrsepond):

1) LG's new 42" Time Machine Plasma - The Display looked Awesome! Supposedly also some new technology which kills off the mirror screen effect that plasmas have. Has a built in 80GB HDD for recording. It also won the EISA Award for best Plasma 2006-2007 and, I think, has Game Mode.

2) Pansaonic 42" Plasma - Supposedly the best when it comes to Plasma

3) Samsung 50" DLP - Looked real nice.


I didn't actually look at any LCD's cause I wasn't interested. But some video on Youtube with regards to LCD vs Plasma actually said LCD was better for gaming. True??


So which one would you guys recommend for my needs?

Also is the Game Lag thingy going to be a major issue?

Would appreciate any advice. My first HDTV...please help!

[twistedsymphony]

moving to the AV forum

[C o s m o]

Try this: http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/specsf...logiesguide.php

[gus738]

this is far thE BEST tv you can get .....





http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?...&Ns=P_Price



plus since its costco you have LIFE TIME warranty .... 4 FREE...



local stores are cheaper.

[The Juggler]

I did a BUNCH of research before buying my TV.
Here were my basic findings:

Plasmas nice and thin, but if you plan to do a bunch of gaming, you do suffer the risk of image burn-in. Yes, the newer plasmas are getting better about it, but it still happens. And the plasmas that offer a white screen to remove burn in, keep in mind, while it works, it causes loss of lifespan to the TV. High cost is a factor is plasmas as well.

DLP technology is mostly good. Does not suffer image burn-in. The only downside I noticed with DLP is the processing time required to display an image. It's negligable for movies or TV, but when playing games (such as Halo 2), quick reactions are everything. I've seen some older sets that make games near unplayable, but again, newer ones tend to be quicker. Find a store with a DLP sitting next to an LCD (both displaying the same video) and you'll notice the image on the LCD changes before the DLP.

LCD doesn't have quite the contrast ratio as the other formats, but again doesn't suffer from image burn-in or the processing delay. Silicon LCD tends to be better with contrast, and also reduces the 'screen door' effect of LCD. But, Silicon LCD tends to be more expensive than DLP and a little cheaper than plasma.

I ended up buying the Sony SXRD (Silicon LCD).
I do a lot of gaming. I love the picture.

If I wasn't into gaming so much, I probably would have gone with a DLP. Great contrast, great picture, but I couldn't get over the picture delay.

But then again, DLP will be projection, so if you're looking sor something thin, Plasma or LCD is the way to go.

Good luck.

[shaj]

I did a BUNCH of research before buying my TV.
Here were my basic findings:

Plasmas nice and thin, but if you plan to do a bunch of gaming, you do suffer the risk of image burn-in. Yes, the newer plasmas are getting better about it, but it still happens. And the plasmas that offer a white screen to remove burn in, keep in mind, while it works, it causes loss of lifespan to the TV. High cost is a factor is plasmas as well.

DLP technology is mostly good. Does not suffer image burn-in. The only downside I noticed with DLP is the processing time required to display an image. It's negligable for movies or TV, but when playing games (such as Halo 2), quick reactions are everything. I've seen some older sets that make games near unplayable, but again, newer ones tend to be quicker. Find a store with a DLP sitting next to an LCD (both displaying the same video) and you'll notice the image on the LCD changes before the DLP.

LCD doesn't have quite the contrast ratio as the other formats, but again doesn't suffer from image burn-in or the processing delay. Silicon LCD tends to be better with contrast, and also reduces the 'screen door' effect of LCD. But, Silicon LCD tends to be more expensive than DLP and a little cheaper than plasma.

I ended up buying the Sony SXRD (Silicon LCD).
I do a lot of gaming. I love the picture.

If I wasn't into gaming so much, I probably would have gone with a DLP. Great contrast, great picture, but I couldn't get over the picture delay.

But then again, DLP will be projection, so if you're looking sor something thin, Plasma or LCD is the way to go.

Good luck.

Hey Juggler...thanks for the feedback...

I tend to play games only on weekends since I get home late from work on weekdays...

I probably don't exceed about 5 hrs of gaming over the weekend...maybe less...

I'd like to game whenever I have the time, but I'd mostly be watchin TV (SD) and DVD Movies. Also I tend to use the TV mainly in the dark.

Would Plasma be good enough for all that?

[sinister slipknot]

this is far thE BEST tv you can get .....

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?...&Ns=P_Price

plus since its costco you have LIFE TIME warranty .... 4 FREE...

local stores are cheaper.

Yes because thats not a huge watse of money Bravias are no better than their Samsung counterparts with the same specs.

[gus738]

Yes because thats not a huge watse of money Bravias are no better than their Samsung counterparts with the same specs.

SERIOUSLY you'll be blown away with not only 1080P but the contras ratio is 7000:1 and its TRUE about the BLACK levels!!! 100% true

i always hated LCD but this one is diffrent



AND IT GETS BETTER!!!!!! no better store then costco to buy a tv due to the 100% cash back lifetime warranty not store credit CASH!!!





shaj



seriously consider looking at this tv at costco im sure you'll be 100% satisfied as soon as you see it .





bottom line : YOU buy from costco tv's selection and you always win weather its a bad tv or image burn in or low blacks COSTCO is the way to go.



shaj go check that tv out

[GSX]

this is far thE BEST tv you can get .....





http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?...&Ns=P_Price



plus since its costco you have LIFE TIME warranty .... 4 FREE...



local stores are cheaper.

SERIOUSLY you'll be blown away with not only 1080P but the contras ratio is 7000:1 and its TRUE about the BLACK levels!!! 100% true

i always hated LCD but this one is diffrent



AND IT GETS BETTER!!!!!! no better store then costco to buy a tv due to the 100% cash back lifetime warranty not store credit CASH!!!





shaj



seriously consider looking at this tv at costco im sure you'll be 100% satisfied as soon as you see it .





bottom line : YOU buy from costco tv's selection and you always win weather its a bad tv or image burn in or low blacks COSTCO is the way to go.



shaj go check that tv out

He lives in the middle east..Read you nuggets. Get the plasma, DLP blows. Tho for SD television, they both will suck.

[gus738]

He lives in the middle east..Read you nuggets. Get the plasma, DLP blows. Tho for SD television, they both will suck.

ok ok it doesnt nessary have to be in that store but i he asked expert advice and for what i research over the past time i'd figure thats the best bet hands down , maybe he'll find that paticular model where he lives OR maybe just maybe costco or the website company that makes that tv can ship too.....



endless of possbilities and i for 1 find it important when it comes to a tv quality especially since your spending 1g plus , dont you agreed?

[GSX]

That tv is nice, but you're paynig for the brand. Also, the contrast is not 7,000:1, it's more like 1,300:1(great for an lcd, but far from 7k) 7000 is something called dynamic contrast, while 1300 is static contrast. There is a big difference. Sony will list both, but they will market the higher number, and ppl just eat it up. Below is a quote from wikipedia on the subject.

"It is also common to market only the dynamic contrast ratio capability of a display (when it is better than its static contrast ratio), which should not be directly compared to the static contrast ratio. A plasma display with a static 5000:1 contrast ratio will show superior contrast to an LCD display with 5000:1 dynamic and 1000:1 static contrast ratio when the input signal contains full range of brightnesses from 0 to 100% simultaneously. However they will be on par when input signal ranges only from 0 to 20% brightness."

Get the plasma, burn-in is non existent in any decent plasma made within a year.

This post has been edited by GSX: Nov 8 2006, 03:57 AM

[The Juggler]

Hey Juggler...thanks for the feedback...

I tend to play games only on weekends since I get home late from work on weekdays...

I probably don't exceed about 5 hrs of gaming over the weekend...maybe less...

I'd like to game whenever I have the time, but I'd mostly be watchin TV (SD) and DVD Movies. Also I tend to use the TV mainly in the dark.

Would Plasma be good enough for all that?

Yes, plasma would work for that. With that little gaming, you shouldn't suffer image burn-in. Just be careful not to leave a static image on the screen for an extended period of time. Keep in mind that SD tv does truly tend to look like crap on a HDTV. You tend to see all the noise in the signal that you didn't with the older CRT TVs. DVDs should look good. Try to find a DVD player with progressive scan.

The TV that gus is pushing certainly isn't a bad TV (in fact as far as LCD TVs go, it is pretty good). Don't go by the manufacturers claims of contrast ratio though. There is no set standard measuring that. Sonys 7000:1 could be equivalent to Mitsubishi's 4000:1 and Westinghouse's 12,000:1.

If you're really looking for something cool, you could wait for LASER TV. But I think it will be several years before we see them as consumers.

[gus738]

Yes, plasma would work for that. With that little gaming, you shouldn't suffer image burn-in. Just be careful not to leave a static image on the screen for an extended period of time. Keep in mind that SD tv does truly tend to look like crap on a HDTV. You tend to see all the noise in the signal that you didn't with the older CRT TVs. DVDs should look good. Try to find a DVD player with progressive scan.

The TV that gus is pushing certainly isn't a bad TV (in fact as far as LCD TVs go, it is pretty good). Don't go by the manufacturers claims of contrast ratio though. There is no set standard measuring that. Sonys 7000:1 could be equivalent to Mitsubishi's 4000:1 and Westinghouse's 12,000:1.

If you're really looking for something cool, you could wait for LASER TV. But I think it will be several years before we see them as consumers.

lol if he would wait for laser tv then he might as well get sed tv lol , actually even tho figures on the specs may not always be true but i for one did compare dynamic custom and standard mode and i love dynamce best i used to hate lcd cuz it didnt have good blacks it had motion blurr and other disadvantges but ever since this tv came out all of those errrors are gone and i do encourage anyone to see this tv cuz im sure u'll see what i mean .



plus the biggest 1080p tv goes is this 46'' sure you get can a 50'' pionneer elite for how much? 7k + so oyea that 46'' is biggest 1080p can go



and its native not upscaled



but to shaj go compare the most wanted tvs on your list and see which one you get your intrest to ....

[illidur]

i looked around quite a bit and i found that lcd are great now if you plan on spending 1,000 usd. i payed 1,200 and got a 26" sharp and its excellent quality for price.

i got an lcd because of the capability to use on pc/console. the reason i didn't get a plasma is because of lifetime, resolution and burn in. lcds have ~ 60,000 hrs of life and are thin.

but why would you want an hdtv for sd....

hope it helps =)