plasma tv recommendations?

[Hoosier PH]

Go to www.cnet.com. They do reviews on all types of products and you can also compare different models.

And I have been looking at tvs and I am sold on buying a DLP. You do not get burn in, they last longer, and are cheaper than LCD's or Palsma's.

[buffettbride]

I thought you said "wedgies".

huh huh huh, uh, cool...

shut up, beavis.


back to your regularly scheduled programming. mine will be seen on a 19" JVC.

[Sam]

Is HDTV available in your area now?
Something else to consider ..is the size of your room....I mean it is nice to have the super dooper latest greatest biggest, etc........ but how willit view in your home???

I am not being funny, I am being serious..... for example.... when I was in USAF...most everyone had a stereo of one sort or another....alot of guys had Bose 1201s I think think they were,.... they were not made for barracks rooms and most people were quite dissapointed with the sound they got from them....so consider the room you decide to place it in....

I think, personally, I would hold off on investing the amount of money into plasma or LCD for now, and give them a couple of years or so, for the price to come down.... ( True some are less expensive than others but they use lower quality parts, so I was told )
That is just my opinion and it is your money and your decision to make.....You might be able to get a HD tube tv for far less of a price and also save the money to get a better product than is now available in two or three years that would serve as a great back up or in another room...at a much better price..... Look at cd players or VCRs or DVDs when they first came out....and look at the prices now.... I would stay away from the LCD and plasma tvs for now.

I could not agree more about taking several dvds that you know what they look like (also go for sound quality too) and sound like and watch and listen. Guys used to take "Fresh Air" ( Manheim Steamroller) to play to check the fidelity and sound of speakers on stereos before purchasing them....they would listen to it on several different systems several times.

But again it is your money and you know what you like and want.....
"Burn in" used to be a huge problem on computer monitors... that is why they had/have screen savers... So something to be concened about..a for worrying about how long a tv is designed to last... well the BLEEPING thing should last me a life time...realisticaly it won't ....pretty much most everything manufactured now, has become disposable....and has a limited lifespan....sad isn't it???

[Sidew13]

........ but how will it view in your home???

That's true Sam. When I use to sell TVs, we had a guy buy a 60" big screen. Problem is he lived in a 14 x 72 trailor, and it was a tight fit to start with. THEN when in the living room, you was practically on top of it and the picture was blurred.
Hey, his choice

[sy]

One brand I didn't see mentioned yet (not sure if anyone else even owns one) is Dell. I've had a Dell LCD tv screen for a little under a year now and I absolutely love it. They make plasma ones as well.

They run some pretty good deals at times, and they're warranty is fairly good as well.

[Blonde Stranger]

Go to www.cnet.com. They do reviews on all types of products and you can also compare different models.

And I have been looking at tvs and I am sold on buying a DLP. You do not get burn in, they last longer, and are cheaper than LCD's or Palsma's.

I have a friend who is extremely happy with the DLP set he bought - great picture but a fraction of the pricetag of an LCD or plasma.

[sonofabeach]

Well...after much shopping and reading up, today (Sunday) we finally settled on this one:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp ... 8841599311
A 46 inch Toshiba DLP. Minus the stand that's in the pic.
So far (one day) I'm really happy with it. Just watched the ESPN NFL game and the picture was great, much better than what I got from my 36 inch tube. And it's actually bigger than the size I was originally looking for (42 in).
Thanks for the advice everybody!!

[buffettbride]

Well...after much shopping and reading up, today (Sunday) we finally settled on this one:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp ... 8841599311
A 46 inch Toshiba DLP. Minus the stand that's in the pic.
So far (one day) I'm really happy with it. Just watched the ESPN NFL game and the picture was great, much better than what I got from my 36 inch tube. And it's actually bigger than the size I was originally looking for (42 in).
Thanks for the advice everybody!!

So when are BG and I invited over to watch football?

Congrats on your purchase! It's always fun to get new toys.

[NYCPORT]

Well...after much shopping and reading up, today (Sunday) we finally settled on this one:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp ... 8841599311
A 46 inch Toshiba DLP. Minus the stand that's in the pic.
So far (one day) I'm really happy with it. Just watched the ESPN NFL game and the picture was great, much better than what I got from my 36 inch tube. And it's actually bigger than the size I was originally looking for (42 in).
Thanks for the advice everybody!!

You went in the right direction with DLP. The people telling you that LCD is better than plasma are just plain wrong.
Plasma will cost you more, but in most cases is worth it.
LCD is known for being very jumpy on fast moving images, like sports which you mentioned. LCD has poor contrast, no real blacks and thus the poor contrast (depth of field). Plasma also suffers from poor contrast, but not the other issues.
Plasma may not last as long; no one is sure yet but so far it seems to be a nasty rumor. With LCD you need to change a $250 bulb every 1 1/2 years or so. The units you were looking at were also not very bright, there are a few LCD's that are quite bright but in the size you were talking about it's a $4000 set. You'll need to change the bulb in your DLP set too.
DLP is the way to go right now for the "thinner" sets.
One issue no one has addressed is that these are all 720p sets. There are two major resolutions in HD 720 and 1080. Your set will only show 720 even if they are broadcasting in 1080 so you won't see the highest resolution picture. Fox is the only network that broadcasts in 720 everyone else is 1080.
Right now there is only one 1080 DLP set and it just came out. My buddy had his delivered about a week and a half ago and it’s very nice. It goes for about $3500
Make sure you go get some high end cables for the connections. It's going to cost you a few hundred dollars to get them but it's well worth it. You don't put regular unleaded in a Ferrari if you get my drift. Also you should think about having a professional calibrator come to you house and adjust your set. It needs about a month to "break itself in" and then it's time. This will not only get the picture, color, contrast, etc. right but will extend the life of your set because out of the box they are set very high on all levels and if left that way will take away YEARS of life from you set!
Fell free to PM me if you have any other questions or for the name of a calibrator for you.
Enjoy your set!

[nycparrothead]

LCD is known for being very jumpy on fast moving images, like sports. LCD has poor contrast, no real blacks

Must be boring as hell watching basketball on it then...

[sonofabeach]

Well...after much shopping and reading up, today (Sunday) we finally settled on this one:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp ... 8841599311
A 46 inch Toshiba DLP. Minus the stand that's in the pic.
So far (one day) I'm really happy with it. Just watched the ESPN NFL game and the picture was great, much better than what I got from my 36 inch tube. And it's actually bigger than the size I was originally looking for (42 in).
Thanks for the advice everybody!!

So when are BG and I invited over to watch football?

Congrats on your purchase! It's always fun to get new toys.

Anytime foxy!!!
I've been sitting here playing with it all night....the tv that is

[sonofabeach]

Well...after much shopping and reading up, today (Sunday) we finally settled on this one:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp ... 8841599311
A 46 inch Toshiba DLP. Minus the stand that's in the pic.
So far (one day) I'm really happy with it. Just watched the ESPN NFL game and the picture was great, much better than what I got from my 36 inch tube. And it's actually bigger than the size I was originally looking for (42 in).
Thanks for the advice everybody!!

You went in the right direction with DLP. The people telling you that LCD is better than plasma are just plain wrong.
Plasma will cost you more, but in most cases is worth it.
LCD is known for being very jumpy on fast moving images, like sports which you mentioned. LCD has poor contrast, no real blacks and thus the poor contrast (depth of field). Plasma also suffers from poor contrast, but not the other issues.
Plasma may not last as long; no one is sure yet but so far it seems to be a nasty rumor. With LCD you need to change a $250 bulb every 1 1/2 years or so. The units you were looking at were also not very bright, there are a few LCD's that are quite bright but in the size you were talking about it's a $4000 set. You'll need to change the bulb in your DLP set too.
DLP is the way to go right now for the "thinner" sets.
One issue no one has addressed is that these are all 720p sets. There are two major resolutions in HD 720 and 1080. Your set will only show 720 even if they are broadcasting in 1080 so you won't see the highest resolution picture. Fox is the only network that broadcasts in 720 everyone else is 1080.
Right now there is only one 1080 DLP set and it just came out. My buddy had his delivered about a week and a half ago and it’s very nice. It goes for about $3500
Make sure you go get some high end cables for the connections. It's going to cost you a few hundred dollars to get them but it's well worth it. You don't put regular unleaded in a Ferrari if you get my drift. Also you should think about having a professional calibrator come to you house and adjust your set. It needs about a month to "break itself in" and then it's time. This will not only get the picture, color, contrast, etc. right but will extend the life of your set because out of the box they are set very high on all levels and if left that way will take away YEARS of life from you set!
Fell free to PM me if you have any other questions or for the name of a calibrator for you.
Enjoy your set!

I got some component cables tonight and they make a world of difference when watching dvds.
Also the bulb comes set on high mode but I've reset it to low...Supposedly it extends the life and it still looks great!!
When the bulb does burn out it's not prob since I got the extended warranty.
Thanks!

[A Balding Fan]

LCD is known for being very jumpy on fast moving images, like sports. LCD has poor contrast, no real blacks

Must be boring as hell watching basketball on it then...

Whats this basketybally you speak of?

[sonofabeach]

The lamp in my Toshiba just crapped out for the 2nd time.
For the past few weeks I've noticed it getting darker.
Judging from reading rants online, some people's lamps burn out every year and there are lots of cheap knockoff replacement lamps.
Next time I'm going LCD since DLP is dead technology.

[Summerlover]

The lamp in my Toshiba just crapped out for the 2nd time.
For the past few weeks I've noticed it getting darker.
Judging from reading rants online, some people's lamps burn out every year and there are lots of cheap knockoff replacement lamps.
Next time I'm going LCD since DLP is dead technology.

Ha I was just reading all these posts and came upon the pic of your Toshiba and thought, "that is what your buying?" I was confused since we have one of these big boys that is in our basement and has since been replaced with a LG LED. Then......... I look to the right and see the date and laugh to myself How did I miss that!!!

I do have to say after 2 bulbs since 2002 this tv is still going strong. The pic is not as good of course with today's technology but one big thing I've noticed is the quality of the speakers. Thank goodness we have a great surround system for the LED because otherwise you have a great tv with really lousy sound. The Toshiba audio is really not bad. I guess that is the trade-off for flat screens.

BTW, Monoprice.com for all your hdmi cables and many other things. Just saying.......

[Glorfindel7]

I have had my LCD TV for over 2 years now without a bulb change (but since everything else appears to be going out on me.... ) I didn't know these "bulbs" would burn out after a year and a half on most sets....

I bought a SONY 52 TV (Bravia), but my "viewing" area is about roughly 12 feet from couch to TV so that's pretty much what is required....Had a 37 inch SONY WEGA BRAVIA for about 2 years prior to that....

[Feesh]

The lamp in my Toshiba just crapped out for the 2nd time.
For the past few weeks I've noticed it getting darker.
Judging from reading rants online, some people's lamps burn out every year and there are lots of cheap knockoff replacement lamps.
Next time I'm going LCD since DLP is dead technology.

http://reviews.cnet.com/best-high-defin ... ;buyAdvice

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http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2387377,00.asp