Buy LED, LCD or Plasma
My sincere thanks for all the well thought responses. My five year old Sony Grand Wega has a failing optical block, lots of blue showing at right and bottom with all content. Sony is no help even though countless forums are filled with customer complaints on this issue. Repair could easily run $1100.00, so that's not going to happen and right now I can't reward Sony with another TV purchase. The Grand Wega has always been rolled up against the left wall for music and pulled between the speakers for movies. Mounting above the fireplace could be a reasonable resolution to all problems and may even help sound since the TV wont be next to my left speaker. Several of you made points I had concerns for and some I had not even considered. The viewing distance close and far is 12' and 17'. I've looked at several brands at stores, fortunately most were using DTV or Blue Ray so I had good HD quality signal. So far I'm impressed with Panasonic V10 Plasma 58" and the Samsung LCD Un55B8500 55". Both are excellent but very different as many here have posted. |
Unsound, Front projector would be great except I read they are not good to run continually and this is the main TV. With few exceptions, front projector screens don't do well with light on them and the center of my living room has a skylight that's about 8 X 17 feet. At night you don't know it's there but probably a problem for front projector in daylight and if my wife is home a TV will be on. |
I just spoke to the son of an Audiogon member who's manager for Best Buy up North. He suggests the Panasonic Plasma for combo of best color, reliability and price. He likes the Samsung but doubts it worth the additional $1000.00 and 3" smaller screen. A doctor in my audio group can buy whatever he wants, ordered the new Vizio 552. It's only $1595.00, sports local dimming LED and specs look like Samsung and LG. Spread is $1000.00 for each jump. Cheap Vizio, more expensive Panasonic Plasma and most expensive Samsung. Other suggestions are welcome. Also, anyone experienced with the HDMI switcher that Oppo builds? http://www.oppodigital.com/hm31/ |
Two HDMI would work, U-verse HDTV box and the Oppo Blue Ray player. There is about 50 foot run from high on the fireplace to my Oppo Blue Ray and the rest of my stereo gear. If I put the U-verse box in with stereo, I could run it and Blue Ray via HDMI into Oppo switcher. The Oppo switcher is 1.3 compliant, amplifies and corrects signal up to 50-75 ft. This also keeps the Blue Ray next to my preamp. One set of RCA interconnects from Blue Ray and / or U-verse box would send sound through my music system. |
Unsound, I understand that recommendation but based on that calculator my current 55" TV just a few feet away from seating position should be between 70" and 77". Mounting above the fireplace, the recommended screen size is between 118" and 125". According to Google, there are only a few flat screens that large and they start about $100,000.00. I know a front projector can go that large but won't work due to the large skylights I already mentioned Do you know of something I'm missing? |
Thanks guys, looks like all of you are pretty much in agreement with each other and the stores I shopped locally. The people there also say Pioneer and Panasonic plasma is best picture. Albert try to find the Pioneer KRP-600M. This is a 60 inch plasma and is the last model they made. The blacks are way ahead of any Pany out there. Don't worry about Pioneer out of the business. If you want the best this is it. I paid 3200.00 for this with free shipping from a NY retailer about 3 months ago. They have an extended warranty and will replace it with an appropriate new model if it breaks. They sell Panasonic as well. Can you say who this seller is? That price is close enough to what BB is asking for to 58" Panasonic for me to look. |
Unsound, I'm seriously thinking the same thing, I hate to spend that much but the 65" is probably more suited to the distance from seating and as someone in this thread wrote, you never wish you had gone smaller. Chazro, Panasonic is rated for 80,000 hours. Even at 8 hours a day it will be out of date technology and disposed of before I hit that mark. The new plasmas use less energy than earlier models but certainly not as efficient as LCD LED. Ah-nold is right about that. Marcojack, I was desperately looking for wireless because of what you mention. The LG has some problems if not line of sight and the Panasonic only goes to 50" which is smaller than my current 55". BB offered me an open box Pioneer Elite 60", I don't know how many hours are on it, 60" and they want $3800.00. However with same program material on Panasonic a and Elite Pioneer Plasmas, there was precious little difference. Panasonic is new in the box, $200.00 more money but 65". BB is offering free delivery, free calibration and discount wall mount for a short time. I'm probably going to have to make a decision soon so I can take advantage of this. Everyone says a good set up of one of these Plasmas makes for a big upgrade. |
I agree with you guys, went for the Panasonic TC-65S1 at $2295.00. I went back to BB today and compared the picture again, the less expensive Panasonic is so close it's not worth the extra money for the V10. Funny thing is, after I paid I was speaking to the manager, who sold me the TV and he said the calibration was way more important than the difference in the two Panasonic 65". Went on to say that the cheaper one with calibration would beat the more expensive one without. Calibration is free with the $3995.00 65" Panasonic but found an in store deal where calibration comes with the less expensive one too. Between that, free delivery and $250.00 custom install I feel like this was a smart move. Macrojack mentioned an AVS Forum member mounting his TV and it went into the floor. That thought crossed my mind, that and the fear that lifting 140 pounds over my head could lead to personal injury as well as broken Plasma, the BB install is looking very fairly priced. Last thing, after I signed the form the manager ask if I knew about Reward Zone, I assumed a big sales pitch was coming and braced myself. I was wrong, got handed $65.00 credit to "spend" at BB. Unless they screw it up, I'm feeling reasonably good about this and sincerely appreciate everyone pitching in. |
Learsfool, you summed up nicely what convinced me to go for the Panasonic 65". That and I cannot justify several thousand dollars more for the Pioneer, even if it is better. I'm really a two channel audio guy, the TV is for my wife and when I watch I want it to be good, but perfection is not required. At $2295.00 for the 65" Panasonic it's a good deal and I got the Sencore pro calibration in a package with it. The TV is installed Monday and they come back to calibrate 4 weeks later after it's settled in. My only fear is the built in speakers will probably struggle to fill my space. The Panasonic TC-P65S1 has only one optical digital sound output and I don't know yet if that's controlled (like built in speakers) via remote. If the optical is controlled at the same time as the remote, I can run a digital Coax to an amp and power my in wall speakers. |
Mhedges, Yep, I found that out. The Panasonic has not been delivered so I did not have owners book but got an answer from Panasonic help line. Looks like no way for the TV remote to control their own speakers plus another pair in the room. Seems like for a screen that large, that would be an attractive option. I was going to buy a cheap two channel integrated, set the volume where it balanced nicely with the TV speakers and then control all with TV remote. Any other way would mute the TV but not the alternate speakers, bad idea for broadcast since they flood us with commercials and the more expensive V10 Panasonic with digital and analog outputs has same limitations. |
My wife is the main TV watcher, that option would require two remote controls. I bought a U-verse RF remote because the AT&T box is hidden. That same remote will run the Panasonic IR controls. Maybe I can program an IR extender to control the (not yet purchased) integrated. You did make me think about this some more. It will be easier once I get the TV and read over everything. |
You probably need to use HDMI outputs of TV to an inexpensive receiver with HDMI in. Then get some kind of very coherent horns and sit back 12 feet or more and enjoy real movie theater sound. I'm using Blue Ray and AT&T fiber Optic for viewing, so it makes better sense to pull signal from those two sources than the TV. The whole idea of TV output driving in wall speakers was to supply enough SPL in my room for everyday TV watching (my wife) where the TV remote would work seamlessly. I just sold an HDMI receiver here at Audiogon, a Marantz. |
Mark, Albert- I use a Sony Rm-VL610 universal learning remote to control my system. You can program it so that the volume functions control an amp/receiver etc. But the channel buttons control your tv or cable box. It's only $30 and so far it has proven to be a pretty good one remote solution for my system. The AT&T receiver is not line of site, requires RF (radio frequency) remote to operate. The Sony remote you mention may not operate the AT&T box unless line of site and probably does not operate as IR and RF. I found a RF remote that fits inside a regular remote (like the AT&T RF) and uses radio to generate a sub signal to control a IR (infrared) sensitive device. In theory you could pair the AT&T RF with aftermarket extender that uses RF+IR. The AT&T RF would control U-verse box, AT&T remote (IR) controls the Panasonic, and the on board RF to IR converter would send commands to the (yet undisclosed) receiver. Everything from one remote, (maybe :^). |
Here's the gadget. The battery replacement device goes into AT&T remote. When you use AT&T to transmit RF to U-verse box it works as normal. When you use the AT&T to transmit IR commands to Panasonic, it works in place of the stock TV controller. (These commands are mute, vol up, vol down and on / off.) When you turn volume up and down for TV, the IR controls TV (already stated) but the battery replacement device also sends RF signal to the extender box that flashes IR to the receiver sensor that will power existing in wall speakers. http://www.nextgen.us/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=remoteextenderplus In theory a totally seamless operation using same buttons as the other two remote in other rooms. She has nothing new to learn or change habit about. All three AT&T remotes in each room perform the same function with three TV's and enhanced sound in living room. (I hope). |
Nark, No, the current U-verse box I have is IR, the RF is an add on. I did not think about repeater for IR since I had such good success with DIrectTV RF all those years. I think what you're saying is maybe use repeater IR and let it control the U-verse and the integrated (TBD) that run in wall speakers. Is it possible for the AT&T remote to do volume and mute via IR on a audio receiver or can you buy alternate code transponders so everything works together? I hope all this helps some other Audiogon member, it's a mess trying to tie this together. |
