The best film like picture quality is still plasma. Lcd TV's are getting better (newer LED back lights) and will have more contrast but poorer black levels and still look somewhat artificial. After this, the sony sxrd and JVC D-ILA pictures are nice and I'd put DLP's last.
The Pioneer elite plasmas are probably the best followed by Panasonic (way less expensive) and Samsung and LG.
If you are viewing from 9-12 feet back get a 46-50" plasma. |
I just bought a 32" Vizio LCD for my bedroom and I'm quite happy with it. But your needs are somewhat different. 55dok gave you good solid advice. I'd tend to go with Panasonic or Samsung LCD for your setup, unless cost is no object. If that is true, those new Kuros from Pioneer are the cat's meow, probably the best picture of anything out there. You'll pay a bit of a premium because it's new technology, but the reports I'm hearing say the picture quality is STUNNING. Try to go with at least a 50" screen, you'll always want something 4" bigger than you buy and a 46" in a living room would be just a wee bit small if you're sitting more than 7 ft. away. If you're more than 10 ft. away, move up closer to a 60" model if you can. http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/v3/pg/kuro/demo/full/0,,2076_310069651,00.html?camp=kuroPlasmas have now gotten down to reasonable cost levels and can compete quite well with LCD, but the Kuros will be at the top of the range because they were just introduced. But, oh, what a picture! -RW- |
I agree with 55dok that plasma can have better picture quality than LCD. Plasma has better detail in dark scenes, LCD has brighter whites. Plasma has less motion blur, good for sports. They are better at off angle viewing, LCDs appear washed out when viewing off angle.
If you're viewing from say 8 to 11 feet a 768 progressive scan panel would be sufficient, your eyes won't see the difference between this and a 1080P panel unless you are sitting within 7 feet so you can save some money there.
Panasonic makes some nice affordable 50" models which can be found for $1500 to $2000. Pioneer, best black level detail and picture processing, is more at $2500 to $3000 street price. You can even find other makes for as low as $1000 and they aren't bad to look at either.
Questions to ask yourself are how far away will you sit, what are the viewing conditions in your room, how critical of picture quality are you and how much money do you want to spend? Do you feel secure buying online for better savings? Or do you want to be able to return it to the store if you have a problem? Be sure to check out the return policy.
And beware that it is very hard to compare these sets in the store. All are set to torch mode to get your attention and the viewing conditions are very poor so reading reviews can be very important.
Hope this helps.
Hope this helps. |
Haven't looked at TVs in the last few months but when we were shopping for a smaller Sony flatscreen LCD ...I'd rate technology options (50"+)as: Plasma, Sony SXRD, DLP, LCD...that was my impression anyway. The Sony LCD we got is fantastic with high def content but conventional broadcast content can look very grainy and there is some "blurring" on fast motion stuff due to the slow refresh rate of LCD. Sony gets their LCD tech from Samsung. It's not a shot at Sony but a limitation of the technology. Sony's proprietary LCD technology SXRD has a much faster refresh rate and I fell in love with a 60" rear projector using it. Not flat screen, however. Plasma looks great...almost 3D but I've been concerned about the life-time of the screen. Had heard it will fade out over time and can't be repaired. Interested in comments about plasma reliability that I think would be informative to Raquel as well. |
Haven't looked at TVs in the last few months but when we were shopping for a smaller Sony flatscreen LCD ...I'd rate technology options (50"+)as: Plasma, Sony SXRD, DLP, LCD...that was my impression anyway. The Sony LCD we got is fantastic with high def content but conventional broadcast content can look very grainy and there is some "blurring" on fast motion stuff due to the slow refresh rate of LCD. Sony gets their LCD tech from Samsung. It's not a shot at Sony but a limitation of the technology. Sony's proprietary LCD technology SXRD has a much faster refresh rate and I fell in love with a 60" rear projector using it. Not flat screen, however. Plasma looks great...almost 3D but I've been concerned about the life-time of the screen. Had heard it will fade out over time and can't be repaired. Interested in comments about plasma reliability that I think would be informative to Raquel as well. |
What 55dok says is absolutely spot on. I own BOTH plasma (Panasonic) and the latest Sharp Aquos (LCD) both in 42".
The Panasonic plasma is by FAR the most realistic (even though it is TWO years older than the Sharp). I heavily regret the Aquos purchase. LCD manufacturers are LIARS. It claimed a 10,000 to 1 contrast ratio for the Sharp....clearly this is pure and utter BS!
I wish there were more honest people around like 55Dok - it would have saved me learning the hard way! But, as usual the reviews all gave Aquos a high rating....complete BS.
BTW: I also owned Sony Vega 36" XBR HD CRT tube TV and it was BETTER than both the new flat screens for natural colours and contrast. The new flat panels however have the edge in terms of accurate geometry (especialy towards the corners) and brightness however. |
For a sleeper LCD check out Olevia - highly rated by Consumers Reports and IMHO gives a picture quality second only to the Sony Bravia series at 2.5x the cost.
Although I think Rlwainwright is correct that you will want 4" greater than you actually buy, you'll also notice that it really doesn't matter all that much because the picture is soooo much clearer than a convntional CRT TV that you'll find it easy to watch and generally pretty satisfying. |
Remember that the TV is only half of the equation...an HD source, either over-the-air, cable, or satellite is the other half...standard cable or even satellite is going to look about the same as it does on your old TV. A good quality progressive scan DVD player hooked up with component cables or one of the newer upconvert DVD players is an inexpensive way to get great picture quality for movies. Blu-Ray and HD-DVD player prices are dropping rapidly and will also upconvert your current DVD discs to look great on an HD TV. I agee that Plasmas are the way to go right now. I have two, including a Pioneer 43" that looks great with my HD Directv. |
My pick [someday] is the LG 50" 780i plasma [1080 is overkill & too costly at this point in time, IMHO].
I like the LG because: 1) 60,000 hour life 2) 2 year mfg. warranty 3) currently about $1500- or less. 4) 15,000:1 contrast ratio
Very impressive picture, but if there is a lot of ambient light in your room, go with an LCD |
We thank all of you for your very thoughtful comments -- this is really helpful -- fantastic!
Drake and Raquel |
Actually the best picture is still a Hi-Def Glass tube unit but the are small, boxy and heavy....then Plasma, then LCD but LCD gets better almost monthly, DLP rear unit projectors are popular for getting big picture on the cheap and can vary in quality fitting in between Plasma and LCD. Then last are Projectors which can be fantastic in a dedicated space where light is not a huge issue to control.....but for all their flaws that huge picture cant be beat for true movie involvment.
As of now I have Glass tube HDTV, small LCD unit and an LCD projector, my dad has 58in Plasma and my brother has a 65in DLP rear Projection unit so I have a pretty good hold on many of each strengths and weakness. |
Agreed with 55dok. I own plasma, LCD, and rear projection using LCD, currently in the market for a projector. Among them all, plasma has the most realistic picture quality by a big margin. Just like photography, sharpness is not everything and plasma has that natural look especially in skin tone.
yes, I regret getting that LCD and rear projection. my next purchase will be a big plasma to replace my 3 year old NEC 42" ED plasma that still looks 100 times better than my other displays. |
Folks: One last question: what are the typical discounts that dealers offer on good plasmas, for example, assume a 42" plasma that lists for $3,000? Assume further that I would go to a good home theater / two-channel dealer (I would not buy from a large chain like Circuit City). Obviously, discounts vary depending upon the product and the dealer, but is there any rule of thumb like the 10% that brick & mortar stores often do for 2-channel?
Thanks |
With the holiday sales you can get a 42" panasonic plasma for less than $1000 if you want last years model in silver or for $1400-1500 in the latest black, non glare finish. Check 6th AVE electronics online as they run weekly holiday specials and are also clearing out last year's models. You can pick up a new pioneer 60" (?last year's model not an elite model) PDP6071 (1365x768) for less than $3000. 1080X1920 HD sets are probably overkill for 42" and 50" sets as well as many 60" sets. I've seen a pioneer elite 60" (1365x768) set look as good or better than some other companies 1080p sets because the final picture quality also depends on the scaler etc. not only the resolution.
Take a look at 6ave.com as I got a 50" panasonic plasma on clearance for $1400 and after adjusting the settings it has an excellent picture. You can always download their prices and see if CC or BB will match their price or get it shipped and save the taxes. |
