# Educate me on HD/Flat Panel TV's **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 11, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-hd-flat-panel-tvs/567267 "2011-01-11T21:35:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-hd-flat-panel-tvs/567267/1 "2011-01-11T21:35:46Z")
So, I’m hoping to pick up a decently priced Flat Panel TV in the next few months. Educte me, if you would, teeming masses. I have heard that anything lower than, say, 120 refresh rate on an LCD is not worth looking at, and taht 1080p is the go to number for resolution… why? Or, conversely, why not? I am leaning towards an LCD, as they are much friendlier to my price range. I’m looking at probably a 40" or 42", as anything bigger is just way to much for our living room. Good experiences? Bad experiences? Where did you buy yours? Why? Thanks for the info, folks, and I’ll pop in for more questions as they occur. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-hd-flat-panel-tvs/567267/2 "2011-01-11T22:05:50Z")
1080p is not always the end-all, be-all. Depending on the size of your TV, and how far away you view it, there is often no discernible difference between 780p and 1080p. However, if you’re looking at a 40" or 42", then there most likely is a describable difference, unless you sit more than, like, 15 feet away. You’ll probably find that LCD is just about the only technology that’s really out there in full force anyway. Plasma is still around to a small degree, but it’s waning as LCD’s previous shortcomings (worse blacks and viewing angles,) and mostly gone, whereas plasma still has it’s downside s(more $$, more chance of burn in.) There is also LED TV, but I don’t know if anyone is making a mass-market 40" or 42" one of those, plus they are a LOT of $$, but so awesome. I’m not an expert, but there is essentially no downside. True blacks, great viewing angles, no chance of burn in, no bulb to replace. A little bit of quick research confirms only a couple manufacturers make OLED TV’s, and they are right now all sub-20". ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-hd-flat-panel-tvs/567267/3 "2011-01-11T22:23:58Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > There is also LED TV, but I don’t know if anyone is making a mass-market 40" or 42" one of those, plus they are a LOT of $$, but so awesome. > > I’m not an expert, but there is essentially no downside. True blacks, great viewing angles, no chance of burn in, no bulb to replace. Just last night I helped a colleague purchase two new HDTVs, one of which was this [42" LED from LG](http://www.bestbuy.com/site/LG+-+42%22+Class+/+1080p+/+120Hz+/+LED-LCD+HDTV/9783803.p?id=1218173779156&skuId=9783803&st=le5400&cp=1&lp=1) for $899. (Well we got it for less with a discount.) The picture looked really awesome when it was playing a Blu-ray disc. They had several other 40" and 42" LEDs, but they were all more expensive, in the range of $999-$1599. From what I saw, the plasmas were on average the least expensive of the three. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-hd-flat-panel-tvs/567267/4 "2011-01-11T23:15:14Z")
I have three flat screens in my house. I will eventually get more. My current criteria for admiring and possessing are: LED for lighting as it saves money and has much longer life. 1080p. No reason not to with a blu ray player. 240hz. Comparing my 240 to my 60 is not even close. The 240 hz is rock steady. Better than a good movie screen with blu ray. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-hd-flat-panel-tvs/567267/5 "2011-01-11T23:46:36Z")
FYI, [here](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/30/garden/30hometech.html)’s a buying guide from the New York Times that suggests plasma displays because they’re cheaper and have smoother motion. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-hd-flat-panel-tvs/567267/6 "2011-01-12T00:05:16Z")
Figure out how many HDMI cords you need tonight, and order them from [monoprice.com](http://monoprice.com) and save yourself a few hundred bucks. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-hd-flat-panel-tvs/567267/7 "2011-01-12T03:05:42Z")
I recently installed a 47-inch LCD flat screen behind our wet bar. Did a lot of research before making the purchase. Very generally speaking, a plasma TV will have a “better” (i.e. more “videophile”) picture than an LCD TV. So why didn’t I go with a plasma? Because their screens tend to be \*very \*shiny. If there is any light source in the room, whether it is a window or lamp, you will see it on the screen and it will drive you nuts. Since my bar room is well lit, I scratched plasmas off the list. I then had to determine what kind of LCD TV to get. Since I wanted to hang the TV on a wall, I wanted it to be thin (i.e. shallow depth). This meant I had to go with a TV that is backlit with LEDs (as opposed to fluorescent bulbs). There are two kinds of LED TVs: edge lit and full array. The full array ones are newer and “better,” but also more expensive and a bit rarer. And most are \*not \*thin. So I ended up going with an edge lit LED TV (LG 47LE5500). You also want to pay attention to response time (the lower the time, the better) and whether it has a glossy or matte screen. (Like plasma sets, some LCD TVs have glossy/reflective screens, which is something I definitely did not want.) ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-hd-flat-panel-tvs/567267/8 "2011-01-12T03:09:00Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Figure out how many HDMI cords you need tonight, and order them from [monoprice.com](http://monoprice.com) and save yourself a few hundred bucks. Yep. The biggest ripoff in the big box store is not the TV - it’s the cables. That’s where they make their money. (And extended warranties, which you should also not buy.) \*Especially \*the HDMI cables. It’s almost criminal what they charge for them. Even with shipping, it will be _much much_ cheaper to buy from [monoprice.com](http://monoprice.com). ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-hd-flat-panel-tvs/567267/9 "2011-01-12T03:24:27Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Just last night I helped a colleague purchase two new HDTVs, one of which was this [42" LED from LG](http://www.bestbuy.com/site/LG+-+42%22+Class+/+1080p+/+120Hz+/+LED-LCD+HDTV/9783803.p?id=1218173779156&skuId=9783803&st=le5400&cp=1&lp=1) for $899. (Well we got it for less with a discount.) The picture looked really awesome when it was playing a Blu-ray disc. > > They had several other 40" and 42" LEDs, but they were all more expensive, in the range of $999-$1599. > > From what I saw, the plasmas were on average the least expensive of the three. That’s not an OLED TV like I was talking about, that’s an LED-LCD TV. As someone else said, an LED-LCD TV is merely backlit by bright, white LEDs…the actual picture is still produced by an LCD screen. In an OLED TV, the image is made by thousands of tiny LEDs. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-hd-flat-panel-tvs/567267/10 "2011-01-12T04:42:01Z")
Just this week, I finally went and got my first Flat Screen HD TV. Up till now I had a 52" projection standard def TV. After looking in stores and researching, I went with the Sharp Aquos. It always seemed to have the best picture in displays and I found it very reasonably priced for the size so I got it. Set it up and I love it. it is like watching TV for the first time. Only gripe (and it’s minor) is the speakers built into the unit are pretty week (Projection TV had real speakers and thus good sound). I will have to get some sort of surround sound system but otherwise I wish I was able to do this sooner. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-hd-flat-panel-tvs/567267/11 "2011-01-12T04:48:46Z")
I found [this article](http://www.hdtvsolutions.com/HDTV_Buying_Guide.cfm#Accessories) helpful. It covers many aspects of TV selection. It is three years old and a bit out of date – too much attention to Microdisplay (rear projection), no mention of LCD/LED’s – but has a lot of good basic info that is still relevant. We bought a TV a week and a half ago. We chose Plasma based on how much we liked the picture quality. Viewing friends’ TV’s I often thought the picture was too harsh and too sharply defined. Viewing our TV I think “damn, that’s a good picture.” Not at all too sharp, yet the tiniest print (e.g. disclaimers) is splendidly clear. We looked at Target, Best Buy, Costco, and Nebraska Furniture Mart. We bought at the latter because their sales personnel were knowledgeable and helpful, and their pricing was at least as good as the others’. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-hd-flat-panel-tvs/567267/12 "2011-01-12T05:51:06Z")
Forgot to add: There’s no reflection problem with my Plasma TV. I understand they’re available with anti-glare screens.