CNet has a handy site with great reviews on TVs of all sizes and types. It’s a good place to start.
If you’re willing to budge on a flat panel screen, I second the Samsung DLP sets. Just make sure you get one of the newer ones with the LED light engine. DLP TVs use halogen bulbs to illuminate the screen and these bulbs burn out after a year or two of regular use. A replacement fee can be anywhere from 300-500 dollars. The Samsung LED bulbs last about 10-12 years, so easily the life of the TV.
The sets are about a foot deep at the base, offer exceptional picture quality (in my opinion, better than LCDs for the same price), and a boat load of inputs. Like all DLPs, it has viewing angle issues at extreme side angles and if you aren’t eye level with the TV, but these aren’t too distracting. Best of all, I got a 61" TV for less than the price of a 40" Sony LCD.
I spent about a year trying to figure out what kind of TV I wanted to buy. I learned all about compression rates and contrast ratios and whatnot. I spend time trying to figure out the difference between 720 and 1080, interlaced and progressive. I compared prices and brands and models.
Ultimately, I was in a PC Richards one day and just picked the 50 inch 1080i that had the best picture and was on sale at a decent price.
I have a plasma, Samsung 42". Love it. But they do take more electricity and do have some burnin issues if any part of the screen has the same image on it for a long time. I’ve never encountered any burnin that didn’t go away, but still makes me nervous.
I believe the plasmas still have a little better picture than LCDs, blacker blacks and all that. But I’d say go to a store and compare, but I’d lean toward an LCD these days.
I also have a Samsung DLP 42 inch with the LED light, and I LOVE it.
So much cheaper than a plasma, and makes BluRay look like the actors are standing in the room with you. I wouldn’t go plasma because of the burn-in issue (DLPs do not suffer from burn-in) or the possibility of “dead pixels”.
I don’t know what size rooms you all are using for the TV, but our little 40" Samsung LCD is more than big enough and we can the see the whole picture without the strain that I would get if I was in the front row at the movie house…
No matter which iy get, LCD or Plasma, remember, wonky voltage and power surges are what do them in. Good surge protection and a batter back up just like for your computer will be an invaluable investment to get the longest life out of your TV.
I’ve got a 42" Panasonic plasma, and really like it. The respective technologies have been getting much better over the years, and you can’t really go wrong with either one.
I think most people make decisions like msmith537 and most people are happy.
However, if you have a strong preference on what you really want to watch on the tv, such as football, action movies, whatever, then look at that at the store.
OTOH, if you want to sink some serious cash into a high res device and then just watch American idol well, I don’t think I can help you out at all.
If you want to play video games, do not get a DLP. They have much bigger latency problems than the other two technologies. LCD will also look a little bit sharper and nicer with game graphics than plasma, in general. If you’re just going to be watching TV and movies, either plasma or LCD will probably be just fine. It’ll come down to features and overall appeal then.
42" Panasonic HD-ready plasma. Bought it roughly a year ago for about EUR 1,000. It kicks serious ass, especially since we recently upgraded to digital TV.
The choice between LCD and plasma is mostly personal preference. We liked the warmed colours on the plasma screens. Moreover, we liked the one we got as it looked better than some screens thrice its price. The differences can still be huge. Also, bear in mind that all TV’s at a store are playing the best quality BluRay DVD’s, and YMMV once you hook it up to your crappy analog cable signal at home.
The energy consumption thing is a bit of a non-issue these days. I recently read in a Dutch consumer magazine that in a real life comparison (average family, x hours a day, mix of TV/DVD/gaming) the plasma consumes about 10% more energy than the LCD of similar proportions. Not something I’d base my decision on.
It’s about the same as with CRT, perhaps somewhat better (been a long time size I’ve seen a CRT tv). Plasma displays have glass plate in front of the screen and if you have direct sunlight on it there will be some reflection, however it’s not something that particulary annoys me. I certainly use my plasma in the middle of the day without thinking about it.
It’s a bit of a non issue for us, but to be honest, there’s never any direct sunlight on it. So I don’t know, it might be a problem for you depending on where you place it. We gave no reflections whatsoever. Then again, it’s not in an especially dark room, just the living. Plenty of windows about, just not any direct rays on it (this part of the room faces north and the TV is around a corner so the south side rays don’t reach it).
Not true. Only technologies that use phosphors suffer burn-in.
CRT (rear and direct view) and Plasma burn in.
LCD (any type), DLP and LCoS do not.
LCD panels can develop uneven lighting due to aging of the rear light source and projectors can get hot spots as the bulb ages, but the system will be prompting you to change it well before that becomes a problem.
It happens if you watch too much of any channel. I have customers with plasmas, and the stupid, bright-white ESPN logo is burned right into their screen. Same thing with those who watch the same financial or news channel.
Huh? Dead pixels are a notorious drawback of LCD panels. My friend sent his first LCD bigscreen back because of just this issue. Burn-in, fair enough, but dead pixels are an issue for both technologies.
