Okay, so I want to start getting serious about my video gaming, if that makes sense, and I’d also like to finally be able to watch the Giants on a screen larger than a postage stamp. I’m finally in the position financially to make such a purchase, and getting Christmas money didn’t hurt.
Basically, I’m in the market for a 37" or 40" plasma or LCD TV that can double as a computer monitor. Here’s what questions I have so far:
Plasma vs. LCD. A buddy of mine told me that plasma TV’s wear out in a year and a half whereas LCD’s can last 10-15 years without problems. Is this true?
Contrast ratio. Basically, this is the measurement between the whitest white and the blackest black (insert Spinal Tap joke here). The higher the ratio, the brighter your whites, the darker your blacks, and the greater your palette of colors. Toshiba doesn’t list contrast ratio in their TV specs, and a customer service agent for them told me that there’s really no industry standard for contrast ratio, so it shouldn’t really factor into my decision. Is this true?
1080p vs. 720p. I’ve read in various places that for a 37"-40" TV, there’s no real noticeable difference between 1080p and 720p. Truth?
60Hz vs. 120Hz refresh rate. Has anyone noticed a difference between the two? Makes of 120 MHz TV’s state that the higher refresh rate removes motion blur, but I’m not sure if the blur is so noticeable to justify the higher pricetag.
Samsung sound. Quite a few reviewers stated that the sound on the Samsungs (the 40LN550A is the one I researched most) are tinny and horrible. Can anyone confirm or deny this? (Oddly enough, Consumer Reports listed the sound on the 40LN550A as “Very Good”).
Discount brands. Does anyone have The Straight Dope on discount brands such as Vizio and Insignia? Are they as good as Sony and Samsung?
Finally, today is my last day to buy, as the manager at Sears is giving me the holiday sale price of the Samsung ($400 off). I know this is last minute, but any prompt replies would be appreciated.
Thank you.