Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge LCD or Plasma

I know I should be buying parts for the trumpet, but we need a tv. Looking for something 42" up to about $1000. Have seen plenty out there in my price range, but don't know whether to go with plasma or LCD. They seem to be about the same price. Any opinions/advice?

I talked to a guy at Radio Shack about HDTVs. He said LCD TVs are becoming more popular now because every 5 years or so you have to recharge plasma TVs. It is a major expense. When I eventually get one it is going to be LCD. The guy said the advantage of Plasmas right now are that they are less expensvie then LCDs.

we're happy with our 40" LCD.

LCD all the way, just won one at a company raffle,, I am beyond happy with it.. Were looking for a smaller one to put in the bed room now.

yes its a Sony, had to go out and but a nice all in one remove a few days after getting it tho.. Now we look all high tech in here, shame were a bunch of rednecks tho lol

If you are ever even maybe going to use it with a game machine, LCD seems to hold up better. I have been told a number of times that plasma screens tend to have images burn into them like the early CRT's did.

You’re shopping at a good time...new models will be coming out soon and old models need to go away. Keep your eyes open for sales and discounts.

Plasma - Great picture, good for high motion such as sports. They use more power and get hot (this means you may hear fans turn on with lower end models). Also great to use is rooms with lots of light.

LCD - they do ok with motion and vary brand to brand regarding ability to reproduce fast motion (sports). They use less power and are not good for rooms with lots of light or direct sunlight.

If your a gamer you need to consider static images (i.e. speedometer image in lower left of screen for racing games)...these images can cause "burn in" meaning you’ll see remnants of the image over long periods of time. LCD is good for gamers because they technically don’t suffer from burn in. They can however suffer discoloration from UV light (direct sunlight).

Aside from that….keep shopping, use your eyes and you’ll find something close to your price range. Remember that in a showroom TVs will be skewed. Once you get it home it’ll look different due to lighting, picture settings, sources, etc…

We bought a 42" LCD Toshiba after the old Sony tube finally burned out. Doesn't have much issue with light coming into the room, way less affected than our old analog set was. We're real happy with it.

Nice job Z - Finally someone in the biz that tells it clearly and understandably and with no BS!

Good general synopsis, but that thing about light and dark rooms may be a typo. LCDs are noticeably brighter than plasmas, so they generally work better in rooms with more light. If you have a viewing room with large or multiple windows, a plasma screen may appear washed out unless you have some way to reduce the overall light level (heavy curtains, blinds, or whatever).

I love my lcd Sony Bravia, it rocks

I have a room with a huge window, but we watch most of our tv at night. At the same time, sports is one of the reasons I want to go HD in the first place, so motion blur is important to me.

greas,,,,typo yes...I meant to type "LCDs are not good for rooms with lots of direct sunlight". Looks like I changed it but didnt delete all of my words. I appologize for the confusion.

Todays LCDs are as bright if not brighter than Palsma. Like I said before...use your eyes...

I should have also mentioned the front panel material can effect the picture also. Usually glass but some are matted and some are glossy. Glossy give the sets a "pop" but also allows for lots of reflections. Some of the matted panels are too matted and can make a picture look "gloomy" or dim.

Im gonna stop hogging this thread now...time to go get food.

Thanks Zmilin.

Just bought a 42" JVC 1080p LCD from TigerDirect via Amazon. No sales tax and free shipping for $1199. It arrived in perfect condition.

I'll never own another Sony. I gave that company three chances and owned lemons each time. I've since always had great "luck" with JVC's.

Just my 2 Zloty,

Tom

That's a great price for 1080p, the ones i've been looking at for a grand are 720p

Look at Olevia brand. I have a 34" LCD 1080i that I got for less than 600. Never a problem, good picture quality

Sony Bravia-46"-GREAT picture-HD rules

I have a Sony 42" DLP and am very happy with it. Yes, you can change out the bulbs and they are rated at 2,000 hours. Replacement bulbs run $~150 online. Considering this was 1,000 less than a similar LCD, well worth the savings!

Yes, you can't hang it on the wall. BUT, the way I see it, as long as it's no deeper than my DVD, DVR, stereo, etc that sit under it, why bother hanging on the wall? Sure, for some setups it works better to hide the components in a cabinet off to the side, but I laugh at how many people I've seen with an expensive plasma/LCD and expensive mounting kit mount their new TV right over a cabinet containing all of the a/v stuff....why not save money and just set a DLP on top of the cabinet? Another plus, they weight like 30 pounds!

Eeh! Save your money, Scott.

I've got a 19in Philco that only needs a couple of new vacuum tubes in it's chasis, and I'll let ya have it for a song! I'll even throw in the pair of pliars I use where the dial used to be so you can change channels when you want.

(and if you've got kids...THERE'S your remote control, dude!)

Now THATS A DEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't have time to read all the threads, so this may be redundant, but go for either DLP or LCD and the DLP will have the better picture. LCD is still has a little tilling (like your computer screen). Plasma has the best picture, but will be a disposable unit (5 years and it's toast).

One thing to watch out for when you loook at TV's side by side is what the video source is. A TV playing a blue ray disk will look much better than one playing a regular DVD. Sometimes the stores won't tell you that the image is coming off a Blue Ray and you just think its a better TV

Is that the new space age one with the swivel mounted CRT?

I have a Samsung 42" DLP and I'm very happy with the picture. The price was very reasonable and they don't have some of the long term problems of the LCD or Plasma.

12" deep and no cannot be hung. Only weighs 63 lbs. Has a bulb and from the instructions that came with the TV, might take 30 seconds. Have had no issues there so don't know. Color is excellent and the black is deep. For the price, I am more than satisfied.

Here it is installed:



Here's the stand. I love the minimalism of it:



Here's the one I got:
Samsung 56" DLP

and here's the specs:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-tmvZoCBW27Q/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?i=305HLT5676

I purchased an Olevia 242T 42" LCD (1080i) on Black Friday for $700. It pretty much rules.

Wow phil, I like. A little over my budget, but it's 56" for god's sake! No motion blur? You just have to keep it away from direct sunlight right?

if you beleive CONSUMERS REPORT'S [i do], there is not any difference between 780-1080 unless you go to a 52" or larger set. with that info i just accquired 2 42's for bedrooms, and a 32" [all toshiba, C.R. "best buys"] for 999$ each for the 42's 699$ for the 32"......sounded like a deal to me...

Does sound like a good deal. Did you go with LCD? How are they as far as watching sports/racing? Any "motion blur"?

I totally prefer LCDs. I have both a plasma and LCD. The picture quality is basically equal but the LCD is soooo much lighter if you need to move it.

Take a look at these set-ups... just WOW!!

http://deputy-dog.com/2008/01/23/10-stunning-ultra-geeky-home-cinemas/

Hey Zmilin, I've read everything I could my hands on for months anticipating upgrading my CRT to a new unit and the only thing I can't get around is the 1080p vs 720p variable. Is it true it's only really in play with Blu Ray & HDDVD and that most broadcast systems are unlikely to go over 720p when the shift to digital occurs?