HDTV questions

[Samckitt]

For those of you with HD TVs; what was the reason you bought the one you did? Which is better; LCD, Plasma, contrast ratio, size & so on? Is there some website that explains all that jazz?

[mazspeed]

For those of you with HD TVs; what was the reason you bought the one you did? Which is better; LCD, Plasma, contrast ratio, size & so on? Is there some website that explains all that jazz?

It all depends on what you're looking for. HDTV is by far the best thing to come out of TV's in at least 20 years. LCD is the future, but Plasma is a bit sharper right now, but the high end lcd's are quicker, and are just about there in clarity. Plasma's seem to take more power to run as well. The old CRT TV's are still the best screen IMHO, but Plasma and LCD's are a bit brighter. The old Mits and Pioneer CRT TV's were the best, but were big and bulky, but had the best screens. I still have mine and they smoke my plasma's and LCD's in speed and clarity with fast action sports. The problem with Plasma's and LCD's is that they can become pixilated on fast action stuff. They are getting better, and the better ones are very close, but much more pricy. You get what you pay for. They all have 16x9 contrast pictures, and most are 1080p but HD is not broadcast in 1080P, but they are broadcast in 1080I. You won't see an HD broadcast in 1080P for years and years, but a lot of Blu Ray's and HD players can see 1080P. Here is a good website for more info. http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/index.php

You have to remember that these Plasma's and now the LCD's have come way down in price from their inception. They used to cost 15k for a 42 inch plasma when it first came out, so the prices now are not that bad anymore. Go to the forums and find out which is best as I have not followed it much in the past 6 months. Things change so fast.

[Sparky67]

LCD is the future

Sorry it is not the future! LCD have a problem with brightness in a dark room. I have a Sony LCOS and few years ago, it was better than LCD.

Plasma is a bit sharper right now, but the high end lcd's are quicker, and are just about there in clarity.

Well, here is the latest development and it was shown at CES 2008. It is called Laser TV, based off 3 separate laser sources. Red, Blue, and green. Cost is bit high right now, but it looks much sharper too me. If you want the latest information, then go to http://www.avsforum.com/

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10070251-1.html



Jeff

http://www.kodakgallery.com/67rscamaro

[NOPANTS-68]

from my experience buying two TVs recently this is what I found:

HDTV is only broadcast in 720p in my area, so I can only take advantage of my 1080p TVs with a Blue Ray player or another HD input like the 1080 video camera I want (but has been shot down by the warden several times).

Plasma is a bit sharper than my LCDs and the dark colors are a little richer, but the longevity of the units scared me away. I guess now they are much better.

I ended up with a 42 in. Sharp Aquos for downstairs and a 37 in. version of the same in the master. If I had to do it again, I would choose the same units. They perform great and were priced appropriately.

[dipren443]

I recently went through this decision as well. Settled on a Panasonic 50" plasma.

Generalities... Plasmas suffer from burn in, LCD's from ghosting.

If you do a lot of gaming, I would recommend an LCD. Plasmas have a more life like image in my opinion. If you go with LCD, get one with the fastest refresh rate to avoid the ghosting issue.

[mazspeed]

Sorry it is not the future! LCD have a problem with brightness in a dark room. I have a Sony LCOS and few years ago, it was better than LCD.




Well, here is the latest development and it was shown at CES 2008. It is called Laser TV, based off 3 separate laser sources. Red, Blue, and green. Cost is bit high right now, but it looks much sharper too me. If you want the latest information, then go to http://www.avsforum.com/

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10070251-1.html

Jeff

http://www.kodakgallery.com/67rscamaro

Yeah the laser might be interesting, but it's got a long ways to go, and the price is pretty high in this economy, plus they are not out yet. I don't think they are. LCD's are getting brighter and are able to handle less power to get to those levels. I'm working with cree, and they are the LCD leaders right now, and they are doing some interesting things that also include TV's. So LCD is far from being dead. IMO. Plasma's lifespan is also much better, and I think right now is still a great way to go till a lazer or better LCD comes out. I don't think DLP is going to be around in the future.
I still would put my old rear projection CRT against any of them.

[rjp71]

If there are windows in the room get LCD. Plasma's have major issues with glare. Trust me.

[The Stickman]

We just got ours because the old TV decided it was 1950 all over again and went black and white. We bought a 40 inch Polaroid. It was the best looking TV where we went. Also if you are getting an HDTV make sure you buy one with a digital tuner. That way the digital channels will come thru without a box.

[bwhinnen]

I bought a Samsung series 6 40" LCD last month. The reasons as follows:

- LCD seemed better with windows in the same room.
- LCD uses less power.
- 40" because that was about the biggest size I could fit in an existing entertainment unit.
- Samsung, because they offered the best deal and to be honest over the various sources I saw on the screens I was comparing it had the picture that appealed to me most.

The other things I took into consideration, the biggest contrast ratio I could find in my price range. The Samsung was 50,000:1 which was better than any competitors that I was looking at. The fact that it had 4HDMI inputs (I needed these as my receiver only switches S-Video, older Sony 1070 unit).

I really don't know how much the 100Hz / 200Hz stuff really helps the outputs, some people swear by it others at it. I generally don't run it for most of my inputs, but they do recommend it for SD sports etc...

The only thing I never saw on the screens in the shop was a full 1080p 24frame BluRay. I've since seen one on the screen and was just blown away!

Oh and it came with a free Samsung BluRay player too, which was a bonus.

So far I have the Blu Ray player hooked up (1080p), a DVD recorder (upscaled to 1080i), cable TV (1080i), and also a Home Theater PC (1080p). Very happy with the results.

My biggest recommendation is to get a list of what you want, ie resolution, contrast ratio minimums, size, inputs, look, output refresh rate available that you want (test it with a sports source and with both on and off). Then go to your local store and start comparing them. One will generally give you a better feel than another.

Now that I've had a HD panel I want everything in HD The old SD DVD's I have just look soft compared to the BluRay counterpart!

[mazspeed]

Also if you are getting an HDTV make sure you buy one with a digital tuner. That way the digital channels will come thru without a box.

Everything in HD is digital, in fact all TV's for the past 8-10 years or so are all digital or digital compatible. If you can hook a satellite up to it, it's digital. It's just the older sets that are not digital, and it seems that not a lot of people have one.

[protour_chevelle]

52" Sony XBR here. Picture is amazing. We matched it up with Sony's newest blue-ray player, fiber optics cables, and Sony XBR surround sound. Everything sounds and looks amazing

I'd only go LCD. In a theater room I'd want to go HD projection

[mongoose]

yeah same here, we just got a 52" xbr6, movies look fantastic, the colours/brightness doesn't seem bad at all. still cranks out some major heat.. but nothing compared to a plasma.

only downside is regular tv and some videos games look like complete crap.

[MuscleRodz]

I just bought a 42" Phillips LCD right before Christmas from Sam's. Best buy I could find for what I got, 1080p, 4 hdmi, 29000 apsect ratio, 120 hz, blah, blah. Can't wait to get it hooked to my computer so I can view all the bad a$$ cars on this site and others in widescreen HD!

[The Stickman]

Everything in HD is digital, in fact all TV's for the past 8-10 years or so are all digital or digital compatible. If you can hook a satellite up to it, it's digital. It's just the older sets that are not digital, and it seems that not a lot of people have one.

The TV are digital. The tuners in them aren't always.

If your television set is labeled as a “Digital Monitor” or “HDTV Monitor,” or as “Digital Ready” or “HDTV Ready,” this does not mean it actually contains a digital tuner. Thus, you still will likely need a separate set-top box which contains a tuner in order to view programs in the new digital TV transmission standard (which includes HDTV formats) on such a set.

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/digitaltv.html

[claytonisbob]

All HD service is in 720p/1080i, so I wouldn't focus too much on whether its 720p or 1080p... unless you have your heart set on a BlueRay player... and even then, the differences aren't that great.

The two biggest things I look for are contrast ratio and refresh rate. Regarding contrast ratio, most newer LCDs have switched to a dynamic contrast vs static (the actual backlighting changes on the fly) allowing pretty good contrast from an LCD. It does dull down brightness on an overall dark scene in a movie, but it seems to be a good trade. I know some companies are going to a LED backlighting as opposed to CCFL lighting which allows a more accurate dynamic backlighting changes, allowing much higher contrast ratio.

I'm personally a fan of LCDs, and I think thats the way most people are going. Plasma are much better about the burn-in issues they have been stigmatized for and they do offer a good picture, but I think LCDs generally last longer / have fewer issues breaking and lasting.

The future... who knows. OLED, Laser, new age CRT... I think there will be more refinement in the technologies we already have for a few more years. I feel safe buying a LCD TV today knowing it won't be totally outdated in a couple years.