We want to upgrade our TV to HD, we will be running Satellite TV PVR reciever with HD Channels, also will have a DVD and VHS player with a surround sound system. What is the Pros/Cons with LCD, LED and Plasma. People that I have talked to said stay away from Plasma....I dont know enough to argue. I was told to compare Refresh Rates and Response times. This is the best bang for the buck I found
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...0121846&catid=

Should I stick with something like a Sony or is LG ok? What about a 8ms response time compared to a 2.5ms time??

Any other opinions appreciated.

 

Pretty good reading here:

http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/hdtv/led-vs-lcd.html

LED TV's are the newest technology and are supposed to be superior in color quality and depth. As with anything though there are several different variations and qualities on manufacture. The higher refresh rate and lower response times will make for smoother transitions (think scrolling across the ESPN ticker or one of the news channels) With the older, slower TV's you can notice some jerk to the scrolling, with the newer ones you really don't see it.

I always like to just go look at all of them side by side if possible. Even in the same brand there is a lot of variation between different models. I am by no means an expert on these, just what I've picked up.

Hope this helps.

 

I have looked into this quite a bit. Both can be good depending on what you watch and whether you play games and watch action programs. To post all learned here would be long post. If you want to PM me we can discuss details further and I will tell you what I have learned from Home theatre sites and subscriptions.

 

Just bought a 42" vizio LCD from Costco a few weeks ago $750. It was the best deal at that moment. We decided to wait for another year or two for a really big one. We are still amazed at the picture quality and with four HDMI ports we couldn’t help but buy their $140 bluray/upscaling DVD. The tv can support 1080p so plugging in the wife’s lap top using the HDMI port gives a huge monitor for gaming. Hope the price on OLED screens drops over the next few years, than we will get a big one. For now, we are very happy.

 

Good reading here.


https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...&highlight=lcd

 

The best flat screens are plasma with 1080p.
If you don't watch bluray movies or play PS3, you can save a few bucks and get a 720p, this is the resolution of tv broadcasts.
Panasonic Viera are very good.
LCD was better than plasma a few years ago but the new plasma have better picture and are rated to last as long as LCD.
Sears is selling the 50" 720p plasma for $699
Samsung has the new LED tvs that have by fer the best picture and only cost $2500 range.

 

Got a Vizio 42" 1080 and couldn't be happier

 

well to start off,1080p is the way to go.its the best picture period.from what i have heard and read lcd is best.plasma from my reports is being phased out,we will see.you can get really into it and check the screen resolution .some sets have a around a 1920 by 1200 which does beat the 1080p screen.if you hook your computer to it you will see the difference.every thing else,the highest is 1080p,but be sure your componet will go to that level.and the last thing to check is the contrast ratio.the higher the number the better.my monitor is 50000 to 1,pretty good.this is the advantage the plasma sets have over the lcd.but you have to search.not all screens use high numbers.the iceing on the cake is the mhz(hope i got the spelling right)the hot number right now is 240 i believe.it used to be 120 but they keep improving them.this number refers to motion flow.the higher the number the clearer the motion will be.like a high shutter speed on a camera.

 

got a Panasonic Viera 42" 1080P plasma and i couldn't be happier. with a 600hz refresh rate movements are the screen are VERY smooth. Burn-in with plasma tv's now days is not an issue as it was with earlier plasmas.

 

Best to go to a large display in a store and look them over. Once you find the one you want, do a shop online for best price. Spec numbers are a bit confusing when you can just look and see. Who really cares about the numbers when you see what you want in a side by side comparison.

Was really impressed with Samsung lately. Most decent units will accept just about anything you need to hook up to them these days.

 

Some specs are company hype but some are important. In the stores the sets are all cranked up and playing animated vids to look good in store. My mother recently bought 65 in Samsung without knowing what to look for and the picture on hers is worse than my 15 year old Sony.

 

I just went thru this as I bought a new tv last weekend...

my advice:

1.) Don't buy based on specs and hype.

2.) Go to a store that will have a bunch of tv's and just look at the picture side by side... this is going to be the best way to really differentiate the picture quality.

3.) Once you've decided what tv you want, check some other stores for price comparison.

4.) Buy a 1080p.

I thought I had found a smoking deal at Sears on a Panasonic Plasma. They were advertising a 42" 1080p blah, blah, blah for $699 and the deal ended like noon on the 26th. I went early and when I compared the picture quality of that Panasonic to the 42" LG(60hz) LCD next to it, I just turned around and left.... I then went to Wal-Mart because I had initially been all set to buy a Vizio until I saw the Sears deal... Unfortunately, the Vizio was set right next to a 40" Sony Bravia... the Sony blew the Vizio out of the water and again I was frustrated.... back home for more research. I ended up at Best Buy to look at everything they had. I found a 42" LG (120hz) LCD that was nearly the equal to the Sony(again, it was set right next to it)... I really wanted a 42" and not a 40"... I don't know why but I just did... that's what I ended up with. 42" LG (120hz) LCD. Really nice set, now I feel compelled to buy a Blu-Ray player...

 

i agree with digger they are there to sell and those little tricks do make a difference.do your research.

 

thought I had found a smoking deal at Sears on a Panasonic Plasma. They were advertising a 42" 1080p blah, blah, blah for $699 and the deal ended like noon on the 26th. I went early and when I compared the picture quality of that Panasonic to the 42" LG(60hz) LCD next to




Thats the problem! you can't compare a Plasma to a LCD in the bright store lights. Do you watch tv at home with lights turned up? Did you adjust both pictures the same? they are adjustable.
Don't look at an LED or you'll be spending $$$$.

 

another helpful tool is going to the best buy website and reading the customer reviews for the tv's your looking at. the one i chose has a 4.7 out of 5 star rating with 36 reviews so that helped with the confidence of buying a $800 tv.

Rick is right too, when deciding between plasma and lcd you have to think about where you will be watching the tv. my den is dark so plasma was the best way to go but if your area has alot of natural light then lcd may be the best way to go. also remember in the stores all of the tv's are set for "torch" mode which is as bright as they go but dont really give you a great picture.