• Welcome to The Audio Annex! If you have any trouble logging in or signing up, please contact 'admin - at - theaudioannex.com'. Enjoy!
  • HTTPS (secure web browser connection) has been enabled - just add "https://" to the start of the URL in your address bar, e.g. "https://theaudioannex.com/forum/"
  • Congratulations! If you're seeing this notice, it means you're connected to the new server. Go ahead and post as usual, enjoy!
  • I've just upgraded the forum software to Xenforo 2.0. Please let me know if you have any problems with it. I'm still working on installing styles... coming soon.

Need a TV

Nufan

Nufan

Active Member
So, me and my girlfriend have decided to live together. She has am old crt, like 50" of so. Obviously this needs to go.
There are just so many options out there now-a-days, I'm not quite sure where to start. I do think I know a little from reading but these are my needs:
50" at least
don't need wi-fi (have ps3 for netflix, hulu, ect.)
lcd, plasma, led??
Thinking at least 120Hz refresh rate
<$700

anything I'm missing?

Thanks peeps
 
Rope said:
Plasma Buying Guide
LCD Buying Guide

No such thing as a LED TV. There is, however, a LCD TV with LED back lighting.

Will the new flat panel be used in a light controlled area, if so plasma is king.

Rope
Click to expand...

I agree with Rope and a few additions.

If you decide to go plasma your price point is not going to give you many if any options. Even with an LCD your options are limited in the size and price range. You will most likely have to go with a "lesser" brand.

Consider going with a 45-49" screen your options will be much better, though that pretty much nixes plasma which is not a big deal as there are some excellent LCD sets out there.

EDIT: reviewing the specs you listed you definitely need to revise them based on your budget. But with the holidays coming you might be able to find a good deal.
 
Hmmm at first I was gonna say 50" at a price point below $700 that plasma may be the only option. But after a quick amazon search there are some quality offerings of both plasma and led TVs that fit that criteria. You'll have to determine which sets offer the most bang for the buck. If your lighting is under control, I agree with Rope that plasma may be the way to go, also led sets can still have the issue with off-axis viewing...
 
Batman said:
Hmmm at first I was gonna say 50" at a price point below $700 that plasma may be the only option. But after a quick amazon search there are some quality offerings of both plasma and led TVs that fit that criteria. You'll have to determine which sets offer the most bang for the buck. If your lighting is under control, I agree with Rope that plasma may be the way to go, also led sets can still have the issue with off-axis viewing...
Click to expand...
We must have been looking at different Amazon pages. :happy-smileygiantred:
 
^ there aren't an abundance (3 total), I saw Panasonic and LG plasmas and a Toshiba LED...IMO most of the desirable LED set are gonna be in the $900-1k and up range at least at the 50"+ class
 
mzpro5 said:
Rope said:
Plasma Buying Guide
LCD Buying Guide

No such thing as a LED TV. There is, however, a LCD TV with LED back lighting.

Will the new flat panel be used in a light controlled area, if so plasma is king.

Rope
Click to expand...

I agree with Rope and a few additions.

If you decide to go plasma your price point is not going to give you many if any options. Even with an LCD your options are limited in the size and price range. You will most likely have to go with a "lesser" brand.

Consider going with a 45-49" screen your options will be much better, though that pretty much nixes plasma which is not a big deal as there are some excellent LCD sets out there.

EDIT: reviewing the specs you listed you definitely need to revise them based on your budget. But with the holidays coming you might be able to find a good deal.
Click to expand...

Have to back pedal a bit. Walmart has a decent selection that fits in your options.

Walmart TVs
 
I will tell you the same thing I tell everyone else looking for a new tv this time of year. Wait until black friday weekend. Hands down.

For me, it is plasma all the way. If you don't have reflection issues. But if you have a lot of ambient light, you will need lcd.

But wait until black friday for an online deal.

And watching this website.
http://www.edealinfo.com/deals/categori ... ionset.php
 
I was at Costco last weekend and was shocked at how much TV you can get for $500-$800. I saw a very nice looking Panasonic 1080p 50" plasma for $599. If you live near a Costco, it's worth a stroll through the electronics department.
 
I have been a PRO Plasma guy since I bought my first one back in 2006. Our room is not very light controlled during the day, and we have minimal issues.

Plasma all the way.......
 
I really think the whole issue about light control with TV's is over-blown. Yeah, plasmas have shiny glass screens but it's simple to position them to minimize any issues... unless you are going to be getting the TV professionally calibrated and watching it in a room with daylight balanced lights and 75% grey walls and paying more attention to technical aspects than the program material that is.
 
Thanks guys for your input. This will be a purchase that will wait till Nov or later. I agree, I like plasma but with all the new technology out since I bought my last tv I just wanted some input.

Years ago I bought a 37" (or 32", It was their smallest plasma made) plasma from best buy (Insignia) and I have loved it.

I was told to really not skimp on the refresh rate, especially as you get into a bigger screen size
 
Nufan said:
I was told to really not skimp on the refresh rate, especially as you get into a bigger screen size
Click to expand...

The refresh rate discussion is overblown too. The implementation of it is more important than the speed, just like the outrageous claims about contrast ratio by some manufacturers.
 
LCD's have off-axis issues & plasma's still have retention issues.
 
Barney said:
LCD's have off-axis issues & plasma's still have retention issues.
Click to expand...

Not really. My plasma has some retention but it fades after about 15 seconds and is never noticable unless it is something I am looking for. BUT i was scared as hell when I was breaking in my set.
 
Maximo said:
Barney said:
LCD's have off-axis issues & plasma's still have retention issues.
Click to expand...

Not really. My plasma has some retention but it fades after about 15 seconds and is never noticable unless it is something I am looking for. BUT i was scared as hell when I was breaking in my set.
Click to expand...
.....as I stated..........plasma's still have retention issues
 
Permanent image retention has been a non issue with plasma technology for years. I've owned 3 plasmas and can honestly say I have never experienced temporary image retention.

Rope
 
I'm sure everyone remembers my scare with my third generation Panasonic. That set is still going strong and has been passed on to my sister. The set that replaced it (a 50" 5th gen Panasonic) which gets used more than any set in the house has had some temporary retention but nothing that a change of the channels doesn't rectify immediately.
 
Barney said:
Maximo said:
Barney said:
LCD's have off-axis issues & plasma's still have retention issues.
Click to expand...

Not really. My plasma has some retention but it fades after about 15 seconds and is never noticable unless it is something I am looking for. BUT i was scared as hell when I was breaking in my set.
Click to expand...
.....as I stated..........plasma's still have retention issues
Click to expand...
Sorry Barn but that really is not the case anymore.

My older Samsung 720p 50" set does get some temporary retention issues but my newer 1080p 58" set has none.

They took care of that problem a couple years ago.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top