Time for a new display

[jamhead]

See....this is what I'm saying. I know TV's have always had pros and cons depending on technology (CRT Direct view; RPTV; Plasma) but I think, on the whole, the negatives didn't seem to be as great as they are now. Screen looks good from straight on, but 20 degrees of center and lose 50% brightness / black level. Or, view from off - center but have 1000:1 peak contrast where the blacks are visibly gray. I sound like an old guy reminiscing about the past...

I looked at displays at Magnolia and although not calibrated and I'm sure as bright as possible, I wasn't that impressed. Sure, the images are sharp and the colors seem ultra-emphasized, but I sure am going to miss black levels that I had. I loved my RPTV, even though the images weren't sharp, it still possessed a quality that I enjoyed....that the blacks were black; shadow detail was awesome, no halo around light areas within a dark field. Bummer.

 

[Haywood]

If you want good blacks and you cannot afford OLED, make sure you get a set with FALD. Most sets are edge lit, including a lot of expensive ones. You need local dimming and the more zones the better. The new Sony Z series sets are ridiculous with over a thousand zones of local dimming. They rival OLED. Even the X94 series that I have has really great blacks. I do get some minor halo effects, but only under rare conditions. The contrast ratio is huge. LCD does not have to suck. Off axis viewing does not have to look awful. You just need the right set.