Ok... what 50" Plasma TV do I want?

[theebs]

well if money wasnt an issue Fujitsu or pioneer elite.

Since money is an issue, I would get a panasonic. I think the 50px60u is around 2k now. I have the 600U. I love it. Great tv so far. no complaints.

No dlp can be hung on the wall, flat lcd's can be. The lcd's suffer from poor blacks and these still run on bulbs so you may have bulbs dying out on you.

I reccomend the plasma in all cases unless you are going to use it to play video games. Dont do that and never leave static images on the screen. After about 1000 hours they are free of burn in, but you can still get some image retention.

So if you are looking for something to hang on the wall your only options are flat lcd and plasma. The largest flat lcd's are 46inches. So if you want 50 or more get a plasma.

I would reccomend staying away from samsung, I dont think anything they make is made very well. So I would recommend the panasonic or the regular pioneer line, not the elite because of your budet. And if you can find the low line of hitachi they are great too.

 

[trickblue]

Plasmas degrade as well. And it's a helluva lot easier to change a light bulb (essentially) in a DLP then it is to ... do whatever it is they do to Plasmas when they go "bad".

Plasma's are now rated have a life longer than tube TV's and equal to LCD. Mine is rated at 60,000 hours to half life. That's around 30 years with normal use.

Dissipation/fading starts the minute you turn the plasma on. After about 1000 hours of use a plasma should measure around 96% of its original brightness, which is barely noticeable to the naked eye. At 15,000 to 20,000 hours the monitor should measure around 80% brightness.

DLP's look great but the lamps have to be replaced. You can figure between 1000-2000 hours. Depending on watching habits it can be as little as 500 hours or 3000 hours.

Lamps start at around $200 and up.

LCD TV's are great, I own one of those as well. Up to around 40" they are very close to Plasma in image quality. Over 40" it isn't nearly as close, especially in black levels, although Sony and Samsung are closing the gap. Incidentally, Samsung makes about 80% of the Sony "innards".

One other thing to consider. Sharp is the only manufacturer that currently has replaceable lamps in their LCD units (That's why I own a Sharp). The lamps are fluorescent and they last a long time, but if yours isn't a Sharp then it goes in the trash when the light burns out. Now it SHOULD last upwards of 60,000 but it isn't a guarantee (except under manufacturers standard warranty). I'm sure more manufacturers will provide for this soon.

I have an LCD tv hanging from a wall right now. It's a TV, not a monitor.

As do I, but it is not a 50" unit. They are now starting to come out with larger LCD's that can be hung on the wall, but until recently they were primarily rp units that were too deep to be hung on the wall.

 

[Duane]

Great place for info:

http://www.hometheaterspot.com/index.php

 

[Kevinicus]

I'm with Rack on this one.

Get the Samsung DLP. Though, forget 50", get the 61" like I did.

 

[Signals]

Go to:

http://www.consumerreports.org

Very reliable source of info.

 

[Rack]

Plasma's are now rated have a life longer than tube TV's and equal to LCD. Mine is rated at 60,000 hours to half life. That's around 30 years with normal use.

Dissipation/fading starts the minute you turn the plasma on. After about 1000 hours of use a plasma should measure around 96% of its original brightness, which is barely noticeable to the naked eye. At 15,000 to 20,000 hours the monitor should measure around 80% brightness.

DLP's look great but the lamps have to be replaced. You can figure between 1000-2000 hours. Depending on watching habits it can be as little as 500 hours or 3000 hours.

Lamps start at around $200 and up.

LCD TV's are great, I own one of those as well. Up to around 40" they are very close to Plasma in image quality. Over 40" it isn't nearly as close, especially in black levels, although Sony and Samsung are closing the gap. Incidentally, Samsung makes about 80% of the Sony "innards".

One other thing to consider. Sharp is the only manufacturer that currently has replaceable lamps in their LCD units (That's why I own a Sharp). The lamps are fluorescent and they last a long time, but if yours isn't a Sharp then it goes in the trash when the light burns out. Now it SHOULD last upwards of 60,000 but it isn't a guarantee (except under manufacturers standard warranty). I'm sure more manufacturers will provide for this soon.



As do I, but it is not a 50" unit. They are now starting to come out with larger LCD's that can be hung on the wall, but until recently they were primarily rp units that were too deep to be hung on the wall.

That's completely false. I've had one of my DLPs for 3 years and the other one for 2 1/2 years, both of them get used DAILY and I've never replaced a bulb on either of them.

 

[Mash]

I have a HP DLP 58" and Im very pleased....its does 720 p or 1080i.....

After researching for months I found the Sony LCD to be the best but I ended with the DLP because of the price....Picture looked great also....but I should of went with my first instinct because HP soon dicountinued this product

Both DLP and LCD's rear projection units have bulbs to replace.....Ive read many message boards where they do not last the rated times....and some brands are more expensive then others......you just have to be lucky with these bulbs I guess.

That being said...I dont know what gives the best picture...for me it was the Sony LCD....but I cant imagine it giving me a better picture I have with my HP DLP.....in high def.....SD channels...well thats another story.

Most TV's now....do 1080p.....it will be a long while I assume before networks broadcast in 1080p....all HD now is in 1080i format and Ive been told or read that when u sit back about 10-15 ft away from ur big screen there isnt much difference in PQ.

I would stick to a name brand and compare the pro and cons of these units...some look better in well lit rooms....others in darker rooms....check the contrast ratio on these units also...

DLP >>>> Samsung....Hitachi
LCD>>>>>>Sony,Panisonic
Plasma>>>>? I dont really know...sorry...

 

[trickblue]

That's completely false. I've had one of my DLPs for 3 years and the other one for 2 1/2 years, both of them get used DAILY and I've never replaced a bulb on either of them.

That's fine Rack... great for you...

I'm not going to argue with you any more about it. I merely took manufacturer's specs and tried to give info to a member that asked. I didn't expect to get into a video war with you.

I stated that it matters your viewing habits. As I said, direct your anger towards the manufacturer, not me...

 

[Doomsday]

Most LCDs are lighter then plasma's, I didnt have any trouble mounting my 47" LCD to the wall.

I have a media PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 so I went with a LCD, if you are NOT going to be hookinig up a PC or doing a lot of gaming then I would go with a plasma otherwise an LCD is the way to go. If you are hooking up a PC to it then 1080p is the only way to go, there is a big difference viewing 1920x1080 (1080p) as apposed to 1366x768 (1080i).

Another good source for info on specific models, some of the posters on this site are pretty intense.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=9

 

[Dallas]

DLP - Plasma - LCD's can all be hung on walls i believe. My uncle just bought a 50" plasma dual hdmi ports and all the latest stuff for 1600 at sams club

DLP's do not get hung on the wall.

 

[Dallas]

That's fine Rack... great for you...

I'm not going to argue with you any more about it. I merely took manufacturer's specs and tried to give info to a member that asked. I didn't expect to get into a video war with you.

I stated that it matters your viewing habits. As I said, direct your anger towards the manufacturer, not me...

LMAO

Argueing w/ Rack? Please! /ignore him. Its quieter.

 

[Rack]

That's fine Rack... great for you...

I'm not going to argue with you any more about it. I merely took manufacturer's specs and tried to give info to a member that asked. I didn't expect to get into a video war with you.

I stated that it matters your viewing habits. As I said, direct your anger towards the manufacturer, not me...

What makes you think I'm angry? You posted something false and I corrected you. Nothing more, nothing less. Accusing me of being "Angry" about it won't change that fact.

You ok, TB? Seriously, what makes you think I was angry?

LMAO

Argueing w/ Rack? Please! /ignore him. Its quieter.

 

[smarta5150]

I am going to get the 50" Panasonic, the 60u.

On sale right now at 6th Ave. for $1548.

It doesn't have 1080p but the only real use for that right now is Blu Ray which is way too much at this point. If I was gonna get a PS3 I would get the other version of this TV but I'm not interested.

 

[Kevinicus]

If you're getting an HDTV, why wouldn't you be interested in Blu-Ray, at least at some point when the players are cheaper?

 

[smarta5150]

If you're getting an HDTV, why wouldn't you be interested in Blu-Ray, at least at some point when the players are cheaper?

I would be but the players are $500 and up and the TVs that support 1080p are an extra $300+

 

[Kevinicus]

Ok, that's fair. Just thought it would be weird if you never cared about Blu-Ray even when they're cheaper. But I can definately understand passing on 1080p though as it really won't make much difference.

 

[smarta5150]

Ok, that's fair. Just thought it would be weird if you never cared about Blu-Ray even when they're cheaper. But I can definately understand passing on 1080p though as it really won't make much difference.

My next plasma will have 1080p

 

[Mavs Man]

My youngest tv is over 10 yrs old and only a cable ready tv. :

Hey, I've got that beat. Our only TV is the one I got for Christmas on my 10th birthday. The remote has teeth marks from a dog I had years ago, but otherwise it's in the same condition it was in 14 years ago.

But yeah, we're in the market for an upgrade.

 

[trickblue]

What makes you think I'm angry? You posted something false and I corrected you. Nothing more, nothing less. Accusing me of being "Angry" about it won't change that fact.

You ok, TB? Seriously, what makes you think I was angry?

ummm... yeah...I just merely pointed out manufactures specs... that's all...

As I said... take issue with them...

 

[smarta5150]

ummm... yeah...I just merely pointed out manufactures specs... that's all...

As I said... take issue with them...

You probably read the specs wrong