so you are in the market for a new tv...

[iceberg]

plasma?
LED?
LCD?

i have an almost 3 year old samsung plasma that overall, i've loved it. i've been happy overall with samsung products for laundry, cooking and fridge. and oh yea, tv.

however. recently a thin purple line has formed on my tv only seen under the right conditions. usually a bright blue screen behind it. from what i can find, this is the kiss of death. the plasma (insert correct words here) are dying and the tv is going to follow it to an early grave.

i had no idea when i got it, or even where. but i do "pack rat" things in my garage and the box it was shipped in was still there. with packing receipt. i got it in 2010 w/a 3 year "square trade" warranty. being 2013 and in the later half made it interesting but as luck would have it, late november is when the warranty ends. i paid almost $2k for it almost 3 years ago and from what i can tell, i get the almost $2k back to replace it.

so the question is, i do tend to leave my tv on a lot which i've found plasma doesn't care for. i don't give a hippies flip flop about 3d. i do care about built in wi-fi and getting rid of the ghosting on the pics of many HD TV's.

now i'm looking for suggestions on why one technology over the other. again, i tend to leave the tv on, don't care about 3d, do want internet connectivity, (smart tv) and all for around $1500 give or take.

brands i tend to prefer are sony, LG and samsung.

any suggestions?

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

If you can't wait until Black Friday, check Sams and Walmart. They usually have a few TVs from one of those two brands that are on a fire-sale and their return policies are fantastic. I have also noticed HH Gregg having a ridiculous sale or two from time to time.

Personally, if I had to do it all over again, I would probably not care if my TV was a "smart" TV unless you are big into Skype. I would get a smart Blu Ray since they are cheaper to update when/if new technology comes out that you care about.

 

[dargonking999]

OLED

If you can't afford it, then suck it!

Kidding kidding

I'd say if you want a smart TV for around 1500 go with the LCD, LED will depend on how big you want the TV to be to get it around 1500. I'd go with Samsung, over LG i think they have higher quailty TV's but thats just me, research is your friend. I'd say use Best buy to compare the TV's then shop for the TV you like everywhere else

 

[MonsterD]

plasma?
LED?
LCD?

i have an almost 3 year old samsung plasma that overall, i've loved it. i've been happy overall with samsung products for laundry, cooking and fridge. and oh yea, tv.

however. recently a thin purple line has formed on my tv only seen under the right conditions. usually a bright blue screen behind it. from what i can find, this is the kiss of death. the plasma (insert correct words here) are dying and the tv is going to follow it to an early grave.

i had no idea when i got it, or even where. but i do "pack rat" things in my garage and the box it was shipped in was still there. with packing receipt. i got it in 2010 w/a 3 year "square trade" warranty. being 2013 and in the later half made it interesting but as luck would have it, late november is when the warranty ends. i paid almost $2k for it almost 3 years ago and from what i can tell, i get the almost $2k back to replace it.

so the question is, i do tend to leave my tv on a lot which i've found plasma doesn't care for. i don't give a hippies flip flop about 3d. i do care about built in wi-fi and getting rid of the ghosting on the pics of many HD TV's.

now i'm looking for suggestions on why one technology over the other. again, i tend to leave the tv on, don't care about 3d, do want internet connectivity, (smart tv) and all for around $1500 give or take.

brands i tend to prefer are sony, LG and samsung.

any suggestions?

Fully backlit LED. I have had mine for 3 and half years and it still is the same.

 

[jobberone]

I saw a 50" LED with Wifi on Amazon a week or so ago for $500. Not name brand though.

Here's a review of TVs I found interesting: http://reviews.cnet.com/led-tvs-review-10-things-you-need-to-know

I still like my plasma and I'll likely get another next time until 'new' technology comes out that's affordable.

Plasma life is not much different from LCD which when backlit with LEDs is 'LED'. Plasma is cheaper. Not sure about durability when moved vs LCD/LED. LED/LCD TVs can have deeper blacks and richer colors but you have to look at a good plasma next to a good LED to compare.

Here's a list of LCD manufacturers. Seems they are reducing production due to less consumer demand which has been driven by prices more than features: http://www.displaysearch.com/cps/rde/xchg/displaysearch/hs.xsl/11419.asp

 

[Nova]

plasma?
LED?
LCD?

i have an almost 3 year old samsung plasma that overall, i've loved it. i've been happy overall with samsung products for laundry, cooking and fridge. and oh yea, tv.

however. recently a thin purple line has formed on my tv only seen under the right conditions. usually a bright blue screen behind it. from what i can find, this is the kiss of death. the plasma (Flux Capacitors) are dying and the tv is going to follow it to an early grave.

Thought you could use a hand!

 

[Wheeltax]

LED. New LED stuff (especially OLED) is a lot better than it was even a year or two ago. I'm not a fan of plasma just because of heat and energy use, but heat is an issue in my house.

Personally I bought a 55" Insignia from Best Buy for about $600 last year and it's been great. I did a lot of research on the brand and from what I can tell, Best Buy basically buys parts in bulk from LG and Samsung and has them assembled by the same slave-wage Asians in a different factory. The good stuff they buy goes into the Insignia TVs, the cheap stuff goes into the Dynex TVs. I'd buy another one today if I needed to.

If cost isn't that much of an issue, I'm a big fan of Samsung anything. Sony makes good stuff too, but that's out of my price range.

 

[iceberg]

ok, does the 240Hz refresh rate help with the "predator" effect? like when the predator is invisible you can still the banding where he is. on many tv's you get the shimmering effect around some characters at some times. from what i can tell and have read, the answer is a definite...maybe. just wondering if getting the 240Hz is worth the extra cost.

and what is really surprising me is i'm considering vizio. my dad has an early one and it's junk. but the M551d-A2R is getting pretty rave reviews. 240Hz and around $1100. the samsung in this area is $600 more. anyone have a newer vizio and if so, is it really *that* good?

don't need 4k so OLED is WAY out of the question for this dude.

 

[Wheeltax]

I have a 37" Vizio that I've had for something like 6 years now, and apart from a dead pixel (it can happen to any LCD) it's been fine.

AFAIK, the refresh rate is most noticeable when it comes to how quickly the frames of whatever you're watching change - more noticeable when you're playing video games or watching fast-paced sporting events. Things just seem to run at a smoother framerate. Not sure about any shimmering but I could see how that might have something to do with it.

 

[CowboyWay]

I bought a 70" sharp LED and an 80" sharp LED just last week. I have tinkered with the settings on the 120, 240, 480, and even 960 refresh rate. I'll be honest, there isn't much of a difference.

I did find one setting that was just stunning. It is called "Dynamic Fixed". I don't know what the hell it does, but it is mesmerizing.