New TV - Plasma, LCD, or LED - Discuss!

[grizzle]

Ok, after watching movies on my 46" Sony CRT for the past 10 years, it is time I finally catch up and get a flat screen television. I have been trying to research all the various pros and cons of the various TVs, and not only is it a whirlwind of info out there, many of the discussions seem circular and without conclusion. So, I am calling upon my fellow techie geeks out there to lend a hand.

I am looking for a flat panel widescreen between 52"-60". I don't want to spend more than $3k, but would prefer to keep it as close to $2k as possible. I am a semi-pro photographer and a budding filmmaker, so when viewing my, uh... "art", on the TV, I need colors to be as realistic as possible, black blacks and white whites, and motion as smooth as possible. I don't own a console gaming rig right now, but may in the future. I have a huge DVD collection, though will start buying BluRays when I start converting, so need something that makes DVDs and BluRay both look good (not sure if this is the TV or the BluRay player, or both). Thickness and weight of TV are not as important (any of these will be better than my 100lb CRT), but still might play a role.

Here are a few that I am looking at. These are just a couple examples. Please feel free to offer other suggestions along with any and all advice:

LED:
Samsung 55" LED
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN55B8000-55-Inch-1080p-HDTV/dp/B0028YB8MA/">http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN55B8000 ... 0028YB8MA/</a><!-- m --> (240Hz)
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN55B7000-55-Inch-1080p-HDTV/dp/B001UHMVR2/">http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN55B7000 ... 001UHMVR2/</a><!-- m --> (120Hz)

Plasma:
Samsung 58" Plasma
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-PN58B650-58-Inch-1080p-Plasma/dp/B001W6NU9Y/">http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-PN58B650- ... 001W6NU9Y/</a><!-- m -->

LCD:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN52B750-52-Inch-1080p-Charcoal/dp/B001VKY7WU/">http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN52B750- ... 001VKY7WU/</a><!-- m -->


Questions:
1) Is there much of a difference betwen 120Hz and 240Hz?
2) Is Burn-In still a problem for plasmas?
3) Are LEDs worth it if they are not backlit?

Any and all input would be greatly appreciated!

[Diggles]

wouldnt refresh rate affect fast stuff like sports games...if you dont have a good refresh rate, items in motion (ball) will tend to blur

[Grieve]

I bought a Sony 60" four years ago (it was over 5 grand back then - yeesh), and what helped me most when researching was the AVS Forum website (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/). Post your criteria there, or just browse for a while, and you'll get some pretty educated suggestions.

I haven't really paid attention to the latest stuff since I got my TV, but backlit LED LCD looks to be the way to go right now. Plus wireless 1080p, although I'm guessing that doesn't work so well with gaming.

I'm just going to save up for a really nice HD projector. Can't beat watching movies on a 10 foot screen...

[Slamz]

I have this one:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN46A650-46-Inch-1080p-Touch/dp/B001413D94/ref=cm_cr-mr-title">http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN46A650- ... r-mr-title</a><!-- m -->

46" Samsung LCD.

I dunno about all them fancy words but I can tell you it was a ridiculous improvement over my old rear projection HDTV. I hooked a computer into it and it looks amazing, though I haven't tried gaming on it (it's an older machine -- I use it for watching Hulu). 1920x1080.

Considering my computer monitor is only 60 Hz, I can't imagine what difference 240 vs 120 would really make, visually. I'm not sure I could even tell 60 vs 120 (the TV I have is 120 Hz). At some point I think vital stats simply turn into gimmicks as there's a limit to what differences our eyeballs can detect anyway.

I've had it for 11 months. No problems.

[Moristans]

I watch a ton of sports and I noticed a difference between 60hz and 120hz. I held off on buying a flatscreen lcd until the prices on the 120hz models dropped low enough for me to afford.

The LEDs are sex. My next TV will be an LED when I can afford it. Not necessarily because of the refresh rate. Mostly because of the ultra thin profile.

[grizzle]

How is banding on the big LCD TVs?

[Vanraw]

I have the Samsung 50 inch DLP. To lazy to look for the model. I will say this.

When I compared, I found the DLP to be a better picture and more responsive. Meaning no tear, like you see in LCD's. The blackers are blacker. For me, 3 years ago, there was no comparison, DLP was better to my eye.

I have heard that they improved LCD in the last couple years. I also heard they solved some of the Plasma life line, that was a problem.

Im extreemly happy with the DLP. And Samsung rocks.

[Hoofhurr]

Refresh rate is going to be a little different for every person. Someone trained to look at the details as opposed to the content, such as our film-maker friend, might notice a lower refresh rate if he's using it to evaluate film. If he's a blind filmmaker however...

This is the same argument with MP3s. Most people can't hear the difference in anything over 128 but professionals or audiophiles can especially if they have the proper equipment that is sensitive to the whole sonic range of the original recording.

[Skelas]

Vizio is by far the best bang for your buck, if you have a costco by you check them out. I'm a bit of a video quality freak, and I can see just a very minimal difference between Vizio and the top end brands like samsung.

You can get about 5 more inches of TV for the same price with Vizio, worth it in my opinion.

[grizzle]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts on the topic. They've been very helpful!

After more research though I think I'm starting to lean towards a plasma. More specifically: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-Viera-TC-P54V10-Sub-field-Plasma/dp/B002C8LX6S">http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-Viera-T ... B002C8LX6S</a><!-- m -->

Mainly for the blacker blacks, whiter whites, better color reproduction, less, if any, banding type issues, faster response times, etc. I've always shyed away from the thought of plasmas because of possible burn-in issues, it sounds like most of those problems have been taken care of, or lessened a good bit, such that with a little preventive care, it shouldn't be an issue.

Any have experiences with plasmas?

[Snowreap]

I have a 50" Panasonic commercial plasma display. it has been fine for watching movies, and for console and pc gaming. I haven't had any particular burn-in problems with it.

-ken

[Breand]

sorry I didnt see this sooner. Im a video engineer and always love this chatter. I will always support Plasma, it's the same old Beta/VHS war. Beta was superior but it didnt catch on because VHS was cheaper. It's the same thing with Plasma LCD. Plasma is superior, but LCD won the war. It's also more expensive to power plasma so that is a consideration. ( I think my electricity bill easily went up $15 a month when I bought my plasma.)

Honestly right now is a weird time to buy a TV. I personally would not by a new TV unless it had WAN capability and they are starting to trickle out. Vizio actually has a nice one, I forget the model. It's yahoo widget capable too.

[grizzle]

Why is now a weird time to buy a TV?

Personally, I've been staring at a 32" Sony CRT for the past 10 years. I'm tired of it. I've been putting off making this leap for a few years trying to let prices on these new technologies settle down, and it looks like the Plasmas are equal to, if not slightly less expensive, than the LCDs. I think the LEDs are going to be great, but I wouldn't get one now because they are still in their infancy, and I don't want to be a guinea pig owner. I'm definitely ready for the change, and just no longer have the patience to wait any longer. I needs me a new home theater!! =)

[Ulfen]

If you haven't seen the difference between 60hz and 120hz you should go to an electronic store and check it out. It isn't just something a professional would notice and, in my opinion, depends on your taste more than what is better. I personally don't like 120hz, it makes movies look like they are playing at 1.5x speed, you also lose the filter (for lack of a better word) that movies have, it makes hd movies look more like they were shot with your own camcorder. Also in most hd movies with a lot of CG (Spiderman 3 for example) the CG doesn't look blended into the world at all, it sticks out like a sore thumb.

I'm sure I am not explaining it well enough for you to visualize it, its something you have to see for yourself. Some people really like it because it gives you a 3d effect, but I can't stomach it. I guess it is kind of a moot point because 120hz tvs allow you set them back to 60hz for those that don't enjoy the experience.

[Breand]

Why is now a weird time to buy a TV?

Personally, I've been staring at a 32" Sony CRT for the past 10 years. I'm tired of it. I've been putting off making this leap for a few years trying to let prices on these new technologies settle down, and it looks like the Plasmas are equal to, if not slightly less expensive, than the LCDs. I think the LEDs are going to be great, but I wouldn't get one now because they are still in their infancy, and I don't want to be a guinea pig owner. I'm definitely ready for the change, and just no longer have the patience to wait any longer. I needs me a new home theater!! =)

That's fine. It's weird because of LED tech, and Wireless tech making it into the market. But go for it of course if you want to. I definitely recommend plasma over LCD, and I would definitely try and get a wireless LAN enabled TV as well because youll be kicking yourself a year or two from now for not having it.

[Thudz]

Picking up a Samsung 55" LED in a couple weeks. Been drooling over it at Fry's for about amonth now.

[Jakensama]

Why do TVs need wireless lan?

[grizzle]

Ok, I pulled the trigger. So far, this is what I've ordered:

TV:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-Viera-TC-P54V10-Sub-field-Plasma/dp/B002C8LX6S/">http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-Viera-T ... 002C8LX6S/</a><!-- m -->

Blu-ray player:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMP-BD60-Blu-ray-Player-Black/dp/B001V9LA44/">http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMP-BD6 ... 001V9LA44/</a><!-- m -->

TV stand:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/BellO-WAVS-341-Cabinet-Espresso-Finish/dp/B0013FI78S/">http://www.amazon.com/BellO-WAVS-341-Ca ... 0013FI78S/</a><!-- m -->


Now, all I need is a receiver and speakers... any input? =)

Thanks again for all of the insight so far. Has been very helpful!

[Thudz]

Did you consider the PS3 as a BluRay player? That's what I use.

[Jakensama]

Plus it can wirelessly stream all your media to your TV as well. It was worth the cost even if it didn't play games.

[grizzle]

Did you consider the PS3 as a BluRay player? That's what I use.

I did, but from what I understand, this blu-ray player has better quality than the PS3.

Not concerned about wireless - my computer hub is close enough that I can run ethernet with no problem.

[Breand]

Plopping 2.4k down on a TV with no wireless capability makes Baby Jesus cry. Glad you went with Panasonic and plasma tho, Im very happy with mine.

[Jakensama]

What is wireless access used for on a tv? Streaming video off a network?

[Breand]

yes, it's dependent on the manufacturer. Each company has different internet options, most have a netflix app, amazon, youtube and other things. I would even guess they will start doing patches to the TV to create more options. So you dont need a 3rd party device to do your streaming (350, PS3, AppleTV). That's why I said it's a weird time to buy one. I imagine a couple years down the line HDTVs will be fully functional browsing devices and wont be limited to a few choice apps.

It sounds like the TV he bought has an ethernet connection, so he's OK. It's just too old school for me. I dont want to be limited by the location of my TV or my network.

[Jakensama]

My PS3 will always be hooked up to the TV so its more of a neat feature thats not vital.