LCD or Plasma HDTV - what would you buy?

[Sombeech]

OK so it's time to save up for Christmas, I'd love to invest in an HD TV (finally). I'd like it to be >50", not 3D, and I'm leaning towards plasma vs LCD just because the reviews say it's less blurred motion, viewable better from all angles, more defined dark colors.... etc.

On the other hand the LCD models are thinner.

So now it's down to Hz. The Plasmas average 600Hz vs the LCDs at 120 - 240Hz. I assume it's just because the mechanics are different between the two technologies, and the higher the Hz the better for whichever type.

I'll be waiting for either Black Friday, or Cyber Monday most likely to look for a great deal.

Where would you guys look first? Would you feel comfortable with your huge TV being shipped across the country?

[ibenick]

I buy TV's for a living so I keep up with all of it closely. For a primary viewing area, I say plasma all the way. Great value, awesome picture quality, black levels are superb and motion blur is a non-issue. There are some really nice LED LCD's on the market right now that are comparable but the price premium is huge and all you really get over a good plasma is that super-thin frame.

For consumer plasmas, I'm a fan of Samsung but Panasonic has a better anti-glare coating, although it does suck a little out of the blacks so I would weigh the decision based on the room its going into. If you've got a wall of windows behind the seating area, the Panasonic glare coating will be invaluable. If not, the Samsung has killer blacks and still has decent anti-glare.

For local purchases, Costco is at the top of my list. They have the 90 day no questions return policy on TV's and they double the warranty to 2 years. For online sources, Amazon would be at the top of my list; really competitive prices, free shipping, no tax. I end up buying quite a few through them when things get backordered and we have cranky clients wanting things yesterday.

[jman]

I would get a LCD with a tv that supports up to 240Hz. Plasma is decent, but the power required is ridiculous and they get quite hot and they are heavy. They have their uses though.

I would get a TV that supports 1080p and is either Samsung, Sony, or LG. and this is of course as my main tv.
The only thing I would compromise is the Hz. I would compromise down to 120Hz depending on screen size and price.

Don't forget that you will need to buy a stand for it which will cost you another $100 at least.

Also something to consider is HDMI inputs. I use a receiver which holds up to 5, so my tv only needs 1 HDMI. But if you don't have a receiver than more the inputs the merrier (Xbox360 , PS3, Blu-ray player, home theater pc, etc.)

Btw, I had a Sony Bravia 46" and the viewing angle was near perfect at all angles and the contrast wasn't bad at all. And if you're not a videophile than you won't notice at all anyways.

[Iceaxe]

I own one 50" plasma (Panasonic) and two 42" LCD (Sony & Vizio). If its picture quality you want the Plasma blows the LCD away. It's one of those deals where after owning both for a period of time you can really see the difference.

Careful with Costco TV's (or any other appliance) they sometimes cut some whistles and bells to get the price down. Nothing wrong with that, but just be aware of the issue. You will notice it first off when a model number is only available at Costco. The model number is usually one letter different from what everyone else is carrying. One of the most common items I've seen on Costco models is they will eliminate one or more HDMI posts that the standard model will have.

Anyhoo.... that's my 2 cents...

[Sombeech]

Cool, good input.

What about ghosting, or burning in the images on plasma tvs? How long does it usually have to be on pause or have the same static image on the screen for this to happen?

[nelsonccc]

Cool, good input.

What about ghosting, or burning in the images on plasma tvs? How long does it usually have to be on pause or have the same static image on the screen for this to happen?

Hardly never. My samsung had pixel shift which helps alot. I routinely pause video games or movies for up to 15-30 min and have never in 3 yrs had any ghosting. Occasionally after watching a letterbox movie on a widescreen ill have a line. But I just run the scrolling white from the menu for a few minutes and it goes right away.

Love my plasma. HD movies and Xbox is amazing. Careful with plasma on ambient light. Mine is super reflective so if there is a lot of light in the room (like watching tv during the day with the blinds open) I get a lot of glare.

[Sombeech]

This will most likely go downstairs in the basement where it can get pretty dark

[Sombeech]

So for Plasma, is 600Hz pretty decent?

[oldno7]

I have the Samsung 55" 1080p 240hz 3D set.

It is great as far as I'm concerned, nothing else I have to compare it with. The 3D was something I dismissed as gimmicky, it's not.....

[Sombeech]

Speaking of 3D, that was another question. I'm not into the 3D thing yet but how do you like it? It's amazing how fast 3D became available for the larger screen TVs, I remember it available up to @ 20" a year ago.

And of course... you can disable 3D for regular viewing right? I surely hope so.

Is it worth it? Does media have to be filmed in 3D for this to work or can it convert any media to 3D? From what I can tell it's just a minor bump in price.

[oldno7]

We really like 3D movies, some are better than others, of course. The TV pics up a 3D signal automatically, the rest of the time it is in standard 2D mode.
You can convert anything to 3D on the tv, but I hardly ever do that. The picture quality is unmatched if you ask me. People who first see it think it's somewhat TOO real looking.
Most stores will have package deals coming up, I would think. Ours came with 2 sets of glasses and a Samsung blu-ray 3D player.

[Deathcricket]

you kinda forgot to mention a price range you were looking for. But for me being a cheap bastard, I just went for the Costco 55" Vizio 240hz with 5 hdmi for $1500. Granted this was 2 years ago, and i'm sure the price points are different now, but I'm really happy with the purchase. I'm sure there are better TV's out there but how much you want to pay for the 1% better performance is also a good question to ask yourself.

One other thing you might want to look at is longevity. I heard plasma tv's burn out faster than LCD, not sure if that is any longer the case. My friend who bought a plasma back in the day had all these black dots on his screen from burnout, and my father in laws plasma died 2x, about every 6 months it seemed. So I never even considered looking at plasma (at the time). Again though, this is years ago so I'm probably not the best source for information. I'm sure if there is still a problem it will be reported and easily researched.

[Sombeech]

I'd love to grab something under $1000, hopefully in the $800 range. That's probably a stretch right now for something over 50" but hopefully the Christmas sales will provide some variety.

[oldno7]

I'd love to grab something under $1000, hopefully in the $800 range. That's probably a stretch right now for something over 50" but hopefully the Christmas sales will provide some variety.

I thought you were a 1%er.....

[rockgremlin]

Two things:

1. BEFORE YOU BUY ANYWHERE - CHECK OUT THIS WEBSITE: http://butterflyphoto.com/categories.phtml?id=5

THIS IS WHERE I PURCHASED MY 55" SAMSUNG LED HDTV, AND IT WAS AT LEAST $400 BUCKS CHEAPER THAN ANYWHERE ELSE!!

2. Whew!! That said, I'm sold on my 55 inches of LED love. I've had it now for going on 3 years with no problems, and the picture quality is outstanding. I recommend Samsung LEDs FTW.

[Sombeech]

OK so LED vs LCD.... LED is thinner, yes? What else?

[BLUEberryBOB]

Newegg has CRAZY deals around the holidays, its the best time to shop there.

[Sombeech]

Newegg has CRAZY deals around the holidays, its the best time to shop there.

What's your opinion on the recertified items? I assume they still come with the warranty?

EDIT:

“Recertified” products have been tested to ensure compliance with original manufacturer specifications, and MAY include a limited manufacturer warranty – see the item's product page for details.

[homerj]

OK so LED vs LCD.... LED is thinner, yes? What else?

Yes, thinner. Also LED has a much higher contrast ratio (darker blacks) than LCD and less power than LCDs or Plasmas. If you want to get technical, the LED TVs are LED backlit LCDs, whereas your normal LCD is CCFL backlit. From what I've read you get better colors on LED TVs than LCD.

[accadacca]

I went with LCD. I don't recall all the reasons, it was too long ago. I have a 52" Sony Bravia in my theater room. The picture quality is amazing. I bought it right before the 2008 summer Olympics started. It has been perfect without a single issue. I would highly recommend the Bravia line. I also have a 40" LG in my bedroom. It has an excellent picture as well. Then I have a no name brand 32" 720 in my living room. My kids mostly use that for streaming TV.