42" HDTV: Plasma vs. LCD

[INTRIGUED]

Hughes, Take JET's link and get that one. We have a 42 inch plasma tv here and I hate it. Honestly could careless about the brand. The link JET presented, Get that one. LCD - DLP is the way to go. DLP from what I have heard through DADS is the way to go. Anything DLP you will be happy with, if need be I will try to hook you up here with one.

[Kracka]

Why do you hate the plasma?

[ABV]

Wow, this is some good info. I may be looking at getting a new TV in a couple of months. I made a bet with my roomate (he owns the house) that if he finished the basement by Jan. 28th, one week before the Super Bowl, then I would buy a TV to put down there. :D

Right now, I think I'm most interested in a flat panel LCD, because I would like to be able to mount it on the wall. I would consider the DLP rear projection as well. I just have to go out and start looking at some.

One thing that I really want, as long as it doesn't add a lot of cost, is the ability to hook up a PC to the TV. I think that would be awesome to be able to listen to music, watch movies, or go online while lounging on the sofa. PC games would be pretty cool too. Does anyone know if there's a way to do this, or do you pretty much need a giant TV/Monitor?

[INTRIGUED]

Why do you hate the plasma?


Because unless the channel is in HD it looks like shit. Very grainy and just all around shitty picture. All the LCD tv's I have seen are so much then any plasma tv.

[Halon]

Wow, this is some good info. I may be looking at getting a new TV in a couple of months. I made a bet with my roomate (he owns the house) that if he finished the basement by Jan. 28th, one week before the Super Bowl, then I would buy a TV to put down there. :D

Right now, I think I'm most interested in a flat panel LCD, because I would like to be able to mount it on the wall. I would consider the DLP rear projection as well. I just have to go out and start looking at some.

One thing that I really want, as long as it doesn't add a lot of cost, is the ability to hook up a PC to the TV. I think that would be awesome to be able to listen to music, watch movies, or go online while lounging on the sofa. PC games would be pretty cool too. Does anyone know if there's a way to do this, or do you pretty much need a giant TV/Monitor?

Pretty much all TV's come with S-Video, DVI, HDMI, Component, plug-ins. Not sure what kinda computer you have, but my computer has dvi, and s-video outputs, so I can hook it up to the tv no problem. Even if you don't have that kind of output on your computer, you can either get a video card that does, or just get little converter plug that'll convert the output to whatever kinda cable you want.

[JET]

A good chunk of the TV's will have a VGA input also, but not all.

Also, when I was talking about comparing TV's in a store, most are not setup well (color, contrast, etc.). That makes a huge difference. I was in BB and by looking at the TV's the Panasonic looked better than the Sony and Samsung, but I know they aren't better, it was just the way they are set up. Went to CC and the Samsung looked the best. Do a little research and you will be fine. Basically all of the Sony and Samsung TV's are top notch (be slightly wary of the Sony XBR line, not XBR2). Plasma is going to be basically gone in 2 years.

[Pushit2.0]

Also room size plays a part in how big you want to go, and I have looked at ither the Mitsu DLP or LCD Tvs and both look awsome to me. The only problem with DLP is size it might be a little to big for my space at home but the LCD tvs are made in smaller screens and look awsome.

~John

[ABV]

I've been doing a little looking around, and I'm not convinced that 1080p is necessarily the way to go right now. The only reason to go for it is if you have a source that will output in 1080p. You will not get a 1080p signal from cable anytime soon because it takes about twice the bandwith of 720p. You could get a signal from a blu-ray or HD-DVD or whatever it's called, but then again you need the equipment to do that, which right now, is pretty expensive. And even if you did have the equipment, there's a good chance that it's still being upconverted from 720p.

I guess what it boils down to, is what you're willing to pay. The TV I'm looking at right now (Samsung 46" LCD Flat Panel 720p) has a cousin that's 1080p, but costs $500 more. To me, that's not worth it. I will still get amazing image quality while watching DVD's or the few HD channels available from Comcast. With the screen size that I'm looking at, and the distance I'll be sitting from the TV, I most likely would not be able to tell the difference between the two. And since standard cable wouldn't even come close to using the TV's full capabilities, the image would probably look the same on a 720p and a 1080p from 10ft away with a 46" screen.

[A//// Guy]

How often do you replace your TV though.. if you keep it for 5+ years, by then 1080 will probably be the norm and some other super high def technology will emerge.

If I were going to spend 1000+ on a TV, might as well get it will all the features I could use.

[Kracka]

Is 1080p even available? From what I've learned, it really sounds like 720p is better than 1080i for most things.