Author Topic: HDTV's (Read 1429 times)

saltydad · « **Topic Start:** October 19, 2009, 06:12:26 PM »

I know there is an older thread here but I can't find it and 'Search' is still not available.

I already had a HDTV but it was a small 26" model. Picture (with Dish Network) is great, but just too small for the family room, where we sit about 10 ft. from the TV. After much research I just purchased a 50" Panasonic plasma. My 26" is a LCD, and the picture quality drops off substantially from side and vertical angles. I really would love a Pioneer, as my brother has, but they're just too pricey for us. The model we got has 1080P and THX, can be hooked up to the internet for some apps (not a big sales kicker for me), and just has a knockout good picture. It's being delivered on Wednesday the 21st, so I'll post a review after its up and running here. (Just in time for the rest of the playoffs and the WS!),

sportsfan882 · « **Reply #1:** October 19, 2009, 06:28:17 PM »

cool. I had a 42" inch panasonic plasma for a few years but the picture crapped out after 2 years so a few months ago I got a whole new TV because I had a purchased a 4 year warranty for it.

I got a 1080P 42" Samsung plasma. Looks great.

saltydad · « **Reply #2:** October 20, 2009, 12:35:39 AM »

Yeah, I got the 4 year plan. Hope I don't need it!

GburgNatsFan · « **Reply #3:** October 20, 2009, 07:43:52 AM »

One of the knocks you used to hear about plasma TVs is they have a short life span. Maybe that's improved in the last five years.

Of course, I have a bad bearing on the mirror wheel of my DLP, which makes noise and annoys the hell out of me, so it's hard to figure which technology will last the longest.

Quote from: saltydad on October 20, 2009, 12:35:39 AM

Yeah, I got the 4 year plan. Hope I don't need it!

sportsfan882 · « **Reply #4:** October 20, 2009, 12:53:01 PM »

Quote from: sportsfan882 on October 19, 2009, 06:28:17 PM

cool. I had a 42" inch panasonic plasma for a few years but the picture crapped out after 2 years so a few months ago I got a whole new TV because I had a purchased a 4 year warranty for it.

I got a 1080P 42" Samsung plasma. Looks great.

I had it backwards. I had a Samsung before and it stopped working. The new one I got a few months ago is Panasonic.

My parents have had a 50" Panasonic Plasma for like 5 years and it still looks great.

PANatsFan · « **Reply #5:** October 20, 2009, 01:06:11 PM »

Quote from: sportsfan882 on October 20, 2009, 12:53:01 PM

I had it backwards. I had a Samsung before and it stopped working. The new one I got a few months ago is Panasonic.

My parents have had a 50" Panasonic Plasma for like 5 years and it still looks great.

Samsung makes the best LCD, Panasonic the best plasmas.

DPMOmaha · « **Reply #6:** October 20, 2009, 01:07:53 PM »

I just got a 32" LG. It's nothing fancy, but I'm really enjoying it. I live in a pretty small apartment, it's the right size for the room. It seems to be pretty good for the money. I'll probably go for a nicer one when I move out of this place, but for right now, I've been very pleased.

Nathan · « **Reply #7:** October 20, 2009, 02:43:16 PM »

Even though they are a "bargain basement" brand, I've never had any problems with my 3 Vizios, nor have either of the two friends that bought one.

saltydad · « **Reply #8:** October 21, 2009, 05:39:13 PM »

OK, I'm all set for my new plasma to come today. I got a call yesterday to say they would deliver between 2 and 4 this afternoon. Today I get a call from the delivery folks, asking if the store called me. I asked why, and he said they're not delivering it today....something about the store not sending the TV to the warehouse for pick-up. He recommended I call the store and speak to a supervisor. I call Best Buy in Wheaton and explain the problem. Someone in management calls me back in 10 minutes, apologizes profusely, says they'll deliver it on Saturday, and there will be no $70 delivery charge. I explained I paid cash and the delivery was free. She then said they will refund cash to me of $70 for my inconvenience. I'm disappointed, but happy that Best Buy stood up and did the right thing.

Nathan · « **Reply #9:** October 21, 2009, 05:42:42 PM »

Quote from: saltydad on October 21, 2009, 05:39:13 PM

OK, I'm all set for my new plasma to come today. I got a call yesterday to say they would deliver between 2 and 4 this afternoon. Today I get a call from the delivery folks, asking if the store called me. I asked why, and he said they're not delivering it today....something about the store not sending the TV to the warehouse for pick-up. He recommended I call the store and speak to a supervisor. I call Best Buy in Wheaton and explain the problem. Someone in management calls me back in 10 minutes, apologizes profusely, says they'll deliver it on Saturday, and there will be no $70 delivery charge. I explained I paid cash and the delivery was free. She then said they will refund cash to me of $70 for my inconvenience. I'm disappointed, but happy that Best Buy stood up and did the right thing.

An extra $70 in your pocket for waiting a few days doesn't sound too bad. Maybe put it towards a BluRay player or a nice sound system. I've always been pleased with the customer service at Best Buy.

saltydad · « **Reply #10:** October 24, 2009, 07:45:11 PM »

OK, the Panasonic has been installed, and I settled back to watch the Yankee game, only to have it rained out. So I put a Blu Ray in the player (Blackhawk Down). Wow!!

saltydad · « **Reply #11:** October 28, 2009, 04:11:17 PM »

After a few days of watching now I can truly say that the Panasonic folks really make a great plasma TV. Sound is so-so, but outside of that I'm in heaven. Since I run the sound through my surround system it's really a nitpick. Highly recommended.

Nathan · « **Reply #12:** December 04, 2009, 12:27:39 AM »

So I need a new tv. I'm not sure which way to go. I know I want a 47". I wanted a 52 but upon thinking it over and measurement that would be too big for the room.

I bought a 47" Phillips and the size is about perfect, but I'm not happy with it and will be returning it this weekend. The picture settings don't save from channel to channel, the sound has been cutting out, and it has 2 dead pixels. I don't know what to pick up instead.

All the plasmas at Best Buy look so dim compared to the LCDs and I'm worried about burn in from games. I got the Phillips from walmart because every 52" I tried to buy from best buy was sold out. Now that I'm settled on 47" I think I should be ok at best buy.

The Samsung B750 series seems to be rated well.

My max budget is $1500 but I'd like to be closer to $1000 if possible. Maybe I'll give a plasma a chance.

PANatsFan · « **Reply #13:** December 04, 2009, 12:30:43 AM »

If you have a Costco membership, go there (must be one in Frederick). If you don't, I'm pretty sure you can get a gift card off ebay and use that for entry into the store. All TV's are returnable to Costco for ANY reason, you don't even have to give one. The deals they have are comparable to Newegg, and the return policy, again is better than Newegg's, which is basically no returns.

I hear rumbling that CA is going to pass TV efficiency standards. Might be worth waiting that out, then you can get a cheap energy hog.

Nathan · « **Reply #14:** December 04, 2009, 12:48:30 AM »

Quote from: PANatsFan on December 04, 2009, 12:30:43 AM

If you have a Costco membership, go there (must be one in Frederick). If you don't, I'm pretty sure you can get a gift card off ebay and use that for entry into the store. All TV's are returnable to Costco for ANY reason, you don't even have to give one. The deals they have are comparable to Newegg, and the return policy, again is better than Newegg's, which is basically no returns.

I hear rumbling that CA is going to pass TV efficiency standards. Might be worth waiting that out, then you can get a cheap energy hog.

Yeah, there is a Costco right by the Best Buy and Walmart I went to. I'm not a member though. I can't really wait it out as this is the main tv and since the old one blew up, I can't just put that one back in. 800 lb 36" tube monstrosity, I'm glad it's finally gone and I won't ever have to lift that SOB again.

It seems that plasmas are a bit cheaper than LCDs with supposedly better PQ. They look dim in the store but that could he due to the LCDs being jacked up to full brightness.

The BB guy tried to sell me a $200 calibration by showing a calibrated and uncalibrated set side by side and telling me to pick the one that looked better. I picked the uncalibrated one

. The calibrated one was very dim and hard to see any detail.

PANatsFan · « **Reply #15:** December 04, 2009, 01:43:08 AM »

You can also just pick out exactly what you want in the store, then order it from newegg and pray. That's what I did, 0 bad pixels and a sweet deal.

Nathan · « **Reply #16:** December 04, 2009, 02:44:24 AM »

Quote from: PANatsFan on December 04, 2009, 01:43:08 AM

You can also just pick out exactly what you want in the store, then order it from newegg and pray. That's what I did, 0 bad pixels and a sweet deal.

What do you have?

The Chief · « **Reply #17:** December 04, 2009, 08:52:36 AM »

I have a 37" (LCD) that I watch from about 8-10' away, and I find it looks great and is plenty large. What kind of rooms are you guys putting these ~50" screens in?

tomterp · « **Reply #18:** December 04, 2009, 08:55:53 AM »

Quote from: Nathan on December 04, 2009, 12:48:30 AM

The BB guy tried to sell me a $200 calibration by showing a calibrated and uncalibrated set side by side and telling me to pick the one that looked better. I picked the uncalibrated one . The calibrated one was very dim and hard to see any detail.

Typically TV's are set to the very brightest, sharpest image possible out of the box, because when people compare side by side, that's what seems most appealing. So TV manufacturers are competing with each other for showroom appeal.

But once you get the TV home and are using it, those settings are far from optimal. What you need to do is reset the TV to basically all neutral, and tweak individual settings until you get it the way you like. Pay $200 for that? Hardly.

PANatsFan · « **Reply #19:** December 04, 2009, 10:37:19 AM »

Quote from: Nathan on December 04, 2009, 02:44:24 AM

What do you have?

Samsung 30" LCD. I watch from 5-10' away. Samsung has numbered series for its LCDs, the higher the better. I think the one at Best Buy was a 300/ For the same price as Best Buy, I got a 500 from Newegg, and the 700 was 50 bucks cheaper at Costco. All numbers are approximate.

I might be persuaded to get a Panasonic plasma that connects wirelessly to unbox for my next TV, but right now a monoprice.com D-SUB cable with built in speaker jack works perfecly. That's how I watched Night at the Museum yesterday (actually haven't finished).

PANatsFan · « **Reply #20:** December 04, 2009, 10:38:37 AM »

Quote from: tomterp on December 04, 2009, 08:55:53 AM

Typically TV's are set to the very brightest, sharpest image possible out of the box, because when people compare side by side, that's what seems most appealing. So TV manufacturers are competing with each other for showroom appeal.

But once you get the TV home and are using it, those settings are far from optimal. What you need to do is reset the TV to basically all neutral, and tweak individual settings until you get it the way you like. Pay $200 for that? Hardly.

Those manufacturer settings burn the tv out much faster. They are just hoping a rube leaves it set that way so a new tv will be purchased that much sooner. There's whole HDTV message boards that are pretty helpful.

Nathan · « **Reply #21:** December 04, 2009, 02:40:54 PM »

Quote from: Dunnkey on December 04, 2009, 08:52:36 AM

I have a 37" (LCD) that I watch from about 8-10' away, and I find it looks great and is plenty large. What kind of rooms are you guys putting these ~50" screens in?

My bathroom.

DPMOmaha · « **Reply #22:** December 04, 2009, 03:05:46 PM »

Quote from: Dunnkey on December 04, 2009, 08:52:36 AM

I have a 37" (LCD) that I watch from about 8-10' away, and I find it looks great and is plenty large. What kind of rooms are you guys putting these ~50" screens in?

I have a 32" at about the same distance and have had no problems. I have friends with 50+ in comperable sized rooms and viewing space and it's a bit much. I could understand it from bigger distances and in a bigger room though.

The Chief · « **Reply #23:** December 04, 2009, 05:10:09 PM »

Quote from: Nathan on December 04, 2009, 02:40:54 PM

My bathroom.

Reminds me of a commercial a few years ago where the guy had TVs stashed everywhere in his place so he never missed a second of the game.

BerkeleyNat · « **Reply #24:** December 04, 2009, 09:53:55 PM »

I just purchased a 50" Panasonic plasma (Viera) about two weeks ago. I love it. You should see Modern Warfare 2 on that badboy. Unbelievable.