Help Me Buy an LCD TV

[absoludicrous]

Going for anything but 1080p at this time would be a huge mistake. Samsung and Sony make excellent TVs. I know Pioneer make some of the best plasmas, not sure if they've broke into the LCD scene. Nonetheless, they're fantastic.

[mscags]

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Going for anything but 1080p at this time would be a huge mistake. Samsung and Sony make excellent TVs. I know Pioneer make some of the best plasmas, not sure if they've broke into the LCD scene. Nonetheless, they're fantastic.

[/ QUOTE ]

Onecall doesnt have a sinlge 32in lcd w 1080p. Do you have to buy a bigger size or they dont come in LCD or what? SOrry I dont know much about this stuff

[Hey_Porter]

So I just got back from a buddy's house. He bought a new HD TV this weekend, and got the HD tuner from Comcast today. If he had it all set up right, I wasn't that impressed. Are the images from HD channels supposed to fill the screen? They weren't on his. And honestly, I had a hard time distinguishing the image from the ESPN HD Monday Night Football and the regular. Is it possible it wasn't set up right? He thought the same thing. Samsung, fwiw.

[Taso]

It definitly wasn't set up right if you couldn't tell. It should look AMAZING if its working right.

[Myrtle]

Without intending to offend anyone here….there is so much miss-information in this string that it frightens me.

In no particular order of importance………

Brand name may or MAY NOT have ANYTHING to do with quality. Virtually every ‘brand name’ out there has a “good/better/best” choice to offer consumers. Just check out why most of them have 3 models of a particular size” that cost….X….X+ 25%.....X + 50% or more. The ‘best’ Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, etc. models are truly high performing sets. If you had the opportunity to compare those three different level from any manufacturer, you would expereience first-hand what I'm talking about. Remember, you still DO get what you pay for in many cases.

There are some lesser known brands that cater to those who are looking for top-notch performance, and most folks have never seen or heard of them…..Fujitsu Ten, Nuvision, Nexus, Marantz…….etc.

1080p CAN BE very important, but unless put into perspective, it is nothing more than another high-tech ‘buzz word’. I will not write a dissertation on this subject…..Do your homework and educate yourself. I will however, give you one very important hint…..The quality of your picture is totally dependent upon the weakest link in your system. The best performing screen made will look like doggy doodoo with poor source material or medium, while an average screen will look gorgeous with a high quality source.

Dual HDMI inputs have nothing to do with performance; they just allow you to have two different HDMI sources, which (for sure) is a worthwhile feature.

LCD vs. Plasma? Both advantages and disadvantages (according to most “experts”, and I support these points). Short & Sweet…….

LCD over Plasma: Brighter (easier to see in a highly lit room). The best LCD’s also have amazing depth acuity which will readily show up in a fair comparison. Their screens are non-reflective (Plasma’s have glass fronts, which are highly reflective and interfere with one’s viewing during the day in a bright room).

Plasma over LCD: More accurate and natural color renditioning. Very little (in higher quality plasma’s) motion artifacting. This phenomenon is very disturbing to those who are cursed with sensitivity to it. If you are, you know exactly what I mean. If you’re not sure, try this…....Watch a live broadcast HD source hockey (or football) game on an LCD. If you feel as if you’re getting seasick, motion artifaction is the culprit. Compare the same source on a quality plasma set, and see what happens. If you don’t have a problem with the LCD, that’s great, as the real issue here is more how each of us actually ‘perceives’ what we see. It’s an eye/brain thing, and it varies from person to person. We’re dealing with the actual response time of each of the pixels and the best LCD’s are not as fast as plasma’s in this regard. Some of us are very sensitive to this time domain issue; some are not.

The REAL problem with this subject is that it is highly technical, complicated, and very relative in nature. Objectivity (specs) and Subjectivity (what YOU see) are both very important, but you rarely get a chance to see any of these sets in a store that are performing to their max because it’s both difficult and expensive to do so in a retail setting.

Please remember, I'm only talking about "flat-screen" (LCD & Plasma) technology here. To expand the conversation to some of the other technologies currently available out there is an even more daunting task!

I’ve been here before on 2+2 about this issue. I don’t want to get into a pissing war with anyone, nor do I have the time to write a thorough ‘primer’ to dispel all the myths about this subject that are floating around out there.

If you have a specific question, I will do my best to answer it.

And, yes, I am in “the business”.

[Myrtle]

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[ QUOTE ]
Going for anything but 1080p at this time would be a huge mistake. Samsung and Sony make excellent TVs. I know Pioneer make some of the best plasmas, not sure if they've broke into the LCD scene. Nonetheless, they're fantastic.

[/ QUOTE ]

Onecall doesnt have a sinlge 32in lcd w 1080p. Do you have to buy a bigger size or they dont come in LCD or what? SOrry I dont know much about this stuff

[/ QUOTE ]

1080p on an LCD smaller than 37" is a non-issue to 99.5% of us.

The law of diminishing return applies here.

As screens get smaller in size, the individual pixels are also proportionally reduced in size.

It gets to a point where the eye is unable to perceive each of the pixels, regardless of how close we sit to the set.

This point is commonly believed to be on sets below 37", which is why there are very few 1080's smaller than 37" on the market (Yes, there are a couple, but I defy anyone to tell me that they can actually see the difference between them and a 768 resolution set.)

[Myrtle]

[ QUOTE ]
So I just got back from a buddy's house. He bought a new HD TV this weekend, and got the HD tuner from Comcast today. If he had it all set up right, I wasn't that impressed. Are the images from HD channels supposed to fill the screen? They weren't on his. And honestly, I had a hard time distinguishing the image from the ESPN HD Monday Night Football and the regular. Is it possible it wasn't set up right? He thought the same thing. Samsung, fwiw.

[/ QUOTE ]

Uh....yup.

Forgive me for LOLing (it's really NOT funny....It's very frustrating!!)

HD images ARE supposed to fill the screen.....I sure hope it is a 16x9 aspect screen, not a 4x3?

Did he read the owners manual to see how to 'set up' the TV? Sounds like he didn't, and the set isn't in the proper mode to differentiate a regular signal from an HD signal. There should be a STUNNING difference on MNF between the two.

And then, there's the mf'king incompetent cable companies that have installers who really don't have a clue as to what their doing.

In most cases, the cable box has to be 'programmed' to properly transmit a quality HD image.

Then, you MUST have quality cables from it to the set, regardless of whether or not your using the HDMI or regular inputs/outputs. Do NOT disregard this point!!!

[mscags]

Awesome, thanks for all of the help. I think I'm just gonna go to the store and check out some different TVs. If I am looking for a 32in LCD do you have any specific recommendations that I should be checking out. I'd prefer to stay around 1K or so. Thanks.

Scags

[Myrtle]

[ QUOTE ]
Awesome, thanks for all of the help. I think I'm just gonna go to the store and check out some different TVs. If I am looking for a 32in LCD do you have any specific recommendations that I should be checking out. I'd prefer to stay around 1K or so. Thanks.

Scags

[/ QUOTE ]

The "Big-Box" stores are for cattle that are trained to buy on price alone. It would be extremely rare if you got either good information or a fair demo in any of them.

Here's what I'd do if I were you.....

Find a small, independent AV specialist or two.

Visit them and try to get an education.

Many of these guys really know what they're talking about and have a passion for what they do (but not ALL of them!).

Ask them to explain and demonstrate the differences in quality between sets.

Don't be afraid to ask the hard questions.

Don't be afraid or embarrassed to show that you know little about the subject.

DO ensure that your BS detector is turned on, as not ALL of these guys know what they're talking about!

DO some research on the net....Google away and read.

Knowledge is Power and Ignorance is no reason to piss away your hard earned dollars!

[R*R]

Myrtle's post is solid. I remember when I did my shoppping about a year ago that I chose an LCD as the room I have it in is bright. This is very important. I would not put a plasma in a bright room. Someone can possibly confirm this but I think I also remember that if a plasma goes it is more difficult and expensive to repair.