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In the HDTV market

tmartin2347

tmartin2347

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 11, 2011
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I'm looking at two different HDTV's, anyone have one of these two or would recommend another one around the same price.
I'm going to be hooking my ATV2 up to it, and I can't wait.

http://m.bestbuy.com/m/e/product/detail.jsp?skuId=9761226&pid=1218168618486&catId=abcat0101001&ev=prodView


http://m.bestbuy.com/m/e/product/detail.jsp?skuId=9791235&pid=1218175543621&catId=abcat0101001&ev=prodView


I'm not worried about the cost of the two, I want the best quality.
 
The links are a little small to see. Are they both LED backlit? Both Samsung and Sony make good TVs, but they make a very, very wide range of TVs from entry level to out of this world. LED backlighting may be something you want to consider.
 
Sorry I wasn't sure if the links were going to work using my iphone.

One is a 40" Sony Bravia 1080/120 LCD HDTV on sale for 779.99

The other is the 40" Samsung 1080/120 LCD HDTV on sale for 679.99

Both very similar.
 
I think you'll be happy either way. Perhaps choose the one you feel will look better in your living room. And if that's a wash, buy the cheaper one.
 
tmartin2347 said:
What's the average age expectancy of a LCD and plasma? I thought plasmas burn out fairly fast.
Click to expand...

Those were the old days. You won't burn out your plasma, and they're a lot more energy efficient than they used to be.
 
dmr727 said:
Those were the old days. You won't burn out your plasma, and they're a lot more energy efficient than they used to be.
Click to expand...

Actually, while LED backlit LCD improves on most issues of plasma, for reasons I have never understood in terms of physics, the highest rated display today is a plasma...if you aren't worried about money, get the Pioneer Elite Kuro. It is simply an amazing TV and well worth the dough.
 
tmartin2347 said:
What's the average age expectancy of a LCD and plasma? I thought plasmas burn out fairly fast.
Click to expand...

"Burn out" is a bit of a misnomer. Their brightness decreases gradually, over time. You could watch 8 hours of TV a day for 20 years before the display decreases to 50% brightness, according to many manufacturers' specs.

Burn-in is a bigger issue and something I would worry about if you like to leave talking heads or tickers up on screen for hours on end. Shouldn't be any worries under normal use, though.

Plasma image quality can't be beat but they are typically a bit heavier and in general still use more energy than their LED-backlit counterparts. Pick whichever pros and cons are important to you and go from there.

NickZac said:
Actually, while LED backlit LCD improves on most issues of plasma, for reasons I have never understood in terms of physics, the highest rated display today is a plasma...if you aren't worried about money, get the Pioneer Elite Kuro. It is simply an amazing TV and well worth the dough.
Click to expand...

Pioneer quit making plasma displays in 2009 I think, and Sharp has only recently acquired rights to the name. It remains to be seen what Sharp will label "Pioneer Elite" and if it will be worth a flip. Panasonic, especially the THX-certified models are generally reviewed as "the next best thing" to the Kuros, or at least they were when I was in the market a while back.
 
SuperCachetes said:
"Burn out" is a bit of a misnomer. Their brightness decreases gradually, over time. You could watch 8 hours of TV a day for 20 years before the display decreases to 50% brightness, according to many manufacturers' specs.

Burn-in is a bigger issue and something I would worry about if you like to leave talking heads or tickers up on screen for hours on end. Shouldn't be any worries under normal use, though.

Plasma image quality can't be beat but they are typically a bit heavier and in general still use more energy than their LED-backlit counterparts. Pick whichever pros and cons are important to you and go from there.



Pioneer quit making plasma displays in 2009 I think, and Sharp has only recently acquired rights to the name. It remains to be seen what Sharp will label "Pioneer Elite" and if it will be worth a flip. Panasonic, especially the THX-certified models are generally reviewed as "the next best thing" to the Kuros, or at least they were when I was in the market a while back.
Click to expand...

Panasonic took over Pioneers TV business, not Sharp.

OP, if you're looking for a TV plasmas are hard to beat. Image retention is a non issue now as plasma TVs have built in orbiters that prevent it from happening. They last a hell of a lot longer, too. I have a Pioneer Kuro and it's by far the best TV I have owned. Beats out my parents Samsung plasma.
 
SuperCachetes said:
Pioneer quit making plasma displays in 2009 I think, and Sharp has only recently acquired rights to the name. It remains to be seen what Sharp will label "Pioneer Elite" and if it will be worth a flip. Panasonic, especially the THX-certified models are generally reviewed as "the next best thing" to the Kuros, or at least they were when I was in the market a while back.
Click to expand...

They started the Kuro up again in a 1080p plasma :)
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...e53w5Zq6CR6PVoc6A&sig2=HRPCdIqCsQhQL1c1rrt4hQ
 
SuperCachetes said:
That's a brochure dated 2008 from a set I don't see for sale new anywhere off the bat. Not saying you're wrong, but that link's hardly a defendable argument.
Click to expand...

Oh wow, you are right! Maybe they did stop them!! That would make me cry...I can't go back...
 
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If plasma is better than LCD, then why is it so much less money?
 
tmartin2347 said:
If plasma is better than LCD, then why is it so much less money?
Click to expand...

It's not necessarily better - it just depends on your priorities and perspective. You're going to need to go check out TVs and see what looks best to you. I have a good friend next door with a $2K+ 46" LCD that to me looks inferior to my 50" Plasma, but if you were to ask him, he'd probably say the opposite. It's your living room the TV will ultimately be in, with your eyes watching it. The answer can only be seen, not read via the web.
 
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i havent looked at the 120Hz tvs much but rather the 60hz and my conclusion was that the sony had somewhat of a 'overprocessed' look to the picture, where it may look cleaner but i felt the image wasnt as true a representation of the signal as the samsung. i'd rather have a little pixelation as opposed to an image i knew was being altered by the tv. having watched so much compressed video on the computer for so many years i try to avoid that. the colors were about the same as i could see, maybe a tad brighter in the sony. but most likely you'd be happy with either they're both good brands.
 
I went to Best Buy the other day right after work and was there for I'd say 2-3 hours looking at TV's and all the accessories to go with it.

After comparing the 40" Samsung LCD HDTV 1080/120, 40" Sony LCD HDTV 1080/120, and the 40" Panasonic Plasma HDTV 1080/120, I have come to like the sony lcd over the other two. I'm just not sure how I really liked the plasma, I didn't really see that great of a picture. I realize the picture on the plasma probably looks a lot different in your living room over on the wall in best buy with all the lights reflecting but I still like the Sony the best.
Anyone have a 40" Sony Bravia LCD HDTV they would like to share some photos of their whole entertainment set up? It would certainly give me the motivation to go spend the money, and I was thinking about getting PS3 to go with it.
 
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