Recomendations on HDTV

[crazycat]

I am thinking of replacing my tv in my home network, i have a small LAN where friends come over and we play PC games and console games. I have an old tv that is not very good, i am looking for something around 50" and i am not sure if i should get an LCD or Plasma.

I am looking for something that does 1080p since i do watch blu-ray movies on it a lot and use my apple tv.

 

[JesterJJZ]

Panasonic Plasma. That's all you need to know.

 

[MacHipster]

Panasonic Plasma. That's all you need to know.

I agree. They have good "bang for the buck" on their plasmas.

 

[steeler]

Personally, I can't stand to watch a Plasma (it looks like I'm watching through a window screen or something). I realize that's a personal preference as many people love their Plasma TVs. I prefer a good LCD -- the recent 120Hz models look really good, but a 50" will cost you $$$.

The plasma TVs are much less expensive at comparable sizes to the LCD TVs. I suggest you visit a high-end electronics store in your area (not Best Buy or Circuit City) and have a look at a few. It really comes down to your personal preference in viewing and your budget. Keep in mind that the brightness is usually set a a very high level in the stores (some AV geeks call it "torch mode"), so you can't really compare the brightness as that's adjustable. Bring a few DVDs (or Blu-Ray) and see if you can get the store to play them on different TVs. A decent store (again not BB or CC) should be able to do that.

 

[chedda]

Loewe

Not so much bang for buck but i couldn't be happier with my LOEWE 46" individual as i wanted a simple screen without speakers its gorgeous. Other bonuses include 2 built in satellite tuners and a hard drive for recording , picture in picture a usb port twin HDMI's amongst others. The newer models now have built in wifi for networking .

 

[Noonzio]

Panasonic Plasma's all the way. Try www.visualapex.com for the professional line . . though if you're not into tweaking just go for the consumer model. IMO you should forget about LCD if you're going to be watching sport on it, as I've never seen an LCD with as good a picture as a plasma where sports (or fast moving action) is concerned

 

[cmcbridejr]

Panasonic Plasma. That's all you need to know.

I disagree. I think that Sony makes the best televisions.

I personally have had a few other manufacturer's tvs go bad after only a few years use, but never the Sony tvs.

In fact, I still have a few Sony tvs going strong from the late 1980s and early 1990s. (My dad is a tv freak and has tvs in almost every room of the house).

Sony tvs may be a little more expensive, but in the end, you get what you pay for.

It's just like the difference in prices between a Dell and Apple computer. Sure, they are both computers, but Apple typically uses higher quality components.

Also, research places like Sound and Vision or other respectable a/v equipment reviewers, as this is not really the core comptence of MacRumors.

You will get mostly just opinions here and not enough technical information or professional advice.