HDTV Tech recommendation....

[msmith855]

Okay, so always having been an audiophile I was never in a huge rush to break the bank and get into all the new HDTV technologies until now. With the prices falling like crazy I figured now was as good a time as any to dive in head first.

And now... I'm swimming in information and hype and trying to discern between them....

I'm looking for a 42" HDTV and not too concerned whether it's flat panel or not although I am leaning towards plasma... seems like it still has the best overall picture and I don't have to replace a bulb every year or so.... BUT there is that dreaded "burn-in" thing.....

Hmmmm...

Well how about LCD? Steady, reliable, no burn in.... contrast ratio seems to kinda suck... but other than that no real draw-backs except price....

Then of course... there's DLP... rainbow effect seems like bloated hype from flat panel enthusiasts... but I really hate the idea of sinking a couple hundred bucks every year for a new bulb.. and what if it goes out during the Super Bowl??? Man, that would SUCK!

So for some of you "videophiles" who have much more real-world knowledge than myself can you give some feedback? Is the burn-in possibility all that real in the newer models? (I was eyeing up Vizio and Samsung if it's brand specific).....

Comments on the others? I know this has probably been covered over and over.. but like any technology it is something that constantly involves as improvements are made and I would love some fresh opinions based on current technology...

 

[msmith855]

FYI.. I did read the guide posted by Clint, and that did actually help a lot.. but even that is still roughly a year old and just wondering what, if anything, might have changed or improved

 

[WmAx]

And now... I'm swimming in information and hype and trying to discern between them....

I'm looking for a 42" HDTV and not too concerned whether it's flat panel or not although I am leaning towards plasma... seems like it still has the best overall picture and I don't have to replace a bulb every year or so.... BUT there is that dreaded "burn-in" thing.....

Hmmmm...

Well how about LCD? Steady, reliable, no burn in.... contrast ratio seems to kinda suck... but other than that no real draw-backs except price....

T

Based on reliability and overall image quality, the Pioneer plasmas are almost universally accepted as best. 2nd, again, almost universally accepted, is Panasonic. The Panasonics deliver close performance to the Pioneer units, but at a much lower cost. I can not recommend other plasmas at this time.

As for burn in, it seems to be a hyped issue, and most times it seems that when it does happen, it is because someone abused the screen. For example: playing a video game for 6 hours with a bright static symbol on the screen for the entire time. Also, the specific phosphor used by a manufacturer determines the susceptibility to burn in effect. Panasonic appears to have one of the least likely to burn in phosphor technologies currently, and Panasonic claims their current plasma televisions are no more likely to burn in as compared to a standard CRT monitor. I also have a latest generation Panasonic plasma, and I have left still images(paused DVDs and DVD menu screens) on for as long as 4-5 hours at a time. I have not yet had a permanent retained image(it goes away after 20-30 minutes of normal use). I plan to buy a PS3 when better developed games are available, and I intend to use it on my plasma display. Some people recommend being very careful to use a plasma for the 1st 100 hours, being careful to have no static images, and with the contrast and brightness set slightly low. I do not know the specific credibility of this, but I followed this advice since it was easy, considering my usage.

For movie watching, I would not consider any current LCD televisions. I base this on my personal experience of trying the highly recommended units, spending 15-30 minutes per display adjusting them to find the real weaknesses, compared to good plasma units beside them, using the same source. If you are dead set on LCD, however, I would recommend the latest Sony Bravia XBR units, as they are not as bad as other LCDs I have tried, but I would never accept one of these for movie viewing compared to a high quality plasma. I make this recommendation on image quality alone. Reported reliability issues of these Sony panels is another matter.

-Chris

 

[msmith855]

Chris, thanks for the advice!! The Pioneers are a little steep on the budget but I did look at the specs on the Panasonic and it seemed as though the the Samsung and Vizio compared pretty favorably. Although, obviously there is more to a tv than numbers on a spec sheet .

Actually as it stands LCD is probably a distant third, but it's still clinging to my head because it seems to be the most worry-free....

 

[WmAx]

The thing that stands out on the Panasonic and Pioneer units is lack of false contour lines in shadow areas, and lack of color shift issues in the same circumstance(s). Also, the blacks are excellent on these units. Add this with plasma's inherent ability to provide a very wide color gamut, and extremely fast response time, and you have a CRT-like image. Also, reliability is rated as top on these units. But please remember, the store default settings are almost always horrible. It takes me 15-30 minutes per television with adjusting set-up menus to find out what it can really do, compared to another next to it.

-Chris