TV shopping

[matthew]

Hey i been looking around lately and getting mixed comments about TV's and wanted to see if anyone here can help me out. I went to best buy and the electronics guy said plasma's are the best but they over heat really easily but they are better then DLP and LCD. And my friend at work says go with DLP cause they are the best tv's out there right now and said that plasma tv's are not good for games. forgot reason but Video games and Blue-ray movies will be my main use for the TV and i wanted some feedback from anyone here on which is the best tv to get for games and movies and what has the best picture. Any help i would appreciate it. I know OLED is really good but i cant afford those. Any advice from jay or jack would be great as well.

[jacksloststepkid]

So, one of the concerns about plasmas for a long time was burn in, but from what I understand all the newer TVs are not nearly as bad.

Basically, what you want to look at is

- how fast the screen renders (5-10 ms should be ok for gaming I think).
- what the contrast range is (usually plasmas win here, but some of the newer high end LCDs are quite good).
- does it have the connectors you need (hdmi, dvi, vga - last two would be to connect a computer up to it - depending on the console you have you would want to use HDMI if possible, component only if there is no other choice)
- What is the native resolution of the screen. You want it to be 1080p or 1920x1080 progressive.

DLPs will be cheaper because they essentially project the image rather than use an actual display. They will also be bigger, can't be hung on a wall or mounted, etc.

LCDs will be lighter than plasmas (which are generally really heavy - think 50-70 lbs for LCD versus 120-140 for plasma - depending on the size of course).

If you plan on mounting the screen then you also want to ensure you know what kind of mounting options the screen has - usually they use what is called VESA which is a standardized bolt hole pattern on the back - there are different size ratings - the larger size ratings mean more expensive mounts. If you are going to just have it sitting on the floor or a stand, then it doesn't matter so much.

Let's see what else... If you have analog cable, you really might want to ensure that the TV has a built in QAM tuner. This means that you can use your normal analog cable connection and get all the local network stations in high definition (think Lost in high definition). If you have a digital cable box or satalite, just make sure that the TV has the connectors to hook up to the highest quality output the box gives you the option for (HDMI/DVI is best, then component, then svideo, then composite/coax).

If you use over the air antennas or even just subscribe to non-HD cable, you might want to see if the TV has a OTA high definition tuner (over the air). This will let you connect a HD antenna up to the TV and recieve local digital stations, many of which are very high resolution - assuming you are not out in the middle of the country far away from TV antennas.

Not sure this answers the DLP versus Plasma versus LCD question - Basically they all have some advantages - I listed the ones I was aware of, but there may be others as well.

Regarding OLED - It is expensive, and also (IMHO) on larger displays a bit immature as a technology - I'd wait on it for a few years.

JLSK

[matthew]

Thanks jack for the great info,

Here is the answers that you kind of asked in a way. Definitely want 1080p and i'm leaning more toward plasma cause i do want to wall mount it. The console ill be using it for mostly is Playstation 3 and sometimes xbox 360 but ill definitely get a hdmi cord for the playstation and the blue-ray movies. Planing on at least 50 inch to 55 inch so i definitely need to look at mounts if VESA has larger size ratings. Ill also make sure it has QAM tuner. I need to save up a little bit more but thanks for the info and i will hold on to your advice. Cant wait to watch lost in HD when it comes back on. Do you know which Plasma TV brands have anti-burn? and what brands would you go with?

[jacksloststepkid]

So, I went with an LCD - easier to mount in my situation because it's lighter (have it on a swing out arm from the side of an alcove kind of hole that was meant for a deeper TV, using the LCD panel as a kind of door that I can swing out to get access to all my electronics I want out of sight (wireless router, sling box, etc.)

I've heard good things about Plasmas as well, but I don't know which brands are good. I've heard the new Panasonic LCDs are supposed to be quite good because their black is dead black (which I believe is something Plasmas are better at). I personally like the Samsung I have, and I've always thought the Aquios (sp?) were pretty good looking.

BTW - Costco can be a pretty decent place to get a bargain on some of the lesser expensive brands that are somewhat decent. Plus they have a very good return policy.

Thought this was a good page as well:

hometheater.about.com/od/lcdtvfaqs/f/lcdfaq2.htm

VESA mounts are for all sizes - it is the industry standard for all TVs as far as I know. You just need to know what the numbers for the whole pattern are on the TV and ensure whatever mount you want for it can adapt to that size and can handle the weight of that model TV.

Went through researching a lot of this a couple years back, so I'm happy to share what I found from back then.