Plasma vs. LCD debate

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I'm real close to purchasing my first flat screen TV. Hoping to get something between 40 and 50 inches.

Leaning towards a plasma just because they are about 2/3's the price of LCDs and I only want to spend around $1000-1200.

Anyone purchase a new tv lately that can lend some advice.
 

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i heard there might be some "price wars" soon. but i cant find an article to verify
 

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I dont think I would ever get a plasma they dont seem to last long from what I've read and I dont know about LCD I've seen a couple where the catch up rate is bad not fit to watch. I got a 50" DLP get high def and its a pretty sweet picture and they're cheaper than plasma and LCD but not flat
 

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Everyone besides me must have fucking superpowers or something. I can't tell the difference between HD on LCD or Plasma for the life of me. I think some people are pulling the wool over our eyes on this one and everyone is just going along with it, lol. Really, I don't see a difference.
 

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go to fatwallet.com You will find all kinds of deals and very knowledgeable posters
 

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Welcome to the HD world, wharf. It could be a market with just as many opinions as sports betting...because I know people on both sides of the fence who will swear their children's lives on whether LCD or plasma is better quality. I like LCD myself, but just judge for yourself when you go into the store.

One tip I might offer is when you get your new TV, make sure it's 1080p compatible. Basically, that's considered "true high def" and is expected to be twice as clear as what we have today (720p). As more and more shows begin to be broadcast in 1080p (which isn't that far away), you won't have to go out and upgrade your TV.
 

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I'm real close to purchasing my first flat screen TV. Hoping to get something between 40 and 50 inches.

Leaning towards a plasma just because they are about 2/3's the price of LCDs and I only want to spend around $1000-1200.

Anyone purchase a new tv lately that can lend some advice.

I agonized about whether to buy an LCD or plasma for three weeks, about 6 months ago. I was ready to buy a plasma several times, but I just didn't like the glare and how you can make out objects in shadows on plasma, it seems. If you can 100% control the lighting in the room, plasma is good. Plasmas are NOT compatible with video game consols, as they leave "burns".

I ended up going with a 46" Sony Bravia LCD and I never looked back. It's like watching a dream. The first couple weeks I got it I found myself laughing sometimes at how great the picture is and how fun it is to watch. It's like watching television for the first time, after being used to those clumsy, large rear-projection TV's all my life. I'm 100% sure my LCD is the TV for me. Sports broadcasts are amazing on it. The movies are great. Cost me $2500. It's a superior product, hence the higher price of LCD over plasma. Spend the extra nickle or so..it's worth it.
 
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LCD's dont show reflections from outdoor or room lights. If your room is at all bright, you will love the LCD picture. I just bought one a couple of weeks ago and love it. I got the Sharp Aquos 1080 42 inch. I was looking at a 50 inch plasma but after much research and talking to many experts they recommended I go this way. The price ranged from 1800-2500 for this same tv, so even after you decide, you should shop around. I was shocked that Circuit City was the cheapest and by ordering online and picking it up at the store it was even cheaper.

Good luck. I think I spent around 40 hours on this decision. Hope you dont have to work that hard, lol
 

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The Sharp Aquos would be my #1 choice but I really only want to spend just over a grand and don't really need THE best TV out there. Just one that will last me a good 6 or 7 years.

Crunch - That one looks tempting because I hear very good things about the Samsungs.

WVU - I've been checking FW and slickdeals about 5 times a day trying to find the sweetest deal.

Thanks for the feedback guys.
 

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Prices on LCDs are expected to drop by at least 25% by the end of the year according to the LA Times a few weeks ago.
 

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Bro-in law has worked in electronics for many yrs, he told me that LCD's were better in terms of reliability, durability....etc....
 

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Welcome to the HD world, wharf. It could be a market with just as many opinions as sports betting...because I know people on both sides of the fence who will swear their children's lives on whether LCD or plasma is better quality. I like LCD myself, but just judge for yourself when you go into the store.

One tip I might offer is when you get your new TV, make sure it's 1080p compatible. Basically, that's considered "true high def" and is expected to be twice as clear as what we have today (720p). As more and more shows begin to be broadcast in 1080p (which isn't that far away), you won't have to go out and upgrade your TV.

No Network will ever broadcast in 1080p. At least not in the next 15 years.

Only benifit of 1080P is some of your BLU-Ray and HDDVDs are 1080P. and some of your playstation3 video games.
 

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correction on above post.

I have the DLP.

At 2nd look, that TV advertised is a LCD. It looks just like my DLP.

The DLP is about 20% cheaper.

Bought mine in December for $1600. That same TV now is only $1200

46" DLP SAMSUNG 720P.

Buy that baby Wharfrat.

That is the best TV for the price anywhere.
 

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Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
Get the sharpest and clearest images possible from HD and standard TV and your favorite DVD movies with the 46-inch Samsung HL-S4666W DLP projection TV. This relatively lightweight TV weighs less than 67 pounds and measures just 13.4 inches deep, helping you to avoid sacrificing precious real estate in your home. It has a built-in analog/digital (NTSC/ATSC) tuner, offers both HDMI and component video connections, .
<TABLE cellPadding=3 width=380 align=right bgColor=#99ccff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><SMALL>Samsung's DNIe™
Samsung's DNIe™ (click for demo) technology offers digital perfection in naturally presented, crystal-clear images that uncover even the most minute detail.</SMALL> </TD></TR><TR><TD>
motion.jpg

<SMALL>Motion Optimizer: The visual data are automatically broken down into signal and noise and adjusted through a combined spatial/temporal process to eliminate noise and blurring without the slightest damage to the original signal. This guarantees the viewer a picture of astounding sharpness, whether the scene is still or moving.</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD>
contrast.jpg

<SMALL>Contrast Enhancer: DNIe has done away with the unwanted side-effects that conventional contrast enhancement can produce, such as noise boost-up and flicker by developing an algorithm that recognizes over 1 million criteria for applying contrast. Its detail contrast enhancement technology can automatically analyze up to 70,000 local images within a frame, treating the viewer to a picture rich in contrast even in the tiniest details.</SMALL> </TD></TR><TR><TD>
color.jpg

<SMALL>Color optimizer: For each scene the color optimizer calculates the saturation of red, green, and blue in the input signal and adjusts it to the shades that the human eye accepts as natural. Even a conventional process like white tone enhancement produces more striking results when when used with DNIe. The end result is a palette of vivid hues and pure white tones to satisfy the most discerning viewers eye.</SMALL> </TD></TR><TR><TD>
detail.jpg

<SMALL>Detail enhancer: Many viewers complain of the unnatural effect that conventional uniform detail enhancement produces by relying on artificial amplification of the input signal. In contrast, DNIe automatically analyzes the portion to be amplified, detecting and re-processing any noise or defect to bring the viewer a startlingly sharp and lifelike image.</SMALL> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>DLP (which stands for Digital Light Processing) uses an optical semiconductor to recreate source material with a fidelity analog systems can't match. While other technologies lose a certain amount of light in transit, the microscopic mirrors in a DLP projection system bring more light from lamp to screen. It also features better color uniformity over time--no burn-in, screen aging or color-shifting possible. It's the leading display technology for products like small portable conference room projectors and professional venue entertainment systems.
This Samsung DLP television employs a Texas Instruments DLP chip that is comprised of millions of microscopic mirrors. The DLP chip is faster than any HDTV technology, with the mirrors switching on and off 15,000 times a second to deliver a razor-sharp picture for fast moving images. It also offers Samsung's Cinema Smooth 720p light engine, which creates an image with no visible pixel structure and accurate shading and better low-light detail for the most film-like picture. You'll get up to a 2500:1 contrast ratio with outstanding colors and deep black levels.
The Samsung Digital Natural Image engine (DNIe) Video Enhancer refines all analog NTSC and wideband video inputs for an overall improvement in picture quality. DNIe improves contrast, white level, picture detail and incorporates digital noise reduction to improve lower quality video inputs. The 3-line digital comb filter constantly analyzes the three dimensions of picture height, picture width, and picture changes-over-time to dramatically reduce edge image artifacts while improving transition detail. Samsung's Cinema Smooth 3:2 pull-down film mode corrects for the artificial frames created when films are converted to DVDs. The result is a clearer image without the subtle motion artifacts caused by 24-to-30 frames per second video conversion.
Samsung's 2.6-inch color wheel spins at 14,400 rpm for smooth, fast motion video, and has five color segments for more accurate colors. It achieves film-like transitions without pixel breakup found in slower color wheel designs and slower switching LCD microdisplays. Air Bearing technology also makes it whisper quiet.
Samsung also worked closely with Microsoft to create a special Game Mode that optimizes image quality, sound and response time for more realistic video game play--with just a single touch of a button. The Game Mode enhances dark areas, sharpens the picture, speeds up the image processing response and enhances the sounds of your games.
Other features include:
  • Picture format adjustment: Enjoy all your 4:3 aspect-ratio programming in smooth, wide-screen without black bars. Four pre-set aspect ratio modes--Normal, Wide, Zoom 1 and Zoom 2--stretch your image to fill the screen naturally.
  • Color temperature adjustment: Selectable between Cool1, Cool2, Normal Warm1, and Warm2 with on-screen display.
  • Auto volume leveler: Keeps audio volume consistent during channel changing to minimize static sound bursts.
  • Discrete IR codes: This set is equipped with discrete IR codes for use with a macro/programmable remote.
  • Closed caption: Displays dialog that can be read along with encoded broadcast TV programs and pre-recorded videos.
  • V-Chip: Enables parental control for channel and program blocking of TV programs that incorporate the rating code signal.
High-quality virtual surround sound can be experienced with just the speakers built into the TV. SRS TruSurround XT technology delivers an amazing, simulated 3D effect with clear dialog and powerful bass. It produces 10 watts of power per channel (for 20 watts total). It offers the following connection options:
  • Component (Y/Pb/Pr): 2 inputs
  • HDMI: 2 inputs
  • Composite (RCA audio/video): 3 inputs (1 on the front)
  • S-Video: 2 inputs
  • PC: 1 D-Sub-15 input
  • PC audio: 1 input
  • RF: 1 input
  • Sound monitor output: 1
  • USB: 1
Tech Talk
HDMI is a lossless, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface to link any audio/video source (such as a set-top box, DVD player, or AV receiver) with your TV--all over a single cable. HDMI supports standard, enhanced or high definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio on a single cable. It supports all ATSC formats--standard (SDTV), enhanced (EDTV), and high (HDTV).
SRS TruSurround XT audio adds three new audio enhancement technologies to produce an amazingly immersive sound experience.
  • Dialog Clarity brings movie dialog into ÒfocusÓ during the playback of any surround-encoded material to make speech much clearer and crisper.
  • TruBass creates incredible deep rich bass allowing a person to perceive significantly deeper, richer low bass tones that are far beyond the physical low frequency capabilities of the speaker itself.
  • The SRS WOW feature widens the soundstage by processing standard two-channel stereo material as well as multi-channel encoded material for a dramatic improvement in the playback of any stereo audio over a two-speaker system.
Component video (also called Y/Pb/Pr) features a three-jack video input, which provides separate connections for luminance (Y), blue color difference (PB) and red color difference (PR). This results in increased bandwidth for color information, resulting in a more accurate picture with clearer color reproduction and less bleeding than you would get with S-Video or composite (RCA yellow video plug) connections. You will need a separate RCA left/right audio cable for sound.
What's in the Box
DLP TV, remote control (with batteries), power cord, printed operating instructions. Warranty
It's backed by a 1-year warrant on parts (including lamp) and laboe, with in-home service backed by Samsung toll-free support.

Product Description
Seeking a widescreen TV capable of displaying HDTV as it should be seen? Samsung HL-S4666W is an affordable yet uncompromising alternative to higher-priced LCD or Plasma flat-panel screens. Featuring a compact lightweight "floating screen" design, Samsung's 46" Widescreen DLP TV delivers the ultimate HDTV experience in true 1280 x 720 resolution for 720p and 1080i HD compatibility. You'll enjoy life-like, razor-sharp pictures in stunning color, contrast and clarity, thanks to the ultra-fast DLP and Brilliant Color technology and the DLP chip from Texas instruments. A contrast-ratio of up to 2500:1 captures blacker blacks, crisper whites and images that burst into life. Samsung's Cinema Mode lets you see colors the way the director intended, by matching them more closely to production standards. This creates more accurate colors and natural skin tones when viewing Hollywood movies on your TV-the perfect setting when enjoying movies with the lights off. Customize your colors. You can get the pink tones, the green of the grass and the blue of the sky just the way you like, without affecting the other colors on the screen. The three major colors can be adjusted to perfectly fit your taste. Self expression meets display perfection. Digital Natural Image engine makes the sharpest and clearest images possible, regardless of the profile of input signals. Five image processors and a six-times density enhancer ensure the best picture from any source. A PC input lets you use this screen as a display for your computer. Samsung DNIe Video Enhancement 3 - 2 Pull Down Film-Mode No- burn-in or screen aging Slide show viewer Game mode 2 HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) Inputs 2-Component Video Inputs for 480i - 480p - 720p - 1080i 2 Audio & Video Composite Inputs and 2 S-Video Unputs USB 1.1 connection PC (RGB) input Unit Dimensions HWD - 32 x 48 x 13.4

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Plasmas are NOT compatible with video game consols, as they leave "burns".

maybe the first couple years of plasma but that is long gone now....i prefer plasma over lcd... i just think the picture is out of this world

go to your local circuit city or best buy and go to the tvs and compare for yourself, you are the one watching the tv... not us.... some will tell you dlp, some will tell you lcd some will tell you plasma...

mark me down for plasma and never look back
 

Stumblin' around, drunk on burgundy wine.
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No Network will ever broadcast in 1080p. At least not in the next 15 years.

Only benifit of 1080P is some of your BLU-Ray and HDDVDs are 1080P. and some of your playstation3 video games.

Thanks for all the info Chop. I heard the same thing about the 1080p. I'm not a gamer and won't be buying anything blu-ray so that's why i'm thinking 720p will be fine.

Today I see a 42" samsung plasma for $1139. Will be a tough decision.
 

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