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Advice needed: Plasma, LCD TV Monitor, LCD TV or DLP Projection?

A

asencif

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 21, 2005
323
0
I've been looking to purchase a new HDTV capable TV, but have come across tons of options. I see that the LCD TV's have a resoution of 1366 x 768 mostly across all brands except the Westinghouse LCD monitor TV which has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and supports 1080p. Some of the brands like Samsung and Panasonic say they support 1080i, however are not 1920 x 1080. When I went to check out the TV's I saw that the quality looked better in the Samsung, Panasonic and Sony models. The LG, Phillips, and Westinghouse did not look to good with the content they were playing despite having high contrast ratios and resolutions.

There are also the Plasma and DLP Projection TV models that look great, but I've heard that they die out quicker. I might connect a Mac mini to this TV in the future, but right now it's more for HDTV viewing and DVD's. Any advice, stories, and info on your current setups is greatly appreciated.
 
this is what I recommend click

it really is the best looking, longest lasting, lcd on the market, and also probably most expensive for the size.

they have a 46 incher too...
 
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truz said:
That's the older model from Sony in the Bravia model.

Look at amazon.com or ebay.com. You can also search google for a better price (if there is any)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EP1IKW/104-2770608-8998324?n=172282 <- newer 40" model

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...0608-8998324?_encoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=172282 <- newer 32" model
Click to expand...

yep those are the 'newer' ones but they don't have the same features as the 'older' and imo 'better' ones I posted.

check them out yourself :)
 
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Peyton said:
yep those are the 'newer' ones but they don't have the same features as the 'older' and imo 'better' ones I posted.

check them out yourself :)
Click to expand...

Why the you feel the older ones are better? Is the Sony Bravia really the best one out of the bunch? It dosen't seem to have 1080i/p support and has 1366x768 resolution. I've been reading that LCD is the way to go for longer life, however some of these TV's don't have HDCP and I only saw two models that support it. But those were LCD Monitors being sold as TV's like the Westinghouse model and LG I think.
 
I plan on purchasing a TV soon as well. With that being said, I have heard my retailers tell me that I should purchase a plasma over an LCD TV for the following reasons: price, size, picture quality. I had to agree with him on all of the points but would like your input on this as well.

My complaints with the new LCD TVs out now are their price/size. It's actually all-in-one complaint, in concerns of bang for buck. Obviously, these babies are brand-spanking new technology and are deemed to improve, but for now I'm favoring plasmas.

Now, I was looking at the Sony Bravia (40inch) LCD TV and had to say it was a helluva picture quality compared to other LCD TVs. But the price tag on this sucker is CRAZY. I'm a guy that believes "bigger is better" and (although this isn't always the case - I looked at this 62" Toshiba DLP and was appalled with the picture quality and how terrible it was for $3K) looked at a Panasonic 50" and was STUNNED. The quality compared to the LCD TV (compared using HD shows) was clearly in favor of the more experienced plasma. The sharpness (imo the most important feature along with color) is very clear in the plasma display, although the Sony did not completely disappoint. Nonetheless, the Panasonic was better. It really boiled down to price and bang for the buck. I forget the resolutions for each, but I believe it was in favor of the plasma. For $3000 I got this essentially PERFECT plasma TV; very big, quality is top-notch. For $2800 for a very similar, with the difference being size and not as great in quality compared to panasonic's. Like I mentioned earlier, the size of these displays are very important to me. And besides, 10" difference costs ALOT on any display. And the quality of the Panasonic is so amazing. Therefore, I plan on purchasing a 50" plasma over a 40" Sony(top LCD i believe).

The Bravia is now down to 2600 on amazon. If you're after bang for your buck, go after a plasma. They have the best quality right now (LCD will eventually usurp this title) so go after it. Don't forget to check the resolutions. I kind of this that the resolutions really make the difference, including sharpness)

CNET gives you pretty much a good review. But remember to purchase your TV in person, not online. You can never be too sure..
 
I have the "older" Sony Bravia mentioned a few posts above (the 32 inch version). I have to say I couldn't be more happy. The picture quality is superb. The only let down is the fact the tv only has 1 HDMI port. But I don't even use it right now, so I can't really complain just yet.

About LCD vs Plasma. I think that if you're looking at a larger screen, so 40+ inch, Plasma is the way to go. It is the "older" technology now, but on the other hand is well developed. The downsides of Plasma are its vulnerability (it is very sensitive to shocks and needs to be transported by specialists), it suffers from picture burn in, and it chews up a tremendous amount of power.
 
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