Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

[tom66]

Re: Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

600Hz on a plasma doesn't mean much, but then again 120Hz on an LCD doesn't mean much either.

I wouldn't know about buying on that website. $800 may be a bargain but do you get a good warranty?

And can't you order online from places like costco? Again, I don't know.

Amazon are very good with service and returns, but only within the first year of a warranty, like most retailers.

[joyride]

Re: Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

thanks tom,your the man.Ill let you know how it goes

[MyHD120]

Re: Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

Happened to notice this post and decided to chime in. I'm picking up a Panny TC-P50S60 tomorrow. This is the entry level model without a anti-glare coating (?). Did a lot of research on this model and was very impressed. Even saw a review comparing the black level and PQ, somewhat, to the 9G KURO, (which I owned at one time).

I'll be running this, as usual, from an XBMC box with DVD rips and torrents. Setting up a Raspberry Pi openELEC media center.

You can get this unit for under $700 shipped from ABT. No tax either. URL: http://www.abt.com/category/461/Plasma-TV.html.

Plasma is the way to go.

[capkid]

Re: Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

What's funny is that I saw a person online was getting advice on a one-year-old 50" Samsung plasma that had a thin vertical line (bad panel - post was about one-year-old); the advisor was recommending he purchase another Samsung According to the advisor, the "newer ones have been pretty much perfected" - he's referring to the panel. What about the rest of the TV, and where's the historical data to support that claim?

[twbranch]

Re: Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

Panasonic? Plasma? You can't go wrong. Get the best price you can find and warranty. I dont know if you will need a warranty though. My bro-n-law got one when they first hit the market and it still works flawlessly. I have heard the quality has gone up since as well. I haven't done in plasma reviews lately but I can account for panasonics.

[jaxmoto]

Re: Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

Personally I would stay away from any brand that uses LG parts. Vizio, Philips and LG (of course) are ones I know of, and there are more out there.

Every TV I have bought to repair in the last few years (about 15 or so) have had failed LG parts. The 36" LG set I bought new a few years back for $800 had a failed t-con exactly at the one-year mark outside of warranty and the t-con was permanently attached to the panel. The Vizio I use in the bedroom now used LG inverter boards that fried a couple of times, then the "new and improved replacement" model still leaves off one of the backlights.

While many companies have been hit with the Chinese caps issue, LG is simply a company that does not care about ANY of the components they put in a set.

I would go Sony/Samsung for LCD/LED as they have the best image processors (IMO) and use their own parts. I love plasma displays but in Florida I don't use them because of heat issues.

[tom66]

Re: Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

I would agree, though I would say Samsung are the worst. LG's offerings have a lot to improve on, but they're still better than Samsung.

[twbranch]

Re: Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

I have had a Vizio and LG. The bottom feeding tvs (walmart, kmart models) are junk but the top of the line models are hard to beat.

BTW, since I have been a member of this site I have been opening all the tvs i get for reviews to see what kind of components they have. A cheap LG and expensive LG are two totally different beasts. I have recently reviewed an Element tv. I opened it and found JBL speakers. Also had quality connectors and components. I was impressed except for the boot time...15secs.

[suzi51]

Re: Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

I have bought 42 inch Sony LED TV. Its image and sound quality is just superb. I got it from an online shopping site and I must say that Sony is one of the best TV brands.

[jose6326]

Re: Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

Im glad I came on here today because I want to buy an 80 inch tv

I really like samsung and I wanted to buy this tv I seen at hhgreg

https://www.hhgregg.com/mobile/#products/383501

Hhgreg doesnt carry panasonic

So I looked up the sharp tvs and came across this one for an extra $1000

https://www.hhgregg.com/mobile/#products/206020

Not sure what to do now lol
I guess I will keep looking around and maybe find a store that carrys Panasonic

Thanks for the opinions they really help

[tom66]

Re: Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

Why would you buy an 80" 1080p LED-LCD TV?

The pixel density is so low you will not be able to stop seeing the screen door effect unless you sit further back than about 12 foot. At that point I'd consider sitting closer and getting a smaller TV.

I have a 50" 1080p set at about 6 foot from me. That is already too big. I can't even imagine an 80" set.

If you're set on 80", get a 4K set as you'll get some benefit from the large screen size. (4K doesn't make sense below 65".)

[jose6326]

Re: Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

I want an 80" because I want to put it in my basement
I am trying to make it like a theater

A 4K would be nice if I had $8k to spend on a tv

Thats why I commented on here because you guys know what you are talking about

Thanks for the info
Now I don't know what to do lol

[tom66]

Re: Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

Get a 64" F8500 or H5000 or F5500 Samsung plasma for a home cinema. You won't regret such a nice display. Or use a projector. Since the room is light controlled (windows, if any, will be blocked off?) you can tolerate a screen that is not as bright, but offers much better black level and motion response. And also more reliable.

An 80" LED-LCD, particularly a 1080p one, makes no sense. Just my opinion.

I've a friend with a 90" Sharp Aquos. You can't stop noticing the pixels!

[jose6326]

Re: Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

I was thinking about an hd projector but the ceiling isnt that high and running all the necessary cables would be a pain


Wow a 90"

[Hobb3s]

Re: Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

I love the picture on my Samsung Plasma, what I don't love that is it died after only 2 years. I would stay away from them, the parts they've decided to use just don't hold up.

[retiredcaps]

Re: Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

I was thinking about an hd projector but the ceiling isnt that high and running all the necessary cables would be a pain

When I had a projector setup, I had the projector positioned behind just above my couch on a box/stand. I could get about a 100 inch picture about 14 feet away. All these figures are estimates.

I just projected onto a bare white drywall. Picture quality was okay for 480p, but this was a few years ago.

I may do this setup again with 1080p projector in the future. I haven't looked lately, but I'm guessing 1080p projectors are less than $1000 now.

[tom66]

Re: Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

For a very large screen, projectors make sense from a reliability point of view and from a cost point of view.

The 90" LED-backlit LCD my friend bought is very bright, but he uses it in an enclosed home cinema where you don't really need brightness. Too bright actually causes eyestrain which is worse than having too dark of an image. It's usually not above 50% backlight setting. But because it's an LCD, any film with anything remotely dark in it is completely washed out. It is quite good for bright games and cartoons... but not much else, to be honest because it has poor contrast detail and the pixel density is too low. He seems happy, though. It was something like £3,800 for the TV, he got it about 1.5 years ago. I just think you could have got a much better projection set up for half that, but maybe that's just me.

Projectors are more reliable. If you invest in an LED-lit one they often have light engine warranties so you don't have to worry about the LEDs failing, or if they do it'll be covered. If you get a halide/bulb based projector you have to replace the bulb about every 2,000 hours. If so budget that into the total cost of ownership. 4 hours usage per day would mean replacing the bulb every 1.5~2 years on average. If you own the projector for 5 years, that's not much additional cost, but if you plan to keep it for maybe 10 years, it starts being significant.

In terms of brightness, there's little point in going above 15 fL (footlamberts) in a dark room. Most projectors are 15~30 fL, plasmas hit 30~40 fL, and LED-LCD hits 70-90 fL. So, in my opinion, an LED-LCD is a silly idea.

[Shinju]

Re: Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

I second the Samsung F8500 plasma, Samsungs best panel ever imo.

[tom66]

Re: Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

Or a 2nd hand VT65/ZT65 Panasonic available up to 65".

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: Looking for a new TV, what is a reliable,durable brand?LCD,LED or PLASMA?

I've a friend with a 90" Sharp Aquos. You can't stop noticing the pixels!

Let me guess, like a 27" CRT at 512x384 or around that territory?

Or a 20" Trinitron at 320x200?