Anyone have any thoughts comments etc.

I've been pretty happy with DLP for years now, but bought another LCD today. In this room, well lit, it really is quite a bit better.

Problem is that I want a big fuckin TV.

Thoughts....

I believe LCD has the lowest power consumption... most likely the best return for ur $s

I have a DLP, 56 inch, great picture, but lots of problems with the bulbs. Avoid DLP!

No plasma on this list? I dont know anything about DLP. I do know a good deal about LCD vs LED vs Plasma though.

I have a plasma and would never buy either of the other two. Plasma is about half the cost for the same quality. Yes, they use more power, but not enough to not buy them. The operating cost for a big plasma is about 60 bucks a year. LCD is about 20-25 a year. As I said though, my plasma (which was the highest rated one by most sites) was 1300 bucks a couple years ago for a 42". The highest rated LCD at that time (40" Bravia) was 2400 bucks. It take 17 years before the power costs outweigh the initial cost difference.

Plasma have no motion blur so you get a true picture when dealing with any motion. LCD's have 120+ Hz sets that don't have blur either, but they make up pixels in between frames. Plasma also gets much better picture in dark shows. Since I have an HDMI port on my laptop, I'm not concerned about not having a VGA port on my TV either. Mine has a anti glare filter too. We have it in a room with 6 picture windows in the sunniest state in the country and I rarely have viewing issues from that.

Only way I buy an LCD is if it is under 40 inches in size.

My next TV will be the same Panasonic Viera series I have. They have a 50 inch for 900 bucks now.

LED is just an LCD with a different back lighting method. Supposedly better on some models, but pricey right now. Still not as good a picture as plasma though.

Types of TV breakdown:

http://www.cnet.com/1990-7874_1-5108443-2.html?tag=rb_content;contentNav

If you are lazy just read the chart at the bottom. If you are buying one, best not to be lazy though on your research.

I bet Chris' TV has a rich mahogany cabinet.

Jk I have a Viera also.

Yeah, I did about 3 hours of research before buying my Samsung plasma, it's just a much better value these days.

No doubt Plasma has better res...
WTFChris, we bought a 40" Bravia this year for LCD $799... big difference

LED = best, but by far most expensive... If you want great value, LCD or Plasma...

I bet Chris' TV has a rich mahogany cabinet.

Jk I have a Viera also.

Make that 3.

I think I remember talking to Chris about it when he was doing his search.

Have had zero problems with it in the ... 5 years I've had it now.

I don't like the way Plasmas reflect light behind me.

LED = best, but by far most expensive... If you want great value, LCD or Plasma...

I haven't read where they are actually a better picture than plasma...

10 things to know about LED TVs (http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-18438_7-10370112-82.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody)

Here are the 10 things they talk about:


1. An LED TV is not a new kind of TV.
2.There are two types of LED backlighting.
3. Of the two, local dimming can produce deeper black levels, but also creates "blooming."
4. Edge-lit TVs are really thin, but uniformity suffers.
5. LED backlighting of either variety doesn't improve LCD's poor off-angle viewing.
6. LED backlighting is even more efficient than standard fluorescent backlighting.
7. LED backlighting will get better--but how much better is debatable.
8. LED=higher price tag.
9. Top-of-the-line LED TVs deliver as good a picture as plasma TVs--with one caveat.
10. If you don't have your picture settings correct, LED or non-LED won't make a difference.

Well, my old man got a 55 inch Samsung LED... best picture I've seen on a TV... That's just from personal experience, I don't really have the tech knowledge to back it up.

I don't like the way Plasmas reflect light behind me.
Depends on the model. Samsung Plasmas are horrible at that. Very glossy pictures on those. My best advice is to go to best buy because they have those gymnasium type lights. Move around and compare the glare. I get very little glare on mine. Far less than I got on my tube TV, that is for sure. I would not buy one without that filter on it.

You can also test viewing angle there. I can see my plasma basically from any angle. unlike a PC monitor or LCD which looks horrible if you sit to the side or stand near it. That's a big downer for me. I want everyone in the room to enjoy their viewing, not just the 3 or 4 people that are looking close to straight on.

I think mine is the TH-42PZ77U if I remember correctly. I would look at other Panasonic's with that same filter (at the store) next to ones without it. You'll see the difference.

Well, my old man got a 55 inch Samsung LED... best picture I've seen on a TV... That's just from personal experience, I don't really have the tech knowledge to back it up.

Again, probably depends entirely on the model. My in-laws have a 47 inch LCD and the picture is horrible compared to my plasma. But I've seen plenty of LCD's with excellent pictures. You can't go by one model. I'm sure there are equally good pictures on that LED and my plasma. But your dad probably paid far more for his. And he'll also get motion blur or made up frames (unavoidable on LCDs).

When I had my TV installed they set it up with a coax cable. 3 weeks ago I went digital, it's freaking stupid how much better it is. Looks like the showroom. Little shit like that makes such a huge difference.

Yeah, the feed makes a huge difference. I've had to watch some shows on standard def (because a game wasn't shot in HD) and boy does that look terrible, even on a really nice TV.

Thanks for all the replies. I know they weren't all for me, but thanks anyway. Theres megashit to learn if you step out of the technoshit for a lil bit.

I have 2 52" Tosh DLP and I've been really happy with them. The lamp just went out yesterday morning which is why I bought a new TV yesterday afternoon.

I really like the new LCD in the room with a bunch of windows. ZERO glare. The plasmas did have glare at BB yesterday.

The other thing is I want a big TV for the BIG room. That pushes me towards DLP afaict. I dont' think LCD goes big.

So anyway, I just saw an add this morning form yesterdays Bee with Mits 60" DLP for 999.00. 65" for 1299.00. I don't think thats bad pricing if one can live with replacing the lamps every 4 years or so, correct?

I read somewhere that LCD manufacturing costs are closely tied to the size where plasma are not. They are probably pretty close to equal now on 40 inch, but as you get bigger the LCD costs a lot more to make. On the other hand the cost of making a plasma doesn't vary as much by size, which is probably why you don't see smaller ones (it would still cost almost as much to make as a 40 inch model and thus nobody would buy it).

Like I said, I know nothing about DLPs.

I bet you could get a top of the line projector for about 1000 bucks too. You said big room, but not whether this was a basement (otherwise a projector is probably out).

The bulbs kill you on a projector if you use them alot, they're like 300, once-twice a year.

Yikes, really? I guess I'll stick with plasma. You can get a quality 54 inch one for 1500 bucks. I can't see why I'd need one any bigger than that.

DLP has a lamp but it is not what the industry calls rear projection. Different techno.

Plasma is full-on glass right? How much was the filter? Is the filter for eliminating glare from the glass?

uh, it came with the filter. I have no glare really. If you have a household light that you would be in it's direct reflection (you can see the bulb from within the fixture if there were a mirror where your TV is) you see a dull glare on the screen. If you are not in the direct path you get no glare. We have can lighting in our kitchen (the room the TV faces) and the living room lights are on the cathedral ceiling. So there isn't much chance for glare except from the sun (which is eliminated from the filter well).

If you had all floor lamp lighting and it would be reflected at you, then you'd probably get a glare of the LCD anyway, wouldn't you? EDIT - I am looking at my PC monitor (LCD) that way and I get the same dull glare as I would on my plasma. It's a very muted glow, but that is it. My plasma also has the same texture as my PC monitor, not that glassy feel like the Samsung plasmas have.

I suppose those high gloss Samsungs are probably more scratch resistant, but mine is mounted on the wall with a cabinet under it. You'd be hard pressed to scratch it on accident.

The kitchen is behind the couch that faces the TV.

There's a grouping of furniture in front of the TV. Behind that is the bar/counter then the kitchen. I have pendant lights, end table lights, plenty of cans, hood lighting and undermount flourescents. Fairly common kitchen lighting.

As far as the glare from the LCD, no, I don't get glare. Thats the biggest selling point of a LCD imo. They seem to be great in a room with a lot of lights like this one.

Also there are the bay windows and a huge door windo combo. So glare is an issue in this location.

I will go back and check out the filters. I think I was looking at Sony's not Sams, iirc.

Yeah, I would expect the same lack of glare on my TV that you have now. That doesn't translate to all plasmas of course (most are that glassy front). But I would suspect all Panasonic's with the anti-glare filter would look like mine.

I wouldn't touch those Samsung plasmas unless it was in a basement and you just used it as a theatre room. Even then I still wouldn't because I am making my basement into a functional rec room (pool table maybe, dart board, treadmill) and would want it viewable with lights on. Also, we have a garden level with exposed windows, so lots of light there too.