Ok TST... School me on TVs. Search complete. 42" Samsung 720p Plasma IN DA HOUSE :)

[namdoogwerdna]

Originally Posted by TROLL

When I did my TV research, everywhere I read it seemed that people said that for a TV 40" and smaller, you won't be able to tell the difference between 720p and 1080p. You should really go to a store and just check out a bunch to get a feel for them though and form your own opinion.

^This. Unless the screen is the size of a wall you won't really notice a difference.


And the "you get what you pay for" theory applies.

[The Captain]

Originally Posted by DPancoast

should I pay attention to whether it's 1080p or 1080i? If Im comprehending correctly, the differences start to come down to the Hz of the TV and how it deals with fast motions right? Not looking at price here, just at Samsung in general and what they offer along with Toshiba and Sony stuff that I've been seeing. Also would like to note that I don't think we should sidetrack into a debate about it because I'm not going to notice a difference ever I bet.

Why 1080p is theoretically better than 1080i ?
Basically, 1080i -- the former king of the HDTV hill, actually boasts an identical 1,920x1,080 pixels resolution but conveys the images in an interlaced (i) format (the i in 1080i). In a tube-based television, otherwise known as a CRT, 1080i sources get "painted" on the screen sequentially: the odd-numbered lines of resolution appear on your screen first, followed by the even-numbered lines--all within 1/30 of a second.


An Interlaced Image

While, the Progressive-scan (p) formats such as 480p, 720p, and 1080p (1,920 x 1,080) convey all of the lines of resolution sequentially in a single pass, which makes for a smoother, cleaner image, especially with sports and other motion-intensive content. As opposed to tubes, microdisplays (DLP, LCoS, and LCD rear-projection) and other fixed-pixel TVs, including plasma and LCD flat-panel, are inherently progressive in nature, so when the incoming source is interlaced, as 1080i is, they convert it to progressive scan for display.


A Progressively Scanned Image

Sums it up.

[igo4bmx]

Originally Posted by namdoogwerdna

^This. Unless the screen is the size of a wall you won't really notice a difference.


And the "you get what you pay for" theory applies.

I think the reason why my screen (which is the size of my wall) shows such clear 720p is that I have an upscaler from my home theater pc and onkyo receiver rendering everything to 1080p.

[DPancoast]

ahh fair enough guys. thanks

probably gonna go and check out some TVs in person tomorrow. Will most likely go with a 37" just so I don't regret not going bigger but not going TOO big later lol.

oh yeah and as soon as I typed that whole deal (again lol) about not needing bigger... found THIS I mean... cmon 42"...plasma....720p for $500? lol hmmmm

[c0nfl1kt]

Even with a 720p tv with a 60hz refresh rate you'll notice a huge difference on your games from what you have now, trust me. I held out for years because I thought I wouldn't, but boy was I wrong.

[mcperson2k]

Which ever type of tv you decide to get, get it used dude. Also when you find some used ones, do some research on prices, because a lot of people don't realize how much TV's have dropped this past year. A 1,100.00 TV bought 1-2 years ago is only worth about 200 bucks anymore. With that in mind, the current HD TV's on the market are absolutely brilliant, but one that is a year or two older isn't going to be 'bad', the colors just might not be as bright and vibrant. Stay away from DLP TV's because they suck and have way to many flaws/issues. Another thing is that Xbox looks almost identical on 720 TV's as it does 1080. Samsung is by far the best for games, LG for movies and TV, and Sony is in between. I wouldn't recommend buying any brand besides Samsung and LG though, unless you were to find a great deal, because their TV's are hands down the best. Use http://reviews.cnet.com/?tag=hdr%3bsnav to look up reviews on any TV you find that you might be interested in.

[DPancoast]

Yeah I hear ya man. I really am a fan of Samsung and Sony TVs... Toshiba is a close 3rd but honestly, out of all my friends/family/etc I havent seen a Toshiba in anyones house so I have nothing but in the store to go off of. As far as buying used. Im cool with that as long as it's covered for a little while.

[c0nfl1kt]

Hey Dan,

Just throwing this out there: one of my roomate works at best buy so he gets a good discount on tv's. I got mine brand new for $329 2 years ago with this discount. If you want to use his discount I could ask and we could go to a best buy together or something.

[DPancoast]

That'd be pretty cool man. I'll get back to you this week sometime for sure either way. Thanks for the offer

[c0nfl1kt]

Originally Posted by DPancoast

That'd be pretty cool man. I'll get back to you this week something for sure either way. Thanks for the offer

np

[ILLJIM69]

Originally Posted by igo4bmx

120 hz or not is pointless in lcd- i don't care for it.

What? Are you insane? Clearly you have never seen a 60Hz and 120Hz LCD next to each other.

OP - as other have said, plasma will net you the best bang for your buck. However keep in mind that LCDs use less power, resist IR (image retention which isn't the same as burn in). Most of the issues with both types of TVs have been resolved. Plasmas don't "burn in" as easily as they once did and LCDs now have an almost unrestricted viewing angle (plus good black performance, something they lacked in the past). That being said, it's hard to pick and honestly it will come down to the deals you can get.

PS - Check out Tigerdirect.com for good deals!

[c0nfl1kt]

Yeah, the difference in motion between 60hz and 120hz is insane. To say it doesn't make a difference is just insane or there is something wrong with your eyes(like the people who can't experience the 3D movies with the glasses).

[KEVN257]

you should check out the amazing deal thread. thats how i found my tv i just got 32' samsung 720p it really is a quality piece so far.

[DPancoast]

yeah... Im not going to sacrifice getting a bigger tv for "less quality"... i.e. 60Hz on a 42" vs 120Hz on a 37" as an example..

my research is done as far as what I want in the tv. now its just time to start looking for a good deal on a tv lol

In all honesty, that deal on the 42" 720p plasma is hard to pass up as long as there is no burn in but I would really hope not. The TV does have Auto Phosphor Aging Compensation

The Panasonic VIERA C1 Series TC-P42C1 plasma TV features a 42 inch screen, 720p resolution, 600Hz sub-field drive, and 15000:1 contrast ratio.

what is a sub-field drive? it only has a 60Hz refresh rate too... hmmm... I dunno. I was looking at tvs today and they showed me a 60Hz vs 120Hz on 2 of the same size/brand tvs playing the same stuff (hockey) and I didn't notice any blurring/motion issues. I'm going to go back again tomorrow after work to look again before I pull the trigger.

It's a 2-4 week wait for the tv which doesn't really matter to me because I don't need it right this second lol. Gonna keep looking in the meantime.

[DPancoast]

Well I went to World Wide Stereo again today, and my neighbor gave me a really good deal.

42" Samsung Plasma 720p etc etc + the 4 year service plan for $700. The tv has a lot more specs and fancy stuff, but that's all I can remember off the top of my head and I didn't take the TV home yet, gonna pay/get it tomorrow when I have room in my Jeep lol.

why did I spend so much? well a couple reasons:

1. Samsung is doing a $100 in store instant rebate. TV normally goes for $700 new.
2. The service plan of the store is for 4 years and usually goes for $300 andigotitforcheapercuzhesmyneighbor. BUT don't stop reading. If I have no issues with the TV in 4 years, they give me my money back as store credit to put towards another tv/car audio/whatever they have!

I thought that was worth it.

Anyway. Got a free HDMI cable for my xbox from a friend, so I'm good to go!

I thank everyone for their input. has anyone done a plasma tv calibration? He said in about 3 months, I'll have to get my tv calibrated which costs $300 for a tech to come out lol. BUT it's not just your standard menu adjustments... they hook up their laptop and go through up to 1000 settings based on the light in the room, light on the tv/levels....etc and make it PERFECT. Whatever... cross it when I get there.

and again. this store is one of the best home theater/car audio stores on the East Coast so I'd rather go a little over my budget for that extra security, than skimp out and have something happen.

[mcperson2k]

It's hard to tell the difference between a 60hz TV and 120hz unless your playing a video game these days, since higher frame rates are used in game's than they are normal viewing. Congrats on the TV though! Good that you got the service plan, because it really can be a pain in the ass when something goes wrong with out one.

My mom got me an 19" HD TV from Circuit City 2 Christmases ago to play Xbox on. Well I was at school in TN finishing the semester, so I didn't open it for 4 months. When I did, the sound wouldn't sync with the picture when I was watching cable. I had to take it back 3 separate times for this same issue, and it took them 2 months a pop, and they still never fixed it. Apparently they have to send it in for repair 3 times before they will just straight up replace the TV with a new one. Well the third time I went in, they told me my 1 year warranty was over, and I flipped **** because they had the TV longer than I did and never fixed it. So they cut me a break and sent it back once more, than sure enough 2 months later they called me to give me a 300 dollar gift card... Haha. I used it to buy a 32" 1080P TV that's been my favorite purchase of my life so far! Which I also bought the 3 year warranty to go with it after all that BS

[ILLJIM69]

Post pics! It's gonna look big in your room.

Oh and here is your answer on the sub-field.

http://www.tvlampsnbulbs.com/2009/03...d-motion-mean/

You gotta be careful because most plasmas advertise 600Hz real big on the box, thinking that most people will see it and think it's better than 120Hz (or 240Hz) but it isn't the refresh rate. Unless you spend some cash, most plasmas still have a 60Hz refresh rate and most LCDs with a 120Hz refresh will appear much smoother when watching Blu Ray (or other HD content).

[DPancoast]

yeah I may get it tomorrow. didn't feel like unloading my jeep tonight but I might do it in the morning or just wait until after work

[igo4bmx]

congrats on the tv- there are alot of plasma calibrators out there- and DIY setups, but if it's cheap enough leave it for the pros.

the PQ will get better as the tv breaks in.
also if you need cables go to monoprice.com

[DPancoast]

sitting on my bed:



walking into my room:



lol.. my computer monitor on the right is 22"

also, got an HDMI cable for free...

now time to watch tv for 200 hours before calibration!