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Question about HDTV"s and NCAA

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Old 06-28-2008, 11:48 PM   #9
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Re: Question about HDTV"s abd NCAA

Quote:
Originally Posted by razcan
Hogfan nailed it, personally though stay away from Samsung low-mid end plasmas.

2nd- about contrast ratio, they are meaningless numbers outside of a particular company. For example, 10000:1 for Samsung may be the same as 2000:1 for Sony, those ratios only hold weight when judging sets within the same manufactures arsenal. They aren't standard values.
Finally someone who realizes that contrast ratio is not significant. I've sold TV's for circtuit city and too many people came in thinking it was important when really it has no real value and shouldnt determine a purchase. If you looked at every TV in the store without knowing which contrast ratio is higher or lower, you wouldnt know because you wouldnt be able to tell. Color reproduction is important but dont let that contrast fool you. its a numbers used to tell a customer how colorful and pretty the picture is. You dont need that, just look for yourself.

Now....Burn in DOES EXIST, I've seen it in plasma's as I sold them daily. I've even seen the ESPN logo burned into the bottom of a screne before but thats because the TV was on that station for countless numbers of hours, and that was on the 50" Panasonic which was TV of the Year in 07. It CAN and WILL happen if you pause your game for 3 hours and take a hike. A lot of people have burn in and dont even realize it because they dont watch their screen that closely. You have to be looking for it, or be really close to actually see it unless you have perfect vision because its tough to notice. You'll only see it when the screen gets really bright, then you may see a shadow of the image that has been burned in. I have friends who game on plasma's without a problem, and I've seen others bunred like crazy. There are solutions for burn in and depending on which TV you buy, it varies.

Panasonic has a feature where all you need to do is put the channel on a station where there is constant motion like the nature channel and it will wash itself away in about 24 hours. Panasonic makes the best plasma on the market because they are plasma exclusive. They dont even make LCD's DLP's or anything. They want to focus on plasma so they can dominate that part of the industry and they do.

Samsung, LG and a few others have a washout feature where they turn the screen bright white and you leave it for about 20-30 minutes and it washes away. Depending on how bad it is, it may take longer. Samsung and Sony are essentially the best LCD companies but you wont go wrong Toshiba, LG, Vizio (I have 2), or Sharp (invented LCD's they have the patent). A few TV's I wouldnt even buy with your money: Westinghouse, Pioneer (saw way to many come back to the store), olevia (cheap quality), Phillps (see pioneer).

There is a lot that goes into buying an HD TV:

1) How are you gonna hook it up: Cable, 360? You'll need cables to connect it to the source (cable box, or 360/PS3). HDMI cables will make it look the best by far. No question there, but you may not want the $100 Monster Cables, you can easily get the $20 off-brand cable and save money if you like. I havent seen a big difference in quality, but some say there is. Just dont get suckered into the component cables because they arent made to transfer a high quality HD signal. Thats why companies make HDMI cables. You dont need red/blue/green or red/yellow/white, they're all in in 1 cable...HDMI.

2) What size are you looking for? Bigger the better huh....Not always. If you have a really small room, 32"-42" would be fine, you wont need 50".

A lot of folks go into stores, buy a TV and say well it doesnt look as good as it did in the store, well thats because you dont have it hooked up the same way. Good news is, you can hook it up that way, you just have to learn what cables to buy and what channels are HD and such. You can actually make a TV look better at home then you can in the store, just gotta know how. I bought my 1st TV before I began working at circuit city and had 0 knowledge of what I needed. It looked like regular TV and I was pissed. So I learned from the net, and went out and bought 2 HDMI cables (1 for my PS3 -->TV, and 1 for my cable --> TV) and I was goood to go.

Long post, please forgive me, but there is a lot to research but once you know the basics which I have provided you, then you shouldnt have a problem.

Good Luck!
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Old 06-29-2008, 01:07 AM   #10
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Re: Question about HDTV"s abd NCAA

Plasma Pros
-Better Motion Engine Than LCD's
-Usually Better Contrast Ratios (Deeper Colors and Accurate Shadows)
-Cheaper than LCD when 50+ In.

Cons:
-Burn In (Although its virtually non-existent, similar to old CRT/Tube TV Sets)
-Glass Screen Enhances Glare From Direct Light, whether artificial or natural
-Sizes usually begin at 37"

Myths:
"They Burn Out Quickly"
"It has to be recharged every 5 years"

Ideal For: Dark Room, Evening T.V. Watching, Sports and Movies, Gaming below 8 hours, All-Around Home Theater TV

Best Companies:
Pioneer (Bar-none the BEST plasma company on the market today, ask any videophile)
Panasonic (Next best choice in terms of pricing and quality, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)
Samsung(Great Color Accuracy, Black levels a bit light, Excellent Input quantity

LCD Pros:
-Traditionally No-Glare( Panel absorbs light, Newer Sasmsung Models sport glossy screens, thus defeating the purpose lol)
-Bright Screen, great for all day viewing
-Can Be used as a computer monitor
-Great for long gaming sessions
-Many Sizes to Choose From

Cons:
-Motion Blur when viewing movie with a ton of camera movement or live sporting events
-Dark Color Accuracy (Cannot truly attain the color black due to backlight, washes out darker scenes in movies, causes inaccurate flesh tones)
-Viewing Angle (Still 170 degrees but suffers from blacks turning blue when moving to extreme viewing angles)
-Extremely Expensive past 50 inches

Myths:
"LCDS technically last longer than plasmas"
-Roughly a 20 year life span watching 8 hours a day...same as most plasmas

Ideal For: Gamers, Multipurpose Users, Entertainment centerpiece, Bright rooms

Best Companies:
Samsung (Hands-down leader in LCD technology in terms of sales and best bang for your buck, MAD SELECTION for any consumer
Sony(Long time leader in home electronics, Pay a premium for the name but higher end televisions continually set performance benchmarks
LG (Good Company, Great black levels, Some False Contouring issues,
Toshiba (Previous years models were supurb for the pricing, Now made in lower end factories where Insignia and Dynex televisions can be found

Tips:
-The More HDMI inputs, the better
-LCD's must have VGA/PC input, If not DONT BUY
-Don't clean the darn thing with windex, Flat Panel Monitor cleaner will work just fine
-Get a darn Power Center/Surge Protector/Line Conditioner...Will save you plenty of headaches in the long run
-HDMI Cables in-store are mad pricey, check online first, but don't use cables that your cable/satellite service provides you, build quality is usually horrible
-If you have a PS3 you have the best blu-ray player on the market HANDS DOWN so make use of it buy investing in a sound system with an AV Receiver sporting HDMI inputs with video and audio passthrought....Movies will never sound the same again...Trust me
-UPGRADE YOUR CABLE/SAT SERVICE NOW...Your picture WILL SUCK IF YOU DON'T DO THIS...Even if you use a Super-Video cable (lol)

That's pretty much all you need to know. As stated above, don't believe the hype in contrast ratios. Pure BS. Just look at each panel in the store and pick the best picture in your opinion.

Happy T.V. Hunting!

Last edited by johnrice20022002; 06-29-2008 at 01:14 AM.
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Old 06-29-2008, 01:29 AM   #11
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Re: Question about HDTV"s abd NCAA

Quote:
Originally Posted by Exonerated
my bad.

LCD's are better for looking at when ur close. perhaps 2-3 metres are way.

Plasma's are beter for looking at from a longer distance. Perhaps 5+ metres.
That information is incorrect.
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Old 06-29-2008, 01:40 AM   #12
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Re: Question about HDTV"s abd NCAA

Quote:
Originally Posted by GetYaWeigtUp
Finally someone who realizes that contrast ratio is not significant. I've sold TV's for circtuit city and too many people came in thinking it was important when really it has no real value and shouldnt determine a purchase. If you looked at every TV in the store without knowing which contrast ratio is higher or lower, you wouldnt know because you wouldnt be able to tell. Color reproduction is important but dont let that contrast fool you. its a numbers used to tell a customer how colorful and pretty the picture is. You dont need that, just look for yourself.

Now....Burn in DOES EXIST, I've seen it in plasma's as I sold them daily. I've even seen the ESPN logo burned into the bottom of a screne before but thats because the TV was on that station for countless numbers of hours, and that was on the 50" Panasonic which was TV of the Year in 07. It CAN and WILL happen if you pause your game for 3 hours and take a hike. A lot of people have burn in and dont even realize it because they dont watch their screen that closely. You have to be looking for it, or be really close to actually see it unless you have perfect vision because its tough to notice. You'll only see it when the screen gets really bright, then you may see a shadow of the image that has been burned in. I have friends who game on plasma's without a problem, and I've seen others bunred like crazy. There are solutions for burn in and depending on which TV you buy, it varies.

Panasonic has a feature where all you need to do is put the channel on a station where there is constant motion like the nature channel and it will wash itself away in about 24 hours. Panasonic makes the best plasma on the market because they are plasma exclusive. They dont even make LCD's DLP's or anything. They want to focus on plasma so they can dominate that part of the industry and they do.

Samsung, LG and a few others have a washout feature where they turn the screen bright white and you leave it for about 20-30 minutes and it washes away. Depending on how bad it is, it may take longer. Samsung and Sony are essentially the best LCD companies but you wont go wrong Toshiba, LG, Vizio (I have 2), or Sharp (invented LCD's they have the patent). A few TV's I wouldnt even buy with your money: Westinghouse, Pioneer (saw way to many come back to the store), olevia (cheap quality), Phillps (see pioneer).

There is a lot that goes into buying an HD TV:

1) How are you gonna hook it up: Cable, 360? You'll need cables to connect it to the source (cable box, or 360/PS3). HDMI cables will make it look the best by far. No question there, but you may not want the $100 Monster Cables, you can easily get the $20 off-brand cable and save money if you like. I havent seen a big difference in quality, but some say there is. Just dont get suckered into the component cables because they arent made to transfer a high quality HD signal. Thats why companies make HDMI cables. You dont need red/blue/green or red/yellow/white, they're all in in 1 cable...HDMI.


Contrast Ratio absolutely is important. The numbers posted by the manufacturers aren't important. The problem is, for the most part, the new tvs aren't set up properly in the store. There is a lot of tweaking to get the best picture possible. One trick that is often used is to turn the tv on to is brightest setting which catches the customer's eye, yet is a setting that no one would want to use in their home.

Profesional review and videophile sites have stated time after time there is no difference in picture quality between $100 monster cables and the $6 HDMI cable I purchased from monoprice.com.

And what you described is image retention, not burn in. If it were burn in, it wouldn't go away.

You're wrong about Panasonic. They do make LCDs.

Last edited by hogfan; 06-29-2008 at 01:56 AM.
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Old 06-29-2008, 02:18 AM   #13
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Re: Question about HDTV"s abd NCAA

i work at circuit city as well.. Most people like LCD's better for gaming... Plasma's have the most vivid colors..... dlp's still look great as well... kind of depends on your situation... panasonic does make best plasmas... but they DO make lcds now... samsung and sony are definitely best lcds, try out the SON Kdl40xbr4, it is GREAT for gaming and one of the top tv's on the market.... and like that other guy in this thread said.. just go to the store and look for yourself... you can judge the differences between each TV yourself.. and if you cant notice a certain subtle difference in the store... you arent gonna notice at home either so it doesnt matter... go to circuit city and ask the associates in the entertainment department what tv they like to use for gaming.... most will answer LCD.
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Old 06-29-2008, 02:50 AM   #14
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Re: Question about HDTV"s abd NCAA

Quote:
Originally Posted by hogfan
Contrast Ratio absolutely is important. The numbers posted by the manufacturers aren't important. The problem is, for the most part, the new tvs aren't set up properly in the store. There is a lot of tweaking to get the best picture possible. One trick that is often used is to turn the tv on to is brightest setting which catches the customer's eye, yet is a setting that no one would want to use in their home.

Profesional review and videophile sites have stated time after time there is no difference in picture quality between $100 monster cables and the $6 HDMI cable I purchased from monoprice.com.

And what you described is image retention, not burn in. If it were burn in, it wouldn't go away.

You're wrong about Panasonic. They do make LCDs.
BS...Thats where your wrong and that is a common misperception...I personally set up many TVs and displays and have never tweaked anything to make them look better. We just use the correct cables to make the TVs look good. We had Direct TV satellite service and actually used component cables for 90% of the displays. When we get a new Sony or Samsung, we sooped it up and hooked Bluray up to it with HDMI cables to show off its power. There is no tweaking in stores, and if there was, it isnt anything you cant do at home yourself. There are no special codes or anything. Thats a myth! There is no tweaking to get the best picture. Why would the store make it look that good and then not tell you how to make it look that way at home??? Makes no sense, some associates who dont care might do it but not the half-way decent ones. They'll get you all the info you need on how to make it perform as well if not better then it did in the store.

There are different settings that you can use for brightness but they are put there for a reason and it wasnt so stores can sell the TV. Some rooms need more brightness and others need less. Thats not a gimmick at all, and trust me, brightness wont sell a TV, color reproduction does. You can tell the difference in a plasma from an LCD easy because the colors look more natural. LCD screens tend to look more washed out. Its very noticeable when looking at both at the same time.

I'll show you how stores set up the TVs and there's nothing gimmicky about it, because the TVs are so good these days, they sell themselves. Salesman just give you information on how they work, and what would be best for your situation.

Well now I see panasonic has moved into the LCD market, thanks for the tidbit, that is new because they didnt do so last year.
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Old 06-29-2008, 03:43 AM   #15
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Re: Question about HDTV"s and NCAA

Manufacturer often ships the TV with maxed out values to catch eyes. Sony calls it vivid, Samsung calls it Dynamic, TVs come in shop mode, for plasmas its called "torched mode".
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Old 06-29-2008, 11:01 AM   #16
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Re: Question about HDTV"s and NCAA

It also varies based upon where you live. I live in Colorado at around 6,000 feet. Most plasmas make a humming noise at this altitude. Panasonic pretty much has it silent now, but not unitl recently. LCDs are the better choice in most circumstances at higher altitudes. So, the question I am asking is, Where do you live?
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