Hasn't been an HDTV thread in a while....

[TheGenius]

So I guess I'll start one for me. I've been thinking about replacing my old 30" CRT HDTV with a nicer 42" or so HDTV. I was looking at this one:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Panasonic+-+VIERA+/+42%22+Class+/+1080p+/+60Hz+/+LCD+HDTV/9783676.p?id=1218174062064&skuId=9783676&st=panasonic%20viera&cp=1&lp=5

Because it's on sale and seems to be pretty good. The only thing that made me hesitant was the 60hz and I'm not sure if that's even such a big deal. Anyway, while searching around I found this one online which is almost the same except it's a plasma:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Panasonic-TC-P42U1/13968931

Now the price doesn't matter cuz I have some gift cards I could use on the first one to make it about even. This is about the max I would want to spend on a TV right now, so these seemed like pretty solid options. So..what do you guys think?

[TheGenius]

Re: Hasn't been an HDTV thread in a while....

So I have had two people tell me to stay away from plasmas but from everything I have read burn-in is a thing of the past. So I guess what I am asking then is with everything equal is a plasma or an LCD the one to get? I think these two are basically the same TV with that difference. It comes down to a plasma vs a 60hz LCD. And I'm not really sure since the last TV I bought was the CRT I have 5 years ago. I searched the forum and found some good discussion here and have read good things about Panasonic plasmas. Just wondering if anyone has an opinion.

[GAMEC0CK2002]

Re: Hasn't been an HDTV thread in a while....

I'll go ahead a say that I'm biased towards plasma, especially when directly comparing 1080p vs. 1080p. If you were comparing a 120Hz LCD and plasma, then I'd consider the LCD. As long as you use some common sense and lower the contrast, you should have no problems with a plasma. You'd have to seriously abuse a new plasma to cause burn-in. Image retention could and probably will happen early on, but it is temporary and goes away quickly. As for the 2 tvs you're considering--the LCD has PC input which is a big deal if want to use it as a monitor (assuming your laptop or desktop doesn't have HDMI). Dynamic contrast ratios mean absolutely NOTHING unless---it's between tvs from the SAME company. You can trust the numbers when comparing tvs from the same brand. The plasma has the higher contrast.

LCDs:
Hardcore game on them from Day 1
Much brighter which is an advantage if you have a bright room and can't control the lighting
Use less energy
The most like a computer screen that most people are used to
Cheaper to fix if something goes wrong with it
Have much cheaper extended warranties

Plasma:
Deeper blacks (which makes images pop out more)
Better off-viewing angles
No motion blur (big deal if you watch sports)

Good luck.

[Speedy]

Re: Hasn't been an HDTV thread in a while....

I agree Game. Granted I don't have a lot of experience with use of an LCD TV but my plasma is amazing, especially with the amount of sports and video games I play. When I intially turn my tv on/off I can see the previous image but it goes away after a few seconds so no issue there; my living room is surrounded by walnut panel so it fits a lot better in a dark room as well.

[SuperBowlNachos]

Re: Hasn't been an HDTV thread in a while....

Get the plasma. I have the 720p version of that same size. Panasonic is one of the leaders in plasma too.

[Seether4113]

Re: Hasn't been an HDTV thread in a while....

I have 2 plasmas in my house: a 42" Panasonic G10 and a Pioneer Kuro 500m. I absolutely love both of them and have never seen even the slightest bit of image retention, much less burn-in, and they've seen their fair share of long gaming sessions on them. I also have a 52" Sony V5100 LCD (120 Hz) in the living room and I like it quite a bit, though I prefer the plasmas picture. A plasma just wouldn't work very well in this room as I have windows that I like to open during the day.

I would let your room dictate the type of tv you look to getting. If it has a lot of ambient light, an LCD might be the better choice. If it's dark, I would not even consider an LCD myself.

[TheGenius]

Re: Hasn't been an HDTV thread in a while....

Well I went ahead and ordered the plasma on Thursday. Of course last night I go to the site to check things out and the price is $30 lower. Walmart.com says they price adjust if it changes within 7 days and you bring it to their attention, so I sent them an email. Anybody have any experience with this?

[GAMEC0CK2002]

Re: Hasn't been an HDTV thread in a while....

Well I went ahead and ordered the plasma on Thursday. Of course last night I go to the site to check things out and the price is $30 lower. Walmart.com says they price adjust if it changes within 7 days and you bring it to their attention, so I sent them an email. Anybody have any experience with this?

I'd be sure to call their customer service and talk to somebody directly. Many times, they can handle it over the phone.

IMO, you made the right choice. When transporting your plalsma, make sure it stays vertical. Laying it flat will ruin it before you take it out the box.

Other stuff (I'd be more careful during the first 100 hrs b/c the plasma phoshors need to burn evenly)
1) Make sure whatever you're watching takes up the entire screen (limit your 4:3 viewing)
2) Lower your contrast to something between 50-60 vs. 90-100 .... leaving your tv in torch/vivid mode makes image retention more likely
3) Don't leave static images on the screen for hours on end

Enjoy your HDTV. Get your HDMI cables from monoprice.com if you need 2 or more. If you only need one go with Amazon.com

Shouldn't ever pay more than $4-5 for a 6ft. HDMI cable.

[Seether4113]

Re: Hasn't been an HDTV thread in a while....

I'd be sure to call their customer service and talk to somebody directly. Many times, they can handle it over the phone.

IMO, you made the right choice. When transporting your plalsma, make sure it stays vertical. Laying it flat will ruin it before you take it out the box.

Other stuff (I'd be more careful during the first 100 hrs b/c the plasma phoshors need to burn evenly)
1) Make sure whatever you're watching takes up the entire screen (limit your 4:3 viewing)
2) Lower your contrast to something between 50-60 vs. 90-100 .... leaving your tv in torch/vivid mode makes image retention more likely
3) Don't leave static images on the screen for hours on end

Enjoy your HDTV. Get your HDMI cables from monoprice.com if you need 2 or more. If you only need one go with Amazon.com

Shouldn't ever pay more than $4-5 for a 6ft. HDMI cable.

All great advice. Do this and you should be able to watch whatever you want, however you want after the initial 100-hour break-in period. Enjoy it!

[TheGenius]

Re: Hasn't been an HDTV thread in a while....

Thanks for the advice, guys. I found a link through Walmart.com for a price adjustment and they took care of it right away. Very convenient. For $588 plus sales tax I am VERY happy with this deal so far (hopefully I will be more happy when the TV arrives). This TV is on sale at Best Buy for $799.99 ($100 off).

I bought three 12 ft HDMI cables when they were on Woot for $5 a piece and now have a surplus of HDMI to go around so I am feeling pretty good about that too.

FedEx is supposed to deliver it tomorrow already, but I'm guessing it will need a signature and I won't be here. Another day won't kill me though so either they'll leave it or I'll leave a signature/instructions or something. Pretty excited for it to get here.

Thanks for the advice about the static images and 4:3 programming, I will definitely keep that in mind.

[TheGenius]

Re: Hasn't been an HDTV thread in a while....

It was dropped off today. I've had to wait today out at work and then I'm getting a new stand for it so it might be a while before I get it set up but I'm pretty excited about it. Can't wait to get it set up and enjoy.

[TheGenius]

Re: Hasn't been an HDTV thread in a while....

So I got everything set up, at least for now. But I have it set on standard which has the contrast set at 40. I should watch it on that or up to maybe 60 for the first 100 hours? Then after that I can raise it some? Sorry if those are dumb questions. I just have no idea.

[Seether4113]

Re: Hasn't been an HDTV thread in a while....

So I got everything set up, at least for now. But I have it set on standard which has the contrast set at 40. I should watch it on that or up to maybe 60 for the first 100 hours? Then after that I can raise it some? Sorry if those are dumb questions. I just have no idea.

I would try to leave it at 40-50 for about the first 2-3 weeks or so and limit the viewing of static images (black bars...), then after that, tune it to whatever settings you feel look best.

[GAMEC0CK2002]

Re: Hasn't been an HDTV thread in a while....

I would try to leave it at 40-50 for about the first 2-3 weeks or so and limit the viewing of static images (black bars...), then after that, tune it to whatever settings you feel look best.

What he said. Though I would keep it at 50-60 for the first month. You'd be surprised---you'll get used to it.