Demo3 Posted January 10, 2012 Posted January 10, 2012 Just bought a 50inch plasma and could not be happier, paid around $800 for 1080. When u put a movie on like Blade Runner, Dark City or Alien and turn the lights out u really can appreciate the blacks. It's just me I know but the off white areas that should be black distract me, its not the same when the Alien jumps out of the gray area. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fogel Posted January 10, 2012 Posted January 10, 2012 CFL backlighting is actually better in terms of image quality when it comes to LCDs. They produce truer whites by a pretty noticeable margin. Even lighting is a problem for the edge-lit LED displays. The LED displays with local dimming can have some GREAT black levels but they don't always produce a true to source image (since the algorithms for which parts of the screen light up can't cover every possible source image). Plasmas are king if you can deal with the heat, weight, and reflectiveness. If you don't have a way to do that, a CFL lit LCD is the next best in terms of picture quality, at least until OLED displays are on the market. IIRC response times are a bit of an issue on them though... I would completely agree on everything you said. Though I have not heard about the response times on OLED, that is sad to hear. Just bought a 50inch plasma and could not be happier, paid around $800 for 1080. When u put a movie on like Blade Runner, Dark City or Alien and turn the lights out u really can appreciate the blacks. It's just me I know but the off white areas that should be black distract me, its not the same when the Alien jumps out of the gray area. I don't own a Plasma so not that part but my TV is really good on blacks and you really just can't appreciate the "black level rating" until you see a good tv with a good rating and start watching movies. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoDG Posted January 10, 2012 Posted January 10, 2012 (edited) @ TJ - Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know Newegg doesn't carry plasmas. Besides, something big like a 60" plasma is something I'd rather take home myself from a local store than have it shipped from the other side of the country, even if it does cost a bit more. Edited January 10, 2012 by NikoDG Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waco Posted January 10, 2012 Posted January 10, 2012 @ TJ - Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know Newegg doesn't carry plasmas. Besides, something big like a 60" plasma is something I'd rather take home myself from a local store than have it shipped from the other side of the country, even if it does cost a bit more. I bought my plasma on Newegg. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHippi Posted January 10, 2012 Posted January 10, 2012 The best thing to do is to go to best buy and actually look at the screens. We can sit here all day and debate the finner points of screens, but it is all going to come down to personal preferences and you wont have preferences until you actually get a plasma and a LED tv right in front of you to make up your mind. Just to make sure you understand, Best buy is for looking, Newegg is for buying That is a terrible idea. What you see in the store is in no way representative of what you will see in your living room, unless you go to a place that both has normal lighting and tunes the settings to get the optimum picture. Places like best buy usually set their TVs to "store" mode, which makes them look good under bright fluorescent lights but makes it very hard to tell what the actual picture quality is like. What you should do is read professional reviews online or in a home theater magazine or something similar Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoDG Posted January 10, 2012 Posted January 10, 2012 @ Fogel - The last tv I had was a Panasonic Viera 50" Plasma, it had 1080p, 3D, the works. It's blacks were so dark that if you had a black screen you couldn't tell if it was on or off. You will never see blacks that dark from any other tv on the market other than a plasma. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fogel Posted January 10, 2012 Posted January 10, 2012 (edited) That is a terrible idea. What you see in the store is in no way representative of what you will see in your living room, unless you go to a place that both has normal lighting and tunes the settings to get the optimum picture. Places like best buy usually set their TVs to "store" mode, which makes them look good under bright fluorescent lights but makes it very hard to tell what the actual picture quality is like. What you should do is read professional reviews online or in a home theater magazine or something similar I would actually agree with both you ...because that is what I do. Seriously though. I go to Best Buy, look at the TVs there and will know which TVs I immediately don't want and write down a list of what looks good there. Then I go online and research the ones I liked in the store, see what else is recommended and then see if I can find comparisons to ones mentioned to the ones I saw in the store. I do this because since I at least saw the ones in the store I can reference what they say versus what I saw with my own eyes. If needed I will even go back to the store to verify something ...which I did when I bought my last TV. @ Fogel - The last tv I had was a Panasonic Viera 50" Plasma, it had 1080p, 3D, the works. It's blacks were so dark that if you had a black screen you couldn't tell if it was on or off. You will never see blacks that dark from any other tv on the market other than a plasma. I will use the term CFL because that is more accurate to use than the panel type like I was using earlier. My TV is a LCD/CFL and its black rating is so close in black rating to the reference Plasma pretty much all review sites used they needed to measure it to see the difference. So while nothing technically beats Plasma, don't under estimate CFLs. They can put out a really nice picture and they are a great option for us super picky videophiles (if that's a word lol) livings in a high elevation area. Edited January 10, 2012 by Fogel Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjj226_Angel Posted January 10, 2012 Posted January 10, 2012 That is a terrible idea. What you see in the store is in no way representative of what you will see in your living room, unless you go to a place that both has normal lighting and tunes the settings to get the optimum picture. Places like best buy usually set their TVs to "store" mode, which makes them look good under bright fluorescent lights but makes it very hard to tell what the actual picture quality is like. What you should do is read professional reviews online or in a home theater magazine or something similar ............yes, but we aren't exactly talking about the difference between a panasonic and a samsung, we are talking about the difference between plasma and LED. Not to mention if I ask the best buy guy to shut the hell up and optimize the tv they will. At all the best buys around me (3 of them) they all have a dark sort of home theater room where they will have an LED and plasma tv and you can turn all the lights off to tell the difference. The reality is that LEDs are brighter and sometimes will have more vivid colors and saturation, while plasmas are usually sharper and more accurate in picture quality IMO. However, I have hear claims saying the exact opposite. In a pitch black room (hopefully all best buys have one. Unfortunately I really wouldn't know) with the tv optimized with two high end TVs, you can tell the difference right away and make up your mind Because screens are such a personal opinion I suggested that Niko goes and experiments. It is certainly not going to be the best method for him to decide what the best particular computer screen would be, but it would probably give him a much better understanding of the difference between LED and plasma. I for instance have a plasma tv for watching TV, an LED for editing photos and video, and an LCD for gaming. All of these I chose for their particular use and my personal preference, and I wouldn't have it any other way. So if I were to go simply based on what other people would choose (plasma in this case) I would be unhappy. That is why personal exploration is not a terrible idea. Basing a purchase off of other peoples likes and dislikes is a terrible idea. @ OP. Sometimes buying it at store can be the best choice. Sometimes stuff can be on sale at best buy or walmart that can beat newegg. However, the best thing to do would be to buy the tv you like at the best price available (don't forget to factor in tax). I have also seen plasmas sold on newegg. Their selection is not the best, but they do exist. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp9801 Posted January 10, 2012 Posted January 10, 2012 @ TJ - Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know Newegg doesn't carry plasmas. Besides, something big like a 60" plasma is something I'd rather take home myself from a local store than have it shipped from the other side of the country, even if it does cost a bit more. Not a ton, but Newegg does carry them, like others said. Amazon has a lot more, and honestly, typically the better price compared to Newegg. As for LCD vs Plasma, it all depends on the size of the TV you need. Under 40" means LCD, while anything over 40" means Plasma. Can't really go wrong with a 42" 1080p 3D Plasma TV for $700 imo. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoDG Posted January 11, 2012 Posted January 11, 2012 Not a ton, but Newegg does carry them, like others said. Amazon has a lot more, and honestly, typically the better price compared to Newegg. As for LCD vs Plasma, it all depends on the size of the TV you need. Under 40" means LCD, while anything over 40" means Plasma. Can't really go wrong with a 42" 1080p 3D Plasma TV for $700 imo. I'm guessing that's a Panasonic? @ TJ - Don't forget shipping if you buy online, shipping a 60" Plasma would cost a ton. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoDG Posted January 11, 2012 Posted January 11, 2012 Speaking of manufacturers, who is everyone's favorite flat panel manufacturer? For plasmas, and LED's? Personally I'm thinking my next tv better be made by Samsung. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp9801 Posted January 11, 2012 Posted January 11, 2012 Speaking of manufacturers, who is everyone's favorite flat panel manufacturer? For plasmas, and LED's? Personally I'm thinking my next tv better be made by Samsung. You need to stop calling it an LED TV. It is an LCD screen with LED backlighting along the edge. If you must add LED to it, call it an LED-LCD TV. And yes, a Panasonic 42" 1080p 3D Plasma for $700. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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