LCD or Plasma on a $2K budget

[Skydiver]

Was looking for a little help, on what TV y'all would recommend. I am looking to keep it under $2k and under 50". The use would be casual sports and TV, and movie watching. The viewing environment is, unfortunately, fairly bright during the day since there are two sky-lights in the room. Distance from the screen would be around 7-9 feet. I have read all the reviews I could find about the following TV's and I am happy with all of them, except for the Sony's.

I was hoping to find some personal experience and your opinions on the list below.

LCD's
Samsung LN46A750
Samsung LN46A650

Sony KDL-40XBR9
Sony KDL-40XBR7

Plasma
Panasonic TC-P50G10
Panasonic TC-P50S1

Samsung PN-50A650
Samsung PN-50A550

Thanks for reading
Skydiver

[Mr Peabody]

If you will be watching the TV a lot during the day when it's bright you are better off with the LCD.

[zepman1]

Not sure if the A550's are still available as that is last years model for Samsung. I have the B550, and reportedly, they are much improved over an already good set. Black levels/contrast is improved and now rivals that of the similar priced Panasonics. This was not the case last year. The 2009's also consume roughly 40% less power compared to last year.

Its seems as if ambient light is a concern though, and plasma would be hard to recommend in that case. Unfortunately, $2k isn't enough to get you and LED backlit LCD so you won't get the best performance under optimum conditions (controlled light). But under bright light, the LCD will look better. Question is how often are you watching TV during the day?

If you go LCD, I'd lean towards the Samsungs and the bigger screen, but that depends on what you are looking for. The Sony's are probably better, but only marginally so, and I'd want the 46" over the 40" That said, there are plenty of 52" from Samsung and probably even Sony that are under $2k, although maybe not with 120 Hz. I have heard varying reports of how well this works with regards to improving motion resolution, so I don't know if I'd pay for it.

But be careful of the screen type used on the LCD's. Apparently some of the new Samsungs are using a glossy, plasma like screen. I have no idea why they would do this for LCD, to be honest. If this is the case I would choose an LCD without a glossy screen.

[N. Abstentia]

LCD. Best Buy usually has a 1080p 60hz Sony, LG, or Samsung on sale for $999 (I got the Sony...love it!). Use the extra $1000 to grab a BluRay player or upgrade your sound system.

[GMichael]

For your lighting, LCD is the best way to go. I don't know very much about the models involved. Could only give you my general opinion of brands. For LCD I would pick Sony first, then Pioneer, Panasonic, LG & Samsung. Visio has some cheap stuff, but I would avoid them unless you can't afford one of the more reliable brands. It seems to me that you have enough of a budget to get a name brand though.

[Smokey]

Distance from the screen would be around 7-9 feet.

For that distnace, a 1080p HDTV below 50 inch is not recommended. 60 inch would be ideal.

Here are few LCDs reviewed by ConsumerReports Magazine back in March:

http://forums.audioreview.com/showthread.php?t=30243

[Swish]

Was looking for a little help, on what TV y'all would recommend. I am looking to keep it under $2k and under 50". The use would be casual sports and TV, and movie watching. The viewing environment is, unfortunately, fairly bright during the day since there are two sky-lights in the room. Distance from the screen would be around 7-9 feet. I have read all the reviews I could find about the following TV's and I am happy with all of them, except for the Sony's.

I was hoping to find some personal experience and your opinions on the list below.

LCD's
Samsung LN46A750
Samsung LN46A650

Sony KDL-40XBR9
Sony KDL-40XBR7

Plasma
Panasonic TC-P50G10
Panasonic TC-P50S1

Samsung PN-50A650
Samsung PN-50A550

Thanks for reading
Skydiver
...all the suggestions and comments from the guys on this site. I could have dropped more than double than the $1299+ tax that I paid, but I'm quite happy and think you would be too. LCDs are just a bit too pricey and I really don't think the value is there, especially for your needs when you're saying 'casual' viewing. That's pretty much what mine will be used for.

Let us know what you decide.

[Mr Peabody]

Smokey, did you mean larger than a 50" is not recommended for sitting closer than 9'? Because sitting 7" away from a 60" seems a bit close to me. You know, up close and personal like. My user manual recommended 11" for further from the screen on my 62" I don't know if being DLP makes any difference.

[RoadRunner6]

I would go with the Panasonic TC-P50G10. The 2008 models (which I own) were considerably brighter than the 2007 models. The new 2009 models are even more bright. It is not necessary anymore to go the LCD route in a bright room. The new Panny plasmas are plenty bright. The PQ on SDTV is excellent, on HDTV is superb and on Blu-Ray is stunning! The Samsung models are now excellent, but I don't think you can surpass the reliability of the Panasonic displays.

[zepman1]

I would go with the Panasonic TC-P50G10. The 2008 models (which I own) were considerably brighter than the 2007 models. The new 2009 models are even more bright. It is not necessary anymore to go the LCD route in a bright room. The new Panny plasmas are plenty bright. The PQ on SDTV is excellent, on HDTV is superb and on Blu-Ray is stunning! The Samsung models are now excellent, but I don't think you can surpass the reliability of the Panasonic displays.

I don't know if its an issue of brightness, as I think almost any new plasma is going to be plenty bright (my brightness control is set at about 52% in ideal conditions so lots of room to increase). To me the bigger issue is reflections on the screen, which can be an issue with plasmas much more so than LCD. At least that is my impression with my plasma as I think it would be less than ideal in a bright room, simply because of reflections.

I do think the Panny's do a better job with their anti-reflective screens though. I preferred the Samsung for other reasons, and the screen was not an issue as the lighting in my room is 100% controlled. But I think Samsung (and LG for that matter) have a ways to go with their screens to match what Panasonic is doing. Despite improvements I still think plasmas have some shortcomings in brightly lit rooms. Maybe that just means you add the means to control the light better so you can get the best performance you can. No different that room treatments for audio...

[Smokey]

Smokey, did you mean larger than a 50" is not recommended for sitting closer than 9'? Because sitting 7" away from a 60" seems a bit close to me. You know, up close and personal like. My user manual recommended 11" for further from the screen on my 62" I don't know if being DLP makes any difference.

What makes a difference is TV's resolution (480, 720 or 1080).

If your Tv is 1080, then ideal distance (to capture maximum resolution by your eye) would be around 8 feet. I don't know about your user manual, but for sitting distance of 11 feet, recommended screen size would be 82 inches :D

Chech out this chart from SoundandVision magazine:

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/assets/download/0602_tech_talk2_large.jpg

[Skydiver]

Gent's

Thanks for the input... I was not aware of the glossy screen on the Samsung models that might be a deal buster for me. With all the light and the windows I am really concerned about reflections being an issue. Again thanks for the input, any other opinions are well appreciated. And the search continues.........

Skydiver

[zepman1]

Just be aware of the glossy screens. I am not 100% sure which models have them, but keep it in mind when looking at tvs because apparently some LCDs have gone that route which never used to be the case. All plasmas will have a glossy screen, but some are better than others. Panasonic is known for better screens.

[RoadRunner6]

I meant to say it was a combination of brightness and contrast. The 2009 G10 model has twice the contrast ratio as my 2008 model which I find plenty bright.

I do have a flat black bezel (the 2008 Costco version). I do hate this year's piano black bezel. I'll be glad when that fad is gone. How stupid to be concerned about reflections when the manufacturer puts a shiny black bezel around the screen. Almost can't find a display or computer monitor without the shiny black bezels. Too bad when fads are more important than performance. Yeah, they might look great when turned off and match your baby grand piano.

[Woochifer]

As RR said, the newer plasma panels have a much higher light output than before. Generally, the calibrated levels on a TV require you to bump down the light output settings even under bright light conditions. But, if the light output is a concern, then that might tilt the scales more towards LCD in your case.

Your list of TVs is quite a range. Between the Samsung and Panasonic plasmas, you do have some differences of opinion, but they both look great. I know that with last year's models, the Pannys had a higher light output, while some other posters prefer the Samsungs' colors.

Among the LCD manufacturers, the Sony XBR series gets it right with the video processing. But, they are expensive and a 40" screen might be small. I've been a lot less impressed with Sony's lower end models. The Samsung LCDs are well regarded, and I know a few people who own them and are happy with them. Generally, from top to bottom, their offerings are very competitive. But, with any TV, make sure that you calibrate the screen. With the settings set to the max bright torch mode, HDTVs will generally look horrible.

As others have mentioned, Samsung has gone to glossy screens with some of their LCD models, and the piano black bezels are very popular now.

[Woochifer]

I meant to say it was a combination of brightness and contrast. The 2009 G10 model has twice the contrast ratio as my 2008 model which I find plenty bright.

I do have a flat black bezel (the 2008 Costco version). I do hate this year's piano black bezel. I'll be glad when that fad is gone. How stupid to be concerned about reflections when the manufacturer puts a shiny black bezel around the screen. Almost can't find a display or computer monitor without the shiny black bezels. Too bad when fads are more important than performance. Yeah, they might look great when turned off and match your baby grand piano.

Things on the computer side have been trending towards glossy screens for a few years now. At retail stores, I can hardly find a laptop computer that uses a matte screen. And Apple has cut out the matte screen option for all but their high end models. It was only a matter of time before glossy screens found their way onto the TV side.

[N. Abstentia]

Things on the computer side have been trending towards glossy screens for a few years now. At retail stores, I can hardly find a laptop computer that uses a matte screen. And Apple has cut out the matte screen option for all but their high end models. It was only a matter of time before glossy screens found their way onto the TV side.

On the other hand, computer monitors with glossy screens are few and far between. Matte finish is the way to go, and I never understood why manufacturers put glossy screens on laptops. I specified no gloss screens on the last two laptops I ordered, they look so much better.

[RoadRunner6]

I wasn't talking above about the screens but the bezels. Most of the laptops and monitors as well as the bezels on the TV panel displays have the piano glossy black finish which is super reflective.

As far as the screens, I find my Panny plasma's newer anti-relfectiove screen very effective. I agree that the shiny screens on the laptops are the pits and the traditional finish is preferable.