T.V.s... what do you like and why?

[moves]

LCD?

PLASMA?

BRAVIA XBR?

SHARP AQUOS?

PANASONIC?

OTHERS?

I personally like the Aquos and the Bravia XBR series... the sony looks better but I've had a bad experience with SONY when the vega came out. It lasted one year and the tube broke. The warranty just ended and I had to fight for a reimbursement of some sort. I got $1200 back on a $2500 t.v. (at the time)... So as you can understand, I'm a little skeptic on the brand.

[GMichael]

I like projectors, because bigger really is better.

[moves]

oh yea I forgot to put that on the list. How much can you get a descent priced projector for?

[GMichael]

Paid $2000 for my 720p LCD back in the summer of 2006.
It looks like you can get a nice 1080p model for a little less than $2k now. http://www.projectorcentral.com/Sanyo-PLV-Z700.htm

[RoadRunner6]

If you want an LCD, the Sony Bravia is tops.

If you want the best all around TV (up to 58" at a reasonable price) for day and night watching with the most natural picture quality and color for TV broadcasts and movies, the Panasonic 1080p plasma is a no-brainer. Pioneer is great but too many bucks.

Don't judge by what you see in a brightly lit store. The super bright LCD's look impressive but that is way too bright for your home room. The new plasmas have plenty of brightness and a very natural cinema mode.

[pixelthis]

LCD is the way to go for most people, get one with a LED backlight of you can afford it.
DLP is the only contender for front projectors, and rear projectors as well.
REAR projectors are on life support, all are DLP now.
But if you are willing to put up with the hassle and compromises a rear projection DLP is the way to get a large picture at a good price.
I saw a Mitshubishi 65" on a shopping network for around 1600 bucks tonight,
in price per square inches you arent gonna beat that.
But overall LCD is the most conveinent, reliable, inexpensive, and IMHO,
the best picture, excepting maybe DLP.
And the market has spoken, there are only about two plasma makers left,
and dlp rear projection is on life support.

[JoeE SP9]

I'm with GMichael. I've been looking at projectors. I just love the idea of a picture that is as wide as the space between my front speakers. I will be using a pull down screen to give me that 8Ft diagonal picture. I certainly can't afford a plasma that size.

[JoeE SP9]

Thanks for the heads up pixelthis. A DLP front projector is what I've been thinking of anyway. You got any screen suggestions?

[Woochifer]

The current state of the market is Sony or Samsung if you want to go LCD. Keep in mind that Sonys are built in plants that they jointly operate with Samsung, so any reliability issues you had with their tube TVs don't apply here. If you go with the LED backlighting, you'll get the most performance benefit if you avoid the ultrathin edge-lit LED models (Samsung's new 7000, 8000, and 9000 series all use edge-lighting) and look for a model with sequential local LED dimming. Sharp used to rule the LCD roost until they ran into major color banding problems with their 120 Hz models a couple of years ago, and their sales nosedived as a result. Also, unless you go with Sony or Samsung, don't bother with the 240 Hz models, because only the Sony and Samsung models use an actual 240 Hz screen refresh rate.

If you go plasma, Panasonic or Samsung's the way to go. Or if you can find a good closeout deal on Pioneer, those sets remain the best performing HDTVs on the market even though Pioneer has announced that they will exit the TV business by early next year. Plasmas are generally a better value as you move up to the larger screen sizes, and they retain advantages over most comparably priced LCD models with their color accuracy, black levels, motion resolution, and wider viewing angle. But, if you have a brightly lit room, plasma might not work as well.

Right now is a good time to buy because so many new models have recently come out. This gives you a choice between closeouts on last year's models and the new arrivals. With the newer plasma models, they're measurably brighter and more energy efficient than last year's models. More of the newer LCD models incorporate properly designed 120 Hz refresh rates (supposedly, most of last year's 120 Hz LCDs were not optimally implemented), and LED backlighting.

As RR6 mentioned, don't go strictly by what you see in a brightly lit showroom. The optimal calibration levels for typical home viewing will be way different from what looks best in a bright room.

[Smokey]

Sharp used to rule the LCD roost until they ran into major color banding problems with their 120 Hz models a couple of years ago, and their sales nosedived as a result.

Sharp don't seem to have gotten over problems with their Aquos LCD lines. In the recent LCDs face-off, their LCD picture quality ranked much lower than Sony or Samsung.

But Panasonic seem to be making much headway with their new LCD models. As matter of fact, their 37 and 32 inch model LCDs ranked higher than Sony or Samsung.

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

[Auricauricle]

Me, I'm a vintage man!

[pixelthis]

Me, I'm a vintage man!

ME TOO!

[pixelthis]

Me, I'm a vintage man!

ME TOO!

[jvc]

I like DLP. It's the only way to get a screen size over 52" that's affordable (for me anyway).
I don't like plasma at all! I can't live with the reflective glass screen of a plasma. I had to put up with it all my life, on the old CRTs, because we didn't have a choice. That was the one thing I despised about my 36" JVC, I just got rid of. Now that we have a choice, I choose to not look at reflections............

If you can afford a good one, and have the room for it, a front projector is the ideal thing to have (except for regular tv viewing). It gives more of a theater experience. I have the room, but not the funds..........

[Kevio]

I don't like plasma at all! I can't live with the reflective glass screen of a plasma. I had to put up with it all my life, on the old CRTs, because we didn't have a choice. That was the one thing I despised about my 36" JVC, I just got rid of. Now that we have a choice, I choose to not look at reflections............

Vampire?

[jvc]

Lol.........

[GMichael]

I like DLP. It's the only way to get a screen size over 52" that's affordable (for me anyway).
I don't like plasma at all! I can't live with the reflective glass screen of a plasma. I had to put up with it all my life, on the old CRTs, because we didn't have a choice. That was the one thing I despised about my 36" JVC, I just got rid of. Now that we have a choice, I choose to not look at reflections............

If you can afford a good one, and have the room for it, a front projector is the ideal thing to have (except for regular tv viewing). It gives more of a theater experience. I have the room, but not the funds..........

I use my projectors for every day TV. It's great. And at $2000 for 106" of viewing goodness, the price is hard to beat. Both of mine are mounted to the celing. They take up next to no room at all. The one in the bedroom even has a powered drop down screen, so it takes up no room on the wall till it's time to use it.
The only drawback I can see for some is that the room must be dark. We have controlled lighting. It works great for us.

[jvc]

I use my projectors for every day TV.

You must have a lot more money than me, and everyone else I know. I don't know anyone that could afford to replace bulbs as often as you'll have to. If I had a projector, I'd only watch movies, concerts, and special sporting events (super bowl, etc.) on it. I don't know anyone with a projector, that uses it for everyday tv viewing. It must be nice...............
Enjoy!

[luvtolisten]

My vote is, LCD is the way to go. No reflection, doesn't run as warm as Plasma, no reflections from lights, widows, mother in law etc. No screens to pull down, no lights to turn off, shades to close. Just turn it on. Get horizational. Relax and enjoy.

[GMichael]

You must have a lot more money than me, and everyone else I know. I don't know anyone that could afford to replace bulbs as often as you'll have to. If I had a projector, I'd only watch movies, concerts, and special sporting events (super bowl, etc.) on it. I don't know anyone with a projector, that uses it for everyday tv viewing. It must be nice...............
Enjoy!

Both projectors came with extra bulbs. I have never had to buy one. Still have an extra one left. I did put up an extra display in the living room to save on bulb life, but rarely use it.

Oh, sold my Harley to buy the projectors. It was a deal I made with the wifey when we were building our house. The other half of the money went to quartz counter tops.

[pixelthis]

My vote is, LCD is the way to go. No reflection, doesn't run as warm as Plasma, no reflections from lights, widows, mother in law etc. No screens to pull down, no lights to turn off, shades to close. Just turn it on. Get horizational. Relax and enjoy.

THANK YOU!!!

[luvtolisten]

You're welcome.

[kelsci]

I have been viewing this 37 inch Toshiba Regza that was bought to me as a present. My brother tried to get a Sony model but the store was out of stock but he claimed this Toshiba played just as well. Overall, I cannot complain. There are no reflections onto this screen. I think the color quality reproduced is very natural and reminiscent of a good digital camera like the best pictures taken on a Nikon D90 or a real good Kodak model depending on the quality of the program being shown(I have direct tv). I think the blacks are excellent on this set. My brother has a Samsung 5054 Plasma which plays quite well, but I think this set outplays it however the Samsung is a larger screen but it is a great tv in its own right. In the case of the Samsung, the greens seem to take on there own green color as if the phosphors that make up the green plasma in the Samsung do not really render a true color "green" whereas the Toshiba's rendering of green and for that matter all colors rendered appear to be spot on. I have not noticed any motion judder with the Toshiba. The Regza's come with a 14 bit processor against the 10 bit in their standard sets. Although I have never looked at a standard Toshiba set, I get a gut feeling that this processor very well controls video functions putting this set in a "straight wire without gain"category, videowise. I have some pics posted at http://www.kelsci3.blogspot.com of which I will eventually do a write-up of this set.

[blackraven]

Personally, I would go with a Sony XBR4, XBR5 or Samsung. I own a Sony XBR4 and the picture is fantastic. If you don't have to worry about glare then one of the higher end Panasonic Plasma's would be great.

Put a Sony XBR or top Samsung (I can't remember the model) up against Toshiba's, LG, and Sharps and its no contest which has the better picture. Samsungs tend to handle SD pictures better though.

[luvtolisten]

Put a Sony XBR or top Samsung (I can't remember the model) up against Toshiba's, LG, and Sharps and its no contest which has the better picture. Samsungs tend to handle SD pictures better though.[/QUOTE]



I would agree. I went out shopping a little over ago, and thought Sony and Samsung had the best picture for comparative models. I ended up buying the Samsung, with all things being equal, because it was 20% less than the Sony at that time.