School me on TV's (really confused)

[01XJ]

Me and the wife are in the market for a new TV. We know we want a 42". Now when we start to get in to the more technical junk is where i get lost and have no idea what im doing.

I have searched the net for my answers and read for hrs but as usual i get conflicting info. so to start out i have determined that a 120hz TV V.S the 60hz is much better? and thats what i want? would this be right or is a 60hz going to be just fine?

Second is the contrast ratio, I have been told to just forget about that number and not worry about it and yet i have been told not to go under 100,000.1? Now i have seen TV's in the store that were as low as 50,000.1 and the picture was awesome! and some that were up as high as 120-140.000.1 and the picture wasn't great.

Now the big thing on my mind that im having a really hard time is the 720p or 1080p? I dont do gaming but we will be using a mix of DVD and Blu-ray and i have been told using bluray you will want 1080p and i have been told you wont notice a difference between the 2 unless the TV is over 50" so on a 42" 1080 isnt worth the extra 100-400+ bucks? is this true

Now we move in to another thing...plasma's! I went and looked at a 42" plasma 720p 600hz and the and picture was AMAZING and it was hooked up to a bluray. it was playing avatar and it was flawless in my eyes. The colors were bright the whites were outstanding and the blacks were deep and dark but then i get back to the issue of it being a 720p. But even at 720p it was awesome

Then on plasmas i get told DO NOT BUY!!! they emit tons of heat,the have problems of image burning etc. Like when my kids watch Nick and it has the "logo" in the corner that never moves and stays in one spot, i have been told that things like that will burn in to the screen? and was also told that after 2-3yrs the picture quality really starts to die off? But then i read those issues are a thing of the past and they dont do that anymore? But some salesmen insist they do?

Now we get in to L.E.D TV's? pretty much only thing i have noticed between them and a LCD is the colors are a little brighter and deeper but pretty sure the extra money for a L.E.D isn't worth it? or is it?

Now is there any brands to "Stay" away from? so far i have found that i like Vizio. The options and the picture and specs really attract me to them and i have been told Vizio used to suck but they are a great TV now days. I like Sony but you pay a lot more for them. I really like samsung,LG,even Zenith.

I'm sorry for the long ranting post but this will be a TV we will have for yrs and i want to make sure when i drop 700 bucks that its going to be decent. so if any of you out there could really school me on these questions that would be great

 

[skippy]

I have a 42 inch LG lcd 1080p and I love it all those numbers i have no idea what they mean i walked into the store looked them all over and chose the one i thought had the best picture for a reasonable price....I kinda think your overthinking the whole thing

I have also been told to stay away from plasma TVs so we did.

 

[Brian P]

Are you against DLP?
We have a 60" Mitsubishi DLP 1080 blah blah blah... But we love it.
The only thing I can see that you may not like, You cant hang it on the wall.

 

[mesha]

I have never bought a tv. My brother in law loves electronic stuff so he buys it and then when he moves he gives it to me for free. Happened twice now. First was a 65 inch this time was a 60 inch I think. I would suggest going that route

 

[Caleb]

Every person I know (myself included) that has the 120hz TVs, has it turned off or down. I can't stand how it makes movies, shows, etc look. Also, depending on your source, you may have audio sync problems.

Most people will never be able to the difference between 720p and 1080p with most shows. Some high action shows or dark scenes you may be able to see, but the majority of your viewing, you will never tell a difference. Also, most HD programming is no higher than 720p. I used to always say not to worry about 1080p unless you've got the extra money, however, the prices are quite similar now, so buy the TV that makes sense to you. Also, just an FYI, DVDs are only 480p.

Plasmas will always have deeper richer colors, but LCDs have come a long way and the LCDs will last longer than plasmas. Plasmas kind of seem to be dying off. Plasmas do have burn in issues, but they won't burn in images of (like your example) the Nick logo. If there is movement behind that image, you won't get burn-in. Now if your kids are play their playstation, pause the game and leave it, you can very easily get burning from that. Granted, it's not going to happen in a few minutes, it will take hours to really burn in. Also, the burn-in will be worse if it's a high contrast, like a white logo on and black background. LEDs are quite nice, but you do pay a premium for them.

 

[01XJ]

Every person I know (myself included) that has the 120hz TVs, has it turned off or down. I can't stand how it makes movies, shows, etc look. Also, depending on your source, you may have audio sync problems.

Most people will never be able to the difference between 720p and 1080p with most shows. Some high action shows or dark scenes you may be able to see, but the majority of your viewing, you will never tell a difference. Also, most HD programming is no higher than 720p. I used to always say not to worry about 1080p unless you've got the extra money, however, the prices are quite similar now, so buy the TV that makes sense to you. Also, just an FYI, DVDs are only 480p.

Plasmas will always have deeper richer colors, but LCDs have come a long way and the LCDs will last longer than plasmas. Plasmas kind of seem to be dying off. Plasmas do have burn in issues, but they won't burn in images of (like your example) the Nick logo. If there is movement behind that image, you won't get burn-in. Now if your kids are play their playstation, pause the game and leave it, you can very easily get burning from that. Granted, it's not going to happen in a few minutes, it will take hours to really burn in. Also, the burn-in will be worse if it's a high contrast, like a white logo on and black background. LEDs are quite nice, but you do pay a premium for them.

Thanks for this info its just what i needed

I kinda think your overthinking the whole thing

.

ya thats what the wife says!! She says.... "damn it just go in to the store find one that has a great pic and buy it!" she is like dont worry about numbers and all that crap

 

[TRNDRVR]

AMAZON.COM

 

[Jay5.9L]

I really comes down to what you want to spend. The specs are a good starting point but are not the final word in how a TV looks. Here are the basic I have learned as I was shopping:
1. Try and get 1080P. On larger sets you can see the difference. Also since your watching Blu-rays you will be able to see it in its natural resolution.
2. Faster is better to a degree. Some 120 hz and the newer 240 or even 480 hz can look a little artificial. I turned off the "smooth motion" feature on my 120 hz and it looks great.
3. LED is the next generation of LCD. Its more expensive and can bring better picture/ lower power costs, higher contrast, and thinner design. Still a really high quality LCD can look better than a shitty LED.
4. Plasma are better than they used to be. They run cooler, more efficiently, and are harder to burn in. They on the average look better (blacker blacks, etc) than a LCD/LED.
On average they run at 600 hz and have no motion problems associated with LCDs. Most have a shiny screen which looks great in the dark but reflects light. I consider a LCD/LED a better family room TV and the Plasma a better theater TV where the room light is controlled.

DLP is a dying technology and only a few companies make them. They are a way to get a huge ass TV for little money. A neighbor has a new 60" mits and it looks "nice". They are still a rear projection style so the case is still thick and the bulbs need to be replaced after they go poof. Around back friday I saw a 60" DLP that ws 1080P, 3D ready, etc., etc. for $599. To get that in a LED would cost 4 times that.

 

[Brett]

Every person I know (myself included) that has the 120hz TVs, has it turned off or down. I can't stand how it makes movies, shows, etc look. Also, depending on your source, you may have audio sync problems.

Is this what makes them look like it's showing a video game? My parents bought a new TV and I think it looks weird as eff compared to my TV, like a fake picture.

 

[Brett]

NM.....read the post by Jay....makes sense now. Now to turn off whatever it is on their TV without them noticing lol

 

[Jay5.9L]

LOL go into the settings and look for stuff like smooth motion, dejutter, enhanced blah blah, etc. With smooth motion my TV looked like I was watching a pan and scan (when they cut down a wide screen movie to fit a 4:3 tv and have to scan left or right to keep the actor inview) cable movie.

Cnet has some good reviews but televisioninfo.com really goes into detail.

 

[Brett]

LOL go into the settings and look for stuff like smooth motion, dejutter, enhanced blah blah, etc. With smooth motion my TV looked like I was watching a pan and scan (when they cut down a wide screen movie to fit a 4:3 tv and have to scan left or right to keep the actor inview) cable movie.

Cnet has some good reviews but televisioninfo.com really goes into detail.

That's EXACTLY how my parents TV looks. Drives me nuts when I see it. They think it looks great, me...like a video game.

 

[N-Smooth]

4 years ago we got a 50" panasonic viera plasma 720p with the glare shield on it and i have never wanted more. the tv has been GREAT and it actually won 1st place IIRC as a quality buy in consumer reports that year. i have played games for hours and things that stay on the screen the whole time will still appear for maybe a minute when you change it back to normal tv. the salesman at rc willey when i bought it had to be the most knowledgeable guy ever and he said permanent burn-in is a thing of the past. 1080p IMO is not worth it unless you are a video freak. i love movies but i have never thought "Oh man i wish i would have spent the extra hundreds and gotten a 1080p!"

FWIW my bro-in-law got the same tv minus the extra stereo speaker and glare-shield and his experience has been the same as mine... he loves it

my $0.02

 

[Woodenspooner]

We bought a 52" LED Sony from RC Willey and from what I get the 1080 is how many pixels and the 60,120, or 240 Hz is how fast the screen loads. So you can have 1080 but if its a 60 hz then you wont get the picture that you should from the 1080.

The guy just showed me a football game and when I saw the yard lines drag across the screen I went with the more expensive one. I figure I don't want to buy another one any time soon I went with the 240hz w/ 1080 And I absolutely love the thing. Plus some the new TV's have wifi built in so thats sweet. JMHO

 

[thefirstzukman]

SAMs club has a 50" lg plasma that has dropped in price to around $775. I bought one and I love it, new technology that makes it thinner and run cool with less energy. Ours is on all of the time and is barely warm. Picture is great and I would recommend to anyone. If you can handle the 50" over a 42" I would give it a thought.

 

[gijohn40]

and here I just love my 55 inch Toshiba cinema series tv that I bought 12 yrs ago... man I need to upgrade my life....

 

[01XJ]

SAMs club has a 50" lg plasma that has dropped in price to around $775. I bought one and I love it, new technology that makes it thinner and run cool with less energy. Ours is on all of the time and is barely warm. Picture is great and I would recommend to anyone. If you can handle the 50" over a 42" I would give it a thought.

Well we ended up getting a 42" LG plasma. After hrs of searching and spending hrs at the store looking at pictures there was no way i could pass up this TV. The picture is amazing and has everything i will ever want in a tv. I felt the one at the store that had been running for 12hrs and it was not putting out hardly any heat. And they say that permanent burn in is a thing of the past that it takes a very long time for an image to burn in to a plasma now days. And for $320 bucks out the door brand new in the box i couldn't pass it up Now its on to surround sound shopping since i saved 400 bucks in our TV budget

Thanks for all the wonderful input and suggestions it was extremely helpful!

 

[YOUKNOW]

Details? What did you get and where?

 

[SLC97SR5]

Well we ended up getting a 42" LG plasma. After hrs of searching and spending hrs at the store looking at pictures there was no way i could pass up this TV. The picture is amazing and has everything i will ever want in a tv. I felt the one at the store that had been running for 12hrs and it was not putting out hardly any heat. And they say that permanent burn in is a thing of the past that it takes a very long time for an image to burn in to a plasma now days. And for $320 bucks out the door brand new in the box i couldn't pass it up Now its on to surround sound shopping since i saved 400 bucks in our TV budget

Thanks for all the wonderful input and suggestions it was extremely helpful!

Details, review, feedback??

 

[Jay5.9L]

Remember big screen TVs are like boob jobs......they are great when you get them home but eventually you will wish you went bigger .