My Fiancee and I are looking to buy a new tv sometime in the near future, but we are kind of at a loss as to what type we should be getting.
There are currently some great deals on big plasmas about (50 inch for <2k) but we have some concerns about them, running cost and energy usage, screen life, burn in and other things.
Also we aren't sure what brand we are looking at either, we have seen Samsungs that we like the look of, but Sony and LG are also very good looking.
We are looking for something about 46 inch or bigger, and our budget is about 2.5k~
If you can wait, wait till after xmas to get a really good deal. Right now all the electronics stores are trying to grab a piece of the apple pie. Though you may get a really good deal, but it all depends on what you consider a good deal and time wise.
personally bought the 46" Series 7 Samsung LCD after my honeymoon earlier this year, and still do not have one single regret. except for not being able to change the TV volume when the audio is going through an amp, but thats pretty minor really. colour is about as good as LCDs get, the 200hz motionplus is awesome for documentaries etc, PS3 seems to love it also.
also at the moment they are doing their deal where you get a bonus 22" or 26" lcd tv if you buy certain models (not sure if the tv i have is one of them). so yeah i would go a samsung myself.
For a long life time aswell as Feature// Quality, go with Panasonic or Sony. Sony handles better on the LCD side with 37inchs and higher, but in the Plasma range Panasonic wins.
Plasma has a longer life time then LCD, aswell as a faster processing rate, where as LCD can sometimes lose picture quality on fast-pace videos with alot of camera movement involved, but is dependable whether or not your using 100mhz or 200mhz True-motion//Motion-plus.
Plasma is better for bigger screens like 42 inch and up and handles better with colours, where as LCD has way to much colour saturation, but the images on an LCD are much sharper which makes LCD the best buy if your going to be using your TV for Console Gaming aswell as your general home entertainment.
Panasonic are awesome, no question, but once you start talking about over 50 inch screens I don't think they're worth the extra premium they demand.(ed) EDIT: new models out now are LOTS cheaper.
I have a Panasonic 42 inch, and if I were buying a 50 inch I'd probably also buy a Panasonic. However, when I was buying my big telly, I just couldn't come at the extra $5k that a Panasonic 60+ inch screen was going to cost, so I bought the Samsung 63 inch and have been 100% happy with my choice for almost a year now.
A mate has an LG 60 inch, and when I saw it next to my 63inch Samsung in the store, the picture looked average by comparison. In his home without the other TV next to it, it still looks like great value for money at around $4k for 60 inches.
Horses for courses.
All that said, you should be able to pick up a Panasonic full HD 50 inch plasma for around your budget, so that's where my money would be.
I have nfi about my power bill with plasma vs power bill without plasma. I've had a plasma since I moved in here.
I have 2 PC's and a laptop on 24/7, as well as the aircon sometimes, and roof fan all night. Lights probably about regular, and TV on all evening every evening. Most weekends, too.
Just got my latest bill; $350 for 3 months. I have no idea if this helps you or not. :P
Wow First time I have seen a thread anywhere in regards to Panel TV's and been able to agree with the recommendations that everyone has given and not had to read I know better than you blah blah blah, Plasma blah blah LCD blah blah. For LCD Sony is traditionally the best and most expensive and Samsung is the best value for money while still having fantastic picture quality. For Plasma it is Pioneer for best and Panasonic for value while again still having fantastic picture quality. I am not a huge fan of LG as reliability wise they have not been anywhere near as good as the other four brands mentioned. A good sales person will also try and sell you and extended warranty, cables and some form of power protection. Warranty's can be good value and it is well worth geting power protection but be careful with cable selection. It is a good idea to buy decent quality but spending hundreds of dollars on them is a waste of money.
The other thing to remember is when you get the TV home you don't have one sitting alongside it to compare it too so the difference is not as noticeable and they also always look bigger once you get them home as well.
Tell me true, tell me why, was Jesus crucified Is it for this that Daddy died? Was it for you? Was it me? Did I watch too much T.V.? Is that a hint of accusation in your eyes?
Yeh, LG arnt that good for reliability. The 62" LG was fine for 4 years of heavy use at my olds... had some blue marker on the screen appear one day and they replaced it with a brand new 72". Due to nice 5 year warranty. The 72" seems to be holding up a lot better, i guess due to new technological input. As previously mentioned all the features it has is nice... BUT we run the computer and AMP through it, so in the end its just a screen for the computer (which has a dual dig TV in card).
Yeh and as hellspawn said, sales people will try rip you on cabling, i would recommend buying most of your cables from ebay... I can still remember a JB sales person trying to sell some 150 buck 1m digital sound cable my brother, who is a telecoms engineer, telling him that it will increase the sound output through the cable... Still creds for trying :P
Individual choice backed up by the experiences of others. It boils down to what you want and what you can afford. Personally I have the 42" Panasonic and think it is great. It was purchased form one of 'those salesman' (Hellspawn) who sold me extended warranty which came to play about 4 months ago. I now have the latest HD 42" Panasonic Viera Plasma. So even happier now. I also will extend on what Hells said about cables and will add one more thing. Are you going to mount the TV on a wall or place it on a stand. I prefer wall and would recomend that if it is an available option to you. Make sure you get a good bracket (around the $250 mark should do) and then factor in Displacement from the wall, HDMI cables are a pain even if you use the T - Junctions. I am curently looking for another 3cms of space to accomodate more HDMI (thanks Austar)
Quote from craZy C;373613: HDMI cables are a pain even if you use the T - Junctions. I am curently looking for another 3cms of space to accomodate more HDMI (thanks Austar)
What do you mean by T-Junctions??? You mean the right-angle plugs???
To get that extra 3cm, why not mount a 3cm piece of MDF/Pine between the bracket and the wall??? Longer bolts should help do the job.
Quote from BrAiN DaNcE;373558: Just wondering for all you guys who got a plasma, what are the running costs like? any examples per month/powerbill?
Think it might be worth dropping a few extra dollars to get an LCD/LED and make it back on the running costs over time?
I can't help you there either on the power front, they are supposedly big chewers of the juice, but my power bill is $600-1000 per quarter anyway (we have no gas available).
If I really cared how much a 63 inch telly was going to cost to run though, I probably wouldn't have been spending that kind of money on a TV.
Power bills in wa are going up, really fast, so it's just something we are keeping in mind. If the difference in cost between a plasma and an LCD is say 50 bucks a month, over two years that adds up to 1200~ and I'd hope to keep a big telly round for longer than that.
Sigh, think I might just wait for the after Xmas sales, see if we can get a bargain on something