LCD or Plasma for HTPC Setup?

[LA_MERC_DocSparky]

Andy, Dirge, MadMax.... anyone?

I've been running an old 32" Princeton Graphics monitor in my living room hooked up to my HTPC, but the time has come to move to something larger, thinner and higher resolution (800x600 doesn't cut it). I was originally dead set on getting an LCD due to the burn-in issue, but now I'm see some really good deals on 50" plasmas. So is it a real issue anymore with screen savers and anti-burnin features?

Any recommendations in the 42" - 50" range would be appreciated. I'm not Mr Moneybags, so cheaper is better if the set is decent quality (not interested in a FuManChu brand TV at the moment).

[LA_MERC_sLingbLade]

We are very happy with our new 50" plasma- Its a Phillips and we got it at Best Buy. Picture quality is very good, we thought about going bigger but having to choose from the middle of the road brands anything bigger than 50" seemed grainy to us. Our's has a screen saver so when you pause tivo for more than 30 seconds it pops up so Im not worried about it. It also has 2 hdmi ports 3 usb connections and the component video inputs, as well as the other standard s-video hook ups. All in all I love it and have no complaints. I can post the model # when I get home if you want. I believe we paid 1250.00 for it.

[LA_MERC_T4rg3T]

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=6561161

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5633686

[LA_MERC_DocSparky]

Sling, thanks for the info. It looks like you must have the Phillips 50PFP5332D. Nice looking display.

Toby, those both look pretty good. I had considered this one from NewEgg (since they have it on sale):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889101094

Do you have either of the ones you posted?

[LA_MERC_T4rg3T]

A friend of mine has the Vizio and they are nice displays.

The sharp aquos is nice but if I was you, I would look to buy one locally. You can go pick it up plus get a warrenty through the store.

This one below is equal to the aquos and has got better reviews in most places.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8251447&st=LNT4661F&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1169512521541

[LA_MERC_goose]

My uncle has the 40" Vizio from Wally World ... very nice picture. I'm looking for the 50" myself. Problem I'm gonna run into is placement ... damn walls.

[LA_MERC_Shadow]

I just got the 50" Vizio Plasma from sam's for about $1200. It's been great for me and the picture looks great. It's heavy like all plasma's and it goes up to 1080i which is good enough for me.

[LA_MERC_DocSparky]

It seems like a lot of people have the Vizios and with the lower price, you can understand why. Is it worth an additional $400 or so to get a Samsung, Sharp or low end Sony (high end is outrageously priced)? I know that the answer is always going to be subjective, but I guess what I'm asking is whether there was a noticeable difference in quality (real world) and durability in the Vizio brand. My wife is skeptical of the Vizio brand, but I've heard nothing but good things about it.

I really like the 47" 1080p Vizio LCD at Walmart, but the contrast ration of 1000:1 is not the best. I guess the second choice at this point is the 50" Samsung Plasma (which will be on sale this weekend for around $1400. For some reason I still put a lot of weight on the 1080p vs 720p of the plasmas.

BTW, thanks for all of the feedback on this. It's great to get the different perspectives.

[LA_MERC_T4rg3T]

1000:1 was the standard of regular dynamic contrast ratio. If you look at the Sony Bravio's, their contrast ratio is not high either.

When you start seeing a high contrast ratio is when you start looking at "Dynamic" contrast ratio, unless you are looking at Plasma's. There is the new Samsung LED LCD that has a 500,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. I guess it really depends on how much you want to spend. Most regular people won't see much of a difference in the Vizio and the Samsung/Sharps. I do like that Samsung I posted that is at Bestbuy. Plus, I would rather buy local than order something like an LCD over the internet.

[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

Plus, I would rather buy local than order something like an LCD over the internet.

I agree,, when it comes to large items like that, its easier to deal with the local vendor than an online vendor... If you get a service contract from a place like Best buy, its even easier to get problems resolved.

[LA_MERC_MadMAX]

If you are going to hook to a PC I would go w/ LCD over Plasma due to burn in issues...

That's just me though.

[LA_MERC_Spark]

A quick word on Vizio.. I don't own one, but we have two at the office. One of them has been fine, but the other stopped working twice in 12 mos. Not a big deal, but when my Dad went to have his TV serviced (not a vizio.. cant remember what it is) The service people said that Vizio is "the worst" as far as reliability. Not sure how acurate that info is, but thought I'd share.

[LA_MERC_Shadow]

Well, like I said, I have it but only for a couple of months. I read some reviews on the internet and picked up the consumer reports and all of them recommended the vizio as a good buy. But I'll have to check on the reliability issue, I don't remember their exact rating for that section. The contrast ratio on mine I believe is 15000:1 and it's 1080i. But you might want to check some other sites for issues with the vizio brand if you're worried.

[LA_MERC_T4rg3T]

Well, like I said, I have it but only for a couple of months. I read some reviews on the internet and picked up the consumer reports and all of them recommended the vizio as a good buy. But I'll have to check on the reliability issue, I don't remember their exact rating for that section. The contrast ratio on mine I believe is 15000:1 and it's 1080i. But you might want to check some other sites for issues with the vizio brand if you're worried.

Shadow, Did you get the plasma or lcd?

[LA_MERC_Shadow]

Plasma. I talked to some people and they all told me that the burn in issue had been resolved. But I didn't really check into it. I'm gonna see how it goes. I just didn't think it was worth it to spend the money on the LCD for the 1080p when I'm not going to use the 1080p b/c it's not broadcast on the cable and I'm not going to spend 400 on a new dvd player.

[LA_MERC_Dirge]

I personally would go DLP if you don't have to wallmount it. Sepnd the extra for a Samsung or Toshiba, they lead the market in DLP chip development.

Vizio scares me. Plasma is a bad choice for PC due to burn-in. Visit the NOLA airport for examples. LCD gives too much screen door effect in black, imo.

I have a 52" DLP Toshiba that has been very good to me.

[LA_MERC_Captain_Obvious]

"It's the Mirrors"

[LA_MERC_Heater]

I got a Samsung LED 56inch LCD and it is awsome..great way to go.

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

I have a 61" Samsung DLP and it is BAD ASS! PERIOD!

[LA_MERC_MadMAX]

If you're running a PC on a plasma make sure you autohide the Taskbar, and hide the icons...

The burn in issue is "better" but not "fixed" as it's inherent to the technology - plasmas will always burn in - what has really gotten better is the ability to remove burn in, but it's pretty much a 24 hr. process - either use the built in features of the tv (not sure how good they will be on a "vizio" or set the channel to something with white noise (static) for a day and it'll go away.

[LA_MERC_T4rg3T]

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/462055610

Free shipping and no sales tax. About $800 less than the next cheapest site. It could actually be a misprint. Rated at one of the best lcd's on the market under the top Sony Bravia series

[LA_MERC_th33_r00k]

And from Montana....how could it be bad?

[LA_MERC_DocSparky]

I've pretty much settled on the Samsung 46" LCD at Best Buy. I've got one of the 12% coupons that should help out as well. Like several have said, it is nice to be able to bring it back if there are any issues. The reward zone will also kick back a few bucks.

The Sammy 120 Hz models are incredibly sweet, but I'm pushing it (money wise) to get this model. Balancing the 1080p and burn-in issues with my kids leaving it on the desktop by accident, I decided to go with the LCD. There are so many nuances to selecting what is best for any one person, but all of the suggestions really helped out. Many thanks.

[LA_MERC_MadMAX]

Rated at one of the best lcd's on the market under the top Sony Bravia series

Not surprising considering Samsung makes the LCD Panels for Sony TV's

:)

[LA_MERC_T4rg3T]

I've pretty much settled on the Samsung 46" LCD at Best Buy. I've got one of the 12% coupons that should help out as well. Like several have said, it is nice to be able to bring it back if there are any issues. The reward zone will also kick back a few bucks.

The Sammy 120 Hz models are incredibly sweet, but I'm pushing it (money wise) to get this model. Balancing the 1080p and burn-in issues with my kids leaving it on the desktop by accident, I decided to go with the LCD. There are so many nuances to selecting what is best for any one person, but all of the suggestions really helped out. Many thanks.

What 12% coupons?

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

What 12% coupons?

No shiot, where do we commoners get such a coupon?

[LA_MERC_DocSparky]

What 12% coupons?

I'm a reward zone member at Best Buy (free membership), so they will send out 12% coupons periodically. I got this one because my birthday is this month. Pretty sweet though since it took $210 off the price. You can also find them at places like Fat Wallet and http://www.techbargains.com/ . They are 10% off coupons for RZ members and 12% otherwise.

[LA_MERC_WBHighwind]

If you look at the technologies, plasma is superior to LCD, however LCD has closed the gap over the last few years. Initially, plasma was the only way to get really good black levels that didn't blend with other colors, but LCD has grown to basically make this point nonexistent. The only way you will see a difference between plasma and LCD is when you get into really big sizes such as 50" and above. If you are buying a tv thats smaller then 50" or so, definitely go with an LCD because its so much cheaper. Plasma is more expensive in general, and as said before, you wont notice much of a difference.

That being said, 1080p also falls into the same category. You might notice the difference in the larger sizes, but with the smaller ones, 1080i is just fine. My Samsung LCD actually has a native resolution of 720p which means it downgrades the 1080i signal and I think it looks just fine.

As for the vizios, Ive been playing Halo 3 on a 42" vizio all day today and the picture quality is surprisingly amazing. Broadcast tv is also done very well on it compared to other LCDs out there. Some HDTVs seem to sacrifice a little in the standard def.

Go with an LCD, but beyond that, your just going to have to find a store with that tv in it and see it for yourself to figure out what you like.