Opinions Requested - new 50"+ LCD TV

Well, I'm going to replace my 11 yr old 51" Panasonic projector.
Not because it doesn't work, actually works very well. It's highest
resolution is 480p. I'll be shopping for a new LCD set equal in size
or slightly larger soon. Of course I want a great fast picture with
super high contrast. And reliability. I might spend around $3000 US.
What are some choices and their advantages?

Is plasma not an outgoing technology? And if it is what
ramifications would one expect for service?

Thanks for the reply. Panasonic is one of the handful
I give serious consideration.

At home I watch in low-light conditions.

I might watch 10 hours a week so the new set
will gather dust.

"Meat Plow" <mhywatt_at_yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:pan.2010.08.17.21.38.55_at_hahahahahahahah.nutz.I.am...

Well, I'm going to replace my 11 yr old 51" Panasonic projector. Not
because it doesn't work, actually works very well. It's highest
resolution is 480p. I'll be shopping for a new LCD set equal in size or
slightly larger soon. Of course I want a great fast picture with super
high contrast. And reliability. I might spend around $3000 US. What are
some choices and their advantages?

Panasonic's plasma sets generally get very good reviews, though their
claim of an "infinite black" doesn't match what Pioneer achieved in its
last and final Kuro models.

I've always liked Sony's better LCD sets. Quite a spectacular picture.

If the set has "local dimming", be sure it's shut off before judging the
picture.

Another thing... LCD sets with interpolated frames (a feature plasma
sets don't need) often turn a film image into something that looks like
videotape. Again, be sure this feature is turned off when evaluating the
set.

I doubt there are any 50" Kuros still around (and they went for $4K),
but you might look.

Although they require careful break-in, I'd look at plasma sets first.
They're better than LCD in every respect, except absolute brightness.
I've owned mine for over a year, and am still awed when I turn it on.

If you believe Consumer Reports, flat-screen sets, regardless of make,
model, or technology, are generally reliable.

Is plasma not an outgoing technology? And if it is what ramifications
would one expect for service?

Not at all. Several companies manufacture plasmas, and no one has said
anything about discontinuing them. Pioneer made expensive models, and
dropped out for several reasons, one of which was the bad economy.


Thanks for the reply. Panasonic is one of the handful I give serious
consideration.

No problemo. Perhaps others will have more-specific suggestions.

I assume you know to make sure the set is adjusted for normal viewing,
and not set at the "eye blasting" factory-default levels.

Well I'm going to replace my 11 yr old 51" Panasonic projector.
Not because it doesn't work, actually works very well. It's highest
resolution is 480p. I'll be shopping for a new LCD set equal in size
or slightly larger soon. Of course I want a great fast picture with
super high contrast. And reliability. I might spend around $3000 US.
What are some choices and their advantages?

Ah, but what glorious dust. The best Blu-ray disks -- and
even cable shows -- are spectacular.

Yeah, can't wait. I guess I have to wait, won't have the $$$ for
a month or so. My bedroom 32" HDTV is quite a thrilling watch
albeit only capable of 1080i. But I get tired of being cramped up
in the bedroom watching from a high back leather office chair.
And the 32 isn't large enough to watch from 10 feet away in
my living room.

At home I watch in low-light conditions.

So a plasma set will be okay.


I might watch 10 hours a week so the new set will gather dust.

Ah, but what glorious dust. The best Blu-ray disks -- and even cable
shows -- are spectacular.

Which set did you have?

I'm trying to avoid as much shopping as possible.
Demos can be deceiving and I wouldn't mind paying a little extra and buy
from the local appliance and electronics store than say Best Buy or
WalMart.

And a 60" isn't out of the realm of possibilities. 50" was just a
starting point. I was curious about these new Sharp 4 color sets too.

Just don't know if the technology is too virgin to be reliable.

On Wed, 18 Aug 2010 07:08:07 -0700, William Sommerwerck wrote:

Ah, but what glorious dust. The best Blu-ray disks -- and even cable
shows -- are spectacular.

Yeah, can't wait. I guess I have to wait, won't have the $$$ for a
month or so. My bedroom 32" HDTV is quite a thrilling watch albeit only
capable of 1080i. But I get tired of being cramped up in the bedroom
watching from a high back leather office chair. And the 32 isn't large
enough to watch from 10 feet away in my living room.

Sitting 6' from a 60" display is one of life's great sensual pleasures.
It ain't Cinerama, * but it sure beats a "big, enormous 12 inch screen"
("Little Shop of Horrors").

One other thing you might want to consider... When testing sets, try
turning the Sharpness control all the way up, and seeing what happens.

I mention this because I like ultra-razor-sharp images. "Home Theater"
magazine recommends setting the Sharpness on a Pioneer Kuro to -15. Not
centered at zero, but minus 15 -- all the way down.

Mine is set to +15 -- all the way up. What's remarkable is that this
setting produces zero -- yes, zero -- overshoot, undershoot, or ringing.
And if the source suffers from excessive edge enhancement ("Gladiator",
for example), it's not exaggerated.

Along the same lines... Make sure every form of "enhancement" is turned
off. If the set doesn't produce a good image on its own, it's unlikely
image processing will help.

* One of the demo disks you'll want is the digitally spliced-together
edition of "How the West Was Won". It's taken directly from the camera
negatives, and in everything but sheer size, totally blows away what you
see in a Cinerama theater. The set includes both a rectilinear version,
and a "smilevision" version that curves the image to represent how it
would look on a Cinerama screen. Get "2001" and "The Searchers", too.

Which set did you have? I'm trying to avoid as much shopping as possible.
Demos can be deceiving and I wouldn't mind paying a little extra and buy
from the local appliance and electronics store than say Best Buy or
WalMart. And a 60" isn't out of the realm of possibilities. 50" was just
a starting point. I was curious about these new Sharp 4 color sets too.
Just don't know if the technology is too virgin to be reliable. I'll have
the cash so a reasonable price is not as important as these other factors.
Would be cool to have some bells and whistles like a tcp/ip connection
for streaming video. Already have a decent Sony / Infinity 5:1 audio in
place.

Well I'm going to replace my 11 yr old 51" Panasonic projector.
Not because it doesn't work, actually works very well. It's highest
resolution is 480p. I'll be shopping for a new LCD set equal in size
or slightly larger soon. Of course I want a great fast picture with
super high contrast. And reliability. I might spend around $3000 US.
What are some choices and their advantages?





--
Live Fast, Die Young and Leave a Pretty Corpse

Ah, but what glorious dust. The best Blu-ray disks -- and even cable
shows -- are spectacular.

Yeah, can't wait. I guess I have to wait, won't have the $$$ for a
month or so. My bedroom 32" HDTV is quite a thrilling watch albeit only
capable of 1080i. But I get tired of being cramped up in the bedroom
watching from a high back leather office chair. And the 32 isn't large
enough to watch from 10 feet away in my living room.

Sitting 6' from a 60" display is one of life's great sensual pleasures.
It ain't Cinerama, * but it sure beats a "big, enormous 12 inch screen"
("Little Shop of Horrors").

One other thing you might want to consider... When testing sets, try
turning the Sharpness control all the way up, and seeing what happens.

I mention this because I like ultra-razor-sharp images. "Home Theater"
magazine recommends setting the Sharpness on a Pioneer Kuro to -15. Not
centered at zero, but minus 15 -- all the way down.

Mine is set to +15 -- all the way up. What's remarkable is that this
setting produces zero -- yes, zero -- overshoot, undershoot, or ringing.
And if the source suffers from excessive edge enhancement ("Gladiator",
for example), it's not exaggerated.

Along the same lines... Make sure every form of "enhancement" is turned
off. If the set doesn't produce a good image on its own, it's unlikely
image processing will help.

* One of the demo disks you'll want is the digitally spliced-together
edition of "How the West Was Won". It's taken directly from the camera
negatives, and in everything but sheer size, totally blows away what you
see in a Cinerama theater. The set includes both a rectilinear version,
and a "smilevision" version that curves the image to represent how it
would look on a Cinerama screen. Get "2001" and "The Searchers", too.

Which set did you have?

I have a 60" Pioneer Kuro, the final series. Not cheap -- and it was
sold only by specialist dealers.

I would look first /carefully/ at the Panasonic plasmas and Sony LCDs.
Avoid off-brands -- including Philips. I have a 32" Vizio in my den, and
when Comcast was transmitting QAM HD, it had a gorgeous picture -- with
an extremely wide viewing angle.

I'm trying to avoid as much shopping as possible. Demos can be
deceiving and I wouldn't mind paying a little extra and buy from the
local appliance and electronics store than say Best Buy or WalMart.

You might as well go to Costco.


And a 60" isn't out of the realm of possibilities. 50" was just a
starting point. I was curious about these new Sharp 4 color sets too.

Without going into colorimetry (which I don't fully understand, anyway),
color TV is based on three well-defined primaries. Adding another might
increase the range of colors that can be displayed, but they won't be
within the range of colors that are recorded by the camera. Just because
Captain Sulu is impressed, doesn't mean you should be.

Just don't know if the technology is too virgin to be reliable.

Heck, plasmas have been around almost 15 years, and LCDs of all sorts a
lot longer. The CU repair ratings are based on what their readers say,
so I'm inclined to believe them.

As you'll have the cash, that's all the /more/ reason for taking your
time and looking carefully. Make up your mind, and don't let anyone talk
you into anything.

"Meat Plow" <mhywatt_at_yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:pan.2010.08.17.21.38.55_at_hahahahahahahah.nutz.I.am...
Well I'm going to replace my 11 yr old 51" Panasonic projector. Not
because it doesn't work, actually works very well. It's highest
resolution is 480p. I'll be shopping for a new LCD set equal in size or
slightly larger soon. Of course I want a great fast picture with super
high contrast. And reliability. I might spend around $3000 US. What are
some choices and their advantages?





--
Live Fast, Die Young and Leave a Pretty Corpse


Have you considered a DLP? Huge screens are available (80"), and the
blacks are incredible.
I bought a Mitsubishi 65", have had it for 2 years, no problems. They
use less electricity than a
LCD or plasma, and I'm still running on the original bulb (replacement
cost, around $100).
They also have a line of LCD sets, but they are pricey. There's also
the LaserVue line, a DLP
with a LED instead of a bulb. Check it out.