TV questions for those in to home theatre stuff - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Gilly · #1 09-30-2011, 09:10 AM

Finally my wife is considering replacing or 32" crt TV (10 or more years old) with a new one, mainly because she wants to replace the entertainment center (TV hutch and shelves). What caught her eye is a place selling an entertainment center she likes which includes a 51" Samsung plasma, 720p TV. So looking for comments on that, I have read the reviews comparing plasma to lcd. An LED I think is not really around at this screen size right now. This would be a huge leap for me so don't want to rock the boat too much. I made a template last night to show my wife the dimensions of this particular TV and she is OK with it now, before she thought the size was over the top, but at the room size we have i thought 51 is about right, not too big or small really. In tiny rooms you can really go overboard with the screen size, I have to agree.
Now, the TV comes from Best Buy (not the same place selling the entertainment center). I was looking at the BB site last night and found the TV being offered. I also saw what I consider to be the same TV but in 1080p, and it runs $150 more, so I am wondering if it would be worth trying to talk BB in to letting me have the 1080p if I paid the difference?
The one in the deal is a PN51D450, on the 1080p just the last 3 numbers are different, it was a higher number I thought.
Will go with an HDTV plan from our carrier, just costs $5 more than we are at now, so no problem, I have that all researched.
Going looking later this morning so looking for any quick advice.
Thanks all!
Gilly

Brian Carlton · #2 09-30-2011, 09:37 AM

The 1080 TV's have a bit more resolution resulting in a sharper picture if you are watching content with high definition. Without HD, the extra resolution is wasted.

When I was shopping a 32" for the GF, I could not detect any difference between the 1080 sets and the 720 sets. It's very subtle.

Spending the extra money for 1080 isn't worth the cost unless you can appreciate the difference.

Gilly · #3 09-30-2011, 09:47 AM

Thanks Brian. Since we'll probably have THIS set another 10 yrs I was thinking on getting the best I can afford. I think I have myself talked in to 1080 already, we will be getting HD to go along with this set, since it so cheap for us to do it. Same contract, just an extra $5 for the receiver. But I will go to BB before deciding so I can see both.

Brian Carlton · #4 09-30-2011, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gilly

Thanks Brian. Since we'll probably have THIS set another 10 yrs............

Why do I have severe lingering doubts that the LCD's or the Plasmas haven't a prayer of lasting 10 years?

On the other hand, the 20" Sony...........20 year old.........refuses to allow me to buy one of the new monsters.............

Gilly · #5 09-30-2011, 10:16 AM

No, what I am getting at is that we don't replace stuff very often as our old 32" crt is over 10 yrs old, that this is how long we'll probably end up having the one we are considering. So I think my concern is just the opposite of what you are thinking. Get "more" tv than we need because we'll have it for awhile.

Brian Carlton · #6 09-30-2011, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gilly

No, what I am getting at is that we don't replace stuff very often as our old 32" crt is over 10 yrs old, that this is how long we'll probably end up having the one we are considering. So I think my concern is just the opposite of what you are thinking. Get "more" tv than we need because we'll have it for awhile.

Not at all...........

I just don't believe the new sets have sufficient durability to last 10 years. Therefore, making a decision as if it was a CRT might not produce the results you expect.

We'll see............

TwitchKitty · #7 09-30-2011, 11:04 AM

AVSforum.com was really good a few years ago. Haven't looked recently.

Hook up the antenna to the new TV, we get 37 HD channels over the air.

I am biased against plasma but shouldn't make much difference.

You need a new HDMI DVD player to fill the new screen, it's cheap. Don't waste your money on an expensive HDMI cable, $10 or so.

Gilly · #8 09-30-2011, 11:49 AM

Thanks to both.
Brian i totally misread your post. I thought you were asking ME why I thought I didn't think the plasma would last 10 yrs.

In my case, if the damn thing would break in 10 yrs at least we'd HAVE to replace it, as it is now this TV is so behind the times it belongs in a museum

AND still actually works just fine!

Will be heading out soon, thought I better sneek a look here quick for opinions.

We have a dvd and surround sound receiver now, it all works fine, it's all Sony stuff. But we might want to upgrade that now too. We're not interested in 3D, but might want to get BluRay/dvd combo which will put out surround sound w/o a seperate receiver to do it. Plus wireless rear speakers, so yeah we have a bit of upgrading to do if we do this.

I should maybe point out we don't do any gaming at all on it, or internet, just normal TV stuff. We might want to hang on to a VCR though, still have a lot of those, plus we don't have a DVR yet either, we might think of that if we updrade to HDTV, I think it's a fairly cheap add-on. We are still amazed by the free video on demand that we get just by upgrading to a digital plan, we weren't even on a digital plan til this week when they said it will cost us LESS than the old plan we were on! The music-only channels are pretty cool too. See, we are really behind the times. I thought they were going to be like MTV channels or something.

KarTek · #9 09-30-2011, 11:53 AM

I install commercial audio/video systems for a living. We have put in hundreds of monitors and most stay on 24x7. Our latest big job was RDU airport, replacing every monitor in the place. Over the years that I've been here, I have not seen a significant incident of failure among the brands we install. (NEC for the most part) Granted, these are commercial grade monitors.

That said, I still have my 1992 JVC CRT, 25" that I watch at home from around 10' away. It's on it's last legs (circuits?) now and I'm getting tired of chasing cold solder joints keeping it working so I'm going to jump to HD. I've pretty much settled for a full array LED backlit LCD, 1080p 47" from Vizio, the xvt3d474sv. I feel like it's the best compromise between future proof technology and price.

Dee8go · #10 09-30-2011, 12:02 PM

I have a Samsung 55" LED that is kick-ass. If you can swing the extra $, an AV receiver and a set of speakers is really worthwhile, if you're going to get the HD. I notice the audio benefits more than the video benefits of HDTV.

toomany MBZ · #11 09-30-2011, 01:48 PM

I've heard less than flattering things about plasma, longevity and heat, mostly.

LED/LCD seems the way to go, as mentioned, backlit.

LandYaghtLover · #12 09-30-2011, 01:51 PM

Not a fan of Plasma. They came a long way, but still dont last.

LCD is fine as long as it has an LED backlight. LCD will last a very, very long time as will the LED backlighting. An LCD with fluorescent backlighting may be more color accurate, but the lamps degrade over time causing slow warm-ups, yellow tinting and reduced lumen (brightness) in a matter of just a couple years.

MTI · #13 09-30-2011, 03:27 PM

I will take up the cause of plasma, once again.

Being a direct light source, as opposed to reflected (LED/LCD), I find plasma panels to be slightly superior in room with a fair amount of ambient light and where the "through the looking glass" effect is best.

Prior to last year, when I moved to AZ, my 50" Pioneer plasma panel was approximately in its 15th year of service. The sole repair was the replacement of a power supply two years ago, which Pioneer covered 100% due to a service campaign.

LED/LCD panels have greatly improved, both in contrast ratios (still behind plasma I believe), motion artifacts and viewing angles. They are also much more engergy efficient due to being reflective technology.

KarTek · #14 09-30-2011, 05:59 PM

I'm installing a pair of 50" plasma's as I write this: NEC 50XP10. They were recycled from a previous install a few years ago and they're still going strong. Other than being heavy - it takes 2 of us to lift one into place as opposed to the same size LED/LCD, they still look fine.

Also, don't forget with LED/LCD, there's edge lit and full array backlit. Edge lit being the cheaper choice but the industry is trying all kinds of exotic sounding technology to make the edge lit monitors perform as well as the full array units.

Yak · #15 09-30-2011, 07:32 PM

It sounds like your wife wants new furniture and you get a TV.

I've read where entertainment centers are already a dinosaur piece of furniture, so if the goal for the store is to sell the stock on hand, you may be able to negotiate the difference in the price or an upgraded TV. But that same logic may apply to the 720p. If those models aren't selling because the 1080p is in demand, they may not want to hold onto the lesser unit. (Disclaimer: I have an entertainment center and find it handy to hold my "stuff" and am not ready to go to a wall mount - although that's the trend).

After I upgraded to HD, I found that I didn't to want regular def TV. 720p is "entry level" HD, but still plenty sharp and crisp. You may find your image quality is most dependent on your carrier's compression and not the TV. They squeeze the signal in to save their bandwidth.

I'd recommend getting an over-the-air antenna, too, aka "rabbit ears" or rooftop antenna. OTA signals are frequently less compressed, they're free, and they let you take advantange of the local digital sub-channels. For example, a local station has a continuous weather radar feed on one of the x.1 or x.2 channels. If a storm is inbound, you tune over there. PBS has 4 channels in their band. The cable and satellite providers don't carry these.