TV priorities

[Orwellian]

I've been cruising forums and review sites for a bit, and finally just figured i'd ask the geniuses at anandtech

In the market for a TV. 46"ish range, ~$800ish on the price.

Priorities are:

Gaming
movies
will eventually have a htpc with internet surfing, emulators, streaming etc...

is the price range overly optimistic?
should I be hunting a plasma?
will i kick myself later if i buy less than 120hz?
I saw http://www.walmart.com/ip/Philips-47...4D-F7/11089878 at a walmart but they had none in stock, looks like I can get online. It had a slightly crisper picture and darker black than the vizio (same size/specs/$$$) next to it, but who knows on display TVs

any quick and dirty advice?

 

[s44]

How far are you sitting?

The first priority is size.

 

[0roo0roo]

he is right..size..unless u are sitting with your knees against the tv.

 

[Orwellian]

my couch is movable, living room is long. How far away I sit will depend on the TV. prolly 8' to 10' though

 

[NutBucket]

46" is too small for that distance

 

[Anubis]

IMO its best to simply ignore the proper screen size for viewing distance chart. especially if you have a budget

 

[s44]

At 8-10 feet you could get away with 46-47" (consider the LG 47LD520, right at your price point), but you should really be looking at 50+". Given that the next size up for LCD is generally 55" and that you need a higher-end LCD to compete with plasma picture-wise anyway, I'd consider 50" plasmas unless the room is prone to glare issues. You can get the Samsung C550 (1080p) for under a grand right now...

 

[muscles|]

^ This.

Are you open to getting a plasma or are you stuck on LCDs?

-muscles|

 

[Orwellian]

I'm not prejudiced against plasma. Really I can move the couch
back and forth. My last tv was a 37 and was fine at 6'-8' away and it was 720p

 

[Fallen Kell]

With gaming and HTPC you really have limited yourself to LCD (unless you don't mind replacing the TV ever 3 years due to burn in).

 

[A5]

I'm not prejudiced against plasma. Really I can move the couch
back and forth. My last tv was a 37 and was fine at 6'-8' away and it was 720p

I'd just leave the couch there and then upgrade to a 46". If you're happy with the 37", you'll really love a 46"! The LG suggested earlier is pretty good.

 

[muscles|]

With gaming and HTPC you really have limited yourself to LCD (unless you don't mind replacing the TV ever 3 years due to burn in).

I got a modern plasma, and burn-in is something of the past unless you REALLY neglect the proper way to break it in and use it.

If you can take the money you are going to use for a HTPC and get a bigger set, you can always opt to get a tv that is DLNA enabled. My Samsung pn50d650 has usb ports hooked up to a USB hdd. It also is hooked up to my network as I can browse all my music / movies / media from my server.

That might save you some money for the time being to go with a bigger set, and then later on, when funds are available, start work on building a htpc rig.

Just a thought.

-muscles|

 

[0roo0roo]

http://myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html
thx viewing distance recommendations...
no tv you can probably afford is too big at that distance. you might be ablet o buy a 150" for all i know..but i doubt it

a 37" showing 2.35 is showing an image little over a foot in height...at 6 foot thats a strip of image. even a 46" only has about 22" of image height when showing 2.35.

 

[velillen]

All i will add is don't compare what tv sets look like in store. They are usually in demo modes with screwy settings and will look nothing like they do in the store once you get it home. You can get good ideas of what you like at the store but really reviews and recommendations are the best way to go. My Panny 42" plasma looks so incredibly much better ta home than it does at bestbuy its not funny.

For gaming as your number one usage i would go towards plasma if your room allows. (light wise). Some LCD's have input lag that can be screwy. Though most sets do have a game mode that helps reduce it

 

[muscles|]

^ Remember, if you go with plasma, (and you prob should, considering how much better it is for motion) make sure that you read some break in guides for your model. That is a pretty important thing to do, for any plasma...

Look into the set that I got (pn50b650), its a solid set, with good DLNA, media options (youtube, etc). Samsung is still a great producer of plasmas.

Hope this helps.

-muscles|

 

[electroju]

I suggest Sharp Aquos LC-46LE700UN. It costs more than you want to pay for, but it does have quality. LG and Samsung is cheap on quality. Sony and Sharp are the best for LCD TV these days.

I agree with other people it is hard to compare TV at a store. If you are going to a store, compare the TV's actual viewing angle and anti-glare coating. If you are going to hook up analog video devices to your TV, check its deinterlacing and upscaling capability. Sony is usually better. Comparing contrast ratios should not be done at the store. There is no standard for contrast ratios, so you can only compare within the same brand. If you want to compare based on what has truest blacks and whites, you have to go to a reputable reviewer that has a standard setup for measuring the contrast ratios. Brightness can be compared since it uses a standard spec. Higher brightness, better it is with a lot of lightning. Response times are vague, so it is hard to compare this spec between TVs. The g2g spec is close to actual, but it is rarely stated.

Lag time is hard to find. Some people stated for low lag time, find LCD that have higher vertical refresh rates than 60 Hz. Lag time can only be measure from a reputable reviewer.

 

[Anubis]

lag time is extremely easy to find

LCD
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1131464

Plasma
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1166196

 

[s44]

In addition to the 47" LG 120hz LCD (47LD520) mentioned above -- which would be a great choice if you leave your seats where they are now -- the current 50" LG plasma (50PK550) is going for $900. Very good reviews for the PQ, but it does have the glare/reflection issue characteristic of plasmas. (See this AVS Forum post as an example.)

 

[Anubis]

the 50in Panasonic 25 is ~990 on amazon has better anti glare then the LG

 

[electroju]

lag time is extremely easy to find

LCD
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1131464

Plasma
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1166196

It is not easy to find reliable lag time because it depends on the person and their equipment. My CRT died and CRT these days are scarce.

 

[Sheep]

I suggest Sharp Aquos LC-46LE700UN. It costs more than you want to pay for, but it does have quality. LG and Samsung is cheap on quality. Sony and Sharp are the best for LCD TV these days.

I recently upgraded to the LC-46LE700UN from a circa-2005 37" Sharp Aquos--the difference is like night and day. I bought the LC-46LE700UN through Amazon sight unseen based on good experiences with my old Aquos set and generally positive reviews, and I have to say the LC-46LE700UN stomps my old Aquos in every way possible with the notable exception of audio. I had read about the LC-46LE700UN's weak and tinny audio but didn't think the difference could be THAT significant. Wrong. My old Aquos has thunderous bass and much better audio in general compared to this set. Unfortunately this seems to be a trend with manufacturers of new HDTVs skimping out on the speakers assuming people are going to use home theater speakers. The dramatic improvement in video quality makes up for it for me, though.