LCD, LED, Plasma???? HELP

[GODyesRVmaybe]

OK, I have a question for you well informed, tech savvy Dinarians. I am hopelessly helpless with today's technology. My TV is about ready to blow so I'm looking for a new one. I don't have a lot of $$$$ to spend (barring an RV soon). I'm looking for a 39"-40", mostly for sports and cooking shows.

Any advice for an old man? LED, LCD, Plasma.......... Sony, Visio, Samsung, Hisense.......... these are all ones I saw at a local Wal-Mart. The one thing that drives me crazy is when there is action on the screen the picture is blurry until everything is standing still. I keep reading what I can about the differences, but it just gets overwhelming to me.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[dontlop]

ive had a rca and a westinghouse both from walmart for 6 years now .. no problems .. .. plasma used to have a better picture .. but leds would last longer.. now the picture is just as good with led .. i would go led .. samsung is goos .. sanyo is good .. sony is good ,, westinghouse is good .. panasonic is good ,, .. iu got a special cable box for digital from my cable company ,, it cost 7 dollars more a month ,, but i get like 50 music chanels high definition music and sound for tv . to blast through my surround sound .. its great . it uses a hdmi cable .. its the way to go . you just plug cable line in to box and out from box to tv with hmdi cable .. its a converter for cable .. to high definition.. .. any way ,,led is what i will be buying if i need any more

Edited January 17, 2013 by dontlop

[DANar]

I have a friend who sales electronics to high end clientele. They put either LG or Samsung in the houses. He says those too have the best quality. Based on your criteria, the Samsung would be your pick- they have a 40 inch. LG is a 42 to at that size. He indicated that the LED is the smart way to go. However, I would suggest you go to Walmart and look at the displays and see which pictures look best to and at your price range.

[Biker]

I have been serching my self for a 50inch, have been studying for months, Im hearing LED and Samsung is the best on line rite now if that helps you any, and they also have the 3D screens out that are awsome but high doller rite now

Hope it helps

[kjwayne]

LED, yes 1080p yes, just about any brand name is now to close to call. which ever picture turns you on is it! LED ,1080p the rest is up to you!

[Mack0121]

Samsung is one of the better, cost effective brands. Definitely LED. The key to the blurred picture is refresh rate. The lower priced TVs have a refresh rate of 60hz and it shows. You want at least 120hz, which is the high end of what Walmart sells.

Edited January 17, 2013 by Mack0121

[grkabme]

OK, I have a question for you well informed, tech savvy Dinarians. I am hopelessly helpless with today's technology. My TV is about ready to blow so I'm looking for a new one. I don't have a lot of $$$$ to spend (barring an RV soon). I'm looking for a 39"-40", mostly for sports and cooking shows.

Any advice for an old man? LED, LCD, Plasma.......... Sony, Visio, Samsung, Hisense.......... these are all ones I saw at a local Wal-Mart. The one thing that drives me crazy is when there is action on the screen the picture is blurry until everything is standing still. I keep reading what I can about the differences, but it just gets overwhelming to me.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

I, too, am tech stupid. I bought a Vizo at Costco for the office and a Panasonic for the house. Both are 42" screens. I asked the tech the same question and he said that basically they are all the same now. It used to be that plasma screens would burn an image into the screen but they have changed the technology so that this doesn't happen any more. I think the blurry images are either the cable box or the cord connecting the cable to the tv. At the office we don't have a digital cable box and connect to the tv with a cable. The picture isn't all that great. At the house I have a digital cable box and a mid-range cost HDMI cable. The picture is outstanding. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the brands (although I don't know Hisense). Now choosing a gift for my wife? That makes me sweat.....

Edited January 17, 2013 by grkabme

[hame55]

OK, I have a question for you well informed, tech savvy Dinarians. I am hopelessly helpless with today's technology. My TV is about ready to blow so I'm looking for a new one. I don't have a lot of $$$$ to spend (barring an RV soon). I'm looking for a 39"-40", mostly for sports and cooking shows.

Any advice for an old man? LED, LCD, Plasma.......... Sony, Visio, Samsung, Hisense.......... these are all ones I saw at a local Wal-Mart. The one thing that drives me crazy is when there is action on the screen the picture is blurry until everything is standing still. I keep reading what I can about the differences, but it just gets overwhelming to me.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

just got one - Samsung- best quality, after much research. We got 32" screen where the resolution doesn't matter as much (DPI) because of smaller screen

We got LCD (uses flourescents to light) while LED's are using less energy, the LCD screen seems to have a better feel and is cheaper. HDMI cable way to go -

be careful of your DVD/VCR - if it has no HDMI hookup, you'll have to watch that. (No plasma- not good)

[Aidensdad]

Led is most cost effective as far as energy goes, so that makes led first choice then plasma. Forget LCD. You a tv with 120hz or higher. The contrast ratio 1000000:1 is your clarity. The higher the ratio the clearer the picture. I have a Samsung 60in plasma and a 42in Samsung led both have excellent pictures but the led looks amazing almost like the people on tv are real. It actually takes time to get used to. The plasma puts off a lot of heat and the led has a five star energy efficiency rating. The plasma is cheaper price wise compared to the led. Hope that helps try and stay away from low brands like Westinghouse. Walmart sells Vizio which is decent but I will never stray from Samsung and lg. hope that helps.

[wshflthnkn]

I recently bought a 60 inch LED Vizio Razor Smart TV from Sans club. . I love the picture on this . it's incredible and for the price you really can't beat it . Although, you can only connect to apps as it has no browser. If I had the money I would get a Samsung LED. , I don't think that 1 has a browser on it either .

[keepmwlknfny]

You get what you pay for.......and that goes g for most everything in this world......

If you want a TV that will last stick with LG and Samsung........and get at least 120hz refresh rate......LCD isn't that bad but if you want top shelf,LED is the way to go.....stay away from the off brands and Vizio.....everyone i know that bought a Vizio the TV died after about 3-4 years.....

Edited January 17, 2013 by keepmwlknfny

[hoosier1470]

I have both plasma and LCD...both are Samsung... then plasma has the best picture by far...no contest! But...it is the more expensive of the two. Good luck!

[sxsess]

Black & white tube type. Get with the program man!!

[PD41]

Better to have a darker room for Plasma.

If you have lots of windows then pass on it.

[respectron]

I install HD satellite systems for 7yrs now. I must say my favorite is Samsung but LG in the last 2yrs have been catching up.

If it comes down to dollars though.., then a Vizio LCD or LED would get you something descent for the price but like Keep says 3-4 yrs maybe longer if you get lucky. I have a 32in Vizio 1080p and have it for 4yrs now and still works perfectly and is watched around 8hrs a day and have a few friends with the same story.

For a brighter picture for a bright room, make sure you have something in the 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio or higher and less flutter with 120Hz or 240Hz. To get the Sharpest picture on the size you are looking for I recommend HD television service. Need more pixels per inch for a larger picture size that only HD can provide. Just because you buy an HD television does not mean you have an HD picture.., it takes HD programming to really get the best picture capabilities from your new HD television.

[stonewall67]

I got a 60 inch LG LED in my family room and a 42 inch Samsung plasma in the hearth room.... The plasma shows too much reflection so I recommend that if you have a lot of windows go LED. Love my LG. Its wireless, has Netflix capability and the picture is incredible!

[magawatt]

I agree with Mack0121 , Samsung LED. That said you might want to hold off a bit. The OLED (organic LED) screens are coming out and have superior contrast color depth. By delaying you will have the choice of a reduced price on current LEDs or a state of the art OLED (which if we've had an RV by then you will order as a 110" model).

[respectron]

I agree with Mack0121 , Samsung LED. That said you might want to hold off a bit. The OLED (organic LED) screens are coming out and have superior contrast color depth. By delaying you will have the choice of a reduced price on current LEDs or a state of the art OLED (which if we've had an RV by then you will order as a 110" model).

True that! Almost forgot those were coming. It should drop the prices of the L.E.D. TV's but if your TV is going to take a dive any minute then you might have to settle for whatever you can get.

Everyone here has given good advice and should give you a good direction on a good TV to purchase.

[snooz]

Stay away from Plasma....Garbage and not talking the cost at repair which is crazy........

SnooZ

[respectron]

Stay away from Plasma....Garbage and not talking the cost at repair which is crazy........

SnooZ

Agreed! I have one that has a great picture but is dark and side view sucks also had to have around 3 of them repaired in the last 2 yrs and they were less than 2yrs old when repaired. I inherited them for my office and don't care for them, besides they weigh as much as a small car

[Rockymtnhi]

LED is the only way to go now. Long life, superfine detail and brightest picture along with very low power consumption.

Plasma is old technology that is dim and a huge power hog. Some larger screen sizes draw as much as 500W while LED's are under 100W. Also standby power on Plasma's will shock you. LED's have practically no power draw on standby(off mode).

[GODyesRVmaybe]

WOW, you all are the best! I didn't know I'd get this many responses. Looks like I'll hold off for an OLED or an RV (whichever comes first). Seriously, it looks like a Sumsung LED is what I'll shoot for. I really appreciate all the info.

+1 all around!

[cranster]

I agree with Mack0121 , Samsung LED. That said you might want to hold off a bit. The OLED (organic LED) screens are coming out and have superior contrast color depth. By delaying you will have the choice of a reduced price on current LEDs or a state of the art OLED (which if we've had an RV by then you will order as a 110" model).

oled is still a ways off and will most likely cost $20,000 or more when it is. Right now they are too difficult and expensive to manufacture, and only exist as prototypes for all companies. Lg was supposed to have an oled by the end of 2012, and that didn't work out for them. There wont be any oled's available in 13 and I would be surprised if there are any in 14. what is next and comin by the end of the year are 4k ultra hi defs which also are most likely going to start at $20,000. Hisense which is a chinese company is the most likely to come out with a budget 4k set but would be surprised to see it below $10,000. ces 13 was full of 4k sets so it is the next thing. They have 4 times the resolution of 1080p. I understand that 4k sets are like looking through a window. 4k oled prototypes were at ces and they said you have to see em to believe em. From there we are going to have to engineer better eyes because they will be the limitation. Already with blu rays I can see every whisker and pore.

to the op. leds and lcds for a brightly lit room. lcds are the cheapest, and 120hz... you'll notice it with fast action as they dont render action well. led at 240hz are more expensive but better with action. The less expensive leds are edge lit. State of the art leds are backlit full array and local dimmed, (local dimmed means the pixels are shut off when displaying blacks) but the most expensive sets on the market at the moment. lcds and leds have the best whites and are brighter than plasmas. Plasmas are the best for color and action. Most plasmas today are 600 hz and handle action better than lcds and leds. You cant get plasmas from big box stores any more, Even best buy doesnt carry them any more. You most likely would have to go to a high end home theater store to see them now. Amazon is a good place to buy plasmas. Panasonic is the current king of plasma, and nearly tied by samsung. Then comes lg. You can get budget models from all 3 companies for pretty cheap. You can get 42" lcds for next to nothing these days, but lcds would be my last choice, and only if I had an extremely limited budget. I have an lg plasma and love it.

Just an fyi when looking at tvs at big box stores like walmart. The ones with the best picture are usually the ones they want to clear inventory. They set the levels to make them look the best. You cant judge a tv by the way it looks on a showroom floor. they are set overly bright with too much color using an overly compressed signal. The best place to get honest info about sets is probably the avs forum which you can google. Steer clear of store warranties. They are not worth it. Most sets should have adequate manufacturer warranties.

Edited January 17, 2013 by cranster

[GODyesRVmaybe]

Just an fyi when looking at tvs at big box stores like walmart. The ones with the best picture are usually the ones they want to clear inventory. They set the levels to make them look the best. You cant judge a tv by the way it looks on a showroom floor. they are set overly bright with too much color using an overly compressed signal. The best place to get honest info about sets is probably the avs forum which you can google. Steer clear of store warranties. They are not worth it. Most sets should have adequate manufacturer warranties.

Thank you. I did notice that some were better than others that way. Also, I wondered about the warranties. I'm always leery of those.

[Darin]

You get what you pay for.......and that goes g for most everything in this world......

If you want a TV that will last stick with LG and Samsung........and get at least 120hz refresh rate......LCD isn't that bad but if you want top shelf,LED is the way to go.....stay away from the off brands and Vizio.....everyone i know that bought a Vizio the TV died after about 3-4 years.....

Which would sound about right for some of their older technology. I think Vizio has come a long ways and since their name has been around long enough they must be doing something right. Pretty sure the newer technology will last longer, as they've come quite a ways.

I bought an off-brand from Best Buy about 6-7 years ago. It was a 42" Maxent Plamsa 1080i. The plasma panel has started to go. This is common for some plasma (What you see with this issue is red dots that are scattered and floating on your screen. Some moments they are more prevalent than others..)

Since than.. I've purchased a 46" LCD 1080P Sony. And recently purchased a 42" LED Sharp 1080P. Both TVs are 120hz. (The Sharp is also a Smart TV)

There are numerous additional factors to consider on how you setup your TVs.

Your picture will only be as good as your source.

What this means to get a crisp HD image, you need a HD programming source (High-Def cable box, High-Def receiver, etc). If you have managed that far, the next issue to account for is ensure your using a good quality cable connection. (HDMI)

They're expensive in any local store, but you can order them online for really reasonable prices..

So you may have the proper equipment, but now you need to set it up.. Each type of viewing you do has their own type of settings they really excel at. Some TVs have pre-programmed settings for certain events.

My Sharp has Movie settings, Sports Settings, Gaming settings, etc that you can quickly/easily switch to. I prefer the Vivid setting which is the brighter appearance because I like to see the colors jump out.

If your comfortable purchasing online, I think you can really do some digging and find a TV you like in the store and find the model # online and order that route. You can save yourself a lot of money going that route and get more bank for your buck. Online stores still offer extended warranties if you wish to purchase them as well.

LED is the only way to go now. Long life, superfine detail and brightest picture along with very low power consumption.

Plasma is old technology that is dim and a huge power hog. Some larger screen sizes draw as much as 500W while LED's are under 100W. Also standby power on Plasma's will shock you. LED's have practically no power draw on standby(off mode).

I've read that Plasma's have come along way and are no where near the power hogs they used to be. Even heard that some brands/models are more energy efficient than LCDs.

However, my first big screen was a plasma, and it was a great TV (even for an off-brand) minus that the plasma panel has been going out for years.. (Red dot issues)