So, our main TV died...

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Inferno

Though not perfect the blacks look fine on my 40 inch Samsung. But maybe it's just not something I'm picky about.

LCD's are still good, don't get me wrong. I'm prefectly happy with mine, and I didn't have a choice anyways since plasmas smaller than 40" are pretty rare.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

LCD's are still good, don't get me wrong. I'm prefectly happy with mine, and I didn't have a choice anyways since plasmas smaller than 40" are pretty rare.

Finding the perfect LCD is pretty hard. The Sony's have backlight issues and some of the Sharp's have banding. Everybody should do their research and buy where there is a good return policy. Me, I still want a big LCD.

[Red]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

That screen is supposed to be just a blank black screen. Notice the difference between the top screen and the bottom? The top is very unevenly lit. You can see it below with the picture of the shuttle launch. The background is supposed to be all black, but the black is crappy/uneven.



another:



and one more:



Here's a plasma showing black:

Gotcha. That's what I heard, the LCDs can't produce black, they are just shades of gray.

[Jonrox]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

That screen is supposed to be just a blank black screen. Notice the difference between the top screen and the bottom? The top is very unevenly lit. You can see it below with the picture of the shuttle launch. The background is supposed to be all black, but the black is crappy/uneven.

Not all LCD's have a backlighting issue as drastic as what you're showing. I got a Sony XBR2 46" LCD for X-mas and it doesn't have nearly the same issues as what you've posted (although this is a known problem with some manufacturers, including Sony). The black levels on this TV after a proper calibration are outstanding and the overall picture quality is unmatched. I had a Panasonic 50" plasma that I tried out in my home as well and after both were setup, I took the Panasonic back and kept the Sony.

The best thing you can do is read a lot of reviews and customer impressions on the web (the Sony I got has received some of the best reviews). It's impossible to pick a TV based on what you see in the store because they haven't been calibrated properly and are running a signal that has been split so many times the picture looks terrible no matter what TV it's on (unless you get them to hookup an HD-DVD player to each set you're considering and let you play with the picture settings).

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Jonrox

Not all LCD's have a backlighting issue as drastic as what you're showing. I got a Sony XBR2 46" LCD for X-mas and it doesn't have nearly the same issues as what you've posted (although this is a known problem with some manufacturers, including Sony). The black levels on this TV after a proper calibration are outstanding and the overall picture quality is unmatched. I had a Panasonic 50" plasma that I tried out in my home as well and after both were setup, I took the Panasonic back and kept the Sony.

The best thing you can do is read a lot of reviews and customer impressions on the web (the Sony I got has received some of the best reviews). It's impossible to pick a TV based on what you see in the store because they haven't been calibrated properly and are running a signal that has been split so many times the picture looks terrible no matter what TV it's on (unless you get them to hookup an HD-DVD player to each set you're considering and let you play with the picture settings).

From what I've seen the clouding seems to be on a TV to TV basis. Lots of the XBR2's have had it, and people have exchanged them and recieved perfect ones.

[FlamesKickAss]

I don't know if anyone mentioned this yet but i was at best buy today and saw a LG 42" LCD on for 1699.99 and the girl gave my aunt 100 bucks off so we would buy there rather than Future shop. great deal even at 1699 though.

and LCD's are better than plasma if you are in a bright room because the plastic front absorbs the light whereas the glass on plasma reflects. And when I saw this TV right next to a plasma the black looked better on the lcd.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by FlamesKickAss

I don't know if anyone mentioned this yet but i was at best buy today and saw a LG 42" LCD on for 1699.99 and the girl gave my aunt 100 bucks off so we would buy there rather than Future shop. great deal even at 1699 though.

and LCD's are better than plasma if you are in a bright room because the plastic front absorbs the light whereas the glass on plasma reflects. And when I saw this TV right next to a plasma the black looked better on the lcd.

You can never judge them in the store because they screw with the settings and the inputs are often junk. I must say, although they are a little better my LCD still sucks balls if I leave the blinds open when its sunny.

[RW99]

I'm very close to buying this Samsung: http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...0077861&catid=

Anyone have this model and can give me some pointers?

[BlackEleven]

So for the people that already have plasmas/LCDs, did you bother to tune the display setting or just use it out of the box? Mine looks pretty good out of the box, but I don't know if I can get better results tweaking the settings.

[Ford Prefect]

Don't overlook DLP technology. We have a 50" Samsung DLP and I love it. It cost about the same as an LCD and doesn't have the cold spot and side view issues that an LCD does. The picture may not be quite a good as a plasma but DLPs are supposed to last a lot longer than plasmas. Based on the research I did when buying it about the only thing that can wrong is a bulb can burn out, which is an inexpensive repair that you can do yourself. With plasmas and LCDs if you develope picture problems the repairs are so high you're better off just buying a new TV.

[FurnaceFace]

Thanks for all the comments and opinions, they are appreciated and will help us decide what we're going to get...right now we still have no idea. I like the idea of bringing a couple home and seeing which one is better...assuming the stores don't freak out at that. Only drawback with that is I might want to keep both!

[automaton 3]

We just went through the exact same process, and after much research and looking we bought a Toshiba 50" DLP.

Excellent picture, and the "bang for your buck" with a DLP is hard to beat.

I personally preferred the Plasma's picture, but we decided that we needed a 50" for our size of room at seating placement, and the cost of 50" Plasmas, although coming down is still quite pricey.

Something that hasn't been mentioned yet is the power usage, and the heat created by the Plasma. I've read that some of the Plasmas use almost as much power as a refrigerator. The LCDs and DLPs are much more energy efficient in comparison.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Ford Prefect

Don't overlook DLP technology.

Agreed. However before you buy one, get a copy of Sin City and see if you are one of the 25% of the population who sees the rainbow effect.

If you don't, then DLP is the way to go IMHO.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by BlackEleven

So for the people that already have plasmas/LCDs, did you bother to tune the display setting or just use it out of the box? Mine looks pretty good out of the box, but I don't know if I can get better results tweaking the settings.

There are DVDs you can buy to set up your HDTV. MOstly they come out of the box in torch mode which is impressive at first but not the best picture.
The DVDs I know of are Avia, Digital Video Essentials, and Sound and Vision Home Theater Tune Up. Should be able to find one of these at Future Shop etc.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Agreed. However before you buy one, get a copy of Sin City and see if you are one of the 25% of the population who sees the rainbow effect.

If you don't, then DLP is the way to go IMHO.

Like me... its okay most of the time, but the white used for such things as hockey ice looks like multi colored crap to me.

Originally Posted by Ford Prefect

Don't overlook DLP technology. We have a 50" Samsung DLP and I love it. It cost about the same as an LCD and doesn't have the cold spot and side view issues that an LCD does. The picture may not be quite a good as a plasma but DLPs are supposed to last a lot longer than plasmas. Based on the research I did when buying it about the only thing that can wrong is a bulb can burn out, which is an inexpensive repair that you can do yourself. With plasmas and LCDs if you develope picture problems the repairs are so high you're better off just buying a new TV.

The halflife of Plasma and LCD TV's are way longer than CRT (tradional) TV's. Life span is not an issue.

[FurnaceFace]

So, just thought I'd revisit this as we are now the proud owners of a Panasonic Plasma.

While I can't say we directly say the rainbow effect on the projection TVs we weren't blown away by them. With thought about LCD but the whole dead pixel thing scared us enough to shy away. Also I had reoccurring nightmares of our cat deciding to use the LCD as a scratching post.

After all that, the choice was pretty easy to make thanks in no small part to all of your input. Cheers CP.

[Indi]

dlp's are a very good option, rainbows arent nearly the issue they used to be as the speeds are up around 6X and the segments are usually 6 or above..DLP's are much more filmlike that lcd/plasma.....a smooth definition vs a sharp definition. I dont have dlp tv, but I do run a dlp projector on a 106" screen......there is no going back!!