Forum - View topicWhat kind of HDTV should i buy?
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ricbrist
Posts: 54 |
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Im looking to buy an HDTV to watch anime and play video games and stuff. I was wondering what you guys would choose if you could get a tv for less than 2500.
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king_micah
 Posts: 994 Location: OSU |
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I am probably the most qualifed to answer this on the boards, seeing as I work in display technology in R&D. I say wait a year if at all possible. Generation 6 and 7 AMLCD plants are under construction and will be producing by then. That will lower the price by several thousands of dollars (in some cases up to 7,000) on high end displays. If you will not wait a year for a new TV, but will for HDTV, I suggest a Sony Trinitron that is true flat. It is simply the best conventional TV, and a 27 incher is only like $350 direct from Sony with Shipping. As for HDTV, I do stress that only your computer can utilize it, the superbit dvds look virtually the same on a regular TV as they do on HDTV, and the only media that can use it, Blue Laser DVDs, are Japanese only and much more expensive than your price range.
A quick run down of today's tech: Plasma, any plasma that is on sale(!) for under 5,000 is horrid, none will be HDTV and most will have big issues with color shifting and burn in that can not be repaired. A good HDTV one will run over 8,000 and is not worth it. Projectors, good for home theater and nothing else. It needs a dark room to work well in and work well there. If you are making a dedicated home theater, it is fine. I have gamed with them and run my computer off of one and in controlled lighting it is a good option. AMLCD They are the richest and most powerful of the display field. Right now the LCD-TVs are offered in high def, but have issues with color and with pixel switching. They don't refresh quite fast enough and can blend subtle colors together. They are however, the biggest growing field, and have enough money and technolgy that the $10,000 AMLCDs I have seen will soon be everywhere (they will also be around 2,000 in a year for a 42 incher with better quality than the plasmas going for 15,000).[/b] |
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Tempest
 I Run this place.ANN Publisher  Posts: 10470 Location: Do not message me for support. |
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Umm, how dark? I was planning on buying one for my living room, but I can't make my living room that dark during the day, and I will be using it during the day. -t |
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king_micah
Posts: 994 Location: OSU |
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Depends on the projector and where you want it. The best way to test is to get a slide projector and see if it is fine to view where you want it. If you can then it might work. Projectors are not for causal viewing, I would not use one as a main TV, but only for dedicated viewing. The lamps have a limited life time, usually around a thousand to two thousand hours, making it expensive to use it as a TV. The lamps cost around $250, and that is across the board for replacements. Now what I have seen, If you have good curtains and will turn off the lights, it is fine. If you need a normal lighting condition, with typical room light, most mid price range ones are fine. If you want to use a lower end one, it gets dicey.
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Ataru
 Posts: 2332 Location: Missouri (Strikeman) |
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You can always dig around TechTV's site. Just yesterday on the Screen Savers, they did reviews projectors under $1,000. It kind makes me think about buying one, if I had a wall large enough on the inside (Outside is no probelm though.)
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GreenMonkey
Posts: 2 |
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*Ahem* You forget to mention that HDTVs (and the occasional cheaper ED, Enhanced-Def, TV) do allow you to get progressive scan DVD imaging (480p) from a Progressive scan DVD player, which is a lot better than interlaced (480i) imaging. For some good input on Home Theater (HT) related stuff, I would recommend a visit to www.hometheaterforum.com where you can find out a lot of stuff about TVs and sound systems. Particularly the HT newcomer FAQ: (url shortened -c) Also, HDTV stations are available over the air almost everywhere now (even in my area, not a metropolis by any means) and HD cable/satellite is available in larger cities.
*Ahem* Wrong, sorry. These are very common misconceptions. The Panasonic PWD6UY is indeed 'only Enhanced Definition (approx. 480p). The Panny Enhanced def can be gotten for about $2800 online now and has excellent image quality. HD is downscaled a bit from 1080i or 720p to 480p. Many plasma owners have picked up an ED set, because depending on your viewing distance, quite a bit of people are unable to tell the 480p from the 1080i or 720p. Also, Enhanced Def is often superior for analog signals ('digital cable', sat TV, VCR, etc), as less upscaling needs to be done. Upscaling often results in artifacting and other visual blemishes. Personally I don't care about HD, I don't watch TV much. I care about superior DVD (for anime and movies) and videogame images, myself. My only interest in HD is for the 480p (progressive scan DVD), really. Many others are in the same boat. Many people have went with the Panny 42" ED set. Samsung or AKAI (Samsung rebadges) are good, not as good as the Panasonic. For a couple of grand more, the Pioneer 43" or the Panny HD unit is true HD, but many feel it's not worth it. Fujitsu is also very good, but pricier. I have no idea what "color shifting" is supposed to mean. This sounds like a BS catchphrase, sorry, no offense. Plasmas have advantage from perfect convergence that will never drift off, better viewing angles than Rear-projection (RPTVs) or LCD. Plasmas can burn in, but given proper calibration has been found to be a rare issue, perhaps even less common than in RPTVs. TVs leave the factory for the showroom floor with super high contrast and brightness. This can cause rapid burn in on projection or plasma TVs and is the most-common reason that people experience burn in problems (along with static stuff like the CNN ticker or station logos). This is called 'Torch mode' by the Hometheater-familiar people. A proper calibration with the thanks optimizer found on DVDs as a minimum - Avia guide to HT, or Digital Video Essentials is better - very much minimizes the risk for ALL TVs. For more information about plasmas, I would recommed the AVSforum plasma forum FAQ: (url shortened -c) I'm not normally much of a poster here, I am a regular poster at www.hometheaterforum.com, where I found when considering my TV and surround sound purchases, at occasionally at animeondvd.com. Just wanted to offer the results of a lot of research and familiarity with the subject. |
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king_micah
Posts: 994 Location: OSU |
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Color shifting is indeed a very real concern. The different phosphors age at differant rates. That means the colors shift over time, white can shift from true white to blue white or even red on some.
Plasmas do offer good angles, as do traditional CRT, and Electrolumiance. Emission technology emmits at all angles, usually equally. That does not make them the best bet. The expense and the issues I have seen are a real issue. You can not buy a good plasma for 3000 USD. You can buy one that is a rebranded Sampo for that price. That is the lowest you will find. There are some alright ones for 3000-5000. I have issues with the deinterlacing and with the lifetime of these units. I also have seen wide spread problems with full white. Instead of measuring lumiance with full on VESA white, too often a small square is used. If the plasma has power issues, this hides it until you try playing something with bright backrounds. The plasma does not give enough power to the whole unit and brightness is cut down, making white appear gray. The contrast ratio is also a bit of a sham, it is dark room, and locale, meaning not at full white with the room lights on. Room lights cut it down to a normal level of around a hundred (which is still pretty good, but not what they say. The plasmas are reflective often enough that it is responible for the cut). As for progressive scan, tt does help to have an HDTV and it does look very nice on a plasma. That is not my point, my point is the technology is immature and does not give higher res. The Panasonic you mentioned seems to be an older model that they are not advertising directly. If that is true, then I have more reservations, but it would explain the lower price at a few places due to inventory clean out. My point is for a minimal amount of money, a Sony Tritron works the best. If you can live with that for a year, or a projector for a few years, then you will be better off. By holding on to your money you can get a better display in a year or two for a fraction of the price. Plasmas have too many issues for some one who analyses them professionally. I see the worst and I see alot of bad buiness by the companies selling them. I say wait and save the money for a much larger one next year, or an even better one the year after. |
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molloaggie
 Posts: 578 Location: Texas |
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I highly recommend you check Consumer Reports magazine. They do awesome comparisons of all sorts of stuff. I really wish I had consulted them!
You have to check it out at your library. |
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GreenMonkey
Posts: 2 |
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The Panny unit is not an old model, it is the newest model just released last month. See this reputable vendor's website: The panny ED unit @ $2899: http://www.plasmaextreme.us/42pwd6uy.htm
and the Pioneer 43" HD unit @ $4199: http://www.plasmaextreme.us/42pwd6uy.htm This is a very very reputable online etailer. The panny unit is marked at $5k retail instore @ Circuit City, etc. And I'm not going to argue with you King Micah. I will just point out that this is not the general consensus. Also, from everything I have read, and some google searching, you are mistaken about color-shifting. This is a CRT and LCD phenomenon. I could find no mention that plasmas have a problem with color-shifting, but plenty of documentation of it in LCDs, LCD projection, and even old CRTs. A quick google search will prove it, unless you can refute this somehow. Many plasmas have poor black levels, but Panasonic is known to have some of the best blacks out of all the plasmas. If anyone is interested in Plasmas, see the AVSforum FAQ: http://www.avsforumfaq.com/~plasma/ |
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molloaggie
Posts: 578 Location: Texas |
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Oh, and the Christmas sales are going to be starting soon so wait a month or two and keep your eye out for a great price!
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king_micah
Posts: 994 Location: OSU |
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I believe it to be rebranded, although that means nothing (really only Sony, Sampo, Sanyo, Phillip, and NEC have plants, they cost several billion) and am disturbed that the manufacturer does not offer their own information on it. Although I see signs that it is more the result of a defective website update. I would suggest seeing one in person and asking to see a new one turned on before purchasing. Something that expesive needs to be seen to make sure it is what you want. If you like it in the store, then go ahead. I would suggest waiting though,
On color shifting, I surmise that you found information on color shifting over viewing angles. It only effects non-emissive displays, as emissive displays work differently. In these non-emissives, by moving from the front to the sides of the display, you see colors change with these. What I call color shifting is the phosphors aging at different rates, causing a shift in color, it happens slowly and depends on the materials used as phosphors. Panasonic has an interesting claim I have just been reading, that they have an automatic aging adjustment. I have not had a Panasonic unit around recently, and if this works right, it maybe a very good reason to buy them over other plasmas. I work with several other technologies, and haven't spend much time with plasmas recently due to the g6 AMLCD rollouts and some promising Ifire demos. I still say they don't offer enough for the money, the X1 infocus projectors are better for now. I wouldn't even suggest buying that, but waiting for a year for the 40inch wars to really heat up. |
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