Go for bigger TV size or for 1080p?

[TheElite]

I am thinking of getting a tv and what I saw was a 47" Philips 47PFL7642D LCD 1080p or a 50" Samsung/Philips plasma.

The LCD was around ?890, and the plasmas around ?700-850.

Should I go for the bigger TV or for 1080p? Bearing in mind that the plasmas only did 720p.

[TheDreamX]

Personally, I would go for the larger size. 720p will cut it for quite some time. 1080p is a nice feature, but it's not really worth it right now.

[bangbang023 Veteran]

However, with that mentioned, I would stay away from plasmas. They never look quite as nice as LCD TVs to me and have much shorter life spans.

Not counting the previously mentioned Samsung plasma, a good plasma will spank an LCD any day of the week. Panasonic's line is very good this year and Pioneer's line is simply stunning, to say the least.

As for the original question, how far away are you sitting from the set and how big is your room?

[morficus]

It all comes down to what are you going to be using the TV for?

If you play video games... I would stay away from the plasma since they can suffer from burn-in

If gaming is not in the question... then there are other factors to look at:

- how is the room lit? plasma have a glass over them, so glear is an issue if the light is in front of the TV

- as bangbang said too, the large the screen the further back you'll have to sit to enjoy the TV to it's fullest

- 1080p is nice... but not really used as yet. I'm doing 1080i in my living room and it's more than good to me (heavy gamer, casual TV/movie watching)

bottom line (IMO), if burn-in and light glear are not a concern - go with the plasma. They tend to have deeper blacks and MUCH higher contrat ratio (that's what makes the color pop! but you knew that ;) )

if there is a window right in front of your TV or if you play tonz of games... go with the LCD

- morf

[Boz]

Not counting the previously mentioned Samsung plasma, a good plasma will spank an LCD any day of the week. Panasonic's line is very good this year and Pioneer's line is simply stunning, to say the least.

As for the original question, how far away are you sitting from the set and how big is your room?

for the OP,

I completely agree BangBang.. true benefit of 1080p was always intended for bigger sized TVs and projectors and won't be really necessary until we all have 65"+ TVs in our rooms, meaning above 50".. if you are seating 7-8ft from the TV, you will be extremely satisfied with 720p even on 50" TV. I have Pioneer Elite 1130HD in my living room and it's 720p and the picture is absolutely, ridiculously great and sharp.

Plasma is always better choice then LCD. 2 things. LCD uses more power and if it's not absolute top of the line, you will see inferior gradient tones in greys and black tone reproduction. Plasmas rule here.

I advise eveyrone to go plasma, until LCD gets perfect, especially since Plasmas are now pretty cheap. My friend just bought a 47" Samsung 1080p LCD and I'm less then impressed with the quality. I told him to buy Plasma, but unfortunately the electronics store had a great deal in financing for this TV and he took the bait. I mean, the TV is not BAD..but it's far from ANY Pioneer or Panasonic plasma even if they are not top of the line. I don't know much about Samsung plasmas, but I know that even LG plasmas are pretty solid for their price and Hitachi has some excellent but they are hit and miss.

My vote, go for 50" 720p plasma. You'll be VERY happy.

[TheElite]

Not counting the previously mentioned Samsung plasma, a good plasma will spank an LCD any day of the week. Panasonic's line is very good this year and Pioneer's line is simply stunning, to say the least.

As for the original question, how far away are you sitting from the set and how big is your room?

Is the Samsung no good? I MAY spend a little more and go for a Pioneer, because they are STUNNING! We'll see.

As for the latter part of your post, we can sit anywhere from 5ft from the TV or 20ft. The room is around 25ft long.

[BigDaddy5]

Not counting the previously mentioned Samsung plasma, a good plasma will spank an LCD any day of the week. Panasonic's line is very good this year and Pioneer's line is simply stunning, to say the least.

That all depends on your definition of spanking. I think plasma's are much better for sports and the like, but in terms of color definition I think the LCD's win out. Better whites and blacks, and no gloss screen to deal with.

But it all depends on what you want to spend your money on. Buy what looks best to you. Bang and I can go on for hours about why each one costs more than the other, and why you should get one over the other...what to look for to help you decide, but in the end...it's your TV. Whatever looks best to you is what you should get. If you think 720P looks good enough, and you want a larger size, then by all means...go for it.

If you like the matte screen and colors on an LCD, than go for that. Just make sure you are happy with what you get when you are getting it.

[bangbang023 Veteran]

Is the Samsung no good? I MAY spend a little more and go for a Pioneer, because they are STUNNING! We'll see.

As for the latter part of your post, we can sit anywhere from 5ft from the TV or 20ft. The room is around 25ft long.

The Samsung plasmas tend to be really heavy on the reds and horrible at producing the other colors.

Damn, that's a BIG difference between possible locations. How wide is the room?

That all depends on your definition of spanking. I think plasma's are much better for sports and the like, but in terms of color definition I think the LCD's win out. Better whites and blacks, and no gloss screen to deal with.

Perhaps LCD's have better whites, but the technology itself is inherent to poorer black levels, by far. LCD technology will never be able to beat the blacks of a plasma. The way the technology works just doesn't allow for it.

[Boz]

It all comes down to what are you going to be using the TV for?

If you play video games... I would stay away from the plasma since they can suffer from burn-in

If gaming is not in the question... then there are other factors to look at:

- how is the room lit? plasma have a glass over them, so glear is an issue if the light is in front of the TV

- as bangbang said too, the large the screen the further back you'll have to sit to enjoy the TV to it's fullest

- 1080p is nice... but not really used as yet. I'm doing 1080i in my living room and it's more than good to me (heavy gamer, casual TV/movie watching)

bottom line (IMO), if burn-in and light glear are not a concern - go with the plasma. They tend to have deeper blacks and MUCH higher contrat ratio (that's what makes the color pop! but you knew that ;) )

if there is a window right in front of your TV or if you play tonz of games... go with the LCD

- morf

Not one Panasonic plasma or any other plasma these days has burn in problems. It might have some image retention, but this goes away after few minutes. For example, my Pio Elite has more sensitive screen so image retention happens often, but it goes away after a few minutes. My model is also a bit over 2 years too. Panasonic on the other hand in my office is on 24 FREAKING hours a day, not a SINGLE thing.. I left it on on 4:3 channels wth ugly grey things on the sides, logo slammed on the screen non-stop and not a SINGLE thing, not even image retention.

This is a myth more then anything else now.

[TheElite]

It all comes down to what are you going to be using the TV for?

If you play video games... I would stay away from the plasma since they can suffer from burn-in

If gaming is not in the question... then there are other factors to look at:

- how is the room lit? plasma have a glass over them, so glear is an issue if the light is in front of the TV

- as bangbang said too, the large the screen the further back you'll have to sit to enjoy the TV to it's fullest

- 1080p is nice... but not really used as yet. I'm doing 1080i in my living room and it's more than good to me (heavy gamer, casual TV/movie watching)

bottom line (IMO), if burn-in and light glear are not a concern - go with the plasma. They tend to have deeper blacks and MUCH higher contrat ratio (that's what makes the color pop! but you knew that ;) )

if there is a window right in front of your TV or if you play tonz of games... go with the LCD

- morf

Damn, there IS a window across from my TV, and the glare is an issue with my CRT, so it probably may make it worse with the plasma.

I'll most likely go for the LCD then :(

[kak]

Boz, which Samsung 46" did he get? I Have the LN-T4071 and it is stunning in PQ. I got a nice discount + financing on it as well, even though I could still get the 4671 for about the same price on Amazon (sans financing).

Plasmas are better from everything I've read, but I'm nothing short of amazing with the LCD that I own.

[BigDaddy5]

Perhaps LCD's have better whites, but the technology itself is inherent to poorer black levels, by far. LCD technology will never be able to beat the blacks of a plasma. The way the technology works just doesn't allow for it.

But in the lower end price range, I would disagree with you. I think the plasma's blacks look too washed out. Maybe it's a combination of the backlighting and the glass screen, but the blacks just don't look as "black" on a plasma. But then again, it all comes down to preference, which is what I was going for.

Actually, I checked out a few Pioneer plasma's, and was really not impressed. I think samsung has a better line up, personally. I'm not a huge fan of LCD, because the ghosting really gets to me, but I do think the colors look better.

Personally, I'm a fan of DLP.

[TheElite]

The Samsung plasmas tend to be really heavy on the reds and horrible at producing the other colors.

Damn, that's a BIG difference between possible locations. How wide is the room?

Perhaps LCD's have better whites, but the technology itself is inherent to poorer black levels, by far. LCD technology will never be able to beat the blacks of a plasma. The way the technology works just doesn't allow for it.

1. Ok.

2. LOL. 12-13ft. We put the TV in one corner of the room, and most likely will buy a corner wall bracket for it aswell.

[bangbang023 Veteran]

But in the lower end price range, I would disagree with you. I think the plasma's blacks look too washed out. Maybe it's a combination of the backlighting and the glass screen, but the blacks just don't look as "black" on a plasma. But then again, it all comes down to preference, which is what I was going for.

Actually, I checked out a few Pioneer plasma's, and was really not impressed. I think samsung has a better line up, personally. I'm not a huge fan of LCD, because the ghosting really gets to me, but I do think the colors look better.

Personally, I'm a fan of DLP.

No offense, but if you look at a Pioneer then pick a Samsung plasma, something is wrong. Every reviewer this year agrees with me: The pioneer lineup this year is the best plasma lineup ever.

1. Ok.

2. LOL. 12-13ft. We put the TV in one corner of the room, and most likely will buy a corner wall bracket for it aswell.

I'd say go for a larger set, then. You have a very large room and will be better suited by something in the 55" range.

[HawkMan]

one thing to check with the plasma though, make sure it actually has a REAL 720 resolution.

a lot of plasmas, especially the cheaper ones tend to have non HD res, often 1024x768 res with no square pixels.

[BigDaddy5]

No offense, but if you look at a Pioneer then pick a Samsung plasma, something is wrong. Every reviewer this year agrees with me: The pioneer lineup this year is the best plasma lineup ever.

None taken, it's all a matter of preference. I feel that the Samsung's over sharpen their images but their colors look better. I can get better better definition without adding artifacts on a pioneer, but I don't feel it's worth the color trade off.

[Boz]

Boz, which Samsung 46" did he get? I Have the LN-T4071 and it is stunning in PQ. I got a nice discount + financing on it as well, even though I could still get the 4671 for about the same price on Amazon (sans financing).

Plasmas are better from everything I've read, but I'm nothing short of amazing with the LCD that I own.

Ah..I can't remember now, but I think he got the same as you..

Don't get me wrong..the picture is great..but it has a fair share of problems with gradient tones and black reproduction. They are ok LCDs, even though Samsung likes to pump up colors to look more vibrant to hide some flaws, and when I compare this to plasma quality, I'm less then impressed. I should've clarified. LCD won't definitely look like crap, that's for sure, but if you want the nicest image, plasma is still king of the hill.

And yes, BigDaddy5, plasmas have much better color reproduction and superior black reproduction when compared to LCD, don't be fooled.

It is true when you get lower end plasmas that you might have somewhat inferior PQ, but come on, take lower end plasma and compare it to low end LCD, plasma still blows it away. This is what we are talking about. You can't compare low-end plasma against mid-high end LCD. Right?

[bangbang023 Veteran]

The more I think about it, the more I have to change my answer. I think 50" will suit you well because of the people sitting closer.

[TheElite]

The more I think about it, the more I have to change my answer. I think 50" will suit you well because of the people sitting closer.

LOL, Ok.

But I've got a serious glare issue, would I be better off with LCD?

[bangbang023 Veteran]

LOL, Ok.

But I've got a serious glare issue, would I be better off with LCD?

I'm going to have to lean with yes to that. Glare is going to affect an LCD too, but much much less than it would a plasma which has a glass panel.

[winlonghorn]

The more I think about it, the more I have to change my answer. I think 50" will suit you well because of the people sitting closer.

I can do one better. :) Get a 3D HDTV for the price of a normal HDTV and 50 inches in size to boot. :) Here is the link for info about it: http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/detail/...d=HLT5075SX/XAA! Just click DLP 3D on the right side for more info. It is the first true 3D TV and is very high quality! You can buy it at Vanns.com. Click here for more info on buying the tv I mean, hey you even get a free dvd recorder by buying it now. :)

[kak]

Ah..I can't remember now, but I think he got the same as you..

Don't get me wrong..the picture is great..but it has a fair share of problems with gradient tones and black reproduction. They are ok LCDs, even though Samsung likes to pump up colors to look more vibrant to hide some flaws, and when I compare this to plasma quality, I'm less then impressed. I should've clarified. LCD won't definitely look like crap, that's for sure, but if you want the nicest image, plasma is still king of the hill.

And yes, BigDaddy5, plasmas have much better color reproduction and superior black reproduction when compared to LCD, don't be fooled.

It is true when you get lower end plasmas that you might have somewhat inferior PQ, but come on, take lower end plasma and compare it to low end LCD, plasma still blows it away. This is what we are talking about. You can't compare low-end plasma against mid-high end LCD. Right?

Tell him to calibrate the set. Dynamic mode is garbage and makes everything too bright and colorful. I can put in one of my BR movies that is reference quality and it is nothing short of amazing . Only problem with the set would be minor flashlighting, which is a problem with all LCDs as far as I can tell.

Plasmas are nice but tend to be expensive. I wish I would have looked a little more before I bit on this LCD, but I don't regret my purchase.

[BigDaddy5]

It is true when you get lower end plasmas that you might have somewhat inferior PQ, but come on, take lower end plasma and compare it to low end LCD, plasma still blows it away. This is what we are talking about. You can't compare low-end plasma against mid-high end LCD. Right?

Of course not, and I'm not trying to imply you can. Now I'm not comparing this years models, but last years such as Samsung's LN-S line up and Pioneers Plasma's. Of course it's not this years, and as I've been saying...it's all a matter of preference. Reviewers have highly rated the Pioneers, there's no denying that. And I'm not saying they're wrong. I just don't see it the same way. I took my family out TV shopping last year, because my dad wanted a nice HD set. I took him to the DLP's first, but he wanted flat screen. So I sent him to the plasma's, which I really tried to sell him on. He wasn't impressed with the color definition compared to the DLP, so we checked out the LCD's. I tried to steer him away from them, since he's a huge sports nut. But the ghosting didn't bother him, and to him the colors looked better.

I had to agree when we sat them side by side. Now there are tons of factors that can influence that decision, but the bottom line is just because a technology claims one thing doesn't make it right. And just because something should be that way doesn't mean you will see it that way. It's all about preference, and everyone should look at a TV before they jump in and spend that much money on one. Perhaps you find the highest rated one isn't the best for them.

[SnowRanger13]

You said your room has a glare issue... Probably get a LCD or DLP then. Otherwise I'd probably say Plasma.

For the different types of TVs I like different brands...

DLP - Samsung

LCD - Sony

Plasma - Pioneer

[TheElite]

You said your room has a glare issue... Probably get a LCD or DLP then. Otherwise I'd probably say Plasma.

For the different types of TVs I like different brands...

DLP - Samsung

LCD - Sony

Plasma - Pioneer

We used to have a Sony rear projection 47" for years until it broke last year. That had quite a glare issue aswell.