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TVs - LED or LCD?


hamerhead

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LED!!! Better definition, Image is better, no pixels, no points that could go off with time

Energy saving as well

Best bang for the buck : Samsung LED HDTV, no need to buy the latest series (7) 5 or 6 are awesome too.

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+1 on the Samsung LED. Not necessarily a fan of some of the software implementation, specifically picture-in-picture, but mine's a couple years old, so they may work differently now.

The way PIP works on mine, the inset can only be the over-the-air antenna. And only the ANALOG OTA, which, as you may have heard, is useless as everything is now digital. That's the one thing my old Panasonic TV had all over this one - PIP and split screen that worked flawlessly. Nothing like two NHL playoff games on at the same time!

Alan

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Alright. Someone call the Police.

JohnnyB must be bound and gagged somewhere.

He's gathering his references.

No worries. I lost about 3 hours of my life to watching the Seahawks this afternoong

Back to topic: At the end of August I bought a 60" Panasonic Viera PLASMA TV. Here's the thread.

LED TVs are actually LCD displays with the addition of LED back-lighting or side-lighting. The Samsungs are backlit. Of the non-plasma displays, I like the LED/LCD Samsungs and Sharps the best. The LED/LCD displays that are 3D (even for 2D) look better yet. What's cool about that Panasonic I bought is that it uses the same 600 Hz refresh and fast phosphor technology developed for 3D, but without paying the 3D price. Plasmas refresh 2.5 to 5x as fast as the LCD-based displays, so they're better for action. Plasmas are also better for shadow detail and subtlety. LED/LCD work better in a brighter room.

Plasmas often don't look impressive in big box stores because they haven't been adjusted for the light. The "Standard" setting is dull as dishwater to qualify for the EnergyStar rating; the "Cinema" setting works very well for just about everything. If you can darken your room and adjust the picture, plasma 1080 puts out a great picture. I got my 60" 600Hz plasma for $999. Every time I turn it on it puts a smile on my face. About the cheapest you'll find an LED/LCD of that size is $1500-1800.

If you don't go plasma, I recommend LED/LCD, preferably from Samsung, Sharp, or Sony, and the 3D version if you care to pay the extra, because the 3D displays look better on everything.

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I bought a Samsung LCD 46". I think it has one of the more recent screens, and it was on the top end of LCD models. LED backlighting will last longer, but as far as I know, LCD backlights can be replaced. I had a budget of $1000, and it was the best looking TV in that range.

However, maybe it's just me, but I see a kind of choppiness on ALL LCD/LED televisions with fast action movies. I had a 55" Samsung plasma in Korea, but it was a low-end model, and since the damned menus were in Korean only, I couldn't really calibrate it. It was used as a monitor in my main classroom, 8 hours a day. After two years, the power supply died and I had to get a new board and screen for $250.

I do love the clarity of 1080HD TV on LCDs though. And on a sidenote, Samsungs cost more than double in Seoul than they do here. I found my same $850 LCD (from Walmart) on sale in Korea for $2700.

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I bought a Samsung LCD 46". I think it has one of the more recent screens, and it was on the top end of LCD models. LED backlighting will last longer, but as far as I know, LCD backlights can be replaced. I had a budget of $1000, and it was the best looking TV in that range.

However, maybe it's just me, but I see a kind of choppiness on ALL LCD/LED televisions with fast action movies.

No, it's not just you. This is a well-known limitation of any LCD-based TV (including so-called LED models). The first generation LCD TVs (up to around 2007) had a refresh rate of 60 Hz. This has dual limitations: 1) It's a slow refresh rate and isn't good for action; 2) if you want to get the best out of Blu-ray, you need a TV that refreshes at some multiple of both 60 Hz and 24 frames per second (fps). Film is shot at 24 fps and many/most Blu-ray transfers shot on film have 24 fps output. That's why the next generation of LCD TVs raised the refresh rate to 120 Hz--it's compatible with both 60 Hz and 24 fps. More recent up-range models have a refresh rate of 240 Hz. Plasma TVs operate at 600 Hz. Of course they're better at action, and any HDTV that can do an even rendering of 24fps (e.g., 120Hz, 240Hz, 600Hz) will render 24fps Blu-ray sources without judder during panning and action scenes.

Like I said, I got my 600 Hz 1080p fast-phosphor 60" plasma HDTV for $999. Amazon offers the 3D version for $1299. Control your room lighting, do a proper setup, and this is the best deal out there. Also, plasma life has risen from 20,000 hours when I was shopping in early 2006 to 100,000 hours on this model today. If you watch 10 hours a day, that's over 27 years, and who knows what we'll be watching on by then.

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my Samsung is a 120hz version; it's good enough but not always that smooth.

I hadn't realized that plasma technology had moved forward. I had issues (with my low-end plasma) with screen burn-in (it was used most often as a computer monitor for my students) and losing brightness.

Is the "warmth" of a plasma image versus the "crispness" of an LCD/LED screen purely a setup issue? My Better Half felt it was one of resolution, and liked the quasi-3D effect of LCD due to what I'm guessing is some sort of crispness on the edges of images...? (or is that due to color contrast?)

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I enjoy cinema. I like my tv picture to look cinematic or film-like. Plasma is my only choice, sans CRT.

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Johnny, what is your take on 3D Plasma? Is the processor "better" on these 3D machines compared to the standard plasmas? I'm not interested in the 3D capabilities.

First of all, if any of you are interested in 3D HDTV, make sure you preview a plasma 3D against LCD before parting with your money. For those unconvinced of whether plasma or LCD is better, their 3D versions clearly favor plasma. In fact, if 3D really takes off, it could provide plasma a second chance to take over the flatscreen market. It's that much better.

As to your question, the Panasonic I got is exactly what you're asking about. It's a 2D with 3D trickle-down. Specifically it has the same 600 Hz fast phosphor technology. This technology leaves more off-time between images. The extra off-time helps resist burn-in, increases projected life from 20,000 hours to 100,000, and makes the unit run much cooler.

I got mine on a sale at Costco for $999, but at Amazon's $1364, it's only $136 more to go to the equivalent 3D version. And if you want even better 3D, Panasonic offers the GT and VT versions, which are more expensive but simply stunning in either 2D or 3D.

Still, the 2D TC-P60S30 is a stone cold bargain and incorporates the advantages of 3D TVs in a 2D.

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I bought a Sony 46" XBR LCD with the 120hx refresh rate about 4 years ago and I'm very pleased with it. My TV is in a very big bright room (one side is all glass with no real way to put window treatments up) so I needed a bright display, and one without the shiny glass on the display to prevent or minimize reflections.

I's like to upgrade to a bigger unit but the issues with brightness remain - I'd like the refresh and detail of the plasma but the room brightness won't permit it I'm afraid. And it seems all the new LCDs/LEDs have the super shiny glass which picks up the distracting reflections.

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I bought a Sony 46" XBR LCD with the 120hx refresh rate about 4 years ago and I'm very pleased with it. My TV is in a very big bright room (one side is all glass with no real way to put window treatments up) so I needed a bright display, and one without the shiny glass on the display to prevent or minimize reflections.

I used to have a living room with a slider plus four windows that were nearly floor to ceiling (actually, about 1' in from each). I treated the windows with mini-blinds. When you want all light you can make them practically disappear, and when they're deployed they block most of the light. It was also our TV room. There are all kinds of window treatments that nearly fold out of sight and totally darken the room when deployed. It's worth doing if you want to move up to a 60-70" plasma or LCD/LED TV.

You could even make curtains of black corduroy mounted on spring-rods so you only put them into the window frames when watching TV; roll'em up and put them in a closet when you want the light and the view.

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Thanks for the advice Sir John. I bought the 42" version of the 1080 Plasma Viera and could not be happier. I am at a loss as to what to do for the audio portion of the equation. I still have my 2-ch system in storage (PSB Stratus Golds, Denon DS separates, Rotel 225Wpc) and the room I have to place all this stuff is 16 wide by 12 deep with the TV on the 16 foot wall and the sitting position up against the opposite wall. Using a Bose soundbar for the moment (I know...) but it is okay for TV. Doesn't do the Who justice though:-)

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I bought a Panasonic 65" V series plasma a few years ago and still haven't seen anything with a better picture... but I have seen plenty of brighter ones. IMHO plasma has the best color, best blacks and is as smooth as silk (without using any goofy smoothing that makes people's faces look like clay), but I wouldn't want one in a bright room.

Oh, and remember when buying a new TV, due to the higher resolution now, you buy one that's screen's width (not diagonal) is about twice as far as you're sitting from it. So if it's 50 across, you sit back about 100 inch's. Beauty.

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A 50 inch (diagonal) 16x9 TV is about 43 inches wide so that's about 86 inches back. 1080p of course.

The THX recommendation is closer, they take the diagonal measurement, divide by .84, and that gives you the optimal distance in inches.

50 divided by .84 = 59 inches. Very cinematic! It all has to do with the resolution (not seeing the dots etc) and viewing angles (filling your field of vision but not making you turn your head, or move your eyes too much).

http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-entertainment/home-theater/hdtv-set-up/

It's funny when people think it's too close, yet they'll sit 20 inches away from a 24 inch computer screen all day.

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Sitting too far back and never calibrating their TV are the big things.

While not everyone wants to have a THX Certified guy come in to setup a TV, or even buy an expensive light meter and kit... but you can do a pretty good job yourself with the Spears & Munsil High-Definition Benchmark Blu-ray at only $25, or the $25 Disney WOW, World of Wonder Setup Blu-Ray.

I go to some people's homes and their TVs are dazzling. They're hard on the eyes. Even parked cars look like their brake lights are on!

I just want to scream "Look around the room! THAT'S what real life looks like, and in 3D too!"

But, too each their own, as long as they're happy I guess. It's their TV.

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It's a good deal, especially since it's a 3D TV. Generally speaking the 3D's have a better picture even on 2D source material. Also generally speaking the Plasma 3Ds (both Panasonic and Samsung) do a more natural rendition of 3D than the LCDs I've seen.

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