From talking to our service people, and working with people who have been in this industry for 20 years, I will say that if you buy samsung, you better get the extended warrantee.
I dont like having my bulbs blow out when they feel like it.
Sony makes some of the best TV’s on the market in the mid level range.
If you want to talk high end with Fujitsu and NEC and Marantz we can do that too.
Samsung is a fucking joke when it comes to having it last more than 2 years without a problem.
Whereas i can take a sony or LG home and know that i have a good 5-7 years before something fails on it, and by that time it will be time for OLED.
Just because consumer reports(idiots) say something is good doesnt mean it is.
Any Plasma I have looked at has a green/gray tint to its ‘black’ areas that I have seen, from high to low end. they have the best contrast ratio yes, as they can shut those pixels down. But the color that’ there isn’t black. When there is no light in the room it I’m sure it looks great. But any light to hit that empty space and there is a greenish-gray color to almost all that I have seen.
I have yet to see a plasma that produces natural looking colors. They are always over bright, skin tones always seem to have an unnatural glow to them, grass usually looks more of a neon green. I mean maybe its possible that damn near every plasma I have seen was set up by someone with two brain cells left, maybe the technology has changed a TON in the last 10 months or so. But I tried to get colors on any plasma to look real, and I just couldn’t do it.
Dont get me wrong, the colors are ‘vibrent’ and eye catching. But they dont look anywhere near as natural as LCD and DLP does. I just don’t see the claim that plasmas produce true colors.
True LCDs with gloss screens suffer from the same glare problems that plasmas do, but there aren’t that many LCD TVs like that. Why all notebook computers do that I have no idea…
they are also the least power efficient.
Maybe I’m wrong, but fuck it its my opinion right? oohhhh noes someone doesn’t like what I feel about the look of plasma…
Mmmmkay,
If the (‘black’) dark areas of the picture on a plasma television look gray the black level is set too high. If they appear green, something else is wrong, bad feed, bad connector, the settings in the television are completely off kilter, or the panel is a POS.
The colors on all sets in chain stores and even some higher end shops are never going to be accurate. The displays get set to vivid, to overcome the high ambient light of the display environment and the ignorance of John Q. Public. Over boosted black, white, color, and sharpness levels are the norm.
In order to make a display display “true colors” you need to have it calibrated. You can set black level, white level, color saturation, tint, and sharpness control using a basic test DVD, HD DVD, or Bluray disc. To calibrate a set to ISF standards takes a video pattern generator, and a colorimeter. With that gear you can adjust grayscale tracking (color temperature), and color decoding. Having a display calibrated won’t ensure that the picture you’re seeing is true. It will ensure you’re seeing the picture the same way the Director intended it to be shown.
The new single layer plasma panels are just as good as LCD panels when you’re looking at the glare issue.
If you’re interested at viewing a properly calibrated plasma display, stop by Stereo Advantage, and ask to see the Pioneer Elite 50".
Thank you for giving me a concise and in depth response instead of asking “what I’m smoking” that really doesn’t get anywhere.
I have tried changing the settings on plasmas to look better, I’ve always been really good with LCDs (I sold TVs 2 years ago). But I could never get the plasmas to look right. Though I know just as I stopped selling them newer panels were coming out, mainly 1080p, plus some other advances. But I stopped caring as much once I left there.
I probably will check out said plasma if I get bored at some point. Its been a long time since I have been to stereo advantage.
thats funny, sony does NOT make some of the best tvs on the market, the most overpriced yes, the best, umm do some research from a true HD store, not best buy, circuit city or any place like that and the answer will surprise your sony humping ass.
If it looks good to you, and the price is right, then I would go for it. I wouldn’t listen to much that the people in this thread have to say. Most A/V geeks are just way too picky. Chances are you will love any TV buy because when it comes down to it, High Definition video just fucking rules. Doesn’t matter which one you get, they will all blow the doors off of SD broadcast picture quality.
Saw it, was largely impressed by the colors, they were a lot more natural looking then pretty much any other TV I’d seen. But Its still not black… sorry but its still off enough that it bugs me. Any scene that goes mostly black on the screen just doesn’t look right. there is still a green tint to it, I’m fairly certain its just the nature of the phosphor in the plasma panels or what. But I wont shit talk plasmas after playing with a few higher end models from Samsung and the Pioneer. Once those are tuned in right they have amazing color. But I still wont put them on the top of my preferences.
Two TVs that I came across that get a definite pluses, LED back-lit LCD TVs and the incredible OLED TV they had on display at Stereo Advantage. That OLED had an incredibly natural tone to it and amazingly rich color when it needed it. Those will be amazing when they start hitting the mainstream markets.
Looking at DLPs next to the newer plasmas and LCDs I think they get kicked down a notch. But I do still have a place for them. Rear projection might make a come back when they get the laser TVs out though. Be nice to see one of those.
Howie at CostCo I see the Vizio, I also see for less than $100 more you can get a 46" Sharp Aquos. I say go with the Aquos, great TV’s and an awesome price on it!
i’ve actually become convinced that drexial is just trolling. there is no way someone can make that long of a post about televisions and be that wrong. i swear he is just saying shit to bait us.
When I look at the black frame that is clearly black on a Plasma, then I look at the palen on the plasma, it looks like a greenish gray color… I don’t know how I’m the only one that seems to feel this way. Its just noticeable enough to drive me nuts. Every plasma screen I have seen has a green tint to it. I mean yeah If I have all the lights off in the room and I’m in a room with no windows, then sure I might not notice it. But as long as there are moderate levels of light there is a clear difference between the black frame on the case and the ‘black’ on the screen. Everything else I saw on the Pioneer blew me away with the colors it had. I don’t know how any of this is spewing shit…
while the LCDs do have issues with bleed through that would be more visible in low-no light situations, it still looks more black to me then a plasma in low-bright lights. But in a store I don’t think they would like it if I shut all the lights off and I don’t really plan on doing all my TV watching in the dark.
And besides that only one person so far has said anythign to the contrarry, everyone else just saying “wrong” isn’t really making a valid argument against anything.