Get a Sharp Aquos.

 

My Samsung was half the price of the Aquos for about the same size and there was no real picture difference to justify it. They are very nice tvs, just expensive. And its easy to like one a little better in the store where they place them next to eachother and could really mess with the signal however they wanted but in your house you really wont notice that its a very tiny bit less clarity or brightness or whatever.

 

I was playing my 360 last night for about an hour or so.

When I shut it off I could see a faint outline of the health/ weapon stats in the corner.

It went away after a while but I was a little worried. So if you play ALOT don't get a plasma lol.

I read somewhere if you have the brightness turned down it helps keep it from burning in.

 

^^ That does not matter. That is not burn in and should not be confused with burn-in. That's the phosphor inside each individual cell still radiating light. It's nothing to be concerned about. It would take a week before you burned in the image.

 

Wow -- sorry for the late response. I'm at work now, and will be busy tonight, but I'll get back to this thread later. I'll address RED Z's post since it was the most concise and easiest for me to give a quick response:

I personally don't have a video game system, nor have ever used one on an HD TV. I would look at DTN's post, as I've been TOLD the same thing.
I haven't read/heard anything about elevation having anything to do with picture quality, whether LCD or plasma
For the price, I like LG and Samsung LCDs. For plasma, Philips and Sony Bravia are my favorites, but I haven't compared prices on Plasmas.
It depends on the size of the room and the distance you'll be sitting away from the TV. I have a 40" LCD, and I sit on average 8-9 feet away. It's big enough, not too big. I sit about 17-20 feet away (i'll measure tonight) when eating at our breakfast table. I can still see the picture perfectly, but I'd go 47" if I was sitting that far away all the time. It looks MUCH bigger in your family room than it does when it's sitting on a wall filled with them, especially if they have it next to a nice 60".
I would research the TVs online. I would look at Best Buy and Circuit City for the current TV models (go in person, and see what you like), then research it online for reviews (Check CNET.com). Also check CNet for prices, and see what TigerDirect is offering - I've heard good things about them but have no personal experience. I would also HEAVILY consider buying from Best Buy, Circuit City, or something similar only because they will MATCH anyone's advertised price (including Circuit City's online sales). I personally like having the option of returning it to an actual store if something goes wrong, rather than dealing with an online retailer, such as tigerDirect.

To answer your question: See if Costco will do price matching. I don't go to Costco, so I can't be sure, but I would 'assume' they have lower prices but also lower quality TVs. Check the brightness ratio (remember, you can't compare LCD brightness to Plasma... they're different). Look at the TVs in person and decide what you like, then research comparable models and pricing. Use CNet as a good resource.

I've heard about Plasmas being very easy to get burned images from video games, mostly since there is usually something at the top or bottom (border, display, etc.) that doesn't change very often. I haven't seen LCDs have this complaint nearly as often. Plasmas are brighter, and seem to have a much better picture with animated graphics (like on games and disney movies) than an LCD. Plasmas usually have a higher refresh rate.

I'll check bac klater... I also have NO current knowledge on HD Projectors whatsoever. Redz - give me room dimensions and distance from normal everyday seating to where the TV would be.

WHEW!!! I almost lost all that... accidently hit the "Back" button on the keyboard and was able to Select All and Copy before it changed pages... keyboard shortcuts FTW!!

 

I thought you finally got a 360?



No, that's not the supposed problem, I was told that Plasma's won't work above 6000 Feet, that they just won't operate.



The Sony TV I have now is the last Sony Device I will ever own.

I've also been looking at Cnet, but their reviews are always pretty slanted. I'm keeping my eyes open though everywhere.



I've heard of this too, but have recently been told that burn-in is on early generations of Plasmas, that newer ones have different coatings that avoid burn-in completely. I have no idea though.



Room dimensions? 14foot 6 inches by 14 feet. Viewing distances of right at 10 feet towards the 14 foot wall.

 

No - I'm just too busy right now. I work 10 hour days, then studying at night. 8 hour class every Saturday, and studying for the CPA exam (16 hours of testing). I'm holding off til I'm done with all of this excess crap.
I put it at the end of my top 4 for a reason. I hear it's good, but I personally wouldn't buy one. Just not a Sony fan. I should have mentioned Panasonic, they're supposed to be putting out some great Plasma TVs
I've heard the "new generation" plasmas are supposed to be much better, but I've only heard rumors, no test results. They're supposed to last longer than the first plasmas did, not burn out or fade as fast, and not get burned images as easily. But - I haven't seen anyone test this or deep discussion. Buyer Beware.
I'd say a 37" at least, 40 or 42" optimal, 47" if you just want a big TV. I don't see a need in going 50" or higher - 40 or 47" would probably be great. Not much difference you can tell in 40" vs. 42", but there seems to be a big price jump when you go from 40/42" to the 47", so if money is a big factor, I think you get more bang for the buck with the 42".

Also, plasmas have a glass screen, LCD doesn't, so plasmas will reflect more light (if you have a big window that always has sunlight beaming in on the TV, might not want a plasma). I like LCD vs. Plasma because LCD colors are more "normal" and realistic... plasma just seems TOO colorful and bright (which is good for animated movies and video games, but I like LCDs for sports and normal HD shows.

Does anyone know about the XBox 360 Pro and the PS3? Are they 1080i, 1080p, or 720p? I haven't been able to find the list lately, but there are very few stations that actually broadcast in 1080, so getting a 1080 isn't going to give you much different results than the 720 unless you're watching the channel that has the broadcast (I'm thinking it was one network and one sports, like NBC and ESPN or something).

DLP - I personally can't stand DLPs. They're much cheaper and affordable, but big, bulky, and I hate the fact you have to be dead center to see anything decent on the TV. LCD/Plasma have 178ยบ viewing angles (180ยบ is a straight line) while DLP seems to have a 30-45ยบ viewing angle. My dad has DLP, I hate it.

For altitude related information and Plasmas, this look like a good reference:
http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmat...v-altitude.html






To backup my previous suggestion, I also found this on that site:


This site gives 8-tips to buying an LCD, and 10-tips to buying a Plasma:
http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatv.html

Since I've put so much in this one post, you can go there and read for yourself. One page states that technology has advanced for response time, and LCDs don't really have the ghosting/trailing/streaking that they used to. I've had my Samsung 40" LCD for over a year and have no streaking or ghosting AT ALL when watching NFL games live in HD, or baseball games in HD

 

To answer the one question you have the PS3 is 1080p, so for a smaller room and just for gaming would a 32" LCD be reasonable?

 

sure, I don't see why not. When you get under 40" it's hard to find a plasma. There are many more LCDs available.

Keep in mind - the more comparable models there are from more manufacturers, the more price competition comes into play.

i.e., If you have 10 companies pushing a total of 30 different 42" LCDs, competition will push prices down and quality up (hopefully). If you have only 5 companies pushing a total of 10 50" LCDs, then prices will be higher and quality may not differ much from one to the next.

 

To answer Jeremy, yes you are somewhat correct. I wondered the same when I visited Circuit City in Flagstaff, AZ and there were no plasma screens for sale..

It is due to the pressure differential between the compressed neon and, xenon, argon gases inside each tiny glass envelope and the air outside. Since the pressure outside is less than SL (where it is most often calibrated to operate at), the pressures inside increase with altitude, and above 5500 feet start to emit a slight buzzing sound due to the plasma display panel's increased power usage and the corresponding increase in colling needs, hence, its fan usage.

There is no picture quality difference, primarily just noise of operation increases with altitude (to a somewhat annoying level for movies and stuff..). So if the TV has fans to cool it they will be significantly louder or if it is a convection colling system you'll hear the buzz from the back panel. Since plasma's have to "work" harder at elevation they won't last as long as one at SL.

Nowadays, they make "altitude friendly" plasmas with lowered pressure differentials. NEC is probably the best, Panasonic, and Pioneer follow.

ask your store about them.