# New T.V. recommendations



## rogerv (Nov 8, 2009)

Hi Everyone,

I'm thinking about a new tv to replace my existing 36 inch Sony XBR CRT in our living room. Right now we use this t.v. for what I would call casual watching. We don't have any high-def devices connected to it, and watch Dish network standard satellite broadcasts. We have a dedicated home theater in the other room that we use for Blue Rays and high def over the air broadcasts. This spring (after the snow is off the roof), I'm planning on upgrading my Dish service to receive the High Def channels, and would expect to watch most of those in the theater, but we would probably also watch those in the living room when it's convenient on the new t.v.

The set is in a corner of a high light room (although we can draw the curtains if we need to). One chair is 10 - 11 feet directly in front of the t.v., with another at maybe a 40 degree or so angle (same distance away).

I've scanned some of the previous posts here to gather some info before posting. It seems like plasma is well-regarded in comparison to LED / LCD. I was surprised when I went to BB and found that the plasma tv's are less expensive than the others. So, that's a real plus as well.

I remember reading some things in the past about plasmas being prone to burn-in (especially with the black bars on the top and side), and that they can be higher energy consumption, and possibly less durable than the LCD / LED stuff. 

So, I'm looking for any input that you might be able to provide. Are any of those recollections still true ? Would the plasma use more electricity than the Sony ? If there are any links or other sources to look at, I'd be happy to do some additional reading.

Thanks in advance,

Rog


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Hi there, All you assessments above are correct. The gap between Plasma and LCD/LED is much less prominent and the power and heat of a plasma can cause issues as well. Plasma are good dont get me wrong but they are heavy compared to the other types and you better have a good mount as well as securely anchored to the wall.


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

In well lit rooms I'd recommend a LED/LCD over a plasma.

As to whether a plasma using more power than your Sony, more than likely it will. That CRT uses roughly 200watts and a 46" calibrated plasma will use roughly 300watts. A 46" LED will use roughly 100watts.

Hope that helps! :T


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## rogerv (Nov 8, 2009)

Thanks for the reply. 

I didn't realize that the plasmas were heavier than the other types. We weren't planning on putting it on the wall. But now that you mention it, do these new thin tv's have to be wall mounted ? I was hoping that they had some kind of stand, and I'd just put it on table or rack of some kind. (pretty clear that I haven't done much research on this yet ...:R

The burn in is probably my biggest concern. Most of the standard content seems to be 4:3 aspect ratio. I wouldn't be too happy if i ended up causing a permanent shadow on my new t.v. where the black bars are.

Rog


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## rogerv (Nov 8, 2009)

Sounds like LED / LCD might be the better choice. We're trying to conserve electricity, so using more for the plasma would be a negative. 

Do you think the 40 degree viewing angle at 10 feet would make the picture look fuzzy ?

Rog


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

All flat panels come with table stands, You would be fine with a 40 deg viewing angle. most displays have a stretch mode that will fill the entire screen with the image so burn in is not that much of an issue.


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

rogerv said:


> Sounds like LED / LCD might be the better choice. We're trying to conserve electricity, so using more for the plasma would be a negative.


That's the main reason I chose my Sony LED set - one third the power of a plasma. Plus it is in a bright room.



rogerv said:


> Do you think the 40 degree viewing angle at 10 feet would make the picture look fuzzy ?
> 
> Rog


No, it won't be fuzzy at all. The issue with off angle viewing is more of a 'blacks getting lighter' and 'whites getting darker' thing. But for most sets today I think the issue is minimal. The best way to find out is to go to your local store and view the sets at off angles. 

This was another thing that I did when I bought the Sony. I was just in Best Buy killing time while my wife was at the store next door. And while I was there I thought I'd look at all the sets and look at their off angle views. The other thing I looked for was any motion artifacts and or jaggies. There was a hockey sequence playing and I could clearly see artifacts on the sets near the Sony. But none on the two Sony's. Finally, when I decided I may end up buying the Sony, I looked through the menu system to see if I could adjust everything I wanted to be able to adjust. This particular model didn't offer full grayscale calibration or a CMS, but it had the high and low end grayscale adjustment. I could have spent $500 or more for a set with all of the calibration functions but I chose not to.


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## rogerv (Nov 8, 2009)

mechman said:


> That's the main reason I chose my Sony LED set - one third the power of a plasma. Plus it is in a bright room.
> 
> 
> 
> No, it won't be fuzzy at all. The issue with off angle viewing is more of a 'blacks getting lighter' and 'whites getting darker' thing. But for most sets today I think the issue is minimal. The best way to find out is to go to your local store and view the sets at off angles.


Thanks for the additional info. Interesting that you selected Sony. I'm kind of leaning towards that brand. I've been very happy with the CRT unit, which we've had for maybe 10 years (?) or so. I like to read reviews before purchasing, and looked at the Best Buy reviews for the 46 inch Sony Bravia KDL46 EX500. Very good review comments. I also read some overview stuff about how 4:3 content is displayed on 16:9 screens. My impression from reading some of this is that the relative quality of SD content is determined by the electronics of the set, and not the actual display type itself. Is that pretty much the case ? I read some good things about Sony's electronics in the Bravia line as well.

The 46 inch display gives a slightly larger picture with 4:3 content than the current CRT. So, that's good. I wouldn't want to look at anything smaller than what I've got already. I'm not real crazy about the stretch or zoom modes on the 16:9 sets, so my best guess is that I'll end up watching the 4:3 content with pillars on the side, or whatever they're called

The lighter blacks shouldn't be a problem. The CRT has lost a little of it's pazazz over time, so we're not likely to even notice it.

Rog


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

I don't think that SD quality has anything to do with the television at all. I think it has everything to do with the source and/or the compression. I have yet to see a good SD picture on an HD set. Don't get me wrong, it looks ok. But it will never look as crisp as an HD image.

I watch SD with the pillars. But I don't watch a lot of SD content.


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## rogerv (Nov 8, 2009)

Thanks for the quick reply. I suspect you're stuck at home like I am. I'm in the northern suburbs here in MSP., and there's not much else to be doing right now. The satellite radio is down, and I expect the DISH to go out soon from the heavy snow

The SD quality will only be temporary since I'll be adding HD DISH content this spring.

Stay Warm.

Rog


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

I'm not at home anymore. :hissyfit: Unfortunately my job is 24/7 - 365 days per year. It's awfully slow though with the airport shut down.

Edit - that doesn't mean I work 24/7! Just that the building is running 24/7. I kinda made it sound like I live here!


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## koyaan (Mar 2, 2010)

The general wisdom is that Plasmas tend to be better choices for off center viewing, but LCEs tend to tolerate a bright environment better. Burn-in was always an issue with CRT sets and the same with plasma though LED was immune from the problem. I really haven't heard much about burn-in lately, however.
Does anyone know of any advances in that area?


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