These things have gotten somewhat commoditized. I think that it's been the right time to buy for years, if you don't have an HDTV, you should have gotten one a couple of years ago.
I think that Vizio is fairly good at displaying HD, but where the lower end sets really falter is with SD upscaling. This may not be an issue in a few months, however, as DirecTV is going to have 200 HD channels, which basically means everything is in HD.
That being said, a Samsung or Sony is going to give you a slightly better picture, but at a price.
Plasma is a dead technology, it doesn't have the same picture quality as LCD, it is a ridiculous power hog, and if the black levels are important to you, LED LCD is the best technology. Don't buy a plasma unless its under $10. It's not worth it.
"Plasma ... doesn't have the same picture quality as LCD, it is a ridiculous power hog, and if the black levels are important to you, LED LCD is the best technology."
Once again, some people don't know what they are talking about. The one obvious thing that a top pf the line plasma has over a top of the line LCD is better black levels.
You couldn't possibly be more wrong. Plasmas are consistently ranked higher regarding picture quality. The energy efficiency differences are negligible.
@(Unverified) ouch, wrong again... i remember the Pioneer Kuro 720P TV knocking out every single LCD in 1080P with 120hz... look up the kuro vs LCD challenge... the LEDs are verrrrry sexy, and the black levels are so much closer to the Kuro... Problem is, blurrrrrrrrrr... I enjoyed staring at the Samsung LED 8100 series, but the blurr is still noticable to me when you come to scenes that are fast-paced...
Now... LED kicks plasma's butt in depth perception... thats that "3D" kinda feel... In comparison, the LED slightly outperforms a plasma... still far from your "best technology" assumption...
Price-wise... You cant beat a plasma... its a tried and true technology and its so cheap to produce now... LED is still obxnoxious with its prices because its newer...
As for power-consumption?? pfft... backlit LEDs use a lot of juice my friend... Plasmas have made huuuuge improvements... thats not an issue... and both TVs have energy saver modes...
and finally... Burn-in... LCD tvs do burn in too... google the gay porn craigslist LCD... that'll prove it lol
do some more research... its cool to chime in, but you cant make crazy statements without having the juice to back it up... Its like saying Barry Bonds never did steroids lol
@roper Plasmas could beat a regular CCFL LCD, but the LED LCDs are truly the best experience out there, short of a front projector in an engineered room of course with a specialized screen.
The LED LCDs not only have the best black levels, but the 120/240hz TVs don't have the motion blur issues.
Plasmas draw a LOT more power than LCDs.
LCD has never had a burn-in issue, Plasmas had that under control when they became obsolete by the LED LCDs (although they were still a poor choice long before LCDs matched their black levels).
1. Plasmas continue to routinely beat LCD's of all types in picture quality. 2. The highest end LED LCD's have been able to match the best plasma black levels, but none have been able to surpass them. 3. 120/240Hz TV's do have motion blur issues and give you that disgusting video game look when displaying something produced on film. 4. LCD's can suffer from image retention.
Now, let's look at the facts on energy consumption for a moment to dispute your claim that plasmas draw a LOT more power:
Panasonic TC-P54G10 plasma: 293 W Sony KDL-52NX800 LED LCD: 169 W Sony KDL-52XBR10 LED LCD: 248 W
The Samsung's draw less power, but we still aren't talking about much. You're talking about saving $25 - $50....A YEAR.
1/2: Yes, the black levels are roughly equivalent between LED LCDs and Plasmas, but the LED LCDs have a much nicer, sharper picture. Plasmas are basically squished CRTs, which is a DEAD technology.
3. HUH? Video sources are 60hz in the first place, 120hz eliminates motion blurring.
4. LCDs may have some very short image retention, but its nothing significant enough to be called burn-in like plasmas used to have. Its a non-issue on any technology available on the market. That being said, I wouldn't leave it on a stationary image all day, but there shouldn't be stationary objects up for more than a few minutes, and tickers can be wiped out by switching channels.
I can't find power numbers, but plasmas are fundamentally power hogs. LED LCD is the technically the best TV (excluding front projectors) in every way, but they can be cost prohibitive against CCFL LCDs, which is why CCFL LCDs are still much more popular. Also, some plasmas, up to 42" aren't even 1080p! If you're going to settle for anything less than 1080p, get a used LCD off Craigslist and get a good TV for probably $500 or less.
@(Unverified) Wrong... LEDs do NOT have the best black levels... Plasmas still have the best black levels... LEDs are very close to having plasma quality blacks...
and as for the motion blur issues, you have NO clue what youre talking about... They still have motion blur issues... Just do a google search on motion blur on the new samsungs...
The amount of juice ont he 2008 and up lines of plasmas draw the SAME amount of juice as LCDs.... Backlit LEDs have the possibility of drawing more juice than a plasma...
LCDs DO in fact have burn in issues... they are NOT immune to them... Ever read an LCD or an LED manual? Ever actually seen one? I have... the pixels burn themselves to a single color and stay stuck...
and plasmas are still not obsolete... Youre just one of those tools that are fooled by a 17 yr old best buy employee who can't even afford a TV making judgement calls with zero experience... Go do some homework before you speak next time... you have absolutely no clue what you are talking about...
@(Unverified) @(Unverified) Wrong... LEDs do NOT have the best black levels... Plasmas still have the best black levels... LEDs are very close to having plasma quality blacks...
and as for the motion blur issues, you have NO clue what youre talking about... They still have motion blur issues... Just do a google search on motion blur on the new samsungs...
The amount of juice ont he 2008 and up lines of plasmas draw the SAME amount of juice as LCDs.... Backlit LEDs have the possibility of drawing more juice than a plasma...
LCDs DO in fact have burn in issues... they are NOT immune to them... Ever read an LCD or an LED manual? Ever actually seen one? I have... the pixels burn themselves to a single color and stay stuck...
and plasmas are still not obsolete... Youre just one of those tools that are fooled by a 17 yr old best buy employee who can't even afford a TV making judgement calls with zero experience... Go do some homework before you speak next time... you have absolutely no clue what you are talking about...
@(Unverified) again... please dont ever speak about things you dont know... youre throwing out so much misinformation about tv technology... youre sooo far off on how these things work...
@(Unverified) LEDs fundamentally have perfect blacks, due to the technology. They are absolutely stunning in comparison to the current standard of CCFL.
Modern sets that are 120hz or 240hz don't have motion blurring issues of any significance. That's an issue from years ago with computer monitors on high-FPS games and first-generation LCD HDTVs.
Plasmas fundamentally draw a lot more power than LCDs, and LEDs are MUCH more efficient than even CCFL LCDs. An LED backlit set isn't going to draw the same amount of power as a CCFL set, much less more power.
Plasma is dead, and has been dead for several years. They are expensive, power hogging sets. In fact, Plasma never was a good technology, as DLP RPTV was the thing for a while, and then the CCFL LCDs came down in price and took over the market. I don't believe anything that the Best Buy people say because they don't know anything. Although I'm not totally up to date, I have read many reviews of HDTVs over the years, and I know what I am talking about.
The best (non projector) technology out there right now is undeniably LED LCD, although I think you would have a very good argument that CCFL HDTV is the best thing to buy right now because it is a better value.
For those looking for a device strictly for reading, the new Kobo is a nice little option. It's small enough to slip into a pocket, can do more with a PDF than the competition, and at $129, it's $10 cheaper than both the Nook and Kindle WiFi.
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These things have gotten somewhat commoditized. I think that it's been the right time to buy for years, if you don't have an HDTV, you should have gotten one a couple of years ago.
I think that Vizio is fairly good at displaying HD, but where the lower end sets really falter is with SD upscaling. This may not be an issue in a few months, however, as DirecTV is going to have 200 HD channels, which basically means everything is in HD.
That being said, a Samsung or Sony is going to give you a slightly better picture, but at a price.
Plasma is a dead technology, it doesn't have the same picture quality as LCD, it is a ridiculous power hog, and if the black levels are important to you, LED LCD is the best technology. Don't buy a plasma unless its under $10. It's not worth it.
@(Unverified)
"Plasma ... doesn't have the same picture quality as LCD, it is a ridiculous power hog, and if the black levels are important to you, LED LCD is the best technology."
Once again, some people don't know what they are talking about. The one obvious thing that a top pf the line plasma has over a top of the line LCD is better black levels.
@(Unverified)
You couldn't possibly be more wrong. Plasmas are consistently ranked higher regarding picture quality. The energy efficiency differences are negligible.
@(Unverified) ouch, wrong again... i remember the Pioneer Kuro 720P TV knocking out every single LCD in 1080P with 120hz... look up the kuro vs LCD challenge... the LEDs are verrrrry sexy, and the black levels are so much closer to the Kuro... Problem is, blurrrrrrrrrr... I enjoyed staring at the Samsung LED 8100 series, but the blurr is still noticable to me when you come to scenes that are fast-paced...
Now... LED kicks plasma's butt in depth perception... thats that "3D" kinda feel... In comparison, the LED slightly outperforms a plasma... still far from your "best technology" assumption...
Price-wise... You cant beat a plasma... its a tried and true technology and its so cheap to produce now... LED is still obxnoxious with its prices because its newer...
As for power-consumption?? pfft... backlit LEDs use a lot of juice my friend... Plasmas have made huuuuge improvements... thats not an issue... and both TVs have energy saver modes...
and finally... Burn-in... LCD tvs do burn in too... google the gay porn craigslist LCD... that'll prove it lol
do some more research... its cool to chime in, but you cant make crazy statements without having the juice to back it up... Its like saying Barry Bonds never did steroids lol
@roper Plasmas could beat a regular CCFL LCD, but the LED LCDs are truly the best experience out there, short of a front projector in an engineered room of course with a specialized screen.
The LED LCDs not only have the best black levels, but the 120/240hz TVs don't have the motion blur issues.
Plasmas draw a LOT more power than LCDs.
LCD has never had a burn-in issue, Plasmas had that under control when they became obsolete by the LED LCDs (although they were still a poor choice long before LCDs matched their black levels).
@(Unverified)
Your post is among the funniest.
1. Plasmas continue to routinely beat LCD's of all types in picture quality.
2. The highest end LED LCD's have been able to match the best plasma black levels, but none have been able to surpass them.
3. 120/240Hz TV's do have motion blur issues and give you that disgusting video game look when displaying something produced on film.
4. LCD's can suffer from image retention.
Now, let's look at the facts on energy consumption for a moment to dispute your claim that plasmas draw a LOT more power:
Panasonic TC-P54G10 plasma: 293 W
Sony KDL-52NX800 LED LCD: 169 W
Sony KDL-52XBR10 LED LCD: 248 W
The Samsung's draw less power, but we still aren't talking about much. You're talking about saving $25 - $50....A YEAR.
@Robert Mechum
1/2: Yes, the black levels are roughly equivalent between LED LCDs and Plasmas, but the LED LCDs have a much nicer, sharper picture. Plasmas are basically squished CRTs, which is a DEAD technology.
3. HUH? Video sources are 60hz in the first place, 120hz eliminates motion blurring.
4. LCDs may have some very short image retention, but its nothing significant enough to be called burn-in like plasmas used to have. Its a non-issue on any technology available on the market. That being said, I wouldn't leave it on a stationary image all day, but there shouldn't be stationary objects up for more than a few minutes, and tickers can be wiped out by switching channels.
I can't find power numbers, but plasmas are fundamentally power hogs. LED LCD is the technically the best TV (excluding front projectors) in every way, but they can be cost prohibitive against CCFL LCDs, which is why CCFL LCDs are still much more popular. Also, some plasmas, up to 42" aren't even 1080p! If you're going to settle for anything less than 1080p, get a used LCD off Craigslist and get a good TV for probably $500 or less.
@(Unverified) Wrong... LEDs do NOT have the best black levels... Plasmas still have the best black levels... LEDs are very close to having plasma quality blacks...
and as for the motion blur issues, you have NO clue what youre talking about... They still have motion blur issues... Just do a google search on motion blur on the new samsungs...
The amount of juice ont he 2008 and up lines of plasmas draw the SAME amount of juice as LCDs.... Backlit LEDs have the possibility of drawing more juice than a plasma...
LCDs DO in fact have burn in issues... they are NOT immune to them... Ever read an LCD or an LED manual? Ever actually seen one? I have... the pixels burn themselves to a single color and stay stuck...
and plasmas are still not obsolete... Youre just one of those tools that are fooled by a 17 yr old best buy employee who can't even afford a TV making judgement calls with zero experience... Go do some homework before you speak next time... you have absolutely no clue what you are talking about...
@(Unverified) @(Unverified) Wrong... LEDs do NOT have the best black levels... Plasmas still have the best black levels... LEDs are very close to having plasma quality blacks...
and as for the motion blur issues, you have NO clue what youre talking about... They still have motion blur issues... Just do a google search on motion blur on the new samsungs...
The amount of juice ont he 2008 and up lines of plasmas draw the SAME amount of juice as LCDs.... Backlit LEDs have the possibility of drawing more juice than a plasma...
LCDs DO in fact have burn in issues... they are NOT immune to them... Ever read an LCD or an LED manual? Ever actually seen one? I have... the pixels burn themselves to a single color and stay stuck...
and plasmas are still not obsolete... Youre just one of those tools that are fooled by a 17 yr old best buy employee who can't even afford a TV making judgement calls with zero experience... Go do some homework before you speak next time... you have absolutely no clue what you are talking about...
@(Unverified) again... please dont ever speak about things you dont know... youre throwing out so much misinformation about tv technology... youre sooo far off on how these things work...
@(Unverified) LEDs fundamentally have perfect blacks, due to the technology. They are absolutely stunning in comparison to the current standard of CCFL.
Modern sets that are 120hz or 240hz don't have motion blurring issues of any significance. That's an issue from years ago with computer monitors on high-FPS games and first-generation LCD HDTVs.
Plasmas fundamentally draw a lot more power than LCDs, and LEDs are MUCH more efficient than even CCFL LCDs. An LED backlit set isn't going to draw the same amount of power as a CCFL set, much less more power.
Plasma is dead, and has been dead for several years. They are expensive, power hogging sets. In fact, Plasma never was a good technology, as DLP RPTV was the thing for a while, and then the CCFL LCDs came down in price and took over the market. I don't believe anything that the Best Buy people say because they don't know anything. Although I'm not totally up to date, I have read many reviews of HDTVs over the years, and I know what I am talking about.
The best (non projector) technology out there right now is undeniably LED LCD, although I think you would have a very good argument that CCFL HDTV is the best thing to buy right now because it is a better value.