Plasma? LCD? Projection? Bwa! - Page 4

Thoran · 06-13-2005, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sir Goulum:

Thoran- Yikes... $3K would take twice as long to save up from $1500 or so. I don't really mind if the quality is worse than normal tvs, and my dads making a great movie theater setup anyways. This tv I'm getting is more for just watching tv while I lay in bed (not that kind of tv, Macky. ) or while I'm playing computor/doing homework. I only make $5.90 an hour, part time so I don't want to be saving for 10 months or something.

Ahh... I thought I read that you wanted to spend $2k. I think you'll have a challenge getting a decent large LCD or Plasma screen for $1500 or less, there are some out there but I wonder about the quality. You could of course go for a small LCD screen, you can get those under $1500 but they'll be a bit smaller than we've been talking about (30" or less), plasma's in the 42" range can be had for less than 2k but they're REALLY on the low end of the price spectrum (make sure you see what they look like first). LCD's over 40" are going to cost WAY more than $2k

Sir Goulum · 06-13-2005, 08:00 PM

Well, $1500-$2000, but $2000 being the extreme max. I'm looking for, probably, a 30" TV (nothing massive, but nothing too small either). I just don't want to be saving for a really long time.

Thoran · 06-14-2005, 12:28 AM

Well if you're looking in the 30" range I think you should be able to find something. Plasma's tend to be a bit cheaper but I don't know that they go as low as 30", IMO LCD's provide better image quality but they tend to cost more.

Personally I think LCD provides better image quality than Plasma, but in the interest of disclosure I should say that I work for the largest manufacturer of LCD glass in the world... so I'm not exactly unbiased. I'd recommend that you hit a store with both and do your own comparison. Expect to pay more for LCD, and if you feel Plasma gets you the image quality you want you should look at is as a decent option. For the space you're looking at projection probably doesn't make a lot of sense (unless you have a HUGE bedroom

)

Larry_OHF · 06-14-2005, 01:59 PM

I was just now listening to Clark Howard on the radio, a financial expert, and was talking about this very subject.

He says that for the money, the LCDs are the better buy in the long run, though he has a friend that disagrees and says that Plasma cost will come down enough in the next three years to make it worth the money.

He also says that we should know that in a magazine that deals in consumer money spending or something reports that some high-cost name brand TVs are coming from companies that make the identical quality with a lesser cost, being that they just are not carrying the name brand. he said that in that magazine, there were two examples of TVs that compared the same TV with and without the name stamp...and the cost difference was doubled.

He said that in the past 90 days, LCD costs have dropped very well, and he estimates that they will be dropping more and more as the consumer demand grows. That is why I am waiting for a while before I buy mine.

One more thing...he said alot of people pay the extra cost to have HD ready or HD integrated...without even knowing what that means,,,and then they do not get the true HD quality because they do not have access to that type of incoming signal. There are TVs made that do not have the HD-ready mechanisms with it...and that is the type that I would buy, since I do not nor ever will have Digital Cable...unless they make it standard and the analog gets removed from consumer options. I just don't watch TV shows that needs the digital clarity. I want to watch my DVDs in digital clarity, however,,,and that is why I will buy a DVD player with the true digital hookup that I linked to earlier in this discussion...before I buy my Digital TV.

[ 06-14-2005, 02:01 PM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

Thoran · 06-14-2005, 05:11 PM

I run my HD projector from a high end PC (HTPC or Home Theater PC), it allows me to do things like dynamically process DVD movies to improve image quality to near HD levels. I don't have broadcast TV but I'm told it doesn't work as well with TV because the image is just too crappy to do much with. At this point HD broadcasting is just getting going, but expect huge advances in the next couple years. There is an HD VCR currently available (that works very well) and you can rent HD movies online, so it's very close to the point where it'll make sense to pay a bit extra to get those HD capabilities.

Once you see an HD movie you'll NEVER want to go back to TV quality.

As far as LCD's go... as I said my company provides most of the lcd glass being used in the world, and I can tell you that there are NOT a lot of manufacturers making LCD panels. Most of the makes you see in Circuit City are actually rebadged units or in some cases purchased panels with added electronics.

Sir Goulum · 06-14-2005, 09:14 PM

They seem to be about even, I guess I'll just look at the quality of each when I go to buy it. Just one last question though... would you reccomend a widescreen or just a normal one? Some widescreens I've seen really stretch the picture on normal tv, which is why I'm wondering.

Thoran · 06-14-2005, 10:00 PM

Depends on what you plan on watching... if you mostly watch TV then go for the normal aspect ratio, if you mostly watch movies get widescreen.

If you mostly play games get widescreen (xbox 360 will be widescreen I seem to recall, and a PC doesn't care either way)

06-14-2005, 01:59 PM	#34
Larry_OHF Ironworks Moderator Join Date: March 1, 2001 Location: Midlands, South Carolina Age: 49 Posts: 14,759	I was just now listening to Clark Howard on the radio, a financial expert, and was talking about this very subject. He says that for the money, the LCDs are the better buy in the long run, though he has a friend that disagrees and says that Plasma cost will come down enough in the next three years to make it worth the money. He also says that we should know that in a magazine that deals in consumer money spending or something reports that some high-cost name brand TVs are coming from companies that make the identical quality with a lesser cost, being that they just are not carrying the name brand. he said that in that magazine, there were two examples of TVs that compared the same TV with and without the name stamp...and the cost difference was doubled. He said that in the past 90 days, LCD costs have dropped very well, and he estimates that they will be dropping more and more as the consumer demand grows. That is why I am waiting for a while before I buy mine. One more thing...he said alot of people pay the extra cost to have HD ready or HD integrated...without even knowing what that means,,,and then they do not get the true HD quality because they do not have access to that type of incoming signal. There are TVs made that do not have the HD-ready mechanisms with it...and that is the type that I would buy, since I do not nor ever will have Digital Cable...unless they make it standard and the analog gets removed from consumer options. I just don't watch TV shows that needs the digital clarity. I want to watch my DVDs in digital clarity, however,,,and that is why I will buy a DVD player with the true digital hookup that I linked to earlier in this discussion...before I buy my Digital TV. [ 06-14-2005, 02:01 PM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ] __________________

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06-13-2005, 08:00 PM	#32
Sir Goulum John Locke Join Date: February 7, 2002 Location: Edmonton, Canada Age: 36 Posts: 8,985	Well, $1500-$2000, but $2000 being the extreme max. I'm looking for, probably, a 30" TV (nothing massive, but nothing too small either). I just don't want to be saving for a really long time.

06-14-2005, 12:28 AM	#33
Thoran Galvatron Join Date: January 10, 2002 Location: Upstate NY Age: 57 Posts: 2,109	Well if you're looking in the 30" range I think you should be able to find something. Plasma's tend to be a bit cheaper but I don't know that they go as low as 30", IMO LCD's provide better image quality but they tend to cost more. Personally I think LCD provides better image quality than Plasma, but in the interest of disclosure I should say that I work for the largest manufacturer of LCD glass in the world... so I'm not exactly unbiased. I'd recommend that you hit a store with both and do your own comparison. Expect to pay more for LCD, and if you feel Plasma gets you the image quality you want you should look at is as a decent option. For the space you're looking at projection probably doesn't make a lot of sense (unless you have a HUGE bedroom )

06-14-2005, 05:11 PM	#35
Thoran Galvatron Join Date: January 10, 2002 Location: Upstate NY Age: 57 Posts: 2,109	I run my HD projector from a high end PC (HTPC or Home Theater PC), it allows me to do things like dynamically process DVD movies to improve image quality to near HD levels. I don't have broadcast TV but I'm told it doesn't work as well with TV because the image is just too crappy to do much with. At this point HD broadcasting is just getting going, but expect huge advances in the next couple years. There is an HD VCR currently available (that works very well) and you can rent HD movies online, so it's very close to the point where it'll make sense to pay a bit extra to get those HD capabilities. Once you see an HD movie you'll NEVER want to go back to TV quality. As far as LCD's go... as I said my company provides most of the lcd glass being used in the world, and I can tell you that there are NOT a lot of manufacturers making LCD panels. Most of the makes you see in Circuit City are actually rebadged units or in some cases purchased panels with added electronics.

06-14-2005, 09:14 PM	#36
Sir Goulum John Locke Join Date: February 7, 2002 Location: Edmonton, Canada Age: 36 Posts: 8,985	They seem to be about even, I guess I'll just look at the quality of each when I go to buy it. Just one last question though... would you reccomend a widescreen or just a normal one? Some widescreens I've seen really stretch the picture on normal tv, which is why I'm wondering.

06-14-2005, 10:00 PM	#37
Thoran Galvatron Join Date: January 10, 2002 Location: Upstate NY Age: 57 Posts: 2,109	Depends on what you plan on watching... if you mostly watch TV then go for the normal aspect ratio, if you mostly watch movies get widescreen. If you mostly play games get widescreen (xbox 360 will be widescreen I seem to recall, and a PC doesn't care either way)

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