LCD TV question

[Variol (Farseer) Elmwood]

I'm looking at this model:

Sharp 42" LC42SB45U 1080p LCD TV

# 42'' LCD with full HD 1080p
# Full HD 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution
# Three HDMI Inputs and two component for the ultimate in terminal flexibility
# All five inputs are compatible with 1080p source
# Wide viewing angles (178°H x 178°W) Sharp's viewing angles are so wide
# Elegant new design with glossy black cabinet
# Built-in ATSC / QAM / NTSC Tuners provide access to DTV and analog TV channels

What's the difference with LCD and Plasma?

I currently have my service with the Phone comany for digital TV. I have heard that it does look very good on an LCD. Can anyone confirm this?

The above model is $999cdn, plus my 10% employee discount.

[Firestormalpha]

Well, may be out of date as I've not looked into them recently, but as I recall:

LCD- Lesser resolution, black isn't really black, but there's a relatively low risk of burn in.

Plasma - awesome resolution, black is blacker, but there's a high risk of burn in. (not really an issue if you don't leave a game or image paused on the screen for too long)

As I've said, it's probably different now, it's been a few years since I've looked into it.

[Ilander]

The resolution is the same on two 1080p monitors, whether they're plasma or lcd.

Basically, plasmas have prettier colors (more lifelike)...and lcd's are a bit brighter. Besides that, it's mostly down to size. If you want a small, cheaper hdtv, go lcd. If you want a larger, prettier one, go plasma.

[Variol (Farseer) Elmwood]

I'm not in a big hurry. I have a 27" tube TV now, which works very well.

Would waiting till January get me better prices??

[Ilander]

Probably not, honestly...over the last few years, hdtv prices have been fairly stable, and only declined slightly...this past Black Friday was probably the best time to buy for a while.

Not that I work in the business of selling the things

So, I'd say, whenever you can comfortably afford it, yeah, go ahead.

Digital cable does make a difference, as otherwise, you'll be watching standard definition content at twice the detail level...and you'll notice. You'll see blobs of color where there should be straight lines.

For a good example, try playing a computer game that your system runs well at full resolution, and then dropping it down to 640x480 (which is standard definition).

Same basic visuals, and they look fine on a monitor with 640x480 resolution, but if you sharpen that up to 1920x1080, and stretch it out to the wide-screen format, you'll notice.

All that said, though, I'm not sure I would subscribe to digital cable at the moment, because, honestly, I don't think it should be at a premium, especially when I can get it free over the airwaves.

No, you might not have considered it, but I'm sure that the CBC has excellent quality of its over the air broadcast signal!

That's because, unlike the old style, digital signal does not degrade steadily with distance...it's either within range, or not. So, basically, you get perfect signal, or no signal.

If you're in an area with no signal...well, you probably can't get cable there, either!

So, for me, here in Lexington KY, I can pick up something like 15 channels without even trying, and while I'd miss The Discovery Channel, USA, G4TV, and Comedy Central, I'd take solace in the fact that abstaining from HD Cable for a bit longer helps to demand a lower price for something that IS becoming the standard.

[Bungleau]

The only thing that might help you for better prices in January is the Super Bowl.

I went LCD. They're narrow and lighter (not light, but lighter), and I'm not enough of an aficionado to notice (or care much) about the difference

The jump from a 27 to a 42 (which is what we did) was pretty big... took my wife a couple of weeks to get used to the huge picture out there...

[Variol (Farseer) Elmwood]

With mine, it runs right from the modem to a Motorola box via ethernet (cat5) cable and then via video cable to the TV. The price is in the same range as satellite, cable or whatever the heck is out there now.