Thread: Going to buy a TV anything new I should look out for?

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Go with 47" (or larger) and plasma if your budget allows.

In the early days of plasma it was possible to have some “burn-in” (correct term is “image retention”). This could occur if you keep an image on the screen too long and a ghost of the image would stay with the display forever. Examples would be permanent images on the screen like corporate logos or icons. In early plasma displays (regardless of size), this was certainly an issue. Now, however, all of the leading manufacturers of plasma TVs – Panasonic, LG, Samsung, Pioneer, and Hitachi – have greatly reduce or completely eliminated any signs of image retention.

According to Jim Palumbo, President of the Plasma Display Coalition (PDC), “New plasma advancements in cell structure and phosphor formulations have virtually eliminated image retention, also known as ghosting. Tests verify that any residual ghosting generally disappeared with normal use after a relatively short time. If you haven’t burned images into your CRT television, there is little chance that you will with plasma. As with any electronic product, you should follow the usage guidelines in your owner’s manual.”

Image retention (burn-in) has been virtually eliminated and is no longer an issue.

Comes down to how much do you really want to spend. Your can get a excellent 47 inch LCD 1080P 120mhz unit for as little as $1400 retail (not on sale) or pay as much as $3200 for the same features from a big name brand where the name alone is going to cost you add on bucks.

Most satellite or cable signals are 1080i and not likely to move to 1080p any time soon. Most over the air signals are at 720p and some at 1080i. DVD's are standard definition at 480i or p, but can be upconverted nicely to 1080i with an upconverting player. Blu-ray is 1080p (as is the obsolete HD DVD platform). Most people can't tell the difference between a 1080p and a 720P picture. A lot of people buy 720P for that reason plus a 30 - 40% savings over 1080p pricies.

The bigger the screen the bigger the room you need to comfortably watch it. Any thing larger that 50 inch you will need to sit at least 8 feet away or further. If you get a larger screen, more space would be better. Anything over 60 inches, check out a DLP set. Bulkier than most LCD's and Plasmas, same high quality 1080p picture, prices run $1200 - $3000 with sets up to 73 inches.

Plasma's are best in darker room, LCD in brighter rooms. Screen glare is more of a problem with plasma's then LCD's, so consider your room placement in your decision. A store near me currently is selling a 50" Panasonic 720P Plasma for $900, or $500 off retail. The smart side of me says to go buy it because it is a helluva of a deal, while the geek side of me says hold out for one of the new 1080P 240mhz big dollar units. (gotta help the economy you know ) Of course, the little woman glares when I mention buying another one and asks where am I going to put it? Really could use one in the garage.

One dealer that I deal with currently has Sony 46" LCD 1080p 120mhz sets on sale for $1500 regularly $2200. This is a brand new set, brand new model (Sony also has it on sale for $1700). They also have a real nice 70 inch unit for $20,000.

I'm using a Samsung 32" LCD as my computer monitor. I looked all over for a model that had picture in picture so I could watch the talking heads on CNBC on a small picture in the lower right corner (9" x 5") while I also watch the stock market on my Scottrade account on the internet portion of the rest of the screen. I scoot my chair back against the wall about 5 ft. behind me and cruise. Right now, I'm watching and listening to the History Channel as I type this. LNT3253HX is the model number if any of you are interested. I bought Sharon a Sony with the same setup and I believe the picture quality on the Samsung is better.

firebird, I did buy 2 new Hewlett Packard towers to set up the two trading desks, so I spent a bundle in this country also. (HP $1700 each, Samsung $800, Sony $900))