Buying a new t.v
polycounter lvl 17
Hey guys, im going to be buying a new t.v soon and i was just looking for some opinions. Right now i have my eye on a Sharp Aquos LC-42D62U 42" LCD HDTV. My price range is around $2000, and i want to make sure i get somthing with a good responce time, good contrast ratio and of course... great picture quality. Any input much appreciated. 
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Top of the line (IMO) would be the Pioneer Elite TVs though. They didn't carry them at Circuit City, where I got my TV, and it probably would have been out of my price range. They are known for having excellent image quality and a huge variety of inputs. Also, some versions have network ports and media slots for connecting up file storage devices. This allows you to play movies, images, and music from remote devices.
I highly recommend checking CNET's reviews section for any TV you're considering. They have Robert Heron doing most of their reviews and he is VERY picky about quality and connections.
Also, if you have CompUSA in your area, check them out before buying. The one near me has some HUGE reductions on their LCDs because they are closing half of their stores. It's at least worth a visit if they have one in Vancouver
If you're going to do gaming I don't recommend LCD as much as the others. Even with a good refresh rate it still is harder to play on than a good CRT, DLP, or Plasma. CRTs, however, a CRT has overscan and geometry issues that aren't worth dealing with though. Go DLP or a good LCD.
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i wouldn't knock lcd that much. i've played splinter cell, far cry, battlefield 2, metal gear solid 2, 3, halo 1 and 2...etc on my lcd projector and its fine. if your lcd has a good response time then make sure its using the best connection it can (god no s-video or composite). and if its pc, don't do what some say and run it higher than your native res because they say it gives the game "a natural fsaa"... all that will do is introduce lag from down-conversation. but as you say, if its a good lcd then he should be fine.
Also the response time is supposed to be 4ms, which is plenty fast for gaming. The old LCD myths are a thing of the past for most name brand manufacturers.
right, but the current 360 doesn't have HDMI, and component doesn't necessarily offer 1:1 pixel mapping, so VGA is your best bet. 1080i is bad. Some of the new Sharps don't have a VGA connection. It's up to you, just something to think about.
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there is too much technical stuff to go into but 1080i going from the 360 (progressive source) through component then to the (progressive) tv with a good deinterlacer is near the exact same as 1080p in visual quality. now the change from 480i to 480p is a bit different though.
Xbox 360 (gears of war) @ 1080p via VGA
PS3 (ridge racer) @ 1080p via HDMI
Snes @ 240p via S-Video
Dreamcast @ 480p via VGA
Digital TV @ 1080i & 720p & 480p
No slowdown, no blurring, no pixel mashing, no problems. Awesome contrast ratio, far better than any plasma or CRT. True Blacks. (CRT will still give you a bright black at low level lighting.)
The Bravia is a GOOD LCD, so is the Aquos. Between those two, get the cheapest 1080p set available.
I've run the following on my LCD 40" bravia:
No slowdown, no blurring, no pixel mashing, no problems. Awesome contrast ratio, far better than any plasma or CRT. True Blacks. (CRT will still give you a bright black at low level lighting.)
The Bravia is a GOOD LCD, so is the Aquos. Between those two, get the cheapest 1080p set available.
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Your Bravia has a 1300:1 contrast ratio. The budget brand Maxent's plasmas have a contrast ratio of 3000:1. CRTs actually have an infinite contrast ratio since they aren't digital. No LCD can have true blacks, because it is nearly impossible to completely block out the backlight on a black pixel. Sorry about bein so picky
The picture on a Plasma will always have the nicest color reproduction and almost always the sharpest image. SD (anything under 720p) ALWAYS looks 50 times better on Plasma in my opinion (many others agree). One of the main problems though with Plasma is almost all of them are only 720p, which is fine actually unless you sit really close to your TV. Also, plasmas under 55" are much cheaper than LCDs and give a much better picture IMO. They just have to be babied compared to LCDs (can't leave static pictures on for more than a day straight or so, they have a pretty bad glare in really sunny rooms, etc).
Like I said, if you don't mind paying for a professional calibration, you can always go with a nice CRT RPTV. They have the best picture and are always by far the cheapest. Only problem is there are no digital inputs usually and almost all are both 1080i/480p native (meaning they can be native in both modes).
DLP doesnt have burn in, offers an awesome picture, is small in size, is affordable, and in my opinion is the most sensible display option. Make sure you get one that has newer technology though that will avoid the rainbow effect.
If you need more info, check out www.avsforum.com . They have a topic on every single TV ever
I just get the feeling that I'm looking out a window whenever I'm looking at a plasma. It's almost as if it's 3d or something. I dunno, im tired
right, but the current 360 doesn't have HDMI, and component doesn't necessarily offer 1:1 pixel mapping, so VGA is your best bet. 1080i is bad. Some of the new Sharps don't have a VGA connection. It's up to you, just something to think about.
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So he should just wait for the next 360 then :P
Honestly, I don't know what ports the 360 offers currently, but there are plenty of converters from DVI to HDMI. I would imagine VGA to HDMI exists also if the 360 doesn't have an actual DVI port.
DLP doesnt have burn in, offers an awesome picture, is small in size, is affordable, and in my opinion is the most sensible display option. Make sure you get one that has newer technology though that will avoid the rainbow effect.
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problem with dlp's is even if you have a 4x or 5x color wheel speed some viewers (like me) still experience the dreaded rbe effect which, for me atleast, really detracts from the overall experience. only way to completly eliminate rbe for all users is to use a 3 chip dlp where only micro mirror arrays are used, one for each color (rgb) and no color wheel is used... only problem is all 3 chip dlp's are insanely expensive. so it may be a sensible for quality, but not price imo.
and plasmas do win over dlp and lcd technology in general over contrast ratios. nearly all good plasmas have 10,000:1, where lcd and dlp technologies use methods such as lowering light source output and using dynamic iris's which don't always allow for 10,000:1 while maintaining a bright, crisp, black image. and there is an up coming plasma display thats supposed ro allow for 20,000:1, which is more thna likely an inflated measurement but still probably is more around 15,000:1.
but crt's still reign supreme in the contrast ratio department. in general a crt can achieve the darkest blacks and is only limited by how dark its screen is when turned off (and if its calibrated right). however, sed, a throwoff of crt tech is being used by toshiba to produce a 55 inch, flat panel crt based display that is abel to achieve 50,000:1... of course this is probably also inflated a bit, but even 3/4 of that is freakign amazing. that is why some hard core/rich guys still stick with crt based projectors even though they cost a lot. but the reason why crts cna have good contrast ratios has nothign to do with being digital, its more so just because of the tech. they can completly turnoff the electron beam for eahc pixel, allowing for no light to even be produced.
anyone want to lend me $25,000 for a good crt projector?
im an idiot, but what the hell is this hdmi thing ??
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its a digital connection very similar to dvi. unlike the analog signal component that can also send out 1080p (although is not allowed to in the input standards... bastards!) hdmi, like dvi, can give more accurate colors and a more sharp image. but really the only reason hdmi was invented and is used over dvi is because hdmi does a copyprotection handshake from the output device to the display which prevents copying of hd 1080p content. this is also the same reason they don't allow component to send out 1080p evne though it is capable, they want that copyprotection.
so hdmi is basically an input like dvi except it sends audio with it and it contains copyprotection systems.
BTW SED for the win :P
Instead, I'd say laser tv is the tech to look for.
local dimming LED backlight LCDs FTW.
Obviously it will still be pricey on it's arrival (whenever that will be), but it's apparently still on it's way
And I agree, Laser seems cool also, but I'm waiting to see it put into action. It seems further off than the SED
I like LCD. Plasma may have technical advantages, but to be honest my feeble eyes can't tell the difference. LCD tvs are cheaper so that is what I go for.
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Plasma is actually quite a bit cheaper under 55" than LCD.
Jarrod: yeah, from what I've seen certain DLPs definitely have the rainbow effect more often than others. I suggest always looking up tons of reviews on your TV, especially on avsforum.com before you purchase.
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im an idiot, but what the hell is this hdmi thing ??
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its a digital connection very similar to dvi. unlike the analog signal component that can also send out 1080p (although is not allowed to in the input standards... bastards!) hdmi, like dvi, can give more accurate colors and a more sharp image. but really the only reason hdmi was invented and is used over dvi is because hdmi does a copyprotection handshake from the output device to the display which prevents copying of hd 1080p content. this is also the same reason they don't allow component to send out 1080p evne though it is capable, they want that copyprotection.
so hdmi is basically an input like dvi except it sends audio with it and it contains copyprotection systems.
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Component D4 is 720p, Component D5 is 1080p. Some top range Bravia use D5, my one is D4.
Btw, after we plugged the 360 into the DVI (though a VGA to DVI) on the plasma here at work, the TV isn't recognising the PC any more. Strange stuff.
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im an idiot, but what the hell is this hdmi thing ??
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its a digital connection very similar to dvi. unlike the analog signal component that can also send out 1080p (although is not allowed to in the input standards... bastards!) hdmi, like dvi, can give more accurate colors and a more sharp image. but really the only reason hdmi was invented and is used over dvi is because hdmi does a copyprotection handshake from the output device to the display which prevents copying of hd 1080p content. this is also the same reason they don't allow component to send out 1080p evne though it is capable, they want that copyprotection.
so hdmi is basically an input like dvi except it sends audio with it and it contains copyprotection systems.
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Component D4 is 720p, Component D5 is 1080p. Some top range Bravia use D5, my one is D4.
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is this d4/d5 stuff pal video inputs or what? never heard of that differentiation. i was refering to this this component where the red and blue signal is sent seperatly and the luminence is carried through the green cable.
edit: yes after checking it is the japanese standard video signal that does send the same Y Pr Pb as the ntsc signal, except it seems they allow component to send 1080p while the ntsc does not.