I am in the market for a new (my first) HDTV. I have been researching the last few days and I am even more confused than when I started. There is so many options and information out there it is overwhelming. I will start out with some information about me and my needs.
- My seating arrangements are about 10-12 feet away. I have been thinking about a 40"-46" but looking at the 46", it might be a tad to big. I still have to do measurements to what will and won't fit. I can provide pics if needed.
- The Tv will be used for 60% TV, 20% Games, 20% DVD. Quite a bit of TV will probably be watched in Standard Def as well as HD
- Is 1080P worth the extra hundereds of dollars for a tv of this size?
- Budget is probably around $1500-$2000 and I am not looking for a TV immediately, but would like to have one no later than Jan/Feb.
- I understand Plasma gives the better picture quality, but I am worried about gaming on a Plasma and my Living room is quite bright during the day.
I think that's about it.
PS. I am in Canada and prefer to buy from a Canadian retailer.
Brian Shannon
11-07-07, 02:19 PM
I can only tell you what I recently did.
I purchased a 42" Panasonic plasma tv from Costco. It is in a room with two skylights. The anti-glare screen is great and the tv is plenty bright. I sit anywhere from 6-12 feet and feel this is a good size.
I do not believe 1080p is worth it at this time. It would be different if all content was 1080p but it is not and to my eye 720p/1080i looks very good.
Alot of the image retention issues seem to have been addressed with plasma's. In my case my son occasionally plays video games but we have had no problems with just watching tv, even when they present those stupid logos onscreen.
SoSpacey
11-07-07, 02:54 PM
yah. Let me ease your concerns and confuse you even more....
1- 40" will be too SMALL for that room. 46" should be your minimum and to be honest a 50" may be your best bet.
2- at that viewing distance, unless you were going 70" you will not even see 1080p so dont bother spending the money.
3- The Panny plasma has the anti-glare screen
4- I have one without the anti-glare in a very bright room with no issues.
5- SDTV will look better on a plasma than on an LCD, generally speaking.
6- I have my PS3 and Wii connected to my Panny plasma with no issues. Burn-in really isnt a problem.
My advise to you is do the easy thing and pick up a 50" Panasonic Plasma. Even that size will feel small after a few weeks and its always better to go a little bigger than you think than it is going smaller.
Spiky
11-08-07, 12:06 AM
All that sounds pretty smart to me. Except this needed some fixing:
5- SDTV will look better on a Panny plasma than on an LCD, generally speaking.
There's a reason for it looking better.
ElementZ
11-08-07, 08:50 AM
What model numbers for the Panasonic Plasma would you guys reccommend.
I am in the market for a new (my first) HDTV. I have been researching the last few days and I am even more confused than when I started. There is so many options and information out there it is overwhelming. I will start out with some information about me and my needs.
- My seating arrangements are about 10-12 feet away. I have been thinking about a 40"-46" but looking at the 46", it might be a tad to big. I still have to do measurements to what will and won't fit. I can provide pics if needed.
- The Tv will be used for 60% TV, 20% Games, 20% DVD. Quite a bit of TV will probably be watched in Standard Def as well as HD
- Is 1080P worth the extra hundereds of dollars for a tv of this size?
- Budget is probably around $1500-$2000 and I am not looking for a TV immediately, but would like to have one no later than Jan/Feb.
- I understand Plasma gives the better picture quality, but I am worried about gaming on a Plasma and my Living room is quite bright during the day.
I think that's about it.
PS. I am in Canada and prefer to buy from a Canadian retailer.
You pretty much fit my very same TV buying parameters (minus only the gaming and being from Canda). I've finally got the go-ahead to make the purchase, so now I'm finalizing my options.
I've pretty much moved the 42" Panny plasma to the top slot, and most chatter seems to indicate the 1080p won't make a vast difference.
ElementZ
11-08-07, 11:01 AM
How about these two models. Niether one mentions the anti-glare though.
Buy: