I'm making the plunge. I haven't bought a toy in about 9 years, with the same piece of crap stereo and tv I've had since college. Much like the Rockets season, It's Time. I've read a bijjillion reviews on the pros and cons of Plasma vs. LCD, and I've narrowed things down to 2 options: 1) Samsung LNT5265F 52" 1080p LCD HDTV 2) Samsung FPT5084 50" 1080p Plasma HDTV Both options are about the same price (great deal with free shipping, zero tax at Amazon.) If it matters, the context of my purchase: *I'll be sitting about 12 feet away from tv *Pretty bright room, but most of watching will be done at night *Could be some "off-angle" viewing, which I heard plasmas are better for. *I don't play video games - mostly sports, tv and movies At first I was lusting after the 50" Plasma, but then I thought, if they're about identical picture quality and the same price, why not go for the bigger one? Any thoughts?
I would go with an LCD but then again I am not a TV expert. Its just what I prefer. The picture looks brighter and sharper and the TV runs cooler.
the 65F LCD series supposedly has a REALLY shiny screen which looks good in the store when not turned on but I've hear dit actually affects the viewing because it's so shiny in general i believe most people tend to think that Plasma has better picture.
I've had a Samsung 32" LCD for nearly a year and a half now as both my bedroom TV and computer monitor and have no complaints. Well, I wish it were 1080p instead of 768p, but otherwise it's great. BTW, that's a pretty good deal on Amazon. 2300 bucks and free shipping ain't bad at all. Of course you'll wanna shell out a few hundred more for a warranty.
I believe LCD has a better picture and is more expensive, but a plasma has a less fragile screen and less expensive. If I don't care about price, and don't have small children (watch out for that flying rattle!), I would go for the LCD. That's just my opinion.
Not anymore. He says he's had it for a while. I still have my old 53" Hitachi Projection TV that does 768p and 1080i. Nice garage dust collector.
I don't personally think there is a big difference in picture quality, but LCD doesn't have that annoying glare whenever there is a light on that plasma or regular TVs have. While we're on the subject, let's also make this the official, "I just got my first HDTV, so I don't have to feel the wrath of tinman" thread. I just got mine last week...42 inch Sharp Aquos LCD. Of course, I still have the regular cheap ass analog cable and no High Def. DVD player, but at least I'll be prepared....baby steps... I do get one HD channel through the regular cable, though, ESPN HD. It looks awesome...
If it's 1366x768(which mine is), then it's really more 768p than 720p. It's just a technicality though. Bottom line is it ain't 1080p(or even 1080i for that matter).
You are comparing 2 of the best sets in that price range. You can't go wrong. Figure out which picture you personally prefer, I think the 84 has a better viewing angle. Both have glossy screens. Wouldn't worry about burn in with that plasma unless you are worried about kids potentially pausing a game too long or something.
Yeah.... I did a lot of homework to narrow this list down. And now I feel like that proverbial horse standing exactly between 2 identically-sized bales of hay... and can't decide so he starves to death. Not too worried about burn-in, as at least from my limited knowledge, it seems that issue has been mostly fixed. My gut is that a plasma will have a sweeter image (especially at off-angles)...but if it really is a wash, extra size might be the tie-breaker.
For what its worth I have a 42" samsung plasma for a little more than a year without any problems. at that time the fast moving stuff (sports) on lcd's drove me crazywith tracer like effect so thats why I picked plasma. Plasma also had better blacks at the time. If thats been fixed I would probably go with the bigger lcd.
I have a 50" Plasma in my TV room and a 40" inch LCD in my bedroom. Both are awesome. My Plasma is awesome for sports or any fights that I order. The 40" inch LCD is great too, I bnotice last night watching the football game how clear and bright it is. Whatever you choose, make sure it is a 1080i tv. I have a 720 40 inch LCD in my office and I can see the difference.
You've got the brand right- Sammy is tops, even if they do bribe the Korean government. I also have a 42 inch Sammy plasma. It's awesome, and viewing it from the side isn't a problem. I still don't think that LCDs are at a point where they are better than plasmas- it will probably be a couple of years. Just my opinion. EDIT- Don't forget to buy your mount and cables from Monoprice.com!
For the record, I have a 42" plasma (Philips) and I watch it in all conditions. That means in the dark, with the main ceiling light on, with just a lamp, from straight on, from an extreme side angle (when I sit at my computer), and I even lay below it when playing some games. I have never, ever, had a problem with glare and/or viewing angle. However, I have experienced some burn-in. Nothing permanent mind you, but enough to notice. You see, I happened to pause NBATV the other night when a box score was on the screen and when I unpaused it (probably about a half hour later) there was a very, very faint ghost of the image. It was unnoticable in about 10 seconds. Of course, I understand that Philips (unlike Samsung) is not top of the line, so maybe it wouldn't be a problem with a higher end model like the one you're considering. From an article on the current state of plasma technology, specifically regarding burn-in:
