LCD/Plasma sell at walmart....

[Schmoe]

Fellow dudes, when it comes to all this new television spec's, I'm in hyperspace but the wife wants a new one....nothing wrong with our 32 inch Sony Trinitron....but that's another story.
So, I'm looking at the Emerson LCD 40 inch for 298, but it's a 60hz, 1080p OR the Samsung plasma 43 inch, 700Hz, 720p for 398. I've read some of the lcd vs. plasma debates, but it still seems like a wash. The refresher rate on the plasma is great, but it's 720p....BUT the Emerson is 60hs, but at 1080p. No video games will be played on it, but there will be some football watching and general TV shows. Viewing would be about 6-10 feet away, dead center. Any comments will be appreciated.

 

[Malo83]

Go with a VIZIO from Wally World, Picked up the 42" model that's 1080P and 120 refresh rate, beautiful picture, this replaced a 32" Sony in the bedroom that went into my garage, and don't listen to all the negative [censored] about VIZIOs, they have really improved thru the years, no complaints with mine

 

[SLCraig]

I personally prefer plasma.
The "downfalls" are really not downfalls to 99% of the people who buy them. (burn in, is really the only downfall i can think of with plasma) and it takes a lot of work to actually burn in the screen.

LCD is not as nice for low light areas, (back light bleed and no true black) and LED I've not really experimented with yet. My folks bought a 42" Panasonic plasma, the TV is just peachy. Movies in a dark room are extremely convincing, because the TV can go completely black for example (no back light)

 

[Quest]

for LCD high def, no use going with 60Hz refresh rate for it will "flicker" and annoy you to no end.

120Hz is the standard in high def LCD, wide angle viewing comes 2nd.

My 2c's worth.

Q.

 

[taylo]

Unless you watch blu-rays you wont notice a difference between 720p vs 1080p on a 40" screen. Most HD programming on tv is only at 720p anyway

 

[saberz]

Vizio's were top notch sets when they debuted. Sony then purchased them and the transition period resulted in a few bad apples. They are much better now, I myself went with a Samsung 42' from Walmart.

Do realize that the sets are sku'd differently than other same brand models and are often times slightly cheaper price wise. Reason being is that the sets are manufactured slightly different to meet Walmart price point and to prevent ad matching from competitors. Very rarely will you find the same exact model/sku at Walmart than say Best Buy ect. This is coming from a former Walmart employee, and make sure you buy the warranty which is pretty decent.

After manufacturer warranty(1 year), Walmart one kicks in. If it dies, bring it back and you can exchange it for a different set if the one you have is no longer stocked(which it won't be after several months of release).

AND KEEP THE RECEIPT + WARRANTY PACKET. Receipt is the utmost important, laminate it if you have to(prevent fading) or make a copy and keep it in a low sunlight area as the receipt paper is the burn in type(at least my location was).

 

[dja4260]

I have a 50'in Samsung plasma 720p. I bought it last Oct for 700 otd.

I have no complaints with this unit. I went with plasma because it seems like the most bang for your buck and all I watch is sports.

 

[PandaBear]

If one is 720p when the other is 1080, I'd definitely pick the 1080 for sure.

I don't think it make sense to buy a 43in with 720p these days.

 

[MrHorspwer]

Originally Posted By: Quest
for LCD high def, no use going with 60Hz refresh rate for it will "flicker" and annoy you to no end.


LCDs do not have the capability to "flicker".

CRT monitors flicker because your eye is seeing the phosphors increase and decrease in brightness between each sweep of the electron gun. CRT displays are interlaced, with only half the lines of resultion being illuminated at any given time. At 60 Hz, your eye can detect this change in brightness as even and odd lines of resolution are turned on and off. This registers in your head as a flicker.

An LCD does not flicker. The lighting for an LCD comes from a constant backlight (this is compared to a CRT, in which the phosphors *are* the light source) that is shone through opaque pixels. LCD backlighting operates at frequencies that typically don't affect the human eye and the pixels maintain a steady opacity at all times. Again, LCD displays do not flicker.

A low refresh rate on an LCD will cause motion blur and smearing, but this is due to 3:2 pulldown and generally slower pixel response time on older technology 60Hz displays. Smearing is undesired because it gives a generally [censored] viewing experience, especially in fast motions sequences, but it will not cause the same health effects as flicker.

I will note this as an aside, because it only affect certain newer LCD panels and televisions, not older 60Hz panels. Some LED backlighting that uses PWM dimming can get down into very low frequencies that may affect people who are more sensitive. I've personally never seen it, I own an LED-LCD teleivision, but I've read that some people after affected by some televisions. Not all TVs and not all people, just some.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Stay away from names such as Emerson, Westinghouse ... Buy better quality brands such as Samsung, Sharp ...

Black Friday is less than a week away, you'll find plenty of deal then.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Stay away from names such as Emerson, Westinghouse ... Buy better quality brands such as Samsung, Sharp ...

Black Friday is less than a week away, you'll find plenty of deal then.


I have a polaroid TV that takes 20-30 mins to warm up the 24V line that power the TV tuner.

 

[GrtArtiste]

The quality of the panel is more important than how it's lit. You'll have a better shot at a high-quality panel by going with Sony-Samsung-LG-Toshiba-Panasonic. The cheaper brands often use lower-quality panels-that's why they're cheaper. Also, I wouldn't recommend getting it from Wal Mart. Their electronics are often built to spec to meet their price point, which means that a Wal Mart tv might have lesser-quality parts & assembly vs the same tv purchased elsewhere.

I have 2 Samsung LCD that I am very happy with. The smaller 720p is fine for the bedroom, but I'm very glad I went with the 46 in 1080p for the living room. BTW, almost all broadcast tv is either 1080i or 720p so that's what you'll be seeing unless you watch pay-per-view from Direct TV.

 

[LS2JSTS]

Originally Posted By: Anies
Vizio's were top notch sets when they debuted. Sony then purchased them and the transition period resulted in a few bad apples. They are much better now, I myself went with a Samsung 42' from Walmart.



Sony does NOT own Vizio, they dont even supply them with panels.

IIRC, Vizio uses LG LCD panels and Panasonic 2nd's(rejects) for their plasma panels.

 

[RTexasF]

I would take the Samsung. A 720 quality Plasma is light years better than a low end 1080 LCD. I have both and I won't make that mistake again.

 

[Schmoe]

Seems like the Samsungs have had, or still having, power source problems. Found a TON of info on their capacitors failing and how to fix it yourself. Not really crazy about that.

 

[Schmoe]

Well, I took the plunge and bought the plasma with a two year warranty for 35 bucks. Might as well try it out.

 

[Schmoe]

Update.....the plasma ROCKS. Still had more to learn. Had to get a new cable box, but it worked out great. I got a new cable box with a DVR and it actually lowered my monthly bill. I didn't ask, I just went. The channels that are all HD are amazing. I mean, holy cow!!! The DVD's are also amazing. Only thing, which from working in bands for years and stereos, is that the sound is left to be desired, but with those size speakers, I knew it would be. I got an old amp I'm going to hook up to it and some speakers here pretty soon. Should make a big difference.

 

[greenjp]

Glad to hear you're enjoying it. In my experience the cheap to mid range plasmas destroy similarly priced LCDs, either in picture quality, size, or both. Very expensive LCDs can be terrific but at the low end they kinda stink.

jeff