Better TV for gaming?

J

jful

CAGiversary!
Hi CAGs -

I need to buy a new TV, but I'm a poor, poor grad student. My budget is about $500, which, for me, is a lot. I will mainly be watching TV (mostly SD--I just moved into the middle of nowhere and the cable company offers like 3 HD channels), playing PS3, and watching DVDs/BluRays on it, sitting approximately 8-10 feet away.

Given my needs and budget, I've sort of decided on getting a 42' plasma, and I'm trying to decide between a Samsung PN42C450 and a Panasonic TC-42C2. Does anyone have any advice or opinions to share with me? I know they're both only 720p, but I think that'll be fine (since a 1080p one would have to be a lot smaller for my budget). What I'm really ultimately concerned with is the gaming aspect, and I haven't been able to find anything online about how each compares in that area.

I appreciate and welcome all nuggets of wisdom. Thanks!
 
For now take my advice. I would like to have surround sound and high definition ass much as the next guy but for me paying some of the prices is a little bit much. I dont know if you have any TV repair shops around or not but where I live I found a real nice 32" Standard TV with an HD card in the back. Yeah sounds weird but i guess the TV wasnt HD ready so they put HD ports on the back of my TV and it works good. I paid $150 for it I think. It was made by RCA. I can try to post a picture if you want to see it.

But since your a grad student and your on a budget you say as in your post. Take my advice find a SD TV like mine my TV is 720p with the HD card upgrade in the back and it does a good job all I do is play Xbox 360 and PS3. I really cant complain on the graphics. It does a good job playing the newest games. Yeah its not mind blowing quality like the 4 Pixel SHARP TV is but who would pay $2000 just for that. I have been to Sears and they had the Assassins Creed 2 commercial on. I watched it one like 20 TVs at once. Take my advice find yourself a TV like I described with or without HD upgrade.

OR! if that isnt up your alley. Get a HDMI cable and connect it to a LCD or Plasma computer Monitor that accepts HDMI input. You can get a HP 22" for around $100 if your lucky. It does a really good job. I have one connected to my computer and to my Xbox 360 once in a while. Of course 8-10 Feet away you could go blind but if you sit closer it would be better.

The choice is up to its your money. But take my advice weigh the options and what ever you do DONT BUY A TV AT WALMART! I have seen first hand how they are handeled and im thinking "****! Whose the idiot buying that TV. Oh well another return coming up."
 
thanks for the input, and that's a really interesting idea I have never heard before. However, I've had the same crappy tv for my entire adult life, and I've been saving up to buy a new one; I was just hoping to get some input from people who have plasmas and mostly play games on them.

Definitely not going to get it from Walmart, though - I'm an amazon addict, although I may go with Sears since they're offering a $50 rebate on the Samsung, making it the cheapest...
 
I have a Samsung 50" Plasma, 720p TV that I purchased from best buy earlier this year. I sit about the same distance from my TV and it looks good. I do have HD satellite but even on the non HD channels it still looks fine. I compared the Panasonic 50" before I bought this one & went with the Samsung. I don't think you can go wrong with either for what you are wanting. BTW use it to play the 360 all the time. Looks great.
 
Please avoid Samsungs at all cost. They are poorly made and will eventually break on you like mine did. Check these stories out.
 
I will second the Samsung recommendation. I own a Samsung plasma and couldn't be happier. The colors are generally more vibrant compared to the Panasonic my parents own. One thing to note is some models of Samsung plasmas have been noted to have a low electronic hum or buzzing noise, especially at high altitudes. Not sure how big of a problem it is, and mine has no issues with that, but its worth a mention.

At the price range you are looking at I would not even think about LCD, as you need to spend the money to get a fast refresh rate for gaming, even if you find a killer deal. Plasmas don't have the same types of motion issues.

Plasma's are great for gaming as well, just make sure you burn it in a little before you have a marathon gaming session, especially if you are buying one of the cheaper ones.
 
And if you type Panasonic TV in their search you get the same amount of bitchy people complaining about their products as on the Samsung TV search. Your point is??? Everyone has bad luck at some time.
 
I own a Panasonic 50" and the 42" you speak of. PS3 looks amazing and so does blu on both. They are both 720p. I sit about 8 foot from the 42" and 12 foot from the 50". I'm biased but after shopping around and having the 50" for 4 years and the 42" for 1 year I wouldn't buy a plasma that was not a Panasonic. Great video encoder, I don't pay for HD satellite so I just get SD satellite and it actually looks pretty good on the screen. Upconverted Dvds look better and blu rays look better yet. I'm not as familiar with the newer LCD technology, but far and away our TV sets blow away any gaming I've tried on other LCD screens.

I also have a 32" CRT as mentioned above. You may be able to find a used one for $150 but new sets are harder to find and seem to be going up in price. It also weighs as much as my 50" and 42" combined. They are okay but definately a pain as you'll need as least 32" space behind the tv (depth) and it will suck to move when you want to move it.

A monitor could work. Just make sure you get 2 ms as gaming on 5 ms isn't that great and you won't get a great size to view from 8 feet unless you spend a good amount of money and buy a big monitor.

"The colors are generally more vibrant compared to the Panasonic my parents own."
Any TV you get you'll have to play with the settings. Some people like the burn out the eye socket contrast/brightness and others prefer a more natural tone. You can emulate both with my sets but I prefer the latter.
 
It has nothing to do with bad luck. If you're paying all that money for a TV, it should work longer than 2 years. Mine just recently crapped out on me, and Samsung gave me the run around. I only had the thing for 2 years. The TV doesn't turn on. There's no picture. One day it just stopped working. They won't pay to fix the problem. They want a third party TV repair service to come check out the television, which costs money itself. Then they'll only pay to fix the television if it meets some insane requirement. They won't cover the guy coming to your house, which runs about 100 bucks.

When I talked to the guy on the phone he knew exactly what the deal was. They are aware of their faulty TVs and yet do nothing to fix them. Many, many people experience the same problem, but Samsung does nothing about it. I believe a class action lawsuit is being prepped against them. I doubt all those people are just having "bad luck."

Bad luck is when you accidentally step in dog shit or miss your bus, not when your TV randomly stops working due to crappy, cheap parts.

Sorry if I'm one of the "bitchy" people. I'm just warning the guy what he's getting himself into. Maybe you have 500-600 dollars just lying around under your couch in case your TV breaks, but most people don't.

I don't know much about Panasonic TVs. All I know is Samsung blows and should be avoided at all costs.
 
Did you do a search for Panasonic TV on their site?? People are complaining about issues the same way. No matter what product you buy, there will be lemons in everything. I voiced my opinion on liking them and you voiced yours on disliking them. If you worry about a product lasting you can either avoid them or buy a warranty.
 
Don't get me wrong. When the Samsung actually worked, it was great. I loved it. I just wish it didn't die out on me.

I suggest the OP take up reading books. All these HDTVs are so poorly made. :)
 
[quote name='H3m1 R4m']
OR! if that isnt up your alley. Get a HDMI cable and connect it to a LCD or Plasma computer Monitor that accepts HDMI input. You can get a HP 22" for around $100 if your lucky. It does a really good job. I have one connected to my computer and to my Xbox 360 once in a while. Of course 8-10 Feet away you could go blind but if you sit closer it would be better.

The choice is up to its your money. But take my advice weigh the options and what ever you do DONT BUY A TV AT WALMART! I have seen first hand how they are handeled and im thinking "****! Whose the idiot buying that TV. Oh well another return coming up."[/QUOTE]
I'm currently using a 21" LCD monitor for my PS3. It came with an HDMI port right on it AND has a DVI(w/ HDCP)port on it as well that I can use for a second input with a DVI to HDMI adapter.

It cost me $40 from Target(prior year's model on clearance).

I only sit maybe 3-5 feet from both my PS3 and the monitor, so I have no real issues with seeing what's going on on the screen. Although it does seem like some game devs make games with tiny text thinking that everybody is going to have some ginormous HDtv they're playing on.:roll:

As for the damaged TV's from WalMart due to them being dropped, that's everywhere. Accidents happen and you can't do anything except test out the tv thoroughly and hope it wasn't dropped.
[quote name='crackr']And if you type Panasonic TV in their search you get the same amount of bitchy people complaining about their products as on the Samsung TV search. Your point is??? Everyone has bad luck at some time.[/QUOTE]
The same happens on every site where people can leave a 'review'. You get people who nitpick about other brands and leave reviews for stuff they don't even own just because they're a brand whore and like only a particular brand and wanna talk trash on the other ones.:roll:
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']The same happens on every site where people can leave a 'review'. You get people who nitpick about other brands and leave reviews for stuff they don't even own just because they're a brand whore and like only a particular brand and wanna talk trash on the other ones.:roll:[/QUOTE]

Also, who do you think posts on these sites? People who are unhappy. People who are happy with a product aren't going to go out of their way to post on consumeraffairs.com, while people who are unhappy are looking to vent anywhere and everywhere they can. And so sites like that by their very nature present an extremely skewed view that makes just about any product look bad. For every single negative post on there, there could be (and probably are) thousands of people who are perfectly happy with their Samsung (or Panasonic, or whatever) TVs and have no problems at all.

Honestly? Samsung is one of the top TV manufacturers out there. Possibly the top one, really. If their products were that bad, they wouldn't have maintained that position for so long.

For what it's worth, I only have experience with LCDs, not plasmas, but I have a Samsung LCD and my girlfriend has a Panasonic LCD. I like my Samsung a whole lot more. That being said, they're both decent TVs, and you really couldn't go wrong with either. I'd say go with the one that has more features or better specs, or, barring there being much of a difference in those, the one that you can find the best price on.
 
[quote name='bdb2m']At the price range you are looking at I would not even think about LCD, as you need to spend the money to get a fast refresh rate for gaming, even if you find a killer deal. Plasmas don't have the same types of motion issues.[/QUOTE]

On the other hand, I would be hesitant to pick up a cheap plasma for gaming because of the possibility of burn-in issues. A lot of advances have been made to lower the risk of burn-in in plasmas, but many of them might only be in the higher end models (I'm speculating here, as I don't really know, but you should definitely look into it before buying).

Basically, it's unfortunate, but you're not going to get a great HDTV for the price range you're looking at. You should be able to find a decent, serviceable one, but you'll have to decide which compromises you want to make. With a cheap plasma, you'll have a decent refresh rate, but you'll have a risk of burn-in with gaming and other static images (like the black bars on the sides on your SD channels). With a cheap LCD, burn-in isn't a factor, but you won't get a great refresh rate, which may make online gaming difficult (with single-player gaming, it won't matter so much), and the black levels won't be as good.

In other words, make sure that you do your research, and decide what will best suit your needs from that.
 
Panasonic's are generally regarded as the best Plasma HDTV. That is for the high end models though. Go to cnet.com, and look up reviews for the models you are considering.

Its been awhile, but I remember seeing some good reviews and cheap prices for 40, 50 inch CRT's. Don't rule those out either
 
Hi jful, I recently bought a Panasonic 42" of a different model and have been satisfied with it. I also learned a little. By default, it was set on Game mode (aka "torch" mode) where everything is extremely bright, and I was playing Demon's Souls for hours at a time. I doubt this is an issue with most current games, but I had some burn-in happen with parts of the 100% opaque HUD. I lowered the display to Cinema mode, which has a brightness in between Standard and Game/Vivid. I can only notice the burn-in when I'm in areas with a lot of white on the screen. Just be cautious and give it a break every hour or so if the game HUD is permanently on-screen.

I also noticed that on Standard mode, the whole screen's brightness fluctuates depending on what's being displayed. Like if there's a big dark area on screen, the brighter areas will be dimmed. That's why I stick with Cinema mode and tweaked it. I'm not sure if all Panasonic plasma models do that, but I've heard a lot of LG users complain about it as well.

Aside from those two issues, I love the picture quality and color management on my TV. LCDs generally seem washed out to me while plasmas are great at balancing out black levels. Hope this information helps you. Let us know what you decide.
 
[quote name='Xenogears']Its been awhile, but I remember seeing some good reviews and cheap prices for 40, 50 inch CRT's. Don't rule those out either[/QUOTE]

Haha, that must have been a while, I haven't seen a CRT in a store in ages. I don't think anyone is even making CRT TVs (at least for the US market) anymore.
 
I have a Vizio 23" LED LCD and it's beautiful. Cost me just of $300 from Costco. The same size LCDs washed out the red, but the LED was substantually better. That's if you don't mind something a bit smaller.
I used to play on a 47" Plasma Toshiba that was brilliant. If I had the money for that I would go for it again.
My parent have a 20 some inch Samsung that is great and I have never had a thing wrong with anything Samsung.
 
[quote name='arcane93']Haha, that must have been a while, I haven't seen a CRT in a store in ages. I don't think anyone is even making CRT TVs (at least for the US market) anymore.[/QUOTE]

I should have said rear projection TVs. For $500 your not going to get a good plasma or LCD, but you can get a decent rear projection TV. They avoid alot of the problems that cheap LCD and plasma have, and give a decent picture. They are just bulky, and out of date. But still being made, and get good reviews for use with video games.

Not the best example for price or a great review, but something along the lines of this TV might work for you too. http://reviews.cnet.com/projection-tvs/mitsubishi-wd-60737/4505-6484_7-33588505.html?tag=mncol;lst

Edit: Heres another model, thats also 3D ready. No review, but looks big, new, and cheap.
http://reviews.cnet.com/projection-tvs/mitsubishi-wd-60638/4505-6484_7-34123009.html?tag=mncol;lst
And heres a 48 inch, 1080i for $600. Again, no idea if its actually quality, but good features for the price
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002TR4Q2/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=

TV review sites help. Use a function like sort by price $500 or less; see which get the best reviews, then decide from there
 
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You will not find a picture any better than some of the slightly older Sony Trinitron HD CRT models. I was dead set on paying close to 4K for a Pioneer Plasma, which to me is the absolute best looking TV out there. When I decided it was just too much cash I ended up buying a used Trinitron 1080i, 30 some inch CRT off a buddy for $200. It looks amazing. The refresh rate is unbeatable and the contrast against the black levels is better than any plasma or lcd. I know you want to upgrade to a new TV, but for gaming you will not find a better TV. Craigslist is a good place to find these older models. They weigh about 250 lbs, but who moves a tv that often?
If you are dead set on a plasma, i would go with the one that has the best contrast ratio and the highest refresh rate. Cnet.com will most likely have reviews of the TV's you are interested in. Good luck, and enjoy your new set!!!
 
[quote name='ShirtSizeXXXLXT']You will not find a picture any better than some of the slightly older Sony Trinitron HD CRT models. I was dead set on paying close to 4K for a Pioneer Plasma, which to me is the absolute best looking TV out there. When I decided it was just too much cash I ended up buying a used Trinitron 1080i, 30 some inch CRT off a buddy for $200. It looks amazing. The refresh rate is unbeatable and the contrast against the black levels is better than any plasma or lcd. I know you want to upgrade to a new TV, but for gaming you will not find a better TV. Craigslist is a good place to find these older models. They weigh about 250 lbs, but who moves a tv that often? [/QUOTE]

Heh. I've got a 34" Trinitron HD CRT. I got it for $600 in '06/'07 when all the stores were phasing out tube televisions, so it was a complete steal compared to buying any flat-panel of equivalent image quality. Being a recent college/grad school graduate, I moved that beast around to four different places--two on the second floor, one on the third floor, and now in a place on the ground floor. Depending on the width of the stairwell, we couldn't even strap it to the appliance dolly face-down because the TV was too wide. It's not a fun thing to move and (depending on the strength of your moving buddies) requires three people to lift.

The "good" plasmas are thankfully now lower in price and higher in quality, so the next time I move, I'm willing to sell off this thing and let someone else deal with its bulk.

But yeah, thank to the inherent minor light-bleeding between "pixels" on tube TVs, your SD feeds will still look more than acceptable versus the newer technologies.

However, neither of my 1080i HD CRTs worked very well as monitors for HTPCs. It blurred and window borders flickered too much to be tolerable, plus there's the usual issue of overscan causing elements to be chopped off the sides of the screen by the bezel. As I understand it, that's not a problem that's necessarily gone away with all flatscreen technologies, depending on the TV itself (I guess it might have to do with the quality/price level of the panel/materials used).

But if you're shopping for plasma/LCD, ignore all the fancy post-processing technology because it all actually makes your viewing experience worse. Especially on LCDs dynamic contrast can make your picture jump jarringly between too bright and too dark because all it really does is change the brightness of the lighting element behind the LCD. Cheaper TVs don't have enough "step" between levels so it won't be a smooth ramp between. Unfortunately even good panels use inflated figures to compete with everyone else's wild claims, but if you can find anything with 1000:1 or greater *actual* contrast ratio, that's fantastic. Motion-smoothing is a personal preference (many people don't like feeling "on-the-set" or "watching a soap opera"), but I've seen it implemented pretty badly on some early 120hz LCDs. Unless you can't afford the power bill or only watch TV in full daylight (thus requiring a super-bright display), I'd say plasma is the safest bet to avoid many potential pitfalls.
 
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[quote name='jful']Hi CAGs -

I need to buy a new TV, but I'm a poor, poor grad student. My budget is about $500, which, for me, is a lot. I will mainly be watching TV (mostly SD--I just moved into the middle of nowhere and the cable company offers like 3 HD channels), playing PS3, and watching DVDs/BluRays on it, sitting approximately 8-10 feet away.

Given my needs and budget, I've sort of decided on getting a 42' plasma, and I'm trying to decide between a Samsung PN42C450 and a Panasonic TC-42C2. Does anyone have any advice or opinions to share with me? I know they're both only 720p, but I think that'll be fine (since a 1080p one would have to be a lot smaller for my budget). What I'm really ultimately concerned with is the gaming aspect, and I haven't been able to find anything online about how each compares in that area.

I appreciate and welcome all nuggets of wisdom. Thanks![/QUOTE]

You should hold out until you find a great deal. Just check keep checking slickdeals and eventually something will come up that you like at a great price.
 
[quote name='Xenogears']I should have said rear projection TVs. For $500 your not going to get a good plasma or LCD, but you can get a decent rear projection TV. They avoid alot of the problems that cheap LCD and plasma have, and give a decent picture. They are just bulky, and out of date. But still being made, and get good reviews for use with video games.

Not the best example for price or a great review, but something along the lines of this TV might work for you too. http://reviews.cnet.com/projection-tvs/mitsubishi-wd-60737/4505-6484_7-33588505.html?tag=mncol;lst

Edit: Heres another model, thats also 3D ready. No review, but looks big, new, and cheap.
http://reviews.cnet.com/projection-tvs/mitsubishi-wd-60638/4505-6484_7-34123009.html?tag=mncol;lst
And heres a 48 inch, 1080i for $600. Again, no idea if its actually quality, but good features for the price
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002TR4Q2/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=

TV review sites help. Use a function like sort by price $500 or less; see which get the best reviews, then decide from there[/QUOTE]

This isn't true. IF you pay attention, you can get LCDs for about $500. They may not be this years model, but they are still great televisions. That being said, you might not necessarily get to be picky with the brand of the TV.

$600: http://www.amazon.com/LG-42LD450-42...C7U?tag=slickdeals&prv=forums&cur=forums&ses=

$400 (use coupon EMCYWNY25): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ickDeals&cm_mmc=AFC-SlickDeals-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA

These have been shamelessly pulled from slickdeals.net, which probably is frowned upon, but if you're going to be looking for a good deal on a TV, I would use their forums.
 
My advice is dealnews is pretty good for looking for TV deals. I just took a quick peek and saw for $599 a 47" LG LCD with a 4ms response time.

I usually buy Sony's myself (though I have had a problem with them in the past...that I had really get after them to fix)...I don't know anything about LG TVs. But that seems like a pretty darn good deal to me...if you can get to a Fry's (the shipping may make it prohibitive otherwise).
 
I have a 23 in Samsung LCD that I was able to get for $250 shipped from TigerDirect.

The LCD is in my bedroom I also use it to watch DVD's and Bluray's. Like another user said I don't sit far back from the screen. I would say maybe 3 to 5 feet away.
 
[quote name='Jon Bon']This isn't true. IF you pay attention, you can get LCDs for about $500. They may not be this years model, but they are still great televisions. That being said, you might not necessarily get to be picky with the brand of the TV.

$600: http://www.amazon.com/LG-42LD450-42...C7U?tag=slickdeals&prv=forums&cur=forums&ses=

$400 (use coupon EMCYWNY25): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ickDeals&cm_mmc=AFC-SlickDeals-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA

These have been shamelessly pulled from slickdeals.net, which probably is frowned upon, but if you're going to be looking for a good deal on a TV, I would use their forums.[/QUOTE]

Whats not true? I'm not saying rear projection or CRT is better than LCD or plasma, I'm saying don't rule out CRT. Especially at the $500 price point. Of course you can find cheap LCD and plasma, but the problems with them are commonly known. CRT atleast does not have poor refresh rates like LCD, and many would argue they have better color accuracy and range. And most can be picked up very cheap.
 
Prices are still falling on these LCDs and Plasmas because it's a recession and the public has gotten hip to all the over-charging in the retail arena. Online is the way to go, with places like slickdeals, dealnews, & dealighted leading the way. I saw a BRAND NEW 42" LG 1080p LCD for $499 no tax/no shipping a couple of days ago, so just keep shopping online and your problem will soon be solved....
 
[quote name='DcupsOfJustice']I have a Vizio 23" LED LCD and it's beautiful. Cost me just of $300 from Costco. The same size LCDs washed out the red, but the LED was substantually better. That's if you don't mind something a bit smaller.
I used to play on a 47" Plasma Toshiba that was brilliant. If I had the money for that I would go for it again.
My parent have a 20 some inch Samsung that is great and I have never had a thing wrong with anything Samsung.[/QUOTE]

Seconded on the Vizio recommendation - I think the model is VM230XVT or something like that. It's a really beautiful TV which is great for a small room like a bedroom or office and can double as a second monitor for a laptop if you put it on a desk. I really get a lot of bang for my buck that way, since I can easily use it as part of my computing setup for both productivity and watching online video like Hulu or Netflix.
 
I got a 42 inch LG LCD and I will not go with another company as far as TV's go because mine and my old roommates (same TV) have had 0 problems
 
[quote name='dragonJP']Online is the way to go[/QUOTE]

Definitely. I got my TV from Amazon, and saved several hundred dollars off of Best Buy's price for the same exact same model. And they included free, scheduled delivery, with guys who brought the TV all the way into the room that I was putting it in (down a flight of stairs) and set it up for me. I couldn't have been happier with them. The price difference likely isn't going to be quite so much with a lower-end model, but it could definitely still be worth checking out.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone - unfortunately, all the info has made my decision much harder! I found what seems to be a great deal from Dell:
http://dell.to/9zA5mO
But I don't know much about LED-LCDs, other than that they look bad-ass when I've seen them in-store. I have a feeling playing Madden or Uncharted on this one will blow my mind; I just need someone to convince me it's worth spending an extra $150 or so.
 
I'm not the one to convince you to purchase the LED-LCD. I think you will be blown away with any TV you upgrade to. There are arguments in here for Vizio (a low end TV) as being great quality and the one you should purchase. They do look great if you are only watching the TV by itself. As soon as you compare to other TVs in class you will notice that it's not a great TV for the price. But most people only have one TV in there homes and aren't comparing it daily so they think it's great set.

Really the only way to make a comparison is to go look at the screens and get the one you like best. This is of course still not the best comparison as the TVs will be set up differently and may have different quality of content being displayed on them. Ask for the remote to play with the TV settings and ask them to hook up a blu ray player if one is not already hooked up. Most stores will do this for you.

LEDs and LCD TVs are very confusing. They have a constant barage of marketing schemes that are very effective going on while they have been mainly catching up with Plasmas in term of picture quality. Here is a link about LED tvs. http://reviews.cnet.com/led-tvs-review-10-things-you-need-to-know?tag=rb_content;contentMain It appears to me that the TV you linked has the lowest quality LED backlite available. Not saying it's a bad TV, as many LED tvs cost a great deal more. Just don't think you are jumping to a whole new level from the $500-600 TVs you were looking at. If it were me I'd stick to the original price range. By the time you get tired of this TV (5-6 years) you will be able to look at 3d capable TVs at this price point. Technology always gets better.
 
If you see a good price and good features for a TV, just be sure to google/yahoo/bing it to read lots of reviews and customer comments before you buy. You dont want to get stuck with a lemon.

Then, buying online is definently the way to go. Take a look at it in store if you can, but like others have said, picture settings are often set weird and over the top.
 
Deals can be had online or in store (particularly around Thanksgiving). If you buy online make sure you know the return policy for defective or damaged (in shipping) merchandise. I know someone who had a damaged TV and had to return it. You don't want to be on the wrong end of paying to ship a damaged 45 lb. TV or being stuck with a TV with dead pixels.
 
I have a 720p refurbished DLP projector that I bought a couple years ago off of ebay for $500 (though this included the Bing cashback @30%). I use it for all gaming and videos, and can pull off a 116" screen on my wall. When sitting 4' away you might barely be able to see the individual pixels, but any further and you cannot tell. The danger with getting a projector is that eventually you will have to replace the bulb, and most refurbs you have no idea when you will have to replace it. Also they typically don't come with TV tuners, but I could care less as I don't bother with TV =P. Also, if the place you are going to have it is very bright during the day, this might not be the TV for you. It is easy to hook up to computers as well (giving WoW, AoC, etc. characters that are as tall as you are =), and is quite portable.
The other thing to keep in mind is to read a lot of reviews about the TV or projector, and be concerned with reliability and image quality. There are usually 10-15 reviews on any given TV, so it shouldn't be too much effort to go and read the ones that seem legit once you have one you think is a good deal.
 
[quote name='jful']Thanks for the advice everyone - unfortunately, all the info has made my decision much harder! I found what seems to be a great deal from Dell:
http://dell.to/9zA5mO
But I don't know much about LED-LCDs, other than that they look bad-ass when I've seen them in-store. I have a feeling playing Madden or Uncharted on this one will blow my mind; I just need someone to convince me it's worth spending an extra $150 or so.[/QUOTE]


That's an awesome deal. The LEDs are supposed to maintain their brightness for much, much longer than current plasmas and LCDs. Look at it as a long-term investment to tide you over those long, lonely grad school days...
 
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[quote name='tequilapickles']That's an awesome deal. The LEDs are supposed to maintain their brightness for much, much longer than current plasmas and LCDs. Look at it as a long-term investment to tide you over those long, lonely grad school days...[/QUOTE]

Like most comments on this thread this is not true. Panasonic has claimed a half life of 100,000 hours Plasmas since 2007. This puts the display at normal usage over 50 years of life and at about 11.5 years of 24/7 usage. Odds are another electronic component will fail or you'll simply move onto another TV tech well before then. I didn't find an exact half life for LED (model specific I'm sure) but the literature suggests that this moves LCD from the standard 60,000 hours up to the 100,000 half life. This is all well above the CRT half life of 30,000 hours.
 
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[quote name='smallsharkbigbite']Like most comments on this thread this is not true. Panasonic has claimed a half life of 100,000 hours Plasmas since 2007. This puts the display at normal usage over 50 years of life and at about 11.5 years of 24/7 usage. Odds are another electronic component will fail or you'll simply move onto another TV tech well before then. I didn't find an exact half life for LED (model specific I'm sure) but the literature suggests that this moves LCD from the standard 60,000 hours up to the 100,000 half life. This is all well above the CRT half life of 30,000 hours.[/QUOTE]


Those numbers look close enough. However, if by them (100,000 hours for plasma; 60,000 hours for LCD) your implying that Plasma last longer than LCD, thats wrong. At the current state of technology LCD's last longer or equal to plasma, because of the gasses decay. Add that implication to the rest of the "not true" stuff in this thread.

The average plasma half life (not just panasonics) is said to be 30,000 to 60,000 hours. While the average LCD half life is 60,000. And not that you would want to, but "fixing" an LCD TV that has reached its half life is technically possible with a replacement bulb, while nothing can be done with a Plasma. Tequila is right that LED's are supposed to maintain their brightness much longer than LCD; but like the numbers show, that doesnt really matter for quality TVs. And last thing, anyone following TV technology will tell you those half life numbers are questionable, espeically the 100,000 hours for plasmas.

If you want an answer as to what is better: LCD/LED vs. Plasma, definently plasma. Picture quality is better, and thats what you buy an HDTV for. The downsides of plasma (burn in, loss in brightness) are not an issue if you buy a quality one. Though at the $500 price point, the plasmas might have these downsides that LCD would not. So kind of a toss up in my opinion.
 
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Well I really appreciate the input from everyone, but in the end I acted sort of impulsively and bought a 46" Samsung LCD--LN46C530--from WalMart. I was too impatient to order it online since I needed to watch football last night, and there are no other real electronics retailers in Oxford. It was the same price as the Dell deal I posted, but I'm really glad I got the larger size, even though I didn't get the slimness/brightness of the LED. It's pretty freakin' awesome, great picture quality and I can actually tell a difference between 720 and 1080 on it! I really couldn't be happier. Can't believe how much bigger it looks once it's actually in my living room... Anyway, thanks again folks - I felt like I made a much more informed decision (like getting an extended 2 year warranty on it, since some reported problems with Samsung), and it made me realize there's no "right" answer to buying a TV.
 
[quote name='jful']Well I really appreciate the input from everyone, but in the end I acted sort of impulsively and bought a 46" Samsung LCD--LN46C530--from WalMart.[/QUOTE]

My TV is an LN46C750, and I've been very happy with it. I think you'll find that it was a good choice.

[quote name='jful']even though I didn't get the slimness/brightness of the LED.[/QUOTE]

Honestly? You don't want a low-end LED anyway. Low-end LEDs still have a lot of issues with flashlighting and clouding. You would have to spend a whole lot more money than you were looking to spend to get a good one that wouldn't have those issues. So you made a good choice.
 
[quote name='arcane93']Honestly? You don't want a low-end LED anyway. Low-end LEDs still have a lot of issues with flashlighting and clouding. You would have to spend a whole lot more money than you were looking to spend to get a good one that wouldn't have those issues. So you made a good choice.[/QUOTE]Agreed. Some of the higher-end CCFL LCD sets have better PQ than lower end edge-lit LED sets. That's what had me move up to a LG 55LE8500, which is a stunning set for PQ, though even on a LED backlit set with local dimming, there's the occasional issue with banding.

LED edge-lit/backlit sets are still in their infancy compared to CCFL LCD sets.
 
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