Plasma or LED - Black Friday?

SativaSam

SativaSam

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Hey guys, I'm in the market for a new TV for primarily PS4 gaming and a lot of deals are coming up on Black Friday. I was originally going to get a LED... but after doing research a lot of people recommend me to look at Plasmas. To keep it in perspective, I'm looking to replace my 42" LG 1080p LCD 120HZ. My budget is no more than $700. I'd like to get in the 50"-60" range, but would really prefer 55" and up. 

I'm looking at various TVs... and as far as LEDs go the best deal I found was the 50" 1080p Vizio 240HZ.. but it comes w/ 3D and Smart, both of which I have 0 interest in... but the Refresh rate for that price range is awesome (it's $600) 

I haven't really been able to find very many Plasma deals on BF... and I'm really nervous about Plasmas in general. I know that Panasonic is stopping manufacturing them at the end of this year. The TV will be in a bedroom with 4 sets of blinds, so it is a room that is very capable of eliminating light or glare if Plasmas still have that issue. 

Just wanting to know what you guys think I should go with... Plasma or LED - and if so, which TV on BF have you seen of those 2 types that you'd recommend?

 
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LEd, hands down

bestbuy  $499.99 55 inch led LG tv, doorbuster black friday deal

http://bfads.net/Black-Friday/Best-Buy/Ad?page=1#viewer

target $597.99 samsung 50 inch led tv

http://bfads.net/Black-Friday/Target/Ad?page=3#viewer

but if you really insist on buying a plasma tv, then

walmart $427 samsung 51 inch plasma tv

http://bfads.net/Black-Friday/Walmart/Ad?page=16#viewer

truthfully, unless you are willing to shell out more than $700. it is hard finding brand-name tv for less than $700 for 55 inch or large tvs.

 
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I dunno... like I linked in the OP, $600 for a 50"... believe Walmart also has a 60" for 688 - Vizio. 

Why do you recommend LED over Plasma? Plasma is better picture quality and most of the time cheaper... and from what I've heard the burn in issues are pretty much non-existant in modern plasmas.

 
SativaSam said:
I dunno... like I linked in the OP, $600 for a 50"... believe Walmart also has a 60" for 688 - Vizio.

Why do you recommend LED over Plasma? Plasma is better picture quality and most of the time cheaper... and from what I've heard the burn in issues are pretty much non-existant in modern plasmas.
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the fear of burn-in, i personally don't want to see if it still holds true.

i personally prefer brand names like samsung, or LG to vizios, because of quality

 
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From what I've read, Vizio has really improved their quality in the past couple of years... Now that being said, the only two HDTVs I've owned have been Samsung and LG. 

 
I would make sure you go view the tv in person first. LCD's are awful for certain things like sports. It looks like a soap opera. I don't know if LED suffers from the same thing but it's something to keep in mind

 
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My next TV is going to be a Panasonic S60 plasma. The retail for the 50" is $700. I have an old Visio plasma, an LCD and LED. Maybe I watch a lot of dark and gloomy movies but I need/want the black levels a plasma can provide.

That Samsung plasma from the Wal-Mart BF ad is 720p.
 
NinjaPenguin777 said:
I would make sure you go view the tv in person first. LCD's are awful for certain things like sports. It looks like a soap opera. I don't know if LED suffers from the same thing but it's something to keep in mind
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I already have an LCD... and you can easily turn off the fake "motion blur" that they add through the TV's menu. I would love to go in person, but it looks like Best Buy or Amazon is the way to go for a TV, and sadly my closest Best Buy isn't in a reasonable distance.

 
salty tbone said:
My next TV is going to be a Panasonic S60 plasma. The retail for the 50" is $700. I have an old Visio plasma, an LCD and LED. Maybe I watch a lot of dark and gloomy movies but I need/want the black levels a plasma can provide.

That Samsung plasma from the Wal-Mart BF ad is 720p.
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I was recommended that particular Plasma, but I can't find where it's $700. Best Buy has it for like 900 something, and it's sold out on Amazon.

EDIT: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/viera-50-class-49-9-10-diag--plasma-1080p-600hz-smart-hdtv/8130126.p?id=1218864361009&skuId=8130126&st=8130126&cp=1&lp=1#tab=reviews

I found the TV you're talking about... just scared of Plasma... but I've heard such good things about the picture quality. Plus my current TV is 42", wondering if 50" would be a substantial enough size upgrade

 
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I am a fan of Plasma.

However, for my gaming setup I have a DLP, mainly because it needed a bulb and for $50 I had a new HDTV.

Plasma lags less, the blacks are blacker. I generally found the colors to be better. Burn in is a thing of the past, and if you properly break one in, it will last just as long as an LED/LCD. They are much heavier and they produce more heat. I would estimate that a 42" plasma weighs close to 40 pounds.

LED/LCD can have lag issues. It's not a huge deal most of the time, but you could run into problems on games like Mortal Kombat, if it lags very much. A lot of TVs lag just a few milliseconds, much more than that, and you're better off with an old CRT one.

If you get the chance, take a Wii into the store, hook it up, and try to fight Mike Tyson in Punch Out. If you can dodge, it's a TV without a lot of lag and it will work for your gaming pleasure.

 
Well http://www.bestbuy.com/site/viera-50-class-49-9-10-diag--plasma-1080p-600hz-smart-hdtv/8130126.p?id=1218864361009&skuId=8130126&st=8130126&cp=1&lp=1#tab=reviews
 

This one really interests me... Like I said, I have an LCD currently... and I'm not one of those crazy input lag guys. I just want a good picture for movies and games. I have 7.1 Surround Sound in here, so I really couldn't care less about the audio of the TV.

As I said before, this will be in a bedroom, and the bedroom has 4 sets of blinds so I am hoping that lighting/glare wouldn't be a Plasma issue. 

Also, this may sound stupid, but is 42" to 50" a substantial upgrade? I feel like I could get a 55" LED instead of the 50" Plasma... Just trying to decide soon, and I really appreciate all of your help.

EDIT: One more thing... I was wondering if there's a TV similar to the one I have linked above... but instead of it being a Smart TV, it is a 55" TV. I'd like a 55" TV if possible and I don't have interest in Smart so that it'd be about the same price.

 
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SativaSam said:
Well http://www.bestbuy.com/site/viera-50-class-49-9-10-diag--plasma-1080p-600hz-smart-hdtv/8130126.p?id=1218864361009&skuId=8130126&st=8130126&cp=1&lp=1#tab=reviews

This one really interests me... Like I said, I have an LCD currently... and I'm not one of those crazy input lag guys. I just want a good picture for movies and games. I have 7.1 Surround Sound in here, so I really couldn't care less about the audio of the TV.

As I said before, this will be in a bedroom, and the bedroom has 4 sets of blinds so I am hoping that lighting/glare wouldn't be a Plasma issue.

Also, this may sound stupid, but is 42" to 50" a substantial upgrade? I feel like I could get a 55" LED instead of the 50" Plasma... Just trying to decide soon, and I really appreciate all of your help.

EDIT: One more thing... I was wondering if there's a TV similar to the one I have linked above... but instead of it being a Smart TV, it is a 55" TV. I'd like a 55" TV if possible and I don't have interest in Smart so that it'd be about the same price.
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A 55" is a big upgrade from a 42." If you go from a 50" to a 55" it's not much. I went from 42" to 46" and don't notice much at all.

These dimensions may help you:

42" TV is roughly 41" wide x 26" tall

50" TV is roughly 48" wide x 30" tall

55" TV is roughly 52" wide x 33" tall

Those aren't exact measurements, so grab a tape measure and compare with what you have.

 
burritoman said:
A 55" is a big upgrade from a 42." If you go from a 50" to a 55" it's not much. I went from 42" to 46" and don't notice much at all.

These dimensions may help you:

42" TV is roughly 41" wide x 26" tall

50" TV is roughly 48" wide x 30" tall

55" TV is roughly 52" wide x 33" tall

Those aren't exact measurements, so grab a tape measure and compare with what you have.
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Sorry, I should have worded that last post more clearly... My current TV is 42".

 
I'm in the same boat as you as far as not wanting 3d or Smart TV features, but I haven't found anything plasma-wise better. Most tvs now have the smart features and unless it has wireless built in I'm not sure it adds a whole lot to the cost. 3d does boost the price quite a bit still.

Also as far as size, you can make a cardboard template to help visualize what works for you. 50 would be plenty for me, especially for the bedroom, but everyone's tastes are different.
 
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Yeah but Plasmas just make me nervous... plus it's the same price for a 10" smaller TV. I've never had a Plasma before so just curious what you think about it.

 
SativaSam said:
Yeah but Plasmas just make me nervous... plus it's the same price for a 10" smaller TV. I've never had a Plasma before so just curious what you think about it.
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There's no reason to be nervous about a plasma. Reliability is the same as an LED, assuming you don't get a shit tv. Burn in is non existent, PQ is superior, and you get a better tv for the price. Unless I'm mistaken, Sams carries a solid 55" Panasonic.
 
Yeah I called them today to ask about the S64, which was sold out. It's an exclusive Panasonic Plasma 50" it's basically the same TV as the S60, but has more anti-glare tech in it like the ST60 does. I don't have a CostCo so that's not a choice to check if they have it.

Also, like I said earlier, I'm upgrading from a 42" LCD, will a 50" be a substantial upgrade? I liked the 60" Vizio obviously because it was an LED with a great size... but I am not hearing so much great things about the E-series.

From what I can tell, sounds like I would enjoy the 50" Plasma more than the 60" LED.

 
SativaSam said:
Yeah I called them today to ask about the S64, which was sold out. It's an exclusive Panasonic Plasma 50" it's basically the same TV as the S60, but has more anti-glare tech in it like the ST60 does. I don't have a CostCo so that's not a choice to check if they have it.

Also, like I said earlier, I'm upgrading from a 42" LCD, will a 50" be a substantial upgrade? I liked the 60" Vizio obviously because it was an LED with a great size... but I am not hearing so much great things about the E-series.

From what I can tell, sounds like I would enjoy the 50" Plasma more than the 60" LED.
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A 50" is a significantly larger tv. If I had to recommend a 55" or 60" LED, it'd be this Samsung.http://m.bestbuy.com/m/e/product/detail.jsp?skuId=1611413&pid=1219057058728&pcatId=abcat0101000
 
Backlash2332x said:
A 50" is a significantly larger tv. If I had to recommend a 55" or 60" LED, it'd be this Samsung.http://m.bestbuy.com/m/e/product/detail.jsp?skuId=1611413&pid=1219057058728&pcatId=abcat0101000
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Yeah I saw that one. All in all, do you think the S60 Panasonic plasma is my best choice? I play a TON of videogames on console, and it sounds like it's great for that. Also, the whole burn-in thing... I watch SportsCenter a lot, and by a lot, I mean like if I am in my room, the TV is on and it's on that... should I worry about that? Or just change channels a lot? I also sleep with a TV on (it's a weird habit, I can't sleep without one on)

 
Plasmas are going to give you the best possible quality picture from a flat-panel fixed-resolution display. They generally have the best black levels, contrast, and brightest images. They also usually have very fast refresh rates, which makes them more ideal for action-heavy content like sports and video games. The big downside for Plasmas is that they are huge energy hogs. The average Plasma will eat up five or six times as much electricity as the average LCD or LED. If you use your screen regularly, don't be surprised if your annual power bill jumps up by $100.

LEDs are much more energy efficient, but won't provide as good of a picture. They also tend to be a bit more pricey at the moment, as most producers and stores are trying to clear out their plasma stock. If you are going for an LED, make sure you get one with a higher refresh rate. A 60 HZ screen will do for most applications, but you might see some stuttering for games and sports broadcasts. 120 HZ would give you a better margin for error on the framerate.

OLED screens give you the best of both worlds, but are much more expensive at the moment.

 
Panasonic probably one of the best makers of plasma are going no longer going to make them and discontinue them at march of next year.

I don't know if it has been mentioned here but figured I would throw this out if it helps make your decision.

Story

Also, the VT60 is awesome but with the lack of support kind of puts things on a teeter-totter.

 
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Well, I think I have my mind made up... The Panasonic S60. It's right within my budget, and I've heard nothing but good things about it. What do you guys think of it? And are there going to be any deals on them? I read online where they are 600-650 bucks at times, but all I am seeing is $700.

EDIT: I just saw a little discussion on Reddit and it kinda makes me leery about the S60. http://www.reddit.com/r/hometheater/comments/1ma2u3/panasonic_s60_vs_st60/

I just don't think I can afford a $1000 TV, I would obviously love to have the ST60 but it's just too high. 

 
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