So... which giant TV should I buy?

That TV looks awesome - especially the 82" model!  I do have to go with the ultra thin wall mount though for the WAF.

 
Wow that thing sounds sweet.  It's a little out of my price range though.  I'm trying to keep it under $2.5K if I can.  If I need to wait until the fall for Black Friday or something I think I can wait it out though.... maybe.  I don't know - the renovation to my house has been not fun and the big TV purchase is the one thing I'm looking forward to...

 
n8rockerasu said:
I think plasmas definitely offer the best picture (bright colors, deep blacks, less glare, larger viewing angles, etc). But they also DEFNITELY consume a crap ton of energy. What some people may not think about with this is energy = heat. I'm sure the tech has gotten better since I got my 50" plasma in 2006, but back when my wife and I lived in a smaller apartment with baseboard heating, we actually went through a winter where we never had to use heat in the living room because just having the TV on was enough to keep things toasty in there, lol. Granted, this was in North Carolina, so it wasn't exactly frigid outside.

But I would imagine even the newer models still get hotter than LCD or LED. And yeah, plasmas weigh more...but that's not really a huge issue if you don't plan on moving it very often. Plasmas also tend to be more fragile due to the components inside (though mine has been moved in a truck four times since we've had it, and has survived just fine...yay Toshiba!). So, almost like with anything in life, there's a bit of a give and take. If you want the benefits of lower energy consumption and lighter weight, you'll be sacrificing a bit of picture quality. I can say though, if I was assessing the "negatives" with my plasma, none of it would have to do with its performance.
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Quoting my own post to kick myself in the ass (or pat myself on the back depending on how you look at it). About a week ago, my above mentioned TV crapped out on me. The picture started having a random flash of black during viewing. At first, I thought it was just a glitch with Netflix, but then it happened during regular OTA viewing. The next day, the picture went out completely and started strobing a white frame every few seconds, accompanied by a ticking sound. I did some research to see if this was fixable, and was informed that the problem was a bad Y Sus board. I took the board out, had it repaired, but then had a vertical color band problem after putting it back in...which directed me to another bad board (though I found conflicting reports of which one it was). Ultimately, it started feeling like a rabbit hole situation, and I decided to let the TV go.

Living this past week with a single 26" TV (which doubles as my computer monitor) and a 10" tablet to keep myself, my wife, and our 18 month old daughter entertained has been horrible, lol. If that doesn't make you want to just cough up the money for a new TV, nothing will. So, after some intensive research over the span of 48 hours, I just ordered this:

http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-60PH6700-60-Inch-Active/dp/B00BBAFYYA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1371778316&sr=8-3&keywords=lg+60+plasma

Yes, yes. LG Plasma. Boo-urns! Panasonic is the only way to go! Blah blah.. Although it's fairly new, I've read several good things about this model. I hadn't ever really looked into 3D before (though I have several 3D Disney discs), so I went to Best Buy to see what I could try out. They had 3 3D models on the floor...only one of which was functional, and it was a passive 3D unit. They had the Panasonic TC-P60ST60, and the guy was telling me how amazing it was, and how it got a 5 star rating on CNET. Then, he remembers that for whatever reason, Panasonic disabled their 3D demo. Ok...

I went back home, looked into that TV a bit, and saw some reports of pretty bad input lag, despite the 5 star rating. So, like all of the TVs in this price range, it seems to have its issues as well...not to mention Amazon said it wouldn't ship for 1-2 months. So, I went with the LG because both my wife and I really liked the features and there seem to be plenty of people who really love the TV. Pretty excited for this unexpected upgrade.

 
http://news.consumerreports.org/electronics/2013/06/panasonic-and-samsung-want-to-make-2013-a-renaissance-year-for-plasma-tvs.html

If you're getting a TV for picture quality, nothing with beat plasma. It's just a fact at this point. All it depends on now is whether you want the image quality or the luxury of not having to work around IR.

I just purchased a 2012 GT50 Panasonic Plasma for about $800. I originally had a UT50 which had some problems but I returned it, got $125 credit, and used it towards an Amazon Warehouse deal where I got the normally $1500 TV for about $900.

The TV itself is beautiful and the blacks are milky smooth. I take breaks from gaming every hour or so but real burn-in doesn't happen until about 3 hours of straight playing with no breaks. Movies won't ever cause an issue but playing Mega Max X for too long left the health bar on the screen for nearly a week or so. It's gone now but it was a little scary for me at the time. Now I always make sure to take a break or two during marathon sessions. 

Heat however is also an issue as in the summer the rooms get stuffy and I need the AC running to keep things ventilated and cool. But to me, the little bit of hassle is totally worth the image quality because once I go over to other friend's homes, the quality is pretty noticeable. 

If you have the best picture quality of any TV currently on the market: http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/panasonic-tc-p60zt60/4505-6482_7-35567247.html - There you go. See for yourself. If it's not in your price range, you can start budgeting yourself to see where you want to be.

 
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crunchewy said:
What downside is there to plasma, if any? How about use for video games? Which is better? I could be in the market for a larger TV (not 70", but I could see getting a 50" set) sometime in the next year or so.
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Uses a lot more energy.

 
What downside is there to plasma, if any? How about use for video games? Which is better? I could be in the market for a larger TV (not 70", but I could see getting a 50" set) sometime in the next year or so.


Uses a lot more energy.

And runs hot as hell - it makes a temperature difference in a small room.
Unless you go Panasonic
 
Javery said:
bshirk said:
crunchewy said:
What downside is there to plasma, if any? How about use for video games? Which is better? I could be in the market for a larger TV (not 70", but I could see getting a 50" set) sometime in the next year or so.
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Uses a lot more energy.
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And runs hot as hell - it makes a temperature difference in a small room.
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That's one interesting thing about the LG I just bought. I read a review from somebody who said they had theirs on for about 10 hours and it was hardly warm to the touch. Sooo...fingers crossed that this is just a good one that not a lot of people are aware of yet. After learning from my wife that all that mattered to her was size (to which I responded "Hey...hey...but you said..." lol), I started looking at the size:cost ratios. And it seemed to me that once you go above 60", the price goes way up. Even for a 65" in the same product line it would be like $800-$1000 more. And after having paid $2,000 for that 50" 720p Toshiba back in 2006, I wasn't exactly dying to be at the bleeding edge of the tech anymore. Along with the reviews on Amazon, here's the thread that convinced me to go for the 60PH6700.

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1466376/lgs-new-flagship-plasma-60ph6700

Tuesday can't get here quick enough, haha. :bouncy:

 
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I wouldn't touch an LCD witha 10 foot pole. 

Regarding plasma and image retention or burn-in if that's what you want to call it. Plasma's have a half life of 60,000-100,000 hours. Over time, it will smooth out and you won't notice anything. If you can't understand this than you must be living a pretty miserable life worried about such important things. 

I'd get the best damn plasma you can. Panasonic VT or whatever it is now-a-days. I have a VT-something I got on clearance when Ultimate Electronics was going down. I don't envision replacing it for 10 years. At least.

 
All right, so I have spent 2 full days with my new LG 60PH6700...and I gotta say, I'm loving what I've seen so far. Amazon used CEVA delivery which had 2 guys carry the TV into my apartment, unpackage it, set it up, and make sure everything was working properly. And the first thing I noticed was a very clear, crisp picture right out of the box with those beautifully vivid colors that plasmas are known for. It's also exceptionally fast. A simple press of the "Smart" button on the remote takes me to the "command center" where I can choose among my various inputs (3 HDMI, 1 component/composite, 3 USB), choose from all the different streaming apps (Netflix, Hulu Plus, MLB.tv, and even Redbox Instant...which surprised me...though I was prompted to do a system update immediately, so that might explain Redbox).

The Magic Remote this thing comes with is also pretty slick. It seriously makes for the most gloriously lazy channel surfing I've ever experienced in my life. It has a scroll wheel (similar to a PC mouse), which you can use to quickly flip through channels. You don't even have to point the damn thing at the TV. I was just lying on the couch like a bum barely moving my thumb and just flying through channels. You could be 99% paralyzed and still enjoy this TV, lol. It also has voice command features...not quite on the level of XBox One, but you can tell it what to search for on the internet or Youtube, and it does a fairly good job of pulling it up for you.

The 3D is pretty outstanding. From what I had read, that has been a strong suit of LG for awhile, and it does not disappoint here. The TV itself didn't come with any 3D glasses, but you don't have to spend the $50-80 for LG's brand. Any bluetooth pair will work. Samsung makes a $20 pair that uses a watch battery. Or, you can get a pair made by Sainsonic that has a rechargeable battery for $30 on Amazon (that's what I did). There are many different 3D options and modes, depending what your media demands. For instance, I played a bit of Crysis 2 in 3D on my Xbox 360, which asked for the "side by side" 3D mode. It was trippy as hell. The 3D looked great (though there was some ghosting. I didn't play long enough to figure out if it was the game/glasses/TV though), but if you got a notification or pulled up the guide, it would be split across the sides of the screen, haha. Really weird. Finding Nemo looked amazing in 3D though. I can see this being a huge treat for my daughter as she gets older.

Honestly, the only "negative" I've noticed so far is that there seems to be a reasonably large disparity in what "loud" is with the TV volume, depending on where your source is coming from. For instance, with OTA television, the sound is really quiet, and I have to put the volume to at least 30 to be able to watch. However, when I play a blu-ray on my PS3 via HDMI, 30 is loud as balls, and I have to turn it down to around 12. Not a huge deal, but that seems to be a fairly substantial gap. I read something about being able to adjust volume levels, but I haven't looked into it much yet. Not sure if that can be set according to input or what, but for now, it's just something I have to be mindful of.

Overall though, I think this TV is a great bargain considering everything you get. It's tough getting a good feel for a plasma during that "break in period" though. Since I've turned down the brightness and contrast, I find myself starting to think the picture isn't that good. Then, I change the settings back to "standard" and I'm like "Oh, that's so much better!" lol. Of course, for this reason, I've also had to limit my gaming and sports watching. It'll be nice when the TV gets stretched out and can really start to perform. But right now, with the deal Amazon has going on for this thing (2% back in Amazon credit, 24 months 0% financing, and the full service Amazon delivery), I feel like I got a great value..

In case anyone else is curious, here's some more reviews I found on it.

http://www.paulstv.com/Plasma-Televisions/LG-60PH6700-review.asp

 
b3b0p said:
I wouldn't touch an LCD witha 10 foot pole.

Regarding plasma and image retention or burn-in if that's what you want to call it. Plasma's have a half life of 60,000-100,000 hours. Over time, it will smooth out and you won't notice anything. If you can't understand this than you must be living a pretty miserable life worried about such important things.

I'd get the best damn plasma you can. Panasonic VT or whatever it is now-a-days. I have a VT-something I got on clearance when Ultimate Electronics was going down. I don't envision replacing it for 10 years. At least.
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And I wouldn't touch plasma with a 10 foot pole, so we're balancing that out. ;)

 
shrike4242 said:
And I wouldn't touch plasma with a 10 foot pole, so we're balancing that out. ;)
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Same here. Though I tried twice as I said in my earlier posts. Was drove nuts by buzzing and IR both times. Though as I said I think I'm just unfortunate and have ears sensitive to hearing that frequency of buzzing, and maybe the IR issues would have improved with more than a month of usage as apparently that gets better with age.

Anyway, don't really care. Never been a videophile, never will be one. So I'll always opt for a set that doesn't annoy me with buzzing and gives me piece of mind about IR over picture quality every day of the week since I don't have the nerd knowledge to appreciate better PQ anyway. I just need something to display movies, TV and games and don't care how close to "reference" it is.

 
[quote name="b3b0p" post="10853602" timestamp="1372018268"]
I wouldn't touch an LCD witha 10 foot pole.

Regarding plasma and image retention or burn-in if that's what you want to call it. Plasma's have a half life of 60,000-100,000 hours. Over time, it will smooth out and you won't notice anything. If you can't understand this than you must be living a pretty miserable life worried about such important things.

I'd get the best damn plasma you can. Panasonic VT or whatever it is now-a-days. I have a VT-something I got on clearance when Ultimate Electronics was going down. I don't envision replacing it for 10 years. At least.[/quote]
ZT60 is what you want but they are slightly overpriced and at the end of the day Plasmas do not do well in a bright room.

All the talk about 4K is pointless. OLED is the better tech and will ultimately prove to be the dominant TV... in about 10 years. That said, the jump in image quality won't be as great as 1080p. Due to various technological obstacles such as the avg cable provider, who has a hard time providing a steady 1080p signal let alone giving you 4K.
 
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For all of you LCD people, how is the off-axis viewing?  I don't like having to sit directly across from the TV in order to see the picture.

 
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I'm so confused!

I want a large TV (70"+ but I'm willing to go to 65" for the largest plasma) but there are so many pros and cons to just about every set.  I've been very happy with my plasma so I'm leaning towards that and even though it will be hanging in a bright room, no one ever really watches TV in my house during the day.  It was also never a problem on my current TV (but this is for a different room since the old room no longer exists).  I'm not a PQ nerd but I do want it to look nice.

 
Javery said:
For all of you LCD people, how is the off-axis viewing? I don't like having to sit directly across from the TV in order to see the picture.
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Agreed. Very little difference I can notice in the 55" Panny LED set I have now vs the 55" Panny plasma I tried first. Mostly moot for me as it's in a small room where the couch directly in front is the only place to sit anyway.

But I can see it from the open kitchen when cooking or the breakfast bar when eating, and both sets are perfectly viewable from those angles--probably between 35 to 45 degrees off center I'd guess.

 
dmaul1114 said:
Same here. Though I tried twice as I said in my earlier posts. Was drove nuts by buzzing and IR both times. Though as I said I think I'm just unfortunate and have ears sensitive to hearing that frequency of buzzing, and maybe the IR issues would have improved with more than a month of usage as apparently that gets better with age.

Anyway, don't really care. Never been a videophile, never will be one. So I'll always opt for a set that doesn't annoy me with buzzing and gives me piece of mind about IR over picture quality every day of the week since I don't have the nerd knowledge to appreciate better PQ anyway. I just need something to display movies, TV and games and don't care how close to "reference" it is.
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That's the same experience I've had with plasma, which is why I've avoided them.

I know that my 55LE8500 with its full backlit/non-edge backlight has some amazing black levels that would give some plasmas a run for its money, though it's replacement will be an expensive process if it goes out, in or outside of warranty. Full backlit sets are rare, though it seems that vendors are getting much better with edge lighting when they couple it with good local dimming.

Plenty of middle-to-low-end sets out there for people that don't need bleeding edge for black levels or PQ. If it looks good to you, that's all that matters.

 
Yep.  My Panny 55" LED (ET5 series) is fine for my needs.  It's edge lit, so there is some light bleeding around the corners on total black screens etc., but it's almost never noticeable to me when watching--just on black loading screens etc.  But some people really notice that and get driven nuts by it.

And yep, all that matters is finding something you like.  Videophiles on sites like AVS have hobbies of getting as close to reference black levels, colors etc. as possible, and that's fine.  I just don't care about that stuff.  I just care about having a big screen, a picture that looks good to my non-picky eyes and a set from a reputable brand like Panansonic or Sony.

 
I've had my share of top end LCD displays. LCD looks fine and nice all. They are bright and colorful for the most part. Some even have a certain pop, but they don't seem to be able to produce the same richness and smoothness as a decent plasma. Image retention or burn-in or whatever you want to call it is bull honkey. The displays have like a half life of 60,000-100,000+ hours. Over time it works it self out. 

 
Modern high-end TV shopping is the worst.

A couple years ago I did a bunch of research to try and upgrade a six year old 55" Bravia 1080p LCD.  As has been said in this thread, there are so many pros and cons to every set.  Black levels, color levels, input lag, image retention, 3d, "smart" features, blah blah blah.  fuck, man, I just want a TV.  I have $2500.  Give me the best screen for games without all the bullshit I'm never going to use.  I ended up not getting anything because it was just impossible to know if whatever set was what I actually wanted and if it performed well for games.

I'm in the same boat again, thinking about upgrading in prep for next-gen, and threads like this are full of wildly differing opinions.

 
Just of look at a bunch of sets yourself and buy somewhere with a good exchange/return policy.

All that matters is what works for you in your viewing room in your home. I found internet threads useless as well. Too many fanboys for one type of tech, videophiles far pickier about picture quality than me etc.

I just checked out a bunch of tvs in local stores. Read some professional reviews and ordered from amazon as their return policy is great.
 
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Yeah, to add on to that statement, this is basically how your TV shopping should go:

1. Decide what features matter the most to you and prioritize them. Figure out what you're willing to compromise on, and what is non-negotiable.

2. Find 4-5 TVs that do what you're looking for and read reviews on them. Make sure none of them have legitimate PROBLEMS that interfere with YOUR viewing experience (input lag, bad glare, low viewing angle, etc)

3. Ignore exaggerations, statements of personal preference, or "issues" with simple solutions.

4. By this point, you've probably narrowed it down pretty well, and whatever choices you are left with should serve you just fine. At this point, it's just a matter of choosing which one you like the best...since you're probably looking at two TVs that will perform mostly the same anyway.

 
Another piece of advice that might help: go check out a local specialty hdtv shop, take your favorite blu-ray movie and ask them to pop it in and view it on some of the tvs you're considering to see if you like what you see. Hell, some might even be willing to let you see what gaming is like on the sets they have.

 
XxFuRy2Xx said:
Another piece of advice that might help: go check out a local specialty hdtv shop, take your favorite blu-ray movie and ask them to pop it in and view it on some of the tvs you're considering to see if you like what you see. Hell, some might even be willing to let you see what gaming is like on the sets they have.
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In general, this is good advice. But at the same time, there are so many different types and models and sizes and brands of TVs out there now, you might have a hard time finding what you're looking for. I know going to Best Buy before hand really didn't do much for me in terms of helping me make a decision. The only information that provided me with was "there are lots of different TVs and they all look pretty good", lol. I definitely feel better being able to see something in person before buying it...but having good, honest user reviews goes a long way for me as well.

 
The thing to do is do some research online first to try and narrow it down to a handful of models to consider, then see if those are available to see locally so you can check them out in person.

But honestly, Amazon's return/exchange process is so painless I probably won't bother in the future and just take a chance on the one I decide to go with based on reviews etc. since it's so easy to swap it out if I end up not liking it.  Ended up doing that anyway with the plasma since the buzzing drove me nuts at home, but wasn't audible over all the noise in the store.

 
I'm about to buy a passive 3d LED tv.  It will be my first 3D tv, so does this change regular tv to 3D also if you want?  I've never even tried 3D in a home setup before, just at movies.  Thanks

 
Some TVs have a 2D -> 3D converter option. Not sure if passive sets have it...and I can't even say how well it works because I haven't tried it out on my set either.

 
Some TVs have a 2D -> 3D converter option. Not sure if passive sets have it...and I can't even say how well it works because I haven't tried it out on my set either.



I've really only ever heard of LGs having that, and they are passive. It's really not that good considering you have to wear glasses.
 
Mako1215 said:
I've really only ever heard of LGs having that, and they are passive. It's really not that good considering you have to wear glasses.
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Not sure if I'm just misunderstanding what you're trying to say, but you have to wear glasses whether the 3D is passive or active. Passive is just polarized lenses like you get at the movie theater. Active is the battery operated "alternating shutter" glasses. And LG switched to active this year...at least for their plasma line anyway.

 
Yeah, passive sets can do the 2D to 3D conversion--active vs. passive has nothing to do with that.  My Panasonic passive set has the feature--it's not nearly as good as stuff that's really in 3D of course.  I never use it personally.

As for passive vs. active, the Panny plasma I tried first was active, and the LED one I ended up with is passive. I prefer the passive.  My eyes don't get tired as fast, and it's nice to not have to worry with batteries.  I don't watch much 3D stuff anyway, just the occasional 3D Bluray or documentary I tape of the DirecTV 3D channel.

 
Not sure if I'm just misunderstanding what you're trying to say, but you have to wear glasses whether the 3D is passive or active. Passive is just polarized lenses like you get at the movie theater. Active is the battery operated "alternating shutter" glasses. And LG switched to active this year...at least for their plasma line anyway.



I knew exactly what you meant.
 
shrike4242 said:
Why that one?
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Because I've really enjoyed the plasma I've had for the past 9 years so I think I'm going to stick with plasma again - the VT is a bit expensive and at under $2,000 I don't feel like I have to wait another 9 years for the next one (like when 4K/UHD becomes standard). I'm not totally committed though if there is a good reason I should go with something else...

 
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The ST50 is a fine TV, as is the ST60. At the end of the day you need to buy something that meets your needs and makes you happy.

The best flat screen TV of the last 5 (heck 10) years is still the Pioneer Kuro F141D.  It produced a reference quality picture the equivalent of 25K monitors.  The ZT60 produces richer blacks but nothing to date even the much heralded 4K TV beats the Kuro.

 
Check out some prices. Go to slickdeals.net and type in panasonic plasma. Then get them to price match and you still get financing.
 
Taken straight from SD so I cannot confirm but BB appears to have some pretty good prices for the ZT series. If you are interested in going for the top of the line plasma. 

If I were in your shoes I would buy the 65" VT60 from Amazon. The VT60 is brighter which give it more pop and the built in cam is something that's worth while (unless you are not into that sort of thing).

Here's a pretty good comparison video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNRNuX7zL2U

Huge savings on Panasonic VT & ZT Plasma at Magnolia(Best Buy)
For a limited time. VT & ZT plasma at Magnolia, in store only... 

55VT $1899, Reg. $2499 
65VT $2699, Reg. $3599 
60ZT $2699, Reg. $3499
65ZT $3199, Reg. $4099
 
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