Need help finding out what type of TV best suits my needs

[hoofhearted4]

As the Title says, Im trying to figure out what TV would be suit my needs. Ive posted something similar in the past, but im much closer to buying a TV now.

 

Ive been reading reviews of TVs up the wazoo, and been reading pages and pages of threads from other forums, and while ive gotten a lot of knowledge of TVs, its hard to figure out what would be best for me. Questions always seem to be whats best for movies, or games, best Picture Quality or best input lag. im not necessarily looking for the best in any area, but something that would be good for me in all areas and i figured the best way to figure that would, be to actually post a thread and see if i cant get some responses.

 

Ive been leaning heavily towards Plasma TVs, specifically Panasonic plasmas and more specifically the ST60 or GT60. and while anyone talking about a Plasma does well to convince you image retention is nothing to worry about, I know its still there and it does worry me. Ive been doing a lot less console gaming as of late (duh i own a PC) but on the weekends, when my girlfriend comes over, we will play for a few hours at a time or more. we play games like Borderlands 2 and Diablo 3, games with HUDs, mini maps, and health bars, the kinds of things im worried about getting IR from. im trying to convince myself that just a few hours of gaming wont kill my TV, but i am worried nonetheless. on the topic of games, i dont play many twitch shooters, and when i do, im not hardcore enough to notice input lag, so thats a non issue there.

 

so why not just go with and LED TV and avoid all the problem? well because the rest of the time I like to watch regular TV or movies, and because i have a PS3 (and will have a PS4) i like to watch Blu Rays, and everything ive read says for movies, esp Blu Ray, Plasmas are the way to go. but again, those few hours of weekend gaming, or the fact that when im on my PC, i leave my TV playing (say on ion, which its been on a lot as of late) i am slightly worried about the logo being burned in for any length of time. while im not a videofile, i do like quality.

 

so theres my dilema. I really want a TV where watching Blu Rays is going to be freaking awesome, but i am a little worried about Image Retention.

 

Other notes: my spending limit is right around $1000. obviously less is better, and its not a hard cap, but id like to not go over it if at all possible. from what ive seen this puts me at the 50" range of TVs. which is perfect and is my minimum. I do not care in the least about Smart TV options, but i noticed most TVs in my range have them anyways. Also not worried about 3D capabilities, but again, seems like TVs in this range are capable of it.

 

Im coming from a 34" (or 36" not sure) LED TV i bought like 6 or 7 years ago. its just a little small when split screening with my gf so in the end, anything new will impress me. My room is in the basement, so my lighting is ideal for plasmas, and i sit roughly 8 feet away maybe? give or take.

 

so for anyone whos made it to the end of this wall, i thank you for taking the time to hear me out. im looking to buy hopefully on or around Black Friday to see if i can catch deals. so i have plenty of time to continue research and whatnot and save up.

 

 

 

Also i made a little poll, both for fun, and just to sort of gather some data.

 

 

Edited October 22, 2013 by hoofhearted4

[Rennn]

I'd recommend waiting for OLED really, as early reviews have been overwhelmingly positive.

 

I'm a supporter of LED, in the mean time...

[Thor.]

I would go with Ultra D... Waiting for Werne to show up, he always pops up when i mention that.

 

http://www.streamtvnetworks.com/ultra-d.shtml

[Werne]

I would go with Ultra D...

So would a lot of guys and gals, but they eventually get settled for an average D. :tongue:

 

Waiting for Werne to show up, he always pops up when i mention that.

I can't help it. :teehee:

[hoofhearted4]

well i dont think OLED is going to be in my price range any time soon. waiting for it would be a waste of time. maybe after this TV, OLED will be main stream. i mean right now OLED is twice as much as 4K and 4K is WAY out of my budget as it is lol.

 

anyone have specific TVs theyd recommend at around $1000

[FMod]

There's plenty of misconceptions all around.

I don't participate in polls, choosing hardware by popular vote is like choosing it by divination.

 

The main choice between LED and plasma comes down to this:

Do you use it in a fully darkened room or occasionally in a lit one as well?

 

In a fully darkened room, plasma has better shadow detailing. Image retention and fade to gray are an issue, but given how much cheaper plasma is, it's an acceptable sacrifice.

 

In a room with lighting, particularly natural sunlight, plasma will suffer from strong reflections, and as if that wasn't enough, plasma has lower maximum brightness, so bright images will look dull as if printed on glossy paper. Shadow detailing, meanwhile, isn't present in a lit room regardless of technology.

 

OLED is just "Plasma 2.0", really, I've seen them... nice by all means, best of both worlds, but nothing that you don't find in one of these. Glare suppression inferior to top LED TVs, but far superior to plasmas.

[hoofhearted4]

I don't participate in polls, choosing hardware by popular vote is like choosing it by divination.

the poll wouldnt have affected my decision any. i was more curious as to what kind of TVs the members had. the Plasma vs LED part would be an opinion, and I was also curious as to what you guys had experienced with what brands. for example, everywhere i read, i see dont trust LG, but for all i know, several of you could recommend them. its a nice way to get actual numbers to see if they match up with what i read.

 

however that said, when im looking at products, i do look at how many reviews it has. if a product has say 6000 reviews, and the next best only has say 4000, then ill consider then one with more. there is most likely a reason one has so many reviews. assuming the majority are good, its probably a good product, to consider at least. so choosing, or in the least considering by populous, is not a bad thing.

Edited October 24, 2013 by hoofhearted4

[FMod]

the poll wouldnt have affected my decision any. i was more curious as to what kind of TVs the members had. the Plasma vs LED part would be an opinion, and I was also curious as to what you guys had experienced with what brands.

CRT, plasma, LCD, edge LED, local dimming LED, rear projection, front projection CRT, front projection DLP.

 

Sony, Pioneer, Philips, Sharp, Barco, Mitsubishi, Zenith, Vizio, Panasonic, Samsung, LG, missed something probably, but that's all the brands I've consciously had.

 

 

however that said, when im looking at products, i do look at how many reviews it has. if a product has say 6000 reviews, and the next best only has say 4000, then ill consider then one with more.

That's definitely not a way to choose HDTVs.

The one that's sold more, e.g. because the brand has more stores carrying it, will have more reviews.

 

I guess it would be a reasonable way to pick a TV for your kitchen if you need one home by tonight and only have time to check them on your smartphone while walking by that shelf with TVs right between cereal boxes and beer cans.

[hoofhearted4]

thats not how im choosing TVs, however thats how i take into account for PC parts.

 

TVs im asking and reading multiple forums and see which ones are mentioned and pop up the most