What kind of TV do you own?

[Koray Savas 2,257]

As many are aware, it's Cyber Monday and this past weekend saw many a price drops in everything from electronics to kitchen appliances.

I've been looking for a new TV for some time, and think I've settled on the Panasonic 55 " VT60 plasma, which right now is a reasonable $1,499. I'm still a pretty big DLP fan, but since the market for giant heavy TVs is dead, they no longer exist. LCD is also not as common as it used to be. The shitty motion smoothing fake colorization LED reigns supreme in the home theater market. My old Toshiba DLP has lasted me around 8 years, can't exactly remember how long it's been. The bulb has exploded on one occasion, which was easily replaceable due to the DLP nature (it works just like a film projector), but its picture is a bit on the buttery side and the bulb is probably on its last legs (they are no longer in production), yet it still looks better than any LED I've ever seen.

I'm very picky about my picture quality, so I'm a bit apprehensive when it comes to buying something from this ever-changing market, where most TVs have so much unnecessary filters and customizations and smoothing and blurring and whatever already preset out of the box that it all looks like 48fps. I'm mainly looking for reassuring comments about my decision for this Panasonic plasma to make me take the plunge, but am also curious to know what JWFan-ers are watching on.

[FBC Director 10,552]

Excellent choice. I have the 65" version. It's important to "break it in" for the first 100 hours to settle those phosphers down a bit by watching only full screen content temporarily. They're real beauty queens those PDPs.

I would have got the ZT60 if it was available in Australia but I'm very pleased with the VT.

[Koray Savas 2,257]

See, I have no idea what that means. Reviews are never helpful to me because there's always both extremes. One guy says it's the best TV you can buy, and another guy says he has permanent burn in.

[King Mark 3,907]

I have an LCD from LG from a few years ago. I'm also very difficult in image quality.

It's one with an IPS type panel and the colors are much better than a similar priced model I tried from Samsung (which had shitty flesh tones and "black crush" fake contrast). I remove most of the artificial image enhancements so it's important that the panel performs well in basic mode

I hope it lasts a long time because I dread replacing these type of TV's

[Koray Savas 2,257]

Yeah I really want something that's going to last me a good 8+ years.

Also thought plasmas were beyond the point of burn ins, but apparently not according to some reviewers. LCD is probably the cheapest and safest bet but I literally can't find any on Amazon. The LCD category has LEDs...

[King Mark 3,907]

Mine is a LED model (which is an LCD category) but as I said it was better than others I'd seen.

LED is just the type of back lighting and at the time was more prone to uneven lighting on individual sets (I had to also replace the LG to get a "good one")

So the 2 times I had to buy a flat screen, the brand and panel type (which can be different on the same model!) made a huge difference, and also the build quality on the individual set (even lighting, dead pixels...)

I thought things would have improved a lot in the 6 years between the 2 purchases but no. Still a lot of reading in AV forums about potential issues for each model. I remember I had to "hunt" for a serial number on the box that started with certain letters to make sure I had the IPS panel on mine

And I would NEVER buy this on Amazon

[gkgyver 1,647]

Colour.

[FBC Director 10,552]

The latest plasmas are still prone to image retention early in a unit's life. But the resulting IR is only temporary. Burn-in is much more serious and is permanent. But you have to really try to achieve this.

[Sharkissimo 1,977]

32 inches.

[King Mark 3,907]

Plasma does not seem ideal if if you play videogames and have the images of a game burned in

[Wojo 2,458]

I bought an open box at Best Buy, impulse buy. I don't recommend that because I didn't get a policy or the remote control. It's also heavy as 11 ten pound sacks of flour, which makes moving it and finding a stand for it difficult. But the look of OHMYGODTHATISFUCKINGHUGE on people's face when they see it makes it all worth it.

[King Mark 3,907]

If your lucky everything will be fine but there's usually a reason why the person returned it

[Wojo 2,458]

Uh... It was too big for them. I've had it since July 2012. No problem so far.

[Trent B 354]

I had a Samsung 42'' HDTV that I bought in 2005. The other day I gave it to my brother Mike once I inherited my dad's 55'' Sanyo HDTV. He had to get another TV because something he bought wasn't compatible with the Sanyo so he let me take it.

The Sanyo is practically new, he bought shortly after we moved from Cedar City back to Salt Lake City in May.

Edit: I agree that Plasma TVs aren't that great for gaming.

[Wojo 2,458]

Don't plasmas spill if you tip them screen down?

[FBC Director 10,552]

Plasma does not seem ideal if if you play videogames and have the images of a game burned in

I use an LCD for gaming. But the 2006 Hitachi 42" plasma my parents have was very prone to IR in its first couple of years, but now it leaves absolutely no trace after a static image has been on screen for a long time. It's a resilient little bugger.

[Brónach 1,321]

I don't own a TV.

[Jay 44,701]

42" Samsung LCD I got in... 2008. No complaints except the black levels.

[Koray Savas 2,257]

Plasma does not seem ideal if if you play videogames and have the images of a game burned in

This is my main concern, but a review of the TV by some post production color correction professional said it was great for gamers. So, I don't know...

I bought it and will have it on Friday. Will return if there are any immediate issues.

[Not Mr. Big 4,915]

I have a couple mostly good SD TVs and an Optoma HD20 projector.

[Koray Savas 2,257]

After some digging around, the amount of care and time it would take to even make this TV remotely useful is not worth the risk. Cancelled my order. DLP for life!

[Trent B 354]

I'd just stick with regular LCD.

[FBC Director 10,552]

Your loss.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 11,581]

Like Trents brother I have a fairly bog standard Samsung 42 inch FullHD TV.

And a 32 inch ALDI brand in the bedroom.

[Incanus 5,884]

I have no TV at all.

[A24 4,994]

Plasma does not seem ideal if if you play videogames and have the images of a game burned in

Not so with my Panasonic. Samsung however ...

Koray ... go for Plasma ... most HT freaks and movie fans swear by it. And they are right, it looks so much more like 'film'. The only time LCD looks good is when you play a Pixar movie. They say games (moving graphics) are more fluid on Plasma then on LCD as well.

Apparently, there IS some kind of kind of huge LCD screen (a Sharp, I think) which they say is better than Plasma (freaks call it "The Kuro killer"), but it's like 6000 dollars.

OTOH, OLED screens are finally arriving now, you could wait a little while longer to see how it turns out. Supposedly, it's better than anything we've seen before.

Alex

[Jim 6,122]

Cyber Monday, Black Friday? These American retail specials need to stop being adopted by British retailers like Halloween trick or treating and now Black bloody Friday. If I see a Cyber Monday show up here next year I'm emigrating!

I'm on the 46" 600hz (fantastic refresh for gaming) Panny Plasma I bought about four years ago and will continue to be until it goes on the blink. Hopefully soon actually seeing as my Costco warranty lasts for five years.

Plasma does not seem ideal if if you play videogames and have the images of a game burned in

Only the first ancient wave of shitty plasmas suffered from that problem, KM.

Lee - only buys tech after a great deal of research into products and would NEVER blind buy.

[Kendal_Ozzel 36]

I got a pretty good deal on a 46" Toshiba LCD about 3 years ago—my first HDTV. It's been great for me, but if I had it to do over again, I'd pony up a little bit more for an LED.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 11,581]

Lee - only buys tech after a great deal of research into products and would NEVER blind buy.

That's great! So in a few years time when my TV needs replacing I can just PM you for advise rather then having to do actual research.

Anyone here have a SMART TV? does it have actual benefits or if it just a fad?

[Jim 6,122]

They're good if you get a high end one with a proper UI and snappy response, but otherwise it's easier and better to just plug you pc into your TV.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 11,581]

The next Apple TV needs the option of installing a few apps and a browser! Then I would truly be happy.

[Koray Savas 2,257]

Plasma does not seem ideal if if you play videogames and have the images of a game burned in

Not so with my Panasonic. Samsung however ...

Koray ... go for Plasma ... most HT freaks and movie fans swear by it. And they are right, it looks so much more like 'film'. The only time LCD looks good is when you play a Pixar movie. They say games (moving graphics) are more fluid on Plasma then on LCD as well.

Alex

I know, and that's not my concern. I'm sure this TV would be absolutely perfect for watching movies. My concern is image retention and having to break it in for the first 200-400 hours (lol wut) before I can watch anything with static images or letterbox bars.

The TV already jumped up $300 from yesterday, so it's too late now. I'm not going to mess around with that type of money, taking months to break it a goddamn TV only to find out I fucked something up and now I've got permanent Call Of Duty HUD on it. Nobody got time for that.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 11,581]

I agree, why on earth should you have to wait hundreds of hours before your TV became broken in?

[Jim 6,122]

Sod that.

Anyway, rule of thumb: plasma >

Unless you don't mind weird blacks and over saturated shop display colour reproduction.

[A24 4,994]

Not sure if the breaking in period still applies to new plasma TVs. I know the LCD lobby created a lot of rumors about Plasma to make sure customers would end up choosing LCD.

Today I saw a bit of The Hobbit on a 4K LCD TV and while it certainly looked good I have to say that the texture of the image on a LCD screen always looks always looks like video to me.

[Koray Savas 2,257]

Sod that.

Anyway, rule of thumb: plasma >

Unless you don't mind weird blacks and over saturated shop display colour reproduction.

So you have a Panasonic plasma and dove right into gaming and black bars and such with no detrimental effects?

[Jim 6,122]

I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. The image on my TV for films and games has always been excellent and exactly the reason why I chose that model. At the time it was the best reviewed of its size on the market.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 11,581]

Today I saw a bit of The Hobbit on a 4K LCD TV and while it certainly looked good I have to say that the texture of the image on a LCD screen always looks always looks like video to me.

There are plenty of people who say it looked like video when it played in the cinema.

[Koray Savas 2,257]

I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. The image on my TV for films and games has always been excellent and exactly the reason why I chose that model. At the time it was the best reviewed of its size on the market.

I'm talking about image retention and burn in.

[FBC Director 10,552]

I've heard OLED TVs have similar image retention problems.

[Jim 6,122]

I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. The image on my TV for films and games has always been excellent and exactly the reason why I chose that model. At the time it was the best reviewed of its size on the market.

I'm talking about image retention and burn in.

As I said, older models.

[Koray Savas 2,257]

Then why are so many people talking about it with a top rated 2013 model?

[Jim 6,122]

God knows. I honestly have no friggin' idea. My tv just works.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 11,581]

Are you sure did your research properly? If you never encountered this?

[Jim 6,122]

I just think it's all a load of shit tbh.

If you google "I've got a really itchy arse" you'll no doubt be presented with the perception that the entire planet suffers from chronic itchy arse syndrome.

Koray is just your typical gospel Googler who devours the microcosm of his search results at immediate face value when the reality is he's likely uncovering issues experienced by less than 0.1% of a given search query.

[Koray Savas 2,257]

No, I'm just trying to make a practical buying decision, hence my questions and this thread. If you've had no issues whatsoever, that's fantastic, but that doesn't mean the inherent issue with the technology doesn't still persist.

[Jim 6,122]

Well, if I were you I wouldn't risk buying a Playstation 4. Because there has reportedly been LOADS of serious technically issues with them.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 11,581]

Why the aggression Lee?

[Jim 6,122]

Heh, Koray will get the joke which was only ever going to fly over your head

Wojo will get it too, along with KM.

[Koray Savas 2,257]

Yeah yeah, I get what you're saying

And trust me, it's been factored into my "research." TVs have always been a tricky situation for me, since you really don't know what you're buying; and then all will seem well and then once you're out of that return/exchange window the thing dies on you.

Also got hit with huge buyer's remorse after plunking down that $1500 when I first made the order. The confidence in my purchase just wasn't there unlike other expensive things I've purchased. But now that I've cancelled it I'm regretting it now that the price has jumped back up

Back to Battlefield 4! Fantastic multiplayer, by the way, which is a shame that the squad system is still shit from 3. I was trying to figure out how to start a party with you and was at a loss. You can't even manage your classes when you're not in an actual game. Makes no sense.