well our decision isn't only between LCD and Plasma, those are just what we looked at when we were in best buy. i seen some DLP's there, but i figured that was an old technology so i didn't pay it much mind, but if you guys are saying there good then i will start to look at them. If the plasma's are having issues with them like you guys are saying (burning in picture, heat, short life) then i can toss those out and look more into the LCD's, and DLP's. I'm not going for the bench mark in tv's here, we just want a big, nice tv that will last us and has great picture. it would be cool to be able to hang it, b/c it will save us space, but its not necessary. My Brother in law has a Toshiba DLP and i noticed the screen flickers some, do any of you guys with DLP's have this issue too?

thanks for the replies so far.

 

My husband and I bought the sony bravia 1080p and it is great!!!! excellent picture... and works great with the PS3 i bought him so he can watch his blu-ray movies..its cheaper than buying the blu-ray dvd player

 

Yeah best buy had that package going a couple of weekends ago....

on a side note...I have a feeling that DLP is not going to be the "answer" to t.v. "Perfection" either. JVC is pushing the LCoS goal-post pretty far too, they have an AWESOME projector (which doesnt help you any unless they make a rear projection) I dont know if they are going to put that in an ultra-slim rear Projection or not, but if you've ever seen the damn thing in action....it's unbelievable.

 

LCD and Plasma can be had in a flat panel. If you are not worried about thickness, get a DLP or SXRD (sony's tech.). Don't get too hung up on flat panels. The new big screens are lighter than some flat panels, and they aren't that thick anymore. Plasmas are a better deal when you get to 50" or greater. They'll usually have better quality picture, but may have some glare if you are in a bright room. LCD (flat panel versions) get really $$ past 42", have an advantage on brightness, but generally lose to plasmas on color accuracy. I've got a Pioneer Plasma (50") and a Sony SXRD (60"). Panasonic makes a great plasma too, especially for the money. Mitsubishi is generally great when you are looking at big screens.

(all of this is largely generalized, exepctions will be out there)

 

If you are looking for a big 50" plus flat panel tv go with a plasma. i looked at every damn tv out there before i got mine. i got a 58" Panasonic 1080i for $2300 shipped. LCD's are good but the affordable ones suck *** for picture quality. It does put out some heat but you only notice it if you stand with in a couple feet of it.
It looks AMAZING though.

 

I have a 42" Samsung LCD, the model twin to my buddies 60". Both look awesome to me...........maybe you are just a harsh critic.

 

56" Panasonic DLP 1080P one of the best pictures I have seen. But it was also a $2.5K TV. Don't go cheap you get what you pay for.

 

mine has never flickered. i have had mine for a yr and never had a problem with it so far! i am happy with my purchase

 

Ok, let's get specific here. Let's talk model numbers because I'm thinking of getting one for myself for a Christmas present. It's time to upgrade.

 

HL-T7288W... samsung DLP 1080P with LED engine.

 

No. i did a **** load of research. and not just reading and asking questions. I personally found the optimum picture settings for every TV i was interested in ( DO NOT just look at the tv's at the store they have most of them on a vivid setting which looks like crap) Then took my own DVD player that was going to be used on the TV i bought up to the store and pluged it in with my Apacalypto DVD. It has lots of fast moving scenes so i wanted to see the picture quality of each tv and its ability to show fast action scenes. I did this to about 12 different TV's. On average the Plasma's had better over all picture quality. Some LCD's looked awsome but were out of my price range. Keep in mind that i was only looking at 50"+ screens. and only LCD and plasma.
I have yet to go to a buddies house who's TV looks better than mine (in ANY size LCD, plasma, dlp, whatever).
Oh and i got the 1080i/720p one cause it was last years model and the new 58" 1080p's had just come out. Hence the cheap *** price on my tv.
1080p is over rated unless you are going to be sitting with in 6' of the tv (58", makes even less of a difference the smaller the screen).

ProjecT 9: You can read all the opinions and reviews till you are blue in the face but the only way you will find the perfect tv is to stay in your budget, find the optimum settings for the TV you want and hook it up to the dvd player you are going to be using before you buy it.

 

GreenS-10, I looked that TV up on Best Buy's and Circuit City's site and neither of them sold it. Then I went to Samsung's website, lol, I really don't need a 72" screen. I was thinking in the neighborhood of 40-50". It's for my room.

 

Head over to Seatstaysup (link in sig) and run a search. This exact topic has been debated several times.

 

I'm going to look into this one..

thanks

 

That's cause you haven't been to my house yet

 

I have the 40" Samsung LCD 720P. We talked the seller at Best Buy down to $1300.00 including 2 year service warranty. Anyhow I made my choice based on gaming/computer usage. VGA hookup was a must. Since I move my TV from downstairs to upstairs alot (watch TV while shaving or in tub sometimes) I wanted my set to be light/portable. Hence LCD/Plasma choice over projection anything. If you think 50lbs. is heavy get some muscles. Plasma has higher contrast ratio typically but I didn't see the difference unless I was sitting to close to the screen. LCD is a bright MF'er. Colors just go ca'pow on the screen. The LCD unlike the Plasma is not reflective. I have 4 large windows in my living room. I don't want to see their reflection while viewing my high priced set. The screen surround on newer Samsung units are gloss black. Looks fancy, is not dull faded gray/black so it doesn't look like a bordered box surrounding you picture like Sony models. I chose 720P, due to limitations of XBOX units at the time and due to price. I am not recieving enough channels by satellite/cable to dictate paying for the 1080P option + additional fees for progamming. I am waiting until regular programming standards are free for 1080P technology. I expect this to happen about the time my current set is paid off. That should bring the price of the 1080P sets way down. Then I can upgrade to a 65" bahemith for the living room and stick my 40" in the garage....Ahhhhh heaven!

I used the below site to help me choose LCD vs. Plasma.

http://bestbuy-cnet.com.com/4351-12658_7-6583301.html

 

Another thing you have to consider is that not everything you watch is going to be HD. There are some TV's that really struggle to show a decent SD picture at that big of size.
That was the deal closer for me picking the Panny.

 

I like the Sony 3-LCD technology...and it's cheap and looks amazing.

$1500 for 50" 1080p A3000's

 

No high-jacking intended, but when I went to Best Buy's site, what's the difference and what's better:

Projection (rear projection) - DLP, LCD, SXRD, and CRT

Flat panel - LCD and plasma

This topic was on LCD vs. plasma, but then someone mentioned DLP. The only thing that came up on DLP was rear projection.

Of those 3, which would you recommend? I'm only looking for something in the 40-50" range.

 

Rear Projection is old news. Don't bother.

LCD or Plasma is the way to go.