Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Input on Big Screen TV's

I recently did a lot of research on buying one. Here is what I learned:

1. Plasma is good but virtually noone can repair them. If something goes wrong you have to buy a new one if it's out of warranty. (I could not find out why but it was mentioned on several sites).

2. 720p is fine for TVs under 26" as you can't tell between the two resolutions. Above 32" you NEED 1080p. For 26-32 you can go either way depending on your budget.

3. If you want to maintain the same "viewing experience" replace midsize TVs with one size larger than whatever size (old tube TV) you originally used. I replaced a 26" tube with a 32" LCD and can agree with this statement. A 26" LCD would've just looked tiny in the room. A 32" looks just right.

4. The trend seems to be towards LCD TVs.

5. The "Insignia" brand is a Best Buy brand made with parts from LG, Toshiba and possibly Samsung.

6. Spend some time at the store just looking at the TVs and a couple will jump out at you.

Good Luck!

RH

Wow, there's a LOT of mis-information flying around this thread. It doesn't surprise me, because a salesman will say anything to make a sale.

I'd do some research on 1080i vs 720p and make my own decisions if I were you.

720p sets aren't on sale because it's an inferior technology (interlacing is the inferior technology). They're on sale because they're not selling because consumers who don't have a clue are moving towards 1080p sets because they think that's the best set for them, which they are usually NOT.

720p HD TV's are actually BETTER for movement and sports (not worse, as someone here said). There's a reason Fox, ABC, and all of the HD ESPN channels broadcast in 720p. The frame-per-second rate is superior on a 720p set. it all has to to do with progressive vs interlaced scanning.

A 720p set actually draws more lines faster than a 1080i set will. It contains less pixels, but draws what it has, faster and with far less noise and artifacts. Even then, "experts" say that resolution is actually not what counts the most, it's the brightness and contrast. All other things being equal, 720p sets are typically superior to 1080i sets in this regard as well.

Although on paper 1080i may seem like the better choice, IN PRACTICE (and when you understand progressive vs interlaced scanning) 720p is usually the better bet.

The conclusion that I have come to is, most average folks buy a cheap(er) 1080i set and are perfectly pleased with it and it serves them fine. In this respect, technology has come a long way!!! But the folks who've done their research, have the eye to be able to really see the differences, and understand the technology, they buy plasma 720p sets.

Just my .02

--Duck911

I kind of have to disagree with this statement. It really depends on the bightness of the room, viewing angle, viewing distance, etc, etc.

I have a 60" Plasma 720p set that looks FAR better than my families TV's and my neighbors TV's that are 1080i LCD and DLP sets. For the same reason you wouldn't sit 8 feet away from a 13" TV, you shouldn't be 4 feet from a 60 inch monitor. From the right distance, a large 720p monitor is more than adequate (and as I have mentioned, IMHO superior).

Also, for more reasons than I am willing to type, 1080p is really not the solution right now (unless you watch Blueray disks 100% of the time).

tis one of my favortiests things about the campfire.


lots of good info available.


just bought a big flattie to give away at our staffs Xmas party.


I didn't do the research of some of you, just my eyes, ended up going with the Vizio, it seems like a great pic for the price.


all this other razzle dazzle, I'd be lost without you eggheads splainin it up.

you boys rock, I love threads where I learn chit

Disagreement is fine as I think a lot of this stuff is subjective anyway. The statement above comes from Consumer Reports and their "test audience" - whoever they are. I tend to agree with it as it is what I noticed in all my shopping. It was also described in the LCD TV test section so it might just be apply to LCD TVs.

RH

Didn't get my info from a salesman, brochure or report. I looked at them all and made my decision based on what I saw in front of me. The picture quality of the 1080p vs my old 720 is BETTER. With all the "old school" info you're getting now, I'd recommend you just go see for yourself.

Yep, when in doubt, follow your eye! That would be the take away from this thread if I were looking for some help.

(I'd argue though that it isn't the 1080p that's increased your audio-visual experience, it's more likely other, newer components in the set and the brightness/contrast on your new TV that's giving you that impression. There is NO network and only a handful of video on demand channels even broadcasting in 1080p, so other than Blue-ray disks, 99% of what you're watching is actually 1080i... And there's really only a slim chance of cable or satellite providers broadcasting everything in 1080p anytime in the near future, because of bandwidth constraints they already face.) This is another reason I'd take a 720p plasma over a 1080p set.

--Duck911

The vizio is a great set. I never had any issues with the refresh rate. I don't see that as an issue unless your into games. I gotta dissagree with the 720 suggestion. Why? Because 720 is only going to ever be 720. What's the point of buying HDTV then getting a lower resolution? BTW most DVD players now can "upscale" so you don't have to have Blue Ray to appreciate 1080. Gotta go with what trips yer trigger fo sho.
Got mine plugged into jamo THX certified 5.1 speakers pushed by a Denon Amp. Come on over and watch Pearl Harbor. I'll make yer teeth rattle with each bomb!

I can believe it! I watched "The Fugitive" at a friend's place. He had a 65 inch screen (forget the brand) at full HD resolution and with a huge Denon amp powering his 5.1 speaker system. The train wreck scene was awesome!

John

I bought a 50 inch Panasonic plasma last spring and the biggest downside to it is that I watch more TV now. I've got it in a fairly bright room and it doesn't seem washed out to me. The comments re 720 vs 1080 are spot on because at normal viewing distances the human eye can't distinguish between the two. Not sure what is considered normal for all sizes but I believe its 10-12 ft for a 50 inch set.If you're gonna use the set for a monitor or watch up close go 1080.

The energy cost between LCD & plasma is misleading because the costs are estimated from MAX draw. An LCD set draws its max rating at all times while a plasma fluctuates depending on the brightness of the scene displayed. A darker screen demands less power. So a 325 watt LCD may actually use more power than a 450 watt plasma running the same movie. Not to mention the fact that even while its turned off an LCD is drawing up to 10-12 watts to render the screen black so that the LED or ELP back light isn't visible. A plasma usually runs about 0.5 watts while turned off. Regardless the difference between a set running at 325 watts or one pulling 450 is generally around $10-$15 a year.

Don't get sucked in on the HDMI cable hype. Consumer Reports and others tested the $3 cables versus the $100 versions and there was virtually no difference.Monoprice has some great deals.
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