Plasma TV

[rousie13]

Whats everyones opinions on these? Do any of you guys have one?

[hannibal]

I dont have one. Best Buy wouldnt accept my left kidney as payment...

Plasma TV's are awesome. Theyre just too expensive right now. I bet the price will drop 50% over the next 3 years.Great pciture quality, wider viewing angle than LCD TVs.IIRC, the sizes range from 32" to over 60".

[180crafter]

This is the only TV I would ever spend money on:

Go look at one... then wipe the tears....

http://www.samsung.com/Product...W.htm

[912.0turbo]

I dont like em. I repair tv's for a living and we are an authorized service center for various manufacture's (Sony,Sharp,RCA). One thing is that the manufactures say is that the Plasma gas that is inside the tv will turn yellowish or brownish after about 7-8 years. I personally have not seen this problem but seeing how its the manufacture saying this I really dont like them. Dont get me wrong though, they look very nice and have great pictures but I dont think I would own one. LCD's on the other hand are nice also put they will tend to have "dropouts" or color spots just like computer screens. One manf. says that anywhere up to 5 spots are normal. That means that if you have 2 or 3 then you would have to sit there and watch it like that. Sure they could send you a new LCD but it might have 4 or 5 spots. Theoretically they are supposed to last about 20 years(the lcd panel itself) Blah. I like the older technology with CRT's.

[vicki]

I'd wait a couple of years.

[Anand]

Plasma's are sweet..

My dad just got a LCD Tv and it is awesome.... I want one now... but its more expensive than PLasma...

I actually want to get a LCD projection set-up for my "entertainment" room one day...

with a click of a button... all the drapes close and the screen falls form the ceiling and you can watch TV or DVD's... just like at the theater!! gotta love it.... I will have it one day...

[PoorManQ45]

Plasma TVs suck. They are way to exspensive for what you are getting.

If you want a great picture and a large screen for ~$1000, I would suggest looking into projectors. They are less than 1/2 cubic foot. The only drawback I can think of is that they are best when viewed in a dark room. But isn't a movie theater dark anyways?

Plasma screens only look really good when they are fed an HDTV signal. Otherwise, I have found their quality to be quite poor.

I personally prefer CRT. They are a proven technology thus far. And the price for them can't be beat. I'm talking about standard CRTs, not the "flat screen" models. BTW, flat screen TVs make now visual difference. Ooh. They don't reflect things that are to the side of them! Woopy Doo!

BTW, I recently purchased a 36in Panasonic standard CRT for $80. It was used less than 6 months .

Oh, and you can purchase a standard CRT that has HDTV capability. I have tested these also. There picture is just as good, if not better, than Plasma and LCD TVs. Also, for viewing of Non-HDTV signals, the CRT is far Superior then Plasma and/or LCD TVs.

That's my rant for the week. If you are offended by my "rant", please refer to my signiature

[240marcuSX]

i just know that they are super sweet, but if you get one, be sure you get an extended warranty of some sort, because no one is positive what the long term effects of them can be. (see 912.0 turbo's post.)

[912.0turbo]

Oh, and you can purchase a standard CRT that has HDTV capability. I have tested these also. There picture is just as good, if not better, than Plasma and LCD TVs. Also, for viewing of Non-HDTV signals, the CRT is far Superior then Plasma and/or LCD TVs.

[rousie13]

I don't care if after 7-8 years it turns yellow/brown because I'll buy a new one. I'm looking at the plasma's because I want a big arse tv ~40" but have little space for a regular tv, hence the plasma screen. I've seen some nice ones for $2-2.5k which doesn't seem bad. I love movies and quality when it comes to entertainment, so I'm not afaid to spend (I have a $1500 surround sound-need nice tv to accompany)

[HashiriyaS14]

Projectors really aren't feasible unless you've got a dedicated home theater room with no ambient light.

I'd say go for an LCD Projection TV, one of the thin ones. My friend has the Sony Grand Wega 60" (not the XBR) and it's fantastic. Just make sure to get it from somewhere with a warranty and in-house replacement/installation, because things WILL go awry with any of these. Don't buy from some no-name place online.

[w1ngzer0]

PoorManQ45 not only that you can get bigger for cheaper and they make flat tube tv's now. I love how those things look

Plasma = $300 bulb ever 3-6 months....

[Anand]

Projectors really aren't feasible unless you've got a dedicated home theater room with no ambient light.

hence my "entertainment room" basically a theater in my house...

[LaughingBull]

Projectors also need a new bulb ($300 to $400) every 3 to 6 months or 4000 hours. So using a projector for tv would not be very cost efficient.

[yelnatsch517]

I don't care if after 7-8 years it turns yellow/brown because I'll buy a new one. I'm looking at the plasma's because I want a big arse tv ~40" but have little space for a regular tv, hence the plasma screen. I've seen some nice ones for $2-2.5k which doesn't seem bad. I love movies and quality when it comes to entertainment, so I'm not afaid to spend (I have a $1500 surround sound-need nice tv to accompany)

Hmm, I think you're getting a bit over yourself. A $1500 sound system does not deserve a plasma, trust me. Ok first of all, plasma's costing $2-2.5k should not even be looked at. If you are considering in getting a plasma, that means you have the dough to afford one. Don't be sucked into the hype about plasma tv's. Do some research and you'll see that almost all plasma tv's under $6k are not worth getting. I personally wouldn't get one under $10k. Now, your asking why I say this, think about it. If a plasma tv uses all cheap parts would it still display a true plasma quality picture? The answer is simply no. If you compare plasma tv's under $6k to ordinary projection tv's you'll see that even in HD quality pictures, the projections look a lot better. Second, a $1500 sound system is not high-end. Check out Denon recievers and you'll notice just that one piece of equipment costs twice your whole system. Denon recievers aren't even considered high-end since high-end systems utilize separate amplifiers and recievers (check out sunfire equipment). For those of you who want crystal clear pictures at an affordable cost without taking up too much room I suggest you check out Samsung's latest DLP projection tv's.

BTW. LCD's are so expensive because they support much higher resolutions than plasmas in similar sizes. Perfect example is 17in computer LCD supporting 1280x1024 while the most expensive plasma's support only 1024x768.

PS. If you want a quick comparison of TV technology and picture quality relative to cost, its as follows:DLP -> LCD -> Plasma (from best to worst)

[base9se]

I'd give Plasma 3 years before it goes down in price. LCDs are nice too! Better Resolutions also.

[hudy]

We have a 42" Plasma. It doesn't get used very often though. I've watched a few movies on it. If you really want picture quality go with a Mitsu or Toshiba rear projection HDTV. I like the Samsung DLP picture, but it pixilates with fast motions like sports shows or action movies.

We also have a DLP projector. It works great. It primaraly gets used for console games. It projects a 100" screen on the wall. Yes it helps if it is night time, but shades and curtians work well enough to see the picture.

[yelnatsch517]

We have a 42" Plasma. It doesn't get used very often though. I've watched a few movies on it. If you really want picture quality go with a Mitsu or Toshiba rear projection HDTV. I like the Samsung DLP picture, but it pixilates with fast motions like sports shows or action movies.

We also have a DLP projector. It works great. It primaraly gets used for console games. It projects a 100" screen on the wall. Yes it helps if it is night time, but shades and curtians work well enough to see the picture.

The new samsungs still do that? I thought they were supposed to fix that. Hmm, o well. Just hope they can fix it with the next generation.

[rousie13]

I'm still in college, so $1500 worth of surround speakers is very nice for what I need and sound awesome in the size of the room I have. I know it's not top of the line, costing $20k, but how many normal people have that? And like I said I like the plasma's because they fit best into the space I have available, because I just don't have the room at the moment for a big arse regular tv.

*edit* carrying 300lbs of tv up 4 flights of stairs does not sound appealing eather, but 70lbs is just fine with me.

[yelnatsch517]

I'm still in college, so $1500 worth of surround speakers is very nice for what I need and sound awesome in the size of the room I have. I know it's not top of the line, costing $20k, but how many normal people have that? And like I said I like the plasma's because they fit best into the space I have available, because I just don't have the room at the moment for a big arse regular tv.

*edit* carrying 300lbs of tv up 4 flights of stairs does not sound appealing eather, but 70lbs is just fine with me.

Check out DLP from samsung. They are interestingly light despite the way they look. If I remember correctly, their 60in weights only slightly more than 100 pounds. As for size, they are right in between plasmas and normal projection tvs. The best thing to do is go to a local shop like Best Buy and check them out.

This is the only TV I would ever spend money on:

Go look at one... then wipe the tears....

http://www.samsung.com/Product...W.htm

That is a picture of one of their newer generation model DLP's on a stand so you can see that it's not very thick nor weigh a ton since that stand doesn't look like it can hold very much weight.

[rousie13]

How much do those run and do they have a 40-50" one?

[JESTER]

I heard they usually died after three years or so, but I dont know??????

We use them here at work for a mapping system. Big suckers. They are pretty nice. We have had them for over a year and a half and they haven't blown up yet, and that is having them on 24/7 for that entire time.

Only real problem is that if you use them like we do for computer applications it doesnt take but a day or so to burn an image into the screen.

[912.0turbo]

The lamps on DLP's usually last 6-8,000 hours. Then they need replacing but thats it. I would buy an extended warranty beacuse lamps can cost anywhere from 250-300 dollars.

[PoorManQ45]

I'm still in college, so $1500 worth of surround speakers is very nice for what I need and sound awesome in the size of the room I have. I know it's not top of the line, costing $20k, but how many normal people have that? And like I said I like the plasma's because they fit best into the space I have available, because I just don't have the room at the moment for a big arse regular tv.

*edit* carrying 300lbs of tv up 4 flights of stairs does not sound appealing eather, but 70lbs is just fine with me.

Dude, just stop talking about your "$1500" surround sound system. I purchased an entire sytem with "real" speakers for ~$1000 brand new.

It consists of two Sony Tower 3-way with a 12in Subwoofer and 12in Passive Radiator in each Tower. Two Jenson Tower 3-way with a 15in Subwoofer in each. Two Cerwin Vega Towers with a 10in subwoofer in each and a Horn-Compression loaded Tweeter in each. Two Pioneer 3-way Towers with a 16in Subwoofer in each tower. Two Technics Towers with a 12in Subwoofer in each.

A Pioneer Audio/Video Receiver putting out 150W RMS x 4 and 100W RMS x 2. Also, I got a Sony Audio/Video Amplifier putting out 125W RMS x 6. A Sony two Tape CAssete Player. A Sony 5 Disc CD changer. And a panosonic 3 disc DVD player.

Now, if your $1500 system is better than this, please feel free to keep talking.

If it's not better than my $1000 system than just Shutup!.

Sorry for the "rude" reality trip, but I don't want you thinking that because you paid alot for something, that you got alot.

BTW, I hate seperate Powered Subwoofers in stereo systems. They can not even compare with a Subwoofer built into a tower speaker. The powered subwoofer always ends up being too "boomy".

[rousie13]

I know it's not the best, but I researched each piece that I purchased and saw which components would be the best for movies. My system isn't the best for music playing because I don't have large towers for that.

And I was not bragging about it because I know it's not great, but I like it and thats all that matters.

[hannibal]

That Samsung TV looks pretty cool.

Heres a review on it, written in April 2003http://www.hometheatermag.com/...s/160/

Saw it for sale for $2900... ouch!

[hudy]

Personnally the best deal is the Toshiba with no tuner in it. Plus it helps to have friends at local retail outlets such as best buy!

[The Mic]

I bought the AMC theater across from me. Decent sound.

[Red-KAT]

This is the only TV I would ever spend money on:

Go look at one... then wipe the tears....

http://www.samsung.com/Product...W.htm

The 50inch looks better then the 61inch... We took a look at all the DLP's with the new chip and the samsung 50 was best... My bro picked one up a little bit ago.