Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Recommend me a new TV

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 02-29-2012, 05:58 PM:

I want a new TV. I want it to be around 55 or 60 inches. But from my initial research it seems like all TVs pretty much suck. I mean some seem good in many areas but fall way short in other areas. I do not like compromises. Here's what a TV must do:

-Be capable of displaying all resolutions from 240p to 1080p.

-Have as little lag as possible without needing to switch to some dumb-ass "game" mode.

-At least 120Hz with the ability to turn all motion interpolation off in all modes.

-Have more than 2 HDMI inputs, at least one component input, at least 1 s-video input (many TVs seem to be lacking this) and at least one composite input. All of this shit must be on the back of the god damn TV. None of this side shit or front shit. If it has jacks on the front and/or side, that's fine but it must be in addition to the crap that needs to be on the rear.

-Must be quiet. No loud fans.

-I must be able to see every individual star in a starfield. The TV cannot wash these out with weird LED schemes and whatnot.

-Must have bigger than 100 degree viewfield without any washout at all, period.

Price is not an issue but I am not looking for something based on price alone (ie: the most expensive thing is not always the best). I would consider a projector but I am concerned about shitty bulb life, loud fans and warm-up times longer than 10-15 seconds.

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 02-29-2012, 06:35 PM:

I purchased a 50" Panasonic plasma about 6 months ago and I absolutely love it. It has 3 HDMI inputs, the viewing angle is probably 270° as I can see the picture fine from my kitchen which is way off to the side.

The price was about $850. I realize this isn't the 55-60" you're looking for, but I still thought I would put in my 2¢.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 02-29-2012, 07:03 PM:

All information is helpful. Maybe they make a 55 inch version?

Posted by Robert D Hall (Member # 5674) on 02-29-2012, 07:43 PM:

I just got a new 55in vizio and i love it. It has the best picture i have ever seen. The web apps kick ass netflix and amazon HD video look as good as a BR on it. Has all kinds of hook ups all in the back. And i got it at walmart.com for 899.

link

Posted by Richard Orsak (Member # 4472) on 02-29-2012, 07:53 PM:

I purchased this unit a year ago:

Panasonic VIERA TC-P54VT25 54-inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV

(online from the BIG place...still available)

(the 2012 model is the VT30)

It has been exceptional, with very natural and lifelike colors - not overly punchy and cartoon like.

I wasn't quite happy with the red balance, and CNET had tested the unit with some recommended settings they applied. I set up the red balance as they suggested which was like 2 clicks from normal, and it has been great!
(There are lots of advanced tweaking available with this unit, not just normal tint and color saturation controls...)

The reviews of the 2012 model are virtually exactly the same in blind tests, but the newer unit is suppose to have better and deeper blacks but that wasn't really evident from what I read.

I went to a Saints game and when I viewed the highlights on ESPN, the field was exactly the same shade as in person. A Samsung unit made it way more green than it actually was, kinda like a grass baseball field. That sold me on Panasonics.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 02-29-2012, 08:09 PM:

Samsung from Costco. There are 3 (so far) in my family. Louis

Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 02-29-2012, 08:23 PM:

Vizio XVT553SV

Posted by Brian D. Whitish (Member # 825) on 02-29-2012, 10:39 PM:

Hard to go wrong with plasma. I have a 50 inch LG I got for $599 and with some tweeking from Digital Video Essentials bluray picture is way better than lcd. Cheaper too. Panasonic and Samsung plasmas are good as well.

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 02-29-2012, 11:33 PM:

I have a Panasonic Plasma Pro set as well as a Pioneer Kuro (sp).

Both put out awesome pictures with very accurate color and deep blacks.

The Pioneer does use major power and you can actually feel the heat boiling off the screen from a foot away.

IMHO, the Panasonic plasma sets are hard to beat for specs and great value for the $$.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 03-01-2012, 03:05 AM:

I have two VISIO 37 inchers in my house (mine, the 120hz, is connected to my computer downstairs via HDMI so I can play my BR's through) and really like them (got them both at Costco..)

Now, a newbie question: LED and Plasma ... what's the difference and who wins..if any?

Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 03-01-2012, 09:29 AM:

Beware of Vizio. I read somewhere that they will not repair them. If they break under warranty, they will replace it, and not necessarily with the same model. If it is out of warranty, you are out of luck.

Posted by Jeff Taylor (Member # 443) on 03-01-2012, 10:56 AM:

This may have been resolved by now, but Samsung LCD's, which I find look fabulous, had a problem with four caps in the power supply which were rated about 20% under their operating voltage, with the expected results. My son had his go out, and when he went to the electronic supply store and ordered the four new ones, the guy said, "Oh, you've got a Samsung TV". I have two of them with no problems, and his has been fine since he swapped out those caps. As I said, this may have been resolved by now.

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 03-01-2012, 11:11 AM:

Plasmas have a wider viewing angle while leds are best viewed front and middle. Think of leds as a silver screen. Kinda like that.

Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 03-01-2012, 11:21 AM:

I recently replaced my 7 year old Epson Powerlite 50C 720p projector with an Epson powerlite home cinema 8350 http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Product.do?sku=V11H373120#0 and I absolutely love it. Has all of your required inputs, is dead silent, and comes to full brightness in about 1 minute. It also has outstanding lens shifting ability so that if you can't mount it exactly center to your screen it can be pretty far off to the side and the image can be centered with no keystoning. They claim you can get up to 4000 hours on a lamp if you run it in a lower brightness mode. I found with Epson (with my old projector) that their bulb estimates are pretty accurate. New bulbs are a little under $300.

Posted by Omar Rodriguez (Member # 6050) on 03-01-2012, 12:48 PM:

I'm not sure if any of you read Stu Maschwitz' blog, Prolost, but he had a pretty good rant on the state of HDTV's.

http://prolost.com/blog/2011/3/28/your-new-tv-ruins-movies.html

His blog in general is a lot of fun to read. He's the founder of The Orphanage VFX studio in SF (where I worked for a season).

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 03-01-2012, 01:06 PM:

Hey Sean that projector looks pretty cool, but a few questions:

-Can it do 120Hz or some variation thereof? I'd like to be able to have Blu-rays run at true 24p via HDMI without any pulldown nonsense.

-What size picture can I get with a throw distance of about 10 feet?

-Does it radiate lots of heat?

Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 03-01-2012, 07:37 PM:

I do not think it is capable of 120hz more research would be necessary. Here is a link to the user manual that has all of the specs in it:
http://files.support.epson.com/pdf/plhc87u/plhc87uug.pdf

It can put an 80" image out at 8 feet away. It does put out some noticable warmth, but it's not going to blister the paint on the walls.

Posted by Bruce Hansen (Member # 281) on 03-01-2012, 08:13 PM:

Since theaters have gone to TV, it is time for you to go to film. Maybe a JJ or a V8, that way you can run both 35MM and 70MM. And you don't need cable, satellite, internet, or an antenna.

Posted by Robert D Hall (Member # 5674) on 03-01-2012, 08:45 PM:

Beware of Vizio. I read somewhere that they will not repair them.

quote: Bruce Hansen was the last to post

I dont think thats true. When i set my vizio up last week i couldnt get the remote to work. I had to call and do some kind of reset on it. Before we got it working i told the guy i hope it is the remote. I realy didnt want to ship the tv any where. He said i would never have to do that. If some thing was wrong with it a tech would come to my house>

Posted by Geoff Jones (Member # 3668) on 03-02-2012, 07:57 AM:

Panasonic AE-4000 with a 125' 2.4:1 screen

Cheers

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 03-02-2012, 09:36 AM:

I don't have room for a 125 foot screen. Maybe 115.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-02-2012, 02:44 PM:

This sounds like something to shoot for. World's largest home theater screen.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 03-02-2012, 09:31 PM:

I'd love to have the "Kronos" home theater the villain "Syndrome" had in The Incredibles. Or was that just an IMAX-sized computer screen in a giant room?
[Razz]

Posted by Geoff Jones (Member # 3668) on 03-04-2012, 12:33 PM:

Ah, crap. I made a typo in my post. I meant to write " when I actually wrote '. Sorry about that.

Nevertheless, I still recommend the Panasonic ae4000.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 03-04-2012, 08:07 PM:

Does it handle 24p natively with an HDMI connection?

Posted by Geoff Jones (Member # 3668) on 03-06-2012, 08:03 AM:

Yes, I believe so. But you should double check. I sometimes am wrong.

This page has a bunch of specs and a link to the manual.
http://www.projectorcentral.com/Panasonic-PT-AE4000U.htm

(I have the AE3000 and am very happy with it.)

Posted by Jeff Kane (Member # 6372) on 03-06-2012, 10:41 AM:

Unless you have total light control (meaning you can eliminate any light you do not explicitly want in the room), a projector is not going to be a great primary display and will frustrate the hell out of you if you try to watch during the day.

My vote? Plasma. I've had better luck with Samsung than Panasonic. Not a huge fan of their LCDs (and not really a fan of ANY LCD) but I think their plasma TVs are excellent. Plasmas don't come in the same size ranges LCDs do however. It's either 42/43", 50/51", 58/59", 63/64". Oh and Panasonic makes a 105" and I think one bigger one that cost as much as an Aston Martin. On the normal sizes, the panels are actually all the same size, Samsung just uses a thinner bezel to use ALL the screen real-estate.

Plasma=no motionflow BS, no LCD lag, better blacks, higher contrast. LCD (can be) brighter, more color saturation.

IMO plasma is just far more accurate.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 03-06-2012, 01:11 PM:

quote: Jeff Kane
Unless you have total light control (meaning you can eliminate any light you do not explicitly want in the room), a projector is not going to be a great primary display and will frustrate the hell out of you if you try to watch during the day.

The fairly expensive "Black Diamond" screens supposedly reduce this effect a lot. And assuming the videos they've put up on youtube are close to what you get in real life, I'd expect it to work.

Posted by Jeff Kane (Member # 6372) on 03-09-2012, 10:55 AM:

I forgot about those. They do work well. Saw 'em at CES when they first rolled out (back when CES was relevant).

But they are eyewatering in cost. The 80" screen is $2,200 and the 'edgeless' that'd compare with modern TV framing is $2,800. A suitable projector to drive the thing is going to be another $2-4k. YEOWCH!

I still maintain that it's better to have a standard TV for day to day and the larger projector setup for movie/event watching in a light controlled environment. I'm also a cheap bastard and hate spending money on bulbs.

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 03-19-2012, 02:13 PM:

I'm also a cheap bastard with a house full of CRT sets... most of which have never given me a minutes trouble. If I was to pay this kind of money for a TV set, I'd sure expect it to last more than 6-7 years! I've got two sets approaching 25 years that look great, even on a dot/bar generator.

That said, I've been around several Panasonic built plasma sets that continue to look very nice after nearly 5 years of daily service. None have been worked on. Joe, I figured you might be wanting something you dont have to replace again in just a few years.