Buying my first HDTV! HELP!

I'd definitely consider a Panasonic plasma HDTV over a LCD.

Are you afraid of image burn-in or something? Panasonic plasmas have all but eliminated burn-in risk on them from static images, so that isn't an issue.

You can get a nice Panasonic plasma in the 50" screen size range well within your budget at Costco or Sam's Club.

I really dont know all that much about HDTV's but I have been warned to stay away from Plasmas. I dont know how true this is but my primary concerns that have made me focus on LCD's are the life span of a TV that gets alot of use and the repair aspect if something goes wrong. I really want a TV that will last and really preform well when watching sports, playing blue rays, and when using the PS3.

There are a lot of people pushing their unfounded "facts" around when many don't have a clue what the heck they're talking about. First, regardless of what type of TV you end up buying, buy a good brand. This includes, but not limited to. Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, Pioneer. Sharp Aquos. My choices would be Panasonic, Pioneer and Sony, but others have their preferences. Second, Plasma is a proven format of TV display. Many broadcast companies use Plasma. Many videophiles use Plasma. Early Plasma displays did have a problem with burn-in, but this has been corrected. But on the other hand, LCDs have had a horrible problem with image lag, slow pixel refresh, screen-door effect (a visual grainy quality to detail), poor blacks. Most LCDs still have these problems, but the better ones have corrected them to a certain degree. Plasmas, because of the mechanics involved with displaying an image, don't have some of the problems. Anyone who makes a blanket statement that "LCD is better than Plasma" does not know what they're talking about.

Don't forget about dead pixel risk in LCD's. With most LCDs there needs to be a certain percentage of dead pixels before a manufacturer will even agree to repair it.

I don't know about you, but it would drive me insane looking at a nice big 40"-50" HDTV I bought with little dead pixels all around.

I bounced from team to team for a long time when it came to LCD or plasma. In the end, I chose the Samsung LN46A650LCD based largely on user reviews and general Samsung reliability feedback. I have also heard from a few reliable sources that heat is the enemy for all flat screens but particularly the plasmas. The 650 series is energystar compliant so if that means it runs a little cooler...great! I also have it in the basement so that will help as well. Really, none of us know what the longevity of these sets will be....time will be the qualifier.

Now, I don't know the answer, but I highly recommend you find out if you don't know.

Does the 120 Hz on those displays work as 5:5 pull-down? Or is it simply still using 3:2 pulldown first and then doing a 2:2?

this is a HUGE difference.

because 1080/24 will still be useless to you. AFAIK... i'm not the LCD expert, that's for damn sure.

Josten,

A few quotes from the AVS Forum site: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/archive/index.php/t-949695.html

"So the question is, are any 120 Hz LCD sets out there doing 5:5 pulldown??? Or is that for something we will see in the future???" A: "Sony XBR4 and XBR5 series."

"Does anyone know if these great features in the Sony XBR4 and XBR4 LCD sets are also found in the Sony SXRD microdisplay rear-projection sets???" (Important since I own the SXRD.) A: "I believe the A3000 series incorporates this as well....I believe it is a true 120Hz display."

"Regarding the Sony doing 5:5, read here (courtesy of Bplewis24):
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11964329#post11964329"
The new XBR sets will not only display 24p as 5:5, but they will also take 60i, convert it to 24p, then display it at 120hz 5:5. The downside of the latter is that it takes a few frames to lock on the cadence of the signal, so it is better to feed 24p if possible."


This is taken from CNET.com: http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-t...tag=prod.txt.1
"Video processing: We spent a good deal of time looking at various scenes and how they were affected by the Sony's 120Hz processing, and in general the set did a better job smoothing things out and still keeping them looking natural than the Toshiba, and both 120Hz LCDs severely outclassed the Pioneer's Smooth mode. (Update 10/19/07) We originally wrote that the Sony did not offer a 120Hz mode without smoothing, but that's not the case. Turning off its smooth mode still keeps 120Hz engaged. Unlike the Toshiba, which can disengage 120Hz mode, the Sony cannot."

but I don't really care so much. LCD flat panel is the least interesting display I can think of, for me. It was for the person I was responding to: something to look up.

The only models that did 5:5 that I knew of were indeed Sony. I just didn't want to explicitly say that, and still don't, because I don't know about this stuff. I just run into this issue now and then in my wanderings.

bplewis seems to be a pretty cool guy. I've briefly run into him now and then at the BD software forum at AVS. He appreciates my noobie reviews, which is nice b/c I still am not sure what EE looks like. DNR is about it. I still don't think I've caught banding either, but I typically stick with good transfers anyways. Anyways, he is one of the more frequent contributors to the New PQ thread there. Maybe not Igans level, but pretty prolific enough.

Thanks anyways though.

The Samsung A750's do 5:5 pulldown (24p), as does the Toshiba VX540 and XF550U ..

I simply put up the info for others to see and absorb. After your original post, I wondered the same thing and I spent a few mintues doing a bit of research, and posted for everyone. The one critical point is that a lot of people here ask what's the difference between a cheap and an expensive TV (or at least I see a lot of complaints that Sony charges too much), and after doing some research it's somewhat obvious that Sony's 120Hz process is one of the best. As I have mentioned in other posts (while standing on my soap box), there is a lot that goes into a TV besides the display panel that affects the quality of the image we see, and in general, Sony seems to put a lot of technology into their sets to generate one of the better images.

Agreed, Currently the big difference in the cheap HDTVs vs expensive HDTVs are 1080p @ 120hz with 5:5 pulldown (24p support) and the contrast level. Expensive TVs generally have very high contrast ratios that make prevent the colors from being washed out.

Now, now River. Let's keep the political stuff out of this forum. Just because I'm voting for Mary Carey doesn't mean I have to put it in this forum.