[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by 128Convertibleguy

Totally agree, but...

Neither Pioneer nor Panasonic make plasmas any more. On a wall of TVs in a bright store they look inferior to LCDs. Not flashy enough. The fact that in a decently dark room in your home they blow LCDs (even LEDs) away, is not enough for commercial success.

I'm hoping my beloved Panasonic (which cost all of $900 for a 50 inch) lasts long enough that OLEDs become affordable. There are some Panasonics still available, but they're generally not cheap. People want more than the new price for a used one.

That's devastating news! I had no idea they were pulling out of the market.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

That's devastating news! I had no idea they were pulling out of the market.

Yes. Panasonic announced they were pulling out a few months ago. And with them pulling out, this permanently kills any of the Pioneer Kuro IP they purchased after Pioneer pulled out of the TV market.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by davis449

I second this. The biggest shock (a pro for plasma) was seeing a Samsung 1080P plasma next to a Sony 4K in a Magnolia and realizing that, for non 4K content obviously), the only improvement it offered from the surrounding top-shelf LED LCD's was black levels that actually matched the Plasma.

The Sony 4k TV I referenced that I saw was running 4k material. I didn't see enough from the increase in resolution to want to make me replace my Pioneer. And the red push/bleed over I referenced was further reinforcement that the new tech TVs still can't get the basics right.

[E92inNC]

Thanks for all the knowledge, I could use all the education I can get when it comes to the sophisticated aspects of TVs.

This is going in my room so it'll be around 8ft away from my face so I can't get anything huge. I think 42 would be just right as the 37in now does feel a bit small sometimes. The reason I'm leaning towards Samsung is I believe as a whole they make great electronics and I've watched plenty of movies on my friend's 46 SS LED and love it.

I'll probably stop by the store on the weekend and talk to them about it and ask the setup I need to get the HD-ness out of the TV, possibly explore other brands as well.

[TXSTYLE]

I consider myself somewhat of an expert on this....

Over the course of the past decade, I've owned: DLP, LCD, and PLASMA.

I take time to research and I've been a active member on a few different Home Theater forums. That being said, I was a huge movie going consumer prior to the past 5yrs abd that drastically reduced even more over the last 2yrs when I invested thousands in my Home Theater.
I currently own a 60" Plasma 640hz, 3D, Smart TV and I am beyond pleased with the experience it gives me and my family daily!
If I were shopping for a television today, it MUST be 'smart'! The ability to use various entertainment apps, hook up external drives, etc is required. In terms of viewing technology, nothing is crisper or handles fast movement or best PQ like plasma! But newer LCD/LED sets are coming close. Refresh rate is critical. 240hz at least! 3D is nice to have but I rarely use it. That's more of a gimmick the studios push to compensate for pirating.
Lots of great choices indeed!

[upstatedoc]

Originally Posted by TXSTYLE

Over the course of the past decade, I've owned: DLP, LCD, and PLASMA.

I have a 10 year old Sony 50" DLP whose picture in high def rivals my brand new Samsung LED smart tv.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by TXSTYLE

I consider myself somewhat of an expert on this....

Over the course of the past decade, I've owned: DLP, LCD, and PLASMA.

I take time to research and I've been a active member on a few different Home Theater forums. That being said, I was a huge movie going consumer prior to the past 5yrs abd that drastically reduced even more over the last 2yrs when I invested thousands in my Home Theater.
I currently own a 60" Plasma 640hz, 3D, Smart TV and I am beyond pleased with the experience it gives me and my family daily!
If I were shopping for a television today, it MUST be 'smart'! The ability to use various entertainment apps, hook up external drives, etc is required. In terms of viewing technology, nothing is crisper or handles fast movement or best PQ like plasma! But newer LCD/LED sets are coming close. Refresh rate is critical. 240hz at least! 3D is nice to have but I rarely use it. That's more of a gimmick the studios push to compensate for pirating.
Lots of great choices indeed!

All valid points, but if the price of "smart" is too much to bear you can get a lot of the benefits from a $100 Apple TV. My buddy builds smart homes for a living, like half million plus home theaters etc. like you would see on MTV Cribs. He built listening rooms for Billy Joel, Mariah Carey, etc. Uses either a Mac Mini or Apple TV in almost all of them.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by sxyblue

Thanks for all the knowledge, I could use all the education I can get when it comes to the sophisticated aspects of TVs.

This is going in my room so it'll be around 8ft away from my face so I can't get anything huge. I think 42 would be just right as the 37in now does feel a bit small sometimes. The reason I'm leaning towards Samsung is I believe as a whole they make great electronics and I've watched plenty of movies on my friend's 46 SS LED and love it.

I'll probably stop by the store on the weekend and talk to them about it and ask the setup I need to get the HD-ness out of the TV, possibly explore other brands as well.

Just be sure you don't let them oversell you. At 42", anything over 1080P it's literally impossible for the human eye to tell the difference. You're more concerned with color saturation and black levels at that point.

[justinnum1]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

I've got a Pioneer Elite Plasma, amazing television. If you can find one at Magnolia or anyplace else I would highly recommend picking it up.

+1

I have a 101FD, still benchmark.

[davis449]

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

I have a 10 year old Sony 50" DLP whose picture in high def rivals my brand new Samsung LED smart tv.

This, but insert Samsung where you said Sony.

[Maestro]

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

I have a 10 year old Sony 50" DLP whose picture in high def rivals my brand new Samsung LED smart tv.

I have to agree, I got an 5 yr old 60" sony DLP which is the best TV I current have in the house, well the sharp 60" quattron is close. Sony just makes very good TV.

What most people does not realize Sony has been and still is the standard in profession video production, they have the purest color and accuracy of any TV or Monitor on the market. I had a 27" Sony Studio Monitor which I pick up for next to nothing which was $3000 new back in the 90's and sold it recently for more than I paid for it and for a Std Def TV it was as good as new tv today.

[2011CrazE89]

My 61' Samsung DLP is still going strong after 5 years. I did have to change the lamp once. Took about 5 minutes.

[davis449]

Originally Posted by 2011CrazE89

My 61' Samsung DLP is still going strong after 5 years. I did have to change the lamp once. Took about 5 minutes.

Bought my 50" Samsung DLP in July 2006. Had my color wheel replaced (Samsung covered it, even out of warranty) in 2008 through a local authorized repair shop and replaced the lamp (only because I could tell it was going before it actually did) for $100 in 2012.

[TXSTYLE]

I still have a 43" DLP in one of our mast Bedroom and it has not failed in the decade I've owned it! Although the PQ is nice on it and the previous 61" I had before selling it, neither come close to the "pop" and overall PQ of my LG 60" Plasma. This set is simply outstanding! Do NOT sleep on LG.
The only TV I want (and will have) is this: http://www.lg.com/us/tvs/lg-84LM9600-led-tv

[2011CrazE89]

Tell you what. Vizio has come a long way. Had a 32' in the bedroom for 6 years. Looking for something slightly bigger I replaced it with another 40' Vizio LED. While it's not a Samsung, it's a damn good picture! And it was relatively cheap at only $400.00.

[TXSTYLE]

Originally Posted by 2011CrazE89

Tell you what. Vizio has come a long way. Had a 32' in the bedroom for 6 years. Looking for something slightly bigger I replaced it with another 40' Vizio LED. While it's not a Samsung, it's a damn good picture! And it was relatively cheap at only $400.00

Although I don't own a VIZIO, my friends do and based on reviews from Amazon and the like, they are great TV's. Especially the larger ones for the price.

[Templar]

rofl $17k for a TV. I watch TV from time to time but nowhere near enough to justify that price tag.

Agree with the above post on Vizio. I have a small Vizio in my spare bedroom for guests. That little TV has been with me for over 5 years. It's traveled around Germany, Iraq, and back here to the US. Picture still looks as good as it did the first day I got it. Definitely not the best out there, but for the price I was satisfied. Vizio also offers Smart TV options with wireless internet functionality.

[2011CrazE89]

Originally Posted by TXSTYLE

Although I don't own a VIZIO, my friends do and based on reviews from Amazon and the like, they are great TV's. Especially the larger ones for the price.

They really are pretty good TV's. I wouldn't recommend them as your primary set. But for a spare room it's a great brand.

[TXSTYLE]

That link I posted was directly to LG. Manufacturers ALWAYS have a higher MSRP on anything!
The 84" can be had for $9k

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by Maestro

I have to agree, I got an 5 yr old 60" sony DLP which is the best TV I current have in the house, well the sharp 60" quattron is close. Sony just makes very good TV.

What most people does not realize Sony has been and still is the standard in profession video production, they have the purest color and accuracy of any TV or Monitor on the market. I had a 27" Sony Studio Monitor which I pick up for next to nothing which was $3000 new back in the 90's and sold it recently for more than I paid for it and for a Std Def TV it was as good as new tv today.

The Sony TVs sold on the consumer market are not the same as the ones sold for the professional video market.

While evaluating a TV can be very subjective as many people have their own preferences for what they like in a picture, an unbiased comparison is done with a meter. As others have attested, the Pioneer sets out of the box perform extremely well in terms of providing a pretty accurate picture. But the Pioneer sets really come into their own when they're dialed in to ISF reference. I have measurements of my 141FD and even my many generations old 1010HD of before and after calibration readings which I can post up if anyone is interested. This is what professional reviewers include as part of their product reviews. Any reviewer who doesn't include these measurement readings is not doing a proper review.

[Templar]

Originally Posted by TXSTYLE

That link I posted was directly to LG. Manufacturers ALWAYS have a higher MSRP on anything!
The 84" can be had for $9k

You're right, but still a lot of other things I could imagine spending $9k on, like mods for my truck

[Patrick303]

I've seen Sharp's 108" tv in person in a mall in Singapore. It had a full-time security guard posted next to it, probably to prevent it from being damaged. And had some ridiculous price of like $80,000!


This will probably be my next tv. Vizio P-series 70" 4k for $2600. http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/07/c...rice/#comments