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[we.are.the.armada]

I think that OLED is the best. When something is black, the diodes almost turn off completely or something, which causes a very nice looking contrast. Yellow on OLED looks pretty amazing. I don't fully understand how this works, but it's not flashing a red/green pixel to make yellow, it's just outputting yellow.

 

[Jtrizzy]

Dream tv:

-120hz, display port or dual dvi input for 1080p60 3d games
-1080p
-3D
-PQ of a Kuro or Panasonic plasma
-weight and power efficiency of lcd
-lack of burn in concern

I'm not in a hurry to go beyond 1080p, especially with downsampling looking so good and a new gen of consoles coming to set the graphical baseline. 1080p is ok with me. Of course I've never seen a 1440p monitor either.

 

[Cold-Steel]

First off, I love these threads.

I spent a long time trying to find the right HDTV for next gen games (this was prior to the Xbox 360, Wii and PS3 coming out).

Thanks to forums like AVS and NeoGAF, I was able to do my research and at the beginning of this generation I bought a Panasonic G15 50" Plasma.

Now most people tell you that you should run slides or whatever to "break in" the television but I didn't end up doing that.

What I did do was I made sure to not put brightness or contrast past level 50 for the first 200 hours or so of using the set (because the risk of IR and burn in was higher).

After about 200 hours of nothing but pure gaming (something they warn you against doing) I was able to tune the settings to get the best picture out of my set.

I play fighting games, music rhythm games, games in standard def - the set handled it all.

I love plasma so much I upgraded it to a Panasonic GT30 50" plasma after the fact.

Only downside is that the IR is a bit worse with the newer plasma but nothing worth getting upset over.

In the end the choice is yours but honestly - Plasma is phenomenal tech.

Low input lag, amazing picture, great value. What more can you ask for?

 

[Starsunder]

My Panny plasma is waiting with open arms for next gen.

 

[spannicus]

i thought plamas had mean input lag? what's the deal?

Always heard bad things about plasma's that scared me away, like oh theres gonna be screen burning and they die out quicker. I never had the chance to find out.

 

[Ushae]

If ur loaded like hell, OLED but it isn't affordable tech .. yet. Otherwise you can't go wrong with a Panasonic Plasma. I have a 42" sitting in my bedroom and it has stunning quality especially while viewing 1080p content. Lag is minimal and image retention does happen occasionally but always disappears immediately, it's never been an issue.

 

[SoulClap]

I'm willing to live without 3D so if I was looking to buy a TV right now I'd try to find a used Kuro. A Panasonic or Samsung plasma would be a fallback. I wouldn't even consider any LCD/LED panels. Terrible combination of value/PQ compared to high end plasmas. I'm not too familiar with projection technology so I can't really compare. I'm not sure if LG/Samsung OLED panels still coming out this year either.

 

[Rekki-Maru]

Always heard bad things about plasma's that scared me away, like oh theres gonna be screen burning and they die out quicker. I never had the chance to find out.

there's a recent issue of consumer reports where they ranked plasmas,lcds etc/ all the panasonic plasmas took top honors. but they recommended the lcds for value.. stuff like image burn, size, having to get a new one every few years. im still researching hdtvs myself

 

[Ramblin]

There is no best TV type, just get whatever works for you.

Since someone said this was wrong, I'm going to disagree with them. Currently the best tv type for me is a 42inch lcd 1080i, with a slight shadow of what looks to be a fist indentation over a line of pixels that starts off blue, but goes away in half an hour. But I like it, cause I found it when I was taking out the trash, the same place I found my ps3 with the broken bluray. I'm not a cheap ass gamer, I'm a broke ass gamer.

 

[spannicus]

there's a recent issue of consumer reports where they ranked plasmas,lcds etc/ all the panasonic plasmas took top honors. but they recommended the lcds for value.. stuff like image burn, size, having to get a new one every few years. im still researching hdtvs myself

I can say that Plasma's seem to be the most affordable regardless of size.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Have OLEDs even dropped in price yet? I'll be getting a new TV this fall and it seems all of Gaf recommends Panny plasmas, so it may be a 60" Panny. Unless something happens between now and then.

 

[GreekWolf]

I've owned the best of the best over the last two years. A Sony HX929 full-array LED, Samsung PND8000 plasma and Panasonic VT50 plasma.

My opinion - the Sony is noticeably brighter and vivid than the plasmas. The Panny has the best black level I've seen since the Pioneer Kuros. The Samsung has better color and sharpness than the other two.

If I had to choose one, it would be the Samsung. It's just the best overall television when it comes to image quality. The other two sets looks very, very good as well but produce a softer image. I'm looking forward to picking up an OLED when it comes down in price.

 

[Anth0ny]

I'm okay with my lag free 23" ASUS VH236H.

 

[HomerSimpson-Man]

I'm waiting to see how the Panasonic VT 2013 plasmas are like, the 2012 release was considered the best tv last year setting it as reference quality compared to other tvs.

 

[TEH-CJ]

I still have my panny GT30

Still looks amazing to me.

 

[spannicus]

Have OLEDs even dropped in price yet? I'll be getting a new TV this fall and it seems all of Gaf recommends Panny plasmas, so it may be a 60" Panny. Unless something happens between now and then.

Heres an article that speculates Panasonic will stop creating new Plasma's march of this year but also says they will continue to distribute them, also they are to partner with Sony for something.http://www.oled-info.com/panasonic-stop-plasma-rd-focus-oleds

 

[zedge]

I have a sub $1000 LG 3D LED tv. (Not a true LED I know).

It looks great, and 3d movies look fucking fantastic on this thing. Plus its passive 3D you don't need those stupid $100 3D glasses, just the ones like at the theater. Came with 4. Anyway games look great too, as do 3D games on the PS3.

 

[Jtrizzy]

I'm waiting to see how the Panasonic VT 2013 plasmas are like, the 2012 release was considered the best tv last year setting it as reference quality compared to other tvs.

Panasonic demoed them side by side with the reference Kuro at CES. They have basically caught up to Kuro's and surpassed them in some ways according to some at AVS forums. Panasonic bought some of the technology when Pioneer quit making them, but it has taken few years to reach parity, which is an amazing compliment to Pioneer.

 

[HomerSimpson-Man]

Panasonic demoed them side by side with the reference Kuro at CES. They have basically caught up to Kuro's and surpassed them in some ways according to some at AVS forums. Panasonic bought some of the technology when Pioneer quit making them, but it has taken few years to reach parity, which is an amazing compliment to Pioneer.

Well, I nearly jizzed my pants. I love my Kuro, but I'm looking for a bigger tv now and this looks to hold beautifully for several years while 4k/OLED tech eases towards a more consumer friendly price range.

 

[Silkworm]

Assuming 2013 is the last year for a Panasonic plasmas (sadly), then that's what I'm going to take the plunge on

 

[kutthoat5150]

loving my plasma Panasonic ST50 using Dnice settings. No burn in or IR so far even though I do a lot of gaming on it

 

[Kambing]

Unless you are willing to spend $4k+ on the Sharp Elite LCD, i would go plasma if you are buying a TV now for next gen, specifically a Panasonic set. Plasma's are more preferred to gamer's because of the low input lag. You would seriously be blown away i think just how much more responsive your input is on a plasma as opposed to an LCD. Things like picture quality are also better dollar for dollar on plasma sets. Can't really comment about burn-in because my understanding is just that it occurs very very rarely, i know i don't have it.

The only time i would get an LCD over a Plasma is if i spend more than 50% of my viewing time with direct sunlight shining onto the screen.

 

[Cannon Goose]

I've had bad experiences with ghosting while using LCD TVs but never from computer monitors.

I've got a 50" Samsung PS50C550 plasma from 2009 (I think, bought it fairly cheap in 2010) and it's starting to lose it's sweet, tasty blacks Fortunately the picture still looks fantastic when there aren't huge amounts of black on the screen.

 

[Jtrizzy]

Well, I nearly jizzed my pants. I love my Kuro, but I'm looking for a bigger tv now and this looks to hold beautifully for several years while 4k/OLED tech eases towards a more consumer friendly price range.

Yeah 2013 is looking like the year they finally reach parity, or close enough. Personally I won't upgrade my 2010 vt25 unless they add 120hz. From my understanding this is unlikely to happen any time in the next few years. Next gen consoles will not be powerful enough to do AAA games in 1080p30 3D, so there is no incentive for the manufacturers.

I guess we should feel lucky to finally be playing console games at our tv's native resolution.

 

[spannicus]

more pics

 

[Treechopper]

My Panasonic ST50 is the best TV I have ever used or seen. The break in and worry of IR is annoying but it's more than worth it for this set.

 

[Stasis]

We're picking up the new Panasonic ST60 series when it releases, either in 55" or 60". That will be for the living room, which means I inherit the current 50" Samsung plasma for the office/game room.

We've been running a 3 year upgrade cycle and we're hitting the 3 year mark in June. In 2016 it'll probably be a move to 4K, assuming it's affordable by then.

 

[mkenyon]

Anyone in here have any idea when real 120hz TVs will be released? Would love to have my HTPC play games, but the 60hz makes it hard to enjoy.

 

[SlipperyMoose]

Panasonic VT50 with Diamond AudioQuest HDMI cable.

 

[krae_man]

So much wrong here.

Change your settings to eliminate the input lag. Image retention can happen, but it's not permanent, be careful and you're fine. i played like 300 hours of SWTOR in 5 weeks on my Panny Plasma with only minor issues. In full color programming you couldn't see any of the image retention and it was gone within a couple hours.

Honestly, this seems like way more trouble then it's worth. I don't want a TV that requires weekly maintenance or whatever.


I'm currently looking at buying a 40" or 46" LED in the under $1000 range. Sure maybe I won't get the best TV on the market but it will be better then what I currently have. Well minus the dick all for legacy inputs. Seriously these new TV's with one component/Composite hybrid input are pure evil. There's got to be more demand for hooking up more then one non HDMI device to a TV. I know everyone doesn't want to hook up retro systems to their TV but only one?

 

[Asimov]

Panasonic VT50 with Diamond AudioQuest HDMI cable.

Yeah... don't forget this. The more expensive the cable, the more quality you will get.

 

[Jtrizzy]

Anyone in here have any idea when real 120hz TVs will be released? Would love to have my HTPC play games, but the 60hz makes it hard to enjoy.

Pretty much not any time soon. I've been investigating recently over at avs forums and it seems to be a dead end. Here is the thread if you want to read about it:

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1341547/1080p60-per-eye-3d-over-hdmi-1-4a-will-be-possible-in-2012/120

 

[SlipperyMoose]

Yeah... don't forget this. The more expensive the cable, the more quality you will get.

Well I'm obnoxiously joking with that past. I don't really own any of those things. The Diamond cable is so high in price because it is pure silver.

 

[RedAssedApe]

my kuro non-elite 5020FD is holding up well. wish i could tweak the video settings without doing a hardware mod though ::shakes fist at pioneer::

 

[Asimov]

Well I'm obnoxiously joking with that past. I don't really own any of those things. The Diamond cable is so high in price because it is pure silver.

I was joking too...

Just in case... just get any HDMI cable from Monoprice. It doesn't make any difference.

But I guess that's common knowledge around here.

 

[Alucrid]

I really need a new tv, my old shitty one is ghosting :\

 

[Vinterbird]

Plasma will without doubt give you the best picture, but I've had some issues with plasma forcing me away from them, and you should if possible try to get a plasma set in your home and use it in real world conditions a but to see if it is for you. I've had four plasma in my home, and each has had a large amount of buzzing which was horribly annoying and ruined any use of the TV.so you might be aware of that, or get lucky with a set that doesn't buzz loudly enough do you to notice.

 

[BocoDragon]

Panasonic VT50 with Diamond AudioQuest HDMI cable.

Hahaha those Amazon customer reviews

Plasma will without doubt give you the best picture, but I've had some issues with plasma forcing me away from them, and you should if possible try to get a plasma set in your home and use it in real world conditions a but to see if it is for you. I've had four plasma in my home, and each has had a large amount of buzzing which was horribly annoying and ruined any use of the TV.so you might be aware of that, or get lucky with a set that doesn't buzz loudly enough do you to notice.

No buzzing on my 2011 Panasonic, thankfully. I think if I stuck my ear directly to it I could hear something, but that's probably not what you're talking about.

 

[SlipperyMoose]

Hahaha those Amazon customer reviews



No buzzing on my 2011 Panasonic, thankfully. I think if I stuck my ear directly to it I could hear something, but that's probably not what you're talking about.

I know. They are pure gold or should I say, diamond.

 

[spannicus]

Also I picked up an Optoma EP series DLP projector which in the picture does not look like much but when hooked up to the 360 with home theater connected its amazing. After using the Projector it was hard for me to go back to gaming on my tv. CoD is amazing at over 100" Noticed that Yellows dont display that well.

 

[Cold-Steel]

I actually went to CES this year and got to see the latest Panasonic VT series first hand.

They had it running against the VT50 and honestly the black levels were just incredible. Probably the best I've ever seen and the VT50 is no slouch in that regard.

OLED's still have a ways to go. They look amazing in demos but rarely do the demos focus on people's faces which is where OLED's tend to show some flaws.

 

[Duxxy3]

I'm okay with my lag free 23" ASUS VH236H.

Same.

That's my main display for gaming.

Bad experience with plasma burn in and honestly i don't need a large tv.

 

[Vinterbird]

No buzzing on my 2011 Panasonic, thankfully. I think if I stuck my ear directly to it I could hear something, but that's probably not what you're talking about.

Same with my friend who has a low end 2011 model. It's close to perfect, but my ST50's have all been buzzing loud enough to be audible at five meters from the tv watching a news broadcast (and official panasonic repair center said they didn't consider it a flaw and wouldn't repair it)

 

[Neifirst]

I guess I could google this, but I thought I'd ask here. I'm pretty set on getting either an ST60 or VT60 in late spring, but what exactly is involved in the "break-in" period? Is it using the tv with particular settings and/or avoiding use of videogames or channels with a constant logo in the corner? Just curious as to what I'm getting into.

 

[SneakyStephan]

LCD is fundamentally deeply flawed:
-the pixels don't emit their own light -> contrast is awful, crushed blacks, backlight bleeding etc

-the pixels have to reorient themselves physically to change color or block light
-> this movement is inaccurate so you get pixel overshooting/not changing enough
-> the movement takes time so the pixels can't change color as fast as needed and you get ghosting (image retention for one frame or part of a frame basically for pixels that have to change vs those that don't)
-> pixels can't keep up reorienting and pixels have to stay in a certain orientation long enough means you get blurry images in motion


The only reason why LCD is so common is because it is dirt cheap to produce so manufacturers pushed it hard for big profits (until now due to dozens of new manufacturers popping up over the years there is lots of competition and prices have fallen to where profit margins aren't big anymore)




Oled emits its own light so the contrast is pixel perfect, they don't move so there are no response time problems like blur and there is no ghosting.
Oled decays though so it's not perfect either.

I don't know enough about plasma (other than that it emits its own light) to comment on it.

A tech like oled but not organic would be the ideal solution.

CRT (size, cost being the downsides) only flaw is screen geometry not being perfect, it is still the only tech that is uncompromising for now.


There were other more promising techs being researched (laser tv being one) but those were all canned because the lcd profits were too big.

 

[Impeccable]

I just bought a Sony Bravia HX850 and it's fucking beautiful.

OLED will win but that's not realistic for a few years.

 

[Jaagen]

Whatever happened to SED? Wasn't that the big ting a few years back?

 

[ZROCOOL]

All this Panasonic plasma talk has me thinking about getting me one. Sears had a 50" on sale for $699, any good?

 

[IceDoesntHelp]

All this Panasonic plasma talk has me thinking about getting me one. Sears had a 50" on sale for $699, any good?

Depends on the model. I got a Viera; Model No. TC-P50U50 for $600. 1080p

 

[Midas]

I need some help with this too. New TV for PS4 and Next Xbox is a must.

TX-P65ST50Y - is this good?