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I'm buying an HDTV tomorrow... (LG scaler vs. Viera vs. plasma?)

D

Dies Iræ

Member
Hi GAF,

I'm walking into either Best Buy or Future Shop tomorrow and walking out with an HDTV. No sense arguing, s'how it's going to be. ; )

Price range: $500-700CAD
Consoles: Wii, 360

I would like a set that's optimal for Wii as well as 360. I'm going to be playing both extensively. It seems that an LCD is my only option, although I can be swayed to get a cheap Plasma if the extra cost warrants so.

Here are the options in CAD:

LG 32" LCD 720p $549
I heard LG has better scalers? (for Wii)

Samsung 32" LCD 720p $579
Samsung seems a popular and safe bet.

Panasonic 32" LCD 720p $679
A lot of gaffers suggest VIERA?

LG 32" LCD 1080p $649
I'm currently leaning towards this set. Is 1080p worth it at this size?

LG 42" 720p Plasma $799
Worth it? I've heard it's best for SD and HD gaming.

Cheers GAF,

Here's to crystal clear gaming :)
 
M

mug

Member
Plasma is usually the best, although I hear that they don't last as long and use more power.
 
G

ghostmind

Member
My Panny Viera plasma sucks for the Wii, but is exceptional for HD sources, including the 360 and PS3. I have my Wii hooked up to a Samsung LCD - much better for SD.
 
P

Pyke Presco

Member
Just a heads up, when I bought my TV 2 years ago I went to a 2001 audio/video in Toronto and got them to knock 200 bucks off by just asking. ("So, can you give me a better price on this? It's a little steep for me right now.") Buddy dropped my sharp aquos from 900 to 700, though I did buy a warranty, so it ended up costing the same anyway. Just thought I would share that, you may want to check out 2001 instead of BB/FS.(don't know how much wiggle room they have at those stores, so you might be able to work something similar)
 
Joei

Joei

Member
I notice your choices are all smaller size for the LCD, then the jump to 42, so I don't know if size is that much of any issue for you, but I definitely say go Plasma. And if you're going Plasma, do what nolook and Dragona says. The Panny plasmas are great prices (you should be able to walk out with a 42" 720 for around 6-700$, at least in the US, don't know how much CAD prices will differ) and just really, really awesome televisions. You will not regret it.
 
M

Mandoric

Banned
The Viera he's listing is one of their LCD models.

That said, I'm fairly impressed with my 37" 1080p of the same line--PS2 composite on it is less ugly than Wii component on the cheap LCDs at my old job, barring dot crawl, and I believe all Panasonic LCD sets are IPS panels.
 
A

AKS

Member
Buy a Panasonic plasma. You won't find a better performance versus price balance. Great value and performance.
 
Truespeed

Truespeed

Member
Wait for OLED. A breakthrough is going to be announced very soon involving the elusive blue organic material. You want to be there when that happens. The longer you wait the sooner the breakthrough gets closer to being announced.
 
S

SonOfABeep

Banned
I'm very happy with my 42' Panny Plasma.

And I honestly can't tell a difference with my roommate's 40' samsung on 1080p vs 720p. His is 1080, mine is 720.

Plus like, 20 games use 1080p this generation. It's not worth the extra $200-300 you spend, imo. Unless you're going like 50' or bigger.
 
O

outunderthestars

Banned
Truespeed said:
Wait for OLED. A breakthrough is going to be announced very soon involving the elusive blue organic material. You want to be there when that happens. The longer you wait the sooner the breakthrough gets closer to being announced.
Click to expand...


yes, the guy who wants to buy a $500 tv should wait for OLED. I am sure that this magic technology will be to market within the next few weeks, and be within his budget.....
 
Jonsoncao

Jonsoncao

Banned
rooting for Toshiba Regza, mine was three years old, as my daily monitor and gaming HDTV, it works perfectly

also dun buy the low-end model in any brand's lineup, those are some rip-offs with crappy parts inside
 
njean777

njean777

Member
olimpia84 said:
Why not? As far as I'm concerned very few games run in 1080. Is this right?
Click to expand...

you are right most are at 720p but the xbox will upscale them to 1080p. I actually have a 2 year old lcd with the resolution of 720 and games still look really good on it.
 
S

SonOfABeep

Banned
Meh. 720p isn't worth downsizing your screen size or picture quality. If you see a 720 set in a size you like that you think looks good and is the brand you want, don't hesitate.

Plus you could save a few hundred bucks, and guaranteed when you're sitting in your living room enjoying the larger set, you won't be thinking "oh, but 1080p" because there's nothing to compare it to like in the big Best Buy wall of TVs.

In the OP's position I'd take larger size/plasma over 1080.
 
A

AKS

Member
njean777 said:
you are right most are at 720p but the xbox will upscale them to 1080p. I actually have a 2 year old lcd with the resolution of 720 and games still look really good on it.
Click to expand...

Upscaling usually doesn't improve much. Native 1080p can look terrific, but few console games do that. I play most (read: everything that doesn't have "Crysis" in the title) of my PC games in 1080p (on my HDTV).
 
Truespeed

Truespeed

Member
outunderthestars said:
yes, the guy who wants to buy a $500 tv should wait for OLED. I am sure that this magic technology will be to market within the next few weeks, and be within his budget.....
Click to expand...

See that old guy on the escalator in your avatar? Even he got it.
 
J

jett

D-Member
olimpia84 said:
Why not? As far as I'm concerned very few games run in 1080. Is this right?
Click to expand...

Well that is correct, but proper 1080p content blows 720p away. You'll kick yourself later. When later consoles come along 1080 will be the norm, you should buy something that will last you. :p Or maybe one day you'll get a PS3 or a bluray player. :p

BTW, if you can get a Panasonic plasma. SD content, i.e. the Wii is going to look awful on any LCD you buy. It won't look good on the plasma either but it won't look as bad. :p
 
O

outunderthestars

Banned
jett said:
Well that is correct, but proper 1080p content blows 720p away. You'll kick yourself later. When later consoles come along 1080 will be the norm, you should buy something that will last you. :p Or maybe one day you'll get a PS3 or a bluray player. :p

BTW, if you can get a Panasonic plasma. SD content, i.e. the Wii is going to look awful on any LCD you buy. It won't look good on the plasma either but it won't look as bad. :p
Click to expand...


I don't think a 1080 panel will make a difference with the 32" sets he is looking at.
 
B

big_z

Member
the smaller samsungs arent that great as they use older crappier lcds in models under 42". it can be very hard to see stuff in dark games.

lg sucks balls, so avoid them. get a 1080p panasonic plasma. its worth the extra money. bestbuy sucks for tv prices, i would wait for a sale if you absolutely must buy from them.
 
G

GillianSeed79

Member
WHATEVER YOU DO DON'T BUY A SAMSUNG!

The general consensus is that Samsung is one the best quality brands for the price, but there are a lot of documented design flaws with their HDTV's.

The biggest problem is the location of their capacitors. They are located right next to the major heat producing components for the TV's power supply. Once they get warped your tv will take longer to turn until eventually it won't at all.

My $1,600 42 inch lcd crapped out after just 2 years and I'm looking at at least 500 bucks to fix it.

This is well documented on places like C-NET.

Also, I'd go with plasma.
 
G

GillianSeed79

Member
Also, I can vouch for Panasonic. My dad has a 50 inch plasma by them and it blows my Samsung out of the water picture wise. I can't stress enough that Samsung tv's have a high failure rate. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
 
S

Shins

Banned
plasma pretty

make sure not to be too modest

I bought a 42" but in retrospect it doesn't deserve to hang in my bathroom much less in a more central location.

Honestly, just throw out the furniture and get yourself a nice 200 inch projector set. It's not like you're gonna be needing to entertain guests or anything.
 
S

soco

Member
what? aren't those all the low end plasmas? i've always been told low end plasma tvs aren't worth the cost of entry.

my friend got one and it's pretty grainy and i couldn't tolerate gaming on it and his was priced at significantly more money than this.
 
W

Wray

Member
As has been stated. Do not buy a 720p screen.

1.) While its true most games dont do 1080p right now, you are fucking yourself in the "Future Proof" department. Next Gen will almost certainly be all 1080p. If you plan to use this TV more than 3-4 years you are going to be sorry.

2.) If you plan to watch Blu-rays at all, you will most definitely want a 1080p screen. Movies will reap the reward from 1080p TODAY.

3.) Plasma's are most definitely going to give you a higher picture quality. Black Levels are much better than LCD. However, they are more expensive. If you can manage it, get a 1080p Plasma.

If you cant, get a 1080p LCD over a 720p Plasma.
 
T

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
outunderthestars said:
I don't think a 1080 panel will make a difference with the 32" sets he is looking at.
Click to expand...
I can't believe HDTV has been on the market for 11 years now and people are still spouting this bullshit. It's entirely dependent on viewing distance. If his TV budget is that low, he's renting a small apartment, renting a room, or living in dorms. He's going to be close to the set, or could easily be if he wanted to.
Oh, shit... I can't see all the detail on the 20" 1680X1050 screen at my desk, or the 32" 1080p in my bedroom. No, wait... I can.
Then you have people looking at the charts, seeing what distance you have to be to see every pixel, (with 20/20. Mine is better. YMMV) and thinking that it's all or nothing. If you're close to the right distance, you're going to see benefits over 720p, just not all of them.
 
F

Firestorm

Member
Can you drive down to the States? You can get a Panasonic Plasma for up to 50% off at Best Buy USA compared to Future Shop or Best Buy Canada. Even after conversion. No duties, only taxes at the border since it's made in Mexico (NAFTA).
 
G

gibonez

Banned
Take advantage of Best Buys financing, and Get a Panasonic 50 inch plasma.

Its around 1000. It also has the best picture available outside of the Kuro Plasmas.
 
W

Wray

Member
Dosia said:
It won't.
Click to expand...

Depends entirely on the distance you are viewing the set from...



Screen Size >>>>>>>>720p >>>>>>>>> 1080p

32 inches >>>>>>>>> 6 feet >>>>>>>> 4 feet

37 inches >>>>>>>>> 7 feet >>>>>>>> 5 feet

40 inches >>>>>>>>> 8 feet >>>>>>>> 5 feet

42 inches >>>>>>>>> 8 feet >>>>>>>> 5.5 feet

46 inches >>>>>>>>> 9 feet >>>>>>>> 6 feet

50 inches >>>>>>>> 10 feet >>>>>>>> 6.5 feet

52 inches >>>>>>>> 10 feet >>>>>>>> 7 feet

65 inches >>>>>>>> 13 feet >>>>>>>> 8.5 feet
 
Z

ZoddGutts

Member
Dies Iræ said:
Hi GAF,


LG 32" LCD 1080p $649
I'm currently leaning towards this set. Is 1080p worth it at this size?

Cheers GAF,

Here's to crystal clear gaming :)
Click to expand...

I got this TV a few days ago so good. I'm using it for my PC and I've played DMC4/TF2/Risen/SF4/Crysis on it and I've had no lag/ghosting problems. Also bought it for 480 bucks in total on amazon without having to pay taxes and shipping is free. It's the best 32 inch 1080P HDTV you can buy below 500 bucks the sound quality is also quite good. :)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001V5J7OI/?tag=neogaf0e-20

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001V5J7OI/?tag=neogaf0e-20
 
F

Firestorm

Member
Have you already factored in the $100 you get for trading in your old TV? If not, grab one of your tube tvs and bring it to Best Buy for $100 off a TV between 40" and 42": http://www.bestbuy.ca/marketing/recycling_trade_in09/en/default.asp?logon=&langid=EN

Then you can also use this coupon for $100 off a purchase of $1000 or more:
http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/...-pizza-pizza-exp-oct-31-a-783497/#post9469055

If you get a $1000 TV, that's $800!

Edit: Also, saying you're going to buy a TV the next day with no research is very bad. Prices for TVs can vary by up to like $300 depending on if it's on sale or not.
 
R

Rahxephon91

Banned
I just got a LG 32 inch tv recently and am pretty happy about it.

PS2 games look pretty good on just composite so the scaler seems pretty good to me.
 
D

dragonlife

Member
ZoddGutts said:
I got this TV a few days ago so good. I'm using it for my PC and I've played DMC4/TF2/Risen/SF4/Crysis on it and I've had no lag/ghosting problems. Also bought it for 480 bucks in total on amazon without having to pay taxes and shipping is free. It's the best 32 inch 1080P HDTV you can buy below 500 bucks the sound quality is also quite good. :)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001V5J7OI/?tag=neogaf0e-20

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001V5J7OI/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Click to expand...
Interesting...I may look into this.
 
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