I am going to be buying a new tv within the next few months and since I am the type who researches everything I buy, I figured I'd join this forum and use it as a tool to gather some info.

So far, I think I am leaning towards a Samsung product, either a DLP or an LCD. The size will be 46' to 50". Of course, HD is a must, as is 1080p.

I have looked at the following TV's:

DLP: Samsung HL-T5076S

LCD: Samsung LN-T4665F

I have read good things about the 65F, but there seems to be some issues with the glossy screen. I haven't seen one, so I can't comment on it personally. I have a friend who has a 56" Samsung DLP with the LED engine, and I thought it looked really nice. Keep in mind that I am not a big home theater guy, I am just looking for a nice TV that is going to last a while and give me all the capabilities I need for HD and such.

I am open to any suggestions or different points of view, so let me have it.

You asked for it, so just a few snippets...

At 46"-50", 1080p is not a must. No reason to pay for resolution that you will generally not detect or see at normal viewing distances.

You will not get a lot of support for DLP around here...most agree that the technology is inferior to LCD and Plasma.

You will get insanely biased opinions suggesting that LCD is far superior to Plasma and vise versa, but there are plenty of reasonable heads around here too that take into account budget, viewing habits, etc which have much more to do with which is right for you.

General concensus is that size matters. Right now 50" is the best size for the money...

Generally Plasma comes in 42" or 50", LCD has some middle ground at 46"

If you have a very bright room, LCD is a good choice as Plasma can generally be reflective. This is not as big an issue as many would have you believe, but it is accurate. Daytime viewing is the issue, as is the placement of the set relative to bright windows.

Off axis viewing (from an angle), Plasma has the advantage. Again, not as big an issue as many would have you believe, but again, accurate.

Stick with the tier one manufacturers and you should be OK.

Do not get caught up in the appearance of the set at the store. I know this sounds crazy, but it is generally true. The store geeks will generally tell you LCD is better. They are wrong. Both LCD and Plasma have their strengths. Many find that the LCD looks better initially because they are brighter and the colors are more vivid, only to find that the Plasmas are more natural looking in the long run.

Generally, if you watch sports, then Plasma is better for motion blur. Recent and high end LCD's have closed the gap.

If you are into gaming, LCD might be better. You will read about burn in and image retention on Plasma. While this used to be true, not a big issue these days, especially with the nicer sets.

Pay attention to the quality of the standard def pictures on whatever sets you look at.

The Samsung LCD is fairly well regarded...I have no experience with it however.

For the record, I have both LCD (Sony) and Plasma (Pannasonic), one year apart (Plasma is newer). I like my Plasma better, even in a bright room. My wife likes the LCD...go figure...we are both right.

Good luck....and read read read these forums. The more that you do, the more that you will sift out the BS and the bias posters from the reasonable ones.

You would do well to include your budget, your viewing habits, what when, where....lighting conditions. Do you watch movies, sports, whatever.

Good luck

Frankly, I think the 4665 has horrible motion blur problems. I was looking seriously at this screen a few months ago based on the stats and some concise user reviews. I loved the thought of an LCD with rich blacks, but the motion blur was unreal (in a bad way) when I watched it in the store.

By contrast, the Sony's put out a very sharp, crisp, picture...with a lot less motion blur than the Samsung's, but to my eyes, the black levels are dull and faded.

This prompted me to start looking at 1080p Plasmas.

Like Zomby - I absolutely love the look of my 1080p Panasonic.

If you read up in the Plasma forum, you will find a virtual consensus that Pioneer Kuro line boasts the best picture quality among current gen consumer screens. But I think, per dollar spent, it's very hard to do better than the Pany 700U line.

Frankly, I think the 4665 has horrible motion blur problems. I was looking seriously at this screen a few months ago based on the stats and some concise user reviews. I loved the thought of an LCD with rich blacks, but the motion blur was unreal (in a bad way) when I watched it in the store.

By contrast, the Sony's put out a very sharp, crisp, picture...with a lot less motion blur than the Samsung's, but to my eyes, the black levels are dull and faded.

This prompted me to start looking at 1080p Plasmas.

Like Zomby - I absolutely love the look of my 1080p Panasonic.

If you read up in the Plasma forum, you will find a virtual consensus that Pioneer Kuro line boasts the best picture quality among current gen consumer screens. But I think, per dollar spent, it's very hard to do better than the Pany 700U line.

Thanks for the input. I am not a videophile, so I am not up on all these issues. It used to be that you just went out and got a TV and didn't have to worry about all this. I am not sure a plasma is in my price range, though. Are you talking about motion blur during gaming, or normal viewing?

Thanks for the input. I am not a videophile, so I am not up on all these issues. It used to be that you just went out and got a TV and didn't have to worry about all this. I am not sure a plasma is in my price range, though. Are you talking about motion blur during gaming, or normal viewing?

Sure thing. I agree, it's not easy to pick the right set these days at all...

The motion I saw was normal 1080i viewing. The source was actually an episode of the Office. Each time the camera panned, the Samsung looked bad. I didn't pick up on it immediately, but my fiance is really sensitive to motion blur, and once she pointed it out, I couldn't keep my eyes off it.

Another 4665 was set up in the store next to a Sony XBR2, and the Sony was far better in the motion department.

I think the Panasonic 50PZ700U really may be within your price range though. Frys and Sears have both had them at seriously discounted rates (2kish, before shipping) in recent months.

I would encourage you to surf the owners threads in the plasma forum if you are looking seriously at any particular model. Each set has its own burdens and benefits, and it never hurts to learn this info up front.

Best Regards.

Right now at BB the LN-T4665F and the 50pz700 same $

Right now at BB the LN-T4665F and the 50pz700 same $

Nice! And BB will even come down sometimes to match internet prices. I know they won't match frys anymore, but they took $1k off their price at the time I bought my panel (to match Amazon/Butterflyphoto + shipping).

You guys got me researching plasma's now. The only one I have looked into at this point is the Samsung FP-T5084, which is in the same price range as the 4665f. I will definitely check out the Panasonic that you mentioned as well. What, if anything, can you tell me about the 5084?

I bought the Samsung 4665F (special mark down $2221 at Circuit City yesterday and I'm very pleased with it. My PS3 playing Ghost Recon 2 looks great and I'm not seeing the motions blur in that. Could just be my old eyes. :)
I came real close to buying the LNT4671F with 25000:1 dynamic contrast and the new Auto Motion Plus but just couldn't justify the $3059 price.

I've hear nothing but good things about the Panasonic 700U as a large plasma.

Just a matter of finding them at a store together with the same signal and seeing which one strikes your fancy. Once you jump don't look back as 2nd guessing electronics these day will drive you CRAZY!! :eek:

I bought the Samsung 4665F (special mark down $2221 at Circuit City yesterday and I'm very pleased with it. My PS3 playing Ghost Recon 2 looks great and I'm not seeing the motions blur in that. Could just be my old eyes. :)
I came real close to buying the LNT4671F with 25000:1 dynamic contrast and the new Auto Motion Plus but just couldn't justify the $3059 price.

I've hear nothing but good things about the Panasonic 700U as a large plasma.

Just a matter of finding them at a store together with the same signal and seeing which one strikes your fancy. Once you jump don't look back as 2nd guessing electronics these day will drive you CRAZY!! :eek:

Congrats on the TV I am sure you will love it. Now stop reading this forum or you will drive yourself crazy. :D

The Sammy 5084 and the Panny PZ77 would be excellent choices for your use. Before you take the leap, look at a couple of the 768P offerings from Pioneer (5080), Panasonic (50PX75/77, and Samsung (5054/64). 1080P may make a difference to you for gaming but maybe not. Viewing the display for anything else, beyond 8 feet, offers little or no advantage for most eyes. The 768P's allow for some serious $$$ savings.

Congrats on the TV I am sure you will love it. Now stop reading this forum or you will drive yourself crazy. :D


HAHAHA :p

You will not get a lot of support for DLP around here...most agree that the technology is inferior to LCD and Plasma.

While DLP may be inferior, Sony's LCoS are some sweet sets. My only hang-up on rear projection is the drop in brightness off access. Otherwise I think RPTV offers some of the best color realism and motion performance and excellent black levels. Check out the A3000, its looks like a great set. I'd get one if I didn't have kids sitting, laying on the floor where brightness drops dramatically.

I am going to be buying a new tv within the next few months and since I am the type who researches everything I buy, I figured I'd join this forum and use it as a tool to gather some info.

So far, I think I am leaning towards a Samsung product, either a DLP or an LCD. The size will be 46' to 50". Of course, HD is a must, as is 1080p.

I have looked at the following TV's:

DLP: Samsung HL-T5076S

LCD: Samsung LN-T4665F

I have read good things about the 65F, but there seems to be some issues with the glossy screen. I haven't seen one, so I can't comment on it personally. I have a friend who has a 56" Samsung DLP with the LED engine, and I thought it looked really nice. Keep in mind that I am not a big home theater guy, I am just looking for a nice TV that is going to last a while and give me all the capabilities I need for HD and such.

I am open to any suggestions or different points of view, so let me have it.

Don't do it. Once you start the research you will be stuck here, you're time will fade away as you read topic after topic. And just when you think you have found a winner, something comes to disrupt the decision. Get out while you still can!!!! RUN!!!!!

I am currently stuck in Paralysis by Analysis. this is a scary place to be.

Mummer43. If you are serious about rptv, stay away from the Sammy. This series has a serious problem with geometry because it is a "slim" set and sammy cheaped out on the cabinet.

I had been looking at both plasma and lcd, but have not bought because plasma won't work for me (want to use it as a computer display as well) and LCD has not been there for picture qulaity until the most recent sets.

I ended up in bb yet again looking at sets when I happened upon a Sony a2020 XSRD rp set. To me, the picture was very very nice (like you commented about your friends sammy).

I have spent a lot of hours on the rp forum reading through various threads and it seems that the Sony rp sets offer the best quality.

Pros on the Sony rp are: excellent colour, excellent black levels, no motion blur, very nice picture quality.

Cons are: not as bright as LCD, dosn't have the pop of a plasma picture (looks a little dull when viewed side by side), vertical off axis viewing is very limited.

Until now, I had not even considered rp set, but I will probably pick up this Sony (can't get the A3000 in Canada). The deciding factor for me is price. I like the new LCDs, but for the screen size I want, they are out of my price range and, after waiting two years, I don't want to wait any more.

FWIW, you will get people swearing by one technology and telling you its far better than the rest. IMO ALL the current gen products look darned good. Each also has its own peculiarities. You just need to decide which you like best.

Good luck in your research.

I am currently stuck in Paralysis by Analysis. this is a scary place to be.
I feel for you armin_t. My last two purchases were tube sets. In those days, the decision was simple: For my budget, which tube set has the best picture. No thoughts about 40% price drops every 8 months, new technologies around every corner and dramatically improving picture quality with each new gen.

Also, with tube sets there were no worries about competing technologies,banding, clouding, washed out blacks, green blobs, ... This is an industry in transition and it is quite overwhelming at times.

Fred

Someone recently told me that LCD's are better than plasma's because the plasma is going to have motion blur, burn in, and don't last as long. I kind of wish I would not of have found this site because everyone seems to have something different to say. Ugh.

You should refer to the post about plasma longevity. The mis-information you have been blasted with is so wrong it's bordering on comical.

Someone recently told me that LCD's are better than plasma's because the plasma is going to have motion blur, burn in, and don't last as long. I kind of wish I would not of have found this site because everyone seems to have something different to say. Ugh.

LCDs are the ones with the most serious motion blur problems. Plasmas panels have a much faster response time which is the solution to motion blur issues.

Life span is not a issue for either type of panel. In both cases some electronic components, which will either be too expense to replace, or no longer available, is far more likely to end the life of either set, long before the panels are used up.

Burn in is something that one has to take care to avoid. It looks like very few people are actually experiencing the problem.

It depends on what you want to use the panel for. It is your call. Good luck.:)