[bstrange]

First, I am on a tight budget, in fact, had I not had some recent luck, I'd still be watching my 27" Sharp CRT from 1990; so while I know neither of these are "performance" LCDs, I am capped at $600 so my choices seem pretty limited. I found 2 RCA LCDs the 42" L42FHD37R and the 40" L40FHD41 that are both in my price range. There seem to be advantages to both and disadvantages to both (size NOT being the most predominant issue atm); as the average distance from the LCD will be about 12 feet.


The 42" = Static Contrast: 4000:1 ; The 40" = Static Contrast: 5000:1 (40" has the edge.)


The 42" = Brightness: 500 (cd/m2) ; The 40" = Brightness: 430 (cd/m2) (The 42" has the edge.)


The 42" = Response time: 6.5 ms ; The 40" = Response time: 8 ms (The 42" has the edge.)


The 42" = Dynamic Contrast: 20,000:1 ; The 40" = Dynamic Contrast: 25,000:1 (The 40" has the edge)


So which of these is most important for both XBox 360 / Wii and movie, sports / UFC, TV shows? I have already been informed by every salesman on the planet that they both suck, but none had any other suggestions for under $600... one even said they flat out will NOT play Wii or Xbox 360 and pointed me at a $900 Samsung


Clearly, I am not a videophile, as I have been watching the same 27" PoS for the past 20 years, but I do want a decent picture and more 'playability' on the 360 and Wii than I currently have

 

[jamesco411]

For only a $600 budget, your best bet is either the Samsung B450 plasma or the Panasonic x1 plasma...both are 42" and can be had for that price and possibly cheaper. Both will be waaay better than any budget LCD...

 

[bstrange]

Don't I have to worry about image burn -in with a plasma? Most of my movies are standard, not widescreen and we play a lot of games.


I'm not arguing with you on the point, I really don't know enough to say. I did read a bunch of reviews saying that standard movies would have the black borders on each side when watching on a widescreen monitor and that games have static boxes etc as part of their HUDs that would burn in after extended play regardless of if the rest of the display was constantly changing.


BTW, thanks so much for the fast reply, this really is a daunting choice for me. As you can tell, from owning the same CRT for 20 years, I usually find much more important areas to spend even $200 on and dropping $600 scares the crap out of me ; however, I have the money and the 27" Sharp, while still performing well, has to be turned off by the remote (pressing power directly just changes the channel ) and reading text on Wii and XB 360 is near impossible!

 

[jamesco411]

With a plasma and gaming, I think most people tone down the brightness/contrast the first few weeks or so and make an attempt to watch as much full screen content as possible....they also avoid picture modes like "vivid" and "dynamic" to keep IR at bay...


If you are gaming, I'd recommend the X1...I hear the Panasonic X1 is very resistant to IR...the Samsung, not as much. My sister has owned the X1 for a few months now - she watches OTA HD (full screen) but everything else usually has black bars (4:3 content) or is 16:9 with bars on top/bottom.... and there have been zero signs of any kind of IR. I've been looking at the same TV for myself but I might wait for the 2010 models.

 

[gwsallen]

look into LG 42LH30 http://www.amazon.com/LG-42LH30-42-Inch-1080p-Gloss/dp/B001V5J7NY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1266512302&sr=1-2


i am not saying this set is good for gaming though, but it is within your budget and at least better brand than RCA.

 

[Mike Lang]

 http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/annou...hp?f=166&a=119