sony1246
In the market for a new TV. I've never had a flat screen before but man am I getting a headache trying to find the facts on TVs. I don't and won't have cable or Dish...just antenna. I have an XBOX 360 and Wii and a DVD player. I'm happy with the picture on our 27" RCA tube TV but it is going out and am not gonna wait til then. I am looking for between a 42" and 46" LCD for under $800 with at least a 120 Hz refresh rate. My main problem is this...through all the websites and even asking associates at Wal Mart and Best Buy I am not getting the answers for the type of tuner I need so as to just receive the digital signals over the air. Online they say NTSC and the associates say the TVs "should" pick up the signals but nowhere can I get a definitive answer.
I need help with good brands with longevity.
Help?
Also, should I look for a glass screen or a non glare screen?
Answer
To receive on air HDTV signals, you need an ATSC tuner. Almost every TV now comes with this tuner. The NTSC tuner was for the now defunct analog network. You don't need the tuner if you are using an HD box (such as from Comcast). As far as what to look for in an LCD, there are many choices. The backlight that illuminates the screen can be either fluorescent bulb lit, or the newer LED lit. More and more TVs in 2011 are now LED lit. LEDs use less electricity, allow ultralight, and ulra thin TVs. LED TVs also give better contrast. So even though you may hear LED TV, its actually an LCD TV, with an LED backlight.
Other factors to look at are 120HZ and 240HZ. These reduce blurring when viewing fast action and sports, and are a nice feature to have. Many TVs have this feature.
Another feature to consider is internet ready TVs. These allow you to display online content such as Netflix and other content.
You can check this site out, that displays 46-inch TVs side by side.
http://www.smartreview.com/46-inch-lcd-tvs-roundup-and-comparison
3D or not. A 3D TV is just a regular 2D HDTV with some extra features to allow 3D. 3D TVs have a built in Infrared transmitter, that sends a signal to 3D glasses to turn each lens on and off hundreds of times/second to give the 3D effect. Other than that 3D TVs can display regular HD programming just like any other TV.
To receive on air HDTV signals, you need an ATSC tuner. Almost every TV now comes with this tuner. The NTSC tuner was for the now defunct analog network. You don't need the tuner if you are using an HD box (such as from Comcast). As far as what to look for in an LCD, there are many choices. The backlight that illuminates the screen can be either fluorescent bulb lit, or the newer LED lit. More and more TVs in 2011 are now LED lit. LEDs use less electricity, allow ultralight, and ulra thin TVs. LED TVs also give better contrast. So even though you may hear LED TV, its actually an LCD TV, with an LED backlight.
Other factors to look at are 120HZ and 240HZ. These reduce blurring when viewing fast action and sports, and are a nice feature to have. Many TVs have this feature.
Another feature to consider is internet ready TVs. These allow you to display online content such as Netflix and other content.
You can check this site out, that displays 46-inch TVs side by side.
http://www.smartreview.com/46-inch-lcd-tvs-roundup-and-comparison
3D or not. A 3D TV is just a regular 2D HDTV with some extra features to allow 3D. 3D TVs have a built in Infrared transmitter, that sends a signal to 3D glasses to turn each lens on and off hundreds of times/second to give the 3D effect. Other than that 3D TVs can display regular HD programming just like any other TV.
What LCD TV should I choose? How important is LED backlighting?
M Guy
Looking to spend about 800-1400 on an LCD TV, from 37-47". Looking for the best combination of anti-blurring, contrast ratio, and response time. Just when I thought I had my decision figured out... I started to look into LED backlit LCDs, and I was back to square one...
Basically, looking for 120Hz+ (probably 240?), good response time (for sports/video games), and of course, the best possible contrast ratio. Is it worth "sacrificing a few hz" to get an LED backlit LCD that fits in my price range instead? Any specific tv recommendations?
I am aware that Plasmas shine in all three of the areas that I named. However, I primarily plan on using my TV to play video games, watch sports, and, eventually, as a 'monitor' for my next pc. I am under the impression that plasmas, although better in recent years, are known for burn in, and while a plasma may survive playing video games and having sports cast logos without getting burn in, it most likely will not survive a 'start menu' haha. If this is wrong, correct me. Otherwise... help me choose an LCD TV please!
Answer
LCDs suffer from motion blur (ghost trails). This compensated for with 120Hz and 240Hz sets. This helps a lot for sure, but its not 100%. Because of differences in response time usually, quite often 120Hz or 240Hz will be about the same in quality (depending on the brand and models you are comparing). Like Sony might have a 120Hz set with a 5ms response time and then a 240Hz set with a 8ms response time. So I don't expect the 240Hz set to be twice as good in dealing with motion blur, its a more complicated landscape.
CCFL (majority) LCDs deliver somewhat muted colors, sometimes grey blacks, and so-so contrast. This was dealt with the release of the LED LCD. The LED backlight provides more vivid colors, truer blacks, and superior contrast. It gets an LCD in the ballpark of DLP, CRT, and Plasma. But its a HUGE price premium. Is it worth it? 100% depends on your eyes. For some the difference makes it mandatory. For others, the difference isn't worth the cost. Go to a store and look at it and decide, don't worry about it at a technical level.
Plasmas from better manufacturers don't really suffer burn-in anymore. Panasonic and Samsung models even have additional anti-image retention features above and beyond the inherent improvements in the technology. Just don't game on it for the first 20-50 hours. And keep the brightness and contrast cranked way down for the first 100-200 hours. Then game away and enjoy.
I know loads of gamers who own Plasmas. Just don't leave your game on pause (if you need to pause or leave the room, shut off the TV while the console is still on then). Using it to watch movies off your PC, no big deal. to use it as your PC monitor, where you'll have a lot of static image, okay that I might not recommend.
With your budget, right now from Best Buy,
Panasonic TC-P42U1 - 42" 1080p Plasma - $850 (reg)
Panasonic TC-P42S1 - 42" 1080p Plasma - $1000 (reg)
- better contrast
Panasonic TC-P46S1 - 46" 1080p Plasma - $1300 (reg)
Samsung LN40B630 - 40" 1080p 120Hz - $950 on sale
Sharp Aquos LC46D85U - 46" 1080p 120Hz - $1000 on sale
Samsung UN40B6000VFXZA - 40" 1080p 120Hz LED - $1600 on sale - above your budget I know, but $500 off, pretty good sale
I passed some decent looking LG ones as well. If you're really heavy into the gaming maybe look into those. I think LG might have some HDTVs that are actually 2.4ms response times. I can't recall which models though, but you could figure that out from their site I'm sure.
LCDs suffer from motion blur (ghost trails). This compensated for with 120Hz and 240Hz sets. This helps a lot for sure, but its not 100%. Because of differences in response time usually, quite often 120Hz or 240Hz will be about the same in quality (depending on the brand and models you are comparing). Like Sony might have a 120Hz set with a 5ms response time and then a 240Hz set with a 8ms response time. So I don't expect the 240Hz set to be twice as good in dealing with motion blur, its a more complicated landscape.
CCFL (majority) LCDs deliver somewhat muted colors, sometimes grey blacks, and so-so contrast. This was dealt with the release of the LED LCD. The LED backlight provides more vivid colors, truer blacks, and superior contrast. It gets an LCD in the ballpark of DLP, CRT, and Plasma. But its a HUGE price premium. Is it worth it? 100% depends on your eyes. For some the difference makes it mandatory. For others, the difference isn't worth the cost. Go to a store and look at it and decide, don't worry about it at a technical level.
Plasmas from better manufacturers don't really suffer burn-in anymore. Panasonic and Samsung models even have additional anti-image retention features above and beyond the inherent improvements in the technology. Just don't game on it for the first 20-50 hours. And keep the brightness and contrast cranked way down for the first 100-200 hours. Then game away and enjoy.
I know loads of gamers who own Plasmas. Just don't leave your game on pause (if you need to pause or leave the room, shut off the TV while the console is still on then). Using it to watch movies off your PC, no big deal. to use it as your PC monitor, where you'll have a lot of static image, okay that I might not recommend.
With your budget, right now from Best Buy,
Panasonic TC-P42U1 - 42" 1080p Plasma - $850 (reg)
Panasonic TC-P42S1 - 42" 1080p Plasma - $1000 (reg)
- better contrast
Panasonic TC-P46S1 - 46" 1080p Plasma - $1300 (reg)
Samsung LN40B630 - 40" 1080p 120Hz - $950 on sale
Sharp Aquos LC46D85U - 46" 1080p 120Hz - $1000 on sale
Samsung UN40B6000VFXZA - 40" 1080p 120Hz LED - $1600 on sale - above your budget I know, but $500 off, pretty good sale
I passed some decent looking LG ones as well. If you're really heavy into the gaming maybe look into those. I think LG might have some HDTVs that are actually 2.4ms response times. I can't recall which models though, but you could figure that out from their site I'm sure.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
Title Post: What to look for in a new TV?
Rating: 98% based on 988 ratings. 5 user reviews.
Author: Yukie
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
Rating: 98% based on 988 ratings. 5 user reviews.
Author: Yukie
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
No comments:
Post a Comment