Best 1080p HDTVs?

dcqdcq
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I'm starting the months long process of doign the research for setting up our home theater system, and I know jack squat about this stuff. What I want eventually is a nice ~40+" plasma HDTV with a nice speaker set up (5.1...I'm not sure about the usefulness of 7.1--HDDVD and Blu-ray both output 5.1, right?) The reason I'm asking is I went to go start looking online and it seems that most "HDTVs" are still not capable of displaying 1080p. Is this right? (Granted, I didn't so a lot or looking; I ran here right quick...)



Anyone have any advice? Suggestions? Anecdotes? Warnings?



I generally trust anything electronic by Sony, but maybe that's an outdated attitude now? Which manufacturer is considered the best? why?



What's the best place to buy? What about warranties (I never bothered with them before, but I've never spent a wad of cash like this before either...)



My gut tells me to wait until jan 07 when prices will drop even further for plasma tvs, more blu-ray titles will be out, and I can get a mini with a blu-ray player and burner...



...but that's such a long way away.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 42
    fran441fran441 Posts: 3,715member
    I have a Rear Projection 56" 1080p Samsung DLP HDTV. It's an excellent TV, but there are a few things to consider.



    First of all, no one is broadcasting in 1080p yet and very few 1080p sets have HDMI inputs that will accept a 1080p signal. I've also heard that the TVs that do accept a 1080p signal will only accept 1080p at 24 FPS.



    So in that regard, you are correct. There's almost no native 1080p content that can be displayed on a 1080p TV. But most of the 1080p TVs on the market should be able to upconvert 720p and 1080i to 1080p.



    I am by no means an expert on HDTVs and I'm not sure what 1080p Plasmas are out there. I guess your best bet is to just go look at TVs and see what looks good.
  • Reply 2 of 42
    oldcodger73oldcodger73 Posts: 707member
    DCQ, you might want to check out this website.



    http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/
  • Reply 3 of 42
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    There are dopey ads on TV for the Sharp Aquos 1080p. It's an LCD TV, but the Aquos sets I've seen are really sweet. Really expensive, too.
  • Reply 4 of 42
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by DCQ

    I'm starting the months long process of doign the research for setting up our home theater system, and I know jack squat about this stuff. What I want eventually is a nice ~40+" plasma HDTV with a nice speaker set up (5.1...I'm not sure about the usefulness of 7.1--HDDVD and Blu-ray both output 5.1, right?) The reason I'm asking is I went to go start looking online and it seems that most "HDTVs" are still not capable of displaying 1080p. Is this right? (Granted, I didn't so a lot or looking; I ran here right quick...)



    Anyone have any advice? Suggestions? Anecdotes? Warnings?



    I generally trust anything electronic by Sony, but maybe that's an outdated attitude now? Which manufacturer is considered the best? why?



    What's the best place to buy? What about warranties (I never bothered with them before, but I've never spent a wad of cash like this before either...)



    My gut tells me to wait until jan 07 when prices will drop even further for plasma tvs, more blu-ray titles will be out, and I can get a mini with a blu-ray player and burner...It all depends on how much you're willing to pay. Pioneer just brought out some great new TV's. ...but that's such a long way away.




    Here's what i'd do.

    (I) New Panasonic Viera (sister has one, and i've a Sony Bravia, but that panny kills it if compared)

    (II) PS3 (Blu Ray)

    (III) surround sound ??
  • Reply 5 of 42
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    Plasma - Check out Panasonic and Pioneer.





    LCD - Check out Sony and Samsung





    DLP - Samsung and Mitsubishi.
  • Reply 6 of 42
    oldcodger73oldcodger73 Posts: 707member
    Regarding 1080p, right now I don't think there are any plasma TV out yet that support it, but I think I read somewhere that several have been announced to appear "sometime". I seem to recall that there are some DLPs that are 1080p, but since I'm not a fan of DLP I haven't really paid any attention. There are some LCD 1080ps out now.



    This raises a question: plasma prices for 42" and 50" have dropped, that format seems to give the best picture, and according to some people 42" and 50" plasmas are selling well. Are the people who are buying them now, even though they don't have 1080p support, buying the EDHD plasmas of a year or two ago?



    Murch, would you buy a 1080i plasma now given that you're interested in HD/BR?
  • Reply 7 of 42
    e1618978e1618978 Posts: 6,075member
    I love my 720p 50" panasonic plasma. I don't really see the point of 1080p at that screen size, since 720p looks so good.
  • Reply 8 of 42
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    Quote:

    Murch, would you buy a 1080i plasma now given that you're interested in HD/BR?



    Yeah I think I would if the price was say %15 cheaper than the 1080p models. Hell I saw some of the 1366x768 panels and they looked pretty damn impressive.



    I thought DLP was falling behind as well but I admit the Samsung 2006 line looks measurably better. I saw it right next to the Sony SXRD and it was holding its own.
  • Reply 9 of 42
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    The latest TI DLP chip is 1920x1080, with really good contrast numbers, so the rear screen and front projection products based on same look pretty damn good. Pretty spendy, though, as well, but it means sharp price drops on the earlier 1280x720 stuff, which also looks good.



    Does anybody who has had a chance to take a long look at both have any feelings about how much "better" native 1080 looks against 720? My impressions are limited to trade show RDF, where source materials are hand crafted from rare earth alloys to make panels look awesome.



    My feeling at the moment is that 1080 isn't enough "better" looking to justify the expense of high density panels or the hassle of projection, compared to a good 720p plasma, particularly given the state of source material.
  • Reply 10 of 42
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    There aren't any 1080 broadcasts I'm aware of other than Discovery HD. It does look sweet, though.
  • Reply 11 of 42
    dcqdcq Posts: 349member
    Thanks everybody. Very helpful. As always, you guys rock.



    I admit, I am pretty taken aback. Here I thought I was behind the game. I've just been sitting on my 36" Sony CRT TV for so long, and so many people are crowing about their HDTVs, I thought 1080p was going to be pretty normal by now.



    So let me ask this: should I settle for something less than a 1080p screen considering I intend to keep it for ~10 years? Even if most HD content and disks are 720p/768p (??) now, won't 1080p be the standard in, say, 2ish years?



    This is pretty depressing. Looks like I was jumping the gun by at least a year. And even then, looks like a 1080p plasma will be top of the line...



    Maybe I should just stick with a video iPod...
  • Reply 12 of 42
    e1618978e1618978 Posts: 6,075member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by DCQ

    So let me ask this: should I settle for something less than a 1080p screen considering I intend to keep it for ~10 years? Even if most HD content and disks are 720p/768p (??) now, won't 1080p be the standard in, say, 2ish years?



    A 50" plasma will keep you happy for 10 years (well, 60,000 hours - if you watch a ton of tv you may wear out the set before 10 years is up). Remeber that you only need these high resolutions on big screens. If you get your screen small enough (20"?), even 480p looks as good as 1080p.



    If you were going for a 120" front projector, then I would say hold out for 1080p, but at 50" it just isn't worth the wait to get a good price.
  • Reply 13 of 42
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    What e#s said. Panasonic has some very nice looking 720p plasmas and the prices are becoming not insane (under 2K for a 37", 50" for right at 3k).
  • Reply 14 of 42
    iposteriposter Posts: 1,560member
    My question is, what about a conventional tube HDTV? I saw one for the first time in the store this week. 27" 16:9 1080(not sure if it's i or p) flat tube, $699.



    I didn't even know HDTVs came in tube versions!
  • Reply 15 of 42
    nowayout11nowayout11 Posts: 326member
    Nothing wrong with CRT HDTVs, if you're ok with the size.



    It's most likely 1080i. But AFAIC, CRTs have blacks and color hues that plasma and the other formats are still trying to attain at a premium price.



    I'm a fan of Toshiba tube TVs. They have a good range of CRT HDTVs. 26" up to 34".
  • Reply 16 of 42
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    As far as I'm concerned, CRT is THE way to go unless you have reservations about box size, power consumption, or beta radiation.
  • Reply 17 of 42
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Well, and they weigh a lot more, which is a factor for installation and if you expect to have to move it much.



    Also, bear in mind that CRT brightness half-life is typically speced at 10-15k hours, whereas plasma gets 60k.



    Plus, to maintain top performance, CRTs must be serviced from time to time to compensate for the aging of the tube.



    But, having said that, yes, CRT has the best blacks and color gamut, and exhibits the least "grain" (although the differences aren't nearly as stark as they once were) and can be had for less (although that differential, too, is every narrowing).
  • Reply 18 of 42
    dcqdcq Posts: 349member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by e1618978

    A 50" plasma will keep you happy for 10 years (well, 60,000 hours - if you watch a ton of tv you may wear out the set before 10 years is up). Remeber that you only need these high resolutions on big screens. If you get your screen small enough (20"?), even 480p looks as good as 1080p.



    If you were going for a 120" front projector, then I would say hold out for 1080p, but at 50" it just isn't worth the wait to get a good price.




    I'm confused here (big surprise, eh?), and forgive my ignorance, but... Isn't the whole point of HDTV to get the most detail, the prettiest picture? What do you mean that at 20", 480p looks as good as 1080p? I've seen side-by-side stills of DVD and HD images. The amount of detail (color, texture, depth, shading, etc.) is unbelievable. It's one of the things that convinced me that upgrading was something I want to do in the first place. Do you mean that at 40-50", the difference between 720 and 1080 is imperceptible? Aren't you then wasting a good half of the detail you are upgrading for (a million pixels vs 2 million)?



    And here's a question: if we have had lcd monstrosities like the 30" ACD that dwarf the resolution of HD (4 million pixels) for years now, why is it taking so long for the manufacturers to put a measley (sp?) 2 million on a plasma screen?
  • Reply 19 of 42
    e1618978e1618978 Posts: 6,075member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by DCQ

    I'm confused here (big surprise, eh?), and forgive my ignorance, but... Isn't the whole point of HDTV to get the most detail, the prettiest picture? What do you mean that at 20", 480p looks as good as 1080p? I've seen side-by-side stills of DVD and HD images. The amount of detail (color, texture, depth, shading, etc.) is unbelievable. It's one of the things that convinced me that upgrading was something I want to do in the first place. Do you mean that at 40-50", the difference between 720 and 1080 is imperceptible? Aren't you then wasting a good half of the detail you are upgrading for (a million pixels vs 2 million)?



    Your eye can only perceive so much - look at a 12" CRT displaying a 480i image, it is incredibly good (better than a 50" screen displaying a 720p image, I think). I don't know where the limits of perception are, but definitely the larger the screen, the more resolution you need to get the same level of image clarity.



    Also, the viewing distance has a big effect on how much resolution you need to max out your vision. Sit 3' from a 50" screen, and you probably can tell the difference between 720p and 1080p - but sit 15' away, and I don't think that you could. I can barely tell the difference between a good upsampler on 480i and 720p.



    -- I was unsatisfied with the above answer, so here is a better one:



    If you have 20/20 vision, that means that you are able to perceive resolution lines that are 1/60th of a degree apart. Your vision spans 30 degrees, so if you sit far enough away from the TV that it fills your whole vision, then you can perceive a horizontal resolution of 1800 pixels.



    Since HDTVs are 16x9, 1013x1800 should be the maximum that you can perceive. 1080P is 1080x1920, so it is above that limit, and a 50" TV at 15 feet occupies only 15 degrees of vision, so half of that resolution should be fine.

  • Reply 20 of 42
    wmfwmf Posts: 1,164member
    No one has mentioned Westinghouse yet; I've heard good things about their TVs.
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