Need help finding out what type of TV best suits my needs

[hoofhearted4]

So I know this is 99.99% a PC forum, and even this section is more about using TVs as monitors and such, however This was the best place I could think of to post this sort of techy question. If I cant get any responses then at least i tried lol.

Anyways, as the Title says, Im trying to figure out what TV would be suit my needs. and this is a legit TV used for actual TV things, not for my PC (i have an IPS monitor for my PC that i love)

Ive been reading reviews of TVs up the wazoo, and been reading pages and pages of threads from other forums, forums even more geared to answer this question (i just didnt wanna create an account just to ask a question, but i will if it comes to that) and while ive gotten a lot of knowledge of TVs, its hard to figure out what would be best for me. Questions in those forums are always, whats best for movies, or games, best Picture Quality or best input lag. im not necessarily looking for the best in any area, but something that would be good for me in all areas.

Ive been leaning heavily towards Plasma TVs, specifically Panasonic plasmas and more specifically the ST60 or GT60. and while anyone talking about a Plasma does well to convince you image retention is nothing to worry about, I know its still there and it does worry me. Ive been doing a lot less console gaming as of late (duh i have a PC) but on the weekends, when my gf comes over, we will play for a few hours at a time or more. we play games like Borderlands 2 and Diablo 3, games with HUDs, mini maps, and health bars, the kinds of things im worried about getting IR from. im trying to convince myself that just a few hours of gaming wont kill my TV, but i am worried nonetheless

so why not just go with and LED TV and avoid all the problem? well because the rest of the time I like to watch regular TV or movies, and because i have a PS3 (and will have a PS4) i like to watch Blu Rays, and everything ive read says for movies, esp Blu Ray, Plasmas are the way to go. but again, those few hours of weekend gaming, or the fact that when im on my PC, i leave my TV playing (say on ion, which its been on a lot as of late) i am slightly worried about the logo being burned in for any length of time.

so theres my dilema. I really want a TV where watching Blu Rays is going to be freaking awesome, but i am a little worried about Image Retention.

Other notes: my spending limit is right around $1000. obviously less is better, and its not a hard cap, but id like to not go over it if at all possible. from what ive seen this puts me at the 50" range of TVs. which is perfect and is my minimum. I do not care in the least about Smart TV options, but i noticed most TVs in my range have them anyways. Also not worried about 3D capabilities, but again, seems like TVs in this range are capable of it.

Im coming from a 34" (or 36" not sure) LED TV i bought like 6 or 7 years ago. its just a little small when split screening with my gf so in the end, anything new will impress me. My room is in the basement, so my lighting is ideal for plasmas, and i sit roughly 8 feet away maybe? give or take.

so for anyone whos made it to the end of this wall, and for anyone who has any knowledge of TVs, has any anecdotes, personal experience, stories, opinions, or know how, id love to hear it. im looking to buy hopefully on or around Black Friday to see if i can catch deals. so i have plenty of time to continue research and whatnot.


thank you all so very much for reading and hopefully i can get my mind at ease more about what type of TV would be best for me and my needs!

 

[Mark3Max]

Let me start by saying I don't know much about plasma tv's , but from what I've heard they tend to operate a little on the warm side and have a short life span.
I'm not sure if you have a preferred manufacturer that you like or have bought in the past, But I have a 2 year old 40" Samsung series 6 , LED backlit LCD TV that I really like. I use it for watching blueray movies and with my ps3 . I also have a 37" in the front room. I have only bought Samsung Tv's for the past 10 years or so because I like the picture quality.
Some of the newer TV's are much better as technology is getting better.
I would suggest going to your local shop and looking for one that has a good picture and all the features that you like , then go home and read some reviews online.

 

[ShaunB-91]

Plasma TV's are awesome, especially Panasonic (the leaders in Plasmas) although they are the least to do that technology they are looking to move away from them now and just work with the LED/LCD market. The whole thing of them not lasting is bull, unless you want the same TV for 20 years then ignore it, our living room one is at least six years old from when they first became big (we bought it actually when Blu-ray came out) and it's still an awesome TV. Crystal clear, great sound, build quality, the lot. They do get hot, but does that really matter?

LED/LCD on the other hand are also pretty awesome, I bought the newest Panasonic 47" last April on release and it's really really nice. I'd definitely say go Panasonic, no doubt about it. I would spend as much as possible as well, there are some great TV's around like LG but they come with a good picture and crap sound, as well as looking cheaper.

Today your probably not going to get a TV without the smart features and 3D. If you do, it's a cheap ass TV, you'll probably get smart and no 3D. I don't ever use the extra features since I bought it mainly for PS3 use, but every now and then Netflix being built in (using wireless, which also comes on more expensive TV's) is great.

As for the image burning in on plasmas...I wonder how long the image needs to be still. The hours I played the likes of BF3, with the hud and all and it never burned in. I'd suspect it would be like leave it still for 24 hours. Plus you just use the auto standby features just incase you do leave and don't return for a while.

Id go Panasonic LED. The new ones with the brushed aliminium frame, with the clear part at the bottom which features the standby/power light and ambient sensor to adjust your picture settings depending upon the current lighting (you can turn it off btw) is awesome. I got the following for £999 http://www.panasonic.com/uk/consumer/viera-televisions/led/tx-l47et60b.html

 

[SuB]

I spent a fortune on a Panasonic Viera Plasma some years ago.. and IR can be a royal pain in the ass.. However.. there is a procedure to follow to help lessen it and it has helped me (I've had mine.. 5 years or so? and it's still fine).

The first 100 hours or so at literally the most important part of owning a Plasma TV long term and will make the difference between having a TV that looks great in a year, or a TV that has IR and bars all over it.

For the first 100 hours of the TV's life, turn the brightness & contrast ALL the way down (like 10%). Turn off any of the dynamic contrast shit and only watch TV/Movies that don't have black bars on AT ALL. If that means changing the image ratio so it looks pants, suffer it. It will pay off.

Over the course of the second 100 hours of the TV's life, start to gradually increase the brightness & contrast more to the levels you are comfortable with, generally I find around 50% is nice, but this will change with the source material tbh.

Now things like Station logos, game interfaces and bars are your worst enemy, It's a pain and people will hate you for it but just use the ratio changes on your site to push them off screen.. not ideal but believe me that shit will ruin your screen.

Now.. you're about 500 hours into using the TV (there or thereabouts) and you SHOULD (I'm not responsible for this) be able to do games and stuff on it for limited periods just fine..

TopTip: If you DO have something on the screen for too long and you notice IR.. don't just turn the thing off, (never ever, ever do this). Run something in full screen for about 10 minutes and re-check it. This helps loads.

I know all this sounds like a pain in the ass, (it is) but it's worth it for the colour/quality of a plasma... Would I buy one now? No way I'd get an OLED screen if I could, or at least an LED lit display, LCD is pretty shit if you ask me once you're used to the colours and stuff on a plasma.

Hope that helps.. if you need any other help/tips I'll try my best. I love my plasma telly, but yeah they do get warm and they suck the Wattage quite high. But it all depends on if that's what you want.

 

[ShaunB-91]

Damn thats a lot of farting around! If thats the case then I wouldn't bother with plasma, but for gaming and stuff it's never left anything behind for me.

 

[SuB]

That's the ultra-anal must-not-damage £1400 TV approach.. you're welcome to relax it in certain areas.. I just wanted to protect an investment at the time...

If you want to game a lot on a tv, don't buy a plasma, if you want nice movies and do occasional gaming on it get a plasma..

Stuff like diablo with a huge fixed inteface over 1/3rd the screen is not something i'd recommend playing on a plasma..

 

[Feronix]

Plasma looks amazing in darker rooms, but if you want to use your TV in both bright and darker environments, I think you might be better off with an LED TV. Think that not many companies still make plasma TVs anyway?

 

[SuB]

Plasma looks amazing in darker rooms, but if you want to use your TV in both bright and darker environments, I think you might be better off with an LED TV. Think that not many companies still make plasma TVs anyway?

Really?

My plasma is great in daylight, better than LCD i'd say? less 'sheen' (white out from light) than what you get from a matt'd LCD screen ?

 

[ShaunB-91]

Matt LCD is awful in daylight.

 

[Feronix]

In my experience, LCD has never been great colour wise, but if you have a full-backlit LED TV the colours look good during any time of the day. Edge-lit is decent too, but if you have really big TVs you might notice that the middle will start to be a bit darker.

Glossy screens tend to look better, but you've got to be careful. I happen to have a living room with a lot of windows, if I put a glossy TV in there I will be able to keep an eye on the entire neighbourhood through the reflection, but actually watching what is playing on my TV is going to be a horrible experience.

Considering OP wants to put it in a basement though, that should not be a problem.

 

[barnsley]

In terms of brands I wouldn't recommend the majority of Samsung LED tvs, we have one and it makes alot of high pitched whining when the screen goes black. Apparently the way that samsung makes tv/monitors with built in power bricks means that they will make that noise (and in the case of my old monitor, die after a couple of years). I believe they have fixed the problem but just to be sure I'd stay away from them.

 

[ShaunB-91]

Matt LCD's do suck. My TV is actually opposite a window but I don't notice the reflection, really doesn't bother me.

Full back-lit will cost you a fortune also, and there aren't that many out there. All these new Panasonic's, including mine, are edge-lit. I did want a full back-lit because they are supposed to be better but they aren't easy to find, and I wasn't pushing past that thousand pound mark either.

 

[Feronix]

Really?

I've never had that issue tbf, but I've personally always had TVs/Monitors from them with external power bricks. Never heard of this issue before yet either and I've been working in retail selling TVs for a year (like 2 years back).

Samsung do make some of the best quality panels though.

Edit; 42" TVs with full LED are available for €450,- and up over here. That's not tooo bad imo. That said, you won't notice the darker spots with Edge-lit until around the 50" mark.

 

[ShaunB-91]

Samsung screens are nice. Never owned anything screen wise though other than a 24" LCD. We've always used Pana so I trust them.

I know of someones Samsung dieing recently though, don't know why or anything.

Edit: You said 50" is your minimum, as lovely as big screens are be sure that your sitting a good distance back from the screen, only for the best as it can look a bit grainy being close.

 

[hoofhearted4]

as far as preferred manufacturers go, i dont really have one based on history. i think (by coincidence) ive always had Sony Tvs. For this new TV though, everything ive read points to Panny or Samsung as far as Plasmas go. and similar for LEDs even.

I do sit about 8'-10' away i think. im eyeballing it so i may be a bit off, but thats my educated guess.

the other +1 for plasmas is when im at my computer (which is all the time) im at an angle to my TV. the wall mount i have no swivels so it spins the TV in my direction a little bit, but a 50" TV wouldnt be able to be in this type of mount so id literally be at a 90 degree angle to it. plasmas dont have a 90 degree viewing angle but its still better then an LEDs viewing angle. This however would only be while half watching TV and wouldnt be a big deal. Movies and stuff would be almost directly on (if im sitting on my couch) or at a very slight angle (on my bed) which neither type of TV would have a problem with.

also i would plan on breaking my TV in. some say its a useless noob thing, but i am one, so i would lol. as i said, atm i dont game for more then a few hours, but the games i play do have static HUDs. also there is always the possibility a games comes out that i do play for several hours. but i guess at that point its my responsibility to take a break every couple of hours for a half hour or so to give my TV a break.

I really am stuck on plasmas. i just hear so many good things about them. im not a videophile or anything, but i do want really good PQ. even if i wouldnt notice it as much as others, just knowing plasma has better PQ makes me feel the need to get one. on the bright side, if i got my TV at the end of November, I feel like the TV would have a few months to break in before a new game came out where id wanna play it for lengthy periods of time. my next anticipated game is Destiny (i think thats next anyways) and that like in March on PS4.

i appreciate all your guy's input and help, it was much more then i expected to get and it really did help a lot! i would appreciate any more tips or opinions from anyone else and as always personal experience!

thanks a lot guys!!!!

 

[Mark3Max]

As far as viewing angle is concerned , I can stand right next to my Samsung 40" at a 90 degree angle and never loose picture. That was one of the things I really looked at when I was looking.
But if a plasma tv is what you really want , the choice is yours.
From what I've seen Samsung , LG and Panasonic make Plasma TV's.

 

[NeverBackDown]

Just got a 65" Samsung 8000 series LED TV. Pretty sure it uses an IPS panel as well and looks amazing. Is 3D capable so 120hz(though i think it runs 240hz?) and comes with 4 glasses and etc..

I would recommend it. Though get a sound setup.. the downfiring speakers built into it are not great.

 

[ShaunB-91]

I really wouldn't worry about it burning game HUD's and mini maps etc. only because of the amount of hours (straight without a break) I have gamed on a plasma and it's fine. Maybe other people have not had such luck but I dunno.

You could read up on a few reviews of TV's within your budget but just don't take everything they say 100%. The review for my TV was all great but says the sound was quite tinny...if you turn the bass up, it's really not tinny at all. If mine is tinny then I dread to think what they'd say about 5-6-700 TV's.

But go Panasonic!

 

[Feronix]

As far as viewing angle is concerned , I can stand right next to my Samsung 40" at a 90 degree angle and never loose picture. That was one of the things I really looked at when I was looking.
But if a plasma tv is what you really want , the choice is yours.
From what I've seen Samsung , LG and Panasonic make Plasma TV's.

That would be Samsung Magic Angle
Works pretty well imo, though I had to mess with some settings before I really liked it.

Just got a 65" Samsung 8000 series LED TV. Pretty sure it uses an IPS panel as well and looks amazing. Is 3D capable so 120hz(though i think it runs 240hz?) and comes with 4 glasses and etc..

I would recommend it. Though get a sound setup.. the downfiring speakers built into it are not great.

TV speakers are never great, no matter how expensive the TV or how good the panel is. But let's be honest, Samsung do make some of the best screens for TVs/Monitors as well as phones and such

 

[hoofhearted4]

Just got a 65" Samsung 8000 series LED TV. Pretty sure it uses an IPS panel as well and looks amazing. Is 3D capable so 120hz(though i think it runs 240hz?) and comes with 4 glasses and etc..

I would recommend it. Though get a sound setup.. the downfiring speakers built into it are not great.

i think the 8000 series is slightly out of my price range lol

I really wouldn't worry about it burning game HUD's and mini maps etc. only because of the amount of hours (straight without a break) I have gamed on a plasma and it's fine. Maybe other people have not had such luck but I dunno.

You could read up on a few reviews of TV's within your budget but just don't take everything they say 100%. The review for my TV was all great but says the sound was quite tinny...if you turn the bass up, it's really not tinny at all. If mine is tinny then I dread to think what they'd say about 5-6-700 TV's.

But go Panasonic!

this is great to hear because the whole HUD thing is my biggest fear. i know YMMV, but everyone whos been a naysayer against plasma doesnt actually have any personal experience to go off of. the annoying thing is how everyone in stores is against it (Best Buy, Sears, etc) but they dont really know why.


you guys are such a great help. thanks a lot.