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

[SuB]

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.

Please ignore that, please for the sake of your Plasma if you get one. Don't listen to that.

I luv ya Shaun but mate, you can't just dismiss plasma burn-in because you've been lucky and/or don't notice it mate.

Sounds to me like you need a plasma, and will actively look after it, so go for it. It IS an issue, it's not the end of the world, and it's better on some than others, but it does exist. You just have to look after the TV and you'll be fine.

 

[hoofhearted4]

its not burn in im worried about. its persistent image retention. Burn In, as far as ive read, really is non existant. you really have to try to have permanent burn in.

Image Retention on the other hand, when an image lingers on your TV from anywhere to a few seconds, minutes, is a different story. or Persistent Image Retention where it could take hours, days, or even weeks according to some stories ive read. i feel like only a few hours of gaming would only result in an IR of a few minutes at most, and that i am more then ok with. even an hour long one i think i would learn to live with, assuming it went away with normal TV watching. it would be the IR lasting for days if not weeks that would bug me.

all that said, just in typing that last paragraph i sort of realized that a Plasma, once broken in, with the amount of gaming i do, would have a harder chance of getting any sort of long lasting IR that would bug me. so in essence i just convinced myself that Plasma is still more the way to go for my needs!


ive said this every time, but i still mean it. thanks for all your help guys! while my mind is nearly made up at this point, id always welcome more opinions!

 

[NeverBackDown]

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

True! The 8000 series tv's are ranked as the best 1080p tv money can buy. Samsung is thriving it seems. They make so many different things now and are excelling in many of them.

i think the 8000 series is slightly out of my price range lol
you guys are such a great help. thanks a lot.

Sorry to hear that, the series are truly remarkable in quality.
Anytime, that's what we are here for ^_^

 

[hoofhearted4]

yea, my price is right around $1000.

this puts me at the Panasonic ST60 ($1000) or for a little more the GT60 ($1050)

now i live in the US, and i was checking Best Buy's website, and they dont seem to carry the GT60. Amazon has it and from what i read it is slightly better (esp for $50) however, if i cant get it in a store, i dont want it. i fear having to return a 50" TV that i bought from the web.

 

[NeverBackDown]

Always best to get it in store. Though I try my absolute hardest to stay away from Worst Buy.. personal preference.

I went to Paul's TVs online and found a store near me then went in and came out with an 8000 series tv lol

 

[hoofhearted4]

never heard of them. went online and checked out their website, and theres no store even close to me haha. several hours away is the closest. but thats ok, their online prices were sorta high and there online selection was low.

the thing about Best Buy and kin, is that if something is wrong, i can just return/exchange it.

 

[NeverBackDown]

Whatever is easiest for you tbh

 

[ShaunB-91]

To be honest SuB does know his stuff, don't dismiss what he says over what I say. SuB has knowledge but what I say comes from just personal experience. One thing I would say though but again, depends on how long an image has to be there before it burns in...when your watching TV, the logo of ITV HD, or 5HD, or Discovery Channel etc is a still object but doesn't burn. Again, your probably only likely to watch one channel for an hour at a time, although if it's sports then the Sky Sports or Sky Box Office logo is there longer.

It's a toughy, if you get a plasma, why not do what SuB suggests, I guess it can't do any harm, it's just a slight pain in the bum.

 

[SuB]

Burn in is basically the same as image retention btw (at least when i refer to it) it's mostly caused by high contrast difference images (I.e. a white GUI on a dark game) that's when you notice it.

The worst you will notice it in the long-term, is if you run a lot of letter-boxed content. Because you use the inner cells more than the ones with the black bars, eventually you get a frame appear all the time where you have a brighter section at the top and bottom, and the centre isn't as bright. But that is more from uneven wear than from image retention. This can take a LONG time, but pressing a few buttons to change the image scaling ratio etc so it fills the screen only takes a couple of seconds and will be worth it long term.

But again it's literally just a case of looking after it. I'm certainly not trying to put you off buying a Plasma because I think you should get one

 

[ShaunB-91]

One thing I can say with Plasmas, is when you turn it off the image is still there, it slowly goes away over well say a minute, I don't know if this is to do with what SuB said, I couldn't comment on the colours that were last on it etc. but just an observation.

 

[SuB]

One thing I can say with Plasmas, is when you turn it off the image is still there, it slowly goes away over well say a minute, I don't know if this is to do with what SuB said, I couldn't comment on the colours that were last on it etc. but just an observation.

That's a similar thing to Image retention/burn in. The cells keep the colour of the last thing they displayed. If you're in a dark room this image can linger for upto 20~30 minutes sometimes (depends how long the tv was on and how warm it is). Can be quite spooky if you had a picture of someone's face/upper torso, very 'The ring' lol.

But yes, I find if you have a UI on the screen, just chuck normal telly on for a bit and then change to a plain black screen, then turn it off.. I know it sounds incredibly anal, (and it is, I won't lie) but it does help

 

[ShaunB-91]

It is quite spooky actually, turn the lights off, turn the tele off and it has peoples on it still.

Could it cause any harm? the plasma is only for ever watching TV, so if I flicked over to an HDMI (with the device off) or even powered Sky off and left the black screen up for a minute before turning off would it help?

 

[SuB]

Yeah it'l help, but the cells aren't activated when it's just idling, you need to 'send' it a black picture (different to no picture). Either that or send it a white screen.

I wouldn't say it causes harm, just that it can stay there until the next time you turn it on. I'm just way over-cautious cuz it was a massive invest for me at the time, so I've looked after it (and had quite a few falling's out with people who have mistreated it ). it's just in my nature to be like that. If you don't notice it and you're happy you don't have to listen to me and abide by my example. I just try to give help to make things that cost a lot of money like that, last longer

I'm extremo precious of my shinies.

 

[hoofhearted4]

i do plan on being very careful with my TV when i first get it. breaking it in, making sure to change the channel every bit, and so on and so forth.

my TV actually does stay on the same channel for hours. actually it rarely changes. when i play on the computer, i stick my TV on and it stays on. lately its been on a channel called ION (Criminal Minds, Lost Without a Trace, etc) however i think that channel in particular wouldnt be a problem, the logo is a very light gray/white and is almost transparent. couple that in with commercials every 15 minutes or so and i think id be fine.

and Burn In and IR are similar but not the same. Burn In is permanent. you dont get rid of it period. its basically nonexistent. IR is like a precursor. its just a lasting imagine, but it goes away usually after several seconds or minutes. then there is persistent IR, which stays for several days weeks or more. but will eventually fade out and go away if you work at it. the only reason you (i) have to acknowledge the difference is because when someone says Burn In is nearly nonexistent, they are right, however IR is a problem and it does occur, esp when a TV is new. and one should not be lead to believe that IR is a thing of the past, like Burn In.


i am pretty well convinced now that Plasma is the way to go. Specifically the Panasonic ST60 or if i can get my hands on it the GT60, maybe. that was my choice coming in and you guys have reinforced it coming out.

thanks a bunch all, youve been a great help!

 

[SuB]

Glad to help, take some pics of her when she arrives. I like shiny telly pics

 

[ShaunB-91]

Specifically the Panasonic ST60 or if i can get my hands on it the GT60, maybe. that was my choice coming in and you guys have reinforced it coming out.

thanks a bunch all, youve been a great help!

They both look nice!

 

[hoofhearted4]

haha correction; GT50. lol there is no GT60. and once i typed in the right model number, i found a bit more on thr GT50 vs ST60, and basically everything says the ST60 is a better TV at a cheaper cost.


i wont be purchasing the TV till hopefully Black Friday. however, im not going to force myself to buy on that day if i dont have the funds. just bought new bed this week so im saving back up from scratch, so we will see. if not Black Friday, then Christmas for sure

but when i do buy it, ill relocate this thread and put up some pics. maybe some before and after calibration. i dont plan on hiring someone to do it, so hopefully i can find a good site/forum that will help me along.