Thinner flat Screen televisions

[Wilbur]

It is my understanding only Sony is currently pursuing the OLED technology.  Other companies have looked at it but believe it is too big a risk currently to soak a bunch of money into R&D.

They had an OLED set at CES this year, but the 11 inch version was extremely expensive.

USAToday had an article here

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2008-01-06-consumer-electronics-show_n.htm

Shop at Video Revolution.  They have always treated me well and will negotiate on their prices.  Plus, they know their stuff, where most of the 'kids' at Best Buy usually don't.

I did a lot of shopping around at specialty stores before I ended up with my Mitsubishi 73" DLP.  Nearly every store recommended DLP or LCD (most leaned towards DLP), and ALL said to stay away from plasma.

[TUalum0982]

UHDV will be the future.  Do a search of yahoo for it. Pretty impressive, but many many years away.

an excerpt from one article

"The format, called Ultra High Definition Video, or UHDV, has a resolution 16 times greater than plain-old HDTV, and its stated goal is to achieve a level of sensory immersion that approximates actually being there."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/03/technology/circuits/03next.html?ex=1401595200&en=935183cee9a4bd49&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND

[EricP]

Sharp has some newer/thinner LCD's than many others lately... I passed on that to save even more money and picked up an Olevia 247TFHD 47" 1080P LCD before Thanksgiving at Circuit City though. Turns out the thickness is exactly perfect for above our fireplace mantle

No matter when you buy, something newer will be along shortly... so just pick the best price/performance you are willing to pay for and go for it. We went from our little 25" Panasonic to this 47" Olevia, so it was pretty hard to lose.

[okieinla]

I'll be keeping my 32" Toshiba for a while. Purchased it right before all the flat screens came out. It's a really nice tv, but a flat screen would be sweet! Especially for Superbowl.
Agree with EricP & I bet there are some pretty good deals right now.

[Steve]

quote:Originally posted by okieinla

I'll be keeping my 32" Toshiba for a while. Purchased it right before all the flat screens came out. It's a really nice tv, but a flat screen would be sweet! Especially for Superbowl.
Agree with EricP & I bet there are some pretty good deals right now.

And I will be keeping my 3 year old 32" Panasonic CRT tube TV until it poops out too.  It is a "flat screen" in that the front CRT is totally flat, no curvature.  Provides great bright, high-contrast picture from all angles, although it weighs a ton.  I will get a converter box for DTV, presumably with one of the $40 government subsidized coupons, as I rely solely on free broadcast TV for my TV entertainment.

It's going to get interesting as Feb. 2009 approaches and if the gov't. sticks to the DTV cutoff.  Although only about 25% of current U.S. households rely solely on free broadcast TV as I do, I expect a large public outcry about the change as people's TV screens suddenly go blank.  Leave it to our government for such an unneeded, unnecessary change.  All fueled by a money grab from TV manufacturers and the govt., wanting to resell TV bandwith for other purposes.

[sauerkraut]

Yeah, this new fangled HDTV is already outdated. I'm not going to buy it.

[citizen72]

We spent some time this past weekend at a store just watching for a time the various sets. One big surprise we saw over our present analog set is the amount of detail in the faces of the actors in movies. My wife commented that this might be a little too much detail as she needs to preserve a little mystery.

Is there some sets that allow some control over detail or is it a you get what you see thing? I know on my old set we can control the brightness thus exercising some control over the picture.

[sgrizzle]

You can adjust brightness and contract but if you don't want to be able to see defined pores, get a smaller set.

You can also cheap out and get an EDTV which will accept digital signals but has lower resolution (480p) versus 720p/1080i/1080p of the HDTV sets.

[citizen72]

Now there is a new wrinkle that came from none other that my television repair guy who I have known for around twenty seven years.

My wife and I bought our first television in 1981 from a retailer who also just happened to be a television repair genius.  Down through the years I have seen him time and again set on the floor in the middle of my living room and repair this or that printed circuit.  He still runs a repair shop and stays covered all the time.  Amazing fellow.

Well anyway today I was talking to him and I mentioned we were thinking of purchasing one of the new thinner 2008 models of television. He asked, "Would you like to talk about that for a bit.? I said sure and, long story short, he tells me that ninety percent of the new flat screen sets on the market are cheaply made junk. Seems there are several of the parts put in the sets that are grossly undersized and all this for the sake of making them cheaper and thinner. With these cheaply made sets we have equipment that will only last a few years before they need expensive repairs.

He said he was covered up with flat screens that mostly have the same groupings of problems over and over again. Many of them are only three or four years old. The other thing is that most parts are not readily available and the procurement of these parts can take days or even weeks. He recommends, as he has for years, that we stick with Hdtv rear projection LCD television for stability and longevity. He acknowledges you can't yet hang a rear projection set on the wall, but they are very reliable so that is a small sacrifice.

Cripe now what do I do. []

[restored2x]

quote:Originally posted by citizen72

Now there is a new wrinkle that came from none other that my television repair guy who I have known for around twenty seven years.

My wife and I bought our first television in 1981 from a retailer who also just happened to be a television repair genius.  Down through the years I have seen him time and again set on the floor in the middle of my living room and repair this or that printed circuit.  He still runs a repair shop and stays covered all the time.  Amazing fellow.

Well anyway today I was talking to him and I mentioned we were thinking of purchasing one of the new thinner 2008 models of television. He asked, "Would you like to talk about that for a bit.? I said sure and, long story short, he tells me that ninety percent of the new flat screen sets on the market are cheaply made junk. Seems there are several of the parts put in the sets that are grossly undersized and all this for the sake of making them cheaper and thinner. With these cheaply made sets we have equipment that will only last a few years before they need expensive repairs.

He said he was covered up with flat screens that mostly have the same groupings of problems over and over again. Many of them are only three or four years old. The other thing is that most parts are not readily available and the procurement of these parts can take days or even weeks. He recommends, as he has for years, that we stick with Hdtv rear projection LCD television for stability and longevity. He acknowledges you can't yet hang a rear projection set on the wall, but they are very reliable so that is a small sacrifice.

Cripe now what do I do. []

I expect the AKAI (a $400 42" plasma HD) that I now have in the living room to last a couple-three years. I know it is made with cheap parts and is designed to be a "disposable" item. However, the Panasonic (ED $2500) is still one of the most highly rated plasmas ever made, and it is now about 4 years old.

Sometimes you really DO get what you pay for. I haven't researched this in a while, but if you do decide to go plasma - it would be impossible to beat Panasonic, although the new Pioneers come close. Ask your buddy about the different brands - since he seems to know about the internals.

After having the thin plasmas, I would never get a "fat" projection TV. Well, never is a harsh word - but you know what I mean. I have NEVER had an issue with my two plasmas. If I ever do, I expect it to be with the cheaper model. I now have a very difficult time watching the bedroom TV, which is a CRT. I'd rather not watch than to watch on that.

Suggestion: If you have friends with the projection, LCD and plasma - ask to visit them to check out their sets. That way you'll see how they perform in a house, how much space they really use, and you can see the difference between HD and SD programming on one. Some of the cheaper sets look excellent on HD but truly suck on SD. (My Panasonic "upconverts" the SD signal to ED - and it looks better than SD on my HD AKAI, although the HD on the AKAI looks really nice.) People love to show off their cool stuff. Most people will admit to any shortcomings their set may have.

I sure hope you find a set before Super Bowl.

[citizen72]

Thanks "Restored." In fact my friend is really big on Panasonics and that is exactly what he recommended for me to buy. That and Toshiba to a lesser degree.

He says he has worked all kinds of sets and finds the Panasonic is far and away superior in component quality, ease of repair and ability to obtain parts conveniently.

Thanks everyone for your insight and information.

[Wilbur]

quote:Originally posted by restored2x

After having the thin plasmas, I would never get a "fat" projection TV. Well, never is a harsh word - but you know what I mean. I have NEVER had an issue with my two plasmas. If I ever do, I expect it to be with the cheaper model. I now have a very difficult time watching the bedroom TV, which is a CRT. I'd rather not watch than to watch on that.

Actually, a rear projection tv will still give you the best picture.  Every single one of the people I talked to at every single tv specialty store (no Best Buy, no Circuit City), said rear projection still produces the best picture.

Now, it's a trade off.  A fatter tv for a better picture compared to a thinner tv and a slightly worse picture.

Can you tell the difference?  Don't know.  I know when I was shopping, I could, but the tv I ultimately picked out, was also showing a loop of an ad (on the tv's hard drive) in 1080P, where everything else was in 720P/1080i.  So that could play into it as well.

I'll say again, every single person said to stay away from plasma and one store even said Sony was getting out of the plasma business because of the poor length of service.  They mentioned 5-year life on the plasmas.

[citizen72]

Looks like there is a degree of common agreement here. I know speaking for myself this discussion has really helped my wife and I. As a result we have settled on a Panasonic PT-56LCZ70 (56") rear projection and will have it in place Sunday. It has a beautiful picture with deep blacks.

Thanks again everyone.

[restored2x]

quote:Originally posted by citizen72

Looks like there is a degree of common agreement here. I know speaking for myself this discussion has really helped my wife and I. As a result we have settled on a Panasonic PT-56LCZ70 (56") rear projection and will have it in place Sunday. It has a beautiful picture with deep blacks.

Thanks again everyone.

Congrats!!!!
That is a seriously large TV.
Hope you enjoyed the Superbowl!

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by citizen72

Looks like there is a degree of common agreement here. I know speaking for myself this discussion has really helped my wife and I. As a result we have settled on a Panasonic PT-56LCZ70 (56") rear projection and will have it in place Sunday. It has a beautiful picture with deep blacks.

Thanks again everyone.

Per the NFL, you are not allowed to watch the superbowl on that.

Criminal.