The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[dede4wd]

TV shopping...pro's/cons? Any ideas.

I'm torn between the Samsung 42" plasma and the Samsung 40" LCD. They both are HDTV. They both have 60,000 hour lifespans, plasma has the better contrast ratio and LCD has less chance of burn in.

Comments, concerns! All are welcome!

DeDe

[alpha femme]

I strongly suggest you let me come over and watch whatever you buy.

[dede4wd]

Okay, but it's probably going to be a Battlestar Galactica marathon, I have to catch up on season 3!

DeDe

[DogMa]

When I moved into the new house last spring, I got a 56-inch DLP. Cheaper than plasma, but seemed better than the LCDs. My brother was pushing for projection, but they seem better in darker rooms than mine.

I love the plasmas, but I'd worry about the burn-in because I tend to pause TiVo and then leave the room and forget. So sometimes one image will be on there for a long time. (If you don't do that, though, I'd probably go with the plasma.)

[dede4wd]

You're right Robin, I do pause my Tivo all the time...plus some stuff I'll be watching (a lot) isn't widescreen, so I'm worried about the burn in of the black bars too. Also, at the store comparing them, the new display plasma already had burn bars in it and they said the display was 2 weeks old...yikes!

I'm leaning towards the LCD one and now have to pick between black and white case...the plasma is pretty (beautiful), but a little too high maintenance. I'm one of those "clean the dust off the face" girls, not worrying if I've been watching a channel with a ticker at the bottom too long...I've been saving weekly for this though and don't want to screw up!

DeDe

[Nova]

According to my hubby, who just researched all this...
Burn in is a relic of the 80s and CRTs. Don't have to worry about that unless you're going to leave it on one image for hundreds of hours.

He suggests going to a store and looking at them because sometimes they just don't look right to you. Plasma's have a weird refresh rate that bugs some people's eyes. Not everyone though. You should go look at one for 15 minutes before you buy it.

He says you can't go wrong with Samsung; it's a really good brand. Watch out for a shiny frame, because it will distract if you have it anywhere where light from a window or light will reflect on it. We have a matte frame on our new LCD tv.

The cheapest place to find these are at warehouse clubs. You can comparison shop online. Often, the savings will be enough to justify buying a membership, and Costco has a fantastic liberal return policy on electronics.

If they both look good, check the quality of the blacks. Making a pixel opaque in a plasma or LCD is sometimes difficult and can make or break a picture if you're very picky.

Make sure you measure your space. I'm sure you have, but they always look bigger at home than they do in the store.

[GucciGoo]

I have a 28" Samsung LCD in my bedroom and it is wonderful. (I have a 53" TV in my living room and wanted a smaller one for my bedroom). The Samsung has brilliant color and excellent resolution. We are very happy with it.

[GucciGoo]

Also... you can even see this on the Best Buy website- screen burn is a major concern even now with plasma TV's. I tend to fall asleep while watching a DVD and would worry about finding a DVD menu burned into my screen.

[dede4wd]

Okay,
Decision made...40" Samsung LCD HDTV with a white case...Thanks everyone! That trip to the store yesterday dragging the chair over there made the decision!

DeDe

[Mike]

I have a 28" Samsung LCD in my bedroom and it is wonderful. (I have a 53" TV in my living room and wanted a smaller one for my bedroom).

Man, we must be way behind the times. We are still using my old 25" in the living room and have a little 13" in the kitchen.

[dede4wd]

What's really sad is that I will soon have 3 tv's in the house, but at least now I have one over by my new pilates reformer machine, yay!

DeDe