thechamp4ever

Well after much research I've decided on a final four to help me make my final decision on my first HDTV. Have several options (a high end PLASMA, high end LCD, an LED, one 55" LCD) to choose from

Needed Background info
*TV will be for my living room
*Will be used mainly for sports (NFL games), onilne gaming
(XBOX360) and watching movies (on PS3 once I purchase one)
*Distance of approximately 10 feet on an angle (I'd give an overall
range of 9-12 ft for when guests are over though).
*Several windows located in the room, also when watching sports I
will usually have the lights on in the room
*I'm known to leave my TV on for extended times even when not
watching. I also forget to turn off video game menus or the video
input signal in left hand corner. This is just something that always
ends up happening. Happens on a consistent basis and is usually
left like this for extended periods of time.

Final Four
50" Panasonic (#TC-P50G10) 1080p 600 Hz Plasma HDTV Best Buy $1,399

55" Vizio (VF550M) 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV & RCA DVD Home Theater System W/ 1080p Upconvert DVD Player & HDMI Cable Bundle Wal Mart $1,560

46" Bravia XBR (KDL-46XBR9)1080P 240 Hz LCD HDTV w/ Bravia 1000W 5.1-Channel Home theater System and Sony Blu-ray 1080p player Best Buy $1,799

47" LG 1080p (47LH90) Clearscan 240Hz LCD-LED HDTV Best Buy $1,399

*If I end up getting one of the two TV's without the Home Theater system I'll just end up buying one down the road (or hope to see if I can squeeze out a good deal when I purchase the TV). Also no matter what TV I get I'll be getting a PS3 for Christmas LOL.

Anyway I'm personally leaning towards the LG LED HDTV. My fear with the plasma is the burn in (since I do leave non moving screens on for long periods of time OFTEN), the angles I watch TV on, and since my room is fairly lighted, especially during sports. I like the Vizio but in terms of quality I feel it falls short when compared to the 240 Hz, the LED, and the Plasma. And the Bravia XBR9 is of great quality and one of the best in terms of LCD's and also comes with the home theater package but it is also the most expensive on my list and the smallest in size.

Let me know what everyone thinks and thanks for everyone's HELP!
Dan

Also if you have the time please rank these 4 in a reply and explain your reasoning below Thanks again

EscapeVelocity

Vizio hands down...for your needs and wants. If you are getting a PS3 it can handle Blu Ray playback for you nicely. Though the RCA surround system will probably be adequate....I wouldnt be looking for it to be "Earth Shattering."

For you, the Plasma comes in last....though it probably has the best picture quality in light controlled environments.

EscapeVelocity

The real estate and matte scree (LG panel I think) make the Vizio a clear winner. No problems with plasma burn in/image retention also.

The Sony has a glossy screen.

The LG and the Sony are much smaller.

240Hz doesn amount to a hill of beans over 120Hz.

FOX TV

I would not recommend any screen size over something in the 30 to 36 inch range unless you are feeding it with a full time HD signal, which of course is not really available at this time. All a large screen does is expand the pixels so that they are very visible when signal quality is low or high compression rates are used, especially in the case of SD satellite or SD cable. OTA HD has much better picture quality than does satellite or cable due to the lack of the compression rates that other distribution methods use.

I see this on Direc TV in standard Def on a 32 inch Samsung with a CRT display, and have even seen it at our local Sears store on a 52 inch Sony that was hooked up to an antenna that was receiving a High Def 1080I signal from one of the local broadcasters in our area. They were showing a basketball game, and very time a player moved aggressively, he would turn into a mass of pixels, and you could not even read his number until he came to a stop on the court.

What most people do not realize when they shop for a new TV set is that most or all of these sets are fed by a full time HD in house signal, and when you get the set home and hooked up to your SD signal source it does not look as good as it did in the store, and people wonder why that is so.

salemtubes

I'm currently in the market for a new flat screen and have chosen the Panasonic TC-P50G10 plasma set you've listed. While it is true that plasma sets need to be used in darker rooms than LCD sets, the superior picture quality and deeper black levels provided by the Panasonic are more important to me. The Panasonic is also highly rated for its rendering of standard definition content. And, yes, there is the possibility of image burn in with a plasma set; however, today's sets are far less susceptible to that problem. Plasma sets also do not blur during fast action like some LCD sets do. Lastly, for your reference, my current LCD set is a 4 year old Westinghouse LVM-37W1.

EscapeVelocity

Fox, you make some good points. I like using 40-42" 1080p sets for computer monitors, last I was paying close attention anything smaller at 1080p was commanding much higher prices.

The pixels on a smaller 1080p set are certainly physically smaller...very desireable for computer monitor usage. However I think that most people would like the bigger screen....and derive more enjoyment out of it.

I still use a 480p 16:9 DLP projector on a 92" diagnol screen. I have top notch processing and the picture looks very good.....although screen door effect kicks in about 8 feet away.

480p DVD can look really good blown up to 55". Now I realize that Sat and OTA and Cable all have their own curve balls to through.

BluRays will look fantastic on any of those units, probably best on the Panny in a light controlled darkened room.

I still think the big Vizio is the way to go...for this Video Game Player. But then again, personal preferences play a huge role. Thus we have 3 different recommendations from 3 different people.

Good to have choices.

Piggie

Man, to me that is still a lot of money for a TV...

Basically what Fox says about too big without an HD signal I can attest to 100%. Even putting some standard definition DirecTV channels into my 32 inch looks horrible.