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Weasel:

I agree that plasma is the way to go especially if you are going to be watching it in SD. Personally I'd go with the S1 series Panasonic 50". It might be a few more dollars but would be well worth it in the long run. Two of my friends recently purchased that model and couldn't be happier. I have a TH-50PZ850U that I got last Christmas. If someone gave me a Samsucks I'd sell it and buy a Panny :D

Why you wouldn't want to hook it up to a HD signal has me :confused: though.

Because my families house doesn't have HD signal to it, just SD basic cable... and for the little bit of TV I actually watch (only certain programs, no movie channels) I wouldn't benefit from HD nearly enough to justify paying for the service. All my HD watching is on blueray from the PS3 and on the 102" screen from my 1080i projector. (though I will hook that to the TV as well)

I reiterate, I have a good way to watch HD media with the projector, the TV is just for basic cable SD TV watching.

And I just looked at the reviews on the TH-50PZ850U, it has the same "bad" section of review as the model that cost 1/2 the price with, kinda seems to review worse than the Samsung...?

I have yet to hear any real reason that the samsung is not as good, anybody?

I have not kept up with the whole LCD vs. Plasma diatribe...
OT, to the OP but has anyone truly found LCD competative.
My Series 10 Panny and Kuro I find is pretty amazing.
Was at my friends house couple weeks, he had the top of the line Sony LCD. Looked better than past LCD's compared to Plasma, but still not the PQ of my Plasma's,

I've not walked down the video aisle of goods lately, but are there LCD's that truely do compete and rival compared to Plasma PQ ?

Best tv handsdown is the Pioneer PRO-FD151

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexK (Post 687804)

More like "was" - good luck trying to find it at any reliable store for a reasonable price :p:
Pioneer's Plasma TVs: R.I.P. - BusinessWeek

you can still find them.. i have an authorized source if you need one.

But can you get it at less than $1000? If so I'm game... but if it id still ~$4k I'm waaay out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexK (Post 687772)

Some areas can receive free OTA (over-the-air) HDTV channels (local channels, if you have any that are transmitting in HD), all you need is a cheap antenna and a display with ATSC tuner built-in...

For example:
09 Samsung B series "buzz" thread [NO PRICE TALK] - AVS Forum

Yeah, but sitting at an angle from ~8 ft away with the ambient noise of 2 computers, a 3ft fridge under the bar and liquor tap/chiller on top the bar...(lots of cooling fans) I doubt I'll ever hear a noise. But now I will pay close attention for that when looking at them.

Dug up some more info on the lifespan of plasma and the buzzing sound some people complain about.

Quote:

Now to address a few concerns about plasma: First of all, today's plasma TVs don't have the same problems with premature image aging (burn-in, burn-out) that plagued older plasma monitors and TVs. That's because the mix of gases used in the panels have been changed to improve longevity. You'll hear the figure '60,000 hours' thrown around; be conservative and figure half that, which is 30,000 hours.

30,000 hours is the equivalent of watching eight hours a day of television, seven days a week for 10 years. I don't watch that much television, but perhaps you do. Assuming you operate yourplasma TV in the 'Normal' or 'Cinema' picture modes and don't play video games on it too often, you should be in fine shape for quite some time.

No, you don't need to recharge the gas in the panel – it can't leak out, and besides, you'd need a laboratory-grade facility to reseal it if it did develop a leak. Yes, you can hang plasma on the wall, but don't put it upside down on the ceiling! Most people prefer to simply place it on a stand, and for the smaller sizes, you don't really need to pay anyone to 'install' it for you – a screwdriver and a couple of strong bodies will do the trick.

Yes, some plasma TVs make a lot of noise at high altitudes. That noise is the mechanical 'buzz' created during the plasma's on-off imaging cycles. At low altitudes, the air pressure is sufficient to keep the glass from vibrating very much. But at high altitudes, air pressure is lower, so the glass vibrates more – and you hear it.

---snip---

LCD TVs are expected to last between 50,000 to 60,000 hours, and that's usually the time it takes for the backlight to burn out. However, you should read the fine print in your owner's manual: Those life expectancy numbers are not for full brightness, but only 50% or even 25% of full panel brightness. (Tests have been done to confirm this.)

Costco has a 1080p 50" Plasma for 699.
Might be worth checking out..

Costco - $699.99 after $180 OFF Panasonic 50" Plasma HDTV

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmwman3241 (Post 688076)

Costco has a 1080p 50" Plasma for 699.
Might be worth checking out..

Costco - $699.99 after $180 OFF Panasonic 50" Plasma HDTV

That model upconverts to 1080p, native resolution is 720p. Not that it's a big deal .