So, there’s lots of good prices on TVs right now, and I’m in the market. I’m trying to decide between basically the same TV, but either Plasma or LCD (both from Samsung). I use the set mostly for normal TV shows, sports, some gaming, but not for a lot of lights off movie viewing. I will have it in a room where the sun can come in, but I’ve never really considered it a really bright room, however, as I said, I don’t turn the lights out to do movies that often. The deal prices I’m looking at have the two TVs at close enough in price that the dollar difference won’t be the decider. I don’t care for the handheld camera look some movies get on the high refresh rate TVs, but I’ve heard that some sets allow you to adjust that setting if you want for movies, to smooth things out a bit.
Any recommendations on which way to go (LCD or Plasma) would be welcome.
I’ve had a Samsung 50" plasma going on 2 years now and I LOVE it. I only have it on about 50% brightness and that seems enough even during daylight, but could be increased if needed during really bright situations. I am a little confused, I believe that lower refresh rates result in a jerky image. This is one of the reasons I went plasma, smoother action when watching sports. The plasma has the equivalent of 600 Hz refresh rate. Of course, I learned that that only works with over the air HD or BluRay because my cable box only has a 60Hz refresh rate.
I don’t think you can go wrong with any Samsung. I have their 56" DLP and love it. I think the deciding factor between plasma and lcd/ led for me would be tv placement. Most plasma screens can have serious glare if light hits them at the right angle. So if you have a window within the viewing angle of the tv, you may want to look into this. Lcd/ led do no have this issue.
That handheld camera look you refer to is often called “soap opera vision” on TV/electronics forums. I forget the exact settings, but I was able to get rid of that plus keep the refresh rate at 120 to smooth out fast movement in sports. I think most TVs come w this ability- mine is pretty basic.
We had a plasma in the family room for a few years, then upgraded to a bigger LCD. Even without it being a super bright room, the lack of glare makes a big difference. Getting a TV with some sort of anti-glare coating is worth looking into, IMO. Finally, the LCD throws off a lot less heat.
Amazon has a bunch of the Samsung TVs for a third or more off the list price.
I’m leaning towards the LCD. The V will be close to windows, and the LCDs are lighter and use less energy. Since I don’t use it as much for movies in a theater-like setting, I’m not sure that the extra dark blacks a Plasma gives make that much of a difference.
I just browsed the selection at hhgregg. Samsung LED was far and away the sharpest and brightest picture of all manufacturers, all other factors being equal.