I think the key thing is to never ever ever buy DLP...unless you want to sit dead on in front of it. The only advantage is cost. Plasma is increasing it's brightness half life, which is great, but be sure to check the specs that the one that you're getting is up to snuff in that regard. To my understanding, contrast ratios are still subjective when it comes to what exactly they measure, as there is no standard. Best bet is to walk the wall at Best Buy and see which one's brightness/darkness stands out.
I bought a 42" LG LCD with 1080i. After all I'd read it had the best reviews and looked the best in store. Great price and all that junk. Also, I was told that 1080p isn't needed for anything 42" and under, as the difference isn't noticeable. I'd definitely pay attention to the refresh rate though, as that plays a part in the clarity of any motion on the screen. Also wanna pay attention to the weight, sure most flat panels are relatively light compared to their tube counterparts, but they're still rather large and ungainly, especially if you're carrying it solo.
Inputs aren't as important if you have a decent receiver, if not, more hdmi will allow you to keep your tv longer, although you can always put a splitter in the line. I personally have a Harman Kardon AVR-247, and got it at a great price from their ebay store. It has 2 HDMI's in, one out, and upscales most analog signals to 720p via the hdmi connection. Plus it looks spiffy and was under $300.
Best of luck, and as some already said, the best one will come out a few months later, for cheaper, with more features, it's inevitable.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Paul @ Oct 18th 2007 7:23PM
I think the key thing is to never ever ever buy DLP...unless you want to sit dead on in front of it. The only advantage is cost. Plasma is increasing it's brightness half life, which is great, but be sure to check the specs that the one that you're getting is up to snuff in that regard. To my understanding, contrast ratios are still subjective when it comes to what exactly they measure, as there is no standard. Best bet is to walk the wall at Best Buy and see which one's brightness/darkness stands out.
I bought a 42" LG LCD with 1080i. After all I'd read it had the best reviews and looked the best in store. Great price and all that junk. Also, I was told that 1080p isn't needed for anything 42" and under, as the difference isn't noticeable. I'd definitely pay attention to the refresh rate though, as that plays a part in the clarity of any motion on the screen. Also wanna pay attention to the weight, sure most flat panels are relatively light compared to their tube counterparts, but they're still rather large and ungainly, especially if you're carrying it solo.
Inputs aren't as important if you have a decent receiver, if not, more hdmi will allow you to keep your tv longer, although you can always put a splitter in the line. I personally have a Harman Kardon AVR-247, and got it at a great price from their ebay store. It has 2 HDMI's in, one out, and upscales most analog signals to 720p via the hdmi connection. Plus it looks spiffy and was under $300.
Best of luck, and as some already said, the best one will come out a few months later, for cheaper, with more features, it's inevitable.