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Hi all,
I figured that it's time to invest a little on the video side, since everybody makes fun of me (well, my non audio fanatic friends) for having such an elaborate stereo (integrated w/ "H.T.") and an "antique" rear projection CRT TV. OK, it's for my enjoyment as well, I do like the entire movie experience- that's why I try and integrate the 2 channel with H.T. the best I can. Plus, a flat screen will interfere with the sound less when placed in the middle of Magnepans ;-)
My main goals are:
-Around 50"
-1080 resolution preferably
-Reliable
-Under $1000, or high bang for the buck
I plan on getting an Oppo BDP-83 Blu-Ray/ universal player to use with it.
All suggestions and experiences are appreciated.
Cory
Follow Ups:
I just go a Mistubishi 60" RP DLP TV to try for $800 at Costco.(I have a Panny 50" plasma also). The difference is size was more than I thought. The Mitsu is not great on SD, but on HD it's better than the Panny in some ways. It's not a quiet as it should be and I may work on that if I keep it. It is amazing sometimes on 1080i or better.
If you watch only at night, have the ability and placement allowance I'd go for a projector. Grand picture size, great picture quality in darker setting and the screen can be out of the way when you're not watching (better sound from your Maggie's).
Otherwise, I just bought a 50" Samsung 1020 for around $700 for our sunroom when the previous TV died.
Hey Grant,
Great idea. That was an option I started to consider once I began looking a little further into things. In fact, it would be an absolutely ideal setup for getting the best/ biggest picture while allowing the Maggies to breathe freely. I could even get an acoustical "sound screen" and pull it down in front of the Magnepans for movie watching.
It was a difficult idea to throw down, because it would be sooo sweet, but in reality that just wouldn't be practical for me now. The Maggies sit a ways from the back wall (of course) into the room, and there is a ceiling fan right where I'd want to mount the screen. I'd have to either take that down and install some other lighting on that side, or move it. I'd want to mount the projector on the ceiling also, and that means running wiring in surface conduit which I'm not too keen on. If it were a "dedicated" audio/ H.T. room, I'd be all over it. Unfortunately, I should keep it a little living-roomy.
Cory
This one looks great.
Baba-Booey to you all!
Cory,
I have two words for you - Pannasonic Plasma.
With the exit of Pioneer from the market, the Panny has the next best thing. Have a look at the TC-P50G20. There's a lot of bang for the buck there IMO.
Mike
Oh, BTW, don't just plan on the Oppo, GET one. An INCREDIBLE value for the money. I own one, and I here to tell you - get one.
nt
Hang it from rails on the ceiling, with a garage door motor to bring it closer to the seating area for serious viewing. Otherwise, at 20 feet you might as well be watching standard definition. According to the chart below, you'd need more like 65 to 70" to appreciate 720p at 20 feet; for 1080p, 100".
I think it would make more sense to install an above-ground-ool (heated for the winter of course) in the room and use a floating chair to paddle to whatever distance he desires at the time. You might find a good used one on Craig's List.
You noticed that there is no p in the pool above and that's the way we'd like to keep it.
It's a hell of a lot cheaper and easier if you sit in chairs, and it achieves the same result.
Move the seating back when you're finished.
David Aiken
Unless... you motorize the couch!
cxz
....but it would be worth it !
My 61" JVC LCOS has degraded, somewhat (the infamous "yellow blob" problem) so I'm shopping around in anticipation of that moment when it looks bad enough that the wife notices :)Plasma still has the best overall PQ, and Panasonic is probably the best available-I checked out the latest V25 Panny (with the useless, IMO 3D capability the industry) and a 2D blu ray demo of the Grand Canyon looked really stunning, with incredible depth of image (forget 3D, who needs it when 2D looks this good). Best PQ I've seen since the Pioneer Kuro, but it's way out of your price range. The 50" S2 can be had for close to a grand, and is probably your best bet. The usual plasma drawbacks (power consumption and heat) apply, but they aren't as bad as it used to be-I've seen charts comparing the cost of operating a plasma vs lcd over a year, and the difference is pretty negligible. The Samsung plasmas are very close to the overall performance of the Panasonics, and are definitely worth considering if the price is right.
LCD sets are definitely better than they used to be, but they still have the traditional lcd drawbacks (motion artifacts, black level and off angle viewing). The most impressive lcd I've seen in the last few weeks was a Sharp 60", a regular CFFL (not LED backlit) panel that had really good (for lcd) black levels and much better off angle viewing than the Samsung lcd that was right next to it in the store.
I'm leaning towards a 63" Samsung plasma at the moment-my cabinet can't handle the weight of the 65" Panasonic S2 and I don't like the thought of downsizing to a 58" after getting used to a 61".
A good friend has a 42" Panasonic plasma in his listening room with a pair of Magnepan MMG's, and the sound is so good with the 2 channel track of most blu rays that it makes you question the need for surround sound at all.
The latest LED are currently too expensive for what they offer, IMO.
Edits: 08/19/10
"A good friend has a 42" Panasonic plasma in his listening room with a pair of Magnepan MMG's, and the sound is so good with the 2 channel track of most blu rays that it makes you question the need for surround sound at all."
For a second I thought you were someone I know. I have a 42" Panasonic plasma with modded MMGs. A friend actually thought I had surround sound after watching a number of films at my place.
I don't know anything about this model, but it seems to be worth checking it out. Beware: The reviews on this site seem to be bogus!
.
In the JVC models, the blue filter of the light engine is susceptible to heat/light and slowly fails. We watched Fargo the other night and all I could think of was "watch out where the Huskies go, and don't you eat that yellow snow"!
It took a year and a half for my Sony to get the green blob. They did fix it thanks to a class action law suit. Not sure what I'd get when this goes.
Jack
nt
Keep your room cool and save some energy. Go LED backlit.
Check out cnet.com for TV reviews
For your first dip into HDTV with a limited budget, don't go for ultra high quality, even an average HDTV will blow your socks off.
In a few years when you are ready to upgrade, you will be better qualified to decide on what you want.
Get your TV at a local store. Bring a hardcopy of online prices and show to manager for discount. Don't be too proud to buy a display model, you will wave hundreds. If you buy online, prepare for the worst should anything happen. I bought mine from Sears, got a smoking deal. A couple years later the power board went, they came into my house and fixed it right then and there.
We'll have to agree to disagree about global warming until the next global cooling scare comes along
Hi Brian,
That's all very good advice, thank you. What you've laid down is pretty much my stance at this point.
Do all plasmas run that hot? If so, I would definitely be better off with an LED because I've got 4 hot tube amps in close proximity, so it would probably equal a fireplace with the TV.
I am definitely going to buy locally.
Cory
The heat issue from plasmas is way overblown. My 50" Panasonic plasma does not generate that much heat (probably like a 20W bulb, at most, distributed over the entire screen). Dont worry about heat. Now to the picture quality. Plasmas win by a good margin. Newer LED/LCD technologies are way better than they used to be, but still have not caught up with plasma. Dont judge by what you see in the stores. They will crank up the brightness and color on the higher profit sets which help grab the uninformed eye. You can only judge a properly calibrated set of any technology.
Just talk to the hand.
We'll have to agree to disagree about global warming until the next global cooling scare comes along
You would be better off with a higher budget, but the plasma display linked below is near your $1k budget before $100 shipping. Check out the rest of the site to see what's available in case you can spare a bit more change. Cleveland Plasma is a reputable online company.
You can also venture on over to avsforum.com and do some reading about different display technologies. Plenty of info there to help you decide what's best for you.
1) can you jump the budget up?2) do you have kids? will this be used a lot
or moderately?3) do you want it to last a long time, or are you willing to trade a few years for a better picture?
4) is the room bright?
5) you want to avoid the entry level sets, the improvement in electronics in the next step up is well worth the cost, IMHO.
6) how far are you from the TV? How big is the room overall?
Btw, Hsu is having a sale on subs. At some point, get a real sub and cross it high (THX style). Hsu has one of the cheapest decent subs.
http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-2-mk3.htmlSubs fall into 4 rough categories.
1) Bass box
2) entry level
3) real sub
4 OHMIGAWDThe MK3 is good bang for the buck, but if your room isn't small and you
can swing it, look at the ULS15. That's the real thing.
Edits: 08/19/10
Are you suggesting setting the sub's xover somewhere above the "standard" 80hz? If so, wouldn't setting it too high lead to bass directionality? Of course I may be misunderstanding your intent.
BTW, thnx for the note on the HSU sale. We're looking to upgrade and that 12" Rosenut veneered sub is right in our sweetspot and looks great (for a sub).
"I'd like to own a squadron of tanks"
No, just the usual THX standard. Maggies aren't that dynamic, if it was me, I'd try
crossing even higher just to see how it would work.
So I've tuned the xover back to about 50hz. Sh!tty sub anyway (Bottom line Velo 10")
"I'd like to own a squadron of tanks"
Hi late,
1) can you jump the budget up?
Yes, I would like to see a significant improvement for the difference though.
Basically, I'm just modernizing and don't need a top model.
2) do you have kids? will this be used a lot
or moderately?
No kids, so no video games or rough housing (unless a late night drunken dance occurs in the living room :-)
The set will be used pretty sparingly. My current set now gets used for 3 hours on average a week for TV and 1 or 2 movies or concerts a week. I realize that that might change when the new one arrives, but I'm on the road quite a bit so really not that much.
3) do you want it to last a long time, or are you willing to trade a few years for a better picture?
I'd say the better picture. I don't want to keep it so long that it becomes obsolete, but general reliability is of high consideration also.
4) is the room bright?
During the day, yes- but watching usually happens after dark anyway.
6) how far are you from the TV? How big is the room overall?
The room is 24'L x 12'W x 9'H and the TV is on the short wall. So, about 20' distance between the screen and seating. This almost makes me think that 720 would be enough resolution and that there wouldn't be a discernible difference between 720 and 1080 at that distance. Yay/Nay?
I've got a couple subs that are crossed very low to blend with the Maggies for music, and I turn them up a bit when watching action movies. They shake the room and can be heard very well a block away at full level w/ Techno. (yeah, I've tested this haha) They're almost fast enough to blend with the Maggies, and fill in the bottom registers well so I'm satisfied with them for now. I'd like to get a couple Rythmiks at some point down the road.
Cory
OK,
sounds like you want to fall into the plasma camp. 20 feet is a big distance for 50 inch TV. You might want to consider the Viera 58.
Higher res is better, but I wouldn't worry about that. If you are asking if
it's OK to get the cheapest then I'd say no. Go with midlevel quality. I spent a lot of time looking and realised that the electronics play a pretty big
role in real world picture quality. When you are watching tv or an old show on dvd, it makes a difference.
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