Help me choose my new tv please

So, I'm looking to get a tv for my bedroom. I'm on about a 350-450 (willing to go higher maybe) budget.

Right now I'm looking at these:

Insignia 42" 720p 600hz Plasma $429.99

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Insignia%26%23153%3B+-+42%22+Class+/+720p+/+600Hz+/+Plasma+HDTV/9748831.p?id=1218166511573&skuId=9748831

or

Dynex 37' 1080p 60hz LCD $449.99

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dynex%26%23153%3B+-+37%22+Class+/+1080p+/+60Hz+/+LCD+HDTV/9573785.p?id=1218127623690&skuId=9573785

I'm going to be playing a lot of Xbox and watching Netflix so which one is best going to suite my needs. I like the plasma (we have that exact one in the store I work at), but it's only 720p. Is it going to be a big deal or not?

Thanks!

If you like the Plasma go for it, but I personally would go for the LCD because its 1080p and LCD tvs quality picture last longer then their plasma counterparts.

And the 1080p is a pretty huge difference over 720p.

I would stay away from dynex or insignia, just my opinion.

MAGNAX, both your points are invalid. Plasma's produced over the last few years last just as long as LCD's. In addition resolution, is entirely dependent on the size of the set and how far you sit from it. The reason being is that the human eye can not see the difference between 720p/1080p at a certain point. This chart is based on 20/20 vision: http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html. In addition 1080p is only better for 1080p material-currentlly limited to Blu-Ray. Most gaming systems and TV are limited to 720p/1080i. Yes, they can output different resolutions, but everything is just either upscaled/downscaled from the native resolution. Any how, on a 42" set, you would have to sit within 5.5 feet or so to see the difference. I've seen the Panasonic 42" 720p set on sale for $500 in local stores, I'd spring for the name brand.rastan

Well, I know the second point just isn't true, but I do have vision above 20/20 so that may be part of it. My 1080I decade old 60 inch TV has considerably clearer picture then another 40 inch 720p, which really doesn't even look that great, both being about 10 feet away. It makes a difference, and a pretty huge one.

dont get either one of those brands. better off to get this

http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-32E200U-32-Inch-1080p-Black/dp/B0038JED6W/ref=sr_1_1?s=tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1278983010&sr=1-1

Actually, it is 100% true. You are comparing apples to oranges. While your 60" CRT based TV may look and be better than your 40" set, the difference is not solely attributable to the resolution (By the way, I know 1080i is only beneficial on CRT based TV's as fixed pixel display can either display 720p or 1080p-or whatever their native pixel count is, and everything is scaled to that resolution). Resolution is only one part of the bigger picture quality puzzle-Native contrast, color accuracy, processing, scaling, video noise, among other things can have much more impact on PQ than resolution. Hence you can find some 720p TV's that can outperform many 1080p TV's. The only way to see for your self would be to get a CRT based display and switch between 720p/1080p while you move back from it. At some (check the chart) your eye's will not be able to distinguish the difference as they can no longer see the increased resolution at some distance. Its like looking at an orange closely where you can see all its pores and then moving across the room and only seeing a smooth orange.rastan

No, its not true. I'd believe it if you said 1080I vs. 1080p, or 480I vs P but I even looked up some articles like

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-6661274-1.html

and they agree, you can tell a difference, even if it isn't huge. The biggest difference though is Contrast Ratio, which the 42 Inch says it has a better. What I'd do is go to a store and look at all the TVs in your budget and choose the best looking one. Its probably not the best of ideas to buy a TV offline because you can't really tell how good it looks just by the specs off the internet. Though even at a store it sometimes isn't great because half the time they just have it hooked up to a normal cable signal.

Also, I said that the 1080I TV had a clearer image, though the newer TV has a better overall picture. Mostly because The old 1080I tv has seemed to lose a bit of its color the past two years.

All that article does is prove my point. The reviewers confirm that it is difficult to discern the difference between 720p/1080p from where they viewed the set and that some difference can be see if you sit closer to the set. I went a step further by providing the chart based on the limits of human vision which Carlton Bale published. Resolution is entirely dependent on the size of the TV and the distance you sit from it. 1080p on a small TV is still worthwhile IF you sit close enough to see that resolution. 1080p on a huge TV means nothing if you farther than the minimum distance where that resolution is evident. Native contrast is one of the most important specs on TV's, but most manufacturers usually talk about dynamic contrast ratio specs which is another meaningless spec.rastan

They said they could tell a difference, where you said it isn't even possible to tell with the human eye, which just isn't true. You sit 15 or so feet away, where most people do, and there is an obvious difference if you have good enough eye sight.

[QUOTE="rastan"]All that article does is prove my point. The reviewers confirm that it is difficult to discern the difference between 720p/1080p from where they viewed the set and that some difference can be see if you sit closer to the set. I went a step further by providing the chart based on the limits of human vision which Carlton Bale published. Resolution is entirely dependent on the size of the TV and the distance you sit from it. 1080p on a small TV is still worthwhile IF you sit close enough to see that resolution. 1080p on a huge TV means nothing if you farther than the minimum distance where that resolution is evident. Native contrast is one of the most important specs on TV's, but most manufacturers usually talk about dynamic contrast ratio specs which is another meaningless spec.magnax1

They said they could tell a difference, where you said it isn't even possible to tell with the human eye, which just isn't true. You sit 15 or so feet away, where most people do, and there is an obvious difference if you have good enough eye sight.

Correct. Magnax doesn't get it. At 15' away from a 50" set you can not even see the difference between 720p and 480p unless you are using binoculars. People think that if you compare two different TV's one being 720p and another being 1080p all the differences are based on resolution. That is not true. The only accurate comparison would be if the sets were of similar quality and similarly calibrated.

Prove it t o your self. Print a picture with an inkjet. Look very closely and you can see the fine pixels. Move it away from you and the individual pixels "disappear." They have disappeared at all, it;'s just your eyes not being able to see that fine resolution further than some set distance which is based on the limits of the human eye.

So, this is going to be in my bedroom, which is pretty small, and it will almost be at the end of the bed. So, I'm guessing i'll be about 6-8 feet from it.

Also, if neither of those tvs are that good, do you guys have any recommendations for that price range (x < 500)?

Have you thought of wall mounting it (with a swivel) and just getting a smaller TV?

I'm getting a 23" but I'm wall mounting (with adjustable arm) so it'll be a 1080p about 3 feet from me.

Oh, it's like $270 total.

TV: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6143887&CatId=5987

Mount: http://www.amazon.com/Peerless-PA730-Articulating-Mount-Displays/dp/B00155SXZ8/ref=pd_sim_dbs_e_1

Well, i'm planning on moving out sometime next year, and I don't think my paren'ts would be up for a wall mount. Plus, I have a stand that I planned on putting it on and having my xbox hooked up to it so a wall mount probably isn't the way I'm going to go. Plus, I'd like to get a bigger tv so I can have it for a long time and not want to upgrade to a bigger tv after I move out.

Makes sense. When I move out with my friend, he'll bring his big HDTV for the living room and my Xbox 360. I'll be watching my nice wall mounted HDTV in my room.

Correct. Magnax doesn't get it. At 15' away from a 50" set you can not even see the difference between 720p and 480p unless you are using binoculars. People think that if you compare two different TV's one being 720p and another being 1080p all the differences are based on resolution. That is not true. The only accurate comparison would be if the sets were of similar quality and similarly calibrated.

Prove it t o your self. Print a picture with an inkjet. Look very closely and you can see the fine pixels. Move it away from you and the individual pixels "disappear." They have disappeared at all, it;'s just your eyes not being able to see that fine resolution further than some set distance which is based on the limits of the human eye.

rastan

No, its not true at all. Maybe not at 15 feet, I'm not very good at judging distances, I was thinking that'd be about average distance. But at average distance, and a 45+ inch set, you can tell the difference. Just because you can't see individual pixels doesn't mean it doesn't improve clarity. Go change your computer screen from 720-1080 resolutions, and tell me you can't tell a difference. There is an obvious difference even if you can't see individual pixels. Heck, you can't see individual pixels on lower resolutions, but it doesn't look near as crisp.

And I never said its all the matters, its not. But it does obviously matter.

So, this is going to be in my bedroom, which is pretty small, and it will almost be at the end of the bed. So, I'm guessing i'll be about 6-8 feet from it.

Also, if neither of those tvs are that good, do you guys have any recommendations for that price range (x < 500)?

dylanagibson

depending on your viewing distance the resolution may be totally irrelevant. may i recommend you this panasonic plasma which when on sale you can get anywhere from 440-500 depending on the sale:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Panasonic+-+VIERA+42"+****/+720p+/+600Hz+/+Plasma+HDTV/9770484.p?id=1218170522194&skuId=9770484&st=Panasonic%20TC-P42C2&cp=1&lp=1

i really wouldn't recommend you the dynex or insignia because they are best buy in house brands and are not really all that good. the panasonic is also very good when it comes to image retention; which not a big deal these days but can be annoying to some.

even though the lcd in your post has better resolution if you were going to pick one i would highly recommend the plasma. it would have better colors, deeper blacks, and less input lag which since you're playing xbox on it i would deem important.