Computers & Electronics

this a good tv?

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  • May 2nd, 2011 6:07 am
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Dec 12, 2009
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Is the gimmicky 3D an absolutely necessary feature for you? If not, how about considering this unit from LG. This is a 2011 model of the 2010 PK550 line. I have a PK550. I highly recommend it. Oh, don't let your friends and acquaintances tell you that plasma tvs are dead. Their advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. CNET offers good research material.


http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/ ... 472b3aen02

http://reviews.cnet.com/televisions/
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May 22, 2009
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will888 wrote: Is the gimmicky 3D an absolutely necessary feature for you? If not, how about considering this unit from LG. This is a 2011 model of the 2010 PK550 line. I have a PK550. I highly recommend it. Oh, don't let your friends and acquaintances tell you that plasma tvs are dead. Their advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. CNET offers good research material.


http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/ ... 472b3aen02

http://reviews.cnet.com/televisions/

I ended up buying a cheaper tv which is an lg

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/ ... 90cea7en02

What you think?
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That isn't even 1080P TV only 720P. All HD content displays 1080i and being 720p isn't that good especially BluRay content is 1080p standard (1920x1080).

Problems with plasma is still burn-in. If you got those vertical bars when watching non-hd content it will eventually burn in unless you use white wash every so often to make sure there is no burn-in.
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HondaScott wrote: I ended up buying a cheaper tv which is an lg

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/ ... 90cea7en02

What you think?

The price is too high for a 720P set. Prices have dropped so much that I personally don't see the value in getting 720P any more. When tv size is larger than 40 inch, the graininess starts to show. However, if the $200 savings matter, why don't you return that set and get this unit from dell for $600, with free shipping. They are pretty much identical sets. If you do decide to buy from dell, don't just order from the net. Call in and ask if there is extra discount. I ended up getting $30 which was enough to pay for the eco tax.

http://accessories.dell.com/sna/product ... e_irrank=0
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gnuman wrote: That isn't even 1080P TV only 720P. All HD content displays 1080i and being 720p isn't that good especially BluRay content is 1080p standard (1920x1080).

Problems with plasma is still burn-in. If you got those vertical bars when watching non-hd content it will eventually burn in unless you use white wash every so often to make sure there is no burn-in.

You have a good point on the 720P vs. 1080P. However, I respectfully disagree with your assertion that today's plasma tvs are still susceptible burn-in. Just to be sure that we are talking about the same thing here. Burn-in is a condition in which the tv suffers PERMANENT image retention. Image retention on the other hand is temporary. I can tell you from personal experience (I own 2 plasma tvs) that burn-in is a past issue long resolved by advancements in the plasma tv technology. Image retention on the other hand can still happen but even then the duration of image retention is reducing.

My old plasma is a 4 year old Samsung, every port is occupied with cable box, wii, xbox, WD media player, dvd and sometimes computer. One day my kids decided to pause super smash brothers with the tv on and then go and play at the neighbor's house. When I arrived home that evening I had to turn off everything for them. I did notice a bit of image retention in which part of the game image would appear if I am watching a program with a dark scene. Bright scenes, I cannot see any effect. I did a screen wash for 15 minutes, that helped, but eventually after about a week, the condition completely disappeared. This is the worst image retention condition I have ever had. Needless to say, the kids now pause the game with the tv turned off. For things like watching a dvd for 2 hours, there is no signs of image retention at all. Do I consider this a weakness of the technology? No chance, what happened is absolutely an abnormal condition. Even then, there was no permanent effect. As a testimony to my faith in the technology, I recently purchased my second plasma tv. With the 100 hour break in period complete, we have now moved the xbox to that new tv. My kids are totally blown away by the vividness of the color.

I have shared my personal experience with image retention. Please share with everyone the details of how you arrived at the conclusion that plasma burn-in is still a problem.

Apart from burn-in being a thing of the past, the newer plasma sets have narrowed the gap with LCD panels on power consumption. My 42 inch Samsung Plasma is a small baseboard heater. It consumes on average about 300 watts. My new 60 inch LG plasma consumes about 150 watts. This compares to 135 watts for my 52 inch Sony CCFL lit LCD set. I am fully aware that edge lit LEDs consume under 100 watts. The gap has narrowed to the point where carbon footprint is of a lesser concern just like image retention.
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Do I have to wait 100 hours or more to play games on the plasma tv I just got? I had a friend play a few hours of games when I just got the tv...
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HondaScott wrote: Do I have to wait 100 hours or more to play games on the plasma tv I just got? I had a friend play a few hours of games when I just got the tv...

Generally no. When I got my first Samsung plasma 4 years ago, I heard nothing about break in period. However, there was lots of scary talk about burn in (permanent image retention). I filled the entire back panel with wiring on day 1. The only thing I did do was set the orbiter/pixel shift setting on. Generally the default for this setting is off. The only image retention scare I got was when the tv was 3 years old. My kids paused a bright game screen for a number of hours. Eventually it went away. For my LG, I have decided to follow the crowd and do the 100 hour break in. You can accelerate it by leaving the tv on over night a few times.
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May 22, 2009
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I am going to bring the tv back to futureshop and get them to price match the dell tv. I noticed today when I recorded a show to the hdpvr that it came off choppy at the beginning (think from the tv)

Is there any test I can do on the tv now to see if its damaged?
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HondaScott wrote: I am going to bring the tv back to futureshop and get them to price match the dell tv. I noticed today when I recorded a show to the hdpvr that it came off choppy at the beginning (think from the tv)

Is there any test I can do on the tv now to see if its damaged?

I don't think FS will price match to a different model of tv. If you want the lower price, I think you will have to just buy the one from Dell. If you decide to go that route, be careful with Dell, they seem to move their price up and down like a yoyo. From what I have heard if you call and talk to them they will yield to a previously lower price. Anyway, my buying experience from Dell was very good. There was no problems with getting the order placed, Purolator called 2 days later to set up a delivery appointment to suit my schedule. There was no surprises on delivery day, the guys were willing to move the tv to any room in the house.

As for choppy picture only at the beginning, I don't understand the issue. If there is a problem with the hardware, generally it cannot self repair. It is conceivable that the choppiness is due to a poor feed from your cable provider (cable tv is heavily compressed signal) combined with the 720P resolution of your tv. As mentioned by gnuman, 720P resolution is not as good as 1080P. From what I have read, 720P is good to 50 inch. So you are kind of right at the edge. You mentioned hdprvr, but was the channel you recorded a hd channel? Try watching the hd channels and that will give you an indication of the capabilities of the tv. You don't want to misconstrue a crappy channel as a problem with the tv.

You seemed concerned about damage to the tv, what potential damage are you referring to?
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My suggestions are as follows:


1. Return the TV you bought (if possible).

2. Slow down - you had barely asked for a recommendation in this thread when you'd rushed out less than 24 hours later and bought a TV no one had recommended.

3. Take advantage of the vast breadth of knowledge available at RFD - if you're not an expert in TV's, you will find much valuable help from people here who know the current TV market well.

4. Do your own research - compare a number of suitable models for your needs - read all the reviews.

5. When you've narrowed down your choices, take some time to compare local prices - watch for sales on the models you're interested in.
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HondaScott wrote: Will the tv at Dell and FS have the exact same model number..Would you recommend that tv if I can get it for that price? Can anyone recommend an lcd tv at Future Shop - 47 inch and above?

Was thinking this LED

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/ ... fb030aen02

The FS link you provided (50PT350) was not the one that Dell was selling. The 50PJ550 is what Dell has on their site for $600. If you look at the customer ratings for the 50PJ550, the FS buyers were generally very happy with their purchase. If this is your budget range, I have no issues recommending the set at the price offered up by Dell. It is excellent value for that size of tv and that price. To give you some perspective, I paid $1100 for my 42 inch Samsung plasma 4 years ago.

Timespace does have very good points about the whole shopping experience. I have no problems sharing my experiences with HDTVs with others, but the final decision is never mine to make. I would hate to see that someone felt coerced by my recommendations. At the end of the day, you have to be comfortable with your own decisions.

You can see from my posts that I am partial to plasma technology. I like it for better color gamut, better contrast ratio, faster response time, no off axis viewing issues, and better uniformity. The drawbacks are minor image retention concerns and higher power consumption. To me, the strengths far outweigh the weaknesses. Others may see it the other way.

I am concerned now you are shifting your selection to a smaller LED set. I assume you went smaller to stay within the price range. Given the choices, I would go big. With each of my subsequent purchase, I went to a larger tv each time because that was the one attribute that my previous tvs lacked. You may be wowed by the color, clarity, whatever attribute from a tv, but nothing knocks you off your socks more than size. If you get a 42 inch set, it won't be long before you start to ask yourself why are you staring at the oversized postage stamp hanging on the wall.

I have never owned a LED lit LCD tv and so I have no personal experience to share with you. However, I can tell you that for your budget range, this technology is currently out of range for you. If you really do want a LED unit, I would suggest that you wait for ccfl lit LCD technology to disappear and LED lit LCDs to completely take over with resultant price drop due to volume, probably in a year or so.

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/ ... eccd62en02
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May 22, 2009
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http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/ ... eccd62en02

this is the same tv model number as the one at dell (sorry for the confusion)

I am just concerned with plasma as they typically have 10,000 hours of tv time (is this true) In addition the led maybe smaller but its 1080 p compared to downscaled 1080p for the plasma.

The reviews on the plasma at fs and dell seem to be good on the tv linked above.
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HondaScott wrote: http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/ ... eccd62en02

this is the same tv model number as the one at dell (sorry for the confusion)

I am just concerned with plasma as they typically have 10,000 hours of tv time (is this true) In addition the led maybe smaller but its 1080 p compared to downscaled 1080p for the plasma.

The reviews on the plasma at fs and dell seem to be good on the tv linked above.

Well, if it is the same tv, then you should be going for a price match. Where did you get the 10,000 hour information from? Try adding 1 more digit to 100,000 hours. It is right in the LG website. As for 1080P, well you can't have everything for only $600. How about this one for $800. Compared to what you paid at FS, it is only $100 more.

To be honest, the most trouble free option is that you get your PM from FS, save a load of money on this purchase and then in 3 to 4 years time, you can upgrade to a monstrous 70 inch 1080P for $1500. By that time, 4K and 8K resolution tvs will make the current offerings look like cell phone screens. Everybody who bought this tv and cares to share their experience says it is good, then it must be pretty good. Believe me, if anyone out there hates this tv and thought their purchase was a huge mistake, you would see the 0 out of 5 star votes with all sorts of colorful descriptions.


http://www.2001audiovideo.com/product_i ... ts_id=5940


http://www.lg.com/ca_en/tv-audio-video/ ... 0PJ550.jsp
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May 22, 2009
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Thanks for the help with Will. I am going to get the FS one and have it price matched.

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