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About to purchase my first Flat Panel...

post #1 of 71
5/24/07 at 11:11am
Thread Starter 
My Sony XBR is starting to go (bought in 96) and have been holding out in buying my first flat panel.

I, personally hate the general 'acceptance' of the artifacting that shows up in the blacks and when there is movement in the picture. The image is fine overall, but for critical viewing, they all still show this flaw which has always bugged me. I really hoped that they would have come up with some solution to make the picture as sharp as a regular TV.

But my question is: Do i buy a 720 FP now, or do i wait for the 1080i or P models to come down in price. I really only can afford to do this once in the immediate future and do not really want to buy a 1080 model a year from now. (if that will be the market standard in a year). If we are talking 3-5 years, maybe i can deal with it.

Thoughts?

Stevo
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post #2 of 71
5/24/07 at 11:21am
Get the 1080, you'll be ready for the future.
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post #3 of 71
5/24/07 at 11:42am
Thread Starter 
ok. i generally agree, but then do i go with the latest 1080p which is still being sorted out? or just go with the 1080i. I know its a never ending spiral because there is always some new and improved technology but i feel there is an ideal window of a 'smart' purchase (pricing/new technology ratio) presenting itself now or in the near future. s
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post #4 of 71
5/24/07 at 1:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by stevo41 View Post
ok. i generally agree, but then do i go with the latest 1080p which is still being sorted out? or just go with the 1080i. I know its a never ending spiral because there is always some new and improved technology but i feel there is an ideal window of a 'smart' purchase (pricing/new technology ratio) presenting itself now or in the near future. s
+1, I would usually recommend the 1080p models, but price is also a big factor. Remember that most 720p models are capable of 1080i. We have 2.5 flat panels (I don't really count the 15" in the kitchen), and over time you tend to enjoy the space saving size of the television. I would just recommend you get a set that has good black levels. What size, technology and brand were you looking at?
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post #5 of 71
5/24/07 at 11:55pm
good call
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post #6 of 71
5/25/07 at 1:26am
It depends on the size of the TV that you're going to be buying. If it's 40"+ go for the 1080p. Anything below that an you can't really notice much of a difference unless you're sitting within I think it's 5-7 feet. Expect new models to be coming out late summer/early fall so prices on old models should go down. I suggest going to avsforum and reading around there for a little. I'm in the same boat as you and it's impossible to decide.
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post #7 of 71
5/25/07 at 2:20pm
I spent about an year salivating over these babies before I finally bought one couple of months ago. As for getting 1080p, I decided it was not worth it because there are very few sources of 1080p material other than HD-DVD and Blu-ray. So if you're factoring in plans to upgrade to a newer and bigger model 3-4 years down the line anyway, then 1080i should be more than good enough.

There was an article on Wired saying the prices on LCD's may have already hit bottom and may go up.
http://www.wired.com/gadgets/display.../05/lcd_prices

If you're looking for price decrease, I recommend buying the last year's models. I was watching Panasonic's 2006 model plasmas from about year ago when they were released. The price went from $2500 down to $1250 through out the course of the year. I bought it just before they announced the new models for this year. So got a good deal.

Peter
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post #8 of 71
5/26/07 at 2:35am
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/hit...esolution.html

Read that. Don't bother with 1080p unless you're going really big (>60" imo). You're paying for something you can't see unless you're getting a very large screen and the 1080p panels are still first gen for the most part, which is never a good thing in electronics.

720p is cheap and looks great. At 10' on a 50" screen you won't be able to tell the difference between it and 1080p. FWIW, at that distance there are bigger image quality issues than the extra resolution to be gained by 1080p.
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post #9 of 71
5/26/07 at 4:58am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the info on AVS. Didn't know about the board. I'm partial to the Pioneer line and would like a 42" TV but will read the boards a bit and get more ideas on the companies to avoid. I'm guessing i'll go with the 1080i as long as it doesn't break the bank. I'd like to keep it under $1500 if at all possible, but haven't done a lot of price comparisons. steve
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post #10 of 71
5/26/07 at 9:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by stevo41 View Post
Thanks for the info on AVS. Didn't know about the board.

I'm partial to the Pioneer line and would like a 42" TV but will read the boards a bit and get more ideas on the companies to avoid. I'm guessing i'll go with the 1080i as long as it doesn't break the bank. I'd like to keep it under $1500 if at all possible, but haven't done a lot of price comparisons.
steve

You looking at plasmas? Because that's what you should be looking at if you want good blacks and shadow detail. I believe the newest samsung panel is VERY good.
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post #11 of 71
5/27/07 at 2:11pm
I'd go with the 1080i...I've heard that the interlacing will get you through the next 6/7 years, whereas the progressive scan is sort of hardcore for now...basically unless you plan on buying hd/blu ray dvd player and all that, you'll be ok with the 1080i.
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post #12 of 71
5/29/07 at 6:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by migo View Post
I'd go with the 1080i...I've heard that the interlacing will get you through the next 6/7 years, whereas the progressive scan is sort of hardcore for now...basically unless you plan on buying hd/blu ray dvd player and all that, you'll be ok with the 1080i.
From what I've seen, 1080i is really only as good as, or slightly better than 720P. However I feel that 1080P is somewhat overrated unless you go larger than 50".

Like you said, unless you're watching Blu-ray, or playing PS3, there's really no need, shows are only broadcasted in 720P or 1080i.
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post #13 of 71
5/30/07 at 6:36pm
I recently got a relatively cheaply priced Samsung model (1080p/40") the LNT4061F, works perfectly fine, has gotten good reviews on forums, is full HD and meets my needs (no TV watching, only for films and the ability to plug in my laptop, planning to move on HD-DVD/Blu-ray in 1-2 yrs). If you're good at bargaining you can bring the price down quite a lot; a combination of manipulation, information gathering and outright lying has helped me bring down the price by over $400. Keep in mind that a good TV might not be enough to really obtain the quality level you're shooting for; the right cables and calibration will also have their importance.

Samsung is an excellent company to look at as they have a zero burned pixels tolerance policy (something that most manufacturers don't offer) and actually build screens for other companies.
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post #14 of 71
5/31/07 at 4:01am
What if you want a flat panel for a small room? I will be moving to a studio and wanted a tv, probably around 30 inches. But I won't be watching it from more than 8' - 9'. Thoughts?
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post #15 of 71
5/31/07 at 12:18pm
My rear projection LCD Sony HDTV is 60", and when I bought it only the Qualia 70" TV came in 1080p (SXRD). My TV is 720p and it's perfectly fine...other than HD-DVD and BluRay, you don't need 1080p for watching HDTV broadcasts, since they are broadcast in either 1080i or 720p.

Jon.
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