OK, I've been searching around for a while trying to pick out a good HDTV while, at the same time, watching the prices to drop faster than Ish's drawers after he enters Lotus' house :-). I'm not exactly into TVs on a tech level that much. As with comps, I feel I have a decent basic understanding, which is:
1) You want 1080p (i = interlaced = old; p = progressive scan = new and good) if you can afford it; 1080i at the least
2) The better the contrast ratio, the crisper the picture (this is plasmas only?)
3) Watch out for native vs supported resolutions. A TV with a native resolution of 1080x768 will have to adjust the picture to properly display 720p. As such, it's always better to have a (xxx) x 720 or (xxx) x 1080 native resolution to properly display 720p or 1080p, respectively.
4) Strong blacks are a good measure of the picture quality
Now that LCDs can actually be larger than 42" without being combined with projection, it appears to me that it's probably the way to go (over plasma). I'm not going to pay for the 1080p yet, so I'm sticking with 720p/1080i. And SRXD is too darned expensive.
So, for instances this LG (http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/prodde ... &langid=EN) although 2" bigger would not be as good as this Sony (http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/prodde ... &langid=EN) because:
a) Sony has 1080p support, the LG doesn't (only supports 480p)
b) Sony is 1920X1080, LG is only 852x480 (more than double resolution for Sony)
For me, that's all I'm really looking at with the current knowledge base that I have. Obviously this is more of an extreme vs extreme comparison, but the point is made.
So, the questions I have for you guys are:
1) Am I correct in my knowledge as per above or is there something I have learned which is wrong?
2) What is the minimum contrast ratio? I know higher is better, but what exactly is contrast ratio and how does it affect the picture? If I'm lookin' at plasma vs LCD, what would I be comparing, if anything?
3) Is there anything else I should be lookin' at when I'm buying one of these TVs? I'm talking about technical specs or anything else (ie. like the blacks)
4) What brands do you guys feel are the best? I know that the Korean companies (Samsung and LG) are solid, as is Sony (albiet more expensive), so which ones should I narrow my search to?
You guys can use the two TVs I have linked above as examples.
1) You want 1080p (i = interlaced = old; p = progressive scan = new and good) if you can afford it; 1080i at the least
2) The better the contrast ratio, the crisper the picture (this is plasmas only?)
3) Watch out for native vs supported resolutions. A TV with a native resolution of 1080x768 will have to adjust the picture to properly display 720p. As such, it's always better to have a (xxx) x 720 or (xxx) x 1080 native resolution to properly display 720p or 1080p, respectively.
4) Strong blacks are a good measure of the picture quality
Now that LCDs can actually be larger than 42" without being combined with projection, it appears to me that it's probably the way to go (over plasma). I'm not going to pay for the 1080p yet, so I'm sticking with 720p/1080i. And SRXD is too darned expensive.
So, for instances this LG (http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/prodde ... &langid=EN) although 2" bigger would not be as good as this Sony (http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/prodde ... &langid=EN) because:
a) Sony has 1080p support, the LG doesn't (only supports 480p)
b) Sony is 1920X1080, LG is only 852x480 (more than double resolution for Sony)
For me, that's all I'm really looking at with the current knowledge base that I have. Obviously this is more of an extreme vs extreme comparison, but the point is made.
So, the questions I have for you guys are:
1) Am I correct in my knowledge as per above or is there something I have learned which is wrong?
2) What is the minimum contrast ratio? I know higher is better, but what exactly is contrast ratio and how does it affect the picture? If I'm lookin' at plasma vs LCD, what would I be comparing, if anything?
3) Is there anything else I should be lookin' at when I'm buying one of these TVs? I'm talking about technical specs or anything else (ie. like the blacks)
4) What brands do you guys feel are the best? I know that the Korean companies (Samsung and LG) are solid, as is Sony (albiet more expensive), so which ones should I narrow my search to?
You guys can use the two TVs I have linked above as examples.
I was there on that fateful day, were you?
