len_mullen

I agree. That's the one on my list.

I'm not an expert. I just happen to be a person who recently finished shopping for a new TV. I decided on a plasma early in the process, so I don't have much help for you with your LCD.

I'd have to see the two sets. I hear great things about Sony, but love my Sammy. Do you have models?

DLP is great in a 'home theater' where you sit dead in front and the environment is perfect, but they kind of suck in a living room where viewing angle and ambient lighting are factors. DLP sets are the ones where, if you duck down a little or move to the side a bit, the image quality changes. I couldn't have that in my living room.

They will look AWESOME on a 720p. In my living room, we sit between six and twelve feet from the TV. In Santa's Workshop, I am only about five feet from my 50" plasma. PS3 games and especially blu-ray media are spectacular. Using this chart, you can judge how much impact 1080p will have in your living room, but I still recommend you visit stores and stand back the distance you will be viewing from. I should mention that, except for blu-ray (dish network is another story), nothing you watch will be better than 720p (768 lines of resolution). Chances are the upscaled video will look WORSE at 1080p than the native 768 line presentation.

Altitude and heat are definitely issues. Not so much as you think, though. My Samsung is designed to operate at altitudes under 6500 feet. Pioneer sets are designed to operate to 7500 feet. If you live at or below 6000 feet, altitude is not an issue. I'm 'breaking in' my set in a spare bedroom we refer to as Santa's Workshop. With the 50 inch TV playing the break-in DVD (which rotates solid screens of colors continuously), a 1200w home theater running, and all doors and windows closed, the room got noticeably warmer. In the same room, watching TV, I don't notice any temperature change. Next time I watch tv in there, I'll take a thermometer in with me. Burn-in is less of an issue. Samsung says my set needs no break-in at all. I did experience some image retention when I left a DVD on the menu for several hours, but I was able to remedy this with the problem using the All-White function for a few minutes. Samsung says this can happen after viewing a static image for more than two hours. So far, using the PS3 has not caused retention (I use the pixel-shift function and set brightness/contrast to recommended levels). I'm more concerned about channels that do not use the full screen and run all programming full screen. Image retention is an issue with LCDs and even CRTs, though, so don't get too wrapped up in all that. Happy TV shopping!

Thank you for the kind words, but I'm no expert. I just happen to have purchased a HDTV and I'm just passing on what I discovered. I knew nothing when I started shopping and, by next BF, I'll be in the dark again. Glad I was able to help.

No question for me -- at any given price point, plasma looks better. Especially for sports. If you are going to put your tv in a brightly lit room or where it will get light from windows, you will need to angle it down a bit to avoid reflections on the glass screen. Good info here... http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=8_nuC&m=1jNCsR6HuXQTuH&b=Q4ubsboseIKf_eWFTnsFmw http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-6792632-1.html?tag=rb_content;rb_mtx http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-6844370-1.html?tag=rb_content;rb_mtx http://reviews.cnet.com/720p-vs-1080p-hdtv/?tag=rb_content;rb_mtx http://www.daniele.ch/school/30vs60/30vs60_1.html http://www.consumersearch.com/plasma-tv http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/ Your eyes matter more than other people's opinions. Best thing to do is spend some time in front of sets. Start by measuring the distance from your viewing area to where the set will be. That matters because if you are sitting six feet back from a 42" tv, you will be hard pressed to distinguish 720p from 1080p (http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg212/hondar_2008/resolution_chart.jpg). Visit a few stores. My Walmart feeds s-video to their HDTVs, so the picture is not so good to begin with. Try to see a lot of programming. A blu-ray disc of dolphins frolicking is going to look good on all sets. High motion (sports) will challenge a lot of expensive TVs. Most of the differences (price, image retention, picture quality) between lcd and plasma right now are slim. - LCD will look better in a bright room (plasma is glass/reflective) - LCD uses less electricity - Plasma is better for motion - Plasma looks better in a dark room (deeper blacks, richer colors) - Plasma looks better from wide angles (when you are off to the side of the set or looking down on one) There is more variation between brands than technologies. Most rate Pioneer and Sony plasmas at the top, but Samsung and Panasonic are right there for a fraction of the cost. I have a 50 inch Samsung 720p plasma and I like it a lot. BTW, there is a lot of information on this in the dedicated HDTV thread.

no. it would be about the size of a 13" lcd screen (measure is diagonal, so take the square root of the sum of the squares of the two sides).

First, I would get plasma unless you are viewing in a brightly lit room. Second, I think Bravia sets tend to be over priced. Third, financing should be a minor consideration in your purchase -- pick the set, find the deal. If you can only afford a TV by financing, you cannot afford the TV.

I would. Better contrast, newer DNIe (assuming they improve with + and never having compared the two), and more inputs. Still, if you get the chance, look at both. I bet you have trouble telling one from the other until you start counting connectors

There are quite a few differences -- contrast, connections, features, modes. Open these two pages (PN42A400, PN42A450) side by side to see for yourself. The 450 is the better set, but I could see me choosing on price -- I'd have to look at each to see what difference contrast ratio (20000:1 vs 15000:1) and DNIe (DNIe vs DNIE+) makes.

Anyone can change their prices at a moment's notice. No one shops by circular -- except leaked circulars on BF Expect all sorts of slashed prices going forward.

All good things. Check return/restocking policies, but I think you should take the chance under the circumstances.

5% of $500 is only $25. I don't think it's worth the time and gas. Do you?

Reviews are good: CNET, ConsumerSearch, AVS Owners Thread. I have the 720p pn50a450 and like it a lot. Some are saying this is a price mistake (still showing $1k for me online), so good luck! PS I see the problem. xbox is out of stock, so bundle is not available. Too bad. Maybe next week

I dunno. I got the BB deal on the Samsung 50 inch 720p plasma + htib. I didn't expect that to be the rock bottom price at the time, but it was very good and exactly what I wanted delivered to my house. Nothing in a BF ad has instilled remorse in me. I wouldn't even swap that deal for the 1080p above (I wanted a HTIB and have no interest in an Xbox), but I still expect prices to be lower going forward. How much lower and on which sets is the question. The BF ads this year are so poor that I wonder if retailers used leaked ads to set a baseline so we would jump on better than or comparable deals before BF. Earlier shopping is best for them, right? Maybe there will be supplemental BF deals or deals will be better after BF. No matter, getting what you want for a good price is better than getting a great price on something you don't want. Since you bought from Newegg (excellent merchant, IMHO), return is not likely for you. My advice is to stop looking at the tv threads/deals and enjoy your new toy.

Another Better Than Black Friday sighting: 50 inch 1080p Plasma plus Xbov for $999.98 @ CC. Good deal on the TV plus an Xbox. Tough to beat. They won't ship and returns could become dicey as time passes, but no lines, either

It's not the signal, it's the technology. The motion blur is due to how the pixels are lit, their shape, and their speed. If it doesn't bother you, don't worry about it. Anyone who watches sports should be aware of the problem. Watch a little hockey on the LCD and see if you can live with the blur. Another problem with LCDs is that their colors change with age. The prism works the same, but the backlight changes colors. You can easily see this on any older computer monitor. Good reading here: http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/ Still best to look at TVs in a showroom. A lot of showrooms. Plenty power their sets with an HDTV signal. Stand back as far as you sit from your TV at home. At the same size and price, the only time I would choose LCD over plasma is for a windowed room. The glass screens tend to reflect. This can be mitigated by mounting the TV so the screen leans a couple degrees forward, but it's an issue.

Yes vertical as well as horizontal, but it's not bad as some say... http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/lcdtv/lcdtv-misconceptions.shtml Best to visit a store and try for yourself.

I think they are. The motion blur on all but the fastest, most expensive LCDs is a deal killer for me. Most people see this if you point it out, but some don't mind it. You should really go watch a hockey game on a big LCD and see for yourself.

Good info here... http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=8_nuC&m=1jNCsR6HuXQTuH&b=Q4ubsboseIKf_eWFTnsFmw http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-6792632-1.html?tag=rb_content;rb_mtx http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-6844370-1.html?tag=rb_content;rb_mtx http://reviews.cnet.com/720p-vs-1080p-hdtv/?tag=rb_content;rb_mtx http://www.daniele.ch/school/30vs60/30vs60_1.html http://www.consumersearch.com/plasma-tv http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/ Your eyes matter more than other people's opinions. Best thing to do is spend some time in front of sets. Start by measuring the distance from your viewing area to where the set will be. That matters because if you are sitting six feet back from a 42" tv, you will be hard pressed to distinguish 720p from 1080p (http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg212/hondar_2008/resolution_chart.jpg). Visit a few stores. My Walmart feeds s-video to their HDTVs, so the picture is not so good to begin with. Try to see a lot of programming. A blu-ray disc of dolphins frolicking is going to look good on all sets. High motion (sports) will challenge a lot of expensive TVs. Most of the differences (price, image retention, picture quality) between lcd and plasma right now are slim. - LCD will look better in a bright room (plasma is glass/reflective) - LCD uses less electricity - Plasma is better for motion - Plasma looks better in a dark room (deeper blacks, richer colors) - Plasma looks better from wide angles (when you are off to the side of the set or looking down on one) There is more variation between brands than technologies. Most rate Pioneer and Sony plasmas at the top, but Samsung and Panasonic are right there for a fraction of the cost. I have a 50 inch Samsung 720p plasma and I like it a lot.

The reviews on the Newegg TV are good and you really don't want to carry a HDTV home on a cold winter day.

It went from $150 to $100 to $150 in September. Now it's $100 -- I'm guessing that $150 will be back.

Just a pat on the back for me. Newegg has a $499.99 42" 720p lcd. I can't vouch for the quality, but I definitely nailed this and DESERVE a t-shirt