Why is buying todays tv's so Painful?

Question

I am looking at buying a 42inch tv. But which, plasma or lcd? I personally will be using the tv for things such as xbox 360 and I also watch plenty of football on the weekends. But no review I read can give a straight answer and to make matters worse I keep reading that lcd manufactures specs, mainly response time cannot be completely trusted plus they don't always state if response time is white - black - white or gray to gray.

I just want a tv that has a good picture that has no lag for fast moving pictures and also works well with gaming.

Any thoughts are appreciated, I really can't understand this tv c**p because i can't help but think if my old crt works fine for sports and games than lcd and plasma could not be worse and i'm worrying over nothing

Answer 1

It's painful because these sets work with multiple inputs and multiple input signal resolutions. You can't possibly compare sets you're interested in under all of the different combinations possible. On top of that, many of the specs that are important to a decision, aren't provided by the manufacturers, and the ones that are, aren't dependable because each manufacturer has his own way of defining and testing it. On top of that, they're not cheap!

My suggestion to you is to get the March issue of Consumer Reports which rates a variety of sets. Pick a well rated one and buy it.

Models change rapidly, but hopefully, some of the rated sets will still be on the market.

BTW, you're not worrying over nothing. These sets are totally dependent on how well their processors work. A lot of the TV you'll be watching will still be SD, and these sets don't do that good a job of processing SD.

Answer 2

If you have a lot of money and you are not worrying financially, buying a latest tv is not painful at all especially when you buy it in cash which will not give you worries for the monthly payment. But then, if you are financially incapable, even the oldest tv is very painfull to buy.

Just one advice, if you are prone more of using your tv in games, better have one exclusively for games so that your tv will not crashed because of over use...:-)

Answer 3

It is hard to determine which one is BEST Suited for your needs.....

Do you really want to hang it on the WALL?  Then a Sony Bravia with 120Hz refresh and the fastest (8ms or FASTER) LCD panel is your BEST bet.....

But if you want a Tabletop unit....then the BEST OF THE BEST is coming in December....

That's the Mitsubishi Laser DLP....no lag, no burn and best of all --- NO LAMP to replace.

You want something NOW?  Get the Mitsubishi DLP <<with>> the LAMP !  

$250 every 3 -4  years isn't all that bad, but I also look at the ENTIRE LIFE of a TV set....

$250 every 3-4 years is more affordable than a $1600  Burned Plasma panel ...