(Truly OTB!)

My CRT TV just died. I need help figuring out what to buy.

Not long ago, we bought an expensive TV cabinet that limits my replacement screen size to probably no bigger than a 42" screen.

I'm interested in the best value DLP or Plasma or LCD HDTV for less than $1000. Contrast, color, performance and elimination of noise and the "jaggies" is more important than hitting 1080p native resolution.

It will only be used for TV / movies - no computer / console gaming (etc).

I just can't figure out what to buy, as the options are many - and there's no way to tell online whether one TV is better than another.

Any suggestions?

TIA

I've not done much research on the subject yet.. but I have *heard* that the plasma TVs have a significantly shorter lifespan than the LCDs.. and the ones I've looked at, I prefer the LCD to the plasma anyway.

(this could be an issue with the set up, I don' t know - but the LCD pictures were sharper and had better color)

Let me guess, you're an American. Remember, more than an eyeful is a waste.

Anyway, when my current TV dies I'll buy a High Definition TV, but I don't really understand the how important the various technical details are. I understand about resolution, but there are other things I don't understand. Things such as:

Contrast ratio 800:1 or 1000:1
Brightness 500cd/m2 or 1000cd/m2
Response time 16 ms or 8ms

How important are these figures for deciding on which TV to get? Does a higher brightness make a difference if you are watching the TV in a dark room anyway? What is most important for a great picture? Is there anything I should keep in mind if I want to plug in a modern game console?

Regarding HDTV, get informed on all the variants of (partial) HDTV so you know what exactly you buy (interlaced, resolution, etc).

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To the regular visitor of internet bulletin boards it is clear that it's an excellent idea your parents get to choose your real name.

This isn't a specific recommendation but you might want to read this Popular Mechanics article before going to the store: Top 10 HDTV Myths: Fact vs. Fiction, Hi-Def Style.

Contrast ratio describes how black the darkest blacks are compared to the brightest white. Larger values are better.
When turned off, LCDs don't quite block all of the light from the source, so blacks aren't completely black. They're improving, though.

Brightness describes how visible the on-screen image is when the room is illuminated. Higher values are better. Low values mean you have to close the shades to block sunlight and turn off the room lights.

Response time describes how quickly the LCD transistors can turn off and on. Smaller values are better. If they're too slow, moving objects will seem to be smeared.

I'm interested in the best value DLP or Plasma or LCD HDTV for less than $1000. Contrast, color, performance and elimination of noise and the "jaggies" is more important than hitting 1080p native resolution.

Good, because you're not likely to find a 1080p set in that price range -- or even a 1080i.

Plasmas are MUCH heavier than LCDs and tend to be power hungry. They have much better contrast ratios (as a rule) than LCDs. But the smaller plasma panels have fewer pixels (horizontally) than the corresponding LCDs -- often 1028 * 768 rather than 1300 * 768.

I've been pretty happy with my Sharp LCD HDTV (37"). It's not the latest generation (it's not 1080 native resolution). I do notice some motion effects that suggest its pixel switching speed is not infinite. For example, a scrolling text bar (like the CNNHN crawl) is not as sharp and clear as the same text that isn't scrolling.

One characteristic of digital TVs that you won't find specs for is "posterizing". This is the tendency for subtly different shades of gray (or any other color) to be displayed as discrete steps rather than a smooth gradient. You can see it on any image that's a nearly-but-not-quite solid color. One example is a sunset picture, which can end up looking like a series of concentric bands around the sun. It's a very irritating effect (to me, anyway) but you rarely see it discussed. I don't know how much is due to the source material, vs. the encoding/compression scheme or the display's method of showing different colors. It seems to vary a lot, from barely noticable to quite obnoxious, depending on the source material.

You might want to find a DVD with that sort of scene on it and take it with you when you go shopping.

For lots of discussion/opinions/reviews of such gear, try this:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/

Happy hunting!

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Bring back Firefly!

"It is quite clear that Occam's razor does not sharpen in your pyramid." (Nicolas)

"Still, a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest." (Paul Simon)

First, I'd like to thank everyone for the information. It sounds like if I want to play video games I'd better get a TV with a good response time.

I always thought this was a result of digital compression rather than the HDTV itself as I've noticed it on plain old low def TVs.

That may be right. In my own case I didn't notice it until I changed from an old analog CRT set to the LCD, so I tend to blame the display. I was already getting digital cable and can't say I noticed any posterizing on the digital channels on the old set.

There could be several interacting factors, including the set's algorithm for turning a particular color level into the control signal for that pixel.

I really haven't seen too much discussion of this issue. I guess I should do some research.

__________________
Bring back Firefly!

"It is quite clear that Occam's razor does not sharpen in your pyramid." (Nicolas)

"Still, a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest." (Paul Simon)