Oy ve! Our 20+ yo 13" tv is on it's last legs, so we're talking about replacing it. It was a big splurge for us to buy a tv for about $250 all those years ago, we've never spent much on tvs, never had anything larger than this one even though we all enjoy watching tv and movies.
I know that a year from now all transmissions are going to be HDTV, and so I began investigating a replacement for old faithful.
I'm still confused about whether or not we should go for plasma or LCD, and the smallest plasma I found was 36".
Aren't there smaller tvs? (we don't have room for a large one)
And more importantly, what's everyone's experiences with those two types of tvs?
I am just bowled over at the cost to replace old faithful, can anyone give me tips on getting a great deal (without using a credit card, even though I saw deals if using a CC).
TIA,
MZ

We watch most of our TV on a 46 inch HD LCD. We love it. It is a Sony Bravia

But, since you don't seem to be too picky about your television, you might want to do a search on your local Craigslist. People can't seem to even give the older TVs away around my area.

Do you get cable TV? If so, it won't matter what kind of TV you have as long as you have a cable box or a DVD or VCR.

If you will need a converter box, go to this government link and you can get up to 2 coupons to help defray the cost

www.dtv2009.gov

We couldn't justify the higher cost of the plasma and bought an LG 32" LCD widescreen with a slim tube. The price was about $1,000 less than a plasma.

We also have a 46 inch Sony Bravia LCD. It's very nice but we still don't have many HD channels available yet in Alaska. I've heard that the LCDs live a lot longer than the plasma TVs do.

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Proud Wife of an Army Soldier and proud mother of an Army MP currently serving in Iraq.


"To any critics who say a woman can't think and work and carry a baby at the same time, I'd just like to escort that Neanderthal back to the cave." - Sarah Palin

Plasma is best viewed in a darker room. if you go to the back wall of electronics in WM you can see the difference. The plasmas are much darker, and the label under the tv describes the type of tv .I dont understand why anyone would want to buy a plasma and sit in the dark, IMHO. Also, they are sometimes a pain to repair. My brother bought a 42" sharpe, it broke after 30 days, and he had to take it to an authorized repair shop (60 mles away), and still does not have the tv back.
Also, the life span on these tv's does not come close to "Old Faithful". It is like 10,000 hours or five years. You can ask the geek squad at Best buy, or a WM electreonics associate for more specific info. I am very reluctant to replace any of my tube tv's, and I recently purchased a 14 inch tube with built in dvd for out camper. I was afraid our boys would knock over one of those lightweight wimpy lcd's in such a small space. JMO

My mom and her DH have a plasma that they bought shortly after they came out and paid through the nose for. I don't know if they didn't get it hooked up properly or what, but I think the picture stinks.

My mom totally spoiled us this year at Christmas, and on BF she and my DH went to Kmart, and she bought us a 37 inch Olevia LCD tv that has an amazing picture. She's even asked me if I'd be interested in trading TV's because mine has such an amazing picture. No thanks!

I've also heard that LCD lasts much longer than plasma and is easier to repair, if repairs are needed.

I've had my plasma 42" for about a year. The picture is outstanding, but you have to be careful of image burn in the screen. It doesn't have to be dark to view the TV, you have to make sure that the contrast is adjusted accordingly. Reviewers say the picture is sharper, however my hubby wants an LCD. To me there isn't much difference. We bought the plasma when Best Buy was having a clearance on particular brands & models.

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We're off to never never land

We have a 52 inch Plasma, and we love it. It's not dark at all. You don't have to watch it in the dark either. Has a beautiful picture and the HD channels are of excellent quality. Maybe it's the brand you are looking at.

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Freedom Stands...Because HEROS Serve

Mary

I have a 61" NEC Plasma in our family room, which is almost all windows, and it looks amazing.

I was in the business of buying A/V products (plasma, LCDs, projectors, and very high end stuff) for my last company...and most of the execs in our company have plasmas.

If you are into sports or video games, you should consider the plasma....or a high end LCD. Spend the extra money, it is worth it. NEC for plasmas (they are work-horses) or Panasonic, and if you are going LCD, look at Samsung, NEC, or even Sharp. I would stay away from the bargin basement LCDs, because you will get what you pay for.

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I'm the kind of woman when my feet hit the floor in each morning, the devil says "Oh crap, she's up."

You are right...it sounds like they don't have it adjusted properly. On some of the early model plamas, you had to make some color and scale adjustments out of the box.

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I'm the kind of woman when my feet hit the floor in each morning, the devil says "Oh crap, she's up."

Plasmas currently on the market do not fall into this category anymore. They are not always best veiwed in a darker room...it is quite different now. It is true of any tv that the "black is blacker" when there is not intuding light, but the new panels in plasmas today (vs the models even 3 years ago) are more roebust and designed to make the picture "pop" even with interfering light.

Also, the life span is changed. Most plasmas on the market today have over 20,000 hours. The unit I have in the house would need to run 8 hours a day, 7 days a week for 20 years before I would see a difference. You can also extend the life of your plasma by doing reqular maintenance on it by running the clean screen in the set up menu from time to time.

Tube TVs (or CRTs)are slowly disappearing. You are going to be hard pressed to find one in the next 2 years. All of the major chains (Best Buy and Circut City, first and foremost) have announced that after 2008 they will no longer be carrying tube tvs in the stores. They will be treated as special orders. Also, because for the enviormental challanges of disposing of these kind of units, you might see the cost of these types of units spike again, or at least carry a hefty "tax", much like the state of Cali is doing now on all CRT units.

If anyone is worried about the children and the knocking over of these units, there are many ways to prevent that. Most TVs in the 50" and below can easily be mounted to the wall, which of couse is the safest way to deal with a TV and smally childern. When you get into the bigger sizes, like the 61" I have, they can weigh over 100 lbs and it is better to put them on a stand or to have a professional come in and look at your wall and find you the correct mounting unit.

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I'm the kind of woman when my feet hit the floor in each morning, the devil says "Oh crap, she's up."

I just bought my bf a 42" Sharp Aquos LCD HD for Christmas! I got an amazing deal and the picture is outstanding! In my experience, I'd say definitely get an LCD as opposed to a plasma. The picture on a plasma from the side view isn't clear like that of an LCD and I heard that they don't last as long.

Most TV's are pretty comparable these days whether plasma or LCD, but im definitely partial to LCD. You may also want to check out DLP televisions. They are kind of a cross between plasma and LCD and they aren't bad, but again, that side view isn't clear.

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Shauna