Flat screen TVs

[Lumber-Jack]

If it's the screen door effect, perhaps you are referring to the old projector TVs, because projection systems were more prone to door screen,effect, also known as fixed-pattern noise (FPN). But that effect isn't just horizontal lines, it also made up vertical and horizontal fine lines separating the pixels, which was kind of what I was referring to in my last post about pixel resolution. And this was something that plasma screens were touted to be better at eliminating years ago, but LCD and of course the newer LED technology has caught up to.
But yes, I know what it is, and you can see it in any screen if you get close enough, but have never noticed it any worse in plasma TVs. I use to have an older projector that had it fairly pronounced, but it was only 640x480 resolution.

 

[begreen]

No, the screen door effect is not scan lines, it's the undesirable black space between pixels, both vertical on horizontal. I see it right away on my friend's big LED Samsung, but only when closer than about 6' to the screen.

 

[DexterDay]

We really like the picture on them. Our local Best Buy has the 70", 80", and 90" all on display to get a really good feel as to the quality, and I like them! Kinda funny though, the salesman told us to shy away from the 90" for some reason....

The $9999.00 price tag already had me convinced NOT to buy that one!!

I replaced my 6 yr old 50" Vizio LCd (1080p 60 hz) T.V. this weekend with a 60" Sharp Aquos LED 240hz 3D Smart TV with Quattron..

The difference in 6 yrs of Technology is amazing!! The Sharp is really easy to set up and has a "Store" or "Home" setting (brighter in store mode because of light, but not recommended to run it normally). The quality in picture is amazing and the Smart TV thing is a pretty nice feature.

There is one other T.V. I looked long and hard at. The Samsung 8000 series. The Sharp has a Spectacular picture, the 8000 series Samsung has an Phenomenal picture. But... The price tag was about $500 more (for the 55").

The Vizio will now go to our bedroom and the Sharp resides on the wall (also the 1st TV I wall mounted. Was very easy and straightforward)

Good luck

 

[Seasoned Oak]

No, the screen door effect is not scan lines, it's the undesirable black space between pixels, both vertical on horizontal. I see it right away on my friend's big LED Samsung, but only when closer than about 6' to the screen.

Im guessing that i can see the plasma lines at 3-5 Ft away.If it were closer it would not be a problem.

 

[TMonter]

I've had a 40 inch Samsung for about 4 years now and we love it. I replaced a 10 year old 36" Sony Wega XBR withe the samsung 540 series which is only a 60Hz unit and since I don't watch sports even on movies I don't see a blur problem nor do I see any screen door effects since we sit at an optimal viewing distance.

I recommend setting up your system with this:

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Video-Essentials-Basics-Blu-ray/dp/B000V6LST0/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1356735669&sr=1-2&keywords=video essentials

It helps a lot for watching movies.

 

[begreen]

You're right, Samsung makes great LCD tvs. They were my second choice. With a 40-50" screen at 12 ft away or more, you don't really see the screen door effect. It's more apparent on projected images because of their larger size.

Another less engineer focused and more user friendly calibration disk is the World of Wonder:
http://www.amazon.com/Wow-Blu-ray-Artist-Not-Provided/dp/B00462PTDQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1356807744&sr=1-1&keywords=world of wonder

 

[HeatsTwice]

Samsung is having a 40% off 60" screen TVs and a bunch of other models.

(broken link removed to http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/UN60ES7100FXZA?MKM_RID=0128282687&MKM_MID=1396083&CID=eml-ce-tv-0113-277)

other 40% off deals:
(broken link removed to http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/PN64E8000GFXZA?MKM_RID=0128282687&MKM_MID=1396083&CID=eml-ce-tv-0113-277)
(broken link removed to http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/UN55ES7100FXZA?MKM_RID=0128282687&MKM_MID=1396083&CID=eml-ce-tv-0113-277)
(broken link removed to http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/UN46ES7100FXZA?MKM_RID=0128282687&MKM_MID=1396083&CID=eml-ce-tv-0113-277)


Funny story:

I was dropping my daughter off at the local J.C.. When I came back to my truck, someone had dumped a Samsung 57" TV in a cardboard box in the back of my truck. I thought, "Dang, now I have to recycle it, instead of the guy who dumped it there."

So I took it to a local TV shop and figured, that they would just take it off my hands since they probably recycle lots of TVs. They said are you sure it doesn't work? Duh, why would someone dump it in the back of my truck if it worked? So they plugged it in and sure enough, it did not work. So they checked the model number and found that the dang thing was under warrenty and that I could get it fixed for free. 4 hours later, I had a good looking new 57" Hi Res LCD in my living room. 100% off is better than 40% off.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Saw a 50" Toshiba LED for $550 recently

 

[jharkin]

Dig this one up from the dead.


My Trusy old Samsung... now 8 years old has had the power supply replaced once free due to a recall and is now dying the slow death. Half the time we get green or no picture at turn on. These things sure are not built like our early 80s Sony Trinitron that went decades


So what brands do folks like now? the reliability issues with the Samsung are giving me pause even though I know they make most of the actual panels. I see in the reviews that old trusted brands like Sony and Panasonic are now down in the list unless you spend $$$$$ on their pro models, and now Vizio?? gets a lot of best buy ratings (looking at CNET, etc).


My gut tells me to stick the old name brands but my wallet doesn't want to spend money on a name if the quality is not there. Looking for a 46-50 .. 50 if I can make it fit (I have 45" +/- of horizontal space to fit where our existing 46 with a thick frame is so I think a thin frame 50 will squeeze in). Since plasmas are giong away and the TV we ahve eats too much power already... and its a bright room - I like the idea of a local dimming LED backlight LCD. I do want 24p compatible for the bluray but I imagine they all have that now? Sound quality is irrelevant since we have a dedicated receiver surround system.

Budget wise I'd like to stay under a grand and I'm hoping to hold out for a good holiday season/black friday deal. I'd pay more for quality if there is a compelling buy but I'm trying not to snobbishly disregard budget brands either

Right now surprisingly CNET is calling the Vizio E and M the top budget buys.. Ideas? Other picks?


** vEdit to add: I dont need a million inputs, I dont need 3D. I dont care about apps or smart TV features. Literally just looking for the best image quality 50" monitor I can find under a grand. We use the a/v reciever to control inputs and I get more streaming stuff than Ill ever use through the blueray player already.

 

[Dix]

Green or no picture cam be the power supply or the panel failing. If it's the panel, it's going to be an expensive repair. if the panel is / ever was available.

FYI, Sony is not Sony any more (most of the name brands have been sold ... that is the name has been sold to Asian companies, mostly). Panasonic is phasing out of the A/V business.

I would not buy a Vizio, very little support if any issues.

 

[jharkin]

Oh yeah I know its probably the panel, definitely not economical to fix which is why im starting to research now before it dies.

In the past Id never give a brand like Vizio a second thought due to their past reputation... just surprised to see them rank so high up on a bunch of best TV lists... and surprised to see Samsung, Panasonic and Sony ranking only mid pack or lower with the exception of their multi-thousand high end stuff.

 

[Dix]

Check out LG. I'm serious.

 

[Retired Guy]

Over the summer we bought 2wo Samsund LED TVs. Small ones, 19, and 27, but we are impressed with the picture and especially the sound - not tinny at all. If I were looking for a larger one I would seriously consider Samsung.

 

[jharkin]

Samsung would have been on the top of the list if not for how many issues we have had with our existing set (including the power supply issues that went to a class action suit and recall). If I could believe it was a one off and I can expect to get more than 5-8 years out of a new one without a failure I'll look at Samsung again.

 

[Dix]

*shrieks and carry's on *

Stay away from Samsung. One of the worst companies I deal with for warranty work, 3rd party, etc.

 

[jharkin]

Thats why I said in my starting post... Im wary of Samsung because of the bad experience I had with the current one we own. Might be RetiredGuy missed that line....


The mrs is downloading the Consumer Reports TV buying guide so we can see what they have to say. Online reviews are all over the map.....

ETA... As I read it seems like the local dimming thing turned out to be a fad that didn't really live up to the claim (plasma like black levels).. Ive been out of the loop and need to catch up on the tech.

 

[pen]

When I bought my first some years back, I told each sales person that I wanted a TV that would give me the same 22 years service that my console had without issue (still working at 95% when I sent it to recycling)..... Long story short, everyone laughed, and several asked if I remembered the cost of the one that gave me 22 years service ( I actually only used it for about 14 or 15 years, and paid a buck an inch for it at auction as a kid working there)........ Point is, even what seems like a pricey TV today, is dirt cheap compared to what they used to cost new, and the price difference is reflected in the longevity.

We have 5 or 6 years on an LG unit now that we have been very happy with, no problems. Also 2 Sansui units that are about 3 years old now that have been great. A vizio that is about 2 years old that was cheap and is near the woodstove (why we went cheap) and so far it's held up to living in that environment.

In short, I'm certain some units are better than others on the market, but I think expecting 20+ years out of any of them sold now is foolishness. We went with the LG's and Sansui's as a local store (Olums) guaranteed if they needed work that it would happen in house, and that the big box places sent everything out to XYZ. Now, even then I knew it probably would never be worth having one fixed, but my family has bought a ton from them over the years and they've been great so, I stuck with what has worked. We bought the vizio since it was cheap and we knew where it lives would be tough on any unit, so anything we get out of the unit past what it has held up to already, is bonus in our book.

pen

 

[velvetfoot]

Our Toshiba 36" has been going strong at 8 years old. I wonder if the larger ones are as reliable as the smaller ones?

 

[BrotherBart]

Invalid wife's TV runs 24/7. Burns up one every two years like clockwork. This time I bought a Vizio from Walmart and my first extended warranty. Full replacement for four years for not too many dollars. I will see how good it is in 14 months.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

We have a 1 yr old 70" Vizio, a 6 yr old 55" Samsung and a 4 yr old 32" Insignia (best buy toshiba knock off) All working good . Also got the WM 4 yr ext warranty
on the 70(cost $120) as we only paid $900 on Black friday for the set.

 

[bassJAM]

Does your Samsung make clicking noises while trying to turn on? My 7 year old Samsung died like that several years ago. I was told it needed a new power supply, but I actually found some how-to video's on Youtube on how to fix it with just a couple bucks worth of capacitors. I guess it's a very common problem with the Samsung TV's from that era for the old capacitors to blow. Took me maybe 30 minutes to fix, and it's still working fine!

I think Samsung and LG are still considered the top "premium" TV's, but I think they're probably all very similar by now. Some are more thin, but that doesn't really matter to me. Some are more "smart" than others, but with a ROKU you can make any TV smart. I picked up a 50" LED LCD refurbed Toshiba a couple years ago that I'm very happy with. I've got a friend who bought a Visio maybe 4 years ago, and it still works fine so I wouldn't count them out either.

If you've got some time, check out Woot.com. It's a website that sells only a handful of items, and most are only on sale for 24 hours. Just about every 2 weeks or so some LCD TV's show up for very good prices, that's where I got my Toshiba from.

 

[bsruther]

We recently got a Samsung 50" LED for the stove room. The picture is excellent, but the function and apps response to the remote leaves a lot to be desired. And if I'm watching the netflix app, I can forget about adjusting the picture because the menu and tools screen won't even display. The cheap vizio in the bedroom is way more responsive than the samsung. Seriously considering getting a chromecast for the samsung and be done with the "smart" part of it.

 

[firefighterjake]

I've got a plasma Panasonic in the living room and smaller Panasonic LCD TV in the master bedroom . . . they're still working fine.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Its hard to find a better picture than a samsung. Only because the Samsung was twice as much (70"samsung $2000 vs $900 vizio 70") did i settle for the vizio. For the price i cant complain about the vizio. Looks great in HD . Time will tell how long it will last.

 

[bassJAM]

Its hard to find a better picture than a samsung.

That probably is true. I bought my 42" LCD Samsung back in 2006. When I got the 50" Toshiba in 2013 I spent hours trying to tune the picture, but still can't get it to match the vivid colors of the Samsung. Both are 1080p. It's not that the Toshiba has a bad picture, but even my wife (who claims she doesn't notice the difference between high def and standard def) will say something about the Samsung's better picture quality if we switch rooms and go from one TV to the other in the middle of a show.