42''-47'' vizio vs LG vs ??????

[danman00]

Thinking about getting a new TV for my place next year, and I have absolutely no knowledge regarding TVs, so I need your help.


I know that I'm going to want it 42-47 inches and that's about it. For some reason I'm liking the Vizio's because I've seen a few that looked really, really nice.

This is going to be used for console gaming and just watching TV/movies.

I'm not saying that I have to get a Vizio, I just am clueless as to which company is better and whatnot.

I was looking around and found these

42 1080p vizio

various vizio 42s and 47s

Help is much appreciated!

Budget is $900

 

[JackBurton]

For $900, I highly recommend getting a 42" Panasonic G25 plasma instead. Great for gaming and TV/movie viewing.

 

[danman00]

Bump for more info!

 

[melchoir]

I'm very happy with my Vizio 47" SV471XVT.

When I was shopping for a TV, there was really nothing in the price range that reviewed as favorably. In most of the review-roundups the set might lose a few points here and there but generally to a set that cost 50-60% more.

I don't know about today's current market, but I can say that my experience has been extremely positive. I have a friend with a Vizio 47" non xvt model that's also very happy.

 

[kalrith]

Why have you chosen 42-47" as the size? Unless size is limited by factors such as an entertainment center or WAF (wife-approval factor), then the "correct" size choice is based on viewing distance and resolution (both of the TV and the sources). So, here are some questions for you:

1. What is your viewing distance (distance from your eyes to the screen from your normal seating position)?
2. What are your sources (PS3, BDs, DVDs, HD cable, SD cable, etc.)?
3. What are the lighting conditions of the room?
4. Are you only considering flat-panel TVs, or would you consider a rear-projection TV (rptv) as well?

 

[Anubis]

speaking of RPTVs Dell has the mitsu 65 inch DLP for under 900 again

 

[Destiny]

Plasma provides the best picture and contrast ratios... but if you are planning to play video games on it I recommend getting an LCD instead. I left my Madden 2009 game on my 48inch plasma for a few hours by accident one time and it burned a madden game logo image on bottom right corner of the screen that will never go away now... D:

 

[kalrith]

Plasma provides the best picture and contrast ratios... but if you are planning to play video games on it I recommend getting an LCD instead. I left my Madden 2009 game on my 48inch plasma for a few hours by accident one time and it burned a madden game logo image on bottom right corner of the screen that will never go away now... D:

What plasma? I've never heard of a 48" plasma, and I haven't heard about any plasmas made within the past 5 years getting burn-in without much, much, much more abuse than that. If you have the pixel shifter turned on, then you almost have to try to get burn-in to achieve that (i.e. leave it on CSPAN 24/7).

I've had a plasma for almost 3 years. I use it with my PS3 and even with my PC. I don't even have the pixel shifter turned on, because it causes problems with my PC. I don't have burn-in, and I've only seen image retention (IR) one time, and that's because I left a static image on the screen for 4 hours at my son's birthday party (again this was without the pixel shifter on). 5 minutes of full-screen content caused the IR to go away.

Also, a lot of LCDs have problems handling motion and have high input lag. That's not what you want when gaming. Excellent motion handling and 0 input lag are what you want for gaming, and plasmas have just that.

Edit: In other words, Destiny's post is FUD.

 

[hans030390]

What plasma? I've never heard of a 48" plasma, and I haven't heard about any plasmas made within the past 5 years getting burn-in without much, much, much more abuse than that. If you have the pixel shifter turned on, then you almost have to try to get burn-in to achieve that (i.e. leave it on CSPAN 24/7).

I've had a plasma for almost 3 years. I use it with my PS3 and even with my PC. I don't even have the pixel shifter turned on, because it causes problems with my PC. I don't have burn-in, and I've only seen image retention (IR) one time, and that's because I left a static image on the screen for 4 hours at my son's birthday party (again this was without the pixel shifter on). 5 minutes of full-screen content caused the IR to go away.

Also, a lot of LCDs have problems handling motion and have high input lag. That's not what you want when gaming. Excellent motion handling and 0 input lag are what you want for gaming, and plasmas have just that.

Edit: In other words, Destiny's post is FUD.

My friend has a Panasonic Viera TC-P42S1 (42" 1080p plasma) that has IR problems. For example, I loaded up the Battlestar Galactica blu-ray and had it sitting at the menu for a couple of minutes. When we started up an episode, you could see the static parts of the menu on the screen. It went away without issue, of course, but I wouldn't call his post FUD.

 

[Anubis]

kal sadly even many newer plasmas have much worse IR and Burn issues then even the older Pioneers.

 

[kalrith]

kal sadly even many newer plasmas have much worse IR and Burn issues then even the older Pioneers.

Even if that's the case, I bet there's not a plasma TV out there that would get burn in after leaving a game paused for a few hours even with pixel shifting turned off. Turn pixel shifting on, and I'd bet a million dollars on it. That is, unless "few" = 100 ^_^.

The only time that a plasma is highly susceptible to burn in is when it's brand new. Even then, I think the major plasma companies have removed the jargon about the break-in period from all of their manuals.

Basically, buy a Samsung or a Panasonic plasma, leave the pixel shifting on all the time, don't totally abuse your TV, and you don't have to worry about burn-in.

 

[smitbret]

Gonna go with Kalrith on this one. Personal experience with my Samsung plasma.... There's a few standard def shows that my GF likes to watch for a few hours on end. When she's done, you can see the frames on the left and right side of the screens, but they go away after a few minutes of full widescreen viewing. I typically watch Sportcenter for a couple of continuous hours every morning and the IR of the ticker on the bottom and left sticks around for a few minutes. Never had anything on mine that stuck around longer than about 30 seconds of panning through the IR remover. It would take many hours of a static image to get anything close burn-in.

 

[smitbret]

Plasma provides the best picture and contrast ratios... but if you are planning to play video games on it I recommend getting an LCD instead. I left my Madden 2009 game on my 48inch plasma for a few hours by accident one time and it burned a madden game logo image on bottom right corner of the screen that will never go away now... D:

What plasma was this? 48" is a strange size for a plasma. Leads me to believe it is some off-brand, which would make more sense.

 

[danman00]

Why have you chosen 42-47" as the size? Unless size is limited by factors such as an entertainment center or WAF (wife-approval factor), then the "correct" size choice is based on viewing distance and resolution (both of the TV and the sources). So, here are some questions for you:

1. What is your viewing distance (distance from your eyes to the screen from your normal seating position)?
2. What are your sources (PS3, BDs, DVDs, HD cable, SD cable, etc.)?
3. What are the lighting conditions of the room?
4. Are you only considering flat-panel TVs, or would you consider a rear-projection TV (rptv) as well?

1. Not sure about the exact viewing distance, thing is I'm going to be living in a dorm, and a friend who lived there last year said 42-47 is perfect fit.
2. 360, cable, and possibly dvds
3. No idea
4. Flat panel

Friend said he had a 42'' Vizio and it was perfect, just wanted some more info before I spend the bucks. I figure I might as well spend some money on a quality TV that i will be using for the next ~4+ years

 

[smitbret]

I bought a 47" Vizio VO47LFHDTV 30a for $899 a little more than 18 months ago. Kept it for a year before I sold it to a co-worker so that I could purchase a 50" plasma. It was only a 60hz, rather than 120/240hz but the picture was awesome and I never noticed any motion blur while watching sports. Had the best built-in speakers of any flat screen I've ever viewed/listened to. It didn't play nice with Harmony remote control, though. To this day, I wish I had kept it for the bedroom.

 

[alcoholbob]

Not sure about Vizio but LG uses (and manufactures) S-IPS panels so it will have the greatest color depth of all TVs. For me plasma always seemed to have a limited color gamut and I had trouble differentiating close shades of the same color. Samsung I believe uses PVA.

 

[kalrith]

I think a 42-50" Panasonic or Samsung plasma would be the best choice. These should trump the image quality of any Vizio LCD. Both Panasonic and Samsung plasmas are good quality plasmas with good pixel-shifting technology. You shouldn't have to worry about burn-in with either one. Without knowing your viewing distance, it's a bit hard to recommend a specific set. The afore-mentioned 42" 1080p Panasonic plasma is a good option. However, if you're 9' or farther away, then you could get a 50" 720p plasma for around $700 on a good deal. Being closer than 9' to a 50" TV would likely require 1080p resolution though.

IR is a completely different animal from burn-in, and some TVs are more prone to it than others. As already mentioned, playing full-screen content for a few minutes makes IR go away. Therefore, IR isn't something to be concerned with, because it goes away and doesn't damage the TV. Something like leaving a game paused while you were out of town for the weekend might cause burn-in. Hopefully after spending $900 on a TV, you won't want to abuse it like that regardless of what technology you choose.

 

[Imp]

I have 2 Samsung LCDs, one 32" and one 40", both are lovely (aside from a bright spot in the bottom right corner of my 40").

I got both in the past half year, so most of my research should still be moderately up to date. Vizio, I didn't bother with. LG panels are suppose to be good, quick response time and whatnot, but there is a concern regarding "lip sync" issues. I occasionally notice it on some channels at certain times on my Sammies, but they go away; a review of forums and reviews suggests it's a larger issue with LG. They have supposedly repeatedly solved it through firmware updates though.

Stay away from Samsung low/mid-range plasmas. They have beautiful picture, but certain models such as the B/C430 and B/C450 have an annoying buzz audible from 10' away; I had one and returned it despite how great the picture was.

My 40" is a 60 Hz LN40B550 (similar to B530/B540). The new 40" C5X0 goes for $700-ish in Canada, and the 46" are $900. I'd recommend them.

 

[smitbret]

Stay away from Samsung low/mid-range plasmas. They have beautiful picture, but certain models such as the B/C430 and B/C450 have an annoying buzz audible from 10' away; I had one and returned it despite how great the picture was.

THEY DO?! ALL OF THEM?! Guess I'd better go home and "fix" my B550, then. The silence is almost deafening. Mine must be defective.

Thanks for continuing to spread one of the two most overblown gripes on the internet. I guess OP should stay away from Panasonic plasmas, too, since they lose half their black levels in a matter of months.

I don't get how a bright spot in the corner of your 40" LCD is more tolerable than a buzz that can't be heard when the volume is up, anyway.

 

[Anubis]

THEY DO?! ALL OF THEM?! Guess I'd better go home and "fix" my B550, then. The silence is almost deafening. Mine must be defective.

Thanks for continuing to spread one of the two most overblown gripes on the internet. I guess OP should stay away from Panasonic plasmas, too, since they lose half their black levels in a matter of months.

I don't get how a bright spot in the corner of your 40" LCD is more tolerable than a buzz that can't be heard when the volume is up, anyway.

this made me lol, and people complain about panasonics also buzzing

mine doesn't make a sound

 

[kalrith]

It's possible for any plasma to buzz. I can hear mine buzz from 6" away, but that's it. The reason a lot of problems get blown out of proportion is what's reported on the internet. 10,000 avsforum users buy a certain Samsung plasma. 9,995 absolute love their plasma, so they spend their time watching the beloved plasma. The 5 users who have buzzing problems or have to get their TV serviced go on the avsforum owner's thread and complain like crazy.

If you're really worried about it, then buy your TV somewhere local with a good return policy. If the TV buzzes or has any other problems, then exchange it for another one. I know Best Buy has a no-questions-asked 30-day return policy, so you don't even have to give a reason for the return.

 

[smitbret]

It's possible for any plasma to buzz. I can hear mine buzz from 6" away, but that's it. The reason a lot of problems get blown out of proportion is what's reported on the internet. 10,000 avsforum users buy a certain Samsung plasma. 9,995 absolute love their plasma, so they spend their time watching the beloved plasma. The 5 users who have buzzing problems or have to get their TV serviced go on the avsforum owner's thread and complain like crazy.

If you're really worried about it, then buy your TV somewhere local with a good return policy. If the TV buzzes or has any other problems, then exchange it for another one. I know Best Buy has a no-questions-asked 30-day return policy, so you don't even have to give a reason for the return.

This is 100% the truth, right down to the AVSFORUM reference.