Need Plasma TV help! Buy now? Wait?

[ChickieToo]

We have a 42" Plasma TV that we bought 4 years ago. We have no problem with it, the picture is very sharp from all angles, and we have had no problem with the power or the picture--ever. We have a large 3 panel sliding door directly opposite the TV and it is west so the sun sets there. Sometimes when the sun is going down we get light across the screen and it makes it hard to see. All we do is close the drapes and voila, the picture is fixed!

Also, I never thought about it before, but the pp who posted about the plasma TVs not having delays like those that occur with LCD screens is correct. The plasma TV in our family room has never had that problem, but the much newer LCD we have in the bedroom does, at times, have delays.

I think a lot of this is personal preference. There are horror stories with all product types--just go with what you think will work best for you.

 

[MAH4546]

Run, don't walk, from Insigna brand televisions.

Also, buy plasma if you are okay buying likely buying a new TV in 4-5 years. Some Plasmas will last, but a lot won't. Go for a smaller screen and buy LCD or LED for the same price.

 

[sam_gordon]

We have a 52" Samsung LCD. It's a little over 2 years old and going strong. I didn't want a plasma because they are more subject to "burn in" than an LCD. That's where you'll end up with faint images on the screen from leaving a static image on (picture playing a video game for hours on end) for a while.

My suggestion... find the specific model number of what you're looking for and go to cnet.com. They'll have critic as well as user reviews. You can also try avsforum.com. They'll probably have a thread for a specific model. Find out what kind of problems people are experiencing.

Last but not least, try to look at a specific model at the store. Make sure you check viewing angles (don't just look at the screen from straight ahead). Go about 30-45 degrees off to each side and walk closer to the screen. At some point, you'll see a bad image. That's fine as long as your seating arrangement doesn't have someone sitting there.

 

[HHSTigerFan]

We just bought a 46" Sony Bravia LCD, love it!!!

Like someone else stated, make sure you get the 1080...

 

[DVC-Don]

We have a Panasonic 42" Plasma TV that we bought 5 1/2 years ago at our New York home. No problems at all. Here in Florida we have a 50" Samsung Plasma but it's only a couple of months old. We got that one "free" when we purchased a living room set. The bedroom here has a 22" LCD/DVD Toshiba TV, but that one is fuzzy when watching at an angle. That one was also "free" when we purchased the bedroom set.