51 replies to this topic

[magnet]

Hi

I need some advice on choosing the best TV for sport. I generally watch EPL games on HD via Foxtel IQ2. I have viewed lots of different TV's but just cannot make my mind up. My budget is $2000 and I am looking at around a 50" screen. I have always had plasma's and am currently looking at the Samsung PS51D8000.

Thanks in advance

[pc9]

magnet, on Oct 28 2011, 06:37 AM, said:

Hi

I need some advice on choosing the best TV for sport. I generally watch EPL games on HD via Foxtel IQ2. I have viewed lots of different TV's but just cannot make my mind up. My budget is $2000 and I am looking at around a 50" screen. I have always had plasma's and am currently looking at the Samsung PS51D8000.

Thanks in advance

Your right on the money with the Series 8 Samsung Plasma.  Am about to purchase one (once the missus goes on her overseas trip).  If you do not do a lot of daytime veiwing or have a light controlled room, the entry level series 5 or slightly upspecced series 6 are also worth a look at.  I saw a series 5 in the local JBHIFI for $800 the other day.

Footnote: the Foxtel HD pictures are not quite as good as they used to be due to compression.  Some better stuff coming on FTA at the moment.  SBS HD are covering some of the Euro Cup soccer in native 720HD.  Also - saw Arsenal TV on One this morning in native HD and it was lookin pretty good.

[diesel]

pc9, on Oct 28 2011, 08:54 AM, said:

Footnote: the Foxtel HD pictures are not quite as good as they used to be due to compression.  Some better stuff coming on FTA at the moment.

I've been enjoying the MLB World Series on One on my 65" VT20. PQ has been great!

Good to see CH9 was simulcasting the RWC finals on GEM, though why they didn't do this for the NRL finals has me shaking my head  

[wilsact]

diesel, on Oct 28 2011, 09:25 AM, said:

I've been enjoying the MLB World Series on One on my 65" VT20. PQ has been great!

Good to see CH9 was simulcasting the RWC finals on GEM, though why they didn't do this for the NRL finals has me shaking my head  

Yeah they deserve to lose the NRL rights! Not even showing state of origin or finals in HD is a disgrace!!!

[Beleg Cúthalion]

64" D550 for under $2k?

[mtv]

I'd definitely stick with plasma for sport, as LED/LCD screens still have more motion artifacts.

[magnet]

I looked at the Samsung PS64D8000 on the weekend and noticed the motion was very jerky compared to the LED tv next to it. However, I still went ahead and purchased the PS51D8000 for $1450, which I thought was an excellent price. The TV has been set up at home and I am still getting the same jerky motion via standard Foxtel. Hopefully that will be cured once I get the Foxtel HD installed on Wednesday.

[Owen]

Motion on a Plasma should be just like a CRT TV, you see what is in the source without artificial motion smoothing.
There should be motion interpolation that you can enable if you want the artificial smooth look, it was on by default on the older C7000.

Remember anything shot on film is 24 frames per second and does not have smooth motion. Video camera material is 50 frames per second and should look very smooth.

[jsmith]

mtv, on Oct 28 2011, 01:49 PM, said:

...as LED/LCD screens still have more motion artifacts.

No rudeness intended, but what rubbish. The artifacts are either present in the source, from compression or introduced by some type of interpolation method. In fact some plasma's employ a softening of the picture than cannot be turned off... lets not forget the screen door effect, buzzing, flicker, image retention, heat, rising blacks on Pannys etc. etc.

JSmith  

[Owen]

While I agree that modern LCD's dont have much of a problem with motion their performance with low quality source typical on TV is certainly less than best.

I have yet to see any LCD at any price that can compete with a decent Plasma for picture quality.

[pc9]

Owen, on Nov 2 2011, 10:15 PM, said:

While I agree that modern LCD's dont have much of a problem with motion their performance with low quality source typical on TV is certainly less than best.

I have yet to see any LCD at any price that can compete with a decent Plasma for picture quality.

Totally agree after owning two different brand 55" LEDs. They can't handle the compressed stuff at all. If we had broadcast television signals in this country going out at a decent bit rate, I would'nt have a problem with LCD/LED.  There's a lot to be said for this technology providing the incoming video signal is decent but unfortunately in Australia this is not the case.

What I look for in a television is the way it handles poor quality source and whilst Plasma is not perfect in this respect, it beats the pants of LCD.

[diesel]

pc9, on Nov 3 2011, 09:01 AM, said:

Plasma is not perfect in this respect, it beats the pants of LCD.

I thought plasma wore the pants????

[jsmith]

Owen, on Nov 2 2011, 11:45 PM, said:

I have yet to see any LCD at any price that can compete with a decent Plasma for picture quality.

Your obviously not looking hard enough Owen...

I'll leave that there.

JSmith  

[jsmith]

diesel, on Nov 3 2011, 09:37 AM, said:

I thought plasma wore the pants????

They get so damb hot they can't...  

JSmith  

[TheFrog]

jsmith, on Nov 3 2011, 09:07 AM, said:

Your obviously not looking hard enough Owen...

I'll leave that there.

JSmith  

Shouldn't all nonsense be deleted rather than left to simmer?

[jsmith]

TheFrog, on Nov 4 2011, 09:00 AM, said:

Shouldn't all nonsense be deleted rather than left to simmer?

Stay out of it Kermit...  

JSmith  

[Owen]

jsmith, on Nov 3 2011, 10:07 AM, said:

Your obviously not looking hard enough Owen...

I'll leave that there.

JSmith  

Name an LCD that does not look like an LCD.

[TheFrog]

Owen, on Nov 4 2011, 09:49 PM, said:

Name an LCD that does not look like an LCD.

I don't have a huge problem with LCD unless the soap opera effect kicks in, that said, as the LCD increases in size, the chance of screen uniformity problems rises dramatically, so 46in is as big as I'd go.

[robertr]

Owen, on Nov 4 2011, 10:49 PM, said:

Name an LCD that does not look like an LCD.

Sony 55 HX925 however I am not getting into any arguments here, I am just amazed how one forum member here constantly criticises LCD & never ever acknowledges that there are some very good high end LCD"s out there.

[Owen]

TheFrog, on Nov 5 2011, 01:42 AM, said:

I don't have a huge problem with LCD unless the soap opera effect kicks in, that said, as the LCD increases in size, the chance of screen uniformity problems rises dramatically, so 46in is as big as I'd go.

The "soap opera" effect is due to frame interpolation, that can normally be adjusted or disabled completely. Screen uniformity is not a problem with all LCD's either.

I have a 52" Sammy LCD, screen uniformity is fine and there is no "soap opera" effect unless I want there to be.

Screen uniformity issues are due to the panel its self and or the lighting system, with LED edge lighting being the most problematic. Large LCD's are no more sustainable to uniformity problems than small ones.

[TheFrog]

Owen, on Nov 5 2011, 08:39 PM, said:

Screen uniformity issues are due to the panel its self and or the lighting system, with LED edge lighting being the most problematic. Large LCD's are no more sustainable to uniformity problems than small ones.

Edge lit LED are the worst for screen uniformity, and as the panel increases in size, the inferiority of the tech can become apparent, and off angle viewing must be horrifying on larger LCD.
You also seem to be contradicting yourself as you claim LED are the worst, but don't seem to account for larger sizes exposing any of the deficiencies a tech might have.

[Owen]

robertr, on Nov 5 2011, 07:45 AM, said:

Sony 55 HX925 however I am not getting into any arguments here, I am just amazed how one forum member here constantly criticises LCD & never ever acknowledges that there are some very good high end LCD"s out there.

I think you misunderstand my comments about LCD. LCD's be they LED or CCFL illuminated create an image in a specific way that is fundamentally different to Plasma. An LCD with perfect blacks and perfect colour will therefore look different to an equally perfect spec Plasma, the basic measurements used to evaluate TV's do not quantify these differences. Many if not most people like the LCD look but plenty of people don't, its a personal preference thing.

I have never owned a Plasma TV but do own LCD's but that does not mean I cant much prefer the look of Plasma over LCD and I'm not alone. Even cheap Plasma's look good to me and I can enjoy them even thought they are far from perfect, LCD's at any price point never leave me with the same impression especially with less than best video source.

[Owen]

TheFrog, on Nov 5 2011, 10:38 PM, said:

Edge lit LED are the worst for screen uniformity, and as the panel increases in size, the inferiority of the tech can become apparent, and off angle viewing must be horrifying on larger LCD.
You also seem to be contradicting yourself as you claim LED are the worst, but don't seem to account for larger sizes exposing any of the deficiencies a tech might have.

No contradiction, just stay away from edge lit LED LCD's. Large back lit panels (CCFL or LED) are not inherently worse than small back lit panels as the lighting is uniform in both. The LCD panel dominates performance, some panels are good and some aren't, size is not the determining factor.

If uniformity is a worry stay away from LCD and buy a Plasma.

Pro grade LCD PC monitors still use CCFL back lighting as LED lighting is just not as good.

Edited by Owen, 05 November 2011 - 10:14 PM.

[TheFrog]

Owen, on Nov 5 2011, 10:10 PM, said:

No contradiction, just stay away from edge lit LED LCD's. Large back lit panels (CCFL or LED) are not inherently worse than small back lit panels as the lighting is uniform in both.

I've seen many LCD's at home, at friends and instore, and many of them have backlight issues that can't be dialed out, as such, the bigger the screen, the more pronounced this deficiency would be.
As you know, plasma's are nearly perfect no matter the size as they're a pixel based tech.

[Owen]

You are just as likely to get a 40" LCD with good or bad uniformity as a 65" LCD if both are back lit not edge lit.
As I said, if screen uniformity is a priority buy a Plasma, no LCD is perfect.