New TV Opinion Please!

[Bob]

Okay, years after having a 50 inch 720p panasonic plasma, I have decided on a 55 inch 1080p.  The plasma on my older set is started to fade out in odd darker areas that show up on light media screens.  I thought I had read the the new 2013 panasonic plasmas were the way to go, but they were supposed to be at the stores in February and they still are not out......I think I just found out why.

Turns out that they have cut back production this year and they have decided to NOT be in the plasma TV world in 2014 as the LCDs/LEDs are doing so well.  So, waiting for a delayed TV that they wont be in the world with any more sounds not so smart to me.

I have read that the LCDs/LEDs can have "blur" issues with fast moving scenes and some of the dark scenes......is this REALLY an issue that I would notice at home?

Does anyone who has thought about plasma vs LCDs/LEDs have any opinions?

I would like to know if I would be pleased with getting a 55 inch LCD/LED and would I be pleased with the picture

Thank you all

[RVR II]

My 55" Vizio TRU-LED HDTV is Awesome but obsolete now.. The Picture really is sharp.
Most all of them now are 'smart' tv's that I could care less about cause I just hook up a computer to mine and make it a 55" monitor

Plasmas I heard use more power and like you have, the gas seems to 'fade' out the picture over time.

[Bob]

Yeah, I do not care if my TV connects to the internet because I have no plans on using it as a computer or facebook tool.  And my appleTV and DVD player connect to the internet so I get my Netflix that way.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

 One advantage of getting a 3D TV even if you are not interested in the 3D part is the extra frame rate you get on 3D TVs.  So you don't have a blur issue.  My Samsung is listed at 240Hz, I've never seen any blur even on fast sports.  I have seen blur on some LCDs, so it is something to look out for.

If you want blacks as black as plasma you'll need to look for backlit LED systems that turn off the LEDs in dark areas, but those use more energy than side lit LEDs.  The difference is minimal, if you get a side lit LCD with very good contrast you will only notice the light coming from black areas when the room is pitch black.  The side lit LED systems use hardly any power, and are crazy thin.

Organic LED is the future, but too expensive now.  Having each pixel generate it's own light gives you perfect black and they can add a white LED to give pure whites.  It's also a big power saver.

And one more thing to look out for, when I got my Samsung there were all kinds of picture "enhancements" turned on by default.  Regular TV looked fine but when I put in my Blu-Ray of Aliens it looked like everything was CGI.  Took me an hour to find all the darn menus to turn off all that crap and have the movie look like it was supposed to.

[Bob]

And the winner is:

Samsung PN60E7000 60" 3D PLASMA TV WITH SMART TV

It comes on Monday from Best Buy.

[RVR II]

And the winner is:

Samsung PN60E7000 60" 3D PLASMA TV WITH SMART TV

It comes on Monday from Best Buy.

Take a pick when you get it set up

[Bob]

And the previous comment about changing the video set ups cuz there are so many of them......the below site reviewing the DVD gave a link on how they recommend you change everything.  I am guessing that is the good way to change everything to start and see if I ever see a problem.

http://reviews.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/samsung-plasma-tv/samsung-pn51e7000-picturesettings.html

[MartyS (Gromit)]

Do you have a calibration disc?  I use DVE HD Basics, it's a bit clunky but the test patterns are very good.

Those settings on that page look like a good starting point.

This may have changed but on my Samsung you have to choose "movie" for the picture mode or else you don't have all the advanced options available.

Samsung is a little weird in the way they name settings, for screen size I figured 16:9 would work properly, turns out the proper setting to use is "screen fit" for anything connected through HDMI.  The 1080p test pattern was not showing the correct pixel pattern until I found that setting.  "screen fit" sounds like it would shrink or expand the image, but it is the only mode that displays exactly what is coming through via HDMI.

Also be sure to turn off "Cinema Smoothing" or "Judder Reduction", that really adds the CGI look for movies since it tries to smooth out 24p.

[Bob]

You know, the who "changing the settings on a TV" is a new concept to me cuz I have never really done that before.  Ah, the world of 1980 TV sets seemed a lot simpler!

I have never heard of a "calibration disc" before, so I am going to say NO. 

My hope is the set is already close to what the expert at the PlasmaTVbuyingguide.com suggested and it does not need much changing.

I do not know if the suggestions you just made are set on the set, or it Samsung even calls them that anymore, but I REALLY appreciate the comments and I will go checking it out.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

 A calibration disc is just a bunch of test patterns, often with surround sound tests as well, really helps to set up a new TV so the colors look right and check your speaker wiring polarity.  Most people don't set the brightness and contrast correctly, brightness is really for setting black levels properly.  Samsung has some test patterns built into the set, but they are a royal pain to use.

A lot of Disney disks have a TV calibration option, that will put up basic test patterns and tell what to adjust.  I've also seen some THX calibration options on other discs.

A quick search of the PDF manual for your set comes up with "Screen Fit" and "Judder Reduction", but no "Cinema smoothing".

Some people don't like the way 24p movies look when things move fast, that's what the judder reduction is for, but I found it made things look plastic, that opening scene of Aliens the ship looked all smooth and like CGI.

[Bob]

I am guessing the below comment fom the website is a good one.....

" There is no dejudder control function on the E7000 series"

Heck, I'll fly you to Houston to set it up!   I don't even know what "dejudder" means!

[Space version 2.0]

Samsung is a little weird in the way they name settings, for screen size I figured 16:9 would work properly, turns out the proper setting to use is "screen fit" for anything connected through HDMI.  The 1080p test pattern was not showing the correct pixel pattern until I found that setting.  "screen fit" sounds like it would shrink or expand the image, but it is the only mode that displays exactly what is coming through via HDMI.

Thanks for posting that, I just fixed mine (51'' 3D Smart), along with a bunch of other settings. Never really looked into calibration for it, just one guide that said the most basic adjustment was Movie with sharpness set to 0.

[RVR II]

Hmm.. I have to selece 'wide' to get some of my shows/movies to play full screen on my 55" Vizio Tru-LED HDTV bu I don't recall seeing an option like that anywhere in the menu selections

[MartyS (Gromit)]

I am guessing the below comment fom the website is a good one.....

" There is no dejudder control function on the E7000 series"

Ever watch a movie and when the camera pans you can notice little jumps, because your eye can pick out frames at 24 frames per second.  That's judder.

I guess it could be good if it doesn't have dejudder, or bad if it has it but you can't turn it off.  Or meh if you never notice it. 

Looks like the e-manuals on the Samsung site cover several models at once, so I guess searching for those words wouldn't tell if your model really has it or not.

Hmm.. I have to selece 'wide' to get some of my shows/movies to play full screen on my 55" Vizio Tru-LED HDTV bu I don't recall seeing an option like that anywhere in the menu selections

Unfortunatly every brand uses there own terms, on the LG I had before the Samsung it was called something else like "full" (can't remember exactly).

[RVR II]

On Vizio it's 'stretch' and fills the screen.