So I’ve had a few people ask me what I found out while researching TV’s. I figured I’d post my findings.
PLASMAS: Everyone says Panasonic. They took over Pioneer which supposedly had all these great patents. Next in line is Samsung. But Samsung plasmas tend to have an orangeish hue to them, which we found can be good and bad depending on what you’re watching. Plasmas have a darker picture, richer blacks, and a matte (which absorbs light in the room, so you don’t get a glare). It works better in darker rooms, and has a faster refresh rate better for video games & sports. ALSO, plasmas have virtually an unlimited viewing angle. Meaning it looks good reguardless where you’re sitting in the room. The biggest downside, making me change my mind on plasma was a lot of people complained about the possibility of burning the screen & leaving permanent burn marks by a picture being on the screen for too long. I didn’t want to chance it.
LCD- brighter screens, no chance of accidental burning, but a higher refresh rate (120 Hz or 240 Hz) is best. There are many good brands for LCD, except stay away from Westinghouse, Mistibishi, & Polaroid. Much higher rate of repairs down the line. On LCDs, blacks tend to look more grey though. And the viewing angles are limited. Picture looks best looking straight on, & gets worse the farther you go to the sides or up & down. They usually have shiny screens, which reflects lights in the room.
LED-LCD- apparently this is the way to go if you can afford it. The most expensive & latest technology using LED backlighting instead of florescent. Saves big on energy used, has richer blacks, wider viewing angle, and makes a better TV over all. Seems like the best of both worlds.