Aaaargh. Please help Viridian select a new TV.


I barely understand audio, never mind video, but my old TV finally bit the dust and I need a new one. I can't make heads or tails out of the specs, liquid crystal, plasma, DLP, sounds like my doctor's office. 1080, 720, Blue Ray, whaaa? So here is the basic info. I sit 12' from the set, on axis, in a large room that does not have any glare or excess light issues. I watch movies on DVD frequently and tend to keep my gear for decades. I generally don't chase the SOTA, just like something reliable and enjoyable. Suggestions as to screen size, technology and brand name are greatly appreciated.
128x128viridian

Showing 1 response by dweller


The following set is relatively future proof and is what I'd buy if I were buying.

-60" LCD with LED light source (no need to replace bulb every 2-3 years (I hear prices for bulbs are falling, however.)

-At least 10,000-to-1 contrast ratio (15,000 is better).

-HDMI 1.3 inputs (two on back of set, one on front).

Make sure the "glare screen" isn't actually ADDING distortion to the picture. Get inches away and look for grain like you're listening for distortion in a speaker.
I'm amazed how many big screens have this "feature".
The best (smoothest) picture I've seen is a Panasonic 61" RPT retailing around $2500 -really fine picture.

Finally, make sure the CPU processor is fast enough to avoid
picture "break up" on complex scenes.
Motocross, marathon events, anything with lots of images moving together quickly can overload the CPU and the picture just falls apart (more like explodes) into a pathetic mess (high definition my ass...).