TV replacement
Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 7:31 pm
My Sony 36XBR400 finally died. It is possible that I could fix it. However, I don't think it is really worth my time as this 36" (4:3) TV wasn't really cutting it in my 24x24 great room.
Years ago I knew it would probably take either plasma or OLED to replace the favorable characteristics of a CRT, such as:
- Color reproduction/accuracy
- Black levels
- Motion resolution (how much blur may occur due to a moving image, common on LCD TVs, which is why the "240hz" displays and so on are common, as is the nausea-inducing motion smoothing settings that turn everything into 60 fps soap operas)
- Viewing angles
If I put the new TV over the fireplace, the viewing angle may be less critical. Plasma TVs were also quite cheap over the past few years. Now they are very hard to find, as pretty much no one makes them anymore. I was also thinking of 60-65" as ideal for my great room. So far, this is really all I can come up with as an affordable option:
http://slickdeals.net/f/7955521-60-lg-6 ... ipping?v=1
Pretty good deal, really, for a 60" TV that likely outperforms most LCD sets in most areas.
I don't want to go too nuts on either price or driving myself crazy with the ideal set, because I will probably seek out an OLED ~5 years down the road when they become affordable, since they promise all of the benefits of plasma plus all of the benefits of LCD, essentially. But I think there is better value in picking out something that doesn't suck even if I have to spend a little more (but less than $1000). 2 years ago I could have had my pick from an amazing selection. I could have gotten an even better set than this LG, in 60", for a little less money. Crazy. I missed the boat.
LCD benefits, by the way, are really just power consumption, weight/thinness and maximum brightness (not contrast). For everything else plasma is (was) technically superior. But I think plasma lost the race due to those 3 factors.
Keep in mind I am someone who thinks it is important to calibrate the TV from the service menus, and even better using a computer color calibration system if possible. There's something very satisfying knowing the white point, gamma, shadow detail and resultant flesh tones are all exactly as the director intended. A good plasma in a dark room is something that would spoil most people for LCD sets, but I digress.
Years ago I knew it would probably take either plasma or OLED to replace the favorable characteristics of a CRT, such as:
- Color reproduction/accuracy
- Black levels
- Motion resolution (how much blur may occur due to a moving image, common on LCD TVs, which is why the "240hz" displays and so on are common, as is the nausea-inducing motion smoothing settings that turn everything into 60 fps soap operas)
- Viewing angles
If I put the new TV over the fireplace, the viewing angle may be less critical. Plasma TVs were also quite cheap over the past few years. Now they are very hard to find, as pretty much no one makes them anymore. I was also thinking of 60-65" as ideal for my great room. So far, this is really all I can come up with as an affordable option:
http://slickdeals.net/f/7955521-60-lg-6 ... ipping?v=1
Pretty good deal, really, for a 60" TV that likely outperforms most LCD sets in most areas.
I don't want to go too nuts on either price or driving myself crazy with the ideal set, because I will probably seek out an OLED ~5 years down the road when they become affordable, since they promise all of the benefits of plasma plus all of the benefits of LCD, essentially. But I think there is better value in picking out something that doesn't suck even if I have to spend a little more (but less than $1000). 2 years ago I could have had my pick from an amazing selection. I could have gotten an even better set than this LG, in 60", for a little less money. Crazy. I missed the boat.
LCD benefits, by the way, are really just power consumption, weight/thinness and maximum brightness (not contrast). For everything else plasma is (was) technically superior. But I think plasma lost the race due to those 3 factors.
Keep in mind I am someone who thinks it is important to calibrate the TV from the service menus, and even better using a computer color calibration system if possible. There's something very satisfying knowing the white point, gamma, shadow detail and resultant flesh tones are all exactly as the director intended. A good plasma in a dark room is something that would spoil most people for LCD sets, but I digress.