View Full Version : Any AV people on here. Need some advice on a new LED TV
Any of you guys into higher end TV's? Been looking at getting a Samsung F8000 and wanted to hear some opinions. If you have the info, how does it compare the previous year ES8000. I haven't bought a new TV in a few years and wanted to hear thoughts on these "Super" Smarts sets.
Personally, the picture on the LED sets bothers me. It's great for video games but watching movies and shows I just don't care for it.
Sorry if this is absolutely no help. I'm not that big into technology myself.
Good luck with whatever you choose. [Awesom]
Sorry, not a fan of LED backlit LCDs. They look 'wet' to me and even film looks like a soap opera. I'm still clinging to my plasma sets until they can come up with a better technology that has a better black level and without the 'wet' or shiny appearance of the content.
My business is selling and installing audio video and home theater systems. The best TV on the market is a Panasonic Plasma.. period.
The added benefit is that Plasma TVs are cheaper.. Best Buy will try to sell you the Samsung because they still make $100-600 (depending on the size) off of it while they make about $15 off of the plasma. My supply chain is through distribution so I make $0 selling a plasma if I try to price match BestBuy but I still recommend them to all of my clients.
Oh, and forgot to mention motion artifacting. Unless you have an LCD with a high refresh rate, motion isn't as smooth as it could be. It's like a high-tech flip-book movie. Plasma doesn't suffer from this quirk.
Some great insights guys, thanks.
USMC88-93
07-28-2013, 10:13
My business is selling and installing audio video and home theater systems.
Are there any good audio receivers for home theater that have either RF or Bluetooth remotes so I do not have to get a third party IR to RF converter?
twitchyfinger
07-28-2013, 10:34
+1 on the Panasonic plasma's! I have an older one that isn't even a 1080p only 720p but supports the 1080i format and the picture quality blows away LCD and LED TV's.
Are there any good audio receivers for home theater that have either RF or Bluetooth remotes so I do not have to get a third party IR to RF converter?
Most mid to upper level receivers have Iphone or Android apps that will operate them. You need to put the receiver on your home network and connect via wifi.
Like the Maytag repair man, I prefer to not have to provide free warranty work on the product I sell after the fact, that takes money straight out of my pocket. I use Denon and Yamaha specifically the Yamaha "Aventage" series. Both have iphone and android apps.
Are there any good audio receivers for home theater that have either RF or Bluetooth remotes so I do not have to get a third party IR to RF converter?
Going RF is great if you want to go through walls or avoid LOS issues, but it's not that common in my experience. It's not specifically what you're asking, but I have experience with an Onkyo AV receiver at home that is connected to my home network. It allows the use of web delivered content and network based content from my HomeServer or other PCs, and also has a smart phone application that is a remote.
For receivers, there are 3 mainstream brands that I consider because they know how make a decent high-current amp; Harmon Kardon, Onkyo, Denon.
ETA: I got distracted before completing my post and def90 beat me to the punch. ;-)
Singlestack
07-28-2013, 11:11
My business is selling and installing audio video and home theater systems. The best TV on the market is a Panasonic Plasma.. period.
The added benefit is that Plasma TVs are cheaper.. Best Buy will try to sell you the Samsung because they still make $100-600 (depending on the size) off of it while they make about $15 off of the plasma. My supply chain is through distribution so I make $0 selling a plasma if I try to price match BestBuy but I still recommend them to all of my clients.
+1 This. Only real reason to buy LCD these days is if you need max brightness for brightly lit rooms during daytime watching. Not only is Plasma currently (and has been) the superior picture technology implementation, if you ask Best Buy salesmen (I have) what TV they have at home, by far most of the time it is a plasma set of some sort.
Plasma displays produce more heat than an LCD. I would imagine the short lifespan for those 2 plasmas was more related to the installation in an environment not suited to the technology.
Does anything that lights up and makes colors suitable, or do you want the best picture experience? This is like comparing ground turkey at the price of a whole steer vs. a prime ribeye. The F8000 being discussed here runs about $2500 for a 55", $3400 for a 65". The last 55" Panasonic Plasma set I bought ran me $600 on a special at Costco.
I don't run my home theater 24x7 and most folks need to sleep at some point. I sure wouldn't want my subwoofer waking me up all night. [Coffee]
Another question is whether or not you need 3D? Adds a lot to the price but content is limited. I also don't like wearing those stupid glasses or dealing with the headaches.
ruthabagah
07-28-2013, 13:50
Plasma is all right, but heat, heft and power consumption put a led tv way ahead. If you keep the store/demo setting on your TV: yep the image will suck. If you take sometime to play with the settings, there is really not much difference between a LED and a plasma.
I have 3 tv at home: an Older (2007) toshiba plasma 42, 1 LG 42 Led and 1 Samsung 46: The Samsung as the best picture by far, but the LG is trailing it because of the user interface. We only turn the toshiba once in a while because of how much power it takes. Also , I did replace twice the power supply on the Toshiba.
Plasma displays produce more heat than an LCD. I would imagine the short lifespan for those 2 plasmas was more related to the installation in an environment not suited to the technology.
Does anything that lights up and makes colors suitable, or do you want the best picture experience? This is like comparing ground turkey at the price of a whole steer vs. a prime ribeye. The F8000 being discussed here runs about $2500 for a 55", $3400 for a 65". The last 55" Panasonic Plasma set I bought ran me $600 on a special at Costco.
I don't run my home theater 24x7 and most folks need to sleep at some point. I sure wouldn't want my subwoofer waking me up all night. [Coffee]
Another question is whether or not you need 3D? Adds a lot to the price but content is limited. I also don't like wearing those stupid glasses or dealing with the headaches.
Im able to get one around 1K less
The UN55F8000BFXZA for $1500? Who do you know? ;-)
The UN55F8000BFXZA for $1500? Who do you know? ;-)
It's actually $1700 new. Seems like a good deal comparatively speaking
I was actually just looking through reviews when I saw this post. http://reviews.cnet.com/televisions/. Looks like CNET agrees on the Panasonics. They also have a good test of input lag if you play any FPS games. Looks like the Panasonic S60 (next model down from ST60) is the best compromise if you want a great picture and play games.
The brand new plasmas are nothing like plasmas even 2 years ago. The vast majority of negative info that I hear people say about plasma TVs are straight up myths much as most of the arguments for LCDs are myths. The lifespan of a plasma vs LCD is negligable, you are talking 15 years vs 15.25 years. the power supplies in both put off the same amount of heat, every time I see someone mount a TV above their fireplace the first thing I think of is that the TV will be dead in 2 years regardless of what it is, both sets will die and early death if they are installed incorrectly. I would not compare an experience with a Toshiba plasma to anything Panasonic has built in the last decade, there is a reason that you don't hear of anyone even mentioning Toshiba anymore.
Dalendenver
07-28-2013, 21:31
I did a lot research before I bought my HDTV a few years ago. Even the high end reviewers were saying that they couldn't tell the difference between 760 and 1080 screens, they also liked the plasmas for the high refresh rate, 650 Hz as opposed to 60 Hz for a basic LCD. You can get higher rate LCDs but you pay more for them. I bought a Vizio 50 inch plasma and have been very pleased with it for over 5 years. You can even tell the difference between DVD and BlueRay on the 760 screen. The only drawback to a plasma, so I have been told, is that they won't work over 6000 ft. above sea level. My son has one he bought from a girl friend that moved to Idaho Springs.
Cylinder Head
07-28-2013, 21:41
I have all Samsung LCD's and one big ass Samsung Plasma and I love them. My girl has sight issues and she loves the LCD's.
They are fantastic when dealing with glare, which could be a huge issue in better lit areas.
The only drawback to a plasma, so I have been told, is that they won't work over 6000 ft. above sea level. Another myth.. the first year plasma TVs came out the issue was that at altitude the power supplies were not strong enough to run the sets at altitude and they would make a buzzing/humming noise that was only audible if you were standing right next to it. that was fixed within the next model release year.
They are fantastic when dealing with glare, which could be a huge issue in better lit areas.
When LCD TVs first came out they all had anti glare coatings on them just like laptop computers do so they were known at the time for being glare free. There are few if any LCD TVs these days that have the old anti glare coatings anymore, they all have regular glass screens.
When plasma sets first came out I found them unwatchable. The divisions between the cells were so large that it looked like I was watching the TV through a screen door. Now I don't notice them at all. The technology has improved quite a bit over its lifetime.
mtnrider
07-28-2013, 22:18
I recently moved and sold my huge plasma with my house so I needed to buy a new TV . LED's are pretty much all you can find in most stores right now. I tried 2 different high end LED's and ended up returning both of them. I don't know how anyone can watch them? The "lag" is horrible. So disappointed in the watchability of the LEDs. They literally gave me a headache trying to watch them and these were top dollar TV's. Finally found a plasma at the BX that had all the smart apps etc and have been really happy with it. Unless there is a major change in the LED technology I will never buy another.
My next will be a plasma. I have one in my bedroom that I have had for like 6 years. It blew a bord a while back, but was easily fixed. The picture is so much better on plasma. Black is actually black.
I came in to set some misinformation straight but it appears as though def90 has got this for the most part.
You buy a TV for picture quality and realistically nothing else matters. People talk about energy use of plasma vs LCD (call it LED all you want but it's still an LCD panel with clever marketing for the back light technology) but you're talking about a few bucks per year for most users. It's not even worth bringing up and I always thought it was hilarious when people were so adamant about how much more power hungry plasmas were. If you cared that much about power consumption you would buy a 13" display and never use it. To buy an inferior picture quality display to save a few bucks per year in energy use makes zero sense. Hell, unplug electronics you never use and you'll make more than that back. For me, I want the best picture I can get and those who know go plasma.
That being said, I recently replaced a few aging plasmas I had for years with newer LCD LED TVs and I regret ever doing it. The 50" hanging in our bedroom was a Maxent that we had for about 9 years and never had a single issue with it. This specific model was a rebranded Panasonic that had detachable speakers (the Panasonic at the time did not) in that it had the same boards and display panel with a different case. It cost $2,200 (price mistake) back when the Panasonic of equal specifications cost $5,100. That thing had an amazing picture after we properly calibrated (this step is VERY important to ALL types of displays) and gave us zero issues. We also had a Vizio 50" plasma in the living room that was probably about 4yrs old and was equally as reliable. I replaced both with 51" Samsung plasmas last year and the picture was fantastic, even though they were still 720p TVs. Fast forward to just before Black Friday and I had the opportunity to buy two LCD LED 1080p HDTVs for a smokin' deal and I decided to go for it and 'upgrade' my two Samsung plasmas. In hind sight this was a tremendous mistake. The picture is alright but it was better on the 51" plasma. The heat radiated was also substantially less on those Samsung plasmas even though the new ones are also energy star rated and what not. I will likely replace these at some point and get back to plasmas because the color reproduction is unmatched.
If someone tells you the best display available is LED... walk away.
I'd like to add that I'm happy to see on this non-A/V forum so many people have correct information. I'm continually amazed at how many people on non-A/V forums bag on plasma whenever this topic comes up and all they're spouting is some BS that some non-commissioned cashier at Best Buy told them.
Again, all great info guys. I sent Def a PM to get some specifics on my situation. Back to my original post I have the opportunity to buy a new, high end Samsung ( F8000 55 )at a pretty incredible price. Honestly, I really like the pic on it after all the hours I have spent in front of the ones at the store. I'm not sure if its my eyes specifically but when I watched the F8000 compared to the Plamas I didn't see a huge difference . My eye's are probably not refined enough. Even with the CMR 1200 turned off I was really impressed. Honestly, I'm not an A/V expert like many on his forum but I have had a great experience with Samsung LCD's. this TV will be used for watching football, Movies ( mostly Disney ), and a few games of PS3 when everyone goes to bed.
Again, all great info guys. I sent Def a PM to get some specifics on my situation. Back to my original post I have the opportunity to buy a new, high end Samsung ( F8000 55 )at a pretty incredible price. Honestly, I really like the pic on it after all the hours I have spent in front of the ones at the store. I'm not sure if its my eyes specifically but when I watched the F8000 compared to the Plamas I didn't see a huge difference . My eye's are probably not refined enough. Even with the CMR 1200 turned off I was really impressed. Honestly, I'm not an A/V expert like many on his forum but I have had a great experience with Samsung LCD's. this TV will be used for watching football, Movies ( mostly Disney ), and a few games of PS3 when everyone goes to bed.
If you like it and you like the price, buy it. Simple as that.
Also, be VERY careful with comparing sets in-store as all are calibrated in different ways for different reasons. To do it properly you would need to calibrate ALL of the displays you're comparing and put side by side and take all the other factors into account (lighting, input material) to make an accurate comparison. Even then some have been on display longer than others and even TV to TV within the same model can have variances because of these. Bottom line, standing in front of a display at Best Buy for a few minutes doesn't really tell you anything.
If you like it and you like the price, buy it. Simple as that.
Also, be VERY careful with comparing sets in-store as all are calibrated in different ways for different reasons. To do it properly you would need to calibrate ALL of the displays you're comparing and put side by side and take all the other factors into account (lighting, input material) to make an accurate comparison. Even then some have been on display longer than others and even TV to TV within the same model can have variances because of these. Bottom line, standing in front of a display at Best Buy for a few minutes doesn't really tell you anything.
Thanks Jer. I think I probably wore out my welcome at the Best Buy Magnolia room standing in front of the televisions. I also spent more time than I can count calling my buddies who are high end gear dudes and reading AV forums. The consensus on the Plasmas is pretty universal. The room that this TV will be hung is flooded with light from both directions so I think I am gonna go with the F8000. I may be taking a bit of a chance but so far I really like what I've seen on this set and i really like the price. Thank you everybody for your input.
Has anybody seen the 4K sets yet.....I'm not a Sony fan but wow!
http://gizmodo.com/theres-officially-a-50-inch-4k-tv-thats-cheaper-than-908697519
Is the room that your TV set going into a dedicated TV room? If you have a lot of windows i'd stay clear of plasma, as it is glass and reflections are a PITA. That is personally why I went with LCD. Remember the TV set is only as good as what your source is.
Thanks Jer. I think I probably wore out my welcome at the Best Buy Magnolia room standing in front of the televisions. I also spent more time than I can count calling my buddies who are high end gear dudes and reading AV forums. The consensus on the Plasmas is pretty universal. The room that this TV will be hung is flooded with light from both directions so I think I am gonna go with the F8000. I may be taking a bit of a chance but so far I really like what I've seen on this set and i really like the price. Thank you everybody for your input.
Has anybody seen the 4K sets yet.....I'm not a Sony fan but wow!
Yes. Not impressed when you factor in how much data is required and how much space this takes up on HDDs and/or how compressed it needs to be to deal with the bandwidth required and I would MUCH rather a universal acceptance of 1080p rather than starting a new trend for manufacturers to market and make money on hardware since most outlets are still 720p/1080i. BTW, most people can't visually tell the difference between 720p & 1080p from 10' away. I switched from 720p to 1080p when I went to the new 60" LCD LED TVs and I 'upgraded' my projector in my theater from a 720p to a 1080p and the difference nowhere near justified the price. I told people for years to buy good quality 720p displays and save their money and now I'm a victim of not taking my own advice. Considering most people are still watching less than 50% 720p content what's the point of 1080p when you feed it crap? Even with 1080p source material I don't see a difference on a 136" screen sitting about 12' away which is a distance I should be able to tell a difference between 720p and 1080p.
Has anybody seen the 4K sets yet.....I'm not a Sony fan but wow!
Content is king. There isn't squat out there to feed a 4K display. I'm quite happy with 1080p, when I can get it (it took way too long to come just this far).
http://gizmodo.com/theres-officially-a-50-inch-4k-tv-thats-cheaper-than-908697519
Is the room that your TV set going into a dedicated TV room? If you have a lot of windows i'd stay clear of plasma, as it is glass and reflections are a PITA. That is personally why I went with LCD. Remember the TV set is only as good as what your source is.
All lcd sets on the market use the same glass surface as plasmas so you will get the same glare/reflection no matter which one you get.
Plasma is going to be a better choice for watching live sports hands down.
Another issue that plasma excels at is off axis viewing. I installed 6 lcds in a stock trading room. They were all installed at the same height horizontally across a long wall. If you stood in the center of the room looking directly at the display in front of you there was a noticeable difference as you looked at each set as you went out to the sides. The further you got off axis the more color and brightness you lost. I really wanted to take a picture to use for sales demonstrations but due to the client and the nature of the room that was not possible.
Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2
Another issue that plasma excels at is off axis viewing.
Great point. I can still see the 42" Panasonic plasma TV in the family room when I'm way off to the side in the kitchen.
All lcd sets on the market use the same glass surface as plasmas so you will get the same glare/reflection no matter which one you get.
Technology must have changed because my old Philips is not glass. My son has thrown shit at it without incident. My friend had to buy a new tv when his son tossed a quarter at a plasma and cracked the surface screen
Technology must have changed because my old Philips is not glass. My son has thrown shit at it without incident. My friend had to buy a new tv when his son tossed a quarter at a plasma and cracked the surface screen
Look up star glass or gorilla glass
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I'm not pulling my info out of the next door neighbors kid who is a "tech expert" or some online forum. I work with this stuff every day. This is my company:
http://www.resiservices.com/AboutUs.html
Singlestack
07-30-2013, 10:13
def90 - I know they arent available anymore, but what did you think of the Pioneer Kuro Plasma sets? My bro has one of those, and loves it.
No-one? Must all still be in shock from seeing the Bronco game. My dog actually pulled the blanket over her head in the 4th quarter, she could not watch anymore.
def90 - I know they arent available anymore, but what did you think of the Pioneer Kuro Plasma sets? My bro has one of those, and loves it.
Seeing that someone else raised this thread from the dead.. Pioneer Kuros were the cream of the crop and what all other tvs were compared to. Panasonic bought all of their technology when Pioneer left the display business. Essentially Panasonic plasmas are the decendents of the pioneer kuros.
sent from a soup can and some string..
def90, would welcome your general comments here: https://www.ar-15.co/threads/120465-HDTV
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