Which TV is best for Dish?

[whatchel1]

ha ha

I don't think Bud Abbott could deliver a better setup line. I'll refrain from comment and just continue to enjoy real HD on FiOS and free over-the-air. However, I do hear that Dish HD looks fantastic on most smartphones.

You so funny. From the guy that has FIOS. There are a large percentage of us that can't get it. If I had a choice I would go w/ it. But until then it's sat or mediocre SuddenLink cable. They are in process of upgrading their system here but so far they don't really have that much HD at least not in the clear QAM. I'm hoping that they will carry more so I can get AMC HD for a few things in future I'll record to my PC. BTW it is serious PC that is built w/ media server on Win 7 pro platform and HDTV input and output cards.

 

[jerryez]

If anything, this thread proves that opinions on tvs are like A**-holes, everybody has ONE.

 

[navychop]

Quite a few of my friends have plasma. I bucked the trend and went with a Mitsubishi WD65C9 DLP last Thanksgiving ($1049 including shipping to my door from TigerDirect). They all laughed at me and said how inferior my TV would be in PQ... but guess where everyone is at on Sunday afternoon at game time?

If you have the room, you simply can not beat the value of a Mits DLP TV. I know the blacks might not be as dark as a plasma, and the viewing angle is not as big and there is a bit of overscan, but all of that is completely insignificant when compared to the HUGE screen that will have everyone who sees it wondering why they paid so much more for their smaller set. I paid less for my 1080p 65" screen than some of my friends paid for their 50" screens!

Dish HD (connected via HDMI from a 722K) and BluRay both look absolutely stunning on these sets.

Anyway, that's my $0.02 for what it's worth.

Yep. You sure can't beat the bang for the buck of an RPTV. I love mine (LCoS). I hate seeing them fade away.

 

[KAB]

A few weeks ago, Frye's had a 65" Mits for $849.00. If I had a place for it without major re-arranging, I would have bought one in a heart beat.

 

[samijubal]

You can't beat bang for buck up front with an RPTV but operating cost is far higher and PQ is vastly inferior to a plasma. They also have terrible viewing angles, unless you're in the sweet spot right in front of the TV PQ isn't very good. RPTVs have over 5 times the breakdowns of a Panny plasma and Mitusibishis are a lot higher than that. Look at reviews and you'll see Mitsubishi DLPs get TERRIBLE ratings for reliability. I wouldn't touch one.

 

[samijubal]

Well, Zenith is no longer an active brand, and the early versions don't even compare with today's LG products. Plasmabuyingguide.com rates these TVs at 86 out of 100, And for the $$$ spent that's a very good TV at a very good price. The comparably priced 50" Panny P50X1 was rated 82. Only the Samsung 50" 720 was rated higher at 91. So who's to say the right thing? Everybody has their preference for one reason or the other.

Zenith is still sold, I just saw one in an ad a few days ago. Look in CR and LG plasma breakdowns are still almost 3 times higher than Panasonic and 50% higher than Samsung. I worked on Electronics for 2 decades, LG products have higher breakdowns than most other brands, exempting junk like Funai. There's a reason LG products cost less. You get what you pay for.

 

[probinson]

You can't beat bang for buck up front with an RPTV but operating cost is far higher and PQ is vastly inferior to a plasma.

How so? The replacement bulb for my set is $99.00. To buy an equivalent sized Plasma, I'd have spent nearly $3,000. IOW, I could buy 20 replacement bulbs and STILL not have spent as much as the initial cost for the same size plasma.

As far as actual operating cost, my electric bill hasn't changed at all since I got the TV, having operated the set for nearly 9 months on an average of 4-6 hours/day.

I will concede that the PQ on a plasma screen is indeed better, but not by nearly as much as everyone claims. The PQ on my Mits is astounding, and holds its own against my brother's Panny Plasma.

They also have terrible viewing angles, unless you're in the sweet spot right in front of the TV PQ isn't very good.

It was statements like this that scared me off from the DLP purchase for so long. So needless to say, I was incredibly pleased when I got my set in my living room to find out that the viewing angle was MUCH larger than I had anticipated.

While it's true that the PQ degrades noticeably from the set's optimum when not directly in front of the screen, it is far from terrible. In fact, my easy chair where I watch most of my TV is probably about 30-45° off center, and it looks just fine. Even my friends that have to sit on the side of the room for the big game and view the TV at 75-80° off center have few complaints.

RPTVs have over 5 times the breakdowns of a Panny plasma and Mitusibishis are a lot higher than that. Look at reviews and you'll see Mitsubishi DLPs get TERRIBLE ratings for reliability. I wouldn't touch one.

Which is why I also bought a 5-year extended Mack warranty from TapeWorks Texas for less than $200, just in case

 

[navychop]

You can't beat bang for buck up front with an RPTV but operating cost is far higher and PQ is vastly inferior to a plasma. They also have terrible viewing angles, unless you're in the sweet spot right in front of the TV PQ isn't very good. RPTVs have over 5 times the breakdowns of a Panny plasma and Mitusibishis are a lot higher than that. Look at reviews and you'll see Mitsubishi DLPs get TERRIBLE ratings for reliability. I wouldn't touch one.

My 61" JVC DiLA (LCoS) RPTV certainly operates for less than an equivalent sized plasma. Or almost any plasma. The bulb is only 120W and the only moving part is the cooling fan. We bought it because the picture was so film like, and the viewing angles were good, both horizontally and vertically. At that time, plasmas looked like a bunch of dots to me (& a lot of other people). It still has good PQ, and I still get compliments on the black levels. And the TV is 5 years old!

I've never had a problem. I replaced the bulb once, at about 6,000 hours IIRC. Just not much there to break or wear out.

BTW, I can watch it in full sunlight. And it has a non reflective screen. I wish they still made them. I'd have bought the larger model, if I'd known they were discontinuing them. Seems the sexy flat hang on the wall technologies came down in price to not much more than the LCoS sets. And Sony's botched models using the technology didn't help.

Don't confuse all RPTV technologies (LCoS, LCD) with DLP. I don't know much about today's DLPs or their reliability, but I'm sure they use less power than plasmas.

 

[probinson]

Don't confuse all RPTV technologies (LCoS, LCD) with DLP. I don't know much about today's DLPs or their reliability, but I'm sure they use less power than plasmas.

This discussion got me curious, so I've done some research.

According to Mitsubishi's website, my TV consumes 218W when in use. So if I run my TV for 6 hours, I'm using approximately 1.3 kWh of electricity. According to my last electric bill, I'm paying 8.38 cents per kWh. That means I'm paying a whopping $0.11 for electricity to watch my TV for 6 hours.

When in standby, the TV consumes 0.6W, which equates to .01 kWh for the remainder of the day that the TV is off, or an additional $0.01.

In conclusion, if I watch it for 6 hours, I spend $0.12/day to power my TV.

 

[KAB]

You can't beat bang for buck up front with an RPTV but operating cost is far higher and PQ is vastly inferior to a plasma.

That's a MAJOR crock on both counts. I know...I own both. Color on Plasma slightly better, PQ, NO difference...both Samsungs.

 

[dishcomm]

I am thinking about getting a new TV in the future and was looking at a 46" TV Plasma. The reason that I am getting plasma is because I read that you can get a better viewing angle.

Anyway, which resolution TV looks the best on Dish Network? 720p or 1080p? Is 1080p worth the extra $300 price than a 720p? Can your eyes tell the difference between a 720p or 1080p?

I do have a Blu-ray player and heard that it looks the best on a 1080p TV? Is this true?

I'll keep this short and sweet. 1080p is the way to go.
Buy a plasma tv. With plasma, the video has the best and boldest colors, black areas are black( no bleedover as with backlit( LCD and LED)tv's. ALso the price diff bewtween higher quality LED and LCD's and Plasmas is minimal.
Life expectencies of Plasmas to LCD/LED is comparable.
Plasmas are much heavier than the others. Plasmas tend to throw off a but more heat, but it's negligable.
My next flat panel will most definitely be a plasma. Decision has been made.

 

[samijubal]

If you want an LG here's a deal for you:

LG 50PK550 50 inch HD 1080 Plasma TV 50PK550 - eBay (item 290452880162 end time Aug-08-10 17:50:30 PDT)

Get 10% off with coupon code CBEACHCAML according to Ben's Bargains. It's supposed to come to $854.

 

[whatchel1]

Guess who makes a bunch OEM

Zenith is still sold, I just saw one in an ad a few days ago. Look in CR and LG plasma breakdowns are still almost 3 times higher than Panasonic and 50% higher than Samsung. I worked on Electronics for 2 decades, LG products have higher breakdowns than most other brands, exempting junk like Funai. There's a reason LG products cost less. You get what you pay for.

$ony uses LG to push out a bunch of it's sh**. At a TV station I worked at recently we had $ony ED plasmas for display. Only thing is the only place that it said $ony was on the outside. As soon as you opened it everything said LG.

 

[dishcomm]

If you want an LG here's a deal for you:

LG 50PK550 50 inch HD 1080 Plasma TV 50PK550 - eBay (item 290452880162 end time Aug-08-10 17:50:30 PDT)

Get 10% off with coupon code CBEACHCAML according to Ben's Bargains. It's supposed to come to $854.

No one in their right mind would buy an item like this off ebay. Too many landmines. Too much potential to be ripped off.

 

[samijubal]

You're not going to be ripped off by Beach Camera.

You don't do much buying on Ebay. Ebay is often the safest place to buy from. With the feedback system on Ebay no reputable seller wants negative feedback whereas buying from a website there's often no feedback or it can be manipulated if there is so there's not the motivation to go out of their way to make the customer happy that there is on Ebay.

I've had quite a few sellers on Ebay knock money off, refund all charges including return shipping, I've even got free items when the product didn't match the description. I don't remember any of that ever happening from a website or store, not after the sale anyway.

 

[whatchel1]

agree

You're not going to be ripped off by Beach Camera.

You don't do much buying on Ebay. Ebay is often the safest place to buy from. With the feedback system on Ebay no reputable seller wants negative feedback whereas buying from a website there's often no feedback or it can be manipulated if there is so there's not the motivation to go out of their way to make the customer happy.

I've had quite a few sellers on Ebay knock money off, refund all charges including return shipping, I've even got free items when the product didn't match the description. I don't remember any of that ever happening from a website or store, not after the sale anyway.

I got my Panny plasma thru a dealer on ebay. Screen broke in transit. I refused it and he shipped another before it even made it back to him. Just make sure that the dealer has a rating above 95%.

 

[dishcomm]

You're not going to be ripped off by Beach Camera.

You don't do much buying on Ebay. Ebay is often the safest place to buy from. With the feedback system on Ebay no reputable seller wants negative feedback whereas buying from a website there's often no feedback or it can be manipulated if there is so there's not the motivation to go out of their way to make the customer happy that there is on Ebay.

I've had quite a few sellers on Ebay knock money off, refund all charges including return shipping, I've even got free items when the product didn't match the description. I don't remember any of that ever happening from a website or store, not after the sale anyway.

Some people I know personally have had very bad experiences with ebay purchaes.
For me, I would rather pay the price for assurance. I want to be able to return defective goods and look the seller in the eye and let him know I want satisfaction.
That's just me.

 

[empiretc]

looks good on Vizio 37L. Looks fantastic on the bravia 46ex500.

 

[samijubal]

Some people I know personally have had very bad experiences with ebay purchaes.
For me, I would rather pay the price for assurance. I want to be able to return defective goods and look the seller in the eye and let him know I want satisfaction.
That's just me.

That doesn't mean you're going to get the satisfaction you want. I've done a lot better dealing with sellers on Ebay than I have local dealers. Just my personal experience. YMMV

 

[navychop]

I rarely use eBay anymore. You can't count on their dispute resolution, as has been posted here. But mostly, I got ripped off on a generator I bought. It was defective in the electric start circuit. Seller, who had good ratings, strung me along until it was too late for me to pursue a complaint. Manufacturer (Chinese) did not stand behind product.

Yep, I should have known about the time limit. But the seller should have honored his guarantee. I'm very cautious with them now, and PayPal. SatGuys is one of the few instances where I use PayPal.