they just recently opened a Circuit City in out town, and i went in there last night for the first time. i was looking at the HUGE TV display they have set-up, and have a few questions.

first, what is the difference between an HDTV, and an HDTV monitor? the picture looked the same on the respective models, but i could not tell what the differences were in the two types? which one should i be looking to get, and why?

second, i noticed that they didnt have any LCD TV's that were bigger than 36-38 inches.. is that the largest LCD's that are made? i am looking to get a 42 inch to fit in the alcove of my entertainment center, and wanted the largest possible.

third, the LCD TV's looked to have a much better picture than the plasmas, so why are the plasmas more expensive? they had several side by side, and the LCD alwyas looked like a nicer picture, regardless of the screen size. just curious.?

thats all.. i am excited about getting a new HD, widescreen TV, but the abundance of choices and technical lingo, is starting to seriously confuse me.

any input would be appreciated.

bigjohn

OK, I'm gfoing to guess on the first one:

the name.

Either that or, HDTVs include the tuners, and HDTV monitors do not.

I'm amazed you saw any LCDs (I'm assuming direct view, not rear projection) even that big. I'm sure they cost a fortune.

The plasmas are expensive because the technology is crap but popular. They'll also die quickly!

Big John,,
I'm not sure exactly what the difference between a TV and a monitor is - except to think that a monitor has no receiver of its own so it cannot function independently of a cable box or satellite box or DVD player, etc. I don't think it is really an issue. As for what to buy - every store my wife and I visited had the usual 50+ TVs on disply and every time we picked the same one - Sony Grand WEGA - which last year came in 42", 50", and 60". It is an LCD display. In talking to a couple of the sales guys that I eventually came to trust during the process there is no advantage to a plasma screen except that it is so thin that it can fit into places (hanging on a wall) that other large screen TVs can't. Most people seem to think that the actual plasma picture is no better than similar sized pictures of other types of TVs. One word of caution about the Sony Grand WEGA: Buy the warranty/maintenance plan from Circuit City just for the bulb. My original Sony bulb burned out after 3 weeks and it was covered under the Sony 1 year warranty, but they have had so many problems with the Sony bulbs that it was backordered for several weeks. So, Circuit City told me that the price of the TV had dropped $150 since I bought it and they would apply that toward the price of the 4 year warranty - that guarantees in-your-house same day service 7 days a week. And if I had the warranty they would send someone out (on that Sunday afternoon) to install the new bulb (from a different manufacturer - not Sony, so they couldn't give it to me under the Sony warranty) - so I went for the warranty rather than waiting for several weeks to get a call that my bulb is in and I have to go by the store to pick it up...
By the way - HDTV rocks.

Kcarlile beat me to it. HDTVs include an HD tuner, whereas monitors are just able to display a certain (or many) HD resolution(s). HD monitors are also typically called "HDTV Ready."

As to the second question, I have not seen any LCD's larger than 38". I also agree that LCD looks better, but many people disagree. LCD has a lower contrast ratio, slower pixel response rates, and due to the fact that it blocks light rather than creating light, the color balance changes depending on angle. Plasmas have higher contrast ratios (in the thousands : 1), have very fast response rates (no ghosting), and have very vibrant color independent on angle. I personally do not like them because to my eyes, they are very blurry.

My suggestion would be to get a DLP front projector if the ambient light in your room can be kept low. (The Infocus X2 is highly acclaimed for quality, although it is supposedly quite loud.) Also, get a nice Da-lite screen to fit into that area. This should not only be cheaper, but it will give you some of the advantages of both. (The picture will not change depending on viewing angle, and the display will be very crisp, provided that the projector’s optics are good.)

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Sony Grand WEGA - which last year came in 42", 50", and 60". It is an LCD display.

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I just have to note that while it may use an LCD rear projector, it is not a true LCD display. It is an RPTV that uses an internal LCD projector rather than an internal CRT projector. A true LCD display would be only a few inches thick.

Agree w/ everyone's reply on HDTV vs HDTV monitor. If you've already got an STB or cable descrambler, all you'd need is a monitor.

For example, w/ my system I used to use a standard def (SD) DirecTivo box. That was my tuner. Now I use the HD D*Tivo. W/ an external box, I was able to "save" on the plasma. There are both commercial and consumer plasmas. Both use the same glass and electronics, but a consumer model may have more aesthetics, a tuner, and speakers. The commercial models are pretty much what you see on conference rooms, airports, etc. I went the commercial route and saved about $1K or so. I've got an EDTV panny plasma that I got last year for about $2.5K. Even though it's EDTV, HDTV looks great. Now the price has dropped to less than $2K, since the next gen is coming out soon. Same glass, electronics, but the addition of lower power consumption and cable card ready. That cool if your local cable company provides you w/ a cable card.

Everyone has different opinions on which is better plasma, LCD, DLP, etc. (but not LCoS...buh bye). Each has it's own pluses and minues. I use my EDTV plasma for HDTV, DVDs and Gamecube and it ROCKS! Projector would've been nice but my room is small and has so many windows, it's hard to keep dark. And I would agree that overall, CRT has the best picture. It's just TOO big when you want a 40"+ screen.

Take a look here for great prices at an authorized source. Trust me, you want authorized...

Visual Apex
800 Plasmas

Also, when viewing at the big box stores, do so w/ a grain of salt. Most TVs in the stores are not calibrated to the source material, so some sets by default might look better than another. Kinda sounds like speaker shopping, huh?

It doesn't exactly differentiate between HDTV Ready and monitor, but you can find a good comparison between the different types of HD tv's here....

http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6492

Joe

Again, to recap:

A television has a tuner.
A monitor has no tuner.
And most monitor/receivers (mostly tubes) are televisions with BNC connections, some are unterminated (pro gear) and some are 75ohm terminated.

Bren R.

Confusing as blazes, ain't it BigJohn. These might help

CNET's Quick guide to TV Types

HDTV World

THE BASICS OF DIGITAL TELEVISION – AVS FORUM

10 Tips on buying a new TV

Don't look upon these as "the gospel," but they'll give you a start.

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Confusing as blazes, ain't it BigJohn

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YES!!! to say the least!!

i dont reckon i will be in the market for at least a year or so, but i figured it wont hurt to get a head start on the learning curve. and after last nights trip, i was utterly confused.

its getting more clear, and i will go check out all the websites.. thanks to everyone for your valued input.

bigjohn

Nice links Jack.
I love #10 on the HDTV World one.

BigJohn - it is a good idea to get into the market and do your research early (as you know), but beware about getting your heart set on anything if you're not going to buy for another year.

In all likelihood, two thinsg will happen - (1) the technology that people are touting as the next big thing will be surpassed by the next next big thing and we all go roudn and round. (2) the set that you buy will be less in the future, but there will be something else out there, that will likely be more expensive than what you were going to pay for the first set initially. Then, what'll you do?

I started looking for a new set about 6 months ago, but gave it up because I decided to hold off for a bit - I'm glad that I did - for the above reasons that I stated. But now, I have no idea what I want or need. Everything that they said was gonig to be great either never happened (LCOS) or flaws became apparent (last year'd DLPs have been hugely improved this time around). It leaves me wary to be an "early adopter" in any of these new TV technologies. I'm sticking with cheap CRTs until the mess gets sorted out.

Thanks Chess. Yes I'm always telling those who can't get on board the HDTV train, at the moment, to relax. When they CAN get on board, they're gonna get a whole lot more set for a whole lot less money than I paid, and they'll have the latest technology, while I'm looking at this crappy old DLP set.

Actually, I had the wrong link for HDTV World. The one I posted previously was to one of the subheadings of the HDTV World site. Sorry John.

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Trust me, you want authorized...

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oldskoolboarder's right: You do want to buy from an authorized dealer.

FWIW, I had an excellent buying experience when I purchased my 42" Panasonic plasma HDTV monitor. I bought it online from DTV City - http://www.dtvcity.com/. They're located in the metro Atlanta area. They had very competitive prices, they followed-up well, they shipped my order the same day I purchased from their Web site, and then they followed-up with me again to make sure the monitor arrived safely at my home. Also, DTV City has some of the best return/replacement policies available for plasma monitors.

I almost forgot to mention: DTV City has some plasma and LCD TV buying tips on their site too:
- http://www.dtvcity.com/plasmatv/buyingtips.html
- http://www.dtvcity.com/lcdtv/lcdtvguide.html

If you go to the DTV City site, make sure you check out how these plasma monitors are packaged for shipping: http://www.dtvcity.com/plasmasteps.html. Very interesting... They use "tip and tell" indicators to show whether or not the carton was tipped during the packing/shipment process.

And, oh by the way, I love my Panny plasma monitor!!!

My thoughts Plasma's in general and the panisonics in particular. I've bought 9 of the 42 incher pannies. 3 of each of the last 3 models. Don't have the model numbers handy but:

All six of the first 2 generation pannies have been serviced repeatedly 2 of them died completely. Seems panasonic and most other manufactures used low temp soldering for their boards along with insufficient cooling which resulted in the boards literally falling apart within the case. Put it this way...you can no longer get an extended warranty on the early models. And extended warranties on the latest models are very expensive.

I buy TV's for a sports bar. These plasmas run at least 12 hours a day. From my own experiences I expect a break down within one year and to replace them in 2.

What I'd like to see is just a plasma monitor..no tuner..no speakers...just the screen and inputs. So as far as I know there is no such thing as a plasma monitor.

All that said the pictures great.

Leaf

Hey, Leaf -

I have the 42" Panasonic TH-42PHD6UY plasma HDTV monitor - there's no tuner and no speakers, although matching speakers are available and optional (but not for me!). My satellite receiver provides the tuning and I run the audio (and the video) through my home theater receiver.

This monitor, which is actually a commercial (not a typical consumer) monitor, was highly recommended by both friends and folks in the know. It's one of Panasonic's best-selling plasma monitors. Here's a pic of it:



I'd be very interested to see which specific Panasonic plasma models you're having trouble with, if you don't mind.

These "no tuner, no speaker" plasmas do exist for Panasonic and have for quite a while. I have the Panny TH42PWD6UY and have been more than thrilled w/ it, w/ HDTV too. This is the commercial model, so it's pretty much just a monitor w/ inputs. The TH-42PX20U/P is the consumer model (more $$$) w/ tuner and speakers.

For a good Panasonic Plasma lowdown, go here:

Bruzzi's Panny FAQ

Hi, oldskoolboarder -

Thanks for the link to BruZZi's Panasonic Plasma FAQ.
I haven't seen this site yet and I look forward to checking it out.

My god! The simulated picture on that screen looks fantastic!

Heck, you think that's good? Take a look at this guy's gallery. He uses the same plasma I do, and I believe he's running his DVD thru component. He's got his set manually adjusted (after Avia or DVE tuning) to accomodate some sense of reality. Pretty amazing. I've used his method and I've gotten pretty good results.

Rich's Gallery

Steaming Rat Method

maybe customers are spitting beer onto the back of the sets. just a thought.

I also have the Panasonic TH42PWD6UY monitor, and I think it's great. Bought mine from visualapex.com, which had very good customer reviews and gave me great service (responding both by phone and email to questions I asked AFTER I had bought the unit). They are now selling this unit for $2095, plus $195 shipping, plus $175 for a wall mount or table stand.

If you have a surround sound system and a cable box or VCR, I see little need to buy a TV instead of a monitor (except maybe to utilize the picture in picture feature, or for the simplicity of just turning on the TV without turning on the receiver and VCR). I also liked the cleaner look of the monitor as opposed to the consumer units that have speakers on the sides or along the bottom.

Hehe,

Anyone know of a beer proof plasma monitor!!...Going to look into the monitor you suggested. Thanks