Video Asylum

Posted by JoshT (A) on September 8, 2009 at 13:10:12

In Reply to: RE: I Like LCD TV's. posted by Self-Inflicted on September 8, 2009 at 06:31:12

Maybe I'm blind. Or maybe it's because I went from a 32 inch SD Sony Wega to the latest (as of a year ago) 52 inch Samsung 1080p LCD with the 120hz refresh rate. But I LOVE it. The only thing that does not look great are SD TV broadcasts, but for the most part my Comcast Cable service has HD versions of every channel (which seem to handle SD broadcasts pretty well). The 720p cable broadcasts, and the regular DVDs look phenomenal to my eyes. I don't have Bluray yet, so I've never seen 1080p on it.

I had the TV installed by Spearit Sound in Boston, which did not sell me the TV (they said I would get a better price buying from a big box store, so I picked BestBuy). The installer, David Nakayama (whom I recommend whole heartedly), and his colleagues, were urging me to get a Panasonic Plasma and were recommending against an LCD. But part of the deal with my (S. Korean) wife is that we would get a Samsung, and they are better known these days for their LCD screens.

After installing it, and after some initial calibration, David couldn't take his eyes off of the thing and kept saying he thought it looked as good or better than his recent plasma purchase. I was genuinely surprised.

Who knows? I find the color convincing and natural and the detail fantastic. My big fear was motion blur during live sports broadcasts, which I can clearly see on the older 60hz refresh rate LCD models, but I hardly ever notice it on this set.

It's lightweight, runs cool, looks beautiful, and is quite energy efficient.

I don't miss the CRT and don't regret getting an LCD.

Edit: Mine has flourescent backlighting, and I suppose the blacks are not quite real because if the cable box is off but the TV still on, it has a slight grayish color that goes away when the TV is turned off. But while actually watching content, the blacks look totally convincing to me. I will not upgrade unless (1) the thing breaks down out of warranty or (2) my wife and I move and the buyer wants to keep the TV (it is nicely installed on a wall).