HDTV screens

[Moonraker]

The essential question is within a family of design (LED, LCD, CCFL) do all screens have the same longevity-reliability, and look?
Several neighors, and friends have aske my assistance in buying a TV, essentially because I have a pick-up truck.

I assume that within a diagonal size family, most people will not notice differences, you need to move from a 22" to a 42" to see differenced.
So far none of them need every concievable Input-Output technolgy. A good human engineered Remote Control you can read will score high in the competition.

[NE19149]

Allow me to educate you, and the masses that read these threads....

No wives tales here, and certainly no bias either, because the type of technology isn't that important when viewing a moving screen at normal distances.

First, your question about longevity/reliability doesn't really matter when it comes to the type of display panel.
What does matter is the electronics behind it used to power and drive the panel.
Concerning that, build quality is the key (think cheap chinese parts), and most manufacturers choose to cut corners, particularly those sets with names people have come to trust in the past.

Names like:
RCA
Zenith (LG)
Magnavox (Philips)
Emerson
Westinghouse
..among others.

And those (newer) makers,
Vizio
Insignia
Olevia
ILO
Haier
among other names you've never heard about...

And yes, even those Japanese sets some have come to trust...
Toshiba
Sanyo
Hitachi
Sony (really made by Samsung)
Samsung

All these sets contain shortcuts with parts made in China - a major concern when servicing is ever needed.
Because of this, failure is almost part of the build quality - and most likely customer service when needed won't provide the satisfaction expected - they'll likely work out a deal to replace the set instead of repairing it - with a replacement of equal quality and reliability.
That's how they work it now.

One maker, Panasonic, still uses parts made in Japan, of their own specifications, and leads in reliability as well as follow-up
service, should it ever be needed.
Mind you, I'm not endorsing Panasonic, I just know their build quality and reliability are substantially better over the long run.
Yeah, a Panasonic costs more than a Vizio, but you know the saying - "you get what you pay for".
I'm also not saying that Panasonic never breaks down - all electronics have their issues - but the percentage of Panasonic sets lasting, and giving your money's-worth, is much better than other brand names.

The Sony's used to be good sets, but since they're more concerned with making money off their "Sony Entertainment" media empire, they now have their parts made by Samsung - a company with horrible customer service these days, as well as laden with design flaws in their sets and a reputation that's going down the tubes, IMO.

Stay away from "DLP" technology - it's destined for the history books as a fluke of technology, already being laughed at for its problematic design flaws.
Samsung's "color wheels" spinning at a few thousand RPM - a mechanical weak-spot that'll cost you lots to fix...
Spending money every few years because the projection lamps burn out - cooling fans sucking in dust that eventually clog up the light engine to the point of overheating.
Same goes with their newer LED-driven DLP projection sets - overdriven diodes that soon burn out because they push the limits to give you a bright picture.
All flawed. - just a bad design.

So it's not really all about what type of panel that's important, but the guts driving that panel.

My opinion?
LED driven LCD panels - relatively new on the market, but properly designed sets have outstanding picture quality as well as being ECO-friendly.
A new Panasonic 42" LED/LCD set only draws around 49 watts!
Compare that with a Plasma of similar size that sucks 450+ watts out of the plug.

Lastly, on any of these flat-screens - if your kid tosses his basketball into the screen, time for a new set, period.
It's not worth the cost to get the screen replaced.

[radiocolin]

LEDs will give you more even saturation and a brighter picture. LCD is LED's younger brother and has the same qualities, but not as much.

Plasma will give you blacker blacks and more accurate color saturation, but you need to be able to darken the room.

1080p is only worth it for 40" and larger.

[hkp]

OLED is where it's at, son.

[Sailaway]

LEDs will give you more even saturation and a brighter picture. LCD is LED's younger brother and has the same qualities, but not as much.

LCD has been around much longer than LED.

[radiocolin]

LCD has been around much longer than LED.

Whoops... strike that, reverse it. That's what I meant to type.

LED is LCD's younger brother. LED is actually LCD, the backlight is just moved to LEDs behind the panel, rather than fluorescent lights around it.

[NE19149]

OLED is where it's at, son.

Is that so?
Have you seen the technical studies done so far to enhance your findings?
I'll give ya a little hint - those screens, while being outrageously expensive, don't exhibit the longevity expected.
Perhaps in time but... it's certainly not where it's at....... yet.

[NE19149]

Whoops... strike that, reverse it. That's what I meant to type.

LED is LCD's younger brother. LED is actually LCD, the backlight is just moved to LEDs behind the panel, rather than fluorescent lights around it.

Adding to the general confusion, eh?

[Moonraker]

Somewhere along the line of life, I recall being told that there are only handfull of flat screen producers in the world, maybe 5 or 6. Which leads me to believe that their reliability was about the same for the screen, but it comes down to the P(s) of the parts in the tuner and power supply; the heck with all the aux I/O.

I tag along with classmates to CES every 3-5 years, the booth babes are not like the old days,....Oh that was the other entertainment show!. I remember seeing Haier for the first time, and just after we got a Haier mini-fridge in the office. ILO is new, you forgot SPECTRE, and I dont mean RCA-Camden's mainframe. The details on Panasonic (Matsu****a) are most appreciated, it reminded me of their Technics audio line.

Best Buy exclusive brands
Insignia - Focuses on discount electronic equipment such as HDTVs, Blu-ray players, home theater systems, digital imaging and GPS devices. It's the company's signature house brand that competes with more well known brand names.
Dynex - Focuses on discount electronic and computer equipment such as HDTVs, Blu-ray players, storage media, data and power cables, webcams, and office supplies. It's the company's more limited house brand.

As a student of the evolution of technolgy, I appreciate flat-screen technology for bringing video to where audio was in the '80s. Since the first PCs, I've wondered why a screen on my wall could not integrate all potenial video sources. If you think the Comcast Center screen is the best, Check out the new Radio City video screen back drop, on-line, there was a video featuring a double decker bus ride; let's see how Disney tops this one.

[hkp]

Is that so?
Have you seen the technical studies done so far to enhance your findings?
I'll give ya a little hint - those screens, while being outrageously expensive, don't exhibit the longevity expected.
Perhaps in time but... it's certainly not where it's at....... yet.

Holy ****. Relax.

[Moonraker]

FYI Cathode Ray Tube filaments were rated at nearly 80,000 hours, verified in life tests by Philco, C & Tioga.

[NE19149]

FYI Cathode Ray Tube filaments were rated at nearly 80,000 hours, verified in life tests by Philco, C & Tioga.

Roughly 10 years it equates to.

[NE19149]

Holy ****. Relax.

I'm quite relaxed, son.

I just insist that information concerning things I know a lot about be posted, to eliminate any misconceptions by the public.
Ya know, all that hearsay, wives tales, and hype stuff that goes around.
There's plenty of that jazz on the audiophools and audiokarma websites already.

[DavidT]

I'm quite relaxed, son.

I just insist that information concerning things I know a lot about be posted, to eliminate any misconceptions by the public.
Ya know, all that hearsay, wives tales, and hype stuff that goes around.
There's plenty of that jazz on the audiophools and audiokarma websites already.

If you're so worried about misconceptions, perhaps you should look into your outdated power consumption numbers you spewed out for Plasma TVs. While still higher than LCD based sets, they've come down significantly, and most experts will agree that Plasma (in the right environments) has superior black levels and none of the refresh rate issues that LCD TVs have.

There's no single right answer when it comes to TVs, and I share your appreciation for Panasonic TVs, but to dismiss plasma TVs is not doing anyone any favors.

[hkp]

I'm quite relaxed, son.

I just insist that information concerning things I know a lot about be posted, to eliminate any misconceptions by the public.
Ya know, all that hearsay, wives tales, and hype stuff that goes around.
There's plenty of that jazz on the audiophools and audiokarma websites already.

Which Best Buy do you work out?

Christ, I just made that post, lightheartedly, based on a Gizmodo article that was published at about the same time as the OP about an LG 55" OLED screen. I'm very sorry for not taking this very important issue seriously - I'll learn from my errors, sir.

[Polar Cub]

I own a Samsung LED. It looked better than the other ones on display, so I bought it, and love it. End of story.

[NE19149]

If you're so worried about misconceptions, perhaps you should look into your outdated power consumption numbers you spewed out for Plasma TVs. While still higher than LCD based sets, they've come down significantly, and most experts will agree that Plasma (in the right environments) has superior black levels and none of the refresh rate issues that LCD TVs have.

There's no single right answer when it comes to TVs, and I share your appreciation for Panasonic TVs, but to dismiss plasma TVs is not doing anyone any favors.

Nice attitude there!
Or is it OCD related nitpicking?

I'm not defining any specific model or year of TV set, just an average rating for comparisons for christs sakes.
Most plasma sets in homes today are a few years old already, and sucking utility bills up - are we clear?
I'm a frikken experienced tv servicer, with over 30 years in the business, so I know what the hell I'm talking about.
I'm sure I know more about the workings, quality, and reliability of consumer electronics in general, than most people.

[NE19149]

Which Best Buy do you work out?

Christ, I just made that post, lightheartedly, based on a Gizmodo article that was published at about the same time as the OP about an LG 55" OLED screen. I'm very sorry for not taking this very important issue seriously - I'll learn from my errors, sir.

Read my recent post - I could run circles around the meatheads at Big Box stores.

[transplant]

What about Bang & Olufsen? Are their tv innards made with the same parts as the other major brands and just covered up with cool Danish design exteriors. What justifies the huge price difference?

[hkp]

Read my recent post - I could run circles around the meatheads at Big Box stores.

When I see them coming I just say, "No thanks!" before they can even get a syllable out haha. I worked at Best Buy when I was 20 as a Christmas vacation job between semesters. The training was brutal - and this was when plasma and LCD screens were just coming out. Actually, I think only plasma screens were for sale back then for like $5,000. These guys didn't know a damn thing about tube TVs - hearing them explain why a customer should drop thousands on a plasma TV that, at the time, couldn't get an HD signal from Comcast was hysterical. AND YOU NEED THE MONSTER CABLE