Help! 720p Plasma or 1080 LCD?

My Dh is taking me today for my birthday to get a new TV.

I have $750.00 to spend and am so confused as to all I have read on what to buy. I dunno weather I want a Plasma or LCD. My living room is small about 12x12 and I do have a lot of windows but can pull the shades in the daytime if I need to in order to reduce screen glares. I was originally going to get the Haier 1080p but then got to thinking that maybe the Plasma was the way to go but in my price range they are only 780p.

I will probably go to ABC Warehouse as they have a special where they pay your sales tax. I am looking at these models, what do you think is my best bet?

If you have any suggestions please feel free to offer them, I don't have to shop at ABC, but have had good service from them in the past.

Well I cannot post links because I am new in the forum but I was looking at these TV models:

HAIER HL42XK1 42" 1080p LCD HDTV $597
PANASONIC TCP42C1 42" 720p Plasma HDTV $622
PANASONIC TCP42X1 42" 720p Plasma HDTV $624

Get the X1 as it is easily the best one IMO. It will look better at 720p in your home than the 1080p Hair LCD does and Panasonic is the most reliable brand for a few years running as well.

Get the X1 as it is easily the best one IMO. It will look better at 720p in your home than the 1080p Hair LCD does and Panasonic is the most reliable brand for a few years running as well.

Thanks! That is what I will get then... I have read that TV is
the best for the price range.

Thanks! That is what I will get then... I have read that TV is
the best for the price range.

It is, without a doubt!

1. I was in two stores for hours today. In one I saw the 42" X1, 42" C1 and 42"U1 plasmas side by side. I played with the settings for a long time with no salesperson bugging me. No matter what I did the X1 remained darker and not as crisp. In the other store the X1 was next to a 42" LG and a 42" Samsung (both plasmas), I played with those settings and the X1 still looked too dark and not as sharp.

2. I was at a similar site today to HighDef forum and someone said, "a 720p plasma is not true HD"

any comments would be great. :yippee:

1. I was in two stores for hours today. In one I saw the 42" X1, 42" C1 and 42"U1 plasmas side by side. I played with the settings for a long time with no salesperson bugging me. No matter what I did the X1 remained darker and not as crisp. In the other store the X1 was next to a 42" LG and a 42" Samsung (both plasmas), I played with those settings and the X1 still looked too dark and not as sharp.

2. I was at a similar site today to HighDef forum and someone said, "a 720p plasma is not true HD"

any comments would be great. :yippee:

720P is definitely one of the HD format. We can have a detailed discussion on different formats if interested. I don't own PANASONIC TCP42X1 but all the reviews i have seen it is fine a TV.

1. I was in two stores for hours today. In one I saw the 42" X1, 42" C1 and 42"U1 plasmas side by side. I played with the settings for a long time with no salesperson bugging me. No matter what I did the X1 remained darker and not as crisp. In the other store the X1 was next to a 42" LG and a 42" Samsung (both plasmas), I played with those settings and the X1 still looked too dark and not as sharp.

2. I was at a similar site today to HighDef forum and someone said, "a 720p plasma is not true HD"

any comments would be great. :yippee:

720 (lines of horizontal resolution) is by all standards high definition. As a matter of fact, ESPN & NBC broadcast in 720 and to some (meself included) it does a better job than 1080i (CBS) for sports or fast action. As for trying to tweak a tv on the showroom floor and compare it to other models is at best objective and at it's worst,,,confusing. The panny plasma's are very highly regarded, with many posters very pleased with their purchase. So much more so than those that purchased LG brand.

1. I was in two stores for hours today. In one I saw the 42" X1, 42" C1 and 42"U1 plasmas side by side. I played with the settings for a long time with no salesperson bugging me. No matter what I did the X1 remained darker and not as crisp. In the other store the X1 was next to a 42" LG and a 42" Samsung (both plasmas), I played with those settings and the X1 still looked too dark and not as sharp.

2. I was at a similar site today to HighDef forum and someone said, "a 720p plasma is not true HD"

any comments would be great. :yippee:

Whoever said that needs to go back to school. 720p is indeed HD.

this is where i saw the convo on true high def, as if i wasn't confused enough

http://betaboards.ign.com/dvd_home_theater_board/b5043/179373859/p1


:crying:

I was at Walmart today, and they had a 720p 50' Sanyo Plasma for 768.00!
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm49/LIovemykittez/AngelBlueEyes.gif

this is where i saw the convo on true high def, as if i wasn't confused enough

http://betaboards.ign.com/dvd_home_theater_board/b5043/179373859/p1


:crying:

Geez Louise,,,went to the site and now see how much ignorance there is in the HD world. No wonder it's confusing. Me best advice to you hotchickinHD is to report back to that forum,,and sincerley let them and their members know that there is a true HD forum that offers the truth.

I would get the Plasma 720p TV. That being said:

If you are interested in using a blu ray player with your TV then I would consider getting the 1080p, but overall I would say the Plasma is the way to go.

I would get the Plasma 720p TV. That being said:

If you are interested in using a blu ray player with your TV then I would consider getting the 1080p, but overall I would say the Plasma is the way to go.

Can I use a BlueRay player with a 720p or should I get something else?

Can I use a BlueRay player with a 720p or should I get something else?

I have a 42 inch 720p Samsung TV, and I use my blu ray player with it.

You can still use a blu ray with a 720p but the blu ray player can output a 1080p signal, so if you have a 1080p TV you will be seeing it as 1080p.

But with my case I still see blu ray, HD quality but it just isn't as good because it is only being displayed in 720p. Does that make sense?

Some people view a 1024 x 768p 42" plasma as not being HD because the horizontal resolution is less than the 1280x720p HD spec. It is a matter of opinion for some because they count the horizontal as well as the vertical resolution, but the spec generally goes by the vertical resolution.

It would certainly be better to get a 42" 1080p model like the P42S1 since that is the full H & V resolution of 1920x1080p if you can afford it, but if you are too far away because of seating distance then that will not be seen. I believe that a 720p "class" P42X1 would look better than just about any 42" LCD if you care about overall PQ and viewing angles and black levels (arguably the most important part of PQ). But if your room is ultra bright then an LCD would likely be the best choice then.

You will just see the poorer black levels when watching a movie at night and blacks look dark gray. I have this in my bedroom with my my 47" 1080p LCD and I am think ing about the day I can replace it with a 42 or 46" Panasonic plasma as watching a movie with dark scenes (or space movies) look pretty poor and washed out when the lights are off compared to the plasma.

How they look in the showroom is NOT how they will look in typical home lighting and adjustments there are hard to get right without a calibration disc especially in such showroom lighting. No one that looks at my 1080p LCD thinks it looks as where near as good as my 1080p 50" Panasonic plasma when the lights are on or off. The LG & to a lesser extent the Samsung plasmas are much less resistant to Image Retention (IR) as the Panasonic plasmas are either. I doubt if they were properly adjusted that the Panasonic plasma would be dimmer than the LG or Samsung and it likely had to do with poor settings and/or glare.

I was at Walmart today, and they had a 720p 50' Sanyo Plasma for 768.00!
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm49/LIovemykittez/AngelBlueEyes.gif

Very poor quality TV...maybe even worse than a LG plasma and that's saying something.

PFC5 is carrect-- while that set may not be "true" HD, it has a remarkable picture.

With respect to price, Dell (the computer people) has it on SALE for $529 with free shipping.