Plasma of LCD tv?

sam(slim)

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2005
Location
Winston-Salem, NC
We are building a new house and the wife wants a new tv to hang on the wall. What are the pros and cons of LCD and Plasma? Looking for somthing around 40 inches.

Sam(slim)
 
LCD LCD LCD. Don't waste the money on a plasma. Every one that I have seen or used has something burned into the screen. This doesn't happen with the LCD. Not to mention the shear amount of heat that a plasma radiates. We have 3 42" plasmas and that room gets super hot when all 3 are turned on. Of course they all say weather channel in the bottom corner too.
 
LCD for longetivity and Plasma for all out picture. We sell plasmas and lcds. Give me a call for a qoute. 336-786-8874 Jason
 
I have a 27" Samsung LCD in my bedroom that I won. So far I love it! I'd like to get a 42" or so for the living room. I'm also planning on building a home theater, but that will have a projector.
 
As someoen who has professionally installed/designed/and sold theaters etc. for ~ 10 years I feel somewhat qualified to express an opinion.


This is almost like asking car or truck which is better. Well of course truck, apples to apples. But I would take a new Ferarri over a 72 rust bucket, anyday.

Dollar for DOllar at a similar price point you will generally be more happier with an LCD purchase.

Now a high end Plasma will certainly out shine a budget LCD and vice versa.

At the extreme end of the spectrum under perfect circumstances I tend to prefer plasmas. Any theater room under $25,000 stick with an LCD IMHO
 
Thanks for the info guys. What kinds of wire should I run in the wall before the sheetrock is hung? (thinking I will mount the tv over the fireplace and put the DVD, VCR, and PS2 in the corner of the room).

Sam(slim)
 
sam(slim) said:
Thanks for the info guys. What kinds of wire should I run in the wall before the sheetrock is hung? (thinking I will mount the tv over the fireplace and put the DVD, VCR, and PS2 in the corner of the room).

Sam(slim)
Click to expand...

Hey, I would not do the above the fireplace mount unless you have a very large fireplace. I did and kind of regret it. If the spacing provides in your home I would go with the table or cabinet mount.
 
sam(slim) said:
Thanks for the info guys. What kinds of wire should I run in the wall before the sheetrock is hung? (thinking I will mount the tv over the fireplace and put the DVD, VCR, and PS2 in the corner of the room).

Sam(slim)
Click to expand...

HDMI if you can swing it, but at least component, S-Video, and composite.
 
If you're going to go through the trouble of running cable in the wall, DEFINITELY go with HDMI!!! Run the right cables the first time! Go to www.bluejeancables.com They have any cable length you may need for great prices - don't get ripped off by Monster!
 
JeepinHank said:
Run conduit... Go with what you can afford for now, and leave a pull string in there for later upgrades.
Click to expand...

That's what i should have done.. Conduit. damn, why didn't I think of that. (Would have to be some big conduit for that HDMI plug tho?)

I've seen some good prices for cabling from partsexpress.com as well - I've purchased quite a bit from them over the years.

Hell, I still need to get 3 in-ceiling surround speakers and some waterproof ones for outside, and put a wall-plate up for my home theater which i wired up when the house was built in '02.. :shaking:

From what I've been TOLD (i.e. no personal experience), you don't gain nearly as much going from component to HDMI as you do from something like composite to s-video, etc. true? crap?

Rich "Still using a RP (though HD) TV"
 
JeepinHank said:
Run conduit... Go with what you can afford for now, and leave a pull string in there for later upgrades.
Click to expand...


Ding! Ding! Ding!

And when you DO pull more cable for controls, pull *another* string with it! Also, even if you DON'T plan on Dish Networks, TiVo, etc, put a phone jack in the same grouping as the rest of the jacks (a modular cable strung across the room looks like crap). OR, drop a few CAT5s (from a centralized location) for future use (as either phone or data lines)... you never know what the latest hotness may require...
 
Can't you get 2" smurf tube (that blue stuff, whatever it's really called)? I would think that would be sufficient as long as you don't make any sharp bends. Don't know, I've never used HDMI cables. I thought I was making a big improvement just by switching from component to s-video and optical cables.
I've seriously considered building an A/V room with drop (acoustical) tile ceilings just for these reasons. Have 3" conduit coming up inside each wall and have an access panel right above the ceiling line. Single-story houses are easy as long as you can get into the attic, but multi-story homes are a PITA for cabling runs.
If you're building, I'm a big fan of having a closet with an open wall / shelving unit that opens up into the Living / AV room. Put all your components on the shelves and walk into the closet to make all of your connections with no hassles. Also a good place for your telephone system and network to end up. If it looks like a bird's nest, so what! It's in the closet, not like it's going to be seen! ;) Then have 1 or 2 cables run to the TV.

Not a pro - just installed enough systems and run enough cable to have a big wish list.
 
The closet idea is great, also with a dedicated power circuit!

I damn sure need a dedicated line for my laser printer. When that sucker warms up, my 2 UPS's go nuts. But let's not get on the topic of how to setup a home office.. :p
 
JeepinHank said:
Can't you get 2" smurf tube (that blue stuff, whatever it's really called)? I would think that would be sufficient as long as you don't make any sharp bends. Don't know, I've never used HDMI cables. I thought I was making a big improvement just by switching from component to s-video and optical cables.
I've seriously considered building an A/V room with drop (acoustical) tile ceilings just for these reasons. Have 3" conduit coming up inside each wall and have an access panel right above the ceiling line. Single-story houses are easy as long as you can get into the attic, but multi-story homes are a PITA for cabling runs.
If you're building, I'm a big fan of having a closet with an open wall / shelving unit that opens up into the Living / AV room. Put all your components on the shelves and walk into the closet to make all of your connections with no hassles. Also a good place for your telephone system and network to end up. If it looks like a bird's nest, so what! It's in the closet, not like it's going to be seen! ;) Then have 1 or 2 cables run to the TV.
Not a pro - just installed enough systems and run enough cable to have a big wish list.
Click to expand...

Multi Stories are doable, most times, just got to be tricky...

Closets are great ideas. Have done closets and "dead spaces" accessed through panel doors. Depending on size temp. controlled fans are a great idea for product longevity. Or if new homes have an HVAC duct ran into closet floor, just remember to shut off in winter.

As far as conduit goes, smurf tube is OK, but can be a PITA for HDMI or bulkier pulls. If the home has a crawl and an attic I like a 2.5 inch PVC from closet to crawl and closet to attic. If it needs to go through out one tube and in the other. And once you get in a closet/attic you can go anywhere.

Anyone needs any help designing or upgrading and just wants some creative ideas let me know.
 
I will have a attic and basement. I'm thinking of running pvc from the attic down over the fireplace that way I can run whatever the latest greatest wire is at the time to the tv. I would like to run it to the basement but the area under this is the garage.
 
Would 2 inch be large enough to run a HDMI cable plug in?

Sam(slim)
 
sam(slim) said:
Would 2 inch be large enough to run a HDMI cable plug in?
Sam(slim)
Click to expand...
2" is tight with certain style ends but doable if its stright, with a 90 almost forget about hence why I said 2.5 ;)
 
sam(slim) said:
Would 2 inch be large enough to run a HDMI cable plug in?
Sam(slim)
Click to expand...

That was just a guess for me so don't hold me to it. I'm sure some of these guys can answer that though. Worst case, just check out a cable from Best Buy or someting. Go a little larger in diameter than the plug itself and you should be good to go. Just make sure you use sweeping bends.
 
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