Which do I want, Plasma or LED/LCD?

[JustAnEngineer]

In a typical TV-viewing application, plasma should do fine. As a PC display device, you're probably still asking for trouble. We've ruined several plasma sets at work with just a few weeks of 24/7 operation, even with automatic rotating and offset juddering of the graphics being displayed.

[Vrock]

It's not much different than a CRT, really, and we used those for 70 years.

[blitzy]

I have a 42" panny 1080p model that I've been using as my primary PC display for about a year now and have had no problems with it. Works great actually, no problems with burn-in and text is easily readable. That said I think both LCD and Plasma have come a long way, pretty much any recent model of a good brand will work just fine.

[just brew it!]

It's not much different than a CRT, really, and we used those for 70 years.

...and CRTs could suffer from pretty significant burn-in issues if static elements were continuously displayed. There's a reason screen savers are called that...

[vargis14]

The sole 3d flick I've seen was Tron:Legcy and I saw that in an IMAX theatre in Montreal (the 3D TV ain't for me, it's for the wife & spawn). It was clear to me after watching the sole 3D preview (Pirates # Whatever: The Quest for Cash) and then taking in the movie that there are proper uses of 3D and excessively gratuitous uses of 3D.

I don't know the 3D glasses tech at IMAX houses, but there was some definite eyestrain as the movie progressed and T:L didn't use 3D for the usual "throw a spear at the audience" cheap crap (unlike the Pirates trailer).

IMAX 3d glasses are the worst when it comes to eye strain they only work correctly if you stay staring strait ahead if you move your head it messes up the optimal effect and induces eye strain, very strange since they have huge screens that you need to look around.You can google movie theater 3d tech differences for the ins and outs of all 3d tech

Well as you know by now i have the VT30 3dplasma tv .It comes with 2 2nd generatio 3d glasses ,that work pretty dang good.But they owed me 2 more pairs of glasses that they didnt have in stock so i had them mailed to me......4 days later they came and to my surprise they were the latest/3rd gen glasses weighing in at 26 grams and last a good 12hrs on a full charge.they r the best 3d shutter glasses i ever wore,so needless to say the 2nd gen glasses are guest glasses.the TV also came with a copy of avatar in 3d note that it is only available with the purchase of a panasonic tv,but you can mail away for a copy with a voucher that comes with a panasonic bluray player.
I tried nvidias 3dtv play to game in 3d but in 1080p resolution it limits you to 24fps,720p will give you 60fps,something about hdmi cable bandwidth limitation, so needless to say i dont do 3d gaming.
As for movies and 3d,it has auto detect 3d sources SBS top and bottom etc.it usually works but sometimes youll have to manually select the 3d format,Blurays like avatar look fantastic no ghosting at all except when they do 3d text like white lettering on a black backround but thats pretty much it.
I dont have any 3d tv channels so my library is mostly blurays or HD mkv downloads,my Favorite so far was last years BCS champ game best 24GB Dload ever,football looks absolutly amazing in 3d,i allmost flinched on a fade route into corner of the endzone,though the wideout was goin to land on my lap.

2d picture quality rules, i thought my 46inch vizio looked decent,now i feel like it looks messed up or something:)

[Vrock]

It's not much different than a CRT, really, and we used those for 70 years.

...and CRTs could suffer from pretty significant burn-in issues if static elements were continuously displayed.

Right, right, but nobody was afraid to use a computer, watch TV or play video games on a CRT because of burn-in, so why the fear with plasma?

[bthylafh]

Maybe plasmas are more susceptible to burn-in. I don't believe any CRT monitors were vulnerable to burn-in at least since the mid '90s if not earlier, which must have been from getting better phosphors.

[Vrock]

Maybe plasmas are more susceptible to burn-in. I don't believe any CRT monitors were vulnerable to burn-in at least since the mid '90s if not earlier, which must have been from getting better phosphors.

Early plasmas had some issues. What's in stores now is like the 13th generation. I've seen more CRT RPTVs and monitors in use with burn in than I have plasmas.

[Captain Ned]

Finally added the Oppo BDP-93 Blu-Ray player today, dropped in the 3D version of Tron:Legacy, and fell in love with this TV all over again. Downside is that Panny active-shutter 3D glasses are close to a Benjamin a pop and I need a pair just for us here at home.

As for burn-in or image retention, don't worry about it. The daughter plays Guitar Hero constantly and I never see an after-image.

EDIT: The packaging on the Oppo player is phenomenal. Lots of foam all in the right places and once you've peeled off all the foam the player isn't in the standard ultra-static plastic baggie, it's in a cloth tote bag sized perfectly for the player. On another note, the initial hookup to the house wireless required a power cycle on the player even though it said it saw the wireless the first time. After a reboot the first thing I saw was a firmware update notice, so it was pretty obvious that it was connected.

EDIT 2: Olivia Wilde can certainly act, as Quorra is nothing like Thirteen (thankfully). Still easy on the eyes, though.

[Dizik]

This is the first time I've heard of Oppo...please tell me you didn't spend $400+ on a Blu-Ray player. The VUDU, Netflix, etc. functionality is nice and all, but certainly a similarly specced Blu-Ray player can be had for far less. Like say, a PS3?

[mikehodges2]

I was gonna say the same thing, never heard of Oppo. That said, that's a hell of a blu-ray player! All reviews point to awesome! Nice one.

[Captain Ned]

This is the first time I've heard of Oppo...please tell me you didn't spend $400+ on a Blu-Ray player. The VUDU, Netflix, etc. functionality is nice and all, but certainly a similarly specced Blu-Ray player can be had for far less. Like say, a PS3?

I almost went for the BDP-95. Gaming is for computers with mice & keyboards.

[Bensam123]

When you get close to the $200 you could just build a HTPC.

[mikehodges2]

When you get close to the $200 you could just build a HTPC.

True, but chances are, with much lower a/v quality.

Although to be fair, considering the price of the BDP-95 (around $1200-$1400!), you probably could fit out an HTPC with comparable output quality, no?

[ShadowEyez]

Good luck with what you get!

Have you looked into OLED? Heard they have a 55" one at CES though I imagine the price would be... high.
As others have said LED/LCD works well for bright areas, though everyone has their preference, LCD does seem better to my eye. Walk around a local best buy or costco and view the TV's with your eyes.

A few other things: get 120 or 240 hz, most 55" these days have that. Also, don't get 3D - we're still a few years away from: useful content, realistic prices, one standard, non-geeky-glasses-needing panels, and a method of doing it that won't give the average person a headache. The only 3D content that I've ever seen that "worked" (enjoyed it, felt like it was beneficial, worth it to wear the glasses, etc...) was Avatar. The rest was all gimmicky.

[Vrock]

Oppo made some of the best DVD players you could get back when DVD was a thing. I wouldn't be surprised if their Blu-ray players were just as good. I'd sooner get a $249 PS3 though for the money.

[Vrock]

Gaming is for computers with mice & keyboards.

Open your mind. You've already made your purchase, but if you're looking for another Blu-ray player then consider the PS3. I bought a launch 20gb model (which has since failed, but whatever) for $500 with the intent to only watch Blu-ray with it, and became a console convert. In addition to the tons of entertaining games, the media capabilities of the machine are quite useful. Even if you don't play a single game on it, you're still getting one of the fastest, most full-featured, and best supported BD players on the market.