Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

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denovo
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Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by denovo »

http://www.vox.com/2014/7/2/5864583/you ... -two-years
The death of plasma is an incredible success story for LCD technology, but it's also a sad reminder that disruption doesn't always meant the best products win: no LCD TV has ever looked as good as the best plasma TVs. Just go down the list: Pioneer's Kuro plasmas were so amazing that CNET still uses them as a review reference years after they were discontinued in 2008. Pioneer couldn't make any money and sold the Kuro technology to Panasonic, whose high-end plasmas were widely considered the best until late last year, when the company stopped making them in favor of LCDs. (The remaining stock is in high demand; used 55-inch sets are selling for $3,000 and up on Amazon six months later.)

But if you can handle waiting, you should let the TV industry breathe for a couple more years before spending any money. TV makers are dying to push higher-resolution 4K sets on people (which would kick off a hugely profitable upgrade cycle) but there's virtually nothing to watch on those TVs apart from Netflix series like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. There's no point in buying a high-res TV with so little high-res content available. And there's other interesting new technology in the works like Dolby Vision, which creates such stunningly bright images that I actually thought I felt the heat of an explosion when I watched a demo earlier this year. It was pretty cool. And maybe, just maybe, LCD sets will catch up with the quality of plasma.
We had a nice plasma tv that we purchased from Costco. People commented that the quality of the picture was great, but it died after four years, leaving a sour taste in my mouth. My consumer durable purchases usually much last longer than that. I think the 4k resolution sets are compelling and would like to wait for those to come out and come down in price before upgrading which I guess would take at least 12-24 months after the initial roll out , thoughts?

Edited to add: This was what we bought in 2008, the 50 inch plasma Panasonic Viera , that Costco was selling . http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-Viera-T ... roduct_top . It's not technically the same model, since Costco usually gets unique models for sale, but this was the closest analogue.
Last edited by denovo on Thu Jul 03, 2014 5:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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mhalley
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by mhalley »

There is always some better technology right around the corner. Right now, there is hardly any 4k content to watch. Will there be a bunch in 2 yrs, 5 yrs, 10 yrs? I dunno. With most things going to streaming, are you gonna be able to stream 4k content? I kinda doubt it. Will there be 4k dvds? Probably. Will cable broadcast its HD content in 4K? Again, who knows?
If you need a tv, buy one now. I personally wouldn't get a 4k tv at this time.
Sorry about your plasma, mine is still going strong after 10 yrs. Man, the price I paid for it at the time.... If it had died after 4yrs it would have been a horrible investment.
you might check out avs forums and see what they are saying about it.
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letsgobobby
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by letsgobobby »

Just saw a 4k at Costco and man, it is incredible. It's like looking out the window, it's so real. I know nothing about TVs but side by side compared to LCD the difference was amazing.
Bungo
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by Bungo »

LCD at current HD resolution is good enough for me - it already has enough resolution to reveal the annoying compression artifacts on every source: DVD, cable TV, Netflix, even Blu-Ray. No point buying a more transparent window when you live in a smoggy environment.
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by weltschmerz »

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willie838
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by willie838 »

researched this to death 20 months ago, grabbed a panasonic plasma.

---

i wouldn't wait for the 4ks. Get whatever you want now (happy researching)- and then in about 4-5 upgrade(if you still have the itch) to a 4k after the prices have diminished to reasonable levels.
DualIncomeNoDebt
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by DualIncomeNoDebt »

Own a Panasonic Viera Plasma 65 inch. Best TV ever, picture is amazing, including movies, sports, etc. This TV has been cancelled which is a real shame; the TV is so good it is now selling for $1750 more on Amazon than I paid for it two years ago, which is very surprising to me.

Most LCD televisions suck. And you'll see how badly LCD sucks when you compare high definition movies, and hi definition sports, side-by-side against a plasma or other displays. There's a reason retailers would keep the Panasonic and Sony plasmas in their own area, and then stick the junky LCDs on their own wall.

If you're not buying a plasma, wait. Wait until new display technology is released or things like OLED is improved, and/or 4k technology and content is developed. And be sure to do that comparison shopping; you'll hate a poor quality LCD, watching movies where dark scenes and shadows are a washed-out dark grey blob, or rapid motion is a pixelated unwatchable mess (neither of these happen with plasma).
Rodc
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by Rodc »

The Dan wrote:Just checked costco.com, the regular LCD TVs are going for $500-600, while the 4k TVs are >$2300. Why would you want to pay top-dollar to be at the leading edge of new technology with 4K? If you've got $2300 to spend, then buy a regular LCD TV, plus get a ticket to Australia or somewhere cool where you can make some good memories. Buy the 4k when prices drop closer to $1000 and by then there will probably be more content for it.
This.

Unless maybe you are a TV connoisseur, like a fine wine connoisseur or antique car connoisseur or something.
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anil686
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by anil686 »

Not a TV expert or anything but a couple of thoughts:

a) I bought a Pioneer Kuro 50" TV (biggest regret is not getting the 60") in 2007 and I still have it in my family room today. The picture is so clear compared to LCDs I have also bought since that time. FYI - the black makes all the difference in the Pioneer Kuro (it was the darkest black on the market) - it is/was the closest black to a true black which makes the other colors pop - hence the benchmark for tvs by CNET. I agree with lamenting the loss of plasma in general - they have very good picture - albeit at a higher cost than LCD.

b) There will always be more technology - just because there is does not mean it will be better. Your example cited about plasma and LCD are classic examples. You should also weigh your opportunity cost. If you have reasons for getting a tv now (versus two years from now - i.e. high school kids/neighborhood watch parties) - you may lose out on those experiences waiting and thus may end up with a better tv but less "memorable" experiences watching it.

c) as others have pointed out - you should understand yourself first. I am a TV guy - I love TV - watching sports, movies, television shows. I do work about 12 hours a day, exercise for another hour and have a spouse with two kids - so my TV time is relatively limited. But when I watch TV - I want to watch it on a great set. I would gladly pay more for a great television (which I have done) and spend much less on stuff that does not matter to me as much (i.e. furniture, coffee, - i don't consume alcohol so I guess wine/beer, cars, house).

Just my thoughts.
YttriumNitrate
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by YttriumNitrate »

One key thing to remember about TVs is "one minute of one degree" which is roughly the resolution of the human eye. Sure 4K TVs look great in the store where you're standing close up to them, but that's not the way most people watch TV. From what I recall, I need to be closer than 11 or so feet to be able to tell the difference between standard and high definition on a 65 inch TV. To get the benefit of a 4k 30 inch TV you probably need to be about a 2 feet away...which kind of explains why computer monitors haven't increased much in resolution in the last 20 years.
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macchiato
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by macchiato »

Wait. 4K content is coming fast via multiple delivery methods, but those methods are internet-only. Unless you're on fiber, I wouldn't rely upon current common broadband infrastructure.

I'm waiting a couple of years. If I got it now I know that I'll be amazed with 4K for about a week, then I'll be numb to it. That isn't worth $2000 to me.

I think there could be a worry of the definition being too distracting. Costco has only shown Swiss alps, the demo Samsungs haven't been showing any movies (yet).
killjoy2012
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by killjoy2012 »

I currently own an 8 month old 60" Panasonic Viera plasma - very happy. I bought because the panel on my 4 year old, $4k Samsung LED TV died (ouch!) and Panasonic then just recently announced they were getting out of the plasma businesses -- and I wanted one before they were no longer available.

I wouldn't buy a 4k TV today - there's almost no content, no cable/satellite broadcasts in 4k, need a new BR player and receiver, etc. Plus, unless you're looking for something larger than 50", I don't think 4k makes sense... unless you're planning to sit 2 feet from the TV. If you're going to wait, wait for an OLED or something that is really new.
Bacchus01
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by Bacchus01 »

I remember buying my 65" Samsung rear projection DLP with 1080P. At that time, there was almost no 1080P content and I almost opted not to do it. 8 years later and it's still going strong and has an amazing picture. Of course, it's mostly relegated to the XBox TV for the kids now. I think it's time for another lamp, which runs about $85.

To the comment that you have a hard time telling standard TV from HD on a 65" screen from 11 feet. What? We have just a 40" Samsung LCD in our main living room. It's small compared to most. I can tell HD versus SD on that screen from 11 feet away in an instant. There is no comparison.
lululu
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by lululu »

willie838 wrote:researched this to death 20 months ago, grabbed a panasonic plasma.
ditto except I recycled my old tv and returned the new one. More money in my pocket, more time in my life.
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by Spirit Rider »

Call me a luddite, or more appropriate a "if it ain't broke don't replace it kind of guy". Another name for this might be Boglehead, but many Bogleheads don't subscribe to the frugal mentality.

I finally bought a Plasma TV in 2006 after years of my girls lamenting over the 27" tube TV that was appropriately 27 years old. The final straw was the flyback transformer self-destructing in spectacular fashion. I had replaced it twice myself over the years, but finally succumbed to the anguished pleas.

It just so happens that I replaced my refrigerator and my lawn mower this week. The fridge on Tuesday and the lawnmower today. The fridge was 24 years old and the compressor bearings were starting to squeal and the doors wouldn't stay shut. The lawnmower blew the ring in spectacular fashion. The U.S Navy could have put it on the aft deck of an aircraft carrier and used it as a smoke screen to hide the entire 7th Fleet.

I was unmoved by the whole 3D fad, will ignore the 4K fad, and don't plan on buying a new TV until 2025 if this one makes it that long. With those old tube TVs a reasonably knowledgeable person could troubleshoot and replace a few common parts. My understanding is that these new fangled flat screen TVs are not really cost effective to repair.

Besides, Americans watch too damn much TV. If you want real life resolution go out and ... you know experience real life.
rixer
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by rixer »

I've seen that 4k Samsung at Costco many times. I've never seen a more dramatic picture on a tv before and at some point I will buy one. It probably will be a couple of years from now so I'm going to hope my old 65" dlp will hold out.


There's not much sense in buying one now at these high prices and no content to watch. That will hopefully change soon.
jridger2011
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by jridger2011 »

I would hold off until more 4K quality content is available.
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tyrion
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by tyrion »

Like most technology purchases, it's usually prudent to buy something in the pricing 'sweet spot'.

If you need a new laptop, there are $10,000 options, $150 options, but there is a lot of value in the $400-700 range. That's where you can find serious competition, good hardware, and something that will last 4+ years.

For TVs, the value range is probably in the $400-800 range, depending on size and options. You could buy something cheaper, but it's worth a few extra dollars to get in the value range. You could buy something more expensive if this is 'your thing' and it matters to you. If you're like most people, buy something in the value range now and wait for the 4k stuff to get cheaper.

Remember when CDs (compact discs :sharebeer ) first came out? CD players were thousands of dollars. Then in the high hundreds. Then in the $200-$300 range and people started buying them.
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greg24
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by greg24 »

If you need a TV, go buy a $500 plasma and move on with life.
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prudent
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by prudent »

Nobody even knows if 4K content will become the norm.

I saw a reference last week that said 81% of people who bought 3D TVs regret it. There was a huge marketing push to sell those with a lot of hype about potential content... not so much now.

But if I needed a TV, I'd just buy an HD set now. And if 4K content takes over in a couple years, get a 4K set then if you'd benefit from the additional resolution.
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by killjoy2012 »

The challenge with 4k content becoming more common is that your cable feed (service) can only only carry so much bandwidth (e.g. channels). Between having 400+ video and music channels & 50+ Mbps Internet, the bandwidth of coax is normally completely utilized. So in order for Comcast, or whomever, to offer a 4k channel, they would need to kill 4 1080p HD channels.... or a much larger # of SD channels. And that's just not an easy thing to do, especially when the % of their subscriber base with 4k TVs is very small.
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by ralph124cf »

killjoy2012 wrote:The challenge with 4k content becoming more common is that your cable feed (service) can only only carry so much bandwidth (e.g. channels). Between having 400+ video and music channels & 50+ Mbps Internet, the bandwidth of coax is normally completely utilized. So in order for Comcast, or whomever, to offer a 4k channel, they would need to kill 4 1080p HD channels.... or a much larger # of SD channels. And that's just not an easy thing to do, especially when the % of their subscriber base with 4k TVs is very small.
A lot of those 400 channels seem to be some version of Home Shopping Network or badly cut up (for extra commercials) old B movies. I think that most people would be happy to see these disappear.

Ralph
coldaudio
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by coldaudio »

Without going into too much detail, I work in content creation and distribution for a major television company.

Don't buy anything just yet! Currently TVs are using HDMI 1.4, which only supports very low frame rates for 4k as the bandwidth is limited. The new HDMI 2.0 spec will handle 60 FPS for 4k (which is needed for optimal viewing). You can read more about it here:

http://www.hdmi.org/manufacturer/hdmi_2_0/
smackboy1
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by smackboy1 »

We just bought a new 65" flat panel a few months ago. We considered all the technologies and in the end purchased a highly rated but now discontinued Panasonic Viera ZT plasma. The problem with 4K is that there is hardly any 4K content we would want to watch and the picture quality (especially for deep blacks) of currently available 4K TVs is poor compared to plasma or even other LCDs. OLED has a lot of potential, but not quite yet ready for prime time. We're probably going to be buying another flat panel in the next 12 months and it will probably be another plasma (maybe a Samsung). For my viewing (10+ ft viewing distance) I much prefer the color accuracy and picture quality of a plasma over any LCD.
Disclaimer: nothing written here should be taken as legal advice, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by Luke Duke »

YttriumNitrate wrote:One key thing to remember about TVs is "one minute of one degree" which is roughly the resolution of the human eye. Sure 4K TVs look great in the store where you're standing close up to them, but that's not the way most people watch TV. From what I recall, I need to be closer than 11 or so feet to be able to tell the difference between standard and high definition on a 65 inch TV. To get the benefit of a 4k 30 inch TV you probably need to be about a 2 feet away...which kind of explains why computer monitors haven't increased much in resolution in the last 20 years.
There's no way that's true. That's probably the distance to detect 720p vs 1080p.
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by Luke Duke »

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Ketawa
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by Ketawa »

Just FYI, I don't think anyone is watching cable or satellite TV content at 1080p. All of these are mostly 1080i, with some exceptions like ESPN and ABC that are in 720p. Even then, your cable receiver might be taking a 720p signal and converting it to 1080i if there isn't an option for native resolution pass through. This is a pet peeve of mine since sports are definitely better in 720p than 1080i, but I can't watch them that way. The only way most people are watching 1080p, even today, is with Blu-ray, Netflix streaming, etc.
ralph124cf
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by ralph124cf »

Great chart. Thank you.

I'm assuming that this chart was developed for people with 20/20 vision in mind. For those lucky few with better than 20/20 vision, they would probably notice the difference from farther away.

Ralph
rixer
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by rixer »

Samsung say's plasma is dead and is shutting down it's plasma tv business. They will focus on curved and ultra-high-definition models that use LED technology.

http://money.cnn.com/2014/07/03/technol ... ?iid=HP_LN
covertfantom
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by covertfantom »

There are upsides to LED/LCD and 4K. For one, you can get a cheap Chinese 4K TV for a pretty decent price (under $1,000). It will also be cheaper to run in the long run because LCD/LED takes up alot less electricity. Personally, unless I have a reference TV nearby, once I start watching, I don't notice all of the things that make plasma great. The only reason to stay away from 4K is that content not designed for 4K has to be scaled up for it... and it does not look good, especially on some of the cheap Chinese 4K TVs.
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Epsilon Delta
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by Epsilon Delta »

I remember when CDs replaced tapes and LPs. Audiophiles demanded high definition digital and they got MP3. The future of TV is 200i.
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by Bungo »

Epsilon Delta wrote:I remember when CDs replaced tapes and LPs. Audiophiles demanded high definition digital and they got MP3. The future of TV is 200i.
Yep. I still have my old audiophile system, but I almost never play uncompressed audio through it anymore, because who wants to listen to their own stale collection when you can stream almost anything in the world on demand? And I have to admit that I can't hear any artifacts/degradation in MP3s at 256kbps or higher. Unfortunately eyes are harder to fool than ears.
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by pennstater2005 »

Wait. I purchased a new Panasonic plasma in 2008 when they were gaining in popularity and close to their peak price. Within 6 months the price of my t.v. had gone from $1300 to $600. I complained about that for a few years when anyone would listen.

* My plasma is rated for something like 20,000 hours and is still going strong. Not sure why your set died so soon.
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by hicabob »

OLED (organic led) screens are by far the best displays currently available - blackest black, fastest response, best color gamut but a 55" TV is currently $4999. I expect the prices will come out of the stratosphere quite quickly.
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denovo
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by denovo »

Edited to add: This was what we bought in 2008, the 50 inch plasma Panasonic Viera , that Costco was selling . http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-Viera-T ... roduct_top . It's not technically the same model, since Costco usually gets unique models for sale, but this was the closest analogue. I was really pissed when it died after 4 years. :(
Last edited by denovo on Thu Jul 03, 2014 7:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by acegolfer »

Bacchus01 wrote:I remember buying my 65" Samsung rear projection DLP with 1080P. At that time, there was almost no 1080P content and I almost opted not to do it. 8 years later and it's still going strong and has an amazing picture. Of course, it's mostly relegated to the XBox TV for the kids now. I think it's time for another lamp, which runs about $85.
I have a similar experience. Bought a 60" DLP 11 yrs ago for >$3k. It's still in our living room and going strong. Replaced the lamp once.

However, I will not pay another >$3k to buy a TV.
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by ThatGuy »

ralph124cf wrote:
Luke Duke wrote:Large Image
Great chart. Thank you.

I'm assuming that this chart was developed for people with 20/20 vision in mind. For those lucky few with better than 20/20 vision, they would probably notice the difference from farther away.

Ralph
I had better than 20/20 last time I was checked, but that was years ago. However, I just purchased a laptop with a 13.3" 16:9 WQHD (2560x1440) screen. I notice a difference between the itty bitty screen and my external 22" monitor of 1920 x 1200, with the scaling on the itty bitty screen at 125%.

I've found those charts to be a bit pessimistic, but your mileage may vary.

The other comment about compression on various sources, boy howdy. My 55 inch LCD shows that Amazon and Netflix look like crap, and the sound compression is even worse even for their supposed HD content.
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by jeffyscott »

hicabob wrote:OLED (organic led) screens are by far the best displays currently available - blackest black, fastest response, best color gamut but a 55" TV is currently $4999. I expect the prices will come out of the stratosphere quite quickly.
I hope you are right, my fear is OLED is not going to catch on and thus may disappear rather than come down in price.

The reason I think this may occur is it seems that 4K is the new thing, even though almost no one is going to sit close enough to be able to see a difference between 4K and regular HD (~5 feet from a 60 inch screen) and there is no content in 4K. Yet people are far more interested in 4K than OLED, just look at the comments here. I think only two people (well, now 3) mention OLED. If 4K sells and OLED does not, then OLED may die.
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by inbox788 »

Epsilon Delta wrote:I remember when CDs replaced tapes and LPs. Audiophiles demanded high definition digital and they got MP3. The future of TV is 200i.
It's already there. The future of television is the iWatch, which will be replacing the Sony Watchman! 200i is great for a 1" screen!

http://www.forbes.com/sites/benzingains ... ally-a-tv/
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Rob5TCP
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by Rob5TCP »

My Costco Panasonic Plasma is now 5 years old and going strong. Yet, I find a large part of my viewing is done on my 24" computer monitor - I save the TV for movies and certain shows.
As for 4K; I saw a similar chart a few months ago and it convinced me that I would see minimal improvement at my viewing distance/monitor size.

I will probably get a 4K computer monitor first, since my distance is about 18 inches. A screen size of 27-30" on my monitor should make for a huge improvement (though nothing wrong with what I have).
In either case, I will probably wait 2-3 more years before buying anything new.
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Ged
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by Ged »

Not sold on 4K LCDs. No source material available. I'm waiting for OLED to become affordable to get a 4K. Maybe by then there will also be 4K source material.
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by JonnyDVM »

For what it's worth I bought my Panasonic plasma in 2007 and it was one of my best purchases ever. No regrets. Was thinking about getting a bigger one but saw one of the ultra HD models at Costco last week and I was almost as stunned as the first time I saw an HD TV. I'll probably hold out another year or so and get one of those.
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Rob5TCP
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by Rob5TCP »

JonnyDVM wrote:For what it's worth I bought my Panasonic plasma in 2007 and it was one of my best purchases ever. No regrets. Was thinking about getting a bigger one but saw one of the ultra HD models at Costco last week and I was almost as stunned as the first time I saw an HD TV. I'll probably hold out another year or so and get one of those.
4K DOES look stunning when you view it in the store because you are usually 2-3 feet away from the screen. If you normal viewing distance is 6-10 feet and you have a 50" inch screen - you will see little or no difference.
I will be going to Costco next week - and will look at the 4K close up and then my normal viewing distance. That would be a true test.
ex00810
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by ex00810 »

I guess I am too into investing to judge based only on the viewing experience....just like automobiles I just bought a very good LG LED TV which is an improvement over my 7 year old LCD set and will invest the rest to help towards my retirement goal! :D
hicabob
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by hicabob »

jeffyscott wrote:
hicabob wrote:OLED (organic led) screens are by far the best displays currently available - blackest black, fastest response, best color gamut but a 55" TV is currently $4999. I expect the prices will come out of the stratosphere quite quickly.
I hope you are right, my fear is OLED is not going to catch on and thus may disappear rather than come down in price.

The reason I think this may occur is it seems that 4K is the new thing, even though almost no one is going to sit close enough to be able to see a difference between 4K and regular HD (~5 feet from a 60 inch screen) and there is no content in 4K. Yet people are far more interested in 4K than OLED, just look at the comments here. I think only two people (well, now 3) mention OLED. If 4K sells and OLED does not, then OLED may die.

Then there is 8k! I saw it in a special effects studio late last year. There is no theoretical problem with oled at 4k or even 8k - it's just more resolution so harder to make.
freddie
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by freddie »

Ged wrote:Not sold on 4K LCDs. No source material available. I'm waiting for OLED to become affordable to get a 4K. Maybe by then there will also be 4K source material.
oleds look great but you are going to be waiting a long time for an 7k TV to drop to 2.3k( current 55 4k pricing) level. On the other hand I expect to see 4k TVs at 1300 uinb2 years. The cheap brands are there already
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jeffyscott
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by jeffyscott »

Well, OLED is $4300, not $7K, today at Best Buy or amazon. Get rid of the curved screen and drop another $1500 and I may buy.
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htdrag11
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by htdrag11 »

I'm frugal in many things but not TV/projectors.

Gave away my 2009 Panny 42" 720p plasma and upgraded to a 2013 Panny 50" 1080p. My wife said why since it's her TV in the family room. I said that it's cost less than the old (under $900 vs. $1,300 for the 42"). I do frequent avsforum with the same handle so I'm a TV/projector snob. LCD would not make it to my house. My projector is LCoS with even higher contrast than the plasma.

As for 4k, there is no rush since there is hardly any source materials.
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Ged
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by Ged »

freddie wrote:
Ged wrote:Not sold on 4K LCDs. No source material available. I'm waiting for OLED to become affordable to get a 4K. Maybe by then there will also be 4K source material.
oleds look great but you are going to be waiting a long time for an 7k TV to drop to 2.3k( current 55 4k pricing) level. On the other hand I expect to see 4k TVs at 1300 uinb2 years. The cheap brands are there already
I have a 70" LCD set that is 3 years old that works pretty well except it has the standard LCD limitations. What I want is a flat, not curved 80" 4K OLED. What I am not going to do is spend on something that is a small increment over what I have now, which is what I see 4K LCD as. I also like the idea of not buying a new tech the instant it comes out. Let the early adopters find the bugs. Affordable to me in this size would be $6K.
freddie
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Re: Time to buy a tv or wait 2 years?

Post by freddie »

Ged wrote:
freddie wrote:
Ged wrote:Not sold on 4K LCDs. No source material available. I'm waiting for OLED to become affordable to get a 4K. Maybe by then there will also be 4K source material.
oleds look great but you are going to be waiting a long time for an 7k TV to drop to 2.3k( current 55 4k pricing) level. On the other hand I expect to see 4k TVs at 1300 uinb2 years. The cheap brands are there already
I have a 70" LCD set that is 3 years old that works pretty well except it has the standard LCD limitations. What I want is a flat, not curved 80" 4K OLED. What I am not going to do is spend on something that is a small increment over what I have now, which is what I see 4K LCD as. I also like the idea of not buying a new tech the instant it comes out. Let the early adopters find the bugs. Affordable to me in this size would be $6K.
It took 15 years to go from 42" flat screens costing 10k to 80" LED costing less than 6k . Your probably looking at a similar time frame for OLEDs. I expect standard LED picture quality to keep improving. The new LEDs look at lot better than TVs from 5 years ago even without the resolution bump. There are some tweaks to color spaces and contrasts that aren't very noticeable by themselves but when you get a 5% improvement over 5 years, it ends up being noticeable.
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