LCD-TVs

[Robin]

Hey guys, hope You're doing good!

I've been thinking alot about getting one of those flat-screens since i bought a PS3 and have read so many reviews i've lost count. THe thing is that the one that apparently is supposed to be the best one below um... well i don't know for sure how much it is in USD or Euro, but it's alot for a TV, anyway.

Today i went to check some out for real and... well, the simplest way i can say this is that this TV, that is really worth it's money and have had an almost perfect score of both expert and user reviews around the country, has a way too low FPS for a 42'' screen.

If You've ever seen an action movie in a cinema You know what i mean; the bigger the screen is the more laggy the whole film will look, and especially when panning. When i saw that... um... what was it...... Transformers, right, all i could see was a bloody blob of colours when the camera moves around too fast. It's impossible to keep up!

What really wonders me, is how the heck people can give a TV with such a horrible FPS such a high score! I know most movies are in 25 FPS, in Europe, but there was one TV right next to this one, in the store, that looked to be twice the FPS; really smooth! And all the TV's there were showing the same content, of course.

What on earth? When i looked on the other TV, the high FPS one, it looked like it was being filmed live! Super smooth like a game or something! It's really creepy, because not in a single review i've read, there has been any talk at all about how smooth the screen is during fast camera momvement in movies and such. Why is that?

Is it the Hertz or is it something else that define this? I've been so hyped to go get this TV, called Sharp LC42XD1E, but seeing it for real made me wonder how anyone could accept that low FPS! Whatever it is that made the other TV have such a super-smooth playback, is something i thought was standard for flat-tvs!

I don't really know how to explain this better, so i hope that someone here who have noticed the same thing with different flat-tvs can give me some lecturing!

Thanks!

[Whizbang]

FPS is going to be more noticeable on larger screens for the obvious reason that the digital frame "jump" is magnified.  That is why I was totally unimpressed with the monster wall mounts that seemed to be the "in" thing a couple of years ago.  Thirty FPS is as high as I have seen.  There is another factor that should also be checked on, and that is image persistence.  It may in fact be more critical than FPS (Frames per second for those who are wondering).  Image persistence was a very big problem with CRT displays at one time due to the tendency of the screen phosphor coating to continue to emit light after the signal ceased.  It was also one reason for the animated screensaver idea for CRT monitors so that phosphor burn was reduced.  The monitor "Off" option is best.  I would definitely observe the persistence of any LCD TV or at least get some reviews on the problem.  Persistence would appear as faint streaking , halos, color bleeding during fast image movement, and who knows what else.  There is no perfect scenario, just an acceptable compromise. 

When you purchase an LCD TV, the correct way to determine what size you really need is not the way the American redneck would choose, as in "the bigger, the better."  Room size and viewing distance should always be the first criteria.  If you put a very expensive 60" (152cm) unit in a small room, you would be totally disappointed because the viewing panorama is too great and does not allow overall viewing of the whole scene.  The unavoidable technical imperfections that are inherent with large screens are easily seen, and the viewing is tiring because of the necessity to keep moving your eyes.   You may have to do quite a bit of querying before you get all of the information you need, but I would do the following:

1)  Determine as closely as possible the exact distance that you will be sitting from the screen and watch every potential LCD purchase from that distance in as many different light situations as possible. 
2)  Observe changes in picture for off-axis viewing, as would be true for a large family gathering in a room.  Many specialist stores have the optimum setting for such evaluation of the products. 

As I said, you are not going to get a perfect scenario, but you may find that smaller and less expensive units actually are really better for your situation because of the compacting of the image.

[scuzzy]

Another thing to consider is that TVs in mega-electronics stores are often connected to a single signal feed through a hodge-podge of cables. And don't forget that a thousand customers and their misbehaved kids have likely changed the settings ten thousand times over.

It could very well be that the highly rated TV you saw outperforms everything in its class if it's properly hooked up and configured. If you can find the same TV in an upscale specialty electronics store, you'll probably get a much better sense for its true performance.

Some new LCD TVs are on their way. These newer (and more expensive) models will sport 120 MHz refresh rates and LED back lighting. These new breed of TVs should pretty much blow the competition away in terms of performance.

[Ace]

I wonder how many people sitting at home, watching a commercial for a TV, say "Look, Honey, how much better that TV looks than ours... we oughta go buy one of those."

Ace; I have a fat panel RCA CRT.

[Whizbang]

21" Sanyo bubble here in the den, complete with electrostatically attracted dust.  I seem to always buy new new stuff for different reasons.  A flat panel LCD does not weigh nearly as much as a CRT and would be easier to move when my wife insists that we do spring cleaning.  Also, you need to get rid of the old CRT before it goes bad so you can take it to the Salvation Army and let someone else figure out how to dispose of it later, since it is virtually impossible to dispose of it legally without paying as much for the disposal as a new TV would cost.