Skool me on a new tv
 

I don't know too too much about tv's, especially the technology in today's new stuff. So I've got a few questions I want to ask here before stepping into a store and having the sales person harass me about extended warranty.

I dont have any brand preference really.
It'll be 65"+
Don't need 3D capabilities.
Will mostly be used for watching tv/movies
Occasional gaming. But I don't play anything with crazy graphics. Think NHL type games
It will be wall mounted if it makes a difference

Questions-
1. 120hz vs 240hz. Will it be THAT big of a difference considering the price gap is quite substantial.
2. Is the extended warranty needed? Will the tv crap out in 3yrs? We'll be watching no more than 4, or even 5hrs a day.
3. Is it worth it to buy from openbox.ca? Their prices are cheap. But is it worth it to buy a tv that was a demo? Does it significantly impact longevity?
4. LED vs LCD? What's the better option?

If you're able, please suggest a tv for me.

Budget- not looking for a state-of-the-art $6k tv
Realistically, less than $4k. $3k would be even better.

Thanks

A better question you should be asking is LED vs Plasma. You can read a lot about both but the quick and dirty is that plasmas offer darker blacks and more lifelike skin tones. LEDs offer smaller weight, thinner profiles, and more capability for brightness.

I replaced a close to top of the line LED tv (2012 Samsung 7000 Series 55") with a close to top of the line plasma (2013 Panasonic ST Series 55") and am very happy with the transition. The LED TV was very bright and was fantastic for a hockey game but any time you had people on the screen such as in a movie, I found it to have a very "computer game" type characteristic that I didn't care for. On the other hand, it also had a smaller bezel and was much lighter, but now that my Panasonic is wall mounted, I am extremely happy with the choice.

Mark

With gaming , if it can produce 100+ fps , it will utilize that and it is much smoother than a standard 60fps .

Unless capacitor plague makes a comeback, I wouldn't get an extended warranty. Check your credit card, as well. You may have extended warranty on purchases made with it. My 46" Sony is still going strong after 10 years.

Get the biggest LED/Plasma TV with the highest number in anything for the cheapest price you can find. Done.

im on the plasma team for tv purchases. you wont find something with such bright colours or such dark black imo and because most are 240+hz just starting they are incredibly smooth! but once you have an led or lcd im sure you would get used to it so quick you would never notice the difference

but there is draw backs.. plasmas arnt nearly as easy to come by anymore :(
and you may have to deal with screen burn in, plasma has come a very long way from its old burnt in image ways, but if you leave it on a still image you will see that image for a few seconds after.. again not a big deal if you dont just pause a game an walk away for 3 days.. in which case new tv's just go to screen savers.

like lowside mentioned.. its weird when i see friends LED tv's that they think look fine.. but again.. you will get used to what ever tv you purchase

Yeah burn in is really not an issue with modern plasmas - they all have screen savers for this purpose. There is definitely a difference in performance between the cheaper plasmas and higher end models though. You have the budget for a very high end set, and should consider using it - a well calibrated and high quality plasma in a dark room is a site to behold.

I bought my plasma from futureshop online. Went to pick it up, they wouldn't price match openbox (I knew they wouldn't but doesn't hurt to ask). So I refunded my purchased, literally walked across the street and got it from open box for $500 cheaper.

I'd buy from there again
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This sounds more like a function of the 120Hz/240Hz processing rather than it being LED.

Personally I hate the 120Hz/240Hz processing on anything other than sports or video games; making any TV show or movie look like a cheap soap opera. So personally, that isn't a big selling point for the price difference.

LED/LCD is a pretty big difference for form factor and brightness though. If it is in a serious home theater type situation with BluRay then I would splurge on LED or look at plasma. But if it is a living room type deal for TV and casual movie viewing on Netflix I would save my money and go with a bigger LCD than a smaller LED.

I wouldn't bother with extended warranty either. Check your credit card policies, many of them will often double the manufacturer's warranty.

With all due respect, not sure if you read the original post but his budget is $3-4k for a 65" TV. That is enough for the absolute top of the line in either option, he doesn't really need to consider LCD and it is pretty much inferior in every way.

In my eyes, the choice between the TVs looks like this:

Samsung 65" 1080p 240Hz Smart LED TV (UN65F8000AFXZC) : LED TVs - Future Shop

or

Panasonic 65" 1080p 600Hz 3D Plasma Smart TV (TCP65VT60) : Plasma TVs - Future Shop

I will be the first to admit that the Samsung looks way sexier on the wall, the problem is that when the lights are low and you are watching a movie, you can't see the bezel (or lack thereof) but you will definitely appreciate Panasonic's glorious colour reproduction.

Fair point regarding the price, but he did specifically asked LCD/LED differences. *shrug*

Thanks for everyone's opinion.
I originally thought that LCD vs LED was "the thing" these days so I thought I'd ask about those two in particular.
Didnt know plasma was still a popular choice since I last had a plasma 10+yrs ago. But good to know my options.

Keep the opinions and particular models coming :)

I may need to look into a 70" to fill my fireplace mantel. But can't get into the house to measure it until I get possession this weekend.

Question for all you plasma guys.

I've been looking for a plasma for myself, but I hear all this buzz about Panasonic stopping their plasma production in early 2014. Will this in anyway detour any of you from buying one if you were in the tv market at this time?
Just wondering, as I don't want to have to jump into a $2-3,000 tv and have issues trying to get replacement parts/warranty.

I have never tried Samsung smart TVs, but I will put my input and say:

That after owning a Panasonic Smart TV, I don't really care for or use the "Smart" apps or features. The media player can't play all of my file types and it's not exactly instant loading. I still use my WD media player for all of my video files.

What I should have done was get a dumb TV and build a cheap computer.

Oh and if it makes any difference... I prefer plasma, but when it calls for wall mounting a TV holy shit plasmas are heavy. Definitely a 2 person job. I can wall mount a 60" LED no problem all by myself.

I've sold and installed TV's for awhile. I really find Smart TV's a gimmick more than anything.

They're VERY limited in features and insanely slow. If you're a patient person than you may be okay with it.

Like Matlock said, I'd rather use my WD media player. Less limitations. Works faster.