for what reason ?? i dont see how tricking someone into buying a cheaper tv would be in there best interest .. especially if the cheap one and the more expensive one have great pictures
Higher profit margin, exclusive reseller deal, etc.
For example, Futureshop in Canada always suggest Samsung before any other brand. Your price is the same, their cost is not. They get Samsung TV's at a lower cost because they promise to push them hardest.
XTREME BARTON:
1. how does one look for judder reduction ? i have no idea what frame interpolation is...
Judder is most evident in horizontal movement. It is present in SD content but more obvious in HD because of the sharper image. When something moves from left to right but does not move smoothly- ie, a guy walks left to right at 30FPS but his jacket seems to skip an inch of movement on the screen every 5th of a second. A bird flies left to right and instead of being a completely smooth fluid movement it only appears to get five frames of movement from left to right and appears to be 'stuck' for a split second, not moving, for each of them. This is a combination of optical illusion and an actual motion reproduction problem that film and video have always had. It's called 'judder'. Judder is removed via frame interpolation or frame insertion-- but not all frame insertion is the same.
To keep it short, because I'm drinking and it's Christmas and my brain is on vacation, you're taking a 60Hz signal (60 refresh/second from your cable/sat--- if you are UK/EU it's 50). Within this 60Hz signal there are 30 frames of movement. A 60Hz TV will display each frame for two Hz. A 120Hz TV for four, 240 for eight. This, in and of itself, reduces judder.
Many current sets take this a step further in post processing (modern high end TV's have SERIOUS processing power in them--Toshiba put's IBM CELL CPU's in their better models). The post processing looks at the current frame and the next frame and says "I can make 4 frames in between these two. I have an image of a baseball. I know in the next frame it's two feet closer to that guy." it then DRAWS three fake frames and inserts them. The result is a much smoother picture. Beyond that, higher end TV's remember the baseball and look through all the frames of the baseball they have, pick out details like stitching and dirt, and then apply those to a blurry frame- so the baseball flying at 120MPH that may be blurry on your $450 60Hz TV is razor sharp and detailed and blurr-free on your $4000 240Hz TV.
that's the difference between frame DOUBLING and frame INTERPOLATION
2. what is 24 p ?? i though the only p's important were with 720p and 1080p ..
24P is just 24 frames per second. It means the TV can display 24 frames of motion per second accurately without frame dropping to deliver a more accurate reproduction of the original film with more movie-theater like movement. Some people hate this effect. Others can't live without it. Why P? P is for progressive. 24 frames, progressive scan.
3. a high contrast ratio as in the millions ? and does every display type offer such a high ratio or only on say a plasma ?
You will only get TRUE contrast ratio in the millions on a Plasma. Remember, dynamic contrast is the total possible contrast range, not the range on screen. That's static contrast, and is much more important. Dynamic contrast isn't worth looking at. You're more likely to see 30-50,000:1 on a decent plasma vs 3000-10,000:1 on a similarly priced LCD, though a high end LCD will approach Plasma for static contrast.
4.when you say a good lcd uses full array led back-lighting .. are those the display considered led tv's ? or are the led TV's even a step higher than the LCD's which use a full array of led back-lighting ?
Yes that's an LED TV. Not to be mistaken for an OLED with has no backlight and the pixels are self illuminating. Be careful to ensure the set you choose has local dimming. Some TV's, though they offer a full backlight LED array, do not locally dim, IE, Sharp's LE700 series.
5. and to find out what panel it is for sure .. where can one find such info ? i don't think its on the brochure they have next to the price, would one have to just get the model number and then do some internet research ? Exactly. Many companies include this in the PDF you can download for the model at their website. For example, LG and Panasonic use IPS displays in all their 'non-bargain' models. I personally don't like LG's IPS panels because they have 'C' shaped pixels and that's extremely noticeable to me.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
How much are we looking to spend here?
Can you get your hands on a Panasonic TCP42G10? Even a TCP42S10? The U1 would get the job done (I have one). It's a good budget model, great for TV. The only nitpick is that in standard settings dark areas in videogames aren't very intelligable. You can turn the brightness up but... meh. I don't game on it. It's freaking great for movies and TV though. The G10 uses a new type of panel and is THX certified and has EXCELLENT brightness contrast color etc. That's one of those grab it and don't look back purchases and would be my number one recommendation for you.
Also, you're getting 600Hz.
Look at TCP42G10/S1
if you want to consider their 37" 1080P 60Hz TV-- which is PUNCHY and has a beautiful picture. Wonderful gamer. Not great for sports.. But again, WAY sharper overall than a plasma.
TCL37S1
Panasonic has the BEST telephone support EVER. They will sit on the phone with you for an hour and tell you anything you want to know. They have all their products there at the call center so they can turn it on and find out if they don't know. They also have FREE next day IN HOME support on 37" and larger TV's as part of the standard warranty.
http://www.panasonic.ca/english/audiovideo/plasma/tcp42_46_50g10.asp
^
G10 readout. Also keep in mind-- high(er) end Plasmas like this have a tough sheet of glass-- not a cheap crappy one. Wiimote slips will KILL an LCD. You think it won't happen until your friend bangs your LCD and kills it. Been there.
If you have the cash I'd look at SAMSUNG's 6000 series. They start around $1800 USD. The picture makes you want to cry though. IMO you can NOT beat Samsung's 6000/8000 in the $4000 and down market. You want to reach into the screen and touch the picture.
Other things to keep in mind:
POWER CONSUMPTION: About 70-100W for an LED backlit LCD
120-150W for a CCFL LCD
225-300+W for a Plasma
I/O: Do I need RCA audio out? Optical?
Is 3 HDMI's enough? Do I need 4? Etc.
OSD: Is the on screen display crapp? Do I feel I have enough picture control options?
WARRANTY: NO, you do NOT want the store's extended warranty. Go home, call Panasonic/Samsung and tell them you want to register and purchase the OEM extended warranty. It's always better and rarely more expensive.
Voodoo Rufus hasn't been around for awhile.
Probably in his PJ's in a puddle of druel staring at his G10
.
It's a really really good TV.