HDTV me!

[James]

I need to scrounge up a VGA cable before I fire up the Dreamcast. I've had dozens of them by now, why can't I fnd a single one?

James

[Gooch]

Nice set, whatever your name is. Get that thing calibrated, though, otherwise you're defeating part of the purpose. If you don't have the discretionary cash to spend to get it done, that's one thing, but otherwise there is no excuse not to get that bad boy calibrated. None.

I've been an LCD hater for a while now but I recently saw a calibrated Sammy 71 and I have to say I'd rank the picture I saw up there with some of the Pioneer Elites I've seen. That's good company. If my eyes did not deceive me, I'll consider getting a Sammy 81 when they become available. Probably the first LCD set I've seen that's worth a damn.

[stormy]

Does anyone here own a plasma? I know they are supposed to be the "better" technology, but whenever I see them in the store I can't stand all the movement in the image. Not sure I can explain it right but it's like the pixels are constantly flickering and wavering, and there is some kind of noise always going on. It drives me crazy when I'm looking at them in the store, to the point that I couldn't imagine owning one. Yet I never hear anyone mention this thing.

[Gooch]

I've owned a couple and have had no complaints aside from the weight. I will say that store displays are the worst basis to judge a set since all the settings are kicked up a few notches for the showroom look. Personally, I think plasma sets blow LCDs out the fucking water. It's been no contest until the recent Sammy 71 and 81s came out. Generally plasmas have superior black levels and produce a picture closest to what one would expect from a quality CRT.

For the best plasmas, I'd look to Panasonic for the more budget conscious and Pioneer for the more higher-end consumer. The new Panny's are nice but I'd wait for the 800s or the 850s. The 9G Pioneers are about to drop but you could probably find some nice 8G sets at reasonable prices.

[George]

Gooch, Sammy 81's are already available, but the added contrast from LED lighting apparently doesn't justify the cost.

A calibrated 71 is a beautiful thing, I spent hours on AVS finding the right settings for each of my inputs.

There's a new Sammy 6 series that has many of the features of 07's 71 series, but I don't know how they stack up.

[Gooch]

Oh yeah, I know the 81s are out but I'm waiting for Vanns to get them in before I decide. I get hit with serious IL tax if I buy from ABT, which is where Amazon (via the TNL Store) is selling the current stock on behalf of.

But it gives me more time to look into if the differences between the 71 and 81 are marginal. I just picked up two sets so I'm not in a rush to pick up the third.