I just bought a 50 inch plasma last week at Costco for $1049, saw the same exact TV at Best Buy for $1800. So far so good, the picture is amazing when watching hdtv and dvd's. Some of the normal channels that aren't hd look a little strange like the aspect ratio is out of whack or something. Other than that its great. Costco gave me a 2 year warranty plus the manufacture warranty for no extra charge so if I have a problem they fix or replace it for free.

My only other gripe besides the non hd channels is transporting it. I was told they are extremely fragile and never to lay it face down while moving or the bulbs will break. This poses a problem for me because I bought a condo in Miami and will be moving in a few weeks from San Francisco, the moving company wants $600 to crate it. When I bought the TV I thought I was getting a good deal and didn't think twice, now I'm kicking myself for not waiting.

what type of moving company, and how far? I've moved 3 plasmas, 3 times and never had to crate them before.
Just wrap it in the blankets and stand it up right in the truck -- no biggie.

There's a big sheet of glass on the front of a Plasma screen. You never want to transport glass flat, always vertical. :2 cents:

I went with Ori. I checked with a few others and they all told me the same thing. It's 3000 miles from San Francisco to Brickell, Miami. This company will pick my stuff up in a smaller truck then weigh the load and then load it into a bigger truck with other peoples furniture and ship it. I'm driving my truck out there and was thinking about putting it in the back but I have an open bed and am a little nervous about damaging it. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, I still have until the 18th to decide.

Very informative thread!

I was sold on plasma until I clicked on this thread.

I never knew that plasmas had a layer of glass, which can mean glare, which I do not want at all from any angle.

I just bookmarked this thread and will be watching it as I am in the market for an HDTV.

What do you guys think about widescreen HDTVs? I'm definitely leaning towards a 1080 as opposed to a 720.

:)

I have a 42" plasma and a 52" lcd. The plasma is 1080i/720p (bought it over 2 years ago) while the lcd is 1080p (6 months old). In all honestly, id much rather prefer a 1080p plasma but I dont feel like dropping $8k on a set.

both TVs that I bought i researched the crap out of. The LCD is by samsung and has some 120hz refresh dealio which is supposed to make the picture better and does slightly. if you are only going to watch movies through your cable company and dont have a bluray or hddvd player, then get a really nice 1080i/720p plasma for about $2k. if you plan on watching a lot of bluray/hd movies then get a 1080p set. I know a lot of people who dont even have HD cable and have a 1080p tv they over paid for.

in all honestly, it comes down to what you want. go into a LOCAL (not best buy) TV place. most of those people know what they are talking about and will show you the difference. then go online and find the best price :1orglaugh

My 60" JVC DLP TV just died today :( I think the power got shorted or something.

i got a 50 inch plasma in the livin room and a 32 lcd in the bed room

i like em both

Just sell it on Craigslist or eBay and then just buy a new one when you get to Miami.

:2 cents:

50 tv experts :thumbsup

I got a 46" LCD (SONY) and I hate the ghosting effect when watching movies.

High paced scenes are all jittery and shit.

Well, this is disturbing to hear. Anyone else with LCDs getting this ghosting effect? I've heard of this effect with LCD monitors when playing PC games.

I have both and you cant go wrong if you get a good model...new plasmas dont suffer burn-ins unless you are watching airport flight information 24/7

The newer LCDs have enhanced fast motion technology. Go check out an LG tv, which I know offers it for sure, to see what I mean. It kills the ghosting "blur" effect.

check out the new panasonic plasma's with the new anti-reflective coating...

i got plasma and lcd. Plasma is better for sure.

Bullshit.

I got one of the latest SONY BRAVIA LCD and it's definitely not for watching movies.

My next TV gonna be a Plasma.

I just bought an LCD yesterday but since I haven't hooked Cable up to it, the only thing I watched was a Disney Movie on DVD with the kids....The picture was fucking beautiful...I hope that it is the same when I'm watching real TV

Bravia XBR are incredible, the pic is outstanding and you can make it 3D!

love mine

Plasma............

Have you thrown out the packaging already? Surely that would be sufficient protection - if the contents of the box can survive shipping, distribution and delivery then it should be able to survive a house move...

I have Aquos LCD and Sumsung Plasma 1080P both. One observation that can make a difference: LCD will give you washed out view if looked at at some angle ( ex. when you fix coffee in the kitchen and watching from there at 45 degree angle) while plasma is razor sharp from any place you watch. When visiting friends with older LCDs, most of them have dead pixels somewhere on the screen, that does not happen with plasma. On the other hand, plasma is heavier then LCD and consumes more power plus gets warmer fast. For viewing aspect, plasma wins for now at least.