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TV advice: plasma vs LCD? Apple tv? Roku? gaming console? fire stick? Cable, Sat?

Cyrok

Cyrok

Active Member
Oct 14, 2009
694
87
28
DSM
Hi folks,
I've gone without a TV for quite a while and I've decided to get one. I'm looking for some advice on what to get. Here is some relevant info:

Live in a Minneapolis condo (I assume I could get a satellite dish but I'm not sure)
Would like to watch Sports, Movies
A year ago I switched to Apple products, iPhone, macbook air, etc
Looking at 55" or smaller
In DSM I started with mediacom and switched to DirectTV. I liked DirectTV better for everything except I missed CyclonesTV and centurylink internet was frustrating (lots of buffering)


Also, any thoughts on an ISP up here?

Thanks a lot!
 
Re: TV advice: plasma vs LCD? Apple tv? Roku? gaming console? fire stick? Cable, Sat

Cyrok said:
Hi folks,
I've gone without a TV for quite a while and I've decided to get one. I'm looking for some advice on what to get. Here is some relevant info:

Live in a Minneapolis condo (I assume I could get a satellite dish but I'm not sure)
Would like to watch Sports, Movies
A year ago I switched to Apple products, iPhone, macbook air, etc
Looking at 55" or smaller
In DSM I started with mediacom and switched to DirectTV. I liked DirectTV better for everything except I missed CyclonesTV and centurylink internet was frustrating (lots of buffering)


Also, any thoughts on an ISP up here?

Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...
Plasmas are slowly being phased out. They do have an incredible picture and are cheaper but you can burn the screen in very easily and if you have a sunny room, it could glare the screen out. 4K LED TVs are the future and are really coming down in price. I got a 49" Vizio 4K LED for $550 just before black Friday and it included a $250 Dell gift card. Follow slickdeals.net and they constantly post good deals on there.

As for your programming provider, honestly, if you have gone a while without TV, just get SlingTV. It includes ESPN, TBS, TNT, HGTV and a bunch of other channels and is only $20. You just need a reliable internet connection. It is capatible with pretty much all of those you listed. If you get that with Netflix for around $10 a month, you are sitting extremely well for having plenty of programming. Get an HDTV antenna so you can get the local channels then you are golden.

I can't help you with ISP. I have no clue who even services up there.
 
Re: TV advice: plasma vs LCD? Apple tv? Roku? gaming console? fire stick? Cable, Sat

Can you even buy a plasma tv anymore?
 
Re: TV advice: plasma vs LCD? Apple tv? Roku? gaming console? fire stick? Cable, Sat

brianhos said:
Can you even buy a plasma tv anymore?
Click to expand...
I've seen Dell still has them every so often but they are becoming harder and harder to find.
 
Re: TV advice: plasma vs LCD? Apple tv? Roku? gaming console? fire stick? Cable, Sat

I have a roku that I love, using sling tv for sports, netflix, and hulu.

I use a cable to hook my MacBook to my tv to stream cyclones.tv.
 
Re: TV advice: plasma vs LCD? Apple tv? Roku? gaming console? fire stick? Cable, Sat

CysRage said:
I've seen Dell still has them every so often but they are becoming harder and harder to find.
Click to expand...
Probably leftovers from the dock they found after the last strike.
 
Re: TV advice: plasma vs LCD? Apple tv? Roku? gaming console? fire stick? Cable, Sat

CysRage said:
Plasmas are slowly being phased out. They do have an incredible picture and are cheaper but you can burn the screen in very easily and if you have a sunny room, it could glare the screen out. 4K LED TVs are the future and are really coming down in price. I got a 49" Vizio 4K LED for $550 just before black Friday and it included a $250 Dell gift card. Follow slickdeals.net and they constantly post good deals on there.

As for your programming provider, honestly, if you have gone a while without TV, just get SlingTV. It includes ESPN, TBS, TNT, HGTV and a bunch of other channels and is only $20. You just need a reliable internet connection. It is capatible with pretty much all of those you listed. If you get that with Netflix for around $10 a month, you are sitting extremely well for having plenty of programming. Get an HDTV antenna so you can get the local channels then you are golden.

I can't help you with ISP. I have no clue who even services up there.
Click to expand...
While ghosting is still a thing with plasmas all have pixel shift technology which prevents burn in. It has been that way for over half a decade so I don't know where you get your information...
 
Last edited:
Re: TV advice: plasma vs LCD? Apple tv? Roku? gaming console? fire stick? Cable, Sat

brett108 said:
While ghosting is still a thing with plans as all have pixel shift technology which prevents burn in. It has been that way for over half a decade so I don't know where you get your information...
Click to expand...
Figures. My last plasma I owned was probably 10-15 years ago when burn in was a big problem.
 
Re: TV advice: plasma vs LCD? Apple tv? Roku? gaming console? fire stick? Cable, Sat

The new Apple TV is pretty nice. Would work seamlessly with the rest of your setup. Nice to be able to use Siri to control it as well. I got mine for Christmas and really like it. Sling looks like a nice option as compared to mainstream companies, but not sure what options you would have for DVR (something I don't want to give up). Someone said LED is the future...no, it is now. OLED is the future but rather pricy right now. I'd also make sure I got a UHD tv.
 
Re: TV advice: plasma vs LCD? Apple tv? Roku? gaming console? fire stick? Cable, Sat

With the price of LED TVs these days I wouldn't bother looking for a plasma. As far as 4K, you need to think about how long it'll be before you actually use it and if its worth the extra money now. The TV technology is beyond the provider's signal capacity and the production's cameras. They'll get there (probably soon), but it really isn't here yet for the important things like sports.

Also, I've always preferred a dumb TV with a separate box rather than a smart TV. DirecTV boxes can do most of what you want and an apple TV box will do the rest.

The other thing to look at is inputs. This is really important if you have game consoles and such since most lower end TVs only come with 2 HDMI inputs. If you need more then you're looking at running everything through a separate receiver and your basic system turns into a full blown entertainment system. Again, plan ahead.

Lastly, never buy any cable at the store. Monoprice will get you quality cables for about $3 each. If you're mounting your TV, They have good wall mounts for under $15. Also pick up a few 90° couplers to keep from smashing the HDMIs against the wall.
 
Re: TV advice: plasma vs LCD? Apple tv? Roku? gaming console? fire stick? Cable, Sat

Check with the neighbors about ISP. There are probably only a couple available for your place. As far as I know, the whole twin Cities sets up no compete agreements for phone and internet. (To protect the consumer of course)
 
Re: TV advice: plasma vs LCD? Apple tv? Roku? gaming console? fire stick? Cable, Sat

I would go for size you want and not 4k. As noted above just isn't the programming available for 4k.
 
Re: TV advice: plasma vs LCD? Apple tv? Roku? gaming console? fire stick? Cable, Sat

Quick note - sling tv isnt currently available on the apple tv ... But you can get it on your ipad or possibly your macbook and airplay it to your apple tv, you may run into some buffering issues doing that but figured it was worth noting. As far as other boxes ive had really good luck with our two amazon fire boxes and sling is currently offering a promo for $50 off the box with 3 months of sling prepaid ...
 
Re: TV advice: plasma vs LCD? Apple tv? Roku? gaming console? fire stick? Cable, Sat

TV - You can get a pretty good LED for cheap. Current best picture is OLED, I think LG is the only one currently making, I think their cheapest one is around $1,800. But if you ever read reviews on CNET you will know their picture is best. Just didn't see them mentioned thought I would give a shout out.

Streaming Device - If you are all Apple, I would buy an AppleTV the newest version is pretty sweet. This will cure pretty much any streaming situations you have whether there is an app on the ATV or you can AirPlay it from your phone, iPad, or Mac.

As far as service goes, If you want to just dip your toe in the water, go with sling TV. Just remember you won't get ISU football games on Fox channels. If you want to go all in. Find out what the best cable provider is in your area and then compare with Direct and Dish.

Internet, I am assuming you have it, you will want decent service for streaming things especially if you go SlingTV. I believe it was noted by some SlingTV users on here they use between 500 and 700 GB a month using the service. So keep that in mind for your ISP.
 
Re: TV advice: plasma vs LCD? Apple tv? Roku? gaming console? fire stick? Cable, Sat

Allow me to second or third the Sling TV advice. For $25 a month, you get a handful of basic cable channels (CNN, TBS, TNT, some more) including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPN News. (The base package is $20 and the $5 add-on includes the U and News). Get an antenna for OTA signals and you are pretty much good to go. The only channel that I really missed all year for sports was FS1 for some Cyclone football. Unfortunately, Sling doesn't offer it.

As for what to watch Sling on, I use a Roku box and love it. I used to watch on my Xbox One and it was a bad experience - low quality, froze, buffered, etc. The Roku box is nearly perfect.

If you prepay for 3 months of Sling TV, you can get a Roku box for 50% off (I think it's like $49). So I really recommend that.
 
Re: TV advice: plasma vs LCD? Apple tv? Roku? gaming console? fire stick? Cable, Sat

Clonehomer said:
With the price of LED TVs these days I wouldn't bother looking for a plasma. As far as 4K, you need to think about how long it'll be before you actually use it and if its worth the extra money now. The TV technology is beyond the provider's signal capacity and the production's cameras. They'll get there (probably soon), but it really isn't here yet for the important things like sports.

Also, I've always preferred a dumb TV with a separate box rather than a smart TV. DirecTV boxes can do most of what you want and an apple TV box will do the rest.

The other thing to look at is inputs. This is really important if you have game consoles and such since most lower end TVs only come with 2 HDMI inputs. If you need more then you're looking at running everything through a separate receiver and your basic system turns into a full blown entertainment system. Again, plan ahead.

Lastly, never buy any cable at the store. Monoprice will get you quality cables for about $3 each. If you're mounting your TV, They have good wall mounts for under $15. Also pick up a few 90° couplers to keep from smashing the HDMIs against the wall.
Click to expand...

My "smart" tv doesn't have certain apps in the store that I watch. So I have a Roku plugged into it for MLB.tv and the NHL package. Sling too. Didn't pay a ton for the tv so not a huge deal but Roku is what makes it work
 
Re: TV advice: plasma vs LCD? Apple tv? Roku? gaming console? fire stick? Cable, Sat

Sad to hear that plasmas are going away. I have a 60" Samsung plasma and love it. I had heard a couple years ago though that only Samsung and Panasonic were making them anymore. Something to do with only being practical in 40+ inch sizes due to manufacturing constraints. I do know they are energy hogs compared to LCD/LED.

We have the dumb TV and a PS3, which has apps for Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO GO, etc.
 
Re: TV advice: plasma vs LCD? Apple tv? Roku? gaming console? fire stick? Cable, Sat

I had a Panasonic Plasma and loved the picture. After 5 years it broke so I got a Vizio 4k LCD. The picture is fine but it's no better with sun light, worse for offset viewing, and the blacks are horrible. If I was in the market I'd seriously consider OLED.
 
Re: TV advice: plasma vs LCD? Apple tv? Roku? gaming console? fire stick? Cable, Sat

Get an LED smart tv. Can't go wrong with brands like Samsung or Sony. I love my Apple TV, but a lot of the apps require you to log in with your satellite/cable (if you have one of those services) account to gain access. Obviously, you can use netflix, prime, hulu services on it, but a smart tv will already have those apps.
 
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