Flat panel TV & glare

[Shatnertage]

Hi everyone--I'm on the cusp of getting my first flat-panel TV and had a question that I've not been able to find an answer to elsewhere.

My living room has quite a bit of natural light during the day. It's one of the reasons that we bought the house. Right now, we get a lot of glare in our rear-projection big screen TV in the mornings.

Since we're going to be investing a big chunk of money (for us, anyway) in the new TV, we wanted to get the one that had the least amount of issues with glare.

I've read in several places that LCDs are better at this than plasmas. But I've also read that several LCDs, like this year's Samsungs, are switching from matte to glossy surfaces to render deeper blacks. See, for example, the review of this Samsung, which I was seriously considering but is now off the list.

I've been to several stores (Sears, Fry's, Pacific Home Sales) and asked the associates for some help, but just got a lot of condescension back at me. I don't see any help coming from there.

So my question is, which brands/models do a better job of cutting down on glare? I'm not asking for no glare at all, but if I'm investing this kind of money in a TV, I'd like to get the least glare possible.

I'd say we're moderate TV watchers--a few movies here and there, cartoons in the afternoon, and a few TV shows in the evening. We don't play video games, which I've read can affect the kind of set you choose to get. We don't have a Blu-Ray and I don't see getting one anytime soon.

Any suggestions? I'd appreciate any advice.

 

[Starbreaker]

I've got an Element LCD that gives off no glare at all.

 

[DonIago]

I'll be getting a new LCD this week - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0038KTAGO/ref=oss_product

If you're interested I can try to let you know how it goes.

 

[Shatnertage]

Thanks for the suggestions!

Those Elements look nice, but we're looking for something 50" or bigger--according to their website, they only go up to 42".

I've been hesitant to buy something this big online--I've gotten plenty of less expensive electronics from NewEgg and Amazon over the years, but I'm wary of having something this fragile shipped. I was all set to buy from a store, but I really don't feel like dealing with the associates again. At Sears, I asked about a TV that was on sale and the guy said, "Don't buy it, it doesn't work." When I asked him how Sears could sell a TV that doesn't work, he said that it works, but it doesn't really work. And that was about the most sense that he made.

So have you had any good/bad experiences buying something like this online? Or can you recommend a good brick and mortar store?

 

[ST-One]

With this one glare isn't such a problem.
Bought one last weekend (this isn't mine in the picture though - mine will be delivered this Friday)

 

[Shatnertage]

So it's a Phillips LCD? Looks pretty good. Any particular series?

 

[Mr. B]

That looks like their 21x9 set... awesome.

Plasma is still king picture wise, but those displays do have a glossy finish so they aren't suitable for bright environments. Any matte finish LCD display will be better in that regard. I don't think there's any significant advantaged to be had brand-wise. For serious watching, what you really need are dark curtains.

 

[ST-One]

Yes, it's their 21:9 display - this thing is huge...

 

[RoJoHen]

I have a 50" plasma, and while there is a bit of a glare from the windows, it has never been enough to be distracting. After a few moments, I don't even notice it's there.

My previous TV was an LCD, which had less glare, but the picture wasn't as pretty.

 

[Shatnertage]

So can you (or anyone else) explain just what I should be looking for in the picture? To be honest, I can't really tell the difference in the store.

Are the differences most noticeable with HD and Blu-Ray, or do you see them when watching just anything?

 

[Mr. B]

Well the best source material will render the best picture quality, so a Blu-ray disc is going to look better than whatever signal via coax is being fed to the screen in the store. Even if every set in the store was running a blu-ray movie, you still wouldn't be able to accurately judge picture quality in most stores. Generally, the brightness is jacked way up to attract the eyes of the unwashed masses... to say nothing of proper color accuracy. You might be better off using a store to come up with a short list and then look online for opinions.

 

[Shatnertage]

Well the best source material will render the best picture quality, so a Blu-ray disc is going to look better than whatever signal via coax is being fed to the screen in the store. Even if every set in the store was running a blu-ray movie, you still wouldn't be able to accurately judge picture quality in most stores. Generally, the brightness is jacked way up to attract the eyes of the unwashed masses... to say nothing of proper color accuracy. You might be better off using a store to come up with a short list and then look online for opinions.

And even worse, in Fry's the section with the TVs has just about no ambient lighting, so it's hard to get a good idea of how they would look in a room with regular daytime lighting.

 

[Mr. B]

It makes a lot of sense to demo TV's in a dimly lit area, it does help judge picture quality, contrast and black levels. Industrial ceiling lights don't really compare to a window opposite the TV anyway.

 

[Smiley]

I'm not sure if your room setup supports this, but could you get some shutters, curtains, blinds, or other covering for your natural light that could be opened and closed? That would make the glare a non-issue.

 

[Irishman]

To answer the OP's question - the brands that have less glare usually are Sony and LG (LCDs only, not plasmas).

 

[John Picard]

To answer the OP's question - the brands that have less glare usually are Sony and LG (LCDs only, not plasmas).

I keep leaning back toward a plasma for the living room and have been considering a LCD for the bedroom. Interesting comment.

 

[Shatnertage]

We'll probably go with an LCD. As far as reducing the light, we really don't want to do shutters or curtains--the living room has a bunch of pretty big windows and a sliding-glass door, and it overlooks the backyard, so there's no privacy issues. But from what I've read elsewhere and what you guys have said, it looks like LCD is the way to go.

That being said, I was all ready to pull the trigger on the Samsung I linked in the OP, then after reading the Amazon reviews decided not to. So it's a matter of finding the LCD that doesn't have a "glossy" finish--I'd rather have less deep blacks than more glare during the day.

 

[DonIago]

Though it's only tangential to the OP, I have to say that I got my Panasonic 37" today and thus far am loving it. Looking forward to seeing it when there isn't quite so much daylight.

Moving my "old" 27" Sony flatscreen CRT off of its stand and onto my porch (for lack of a better location...conveniently the new tv's plastic wrap fit over my old tv) was a slight adventure since the thing weighs 90 lbs. Mostly a matter of getting it onto my floor and then pushing my futon to the side so I had a clear path.

I haven't quite decided how I feel about the option for stretching 4:3 to fit 16:9. From what I've seen so far it's not awful.

Glare doesn't seem to be a major issue, but my apartment tends to get more light later in the afternoon, so we'll see.

 

[Yoda]

Yes, it's their 21:9 display - this thing is huge...

That thing is epic, but what the hell out there is going to put stuff out at its native 2560x1080 resolution? As great as it would be for watching the 'real' widescreen movies it just seems like it would be way too specialized for me.