Need some help with a lcd or plasma for $1400

[joshuap]

Hey guys, I recently bought one fo the Sceptre 30" costco specials, and I am having a problem playing the new Splinter Cell (Xbox game) because the blacks are totally absent from the set. I ran a video calibration dvd, and although it got the picture much better, even during the calibration blacks were missing. Are there any LCD or Plasmas that will give a better picture, especially blacks around $1000-$1400? I think I might send my sceptre back...

[jcpzero]

The plasmas have not hit that price point yet - but some brands will by Christmas 05.

JCPZero

[westa6969]

Visual Apex has the Panasonic 37" plasma with stand for close to your budget.

featuring 4000:1 contrast ratio

Panasonic TH-37PWD7UY (cannot post link due to rules) Tigerdirect also has it with very low shipping and you could buy the stand for a low price on Ebay.

You would have to add speakers but get Klipsch Promedia's 2.1 for around $139.00 and they can be used on the plasma with adaptor cable or other speakers of choice. They have the Panny as a package with stand slightly above your target but it'll give you awesome PQ and Blacks. Good luck

[genki]

I agree with westa. If you can increase your budget slightly and purchase the TH-37PWD7UY, you will get a TV that far surpasses any LCD you could purchase in the same price range. The downside is that you will have to purchase a stand and a TV tuner. Buying a set of speakers is actually a good thing because you can get a pair of speakers off ebay and connect them to the plasma's amp that will sound much better than any pair of cheapo speakers that come with a TV. If your budget is set in stone you should seriously consider Syntax Olevia. They make good budget LCD televisions. Do a search on olevia and you will find a ton of info.

*On second thought, if you are going to be using the TV primarily for video games you might not want to get a plasma because of burn in. Check out the master burn-in thread for more info.