Home audio & video forum: Matte Screen recommendations?

Thank you for your reply. I need to be a multitasker and am often doing work in front of the TV or cooking so I need the lights on and reflections on dark scenes annoy me. None of the plasmas have matte screens that I know of. (Saying this, Cnet just gave a rave review to a new plasma and I will try to find and evaluate it.)

I agree that Costco is not the place to judge picture quality, that's why I went to BB. (I also went to PC Richard but they did not have the Sharp 847 to compare.) I have been to AVS forum but the owners of the respective TVs all seem happy with their choice. (Even the Sharp)

I am concerned that the Samsung 6100 which has 120HZ will not be good for watching sports.

Thanks again for trying to help.

Wondering about that one? Please be more detailed.

I would definitely take a second look at plasma if your HDTV won't be getting direct sunlight. Some of the latest Panasonic models have pretty good anti-reflective filters. True matte screens on LCDs are also a thing of the past for the most part, as they are often clear antireflective. More importantly, depending on where the light is entering the viewing space and how the HDTV is situated (especially the angle of the panel), you can get reflections from most large displays. Food for thought anyway.

You should look at a Panasonic ST50/GT50/VT50 to see one in action.

I thought that with 120Hz you would still have judder with sports.

My windows are perpendicular to the TV but my apt is sunny only in the morning. I was mostly concerned with reflections from the lamps and overhead lights.

After reading the reviews of the Panasonic VT50 in Cnet and flatpanelsHG, I'm anxious to find a store so I can evaluate it.

Performance of any particular panel will often vary. Even some of the higher end panels can have a few issues with judder and/or fast motion. There is some trial and error involved, basically.

The benefit of plasma is it has less of those issues. The VT50 is a serious HDTV worth considering. If I was personally upgrading right now, that's what I would choose.

Pepe is right, ST50 is a awesome TV. If you really want a matte screen though, check out LG's 2011 models. LW5600, LW6500 are all excellent TVs regardless if its 2012 or not. They should also be much cheaper since they're 2011 models. They both have matte screens and IMO are good for watching sports also.

I took a look at theVT50 at BB yesterday. Although I really liked the picture, the reflections of the ceiling lights and the other TV on the wall next to it really bothered me.

I know that people were happy with last year's LGs and was disappointed to see that this year's lineup is glossy. I will try to find 2011 models to check out.

Originally I was going to wait for the full array Sharp 9 series, but now I hear it's not coming. I am leaning towards the Sharp 60 847 even though the PQ is not the same and some of the sets seem to have clouding issues. I guess they all have problems and it's what you can live with.

...*don't* use BB/Costo/etc. as an ample test for viewing space. It's not anything remotely the same as your home viewing area, even including windows, etc. Those places are for the most very minimal fact finding on what features, etc. you can expect. The rest requires proper space to evaluation PQ. Plus, their video feeds suck, even at some of the Magnolia stores.

You would benefit from slowing down and doing more broad research on setting up viewing spaces in general, including brighter multi-purpose spaces like you've expressed interest in. Visit a more detailed discussion site such as AVS, pull up a chair and do a few days minimum of reading before coming to any conclusions based on big box store research. If you don't, I guarantee you will be disappointed with nearly anything you take home from this point onward.

Also, don't throw out the idea of light control, as least in some fashion.