Cheap Buy HDTV

I got this model from Amazon about a month ago. Delivery service was excellent. They arrived within the time window and carefully set everything up and waited until I confirmed everything was working.

For the first 100 hours, I used the Standard picture mode with contrast and brightness at 50. After that I used the Spears & Munsil disk to tune. The picture is outstanding. Very detailed, bright and realistic. No one who buys this tv will be sorry.

I found the THX mode too dim and washed out. None of the out of the box modes looked good to me for live sports. The professional reviewers like CNET recommend brightness at a level too high for my tastes (it produces a haze over the picture). They also recommend the Warm2 color temperature which makes the picture look too yellow too me. I thought I would share my settings for those who aren't quite happy with the picture they are getting.

For live sports:

Picture mode: Game
Contrast: 100
Brightness: 60
Color: 58
Tint: -3
Sharpness: 50
Color temp: Cool1
HDsize2
Turn off all the other video processing filters

For movies and general tv watching:

Picture mode: Custom
Contrast: 75
Brightness: 41
Color: 46
Tint: -2
Sharpness: 50
Color temp: Normal
HDsize2
Turn off all the other video processing filters

There has to be something wrong with plasmas, right?

That's what I kept telling myself as I searched for the perfect TV for my needs and budget.

I mean, this TCP46G10 I was looking at was hundreds of dollars less than comparably sized LCD TVs, got better reviews from CNET and Consumer Reports, and had better motion handling and viewing angles.

But I went to my local Best Buy or Fry's and only saw a few dusty plasmas in the corner of their showrooms. I got funny looks as I gave them some interest.

I saw several other customers basking in the fluorescent glow of the inaccurately bright colors of the LCD screens and realized that these people were essentially moths drawn to a flame. That must be why LCDs are selling so well.

What's more: It seemed like the LCDs (and even the LED-based LCDs) were touting all of these advancements that made their TVs more like plasmas. Plasma-like motion handling. Black levels like a plasma TV. Near-plasma viewing angles.

Well if they're selling themselves as almost like plasmas, why don't I just GET a plasma and save $500?

That settled it. I drove home and fired off an order for the TCP46G10 right away. (Amazon's prices were the lowest, and their shipping was fast and free.) The colors are natural (and plenty bright, thank you), and the motion is crisp.

In fact, there's nothing wrong with my plasma at all.

Having owned this model of television for a week now, I am in an ongoing state of happiness about the visual acuity and distinct picture quality this television produces. In selecting a replacement television, I had made innumerable trips to many electronics departments, reading reviews for months and after a final piece written in PC Magazine, I had settled on this Consumer Electronics Show (CES)2009 winner. As the specifications detail, there is no glare even in a brightly lit room. The colors are very rich, yet true and the casement lends a very elegant unobtrusive presence to any room. As of this review, I have not fully implemented all of the viewing options (namely Viera Cast), but upon my order of a high performance wireless repeater, I will be certain to update this post. The only regret that I have is that I did not order the 50-inch. With so much beauty and functionality in the 46, the 50-inch would have been a joy to behold.