TV Question

[G-MONEY]

I'm in the market for a new TV. Finally making the jump to a nice flat screen. My budget is around $1000. What's the best buy for me? Thanks in advance, guys.

[SBK]

I'd go with something for less than $1,000 if I were you.

[G-MONEY]

Such as?

[pr_capone]

I would start at 999 and go down from there.

Seriously though... what size are you looking at, do you have brand preferences, do you prefer LCD, DLP, or Plasma, how many components do you need to plug in?

[G-MONEY]

Originally Posted by pr_capone

I would start at 999 and go down from there.

Seriously though... what size are you looking at, do you have brand preferences, do you prefer LCD, DLP, or Plasma, how many components do you need to plug in?

Well I'd like as big as possible. I don't really know what the major differences are between LCD, DLP and Plasma but I can tell you it will mainly be used for watching sports and a good number of movies. By components I assume you mean like DVD players, X-Boxes, etc.? In which case I'll have a dvd player and X-Box 360. Sorry for being such a newbie when it comes to this stuff but that's why I needed some advice.

[MoreLemonPledge]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1218061795104

Thinking about pulling the trigger on this one. $600 for a 42" Plasma is an amazing deal, especially since it's name brand.

I've done a lot of research and it you really can't get a much better deal than this for what you're getting.

[JD10367]

Originally Posted by MoreLemonPledge

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1218061795104

Thinking about pulling the trigger on this one. $600 for a 42" Plasma is an amazing deal, especially since it's name brand.

I've done a lot of research and it you really can't get a much better deal than this for what you're getting.

Yes, but that's a 720p. If you're going bigger than 32" you probably want 1080p. (32" or smaller, it doesn't really matter as much, although Blu-Ray will look better with 1080p for sure.)

In short: LCD used to suck, but their pics are now pretty good. Plasma used to burn in, but they don't do so as much. DLP has a nice pic, but the bulbs can be expensive and I think they're best viewed straight-on and with little light in the room (although I could be wrong).

The smallest you probably want to go is 32" IMO. 27" just ain't worth it. But if you go too big the image won't be as sharp, so you have to ask if having a few extra inches is worth a reduction in picture quality.

You should go to your local big-box and check out some models side by side, keeping in mind that they've set the pics to look as good as possible in their store (but you'll still get the idea). Things to look for are resolution (720p vs. 1080p) and contrast ratio (the higher the better, i.e., a TV with a 20,000:1 contrast ratio will give you deeper blacks than, say, a TV with 5000:1) as well as number of inputs.

More on the inputs: Composite is the "old-school RCA style", a white and a red for your L-R sound and one yellow for the video image. That's the least quality. A step up is Component inputs, which takes that yellow and breaks it up instead into three color wires (Red, Green, Blue): this will give you a better picture. The highest quality is HDMI; the cables will rip you off if you buy them in the store, but you can get them cheap online. You want at LEAST two HDMI inputs (one for HD Cable and one for a Blu-Ray DVD player or a PS3 or something), as well as one, if not two, Component inputs (for an upscaling DVD player or a lesser-quality input from a game system like a PS2 or Wii), and a couple of old-style Composite inputs can't hurt either (for a really old VCR or something).

[G-MONEY]

Originally Posted by JD10367

Yes, but that's a 720p. If you're going bigger than 32" you probably want 1080p. (32" or smaller, it doesn't really matter as much, although Blu-Ray will look better with 1080p for sure.)

In short: LCD used to suck, but their pics are now pretty good. Plasma used to burn in, but they don't do so as much. DLP has a nice pic, but the bulbs can be expensive and I think they're best viewed straight-on and with little light in the room (although I could be wrong).

The smallest you probably want to go is 32" IMO. 27" just ain't worth it. But if you go too big the image won't be as sharp, so you have to ask if having a few extra inches is worth a reduction in picture quality.

You should go to your local big-box and check out some models side by side, keeping in mind that they've set the pics to look as good as possible in their store (but you'll still get the idea). Things to look for are resolution (720p vs. 1080p) and contrast ratio (the higher the better, i.e., a TV with a 20,000:1 contrast ratio will give you deeper blacks than, say, a TV with 5000:1) as well as number of inputs.

More on the inputs: Composite is the "old-school RCA style", a white and a red for your L-R sound and one yellow for the video image. That's the least quality. A step up is Component inputs, which takes that yellow and breaks it up instead into three color wires (Red, Green, Blue): this will give you a better picture. The highest quality is HDMI; the cables will rip you off if you buy them in the store, but you can get them cheap online. You want at LEAST two HDMI inputs (one for HD Cable and one for a Blu-Ray DVD player or a PS3 or something), as well as one, if not two, Component inputs (for an upscaling DVD player or a lesser-quality input from a game system like a PS2 or Wii), and a couple of old-style Composite inputs can't hurt either (for a really old VCR or something).

That is incredibly helpful. Thank you for that advice. Could you give me your thoughts on this one? http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1218086176467

From what I can tell it looks like a helluva deal. Great price, huge screen, 1080p, and 3 HDMI inputs as well as 2 components and 2 composites. The only thing I can find to be concerned about is 3000:1 contrast ratio, which seems like it might be low but I'm not really sure. Let me know what you think.

[KCChiefsMan]

there really isn't much noticable difference between 720p and 1080p. Blueray will look like blueray in 720p

[JD10367]

Originally Posted by G-MONEY

That is incredibly helpful. Thank you for that advice. Could you give me your thoughts on this one? http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1218086176467

From what I can tell it looks like a helluva deal. Great price, huge screen, 1080p, and 3 HDMI inputs as well as 2 components and 2 composites. The only thing I can find to be concerned about is 3000:1 contrast ratio, which seems like it might be low but I'm not really sure. Let me know what you think.

The contrast ratio is indeed low, and Proscan IIRC is just their cheap in-house brand. On the other hand, you're talking a 40-inch 1080p for $500, which is a ridiculously low price IMO. Hell, I got a Panasonic 32" 720p for that price about six months ago... and that was a good deal.

I would definitely find a Best Buy and take a look at the thing in person and see if you like the pic... since, after all, you're gonna be the one watching it, and how you think it looks ultimately matters a lot more than a bunch of numbers. I might just go take a look at one myself, and move the 32-incher into the bedroom!

[DeepPurple]

How far you sit from the TV will determine the size you need. In our family room our recliners are 12 feet from the TV. In 2005 I bought a Sony 42" HD TV. In 2007 I moved that TV to the bedroom and bought a 50" Panasonic for the family room.

Now the 42" is perfect in the bedroom at the foot of the bed and the 50" is perfect in the family room 12' from my recliner. In June 2008 I switched from Comcast and their 28 HD channels to Directv Premium package and over 100 HD channels, all is well.

[osumatt]

Take a look at Tigerdirect.com. I just got a 46" Toshiba (46RV53OU) back in March for $999.99 plus 52.41 in shipping - no tax though. It's a great TV with excellent picture quality. Don't forget to figure in the HDMI cables, HD TV (Direct TV is what I upgraded to), and probably a new TV stand. It's an investment well worth it!

[Lzen]

Here is a 52" Toshiba LCD 1080p for $999.96. It's a refurb, btw. That doesn't bother me, though. I have a refurb Toshiba laptop and a refurb LCD Vizio 42" TV with which I have been happy.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...IN#detailspecs

[BigMeatballDave]

If you like the look of a plasma, don't let anyone discourage you from buying it. The life expectancy of a plasma is the same as an LCD. I have a plasma because I think it provides a better picture than LCD.

[BigMeatballDave]

Originally Posted by KCChiefsMan

there really isn't much noticable difference between 720p and 1080p. Blueray will look like blueray in 720p

Um, yeah, OK...