| Author | Message | ||
     Skinstains |
Anyone have any advise for me as far as buying a new tv ? Irene clobbered me pretty good and the insurance co. is going to replace my (very heavy) Sony 35/36" flat glass tube XBR tv. I know they don't make the glass tube ones anymore and am looking for a replacement. I don't know wich is better as far as plasma,lcd,led,ftw whatever ? I am figuring on internet ready and don't know what else I should look for. Help... | ||
| Froggy |
First and most important thing to figure out is size you want. Is that 36" TV widescreen or "square"? I don't know restricted for space you are, but you probably will want something in the 42-47" range. Avoid Sony and Visio, I personally recommend Samsung units. Some have features built in like Netflix and cable card support, which will eliminate for external Netflix box and external cable box. I recommend going with an LED display, don't worry about contrast ratios, Hz, or most of the other specs as they are usually inflated or measured unrealistically for marketing. Any specific budget in mind? | ||
| Two_seasons |
Panasonic. If Walmart doesn't sell a particular manufacturer, then that's the brand I buy! | ||
| Ratbuell |
I have a 50" samsung plasma, and a 36" westinghouse LED. The LED is a bedroom tv, so it's nothing special other than wall-mount-near-the-ceiling. The plasma is a little hotter (temp wise) and some say not as "sharp"...but I love it. Good brightness, good color, and I think a 1200hz refresh rate so there's no blur or stutter. If you watch a lot of action stuff or sports...look at refresh rates. Higher the number, the 'faster' the images. Got both mine at best buy. Both on sale. Bought the 50 looking for a replacement 42 (it was the same price), got the 36 because it was under $300. Also look at connectivity - I run my 50 through a surround system. I know it is older, and does not have HDMI inputs. So, I needed a TV with analog outputs. You also need to know what hookups your cable box has (if you have one), and if you don't have a cable box, make sure the tuner in the set is compatible with your cable/satellite system. Best bet? Write the model numbers of any amplifiers, cable boxes, cable service companies or satellite program packages, and either photos or lists of what plugs are on the boxes. Take them to the electronics place with you along with your "I like to watch this kind of shows" list and "I have this much blank space on the wall and I sit about this far away" measurements. Or... Just buy the biggest one you can afford and figure out a way to make it fit  | ||
| Geforce |
I agree with everything Froggy said... EXCEPT... his recommendation of Samsung. They have a tendency to pop capacitors right about the time your warranty expires. Check it out on the web yourself and make your own comparison. Inherently all makes have drawbacks in components but Samsung has crossed the line with me. We have two SHARP televisions, never had a single issue with my SHARP 52'' LCD TV and it's almost 6 years old. The new 42'' SHARP LCD is a great bedroom TV and it is 6 months old. | ||
| D_adams |
I ended up with 4 Sony's, 2 are 46" and the other 2 are 32". Picture quality is why I ended up with them. Looked at a lot of them side by side before I got anything. | ||
| Hootowl |
I've got a Panasonic 50" plasma and I'm quite happy with it. I try to avoid Sony products because of the DRM trickery they pulled a few years ago. I've not forgiven them for that. | ||
| Froggy |
Don't forget their numerous high profile security breaches, proprietary hardware and accessories, and how they use "updates" to remove features they feel are no longer in their best interest. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I have a 40something inch Toshiba rear projection (NOT DLP) in the living room... cost me $3 in fuses (given to me not working). In the basement for the kids XBox, I splurged. I went on craigslist and stalked the biggest most obnoxious non DLP rear projection HD TV I could find. Ended up with a 60 something inch Hitatchi for $75. Very happy with both, though the Hitatchi mashed my fingers trying to wrestle it down the stairs... | ||
| Brinnutz |
One place to start for research: www.avsforums.com Here's an older list of the LCD Panel makers, and some brands that have used them in the past. • LG Display: TN, IPS, S-IPS, SA-IPS, H-IPS --- Samsung, LGE, Philips, Vizo, Panasonic, Toshiba, Hitachi, AmTRAN and Skyworth • Sharp Japan: ASV (variant of VA) --- Toshiba, Philips, Sony, Pioneer (LCD) and Sharp • Chi Mei Optoelectronics: TN, S-MVA and LCS MVA --- Samsung, Philips, Funai, LGE, Toshiba and Sony • AU Optronics: TN, P-MVA and A-MVA --- Sony, Samsung, Philips, LGE, Toshiba, Proview, Panasonic • Chunghwa Picture Tubes: TN and MVA variant --- Sony, Samsung and Konka • Samsung SDI: TN, PVA and S-PVA -- JVC, Samsung, Sony, Philips, Sanyo and Panasonic • Wistron Optronics: Unknown --- Sony • IPS Alpha Technology (Hitachi-Matsushita): IPS Pro --- Hitachi and Panasonic • Delta Electronics: Unknown • TPV Technology Limited: Unknown I'm quite partial to IPS panels...But each type of panel has their own pluses and minuses. I'd research which pluses outweigh the minuses and go with that. Also, look for LED LCD's....I can't remember which type is better offhand, there are two different types of LED backlighting and one is far superior to the other. (Message edited by brinnutz on September 14, 2011) | ||
| Barker |
if you have light coming into the room. (windows) buy LED. No light, or control over it. Plasma. Plasma is the best image, but the glass has a glare. | ||
| 86129squids |
There's an Essex discount store in Mt. Juliet TN, wish there was one here in E TN. Seriously CHEEP flatscreens, and plenty of other junk. That said, I know nothing about current tech. | ||
| Xl1200r |
When I bought mine in 2007, I decided on a 42" Plasma from Hitatchi. It's been great, but a little heavy and gets hot. Back then, Plasma had much better picture and aspect ratio that the LCDs did. If I had to replace it, I'd probably end up with an LCD for the lighter weight and lower heat/less power consumption. Keep in mind that LED TVs is referring to the backlighting (I think) but are still LCD TVs at the core. I like www.cnet.com for reviews on this kind of thing. Best advice I'd say is go to Best Buy (or something similar), look at them all, pick the one that looks best/has the features you need/fits in your budget and then hit up cnet to see how they reviewed it. | ||
| Brinnutz |
That's why I called them LED LCD's.  Regular LCD's use CCFL lights. LED LCD's use LED's to illuminate the screen. Two types, as I said before (the latter being the better option, but more $$): The are currently two main ways that LED backlighting is applied in LCD flat panel televisions. One type of LED backlighting is referred to as Edge Lighting. In this method, a series LED backlights are placed along the outside edges of the screen. The light is then dispersed across the screen. The advantage of this method is that the LED/LCD TV can be made very thin. On the other hand, the disadvantage of Edge lighting is that black levels are not as deep and the edge area of the screen has a tendency to be brighter than the center area of the screen. The other type of LED backlighting is referred to as Full-Array (also referred to sometimes as Full LED). In this method, several rows of LEDs are placed behind the entire surface of the screen. The advantage is that these sets can employ "local dimming". Local dimming means that each LED or a specific group of LEDs can be turned on and off independently within certain areas of the screen, thus providing more control of the brightness and darkness for each those areas, depending on the source material being displayed. On the other hand, LCD TVs that employ full array or full LED backlighting are thicker than LCD TVs that employ an Edge-lit LED light source. http://hometheater.about.com/od/televisions/qt/led lcdtvfacts.htm http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20023478-1.htm l | ||
| Luftkoph |
The tv man calls us juvenile delinquent wrecks,I don't need tv when I got T Rex 40 something plasma LG been happy with it. | ||
| Swampy |
The HOT deal on TV mounts and cheap cables is monoprice.com I got a kickin' wall mount for a 52" for $70. The same mount was $450 at Bestbuy. I got a ton of HDMI cables and Optical cables for less than $100 that I paid over $450 for at Bestbuy. Bestbuy is great for returns... I do not work for Monoprice, just passing along a great deal to my Buell friends. | ||
| Brinnutz |
Swampy is right. Never buy another cable/wire/tv mount/speaker stands, without checking monoprice.com first!! They have the best deals on cables and everything... There was a test done on the difference between a monoprice cable, a highly overprice cable from BestBuy, and a coat hanger. Let's just say there was negligible difference that no consumer would ever notice...lol If you don't believe me on that last part, google is your friend. It's been covered enough. | ||
| Brumbear |
I was actually pissed off when I went to look for a tv in Sept of last year!!! I couldn't figure out what I needed I don't know what all the crap they put in them is I will never use it so I just wanted a GODAMM TV and it took a long time to figure it out!!!!!!! I ended up getting consumer reports subscription, and bagged a samsung 42" LCD but then I had to get my cable box changed and buy an HDMI cable. It still makes me angry I don't need all that shyt on my TV. | ||
| Hybridmomentspass |
"if you have light coming into the room. (windows) buy LED. No light, or control over it. Plasma. Plasma is the best image, but the glass has a glare." Great advice and what I used when buying TVs Panasonic. | ||
| Skinstains |
Holy alphabet soup Batman !!! Brum I'm with you, all I want is a giant kick-a** TV to watch my motorcycle races and cycling on. I also want it to be able to hook up to my computer so I can watch porn on a big screen. I will take my time and check out some of these sites, thanks. Are plasma's really made out of glass ? | ||
| Jrockne |
Plasmas have a glass screen, so they have more glare. They do however, have the best refresh rates because of the way the screen is divided into ten different sections. They are also cheaper. Go with a 42-51" Plasma (Panasonic OR Samsung) and don't look back. NEVER buy the warranty as well | ||
| Skinstains |
So plasma's come with a splash proof screen...could come in handy... | ||
| Brinnutz |
if you've decided on plasma...here is a good deal http://m.slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sdui d=300877&t=3329346 | ||
| Jim2 |
I'm not sure why Samsung stopped selling the HL61A750 DLP with LED light engine. Low power, not a lot of heat generation, light weight, fantastic picture, 3D capable. Unlike the DLP's of old this one is clear and crisp and will sear your retinas if you turn it up(will also work in bright sunlight). Also no spinning color wheel, bulb life that should easily outlast your desire to keep it, no warm-up time required. I think the public demand for "thinner is better" and maybe they didn't have a high enough profit margin might of done it in? I got a 61" a couple of years ago for around $1300 and I'm still loving it. I bet they will be back again. (Message edited by jim2 on September 20, 2011) | ||
| Froggy |
The TV industry evolves very fast, most products are made only for a short period of time before being replaced by the next latest and greatest unit. | ||
| Blake |
LCD is most reliable. Newer models picture quality are incredible. Plasma no longer much if any advantage. Go 52" or larger. You won't regret it. |
