The time has come for the Hypno-Toad to improve his pad.
I went to best buy to check out the new tvs and discovered that I know nothing about them. The main questin I have is what are the best brands? Is pnasonic better than Sony? What about LG or Samsung? And what is the best way to determine high quality?
Well, what are you looking for? A 19" to sit on your desk, or a 58" monster for the den?
Do you plan on replacing all of your DVDs with Blu-Ray? If so, you’ll want a 1080p, but if you’re just watching off-air (either antenna, cable or satellite) 1080i is probably all you need.
Poke around at AVS Forum, and you’ll find how certain brands have certain hallmarks - things like Brand A has the best black level, but Brand B has the best color rendition, and Brand C gets you 90% of “best” for 50% of price.
Also, hang around the returns desk at places like Costco and Best Buy. Almost every time I go shopping at Costco, someone’s wheeling a Brand V back into the store. Of course, every time I’m there, there’s a small armada of carts bearing Brand V heading to the checkout, so the sales to returns ratio may be perfectly normal.
I’m looking for a 40-50" biggun’ for the family room.
From all I’ve read at that size 1080p is a waste.
If you have the room for it I think DLP is the best bang for the buck. But, there are slight viewing angle problems. At least with mine. However, sitting in front of it the picture is very bright and clear. There is also no risk of “burn in” so you can hook a computer to it without any worries.
AS for brands, I’m a big fan of Samsung’s HD lineup. If you want to save a couple bucks on plasma, I’ve heard good things about Vizio.
Definitely check reader reviews of a specific TV you might have in mind though.
I have a 1080p because I use it connected to a PC alot of the time, and you can totally see the difference between that and 1080i.
I’ve got a Panasonic Regza 47" 1080p and have been totally happy with it.
Now, for the advice part of the thread: I would recommend putting red hot needles through your testicles before I’d recommend buying a VIEWSONIC PIECE OF SHIT. Let me put it this way - I am now in the process of sending back my 8th one. Oh, yeah, this last round of send-and-receive (for number Eight) is about three months in now.
-Joe
Do you mean a Toshiba Regza? I didn’t notice your location, but are you in Europe? I have the Toshiba 46XF550U, but it’s 46".
To the OP - the best advice I can offer after spending several months investigating, is to buy the TV with the best picture, at the price point you want. There are benefits and drawbacks to each technology. It also depends on where you want to put the TV (size of room, hanging on the wall or in a stand), which will help you decide what type to get.
AVS Forums are an excellent resource.
I would heartily recommend the Toshiba Regza series. Costco Online has been carrying the 52" (52XF550U).
Link to CNet’s reviews:
My sis and BiL bought a big screen. When it stopped working, they were at a loss to get it fixed, living in rural Illinois. Years later, it’s sitting there, useless. Whatever you buy, I’d inquire about having it serviced locally.
So far, the Samsung 40 or 46" LCD is in the running for the choice. There are so many criteria that I never thought about, like Black level and color rendition. But none of that really means anything to me.
I’m in the US, by the way.
I’m very happy with my 50" Samsung DLP HDTV. My experience with Samsung customer service has also been very good, FWIW.
It also might help to think about what you’re going to hook up to the TV. Do you have a cable or satellite box? HD service? Will you be using the TV’s built-in ATSC tuner (for over-the-air HD broadcasts)? Would you use a built-in QAM tuner (if you have cable, this may let you get your local HD channels without a box)?
We have a 42" Sceptre LCD from Costco that we’re happy with but we primarily use it hooked up to a homebrew DVR system. This means we don’t particularly care about how well the ATSC/QAM and NTSC tuners work (it takes a loooong time to scan for the QAM channels, the picture quality for standard-definition analog cable stuff is not that great) nor how the on-screen displays (volume indicator, picture-in-picture, etc.) work and look.
We did like the fact that it has a separate controller box so there’s a single (large) cable from the TV to the box and then everything else hooks up to the box and not the TV. This made it easier to mount the TV in our entertainment center and means we don’t have to move the TV itself when rearranging components.
Just some thoughts that might help you narrow down the features you’re looking for.
I was in WalMart the other day and wandered back to the TV’s on display. I noticed, what with all the lights on the store’s ceiling, that some models had very reflective screens which picked up all those lights, while others had a diffused glass surface which didn’t reflect the lights. I’d think anyone would prefer the non-reflective surface.
I have had two (a smaller and now a 37") Sharp Aquos sets and was (am) pleased with both.
I’d have a look at a set you might want to own at your local store. Once you’ve made up your mind, go online and find the lowest price and order the thing at a substantial savings over what you’d pay locally. Even with shipping you can always find it cheaper from an online merchant, plus no local sales tax and someone will bring it to your door.
Not necessarily. In a room with little glare the reflective surface should give a bit better picture.
I got lost in all the specs, so finally we went to several large stores and looked at a lot of screens. We picked the Samsung LN52A650 because it looked far better than the rest to our untrained eyes. We’ve had it about two months, with absolutely no regrets. Still looks stunning.
Shit. Yes. Especially since I’ve been buying pretty much only Toshiba home theater stuff for most of my life.
Duuuuuuuuuuuh. But it is definitely 47"!
-Joe
Don’t write off rear projection models too quickly. They’re slimmer than ever, and they don’t come in those five-foot-tall cabinets anymore. Unless you really want to hang it on a wall or have it in a really bright room, there’s no compelling reason, in my mind, to get a LCD or plasma over a rear projection.
My rear projection model is getting on in years, and when I upgrade, I’ll most likely get another. I’m looking at a Samsung Hl61A750, which has a 61" screen and is only 16 inches deep (front to back). For the same price, the most I could get in an LCD or plasma would be about 46 inches, 50 if I find a good sale. So, same money, but 45% more screen area? I’ll take the projection, thanks!
Rear-projection is inferior to plasma and LCD no matter which way you cut it.
I really like my Samsung LE40M87B screen, which has a very deep black.
It is basically the same as a Sony Bravia (it has the same screen) but the software is a bit different.
For the price vs. performance I don’t think you can get much better then Samsung, except some no-name brands.
That’s a great TV, and the best way to buy one. Do the research, but don’t just look at specs and reviews, it has to look good to your eye. A person could drive themselves crazy by reading about TVs on the various forums. No one would ever buy a TV if they just read complaints on AVSForum.
I continually hear for top of the line, stick with the three S’s
Samsung, Sony, Sharp.
I recently purchased a Sony 40". I’m very happy with it.