Big Screen TVs

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DWK2

Joined
Nov 3, 2003
Messages
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I'm looking for a new TV. I'm willing to spend about a thousand bucks, give or take a hundred or two.

I've seen some big screen models around 42" in that price range. There seem to be both plasma and LCD models available with relatively hi def capability.

I'm going to be watching mainly movies. Also some TV programs like those offered on Discovery, National Geographic Channel, History Channel, Military Channel, Science Channel, Outdoor Channel, etc.

Anybody have a specific brand and model that they like in that price range?

Thanks for your advice,

DancesWithKnives
 
I watch the same channels as you and recently bought bought a Samsung 46" 120 hrz LCD was around $1,400, but it has an amazing picture.

I think these days Samsung is a top brand in that price range.
 
Thanks! I've read good things about the Samsungs and I think that their 42 incher would be a couple hundred bucks less.

I greatly appreciate hearing about your personal experience,

DancesWithKnives
 
id say sony, samsung and lg are probably the top brands. i have a 40'' sony bravia and i like it alot. i just saw an add for one for 800 i think? you want lcd 1080. you should be able to find a good one for around 1000. look on amazon and best buy is always having sales. good luck.
 
I have a sony w series that I like an aweful lot. It had the perfect mix of vividness with real life colors that put it over the top of all the other brands including Samsung in the price range. I will say that Samsung and Sony are very close in features and specs, with the Samy's usually coming out a little cheaper. One major plus for me with Sony tv's is that the cross communication between Vaio computers, the playstation and the tv etc. allows one to stream content between the devices very easily.

Especially in your price range, stick to 1080p LCD rather than plasma. Some of the new technologies have finally started to filter down to affordable models, like 120+ hz, LED backlights, etc. The 120 hertz really cuts down on the motion blur that was one of the biggest complaints about LCD's for years. What I like most about my tv is that not only does the 120 hertz eliminate almost all the motion blur, but the processor is very good and doesn't goof up the picture to make it look like a pan and scan image. And by the way, it's not even worth considering 720p anymore; that ship has sailed.

Really the only complaint I have about my tv is that it's an 8 bit panel so I get a little bit of that paint by numbers effect when a picture comes on that is supposed to have very smooth gradations, for example when you see an image of the beach in full sun with dark blue sky above. Unfortunately, the only way to move up to 10 bit panels is to spend another maybe 800 dollars.

For me, buying the tv I did was a decision to get me through the interim. I know that while tv technology is constantly changing, and there will probably never be a stop to newer and better, in two or three years I will be able to get a very nice 60 inch LED backlit 240 +hz with 24p option playback and at least a 10 bit panel for maybe 2-3k. Depending on how the economy goes, I might even be able to get that tv in an OLED in my time frame. So I figured I did not need to buy more tv than I did for about $1200. In time I will put my current sony in my bedroom or office, and the future monster will become my main tv. With the specs I just mentioned, 1080p HD will for all intents and purposes be tapped out for quality and unless and until somebody figures out a good way to distribute 4k or greater signals, I will be golden.

I got my Sony at Costco, and if you pay with a Costco Amex you get a three year warranty and 90 days to decide if you really like the thing. If you go to Costco, don't scrimp and get the Vizio, it is not the same as the Sony (also in durability), I speak from experience. On the other hand if you're not that picky or maybe have slightly impaired eyesight, and no interest in plugging the tv into anything but a cable box and a dvd/blu-ray player, save your money and get the Vizio.
 
Thanks for the great big screen tutorial! I've looked at the Vizios but didn't know much about them. I'll take another look at the Sonys when I next pass through Costco. I could probably get by with a less extravagant TV but if I'm dating someone and she comes over some time, I don't want her squinting at the screen and thinking I'm a cheap bastid!

I especially appreciate the warranty advice. I think three years would be enough to sort out any problems.

I'm grateful for your guidance,

DancesWithKnives
 
Pay the extra hundred bucks and get a Samsung. They have the highest customer satisfaction rating of any big screen TV. And I'd recommend LCD over plasma.
 
Thanks for the additional Samsung vote. I think I'll wait for the inevitable 4th of July sales and focus on the Samsungs and Sonys.

DancesWithKnives
 
DWK2 said:
Thanks! I've read good things about the Samsungs and I think that their 42 incher would be a couple hundred bucks less.

I greatly appreciate hearing about your personal experience,

DancesWithKnives
Click to expand...

My bedroom tv is an old Samsung 32" LCD that is 720P and it's so old it only has a single HDMI input. (LN-R328W)
The picture still looks as good as it did when I first bought it.
The only downside is that it has an analog tuner, but no digital tuner. There were no televisions that had built in digital tuners when I bought that one.
Right now, when I watch TV on it I use a Panasonic DMR-EZ28 DVD recorder with a built in NTSC tuner for over the air broadcasts and have nothing to complain about.
I wish I could comment on the warranty, but that's long since expired and I haven't had a problem with the tv at all.
I was pleased enough with it that I bought a 40" samsung flat panel for my living room & have had that for almost 2 years, once again with no problems.
The sony sets I've heard did have much better speakers. I won't watch anything on my 40" samsung without running it through my surround sound except for the news.
They keep making the new LCD sets thinner and thinner, but I don't think they've quite figured out how to make a 1/4" thick speaker sound wonderful when it fills a room with sound.
 
For most of what I watch, picture quality is more important to me than sound. I think I could get by with the stock unit.

Thanks for your input!

DancesWithKnives
 
The most important thing is to know what you are going to use it for both now and in the next few years. For HDTV programming or upconvert DVD players pretty much any 1080p LCD from Samsung, Toshiba, LG, Sharp, or Sony is generally well made with a great picture. Try to avoid budget brands such as vizio, insignia, dynex, apex, and sylvania. In my experience Samsung usually offers the best quality and most features for the money. If you plan to watch blu-rays on HDMI or play a lot of PS3 then it might be worth the extra cash to opt for the higher end TVs with better frame/refresh rates for less motion blur and a more crisp picture. You can read more about that here, but to sum it up 60hz is standard, 120hz is very good, and 240hz is cutting edge (for the moment). Another thing you may want to consider is the LCD's backlight, which plays the primary role in determining the life of the TV as well as the brightness and picture quality. Generally LCD TVs use CCFLs or cold cathode fluorescent lamps for backlights, but CCFLs tend to develop a flicker over time before eventually dimming and going out. Recently some of the better manufacturers have been making the change over to LED backlights which are brighter, clearer, tougher, and longer lasting. Its something to think about if you plan to go state of the art. Hope this helps some :)
 
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Nothing is future proof however a LCD with 1920x1080p @240Hz with LED backlight will give you a few years of breathing space.

I'm glad blades hold their edge longer than consumer electronics. ;) :p
 
Iron City said:
I think these days Samsung is a top brand in that price range.
Click to expand...

bmw4life1 said:
id say sony, samsung and lg are probably the top brands.
Click to expand...

DWK2 said:
Thanks for the great big screen tutorial! I've looked at the Vizios but didn't know much about them.
Click to expand...

Sony, LG, and Samsung are the current top brands in the world of LCD’s in that order. Samsung tends to me 95% as good for 80% the price.

Vizio makes a great tv for the price. In the last 9 months they’ve went from making crappy tv’s cheaply to making some models that are truly state of the art and offering them for a lot less then their competitors. Furthermore their warranty is among (if not the best) in the industry.

Looks like your only talking about LCD’s and that’s good. The days in which plasma held significant advantages over LCD is over. That being said the room your putting the tv in should be the biggest factor in deciding between a LCD and a plasma. If you do look at plasma’s don’t look further then Panasonic in the world of plasma they’re without equal (pioneer comes second but if you look at what your spending and what your getting it’s a distant second).

When you buy your tv they will try to sell you an extended service agreement (I did when I sold them, its pure profit) if you were looking at pc’s id say go for it but in most cases its not needed with a tv.

Where you buy it is also important. Some warehouse stores like sams club have return polices that last for 6 months. IMO this is better then any tv warranty if it breaks or stops working or you wanna get something bigger just bring it in.
 
The best for detail, color intensity and thinness of the screen is organic LED. So far they are made for small screens like the Sony but Seiko has now created a method that will make it easier to produce large screen OLED TVs.
 
I've read that the 240hz feature is most important for applications like gaming, when speed can be key. Most people tell me that for watching nature shows and some movies, a 120hz rig ought to do the trick. Any contrary opinions?

Thanks,

DancesWithKnives
 
sony and samsung best rated...Samsung is better for the price though, and still have great quality. and 120hz is fast enough for most applications I have come across but then again if its not that much more expensive and still a good deal...i wouldnt mind the ability to have 240hz
 
120hz is excellent for HD programming as well as movies / games. 240 is better of course but I doubt anyone would notice the difference unless you watch very fast paced action movies or play First Person Shooters on a console. In my experience Samsung measures up evenly to Sony but usually at a lower price point.
 
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When I bought my last TV, I realized that I could get fast response rate, bright colors, dark blacks, and amazing viewing angles (better than even the best LCDs) by paying a fraction of the price of a high end LCD, and getting a 720p plasma. So far, I have had no regrets.

Yes, if you have the money, a 120Hz high-end 1080p LCD will be better in the long run. But it will cost you 2X more. If you have the money, by all means...
 
Bought a Panasonic 42" 720 plasma last Christmas(6 months ago) for $799---not a problem because the HD cable service is only 720 anyway---looks great and at that price will be easy to replace in a few years when all the cutting edge stuff now gets cheap.

Thing is: In the store I was looking at a 1080 LCD for double the money straight on and I looked across the room (giant room-NE Furniture Mart) and the tv I bought looked better even all the way across the room---that's why I bought it and the price didn't hurt either-----I'm extremely pleased with my purchase.

Make sure you get the HDMI cables you need---I was cheap since I had a bunch of RCA cables from the old set up I used those---then I bought a HDMI cable the difference is night and day---don't buy them at the electronics store---go to Walmart--they are half the price there----you don't need no stinkin $100 cables.
 
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