tv help

kwhauck · 10-09-2009, 05:38 PM

it doesn't say car audio, video, and security

anyways looking to purchase our first nice tv in the next couple months and would like some personal input from people with flat screens

i am looking at a minimum 42" up to possibly a 55"

i will have $1500-$2500 to play with, maybe a little more, but less than $2000 would be nice.

so cover the basics for me, lcd, plasma, 1080p, aspect ratios, blah blah blah.....

Thanks in advance!! Kyle

AGT · 10-09-2009, 05:44 PM

People like LCD because less burn in than Plasma but then again Plasma has bright colors and when it comes to 1080p you might as well get it altho you will save yourself some money with 720p. Aspect ratio should always be 16:9 which is just how you view the video you are watching

Oh and get 50 or bigger. I bought 2x50s and I am very happy. I see people that have a 42 and you really notice the difference especially side by side

My next TV will be a 58 or larger for sure.

Ryan from Ohio · 10-09-2009, 06:16 PM

Depends on the room size.

In my place your head is litterally 9 ft and 11 ft away from the screen depending on what Lazy Boy you are sitting in.

We had a 32" at first which was plenty big... Way bigger than the 27" standard screen i did have.

We now have a 42" and its perfect. It seemed a little large at first but now I like it. Any larger would be to big IMO.

1080p is the minimum now. Dont get ANYTHING less.

Biggest thing is STICK TO A WELL KNOWN BRAND.

CactusWill · 10-09-2009, 06:38 PM

LCD without a doubt. More reliable and most efficient. Plasmas have a bad reputation for alot of things, including being throwaway units, electricity hogs, and its possible to burn the screen.

kwhauck · 10-09-2009, 07:24 PM

what about contrast ratio, is 100000:1 gonna really be that different than 3000000:1?

also i heard lg's are crap, yes?

any recommends brands?

Fi-Alero · 10-09-2009, 07:29 PM

I work at a Pawn shop, I see every type of T.V. come through after 1 month to 5 years of use.

1080 LCD is the way to go. The size depends on how far you are away from the T.V. The trick is to go to the store, and look at the LCDs at a distance at which you would be sitting in the room.

As far as brands, I have an Emerson myself (budget line) and it looks just as good as any sony, toshiba, AOC, etc. All companies are making T.V.s so cheap these days to maximize profit, in fact, most brands use the same imported panels.

Oldsnut · 10-09-2009, 07:37 PM

What about LED TV's?

cherrington17 · 10-09-2009, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oldsnut

What about LED TV's?

led gives longer life span (no bulb to burn) and thinner/better contrast then standard lcd. but cost alot more.

your contrast ratio is going to be your white to black ratio. (how white the whites are, compared to the blackest black) the higher, the crisper the picture. plasma has a ridiculously high level of contrast, but images can burn in, much more energy to operate.

its up to you, as to what your looking for. each company has good lines and bad lines. IMO, LG is a good mid-high grade. Sony is the same. But both companies have their "cadillac" lines, which are high grade. AOC is made by Envision. EXCELLENT mid grade tv. Samsung is good...

I don't know of any that are horrible. I'd stay away from a company you've never heard of. But as for LG being crap, thats far from the truth. They are a major leading brand, these days. Good quality on most things.

lonnie · 10-09-2009, 08:39 PM

I've got a 42inch Vizio plasma that I got for 747 and I haven't had any issues with burn in, and I play the Wii and PS2 on it all the time. With any plasma you have to go through a 100hr break in then all is good. My sister picked up a 32inch Vizio plasma and hasn't had an issue. The LED tv's look very good though...Out of them all stay away from DLP TV's...they end up costing more in the long run.

NickAlero2000 · 10-09-2009, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lonnie

I've got a 42inch Vizio plasma that I got for 747 and I haven't had any issues with burn in, and I play the Wii and PS2 on it all the time. With any plasma you have to go through a 100hr break in then all is good. My sister picked up a 32inch Vizio plasma and hasn't had an issue. The LED tv's look very good though...Out of them all stay away from DLP TV's...they end up costing more in the long run.

I have a 42'' Visio LCD with 1080P as well, cept I got mine for 410

Look around for used TV's, they go cheap that way.

Ian 2000GL LA1 · 10-09-2009, 08:54 PM

i help with home installs all day at a local shop i'de recommend the sony bravias or any of the new LG sets. they also deal with panasonic and one other company i cant think of right now. some of the LGs r just a touch sharper than the sony's. ide also reccomend a wall mount.

FrankTheTank · 10-09-2009, 09:40 PM

maybe my eyes suck, but when i'm in the store i cant tell the difference between a 720p and 1080p set.
thus, i just picked up a 42" panasonic plasma for $480 from dell.

Vella's Alero · 10-09-2009, 09:47 PM

Personally I would go with a 1080P Pioneer Plasma line. They have some wicked colour and if you have some seats that arent dead onto the screen LCD will fade and the colouring won't be as good on the sides.

Also is the room that it is being put into have a lot of light or not? If it doesn't then go LCD but if it has a lot of light then go plasma for ease of viewing.

A good site to check out that has dedicated people for all this and review a ton of screens would be www.pcmag.com . They are very reliable and have no connections with any one such brand so they are completely objective.

Another thing would be to take the contrast ratio number with a grain of sand because every company measures it differently so what might be 2000000 for one might be half that for another.

Ryan from Ohio · 10-09-2009, 10:19 PM

We bought the $800 42" Phillips at Wal mart and put an extended 2 year warranty on it.

I think it was a bit over $940ish out the door.

Been about 9 months with it no issue besides the remote control is on the fritz.

heineck · 10-09-2009, 10:34 PM

42" aquos, 3 yrs and still goin strong paid 600ish

Nate's Alero · 10-09-2009, 10:48 PM

37" Westinghouse 1080I, 5years and its still perfect! paid 900 way back in 2004 LOL

BlackJack · 10-09-2009, 11:04 PM

you can listen to all the banter about everything, but one of the most important aspects was not discussed.

yeah, size matters, but what matters most once you're narrowed down to a couple of good choices with overall visual quality, is refresh rate and black levels. That's where you want to make comparisons. If you are truly into video quality, you'll notice a serious difference between 60 and 120 refresh rate. The larger the screen, the more you'll notice the difference. 60 looks very choppy as compared to a 120 which is very smooth in motion sequences. This drove me absolutely bat-shit crazy with 60 hertz models.

Go to Best Buy and get a floor model. They have a policy where they have to take down/sell their wall display models every 3 months (at least, that's what the salesman and manager told us). You'll get everything included except the box, and a full warranty just as if you bought it new.

My wife went and bought a 51", a blue ray player (with built in netflix), and a yamaha 525 receiver (with 1080p upscaling) and HDMI cables for all of em and walked out at about 2100 including tax and extended warranty.

cavaliers60 · 10-10-2009, 12:04 AM

When you get one and start getting devises that use HDMI cables. Go to amazon.com and search for Bargaincell. He has cables for $.01. I bought 2 of them and they work perfectly!

jamcllw · 10-10-2009, 01:09 AM

I work for a television manufacture and we build and sale anything from a 10.4" to 42". We use different manufacturers of panels (LG, Sharp, Samsung, AU Optronics, Chi Mei and a few others) depending on size and pricepoint and what not. I can tell you from personal experience that LG panels are trash! We repair or replace LG panels more that any other brand. I would personally never buy an LG television.

I own a 46" Sharp 1080p thats about 2.5 years old and still happy with it. I would recommend those to others.

There is no standard for contrast ratio. Manufacturers measure it all differently.

240 Hz is good for sports but makes movies and everything else look like a damn soap opera.

Plasma is pretty much a dead technology. Pioneer, Vizio, and Samsung have abandoned plasma because of cost and sales compared to LCD. Panasonic is the only major manufacturer of plasma panels left.

OLED is really nice but costs an arm and leg compared to similar sized TFT.

It really is a matter of opinion. You need to go to a store and look at them yourself and decide then. 4" of screen size for every foot you sit away from it.

Gr1m · 10-10-2009, 01:38 AM

dont forget the surround sound!!