Damn...need a new TV. What to get

[Ryan]

Have a 46" HP plasma. Just died on me. Had a hell of a time choosing this one. We just decided to look at all of them on display and choose the one that looked the best within our price range. I am confused.....there is so much to choose from.

 

[wallyp]

Just went through the new tv thing, Plasma is ok if you have no reflection
problems from lights, windows ext. LCD tv is better with reflected light.
Pay atten to the refresh rate, 60htz is low, 120htz better, 240htz is the best
for Lcd/led tv,s. Good luck, things change Quickly.

 

[RatFink]

SAMS has a 46" Sony LED for $999 1080pi here in Tennessee. I thought about getting one.

 

[Nasty Wendy]

SAMS has a 46" Sony LED for $999 1080pi here in Tennessee. I thought about getting one.

Pay atten to the refresh rate, 60htz is low, 120htz better, 240htz is the best for Lcd/led tv,s.

Plazmas refresh at 600hz if I'm not mistaken. For 3D stuff the TV has to refresh at atleast 240hz. The 3D image is comprised of 2 120hz signals.

60hz TVs are CHEAP for a reason. They are good for everything except Sports, Action, Special effects, & Motion shots. They show everything else superbly.

 

[Ryan]

Not sure about the 3D thing. It's still new. Not sure if it will be another betamax. I looked at a few today. They pointed out that the plasma was a little darker. I looked at the whole wall of TVs and could pick out the plasmas just by looking at them. The LCD TVs were a lot brighter. Well....at least I picked between the lcd and plasma. Anyone recommend a brand? And brands to stay away from?

 

[Dabigguy]

I bought a 50" Panasonic almost a year aog and I'm very happy with it.....I paid $899 for this one.
Panasonic - VIERA / 50" Class / 1080p / 600Hz / Plasma HDTV - TC-P50G20

 

[Gary Wells]

I'm in the same boat, looking for a new 46-47 in LED. I did see a LG brand that was discounted to about $1200 & change that looked exceptional, but I have never liked LG brand of anything. The LG looked better than the Samsung & Sony priced at about $900, which stands to reason. Avoid Polaroid brand TV's like the plague.

 

[Nasty Wendy]

I'm in the same boat, looking for a new 46-47 in LED. I did see a LG brand that was discounted to about $1200 & change that looked exceptional, but I have never liked LG brand of anything. The LG looked better than the Samsung & Sony priced at about $900, which stands to reason. Avoid Polaroid brand TV's like the plague.

I hear you on LG Gary. I think my bias against them comes because they used to be Gold Star appliances or something like that but they changed their name. To me good appliances value their name above all else. I couldn't imagine Kenmore or Whirlpool giving up their good names. I reluctantly purchased an 'LG' tv this year and the truth is I couldn't be happier. They had the BEST rendering of black of all the TVs in the store and that is truly the key to picture quality. The unit I purchased is a back-lighted LED version that offers a feature called 'local dimming'. The 'local dimming' is what allows the unit to render black as true as it does. It is a 240hz refresh rate 55" and it was priced down because LG was set to introduce a new line of TVs that accessed the internet. I purchased it and made sure that if I didn't like it that I could bring it back but I have no such desire to bring it back. Give them a shot, you may be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Dreamn4GN]

Check out a sams club or a wal mart.. i got a 60 inch LG Plasma, with protective glass, the whole nine for 1500bucks.. cannot beat it... It sits nice at the end off my bed!!!!!!!!!

 

[JOHNDEEREGN]

Bought our 52 or 55 (old age damn it) Samsung off QVC for $1450.00 free shipping and 4 easy pays.

Love it.

 

[Tom Tom Turbo]

I just bought an LG 52" 1080 plasma for $799 from a local retailer....I love the picture! I don't have blu-ray or PS3, so I'm not overly concerned about super high-res capabilities, but I really just wanted a really clear HD picture that performed well in varying light levels.

 

[R.I.P.92Rolla]

Panasonic plasma! Panasonic bought some of Pioneers technology and I believe are using a lot of their parts... Great TVs for the price.

 

[Ryan]

Everyone has a brand or "type" preference. I just re-subscribed to consumer reports and found there top rated 46" tv. I picked it up. Really like it. I looked at a half dozen stores. Stared at hundreds of TVs side by side. I really could not see a lot of differences between them. I did notice the plasmas were darker and the LCDs were brighter. A few techs told me the plasmas were more "true" to life. I saw a side by side demo and yes the plasma was more "true" to real life color. But I like the brighter color. I chose the Samsung LN46C630. Really like it. Was debating between the LCD and the new LED stuff. Did some research. (just ball park) if the TV was running 24hrs a day it would use about $5 of electricity a month. The LED would use about $3 a month. It would take many years to re coupe the $300 extra I shelled out for an LED set. I'm sure there are many argument on this debate. I just went with consumer reports.

PS
Send me an email if you want some consumer reports ratings.

 

[davidf]

We just bought a Samsung UN46C630 46' LED last weekend. I've never seen such a beautiful picture. I can't believe we waited so long. LED's put out no heat compared to plasma's and LCD's. and draw very little current from what I understand. Best $1300.00 I've spent.

 

[Gary Wells]

Everyone has a brand or "type" preference. I just re-subscribed to consumer reports and found there top rated 46" tv. I picked it up. Really like it. I looked at a half dozen stores. Stared at hundreds of TVs side by side. I really could not see a lot of differences between them. I did notice the plasmas were darker and the LCDs were brighter. A few techs told me the plasmas were more "true" to life. I saw a side by side demo and yes the plasma was more "true" to real life color. But I like the brighter color. I chose the Samsung LN46C630. Really like it. Was debating between the LCD and the new LED stuff. Did some research. (just ball park) if the TV was running 24hrs a day it would use about $5 of electricity a month. The LED would use about $3 a month. It would take many years to re coupe the $300 extra I shelled out for an LED set. I'm sure there are many argument on this debate. I just went with consumer reports.

PS
Send me an email if you want some consumer reports ratings.

Ryan:
About how much $ & what Hz rating, 120 or 240Hz?

 

[Gary Wells]

We just bought a Samsung UN46C630 46' LED last weekend. I've never seen such a beautiful picture. I can't believe we waited so long. LED's put out no heat compared to plasma's and LCD's. and draw very little current from what I understand. Best $1300.00 I've spent.

davidf:
What Hz rating, 120Hz or 240Hz?

 

[Ryan]

It cost $979 at the Navy exchange. Did not cost much more out in town. Paid $99 for a 3yr maint plan. My Hz rate is 120. From my crash course in TV buying. The Hz is the refresh rate. The higher it is.....the better it is for fast moving shows...like hardcore video games and sports. Watched the FIBA game today. Looked great. I was worried about the sound. Did not see any visable speakers on new TVs. They are hidden on the bottom or back. They sound pretty good. Not like a home theater system but that's another story.

What I really like is the USB ports. I can watch downloaded movies from my thumbsticks. Have not tried an external hard drive yet....think it will work.

 

[Gary Wells]

It cost $979 at the Navy exchange. Did not cost much more out in town. Paid $99 for a 3yr maint plan. My Hz rate is 120. From my crash course in TV buying. The Hz is the refresh rate. The higher it is.....the better it is for fast moving shows...like hardcore video games and sports. Watched the FIBA game today. Looked great. I was worried about the sound. Did not see any visable speakers on new TVs. They are hidden on the bottom or back. They sound pretty good. Not like a home theater system but that's another story.

OK, thanks for the info, Ryan

 

[davidf]

davidf:
What Hz rating, 120Hz or 240Hz?

I'll check today at lunch.

 

[PHINFAN]

Guys, I will try and find it, but on cnet or one of those sites, they debunked the refresh rate thing, it basically came down to paying no attention to it, as it has no effect that they could measure.

After buying a few HD tv's, for what it is worth, all of my future tv's will be samsungs...