LCD TV's

[NSrider]

I am looking at purchasing a new LCD Tv in the new year. I will be looking for something in the 40 to 50" range. What brands should I stay away from or look at more closely? What features or specs should are more important, i am looking for something that will give the clearer/sharper pic.

 

[Art FJR]

Are you considering plasma also or just LCD? A buddy bought the 50" or so plasma a year or so ago, and as best I remember, he said that all the myths about plasma (short life) isn't true. I "think" plasma consumes a bit more electricity.

Soon, DTV (digital TV) will be the standard. Hopefully this helps to reduce the prices further. $1000+ for a TV seems like a lot of money, yet I want one.

Art

 

[Wild72]

Samsung and Sharp Aquos are probably our most requested LCD's, and most of my clients are delighted with them. PQ and reliability is very good, and the prices are reasonable. Support is generally good, and there are plenty of authorized service centers around should a repair be needed.

Nuvision is our premier line of LCD's, but these are not available through retail outlets, and can only be supplied to custom installation companies like ourselves. (More expensive than the Sammy's or Sharp's, but much better suited to the applications we use them in).

Avoid Vizio, Westinghouse, Insignia, and some of the other "off" or "house" brands. Although the pricing and PQ seem inviting, few service centers will touch them as parts are near impossible to source. This is not a problem during the warranty period, as the dealer will replace them, but afterwarrds you could be stuck with a somewhat expensive picture frame, without a nice picture in it.

With any of the LCD's, I recommend using a surge protector to both clean up the power, and protect your investment, and good quality video cables. The box stores will try and sell you on "Monster" cables, which are decent although vastly overpriced, as they get better incentives. There are numerous high quality cables available for far less coin.

Also take the time to calibrate your display using one of the many available setup DVD's which can be had for less than $40, and will make a world of difference to your picture.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Get a Mitsubishi. They are the best you can get and are reasonably priced. You wont be sorry.

 

[brazos parker]

I bought a 50" plasma TV last August and had it calibrated by the Geek Squad. The Geek Squad technician said the manufacturers crank up the blue to make the TV's appear "brighter" on the showroom floor and this makes them run hotter and decreases the screen life. I'm now thinking about replacing a smaller TV w/ an LCD HDTV after Christmas. Do LCD TV's need calibration like the plasma TV's do? If yes, I will probably try to get the salesman to throw in the calibration for free like he did w/ the plasma.

 

[Capt. Bob]

I'll support Wild72 on his take.

We have a Samsung and we are very pleased with the picture. It has a wide viewing angle and when using a high def dvd looks fantastic.

Normal TV is so so...

Let me quantify that by saying, we have cable by Comcast :glare:

Plasma gives a superior black color and helps in building bulging biceps though not as much as a good old CRT.

Now a days you can't go wrong with either one. I wanted to keep our entertainment unit and the 40" Sammy fit perfect (had a 27" CRT which just fit).

Rule of thumb. Get the biggest you can afford and fit in. The 40" is nice if you sit kinda close :blink:

Lastly, remember 1080p not 1080i and 120hz refresh rate.

Have fun!

 

[Feejer/Weejer man]

Sony Bravia. Side by side there is no match. Excellent color and clarity.

 

[weekend rider]

buy a sony top of the line product \, I own one to validate

 

[DeweyIsgod]

I've had a 46" Samsung DLP 720p set for a little over two years and been very happy with it. If you have a little extra depth, you can save a lot of coin by going with the DLP. Mitsubishi also makes good ones. My set can be purchased for less than $800 today and looks great with DVDs on an upconvert player and with HDTV via Comcast (and formerly Directv). However, if I were buying today, I'd make sure to get 1080p in order to be able to take advantage of a blu-ray player.

Make sure to pay attention to contrast ratio. It's the measure of how dark your black becomes. 5000:1 is what I'd consider a minimum, but you'll enjoy 10,000:1 or better.

With all respect to Wild, I don't recommend spending a fortune on cables. I do recommend using all digital connections (HDMI cable and optical audio cables). Since the signal is completely digital, there is no loss with transmission. If you're using the 5 colored cables for connections, you're not getting the most out of your TV anyway. With that said, make sure your TV has multiple HDMI inputs (at least 2 for cable/dish and blu-ray/DVD - more if you're adding a gaming system)

 

[vroompuppy]

NSrider,

I recently went through the LCD comparisons on smaller sets (32" for bedroom) than what you're lookin for now, but what I found were the same 4 names at the top of the list for almost every size TV (Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, Sharp). These all offered 1080p HD and the factor that pushed me to the Panasonic Viera was a higher refresh rate and wider viewing angle. The sources I used for research were mainly Cnet.com and Consumer Reports; and yes, the 2009 CR buying guide that's sitting right next to me still has the same 4 names at the top of nearly every list for both LCDs and Plasmas. I believe this is one of those instances where "stick with a name brand" rings (views?) true.

Good Luck in your purchase,

VP

 

[FJRSTAR]

Toshiba 42" Hi-Def Plasma bought in early 2007.

Back then it was around 1500 bucks. The prices have gone down but I would not go with the ultra cheap models if I were looking to buy again.

Get the Hi-Def model if you have a choice.

 

[wfooshee]

[snip]Normal TV is so so...

[/snip]

The problem with standard TV on a lot of these sets is that the set digitizes to display it; they have no analog display modes. Some do better than others. My father-in-law has a Sony 32" CRT set that's absolutely incredible in HD, merely stunning in 480p from the DVD, but almost unviewable for standard TV. It's almost like blowing up a Youtube vid to full screen.

So if you can, look at a standard 480i signal with one of these before you buy, even though there's less than 3 months left to the digital broadcast conversion, because you're not gonna throw away your VHS tapes or your DVDs are you?

 

[AVGeek]

In anything under 50", 1080p resolution is overkill. However, marketing hype has driven us to the point that everyone thinks they need 1080p for true high-def. The FCC in its infinite wisdom did not create a single standard for high definition, so there are currently 18 different flavors, most being either 720p (1280x720) or 1080i/p (1920x1080) resolutions. Standard Definition is 720x480, so every digital display on the market needs to upconvert the SD signal in order to fill the larger panel. Old school CRT sets did not have this limitation (my first HD set is a 46" Sony RPTV) as the electron gun that creates the image can change its scanning speed to match the incoming signal. The other confusing aspect is frame rate. The old NTSC (analog) standard ran video at 30 frames per second, film is shot at 24fps, and computers default to 60fps. The 120Hz refresh rate was chosen since each of the source frame rates can be divided into it. However, I have heard (do not have experience with) that watching film based sources (read: most movies) at the 120fps mode makes them look more like video than film. If you're ok with how it looks , it definitely can reduce motion smear (a common issue in LCDs).

The primary advantage to Plasma is its black level. The "black" we see on our TVs is not necessarily a true black, and with LCD can be a mottled gray on lower end models. LCD is making strides here, especially with LED backlighting. Check out www. hometheatermag.com as they recently reviewed an LCD with exceptional black level. Plasmas also have a much wider viewing angle, meaning people can sit farther off center before the image quality degrades. The primary advantage to LCD is better tolerance to ambient light. Plasmas usually have a very reflective glass panel across the front, so if there is any sort of light source in a room, there will usually be a strong reflection on a plasma. LCD's have more of a matte finish, so they do better in a brightly lit room, or one with lots of windows.

All TVs should be calibrated, as they are setup to stand out on showroom floors, and most adjustments are set in such a way to make the picture look unnatural.

Hope this helps. I wound up with a 47" Philips LCD in my home, primarily due to the ambient light issue. If I did not have the sliding glass door where it was (i.e., had better control of the light in the room), I would have bought a Panasonic plasma. If I were setting up a theater room now, I would also be looking at the Pioneer KURO models.

 

[thompsonian]

Last year, I bought a Proscan 42" LCD. I compared the others beside it, and for the money I paid, it was the best buy. It had 2 of all the connects: HDMI, Component, S-Video, and a VGA input as well. Mine is 1080p abd I use DirecTv HD and I am throughly happy. I paid ~$1100 for mine with a 5 year warranty on it from Sears.

 

[El Toro]

I bought a 52" plasma TV late in 2006, and at the same time I bought a 28" LCD TV.

I really liked the LCD's ability to give a good picture when ambient light levels are high, and I also have to say that I liked its off-axis picture too.

When I decided I wanted to be able to project the screens from both our engine control module software and our dynamometer software so that more students could see what was being done, I went with a large LCD display. It draws positive comments every time we crank it up. I just took a look at it, and its a Samsung. We bought it at Electronics Express, probaby about 18 months ago and its mounted on the wall near the chassis dyno.

 

[phil]

Top-rated LCD this year is the Samsung line. Top-rated plasma is Panasonic. I've been researching for about 2 months, and just ordered the Panny TH42PZ85u. Price went up by $50 this morning at Amazon, but it's still a good deal at under $1100. You might check prices for TV also at Beach Camera, as they are a well-rated seller. If you need a good sound system, and don't want to run wires all over the room, Amazon has a clearance on the Yamaha YSP-1100 sound bar (44 speakers in one box). From $1699 down to $599, in silver or black. Happy hunting.

 

[bmwhd]

I've got 3 HDTVs. All plasma. All are fantastic and bullet proof. If you got a wide viewing angle, plasma is especially nice. Of the three, my Pioneer Kuro is the best and it just floors people when they see it.

 

[Rondo777]

I have 2 plasmas, one is a 50 inch Samsung, the other a 42 inch Panasonic. Both are outstanding. Sony is Great but no better then Samsung and I find Sony a little over priced. LCD will run cooler then Plasma and LCD can be installed at any angle where there is a limit to the angle a Plasma can be hung at. Im not possative but I believe it 15 degrees. If you want to mount it on the ceiling then go with LCD!

 

[cyclebabble]

I have a 52" LCD Mitsubishi that I am very happy with. Had it a little over a year and a half. The only thing I noticed when switching between my 35" was certain parts of tv programs weren't as bright. Specifically the starfields in the the star trek programs. But I don't even notice that now. Other than that it has been a great tv.

Chris