New HD TV recommendations.... (Howe, Happy: sales, new house, buying)

[Paka]

OK...so strangely enough, my DH has been eyeballing the HD TV's when poof...the housecleaner comes on over and all of a sudden our BIG SCREEN (yes, the one I had told him just two weeks ago "how can we justify replacing this when it is working perfectly FINE"....dies. (At this point, I am thinking of calling Qunicy in on the case, I think it was helped persoanlly!!!!)

Anway, recommendations please since we will be going HD with our replacement....any suggestions, do's/don'ts concerning getting a new one...

someone said you need a 1080 vs a 7whatever...can anyone tell me why???

Thank for the help, brands, stores, sales information MOST welcome!

[rd2007]

you should give a price range. I personally would spend the extra $ and get one with a 120 Hz refresh rate because it gets rid of the blur that is common with LCD's showing action, like a basketball game. The technology is very new, so it's mostly only on the higher end sets. You should also only get one that does 1080P, which is nearly everything out now. 720P sets are usually low end or older models.
BTW, are you getting an LCD? Plasma is on the way out and DLP's are just too big and I believe they are also on the way out. 46"-52" are the two sizes I would consider ideal, but bigger is of course better and more expensive..

[banker]

Agreed a price range would be helpful. Here are a few technological stats to keep in mind:

120 hz refresh rate - this is critical for watching sports or action scenes in movies.
1080P - now that Blu-ray has won the HD movie battle - it will be the move platform of choice going forward. All blu-ray discs are in 1080P - so you want your TV to show this resolution over the lower 720P.
Style of TV - rear projection vs. flat screen?

Consumer Reports just had an issue out testing HDTV's and the conclusion is that LCD and DLP technology is the future with Plasma's loosing popularity. If you go LCD rear projection or flatscreen - Sony is the highest rated. Plasma's can be fragile and have glare issues. They (plasma technology) helped usher in the flatscreen era - but have been surpassed by the newer better LCD 1080P flatscreen sets. They don't have burn in either.

I have owned nothing but sony over the past ten years and have just purchased my second HDTV. My first HDTV was a 720P 42" rear projection LCD unit. It was great - but I quickly realized that I wanted a larger set and that the 120 hz refresh rate was the way to go. That being said - I purchased a now discontinued 50" Bravia LCD rear projection 1080P 120 hz set from Bjorn's a couple of weeks ago. It is simply stunning and I only paid $1,450.00 (they have four left as of last week). If you don't need to hang them on the wall - then a slim (my 50" set is only 14" deep) LCD rear projection is perfect and much more economical.

Sony is the way to go. Consumer Reports tested the sets for reliablility/repairs and Sony leads the pack. They have a superior picture and features.

Good luck on the TV purchase. Once you go HDTV - you never go back.

I would do your research

[the_dimwit]

Paka,

I just purchased a 46" 1080p Sony LCD from Crutchfield for $1999. It has an amazing picture, is very quiet, and has received excellent reviews from consumers and magazines alike. Unlike Banker's rear-projection LCD, this is a wall-mountable screen--I haven't done that yet, but the stand looks really good and I am in no big rush (still a lot to do around the new house).

I echo the other posters' comments regarding price. That's what will really affect your decision. There are plenty of options out there, especially in the $1500-$2500 range. It all depends on screen size, options like 120hz refresh rate, and other features. I'd also suggest going to a store that allows you to "demo" a DVD (HD or otherwise) so you can get an idea of what the screen really looks like. The Sony store will allow you to do this...not sure about others (Bjorn's, Conn's, etc.).

--Dim

[firstclassflyer]

Do yourself a favor and have it mounted on the wall. It looks so much "cleaner". Have it professionally done, of course hiding all wiring in your walls. This is also the time to invest in some surround sound (if you don't have already) and have the wiring done for that at the same time. The wiring only has to be done once, then if you want to change speakers, TV etc, it's already done. Nice little selling point for your house as well, if you decide to move.
Make sure to upgrade all of your speaker wire as well. It makes a difference, do it right the first time. Mogami wire is the absolute best, but tough to find. Mogamicable.com Monster wire is good for household use as well, and a heckuva lot easier to find. Basically, the longer the distance that the audio has to travel...the thicker the wire you want. Oxygen free, of course. Do a search on amazon.com to seek out the best deal.
As for the mounting bracket, don't cheap out. There are some very nice brackets available. The better brackets will allow you to pull the TV away from the wall and to adjust left/right/up/down.

[Drzy]

Originally Posted by banker

Consumer Reports just had an issue out testing HDTV's and the conclusion is that LCD and DLP technology is the future with Plasma's loosing popularity.

This is probably true (I trust Consumer Reports), but be warned that this would be due to price issues, not performance. Plasma is fairly widely regarded as the best quality of the three... it has the darkest blacks and the widest viewing angle. However, it also costs the most.

Really, the best thing you could do is go to an electronics store (Best Buy would do) and see the different types for yourself.

[Jimbo713]

We picked up a
Sony 40" KDL-40V2500

for only $1099 and it's a great TV at a fair price!

[Midorigreen]

We got the 46 inch Samsung LCD from Amazon.com around christmas time....they had free shipping. We LOVE it. I think it was one of the top-rated choices on consumer reports. My husband spent months researching and decided on this one - he's kind of a techie....

We have a subscription to consumer reports.org if you need additional info. Just PM me and I"ll look some stuff up for you, if you want....


Here is the link to the one we bought...

Amazon.com: Samsung LNT4671F 46-inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV: Electronics

Happy hunting!

[winst0n]

Originally Posted by Drzy

This is probably true (I trust Consumer Reports), but be warned that this would be due to price issues, not performance. Plasma is fairly widely regarded as the best quality of the three... it has the darkest blacks and the widest viewing angle. However, it also costs the most.

Really, the best thing you could do is go to an electronics store (Best Buy would do) and see the different types for yourself.

on the contrary, plasma is cheaper than lcd, like a 50" plasma is cheaper than 50" lcd, simply because lcd is just recently starting to get bigger. each has their own pros and cons, its a matter of preference. i have a 50" plasma for my family room that i bought 2yrs ago, and its really awesome, no complaints. when i get the "tax relief from bush" i'm considering buying another flat panel for my master, this time an lcd.

some facts on top of my head:
plasma is a little heavier than lcd
plasma is better for movies, sports, better contrast
plasma emits more heat
lcd is better for video games
lcd is newer in technology
lcd's higher contrast rate cost more
plasma has wider viewing angle
lcd is much newer technology, and is more popular now
plasma has burn-in issue, so don't use it for video games
plasma is closest to the real thing (crt tvs) in terms of quality or picture or color
plasma is better for a little darker room as it reflects house lights more
lcd is better for both dark or lit room

that's all i can say... google it for more... plasma vs lcd

[mrstxcop]

we bought, about 3 months ago, a 40inch Samsung 1080p for the bedroom --- it is AWESOME!!! --- dh hung it on the wall --- i didn't think i would be able to tell a difference with the HD --- i was very skeptical --- but once we subscribed to HD thru our satellite carrier and i found myself wowing in amazement over Jay Leno's set i knew i was an HD convert who will never go back ---

just remember, which i know sounds stupid, but i really had no idea --- that out of the box an HD tv will be like any other tv and it may even look worse than your regular tv --- you must subscribe to the HD service to truly get the HD affect --- also, it sounds silly, but alot of the cables that you use to connect your tv to your cable jack make a big difference in the picture quality also --- things like using a monster cable vs. a regular cable --- dh knows much more about this stuff than i do, but any good best buy or circuit city rep should be able to talk to you about it...

also, i would definately compare the tv's at both circuit city and best buy --- when we bought ours we were very close to buying it at best buy but at the last minute decided to walk down to circuit city to just check real quick and we found a better tv, the 1080 vs. the 720 for $200 less ...