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Looking for a good quality and value for the new "Great Room"? Why LCD or Plasma? I bought a 32" samsung LCD last year and seem pleased with the set. Medium to large amount of light will be in this room. We use the set only for TV and videos. Closest store would be Sears, Walmart, Costco. What brands would you consider and what would you definitely stay away from? If anyone knows if a specific model will be on "Black Friday" lists let me know.
It's been awhile since I've done my research (we bought about a year ago) so things might have changed a bit.....I thought for very bright rooms, LCD was preferable to plasma due to the refelectivity of the screen etc.? Within LCDs you want to look at the type of screen also. Samsung screens tend to be very shiney (except for one kind of "off" model the "630" which is actually what we have and love it - but it's still in a room that the blinds are always closed anyway). We have a friend with a very bright family/great room who swears by his Sony......
The size you are thinking of may be a little small for a "greatroom". 50" would be a minimum for most I have seen. As for plasma vs lcd, the main thing I would consider is how people would be seated relative to the tv. LCD's just don't offer the viewing angles of plasma. Plasma is like the old CRT in that it looks fine from just about any angle where with even today's LCD's you get a color shift and shadowing if you get much off center. Plasma has a "film" quality picture that is superior to LCD and prices on plasma are now lower than LCDs. Plasma uses a fair amount more energy than an LCD does. LCDs look very "bright" - good for a well lit room while plasmas have ultra good contrast.
I am viewing my LCD TV from an angle right now with no problem. That problem is not really an issue anymore. Kind of like burnout on older plasma TVs.....Also - the "brightness" can be adjusted..
I would consider 50"+ for a large family room. A 42" tv looks tiny next to a 54" even though it's only 1 foot more. The real issue is what do you want to spend. You can search on various Black Friday websites and find the pricing details. The main difference on plasma and LCD is that plasma generates a picture similar to CRT displays, but uses plasma gas (instead of the heavy electron gun) which allows the TV to be thinner. LCD does not work this way, and generally only the higher end models have a comparable picture (since black levels on plasma are more similar to CRT). It also means plasma runs a little hotter and most models have cooling fans. However, you will get better deals on plasma than upper end LCD's.
Sears will probably be the best bet, since Best Buy will be mobbed, and Costco doesn't really give deals for Black Friday (at least nothing that great).
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