TV experts, I need you!!!!

I have an early Phillips plasma and it's been great. Bright accurate color and great shadow detail...not just black like a lot of televisions. That being said, it's very heavy and throws off a lot of heat - but IT IS six years old and technology has changed significantly. My two LCD's are Sony Bravia's and look great and are featherlight.

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Mike T said:
I'm starting to shop around for a new living room TV for my wife and I. We currently have a huge 32in CRT looking thing. We're interested in a 42-47" flat screen, either LCD or plasma. Price range $650-800.

Researching these is making my head spin. There are so many TV's around. This is going to be primarily used for digital cable TV. HD isn't a huge factor to me. Also sound quality is important.

Anyone have a recommendations, feedback, advice? All appreciated.
Thanks :)
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I'm a huge Samsung fan, I have a 46" lcd as well as a 32" bedroom tv. LCD's perform better in rooms with lots of light although they look good in the dark also. Plasma's prefer a dimly lit room as a rule. Another forum to check out if you have some time is avsforum.com. They have both plasma and LCD forums with tons of information. Good luck on your search.:xyxthumbs:
 
I have several LCDs and bought myself the Samsung LED last year for Xmas. I am still impressed with it a year later.
 
For cables go to monoprice, especially HDMI, they are about $5 and good quality.

I have always had good luck with samsung products.
 
LegacyGT said:
For cables go to monoprice, especially HDMI, they are about $5 and good quality.
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Thanks for that tip! I usually get them at Newegg but sometimes they seem a little flaky. Really ridiculous what they charge for cables where they sell the TV's...it's like buying a printer cable in the old days at CompUSA...
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Thanks for that tip! I usually get them at Newegg but sometimes they seem a little flaky. Really ridiculous what they charge for cables where they sell the TV's...it's like buying a printer cable in the old days at CompUSA...
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That's funny as I usually buy all my cables at Monoprice. One time I was in need of an HDMI cable and couldn't wait to order one so I had a buddy that worked at a local electronics store pick one up for me. It was a Rocketfish 6' HDMI cable that was tagged $89.95, his price was $7.02.
 
swami said:
That's funny as I usually buy all my cables at Monoprice. One time I was in need of an HDMI cable and couldn't wait to order one so I had a buddy that worked at a local electronics store pick one up for me. It was a Rocketfish 6' HDMI cable that was tagged $89.95, his price was $7.02.
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There you go! Ridiculous. As I said I usually buy the cheap ones at Newegg, which are in the ballpark of Monoprice. The only thing is if you bump the cable the TV goes off for a few seconds, unless they are all like that.
 
When I bought my ps3 6 years ago. I was a victim I bought Monster HDMI cables. 75 dollars for 4 foot. :(
 
I think I'm leaning toward Plasma.
 
I have three Samsung and funny enough they are all different, I have DLP, LCD and Plasma. DLP is my least favorite as there is light coming in that room and it kills the color, but it is still an awesome TV. Plasma is my favorite when it comes to color and price, you can get those in your price range easy. LCD is a great TV but if I had to choose again I would go Plasma!
Had a friend just grabbed a LED and returned it a week later, they were use to color on Plasma and just were not happy with the LED.
Funny thing is I was anti Plasma for awhile and I don't even know why, but I got an amazing deal thanks to Jason for a 42" on sale for around $400, now its my favorite!
 
I am an Audio Video guy by profession. I am a big fan of the Samsung line of LED's. If you are getting a new TV, HD should absolutely be something you should be interested in. Everything will eventually be broadcast in HD and 3D. You need to be ready for the future. If you watch sports, HD is a must, and LED is great for watching sports.
 
Look up user reviews online and keep an eye out for deals. I got a sweet deal on an LG 42" 240hz LED tv for my bedroom over this past summer for around $760 shipped and am very happy with it.
 
Be sure to get 1080p. They trick you with prices with a 720p TV, but that technology is outdated and you should always try at least keep up with the current tech. :)
 
I have a 52" Samsung LCD and it's awesome!

I also have a Phillips 32" LCD and a Sharp 32" LCD and I love them all. The Samsung is by far my favorite though, but the Phillips was a gift and the Sharp TV I got a sweet deal on so couldn't turn it down.
 
Yeah I got a 55inch Samsung and its GREAT. They make amazing T.V.s but some are very expensive. Me and my dad bought it about a year ago for 2k and we been paying it off monthly we still owe like 1400. :( Lately I haven't had any time to enjoy any of my blu-rays.
 
You'll probably find some good deals coming up real soon. Last year around this time we picked up a 46" Sony LCD (1080p and 120Hz) with Sony Blu Ray player for $999. You probably didn't miss out on much with the Black Friday deals as they usually discount the off brand models to entice you to come into the store. It's this time before Christmas that the real deals come out.

I understand you want good sound, but you're not going to get anything out of a flat panel that blows you away. You'll get some distortion in the higher volumes, no matter which tv you go with. You can always hookup a receiver and speakers or a sound bar at a later date, so get the best picture you can afford.

Remember, looking at the tv in the store is way different than when it's in your living room. That 46" tv always looks way bigger once you get it home. Also, you won't have 30 other televisions to compare the color/contrast to so don't get caught up with which tv "looks" the best in the store. Read reviews before you buy so you can be confident with your decision.

Mark
 
Definitely get HD. To me Plasma looks better and more lifelike than LCD's. LCD's look too animated although they have gotten better over the past few years. Also consider viewing angle - the LCD sets fade the farther left,right,up or down your viewing angle goes. The Plasma's are much better in this regard. Some of the better sets are the Samsung 8000 series and the Panasonic VT25(0) series. I have the Samsung and am very happy with it. For sound you could go with a sound strip that connects to your TV like Zvox or Yamaha, etc.
 
Thanks for the info.

I haven't even looked at them in the store. Actually I take that back I took a quick look at walmart, just to get an idea on size. I research is done on reading as many reviews as I can, online.
 
LED 1080p samsung is the way to go. Blu-ray is 1080p so if you want to be able to watch the full capabilities of blu-ray get 1080p
 
Species8472 said:
Definitely get HD. To me Plasma looks better and more lifelike than LCD's. LCD's look too animated although they have gotten better over the past few years. Also consider viewing angle - the LCD sets fade the farther left,right,up or down your viewing angle goes. The Plasma's are much better in this regard. Some of the better sets are the Samsung 8000 series and the Panasonic VT25(0) series. I have the Samsung and am very happy with it. For sound you could go with a sound strip that connects to your TV like Zvox or Yamaha, etc.
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I believe all newer televisions are considered HD. My last CRT was HD; maybe not 1080p but it was considered HD. Also, I believe you're thinking of DLP on the viewing angle. They typically don't look that great the further away you get from center. I can watch my LCD from any angle, no problem.

From what I've heard, Samsung usually has the brightest colors, Sharp has the most lifelike colors, and Sony falls somewhere in the middle. When I was looking, Samsung televisions were quite a bit more expensive, which didn't fall into what my wife considered a reasonable budget. :laughing: I thought I was compromising what I really wanted (Samsung), but find that the Sony was an excellent purchase.

EDIT: I should add that unless you're a complete audio/video junky, which you'd probably set a much higher spending limit if you were, you're going to be happy with the picture on any new television you bring home. Going from a 32" CRT to a 46" LCD had my smiling for a month, straight!

Mark
 
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