HDTV recommendations

[Tek7]

It's November and nearly time for Black Friday again. There are murmurs of price drops on HDTVs and, with a baby due next February, this may be the last reasonable opportunity for me and my wife to buy a HDTV as our Christmas gift to ourselves this year. Even with gift money allocated toward the purchase, it may not be feasible, but better to do the research ahead of time and not buy than find we have the money but no clue what to purchase.

Based on the dimensions of our living room and the distance from the entertainment center to the couch, we're looking at the 42" to 46" range. The system will be used primarily for console gaming (Playstation 3, Wii, PS2, Dreamcast, PS1) and watching movies (BluRay, DVD) and anime episodes (played on a PC running MediaPortal).

The TV needs to support 1080p and 720p (naturally), be manufactured by a reliable brand, and include some kind of warranty.

I had looked at 3D HDTVs for a few minutes on Amazon and promptly concluded that such technology is, unfortunately, well out of our price range at this time (which is sad, since Sony seems intent on pushing more 3D Playstation 3 titles).

I haven't done much research yet, so I don't have many other criteria at this time. I'm not familiar enough with the technology to write out a list of candidates yet. For example: I'm not sure what the pros and cons are of LCD, LED, and plasma TVs.

Price is, as always, a key factor in the purchase. If you spot a great TV at a great price, feel free to post a link in this thread with the relevant info.

I imagine I'm not the only person considering a HDTV purchase this year, so if others want to post their own recommendation requests, please feel free.

EDIT: I plan on playing fighting games (Soul Calibur IV, Super Street Fighter IV, and, at a later date, BlazBlue Continuum Shift) on the PS3, so HDTV lag is a concern.

 

[Atown]

sony, toshiba, or lg . dont get any other brands really.

watch
http://slickdeals.net/blackfriday/

for all your deals n stuff, they get posted pretty quickly up here and later you can sort by products

 

[ewoksrule]

absolute crazy not to buy from Costco.
I have returned 3 HDTVs there over time, always got full money+ship back.
They extend MFG warranty by 1 year on all HD tvs..
I once had a bad TV after the 90day full return policy, they called the MFG, setup the swap, new TV arrived and they took old one away, they even called me after to make sure it went down smoothly.
Costco is amazing for TVs, foolish to buy anywhere else IMHO
Why would you deal with any MFG customer service when Costco will do it for you?



and I am not an employee FYI...

 

[ewoksrule]

sony, toshiba, or lg . dont get any other brands really.

watch
http://slickdeals.net/blackfriday/

for all your deals n stuff, they get posted pretty quickly up here and later you can sort by products

I would stay clear from Sony; Tosh and LG are decent.
Samsung all the way for quality and Sceptre for cost/quality ration.

 

[Odale]

Samsung all the way for quality and Sceptre for cost/quality ration.

+1 to this^^

Samsung manufactures the best panels out there - so when you get your TV, do some research to determine what panel is in the TV. I know some of the Insignia brand TVs (BestBuy branded stuff) uses Samsung panels.

Stupid not to get a Samsung panel imo.

 

[XionTawa]

I don't think any HDTV can even use 1080p yet...that is a marketing lie...do some research on it ...but being poor I go cheapy brands... We have a 19" HDTV from Philips that works great and has a wonderful picture... But I figure you are wanting something larger than 19" ...my grandparents have a 46" Philips that they love and looks pretty awesome...

 

[ewoksrule]

I don't think any HDTV can even use 1080p yet...that is a marketing lie...do some research on it ...but being poor I go cheapy brands... We have a 19" HDTV from Philips that works great and has a wonderful picture... But I figure you are wanting something larger than 19" ...my grandparents have a 46" Philips that they love and looks pretty awesome...

Are you sure? I was certain PS3 and 360 can produce 1080p via HDMI cables.

 

[Lloren]

Samsung all the way for quality

Owned and used 5 Samsung HDTVs LCD and LED for both home and work. They have been superb in the the quality and image. The Sony Bravia line is the only thing that comes close.

I would get 120Hz just for lossless flickering during action. 3D is gimmicky.

Most computers output 1080p with a decent card.

 

[XionTawa]

Are you sure? I was certain PS3 and 360 can produce 1080p via HDMI cables.

I was listening to a podcast (Leo Laporte, the Tech Guy) and he had an HDTV expert on there...and he said that all of the companies are lying to you about their TVs...yes, there are 1080p cables...yes Blu-Ray players, PS3's, and 360's produce a 1080p signal...but ALL HDTVs can only support up to 720p...he said once it hits the TV it is converted to 720p...you you never know the difference... He said that current TVs are not far enough in tech to handle a 1080p signal...and that it will still be a few years and even then the TV's will cost a lot more than they do now...

Now given...he could be just lying himself...but all the stuff he was spouting and the fact he was talking with Leo Laporte...makes it pretty reliable...

 

[Abba San]

I remember reading two articles in MiaximunPC about HDTV.

23 Tips for Buying an HDTV and

Display Myths Shattered

 

[Tek7]

I don't think any HDTV can even use 1080p yet...that is a marketing lie...do some research on it

Eh? Do you have an article you can link to as a source? That's quite the claim.

So it seems that Sony, Toshiba, LG, and Samsung are the most beloved brands so far (which is not surprising).

There are no CostCo stores in a 100-mile radius from where I live, so unless they offer the same perks online plus free or inexpensive shipping, we'll be sticking with a local brick and mortar store or another online retailer.

What about specs? What should I establish as a baseline for candidate HDTVs?

EDIT: Oh, and I'm still looking for suggestions regarding LED vs. LCD vs. plasma.

 

[Odale]

In order of price, Plasmas are least expensive but their screens can develop memories. My friend recently got an Insignia 42" plasma (with the Samsung panel in it) for arounf $400. It has an extra line of pixels on one side and occasionally the screen will move one line of pixels over to help prevent that.

It looks great too.

 

[Lloren]

NewEgg does a great prompt job of delivering TVs. Oh and they had free delivery too sometimes.

Amazon does too supposedly. We have one coming next Friday so I can't be 100% sure yet.

 

[Atown]

i like how something is crazy if you dont do it, or stupid if you dont do another

 

[Kendrik]

Personally, I have a Vizio. Not the best TV on the market, but I've had it since the release of the Wii, and it still looks pretty decent. Good price/quality ratio in my book. Honestly, I'd buy another from them if I were in the market for one.

 

[Lloren]

Personally, I have a Vizio. Not the best TV on the market, but I've had it since the release of the Wii, and it still looks pretty decent. Good price/quality ratio in my book. Honestly, I'd buy another from them if I were in the market for one.

Glad you had a good experience. Vizio is sometimes a grab bag .

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_Sony_make_Vizio

 

[ewoksrule]

i like how something is crazy if you dont do it, or stupid if you dont do another

heheh yeah my post was full of hype/exaggeration as most of my posts are.

 

[Atown]

Eh? Do you have an article you can link to as a source? That's quite the claim.

So it seems that Sony, Toshiba, LG, and Samsung are the most beloved brands so far (which is not surprising).

There are no CostCo stores in a 100-mile radius from where I live, so unless they offer the same perks online plus free or inexpensive shipping, we'll be sticking with a local brick and mortar store or another online retailer.

What about specs? What should I establish as a baseline for candidate HDTVs?

EDIT: Oh, and I'm still looking for suggestions regarding LED vs. LCD vs. plasma.

if you buy from amazon we can add it to the store and you can buy it from there

Plasmas are definitely not worth the investment, the burn in is pretty bad even in today's terms. They do have some with the pixel shift or burn in cleaner, but honestly why pay for something that is dysfunctional from the get go?

LED is pretty impressive in general. I remember seeing my first LED HDTV with Blu-ray - Planet Earth. It was very pretty ^_^ . for price though on a 46" your going to be checking a LCD most likely.

 

[ewoksrule]

FYI...Coscto online is the same situation online and the shipping is often free on TVs.

 

[Ember]

I can't see us getting a Costco membership when we don't have a Costco here...even with the online. Unless whatever deal Costco had made the membership pay for itself.

I already knew I wouldn't want plasma. And I figured it would be LCD since I'm not convinced that LED is better enough to justify the price difference right now.

On a related note, thinness isn't an issue since we wouldn't be wall-mounting.

It's sounding like Samsung is a good bet. We have and love a few LG things, but I know they can't be wonderful at everything. But sounds like they're worth considering, too.

A couple of years ago, I thought there was a lot of buzz about Sharp. No mention of Sharps here. Any thoughts +/-? I haven't even looked at reviews lately. But we'll likely read a LOT of them if we start shopping seriously.