Best LCD TV in the $600 - $700 price range

[Texashiker]

My wife and I are looking to upgrade our current TV setup. The first thing she wants to do is get a rustic looking piece of furniture for a new TV stand.

Second, we want to upgrade our current 32 inch. The current TV is 1020p and HD.

I live in a rural area and the only store within 75 - 100 miles is a super wal-mart. While looking at TVs over the weekend, my wife and I liked the size of the 55 inch, but the 55 inch at the upper end of our budget.

We thought about going with a TV in the 40 inch range, but we would only be upgrading about 1 foot. I told my wife, if we are goign to upgrade, then lets "upgrade" more then 1 foot of viewing area.

TVs I was looking at:

VIZIO VF550M 55-Inch Full HD 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV from amazon for $995.00. But at $995, that is stretching my budget just a little bit.

VIZIO M470NV 47-Inch 1080p LED LCD HDTV - $799 from amazon.

Is there a noticeable difference between 60hz and 120hz? Is it worth the extra money to get 120hz?

My wife and I have a blueray player.

As for playing games on the TV, we have a wii, but we do not play it very often.

 

[A5]

I wouldn't pay the difference for the 120Hz, but I would definitely pay $200 for the extra 8" of screen size.

 

[vi edit]

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIER...JM/ref=lh_ni_t

$799 from Amazon, in the range of some others you were looking at. I still like Plasma over LCD.

 

[Texashiker]

$799 from Amazon, in the range of some others you were looking at. I still like Plasma over LCD.

Is there a reason why you prefer plasma over lcd? I have never owned a plasma TV.

From what I have read, the plasma uses more energy then an LCD? Is plasma going away soon, or is it here to stay for awhile?

 

[vi edit]

Is there a reason why you prefer plasma over lcd? I have never owned a plasma TV.

From what I have read, the plasma uses more energy then an LCD? Is plasma going away soon, or is it here to stay for awhile?

A number of reasons...

- Better viewing angles
- Better black levels
- A more natural looking picture
- Smoother picture...even the high speed LCD's still have a judder too them in fast pans and scrolling images. And they do it without some creepy looking motion compensation

As far as power consumption goes..we're talking a couple bucks a year. It's not a big deal. No clue on longevity...they still offer exception picture quality and size for the price. Forwhatever reason they fell out of favor to lower quality LCD's.

 

[NutBucket]

The only major consideration for Plasma vs LCD to me is the room it will be in. Bright room = LCD, otherwise go for the plasma.

 

[ICXRa]

A number of reasons...

- Better viewing angles
- Better black levels
- A more natural looking picture
- Smoother picture...even the high speed LCD's still have a judder too them in fast pans and scrolling images. And they do it without some creepy looking motion compensation

As far as power consumption goes..we're talking a couple bucks a year. It's not a big deal. No clue on longevity...they still offer exception picture quality and size for the price. Forwhatever reason they fell out of favor to lower quality LCD's.

I was a "prefer LCD" consumer when I purchased my Sammy about 3 1/2 years ago. Since that time I have had the opportunity to set up several panels for friends and family. No doubt, next time around it will be Plasma.

 

[Texashiker]

A number of reasons...

Thank you

The only major consideration for Plasma vs LCD to me is the room it will be in. Bright room = LCD, otherwise go for the plasma.

My living room has a lamp on the sectional that we use for light; the room has overhead lights, but they are rarely used. The TV is also on an interior wall with no outside windows.

The living room windows point towards the east. To keep the summer heat out, my wife installed some kind of dark curtains that blocks most of the sunlight. Plus we have 2 large shade trees in the front yard. Overall, I would consider my living room dark.

 

[ICXRa]

Thank you




My living room has a lamp on the sectional that we use for light; the room has overhead lights, but they are rarely used. The TV is also on an interior wall with no outside windows.

Looks like you've found your answer! As mentioned above, better blacks, and overall smoother motion. My LCD was one of the first 120 Hz models with Samsung's "Auto Motion Plus", there proprietary name for smoothing the screen refreshes. Not only does it not work, and never did, but it just plain looks weird. Also there is no triple ball effect on Plasma sets when watching sports.

Panasonic seems to be the "go to" plasma manufacturer, from what I've read anyway.

 

[mshan]

I would first measure your viewing distance to screen and types of media you watch (tv vs dvds) and then make trip to store and stand or sit at that distance and see what seems right to you (http://myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html) Then focus on specific models.

Black Friday is coming up, so if you don't have to buy right now, you can google for Black Firday websites and see what deals might be available around then.

I have seen good comments about Mitsubishi DLP rear projection tvs and some of the smaller screens ( I think there was a 60 inch dlp on Dell website for around $650 previously?) might be found in your price range.

You can search Hot Deals forums here or at deal sites such as Fat Wallet and Slick Deals for Mitsubishi to see previous deals.

Also can watch Tech Bargains dot com for current deals.

 

[Texashiker]

Black Friday is coming up, so if you don't have to buy right now, you can google for Black Firday websites and see what deals might be available around then.

After I posted this thread my wife brought up black friday. She suggested that we buy the new TV stand now, then put back a little more money and see what goes on sale for black friday.

Here are the TV stand we are looking at - http://www.texasrustic.com/tvstands.html

The model is LT-COM 8 Hacienda TV Stand

* I am not associated with texasrustic in any shape, form, or fashion.