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Best TV for $500?

judasmachine

judasmachine

Diamond Member
I am looking to spend about half of my tax return (~$500) on a TV, before the rest goes into savings. I currently am watching a 26 or 27" CRT, and would like to move to an LCD. I am wanting a 32 or 37" HDTV, what's out there? Are the off brand TVs good, and specifically is Toshiba making good panels? They are the cheaper ones on the egg, and I was wondering if I should go that route or get one of the Sonys or LGs that are on sale???


Purpose: Best 32" to 37" LCD HDTV
Budget: $500
Use: Living Room; movies, tv, and occasional gaming
Geometry: We will be sitting about 6 to 8' away from the TV.
Note: I am about 65% deaf, so a lot of HD sound is lost on me, and the woman doesn't really care about THX level sound.
 
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with that budget you should be able to find a good set, look at the namebrands first, panasonic, lg, sony, samsung, also amazon can have some good deals online, i looked at the egg before i purchased and found better deals elsewhere, egg isnt always cheaper, look for free shipping atleast, also may find some great deals locally that would give you the advantage of seeing the set before purchase, get the biggest set you can afford.
 
Samsung LN32B460 ( http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN32B460-32-Inch-720p-HDTV/dp/B001U3Y8MW ) (go to store and see if picture size seems right at your viewing distance; 6 ft. is probably fine; at 8 ft you might find 37 inch tv more right to your eyes).

Was as low as $400 around Black Friday, but probably under $500 is going to be good price for this set now.

Panasonic also make a quality budget set ( http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIE...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1264871728&sr=8-2 ), but when I looked at at Best Buy, picture wasn't as pleasing as Samsung and speakers were thinner sounding. I think this set got as low as $325 - $350 around Black Friday.

Right now, I don't think you are going to get a good quality 32 inch lcd under $400 now. Here is summary of Black Friday pricing for tvs: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2023770

The LN32B460 was a Christmas gift for my dad and he is also hard of hearing. He is very happy with LN32B460, but sits about 4 ft. away from screen (tv. is to side of computer in extra bedroom).




edit: both of above sets are 720 resolution. Should be fine given screen size and viewing distance, but you don't get native 1080 resolution for gaming or secondary use as computer monitor.
 
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Plasma would probably do best in a light controlled room like a dedicated home theater where you can block out all light from windows.

There is possibly issue of glare off screen and it may not seem as bright as lcd in regular room (possible you may also feel whites aren't really white, but slightly brownish).
 
mshan said:
Plasma would probably do best in a light controlled room like a dedicated home theater where you can block out all light from windows.

There is possibly issue of glare off screen and it may not seem as bright as lcd in regular room (possible you may also feel whites aren't really white, but slightly brownish).
Click to expand...


The definitely won't work, my living room is about 60% glass.
 
Samsung LN32B460 has a nice anti-glare coating on it.

Some LCDs have glossy screen too, now.

You won't be able to gauge actual quality of picture well in big box store, but you should be able to see what screen size you are comfortable with at your viewing distance, is glare off screen an issue for you, what do you think of sound and how loud it gets, how quick does it power up and change channels, and what do you think of look.

If you need an HDMI or other cable, buy at http://www.monoprice.com rather than from big box store salesman. Same or better quality and much more realistic pricing.

Good Luck!
 
Also remember when you go to store that they probably put all sets on thermonuclear vivid bright, so that may not reflect what you could expect at home.

They may also adjust settings to make sets they want to sell look better, and mess around with settings on sets that are less profitable to push you towards ones they want to sell.

You can go into menu and adjust settings to see what standard settings should look like.

(I would never buy a demo because they have been put on thermonuclear bright)
 
judasmachine said:
Because I figured this is what I'd get, "Open Box" and $149.99 shipping.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16889102294R
Click to expand...

Exactly...all plasmas are open box...they don't make any new ones anymore 🙄

Plus, you don't need to block all light for a plasma...just a myth. Heck you don't even need to block all light for a projector.

OP sounds like an LCD fanboy...no point in trying to ask the question "Why not plasma, rear projection or CRT?"
 
sivart said:
Exactly...all plasmas are open box...they don't make any new ones anymore 🙄

Plus, you don't need to block all light for a plasma...just a myth. Heck you don't even need to block all light for a projector.

OP sounds like an LCD fanboy...no point in trying to ask the question "Why not plasma, rear projection or CRT?"
Click to expand...

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound short. I just can't find any that don't sound sketchy for my $500 budget. Plasma would be great, if I had the budget. I just figured (and maybe I'm ignorant here) that I'd get more bang for my buck with LCD. I'm open to just about anything, so long as it lasts me a few years faithfully.

EDIT: I have a good CRT, and just want something slimmer, and modern. It's just my taste.
 
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What's your viewing distance? A 32" HDTV isn't much bigger than a 27" CRT (it's actually smaller with 4:3 content). I like sivart's recommendation.
 
St. Pete... awesome I'm in Redington Beach

as far as your budget goes, I would look for a decent in-store deal, maybe at wal-mart or target (the best buy on 22nd isn't that great)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16889253227 this looks like a good deal

as far as my tv's I didn't buy in area (we are kinda screwed around here IMO) i picked up a refurb toshiba DLP in 07 for 1k (56" 1080I) still puttin, and probably the best buy i have had. And March of 09 i bought a Toshiba 42" Plasma G1 for 1k from newegg (also a great deal) the pic quality is amazing to either LCD or DLP. My old room-mate had a 47" 1080P Sceptre I was VERY unimpressed with compared to my sets.

TBH though as someone mentioned above, my 30" 1080i Phillips CRT still puts out an amazing picture after ~6years

As far as our area... i would really consider looking online, unless you happen to stumble into a good deal in one of the stores, i rarely see good prices when i go "shopping" around here and end up coming home empty handed, with a full shopping cart on newegg.... - My girlfriend vouches as I write this haha
 
sivart said:
Exactly...all plasmas are open box...they don't make any new ones anymore 🙄

Plus, you don't need to block all light for a plasma...just a myth. Heck you don't even need to block all light for a projector.

OP sounds like an LCD fanboy...no point in trying to ask the question "Why not plasma, rear projection or CRT?"
Click to expand...

all plasmas are done being manufactured?

i don't believe this is correct... please post something confirming this.... seems panasonic had a home run with the latest Viera plasma's seems odd they would stop producing them

i see the simely, you could be joking, just verifying here
 
never trust what the set's look like [picture quaility] in stores, you can be assured the settings have been tampered with and the source material i would question, if you watch any sports related shows go plasma and tone down the brite settings for atleast 150hrs to avoid possible image retention problems then crank it up to your desired levels and enjoy your new set.
 
http://www.tvcalculator.com

You can get an idea of how non-widescreen material and widescreen material will look on your new tv vs. the one you currently have, though in my opinion, there is no opinion for seeing tv in person and standing at approximate viewing distance.

Smaller than optimal screen size, at least for me, may not be as much of an issue for tv broadcasts and even gaming, but watching widescreen dvds of movies originally intended for the big screen may be more noticeable vs. say 50 inch plus hdtv or front projector with 8 - 10 ft. diagonal screen ( http://myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html )
 
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mshan said:
http://www.tvcalculator.com

You can get an idea of how non-widescreen material and widescreen material will look on your new tv vs. the one you currently have, though in my opinion, there is no opinion for seeing tv in person and standing at approximate viewing distance.

Smaller than optimal screen size, at least for me, may not be as much of an issue for tv broadcasts and even gaming, but watching widescreen dvds of movies originally intended for the big screen may be more noticeable vs. say 50 inch plus hdtv or front projector with 8 - 10 ft. diagonal screen ( http://myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html )
Click to expand...

I read screenmath (I think that's the name) and used all the size comparison sites, now it's just time to start looking. I started this thread thinking there may just be some standout that everyone raved over, but I guess it's all subjective.

I read the site you mentioned, and it helped confirm what I've already read, thanks.

I also wanted to say that I was content being a desktop PC geek, but then had to become a phone geek, and now I have to become a TV geek. I miss the days of just reading CPU and Video card reviews.
 
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You guys will probably flame me for this, but as I was drooling over a sammy 32 inch at Target, my g/f says, "What about this 42" one right here?" I look over and there is this Magnavox 42" TV quietly displaying a picture just as good as the Samsung. After all of about two seconds of thought I say yes. So far it's great, but then maybe I don't quite demand as much as you guys. I have the digital DVR coming this week, and we'll see how it does there. So far the OTA channels look great. The speakers are 2x10W and are clear and loud enough for someone with my somewhat lo-fi ears.

EDIT: BTW it was on sale for $499. The Sammy was like 389 or so, and 10" smaller. I have a 25.5" Sammy as my monitor, and love it, but...

http://www.target.com/Magnavox-42-1080p-LCD-TV/dp/B001THHVPA
 
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Just break in tv carefully and evaluate fully before window for return has expired: http://hdguru.com/your-new-disposable-flat-panel-hdtv/107/

This type of technology gets better every year, and cheaper too, so if you happpy and you have no need for warranty service, all is good.

I believe there are threads on extended warranties you can get after the fact, but if it doesn't break fairly quickly (defective manufacturing), and you have fully broken it in and don't move it, it will hopefully have a long useable lifespan, at which point, it will hopefully be worthless because technology has improved so much and you can get so much for your money then.

There was Consumer Reports on failure rate on lcds and plasmas and typical cost, but I can't find it now. It is very low failure rate (I think it was 2, 3 or 4%, IIRC) and I think average cost was several hundred dollars. Personally, I would just break in carefully, test fully within return period, and go without extended warranty, but others will hopefully chime in with cheap extended warranty plans that you can at least look at.

Enjoy!



🙂
 
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I read the CR report as well, and the numbers are very low. Going for size over brand was a good decision at your price point. The only brand I'd really avoid is Sceptre, as someone else mentioned. I have personally seen one that would fairly often display vertical lines of red, green, or blue (seemingly randomly) through the image.

Haha, just noticed it even has 1080p resolution. That should end up being a great deal. Just curious, how many VGA ports does it have? The target website says 3, which I highly doubt. I wonder if it supports the full resolution on that connection (my Panasonic G10 doens't on VGA but does on HDMI lol).
 
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