Buying a TV, want your input

[MorphineChild]

I have kind of been out of the TV loop for a while, I have $2500 and am looking for a big screen, preferably 40" +. I am looking for something that will last, has a good picture, doesnt use an insane amount of energy....

With what is out there now (or will be within the next months) what would you recommend, I am kind of steering clear of Plasma, but then there is LCD, DLP, SXRD, XI-LD, LCOS...... and whatever else.

What is a good reliable and picture in my price range.

 

[TBone48]

Westinghouse makes a 40 inch LCD monitor that displays at 1080p. I've heard it's pretty good.

 

[Ultralight]

Good that you are steering clear of Plasma. I just took my TV in today to have it fixed and the man that does the repair said Plasmas run too hot, have to short of a life expectancy - 4-6 years MAX - and burn into the screen. Sony is getting out of Plasma altogether.

IMO, LCD HDTV is the way to go.

 

[ScottFern]

$2,299.99 Vizio P50HD 50" Plasma Television.


Has 2 HDMI inputs and 50 inches of Plasma and it has Costco's lifetime return policy! Can't go wrong there.

This deal can't be beat! I have one. :thumbsup:

 

[CaptnKirk]

Sharp Aquos

45" @ $2,500 +up

 

[Dulanic]

Originally posted by: Ultralight
Good that you are steering clear of Plasma. I just took my TV in today to have it fixed and the man that does the repair said Plasmas run too hot, have to short of a life expectancy - 4-6 years MAX - and burn into the screen. Sony is getting out of Plasma altogether.

IMO, LCD HDTV is the way to go.

Oh god, here we go again. Sony has been out of plasma, and it's not because of the technology, they NEVER made their own panels, however they do for LCD, so they are pushing LCD. Plasma's typically have 60,000+ hour halflife that is 20+ years at 8 hours a day.

You want one of the best pictures in that price range? 42" Panny Plasma. SXRD is great, but out of the range your looking at.

If they come out with a technology that has great blacks (LCD doesn't) and no burn it, will be great, but nothing there yet that is a flat panel.

 

[EatSpam]

Easy. The Westinghouse 42" LCD monitor at BestBuy. Its $2499.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Samsung HLS-xxx (2006 model) DLP. One big change is a game mode to remove the slight lag in the 2005 models.

Register at AVSForum.com and there is a group purchase of them in the Rear Projection forum.

720p resolution sets are cheaper, and perfect for DVDs and game consoles.

1080p sets are probably worth the extra money if you watch a lot of sports and will upgrade to HD cable/sat, or if you plan to get a blu-ray or HD-DVD player in the next year or two.

 

[QED]

Originally posted by: Ultralight
Good that you are steering clear of Plasma. I just took my TV in today to have it fixed and the man that does the repair said Plasmas run too hot, have to short of a life expectancy - 4-6 years MAX - and burn into the screen. Sony is getting out of Plasma altogether.

IMO, LCD HDTV is the way to go.

So much bad information is such a short post.

Plasmas have a lot of weaknesses, but life expectancy isn't one of them. Neither is burn-in, unless you watch the same channel all of the time.

Not that that helps the OP any.

If I had $2500 and I you absolutely had to rule out a plasma (which ordinarily would be my first choice), I would wait for either the next-generation of DLP RPTV which use LED backlighting, or wait a while for the price on the Sony SXRDs to drop into your price range.

The SXRDs are really great looking sets, and have a very high fill rate that gives them a very nice film-look.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Originally posted by: EatSpam
Easy. The Westinghouse 42" LCD monitor at BestBuy. Its $2499.

seconded.

 

[MorphineChild]

Originally posted by: KMDupont64

Originally posted by: EatSpam
Easy. The Westinghouse 42" LCD monitor at BestBuy. Its $2499.

seconded.

May I ask why? Is it because of the 1080P?

 

[QED]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Samsung HLS-xxx (2006 model) DLP. One big change is a game mode to remove the slight lag in the 2005 models.

Register at AVSForum.com and there is a group purchase of them in the Rear Projection forum.

720p resolution sets are cheaper, and perfect for DVDs and game consoles.


1080p sets are probably worth the extra money if you watch a lot of sports and will upgrade to HD cable/sat, or if you plan to get a blu-ray or HD-DVD player in the next year or two.

I really have to disagree with that last part there.

A 1080p will do nothing extra for you while watching sports, even if you have HD cable or satellite.

First off, most HD over satellite is pretty much a joke and will be until they start using MPEG4-- they just don't have the bandwidth needed to do even 720p any justice. The only thing a 1080p set will do will allow you to see the horrible compression artifacts in finer detail.

Anyways, I wouldn't count on 1080p being available via satellite or cable for at least the next 5 to 7 years minimum even if they could somehow find the bandwidth they needed.

The best bet for 1080p will be HD-DVDs and Blu-Ray... assuming you could find a player that can do 1080p justice and a TV set that won't hopelessly mangle with it (most so-called 1080p TV's on the market don't even accept a true 1080p input, and don't properly deinterlace a 1080i signal-- meaning your best input resolution is good-ol 720p).

 

[RossMAN]

Either DLP or Plasma.

CostCo or BB after 10% off coupon.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: MathMan

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Samsung HLS-xxx (2006 model) DLP. One big change is a game mode to remove the slight lag in the 2005 models.

Register at AVSForum.com and there is a group purchase of them in the Rear Projection forum.

720p resolution sets are cheaper, and perfect for DVDs and game consoles.


1080p sets are probably worth the extra money if you watch a lot of sports and will upgrade to HD cable/sat, or if you plan to get a blu-ray or HD-DVD player in the next year or two.

I really have to disagree with that last part there.

A 1080p will do nothing extra for you while watching sports, even if you have HD cable or satellite.

First off, most HD over satellite is pretty much a joke and will be until they start using MPEG4-- they just don't have the bandwidth needed to do even 720p any justice. The only thing a 1080p set will do will allow you to see the horrible compression artifacts in finer detail.

Anyways, I wouldn't count on 1080p being available via satellite or cable for at least the next 5 to 7 years minimum even if they could somehow find the bandwidth they needed.

The best bet for 1080p will be HD-DVDs and Blu-Ray... assuming you could find a player that can do 1080p justice and a TV set that won't hopelessly mangle with it (most so-called 1080p TV's on the market don't even accept a true 1080p input, and don't properly deinterlace a 1080i signal-- meaning your best input resolution is good-ol 720p).

No problem, I don't watch sports myself I'd just read somewhere that they were available via cable in 1080i.

The 2006 model Samsung HLS- 1080p sets do accept a 1080p signal, though I'm not sure I care enough to spend the extra money over 720p. The 50" DLP 720p set (HL-S5086) is going for under $2,000 shipped from a reputable store.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Originally posted by: MorphineChild

Originally posted by: KMDupont64

Originally posted by: EatSpam
Easy. The Westinghouse 42" LCD monitor at BestBuy. Its $2499.

seconded.

May I ask why? Is it because of the 1080P?

To me, LCD looks better than Plasma. I tried the RP HDTV thing (Sony A10) but didn't like it. I would sacrifice the screen size for the fact that it is flat panel and LCD.

The Westinghouse/Sceptre 42 inch LCD that does 1080p is perfect for my desires.

 

[EKKC]

check my sig
3400 for 45" Aquos. save another 1k and you get it!

my model has 1080p (not just 1080i) if you skip the AVC (like a receiver, where all the jacks are located, the pic in my sig shows the AVC standing vertically... my panel only has a DVI/HDMI input that can do 1080p)

 

[jcuadrado]

I vote for the Vizio 50 plasma for 2299....such a magnificent deal. 50 inches of plasma goodness for less than 2500...hang that baby on a wall and you're good to go!

 

[EatSpam]

Originally posted by: MorphineChild

Originally posted by: KMDupont64

Originally posted by: EatSpam
Easy. The Westinghouse 42" LCD monitor at BestBuy. Its $2499.

seconded.

May I ask why? Is it because of the 1080P?

I have a Westinghouse 32" LCD TV... excellent Plug 'n Play support for my HTPC. The Samsungs, Sharps, etc, have not been so kind to HTPC users. The 42" has been reported as similar in most aspects.

Image quality is excellent for an LCD - which is just fine for me. I would advise tweaking the settings. My 32" came out of the box with the brightness and backlight maxed out.... turn them down.

The 1080P is icing. It'll become more relevant in the next few years.

 

[mrizvi66]

Originally posted by: EatSpam
Easy. The Westinghouse 42" LCD monitor at BestBuy. Its $2499.

It looks beautiful on my wall.....

 

[EatSpam]

Originally posted by: mrizvi66

Originally posted by: EatSpam
Easy. The Westinghouse 42" LCD monitor at BestBuy. Its $2499.

It looks beautiful on my wall.....

I really want to buy one, but I have to wait until 2 years SAC or several months.

 

[bluewall21]

Another vote for the current or fothcoming line of Samsung's DLP sets. Samsung has proven themselves to be one of the best manufacturers of DLP RPTVs, and even my two generation old set still provides a breathtaking picture.

 

[LanceM]

+ Another vote for the Westy. I have the 37" and absolutely cannot complain. A good friend has the 42" and adores it.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Buy a Samsung HL-S4666 46" 720p for $1700 instead of the LCDs or plasmas above and you'll save enough for an upconverting DVD player and either an Xbox360 premium or a couple of years of Netflix.

 

[Rickten]

I just got a 720p dlp projector. 100" screen for the win and since I'm only using a 11' throw I can have the lights on and still see the picture pefectly.

 

[LukFilm]

Definitely plasma. I have one and love it. Go for quality, don't skimp.