Decent 40" 1080p televisions for 500 dollars?

[Matt915]

Is this doable? 500 bucks is pretty much my absolute limit for how much I want to spend on a TV, and I'm looking for either 40 or 42"...is this possible, or will I be stuck with a shitty tv at that price?

 

[queequeg99]

Is this doable? 500 bucks is pretty much my absolute limit for how much I want to spend on a TV, and I'm looking for either 40 or 42"...is this possible, or will I be stuck with a shitty tv at that price?

How are you going to use it? As a computer monitor or only for traditional TV viewing? How far away from the set will you be sitting? Are there lots of windows in the room where the set will be located (i.e. will a glossy screen cause glare problems)?

A very quick look shows that you can get some nice 42" plasmas for under $500 but they are only 720P resolution and have glossy screens. Costco has a nice Panasonic for $450. So if you don't have a ton of windows and don't sit too close, that's an option. I'm sure there are a number of LCD options out there as well. But to get 1080P resolution (which will probably be available in LCD only at your price point), you might have to go with a second tier brand like Vizio. This isn't necessarily the end of the world, especially if you buy at a place like Costco (which has an awesome return policy and tacks on extra warranty time).

 

[Matt915]

I'd be sitting about 8-10' away from it, no windows to glare off of really, and only for traditional tv viewing.

 

[JSquare]

If you're going to Costco you may want to check the [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Westinghouse LD-4255VX 42" 1080p LED HDTV for $499.99, at stores only. It's not the best brand out there and has few A/V inputs, but it comes with 90-Days hassle free return and 2-years warranty. The TV is very light weight (30Lbs) and uses around 90 Watts of power. For more info go HERE!
[/FONT]

 

[0roo0roo]

Whatever will work, it doesn't matter all that much, at that distance and size, you aren't really able to appreciate the full detail of 1080p. So just save your money and get a decent budget model.

 

[SandEagle]

Best Buy has a 46'' RCA 1080p/60hz tv on sale this week for $549.
Model : 46LA45RQ | SKU : 1831054

also, a 40'' Samsung 1080p/60hz for $499
Model : LN 40C 500 | SKU : 140532

 

[kornphlake]

I bought this one:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...=en-US&topnav=

I'm not a television snob but I call it decent. At that price I don't think there's going to be much difference.

 

[queequeg99]

As OrooOroo points out, at that distance, 1080p isn't going to be noticeably different than 720p. Based on your earlier response about distance and usage, I would seriously look at the Panasonic plasma. I think you'll find the contrast and overall picture quality to be better than LCD. But if you might end up sitting closer (where 1080p becomes noticeable), the LCDs should enter the picture.

Here's a little graph to give you an idea of what I'm talking about with respect to viewing distances and taking advantage of 1080p resolutions:

http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html

 

[the DRIZZLE]

At that distance I would strongly encourage you to go bigger than 40" I sit about 8' away from my 50" and its great. If I had to replace the TV tomorrow I'd probably go 54". A good rule of thumb is so stay between the 720p and 1080p lines on the chart queequeg linked. A quick search of slickdeals shows a few 50" plasmas in the $500-600 range.

 

[Matt915]

thanks for that graph!

 

[djnsmith7]

I'll say this...I bought my 42" 720p plasma (native support per manuals), but actually supports & displays 1080p Blu Ray content & 1080i Comcast HD content, for $379 at Best Buy. It carries an Insignia label, but most of the internals are made by Samsung.

I think the regular price is $429. I highly recommend this display over most of the others out there, even those priced as high as $599, unless you have a need for more than 2 HDMI ports. Give it a look, you might be as shocked as I was to see how good it looks. From what I've read, this display goes on sale on a regular basis.