HD noob needs a bit of help picking out a TV

[Bignate603]

I'm a bit lost with all the choices. I'm hoping I can get some pointers on what to look for and maybe some models to look at.

Here's the basics of what I'm looking for...

$1000 budget
We sit about 8' from the TV (I was thinking about 37"-42", we have a 27 inch CRT right now)
So far no Bluray, just a standard DVD player but I will be getting an upconverting one in the near future
We'll get HDTV broadcasts through Cox but not all channels so SD performance is important too.
It will be hooked up to a Wii but we watch TV much more than play games

What should I be looking for?

 

[sivart]

You can almost get any 42" LCD/Plasma for that price. There are probably even some 50" in that price range. My Dad sits about 8 feet from his 50" Samsung plasma and still wants to move closer with HD material.

Buy the biggest screen you can afford.

 

[Bignate603]

I'd rather get a screen that does nice color and a good black than get something massive. A few friends have cheap HDTVs and they make people look almost like claymation because of skin tone issues or dark scenes are hard to see. If that means I need to get a smaller screen so be it.

 

[Zorba]

I personally like the Samsung LN40A550 in that price range. I think it have very good color from what I've seen. I am very sensitive to blur and ghosting but it is much better on this TV than other 60Hz screens I've watched. The 650 is pretty much the same thing but it is 120Hz, which for me is worth the extra money but I know a lot of people that can't see a difference.

 

[Bignate603]

Thanks Zorba, I'll head over to the local Best Buy or something and spend a while looking at it.

 

[Zorba]

BTW: The way I could really tell the difference between the 120Hz and the 60Hz was by watching basketball on ESPN. On fast breaks I could notice a slight blur on the 60Hz TVs. I could also really notice a difference on the information ticker running across the bottom.