in the market for a new tv...

[Raswan]

Getting ready to buy a TV for the bedroom, and I've been out of the market for a little while. Looking for a 32-inch LCD that has internet connectivity (either wifi or cat5, prefer wifi if prices are close). Will be sitting approx. 8.5 feet from set. Looking for something like a Samsung, Toshiba, Sharp, or LG. No Vizios or Sonys or Dynexes. Budget is ~$500, plus or minus a bit.

TV will be used, at this time, 90% for netflix and 10% for dvd movies. In the future will connect a blu-ray player and likely hd cable again.

My understanding is that below 37 inches, 1080p is kind of a waste. What about 60hz vs. 120hz? Same idea? Or are there disadvantages? Also, how about an LED LCD?

Here's kind of what I'm looking for: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16889102341

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0039RRCFM

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0039RWATK

Feel free to critique and give suggestions. Have Amazon Prime, so shipping from there could also save me money. Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[Soccerman06]

If your looking at tvs, your very limited in quality sets in the 32" range. As for resolution on tvs, that is completely dependent on how far away you sit, if your 2' away then you will be able to tell the difference between 720 and 1080 however, only quality sets will properly display a 1080p properly. Refresh rate does have an impact on what you see, but depending on the manufacturer does with their "refresh rate" it may not be any difference between a 60 and 120 screen and chances are, at this size, there wont be any major difference.

I havent seen a good review of a small tv, but almost all sets will be under $500. Best advice I would be able to give would just go to amazon and look for the best rated one that has all your needs. Just get a quality brand name like Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, LG and the like (vizio makes a decent product).

Narrowed it down for you
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=...nid=1266092011

 

[Raswan]

If your looking at tvs, your very limited in quality sets in the 32" range. As for resolution on tvs, that is completely dependent on how far away you sit, if your 2' away then you will be able to tell the difference between 720 and 1080 however, only quality sets will properly display a 1080p properly. Refresh rate does have an impact on what you see, but depending on the manufacturer does with their "refresh rate" it may not be any difference between a 60 and 120 screen and chances are, at this size, there wont be any major difference.

I havent seen a good review of a small tv, but almost all sets will be under $500. Best advice I would be able to give would just go to amazon and look for the best rated one that has all your needs. Just get a quality brand name like Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, LG and the like (vizio makes a decent product).

Narrowed it down for you
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=...nid=1266092011

Appreciate the time you spent with your response, but I wouldn't have started this thread in the first place if I thought Amazon reviews were the definitive indicator of a quality TV. Looking for a little more comprehensive understanding. Guess I'll keep looking.

 

[Ross Ridge]

One thing to note is that having an Ethernet port on a TV doesn't mean that it necessarily has a Netflix application. I can't find any indication that the Samsung TV you linked can stream Netflix directly from the TV.

 

[s44]

Can't you fit like a 40" set? They're not really more expensive.

 

[Raswan]

One thing to note is that having an Ethernet port on a TV doesn't mean that it necessarily has a Netflix application. I can't find any indication that the Samsung TV you linked can stream Netflix directly from the TV.

hmmm, didn't know that. So can I assume whatever I get will have to expressly say it can link to a Netflix account or has a Netflix app?

 

[Raswan]

Can't you fit like a 40" set? They're not really more expensive.

Every 40-inch TV with decent specs I've seen is at least $600. Most often, they're closer to $700. Way over budget. Plus, fiancée wants something smaller, and the space won't fit anything larger.

 

[Anubis]

hmmm, didn't know that. So can I assume whatever I get will have to expressly say it can link to a Netflix account or has a Netflix app?

yes you have to specifically look for one that says it has included programs.

the LG you linked in your OP has Netcast which includes netflix

 

[smitbret]

1 - Why no Sony or Vizio?
2 - How about a plasma? Bigger TV, less money, better picture.

 

[Raswan]

1- Because I'm conducting a boycott against Sony for all of their recent skullduggery, and their overall douchebaggery. And Vizio is a company less than 10 years old, got their start marketing "value TVs" at Walmart, and I don't trust even their "high quality" stuff.

2-Never owned a plasma, but if you suggest one that can do everything I need for a decent price, I'll absolutely consider it. Anyway, do they even sell 32-inch plasmas? Smallest I've ever seen is 40...

 

[smitbret]

1- Because I'm conducting a boycott against Sony for all of their recent skullduggery, and their overall douchebaggery. And Vizio is a company less than 10 years old, got their start marketing "value TVs" at Walmart, and I don't trust even their "high quality" stuff.

2-Never owned a plasma, but if you suggest one that can do everything I need for a decent price, I'll absolutely consider it. Anyway, do they even sell 32-inch plasmas? Smallest I've ever seen is 40...

I can totally get on board with your Sony boycott! I've been using the PS3 to stream Blu-Ray rips for a couple of years, but now Sony thinks I shouldn't be allowed to stream movies I already own throughout my own home (Cinavia protection). You'd be doing yourself a disservice by skipping over Vizio, though.

You can't get a plasma less than 42", but if you have the space for it, you're enjoyment level will increase greatly over a 32". Size does matter for TVs.

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIER...6789377&sr=1-4

 

[Raswan]

I can totally get on board with your Sony boycott! I've been using the PS3 to stream Blu-Ray rips for a couple of years, but now Sony thinks I shouldn't be allowed to stream movies I already own throughout my own home (Cinavia protection). You'd be doing yourself a disservice by skipping over Vizio, though.

You can't get a plasma less than 42", but if you have the space for it, you're enjoyment level will increase greatly over a 32". Size does matter for TVs.

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIER...6789377&sr=1-4

I hear that that. Sony can suck it, for now at least.

As I stated in the OP, there's really no room for anything larger, let alone a 32". Plus, if I were going up to 42", I'd definitely want something 1080p.

 

[smitbret]

Gotcha. Well, then, my only other recommendation would have been a Vizio (LOL), but I'll just answer some of your other questions instead.

1 - Until you get a Blu-Ray player, 1080p is a useless feature regardless of which size you get. Netflix and DVD will be absolutely indistinguishable between a 720p and 1080p set. The only true 1080p content out there is Blu-Ray. Even video game consoles are typically upsampled 480p or 720p content.

2 - 60mHz vs. 120mHz- You should go to a B&M and check out tv sets with these features. Some of us hate the way 120/240 looks. It doesn't actually help with motion blur like marketing and rumor would have you think, the response time is the most important thing, there. It's real purpose is to smooth out 3:2 pulldown that occurs when you have a film frame rate of 23.976fps on your source material. I will never purchase a tv with that feature that can't be turned off, the judder from a film source is far less noticeable than the jellying effect of the 120mHz upsample.

3 - LED is really an overrated feature for all but the most high end TVs when it comes to performance. There are two types, edge-lit and local-dimming. Edge-lit doesn't offer much of an advantage over standard LCD when it comes to picture quality. It does run cooler and use less energy. The biggest advantage of an edge-lit LCD is how thin they can make the TV and style points count. Local-dimming LED televisions are much more expensive and can produce a picture that is close to a plasma.

Honestly, on a 32" TV, as long as you get a decent one, there's not a ton of difference in performance among the quality brands, especially sitting 8.5 feet from it. I would just pick a few that have the feature set that I like, decide whether or not I like 120MhZ and then narrow it down to style.

 

[0roo0roo]

even 40" at that far a distance 1080p becomes dicey.
so basically at that end of the tv spectrum you really just buy on price, they don't have much incentive to develop that low end low profit segment, hell its mix and match at that point, who makes the innards not necessary who you think.

 

[smitbret]

Exactly. Not to bring up the Vizio thing again, but two years ago, almost all of their panels were coming from LG. Under $500 it's features/size/style/price and that's about it.

 

[queequeg99]

Exactly. Not to bring up the Vizio thing again, but two years ago, almost all of their panels were coming from LG. Under $500 it's features/size/style/price and that's about it.

And if you buy a Vizio through Costco, you get the extended warranty (plus a totally easy return if something goes wrong during the first 90 days).

 

[s44]

Every 40-inch TV with decent specs I've seen is at least $600. Most often, they're closer to $700. Way over budget. Plus, fiancée wants something smaller, and the space won't fit anything larger.

OK, "won't fit" is obviously essential. But seriously, the #1 spec *by far* is size. Most people who don't have big enough sets don't realize this.

 

[theAnimal]

There are two types, edge-lit and local-dimming. Edge-lit doesn't offer much of an advantage over standard LCD when it comes to picture quality. It does run cooler and use less energy. The biggest advantage of an edge-lit LCD is how thin they can make the TV and style points count. Local-dimming LED televisions are much more expensive and can produce a picture that is close to a plasma.

There are back-lit LED that do not do local dimming, and there are also edge-lit that do.

 

[the DRIZZLE]

32" is very small for 8.5' viewing distance, you are not going to have a very good movie viewing experience. I would urge you to reconsider the plasma that smitbret recommended. At that distance you won't be able to tell 1080p from 720p on a 42" set anyway.

Here is a graph that shows the effect of different tv sizes, viewing distances, and resolutions. Its a flat screen, I'm sure you can find a place to put it with a little creativity.

http://www.blogcdn.com/hd.engadget.com/media/2006/12/resolution_chart.jpg

 

[Raswan]

OK, "won't fit" is obviously essential. But seriously, the #1 spec *by far* is size. Most people who don't have big enough sets don't realize this.

I've got a 46 in the living room with 5.1 sound. If I want to watch a really intense movie, I'll just go in there and watch it.

 

[smitbret]

There are back-lit LED that do not do local dimming, and there are also edge-lit that do.

You're correct, what I should have said was Full Array and Edge Lit. No real need to distinguish between the two from there for this discussion, though.

 

[JackBurton]

I've got a 46 in the living room with 5.1 sound. If I want to watch a really intense movie, I'll just go in there and watch it.

You need a bigger TV in your living room too.

 

[ultimatebob]

You need a bigger TV in your living room too.

Yep... unless he's sitting less than 7 feet in front of the set, even 46 inches is too small of a screen.

 

[Raswan]

Having been here for some time, I realized when I posted this that half of all comments would be worthless "you need to be getting something bigger" ones. Thanks to smitbret and the others for their constructive help. To ultimatebob and Jack, while I appreciate your snobbery, it's not helpful. I bought the tv 5 years ago as an undergrad on black friday, am currently a grad student making next to nothing, so bug off. I'll get a bigger one when I can afford it.

 

[JackBurton]

Having been here for some time, I realized when I posted this that half of all comments would be worthless "you need to be getting something bigger" ones. Thanks to smitbret and the others for their constructive help. To ultimatebob and Jack, while I appreciate your snobbery, it's not helpful. I bought the tv 5 years ago as an undergrad on black friday, am currently a grad student making next to nothing, so bug off. I'll get a bigger one when I can afford it.

As long as you appreciate it.