Looking for the best 50" Flat Panel TV

[Idz21]

Hey everyone. I'm looking to purchase a 50" Flat Panel TV. I wanted to get everyone's opinion as to what the best brand/model would be (kind of looking to see if there's a general consensus). The budget is $4,000.

I know we have four different technologies (maybe more?) and I know a little bit about each:

1. LCD
   Plasma
   DLP
   LCOS

Not sure which would be best for me. The TV is going to be used for general viewing

 

[thegimp03]

I would spend about 2000-2500 on a television, and spend the remaining 1500-2000 on a sound system. A big tv goes to waste without a decent receiver and surround speakers. I recently bought one of THESE and have been very happy with it so far. I got it from Costco and it came with a stand valued at around 300 bucks. I think the total came to 2600. Sony makes a top of the line tv, there's no doubt about it.
I wouldn't go with a plasma unless you want to dish out another few hundred bucks to have it mounted. Plus they weigh a crapload. DLP or LCD is the way to go...the majority of them weigh no more than 90 lbs which means you won't put your back out trying to move them.

 

[cyberfuzz]

Originally posted by: thegimp03
I would spend about 2000-2500 on a television, and spend the remaining 1500-2000 on a sound system. A big tv goes to waste without a decent receiver and surround speakers. I recently bought one of THESE and have been very happy with it so far. I got it from Costco and it came with a stand valued at around 300 bucks. I think the total came to 2600. Sony makes a top of the line tv, there's no doubt about it.
I wouldn't go with a plasma unless you want to dish out another few hundred bucks to have it mounted. Plus they weigh a crapload. DLP or LCD is the way to go...the majority of them weigh no more than 90 lbs which means you won't put your back out trying to move them.

QFT, i have that exact 50" sony and i couldnt be happier. i spent 1k on a nice surround sound to finish it off. i love it.

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: thegimp03
I would spend about 2000-2500 on a television, and spend the remaining 1500-2000 on a sound system. A big tv goes to waste without a decent receiver and surround speakers. I recently bought one of THESE and have been very happy with it so far. I got it from Costco and it came with a stand valued at around 300 bucks. I think the total came to 2600. Sony makes a top of the line tv, there's no doubt about it.
I wouldn't go with a plasma unless you want to dish out another few hundred bucks to have it mounted. Plus they weigh a crapload. DLP or LCD is the way to go...the majority of them weigh no more than 90 lbs which means you won't put your back out trying to move them.

I saw that at CostCo and the picture was BEAUTIFUL. IIRC the price was $2399 although I could be wrong.

 

[MustISO]

If you want flat panel, Plasma and LCD (flat panel) are the only two to choose from. The other TV's are rear projection (i.e. not flat panel).

For 4K, you could get the 50" Sony Grand Wega SXRD. That's a nice TV. OTOH, getting a TV for less and spending the rest on a receiver and speakers is a nice idea as well.

For more info:
http://www.avsforum.com

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Have you ruled out front projection?

 

[Crescent13]

Originally posted by: MustISO
If you want flat panel, Plasma and LCD (flat panel) are the only two to choose from. The other TV's are rear projection (i.e. not flat panel).

For 4K, you could get the 50" Sony Grand Wega SXRD. That's a nice TV. OTOH, getting a TV for less and spending the rest on a receiver and speakers is a nice idea as well.

For more info:
http://www.avsforum.com

IMO stay away from SXRD. It scales horribly. I saw episode III playing on one, and it was soooo blurry. They had the same thing playing on other TV's, and it looked MUCH better. Both the 50" and 60" just looked awful.

 

[OulOat]

Toshiba 51" HDTV w/ HDMI - $899.99. BB BF

 

[Idz21]

Originally posted by: thegimp03
I would spend about 2000-2500 on a television, and spend the remaining 1500-2000 on a sound system. A big tv goes to waste without a decent receiver and surround speakers. I recently bought one of THESE and have been very happy with it so far. I got it from Costco and it came with a stand valued at around 300 bucks. I think the total came to 2600. Sony makes a top of the line tv, there's no doubt about it.
I wouldn't go with a plasma unless you want to dish out another few hundred bucks to have it mounted. Plus they weigh a crapload. DLP or LCD is the way to go...the majority of them weigh no more than 90 lbs which means you won't put your back out trying to move them.

That looks like a pretty good deal. There alreayd is a Sound System set-up and wired in the room, so that's covered. Even though my budget was $4,000 I would MORE than gladly spend less than that. This TV might be what I'm looking for.

What would be the difference between Rear and Front projection TVs?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

BTW, what do you mean by "General Viewing"?

What's your source material going to be?
Mostly DVD / HD / SD / Gaming systems etc.

I got an ED Projector since 95% of what I watch is DVDs. 76" DLP image that looks great for DVDs for under $1000 including screen.

My current system is right around $4000 total and I'm very happy with it.

 

[Crucial]

http://www.visualapex.com/plasma/Plasma...chPartNumber=TH-50PHD8UK&MFR=Panasonic

/thread

Another for $2222

 

[Idz21]

Originally posted by: MustISO
If you want flat panel, Plasma and LCD (flat panel) are the only two to choose from. The other TV's are rear projection (i.e. not flat panel).

For 4K, you could get the 50" Sony Grand Wega SXRD. That's a nice TV. OTOH, getting a TV for less and spending the rest on a receiver and speakers is a nice idea as well.

For more info:
http://www.avsforum.com

Thanks for the link. I'll check with them as well.

What are the main differences between the XSRD and the 3LCD units?

 

[Idz21]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Have you ruled out front projection?

How does this technology work, and what makes it better/worse than rear-projection? Currently I'm open to all options, but I'm definitely looking for a flat panel.

 

[QurazyQuisp]

I'm a huge fan of LCD's... partly because the anti-glare... but If you have a home theater with little to no light in it, then go for something else. There are quite a few plasmas out there that aren't HD, I wouldn't touch them. I'd make sure to buy a TV that will do 1080i, partly because of upcoming consoles, and the way that TV is moving.

 

[Idz21]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
BTW, what do you mean by "General Viewing"?

What's your source material going to be?
Mostly DVD / HD / SD / Gaming systems etc.

I got an ED Projector since 95% of what I watch is DVDs. 76" DLP image that looks great for DVDs for under $1000 including screen.

My current system is right around $4000 total and I'm very happy with it.

Most of the viewing on this unit will be cable TV. There will be some DVD watching (but it might increase since the new screen is going in). I can tell you that there will be no gaming taking place.

 

[Idz21]

Originally posted by: OulOat
Toshiba 51" HDTV w/ HDMI - $899.99. BB BF

Can you link me to where this one is listed at $900? Also, it looks like this is one of those LARGE TVs. Weighs in at 200 lbs?

 

[Idz21]

Originally posted by: QurazyQuisp
I'm a huge fan of LCD's... partly because the anti-glare... but If you have a home theater with little to no light in it, then go for something else. There are quite a few plasmas out there that aren't HD, I wouldn't touch them. I'd make sure to buy a TV that will do 1080i, partly because of upcoming consoles, and the way that TV is moving.

Lighting will not be a problem. The TV is going to be placed in a living room. It is not very well lit, but is also not a dark room. There are windows on all three walls, so during the day light will not be a problem. Anti-glare sounds like the ideal feature here.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Idz21

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Have you ruled out front projection?

How does this technology work, and what makes it better/worse than rear-projection? Currently I'm open to all options, but I'm definitely looking for a flat panel.

You can get an LCD, CRT, DLP, or LCOS projector. Instead of a rear projection unit where the image is produced inside a tv and then projected onto the rear surface of a screen, a front projector is a little projection unit that you can put on a table, mount on a shelf, mount from ceiling (etc.) and it projects the image onto a screen on your wall.

Basically like a movie theater would work.

If you're looking for a big image on a budget it's a great way to go.

Check out projector central http://www.projectorcentral.com/
and AVSforum http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=68

for info.

After using my own Infocus 4805 I don't see myself going with something other than Front Projection in the future unless cost/performance/size ratios change.

Example 76" image from a DVD: jello

The major drawback here is that a room has to be quite dark for a front projector to get a good image for you. This darkness really gets you in the "theater" mood though. We have room darkening shades and they work very well. That picture was taken while it was very bright outside.

I don't even have my screen mounted. Can't get much more "flat panel" than a blank wall. Ceiling mount a projector and you have something that takes up virtually no space at all.

I'd suggest going to a real HT / AV type store in your area and looking at some (hopefully) well set up displays from different technologies.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Idz21

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
BTW, what do you mean by "General Viewing"?

What's your source material going to be?
Mostly DVD / HD / SD / Gaming systems etc.

I got an ED Projector since 95% of what I watch is DVDs. 76" DLP image that looks great for DVDs for under $1000 including screen.

My current system is right around $4000 total and I'm very happy with it.

Most of the viewing on this unit will be cable TV. There will be some DVD watching (but it might increase since the new screen is going in). I can tell you that there will be no gaming taking place.

Cable TV as in non-HD sources?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Idz21

Originally posted by: OulOat
Toshiba 51" HDTV w/ HDMI - $899.99. BB BF

Can you link me to where this one is listed at $900? Also, it looks like this is one of those LARGE TVs. Weighs in at 200 lbs?

Maybe it's about this one?

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=38&threadid=1732670&enterthread=y

 

[Rickten]

to me plasmas always look better, went to a home theater store in LA (the name slips my mind right now) where they actually have everything setup and each monitor on the floor is calibrated and the top of the line plasmas seem to be the best to me. You should try to find a place like that rather than just best buy or sears. If you find a local place they will let you mess around with the tv maybe even bring in your xbox and try it out if your worried about lag. The place I went to with my friend disconnected all the other tvs and put a dedicated ota signal to the tv we were checking out so we could judge knowing the signal wasn't being split to 15 different tvs.

 

[alkemyst]

With TV's first thing to consider is viewing distance. Lately I have seen people putting too large a screen in a small room. You simply can't see the whole scene.

These are people that probably would be better off spending their money on other things, but they do have nice toys.

I am still rocking a 32" Toshiba non-Cinema with the same screen as the Cinema series. People comment on the picture quality (almost like 3D they say)...I am in an apartment now so upgrading would not be smart. Once I do I am going about 50" and moving my vintage Yamaha RX-V1050 reciever to the bedroom. I am still debating keeping my Klipsch Quartets due to the matching center speaker (Klipsch Academy) being insanely expensive...I sold mine back in 1998 or so for all of $175 with box and manual for college money as I didn't have a place to keep it.

 

[Kremlar]

I wouldn't go with a plasma unless you want to dish out another few hundred bucks to have it mounted. Plus they weigh a crapload. DLP or LCD is the way to go...the majority of them weigh no more than 90 lbs which means you won't put your back out trying to move them.

Huh?? Most 50" plasmas also weigh around 90 lbs. It's a 2 person job to mount one, but I wouldn't consider it overly heavy.

Mounts for most plasmas are under $200.

 

[Idz21]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: Idz21

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
BTW, what do you mean by "General Viewing"?

What's your source material going to be?
Mostly DVD / HD / SD / Gaming systems etc.

I got an ED Projector since 95% of what I watch is DVDs. 76" DLP image that looks great for DVDs for under $1000 including screen.

My current system is right around $4000 total and I'm very happy with it.

Most of the viewing on this unit will be cable TV. There will be some DVD watching (but it might increase since the new screen is going in). I can tell you that there will be no gaming taking place.

Cable TV as in non-HD sources?

I think if I decide to purchase HD, then I would also get Digital Cable. Especially with Howard Stern's new move to Sirius, and inDemand, it just gives me another reason to upgrade.

 

[Idz21]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: Idz21

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Have you ruled out front projection?

How does this technology work, and what makes it better/worse than rear-projection? Currently I'm open to all options, but I'm definitely looking for a flat panel.

You can get an LCD, CRT, DLP, or LCOS projector. Instead of a rear projection unit where the image is produced inside a tv and then projected onto the rear surface of a screen, a front projector is a little projection unit that you can put on a table, mount on a shelf, mount from ceiling (etc.) and it projects the image onto a screen on your wall.

Basically like a movie theater would work.

If you're looking for a big image on a budget it's a great way to go.

Check out projector central http://www.projectorcentral.com/
and AVSforum http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=68

for info.

After using my own Infocus 4805 I don't see myself going with something other than Front Projection in the future unless cost/performance/size ratios change.

Example 76" image from a DVD: jello

The major drawback here is that a room has to be quite dark for a front projector to get a good image for you. This darkness really gets you in the "theater" mood though. We have room darkening shades and they work very well. That picture was taken while it was very bright outside.

I don't even have my screen mounted. Can't get much more "flat panel" than a blank wall. Ceiling mount a projector and you have something that takes up virtually no space at all.

I'd suggest going to a real HT / AV type store in your area and looking at some (hopefully) well set up displays from different technologies.

The way the room has been built, and the location that the TV will be placed in (corner), it would eliminate the Front Projection option.