Originally posted by: techwanabe
krotchy,
At the pace the technology is improving, should one buy now or keep waiting. I've been thinking of dropping around $1500 or so on a 46" 1080P LCD TV if I can find a decent quality one in that price range or close too it. I'm not really sure what to do.
The loaded gun question, lol. My best answer to this is wait around for a deal on a current year model from a upper tier brand that fits what you want (as in not Vizio, Olevia, Westinghouse, Insignia, Sceptre etc.). Getting last years model almost always results in you sacrificing something that you might not be aware of initially, and the processing, which is probably the most important part of any TV always going to be better with next years model. Thankfully the 2008's just popped out of the factories within the last couple months, so current Tech is mostly new Technology.
as an example of why I suggest an upper tier brand....
My first foray into an HDTV was a Sceptre 42" 1080p TV from costco. SD on the thing was just plain awful, the inputs were sketchy and the TV was just poor. Thank god I could return that, as it was a mess and a half, and their support was like talking to monkeys. Even after I told the guy I was an electrical engineer and he didnt have to speak to me like a child, he still didnt have a clue what was going on.
I traded it in for a 47" 1080p Vizio and I liked the TV overall, but it still was not quite what I had hoped. I would have kept it and just dealt with the downfalls, but the HDMI ports on the TV shorted together, making it so if I had both HDMI boxes on at once the TV would get sparkly all over. So I had to return it to Costco, since at the time, they would'nt take a trade in but only a straight refund. After the trade in, I realized that not having dynamic contrast hurts the picture from my point of view and the SD was still pretty bad compared to other TV's.
My 3rd TV in the string was the Phillips 47PFL7422 (Top of the line Philip's without ambilight). I love this TV with a passion. Fantastic picture, much much much better SD than the Vizio (though not the best admittedly). The black levels are not the best especially compared to this years models, but I honestly have nothing legit to complain about, while I always did with the Sceptre and Vizio.
To me, when you buy a lower tier brand you pretty much always end up sacrificing something important, despite the fact that the specs might look close to the real brand, the processing and features are usually nowhere near the bigger ones. Also the lower tier brands have some pretty interesting repair records (read the "your new disposable TV" article), though a few of the companies are getting better I hear. My roommate had an issue with getting his TV repaired by Vizio and they were pretty crappy about it, and in the end they only repaired it after he paid shipping to them of like 50 bucks. Luckily mine was from Costco for an easy return when mine broke.
So yeah, if you wanna buy now, find a Sony, Sharp, Philips, Samsung, Toshiba, LG, Panasonic, Pioneer, etc. TV that fits your needs exactly. If you dont find one, next year they will be better and cheaper. I want to upgrade my living room TV to a 52" TV but Im in no hurry and I don't think this years models will improve over my Phillips as much as I want, so I am waiting for next year. In the end, its all about Processing Processing Processing! So I hope next year is my year, lol.
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