TV Suggestion

[mundane]

I received a small bonus from work, and after allocating into other 'fun money buckets', I thought it might be time to upgrade our television. I'm inclined to buy from Costco, and was looking at three different models yesterday.

* View distance - 9'. Which AFAICT, suggests a screen size of 60" or better. Before moving, we lived in a cramped little apartment, and the 32" TV seemed adequate. Not so much anymore
* Usage: BR Movies, streaming video, some video games. For the last, I don't play online/competitive, so I am unsure how critical response rate/refresh/lag would be. I'm also running previous generation (360/PS3) with no inclination to upgrade for at least a year.
* Price range : $800-900
* Vendor - I've had good experiences with Costco, even with the reduced electronics return policy. Having said that, my last TV purchase was through Amazon, and despite concerns about damage during shipping said device is still going strong (except the remote, but that's another story).
* I already have devices to do all of the streaming services we want/need, so integrated applications aren't very important.

Candidates:
* LG 60LB6100 - $900 :
* Sony 60W610B - $1k
* Vizio E600I-B3 - $780

I'm leaning towards the LG set; I thought when I last read Consumer Reports, they were well received.

Thanks in advance.

Addendum: Eventually I would like to get a real HT setup with quality audio, etc, but can't justify the expense right now (and don't want to tick off the neighbors - living in a townhome). For now it will just be the source device + TV, unless there are inexpensive options that focus more on audio quality than decibels.

 

[Raincity]

If I was pressed to pick a LCD I would go with the Vizio since its the cheapest and has gotten good reviews this year for that particular model. Now I have to throw this into the mix http://webcache.googleusercontent.c.../tvs/PN60F5350AFXZA+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us Cosco has been clearing them out this month for $650 nation wide. If you can control your room lighting then your not going to get a better picture from anything else for under 1K.

 

[mundane]

Hi Raincity,

I did see the plasma while wandering around our location, but know little to nothing on the subject. Unfortunately our living room is terrifically well lit during the daytime hours - I will try to do some research on the topic.

Thanks,
Josh

 

[Raincity]

Hi Raincity,

I did see the plasma while wandering around our location, but know little to nothing on the subject. Unfortunately our living room is terrifically well lit during the daytime hours - I will try to do some research on the topic.

Thanks,
Josh

Then the F6350 will be a no go for you. I own one and the screen is reflective and the picture looks washed out with the lights on or any direct sunlight hitting the screen. But under low or no light its a show stopper.

Both CNET and Sound and Vision gave the 2014 Vizio E series a big thumbs up.

http://www.cnet.com/products/vizio-e600i-b3/

http://www.soundandvision.com/content/vizio-e550i-b2-ledlcd-hdtv

 

[mundane]

Thanks, picked up the vizio today. If our infant will cooperate, I will christen the new display tonight.

 

[smitbret]

Hi Raincity,

I did see the plasma while wandering around our location, but know little to nothing on the subject. Unfortunately our living room is terrifically well lit during the daytime hours - I will try to do some research on the topic.

Thanks,
Josh

Pass on the plasma, then. I am a plasma fan and I am still of the opinion that they are unrivaled for picture quality until you are ready to drop $3K on a local-dimming LED.

However, glare is bad on these things. Even the best plasma will have glare in a brightly lit living room and fighting it is not worth the difference in PQ.

 

[Raincity]

Pass on the plasma, then. I am a plasma fan and I am still of the opinion that they are unrivaled for picture quality until you are ready to drop $3K on a local-dimming LED.

However, glare is bad on these things. Even the best plasma will have glare in a brightly lit living room and fighting it is not worth the difference in PQ.

The Samsung F8500 is as bright as a modern LCD and has an antiglare screen. But also carries a $3100 price tag for the 64" model. I am still not impressed with FALD lit displays. While the blacks look better than in the past. There is still too much stuff going on in the background that is distracting when watching a movie. I will stick to my plasmas until OLED or something similar breaks ground and is semi affordable.