What 60" TV is best bang for the buck?

Sep 29, 2004
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I'm pissed off that I missed the 60" Sharp Aquos that Best Buy had on sale a week ago at Best Buy. I think it was $700.

Anyway, I am interested in a 60" TV. I do not care for a smart TV. Any brands/models that I should consider or avoid? I don't want a no name brand. Now, I don't want a smart TV but that isn't to say I am addimant about avoiding one.

I want to keep things at $1000 but for a good reason, I will spend a few hundred more. Maybe a $1200 or $1300 max with a desire to keep it under $1000. I prefer to get something from a big box store so I can do the ol' ship to store even if it is not stocked.

I do not want a plasma based TV.

Thoughts?
 
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vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
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Any reason you are ruling out plasma? Other than reflection issues they are the "bang for the buck" leaders in terms of size, picture quality and cost. You can get very nice 60" sets in the $700 range depending on the sales.

Very tough to beat.

Otherwise Costco has the Vizio 60" Smart TV for under $900. With them you get an extra year warranty for free. Or you can go to Amazon and buy a 5 year squaretrade warranty for around $80 for it.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
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Wanted to give this a bump as I've been on the fence for a while shopping around for a 60" TV for my basement.

Last night I finally pulled the trigger on one of these:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/60-class-60-diag--led-1080p-120hz-smart-hdtv/2160126.p?id=1219069799144&skuId=2160126&st=categoryid$abcat0101001&cp=1&lp=2

I got it "open box" for $860 at my local Best Buy. I guess it's a bit of a frankenstein cobbled together by Samsung for the holiday sales. It's got a very interesting mix of features. It's a full LED backlighting, not edge lit which is good. It's a smart tv with wireless and the full smart hub functions. I haven't setup an account yet with samsung so I don't really know the full features, but it looks pretty robust in the offerings

I was looking at the 6300 series at Costco (they have the metal looking "spider" legs) for Around $1200 on the Black Friday sales but never wanted to commit at that price.

This looks like about 90% of those TV's for about 70% of the price. Picture looks pretty good after *a lot* of tweaking. It's no match for Plasma though. It just doesn't have that sharpness, contrast and "pop" that Plasma gets.

But it's basement TV that is used for video games and football on the weekends. It works well for games, football looks decent enough, and the price was decent.

My only real *major* complaint is the sound. It's horrible. Even compared to older Samsung LCD's I have this is one of the worst sounding TV's I've had. Soundbar or external speakers are a must if you want any modest levels of decent sound.
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
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My only real *major* complaint is the sound. It's horrible. Even compared to older Samsung LCD's I have this is one of the worst sounding TV's I've had. Soundbar or external speakers are a must if you want any modest levels of decent sound.

This has always been the case in most TV's unless marketed as a "Cinema-Series" or akin.

Like you said a SoundBar (very marketed today) or up until recently a Home Theater in a Box is the solution.

The sad thing is I have heard people say "I didn't buy a Home Theater in a Box, I got the better and cheaper Soundbar!"
 

A5

Diamond Member
Jun 9, 2000
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At least the soundbar probably has bigger drivers for stereo stuff than whatever garbage HTIB they were looking at.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
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I have to wonder if the markup in soundbars is so high that it's more profitable for a company like Samsung or Vizio to intentionally gimp the TV audio and point people to an aftermarket speaker.

I don't see why they don't offer a $100 more expensive TV with a built in one. And the sound seems to be getting even worse. My plasma TV from like 8 years ago had better sound than todays LCD. Same with my current Panasonic plasma. Heck, even my 5 year old Samsung 46" LCD has better sound output than the brand new 60" one I got this weekend.
 

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
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if i had to guess i'd think the sound in these newer flat tvs suck because the speakers also have to be flat and tiny.

also, comparing htib and soundbars is kinda like comparing daewoo and datsun.
 

Midwayman

Diamond Member
Jan 28, 2000
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I don't see why they don't offer a $100 more expensive TV with a built in one. And the sound seems to be getting even worse. My plasma TV from like 8 years ago had better sound than todays LCD. Same with my current Panasonic plasma. Heck, even my 5 year old Samsung 46" LCD has better sound output than the brand new 60" one I got this weekend.

People want flat. Physics dictates that speakers need to be of a certain size for good sound. You can't be both thin and have good sound really. Its better this way anyways. They don't want money on mediocre speakers that you pay extra for, and the people who care get better stuff anyways.
 

JackBurton

Lifer
Jul 18, 2000
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I don't see why they don't offer a $100 more expensive TV with a built in one. And the sound seems to be getting even worse. My plasma TV from like 8 years ago had better sound than todays LCD. Same with my current Panasonic plasma. Heck, even my 5 year old Samsung 46" LCD has better sound output than the brand new 60" one I got this weekend.

The living room "TV" I bought in 2008 didn't even come with speakers. :)
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
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People want flat. Physics dictates that speakers need to be of a certain size for good sound. You can't be both thin and have good sound really. Its better this way anyways. They don't want money on mediocre speakers that you pay extra for, and the people who care get better stuff anyways.

In the past 'home theaters' were not so common. Now with HTIB systems almost everyone has 'surround sound' at home.

People also want that flattest panel (even though the wall unit below it sticks out 8" or more ;) )

Even back in 1997, I picked the 'Cinema Series' 32" Toshiba without the speakers (which looked better than the Mitsubishi 35" with a corian top I bought). I had a Rotel setup with 100WRMS a channel, Def Tech BP20/BP10/CLR1000, and that TV is still living in my 15 year olds bedroom and even "non-Cinema" speakers sounds decent.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
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Oct 28, 1999
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Remember the days when you could actually put a center channel *on top of* the TV?

:D
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
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Remember the days when you could actually put a center channel *on top of* the TV?

:D

with bucking magnets anyway.

I remember the days with people with center channels that distorted the screen at the top.

They thought it was just the TV.

I showed them the way via a simple trip to radio shack :)
 

Midwayman

Diamond Member
Jan 28, 2000
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In the past 'home theaters' were not so common. Now with HTIB systems almost everyone has 'surround sound' at home.

People also want that flattest panel (even though the wall unit below it sticks out 8" or more ;) )

Even back in 1997, I picked the 'Cinema Series' 32" Toshiba without the speakers (which looked better than the Mitsubishi 35" with a corian top I bought). I had a Rotel setup with 100WRMS a channel, Def Tech BP20/BP10/CLR1000, and that TV is still living in my 15 year olds bedroom and even "non-Cinema" speakers sounds decent.

I would imagine a surround setup is far from "almost everyone". Very few people I know have any rear speakers even if they have front channels hooked up. Wiring and aesthetic issues are too much to surmount for a lot of folks.
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
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I would imagine a surround setup is far from "almost everyone". Very few people I know have any rear speakers even if they have front channels hooked up. Wiring and aesthetic issues are too much to surmount for a lot of folks.

Three Mains and their receiver doing 'surround sound' matrixing.

It could be territory, but down here in S. Florida even those that shouldn't be able to afford it have a decent receiver and some kind of speakers all over.

My listening room has a drop ceiling so it's easy, many just run the wires under or along the baseboards of the carpet/rugs though.
 

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
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The OP has not chimed in about why no Plasma. If you aren't terribly worried about lag while gaming, Plasma is the best picture. Lighting conditions may be a concern sure, but until the OP gives more info it's tough to say.
 
Sep 29, 2004
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The OP has not chimed in about why no Plasma. If you aren't terribly worried about lag while gaming, Plasma is the best picture. Lighting conditions may be a concern sure, but until the OP gives more info it's tough to say.

I did not say why, this is true. the answer is because I want ot use less electricity. Has nothing to do with economics. Just personal choice. I know a plasma might cost $30/year to power and a LED, $15.

The other thing is the room that this is going in has alot of widnows. Plasma have glossy screams and LEDs are matte.