Ok CF Board Experts... what TV do I go with???

[noles1]

Here's the deal.

Distance from television: 12-14 feet
Room Light: Lot of natural light, basically half the room has blinds
Television will be about 2 feet above eye level
Spending range: $1600-$2000

What television should I be looking at?

LCD or Plasma

What size?

42-48? 50-55?

What brand?

Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, etc.?

Interested to get some thoughts from some posters. Appreciate the feedback.

[Stu]

distance of 12-14 feet means you should be looking at a minimum of 60"

because of the light, to minimize reflection i'd get an LCD, preferably 120 hz

[Ziner]

I have a 46in 1080p 60Hz LCD Samsung. (After comparing them side by side, I have yet to figure out how the 120Hz is worth the money) It is plenty big and I sit 10-12 feet. I love it, great picture, got it for $1200. Dont forget to talk them down. I got $100 off just for asking at Best Buy. Not a ton, but anything is better than nothing. Everyone with a Samsung that I know loves it.

Edit: Also mine has a matte screen as my room has alot of natural light as well, didnt see that the first time. Might be something to look for. They said they picture isnt quite as good in perfect conditions, but I like to have the blinds open when watching tv.

[OldDawg]

I have done no research on the topic. But I know two different people who have done extensive research and come to the same conclusion that Samsung LCD is the way to go.

Two feet above eye level? Raise your seats!!

[FUDU]

LCD or plasma, not big enough difference to matter.

At least 54"

[rebelwithoutaclue]

I have a 46in 1080p 60Hz LCD Samsung. (After comparing them side by side, I have yet to figure out how the 120Hz is worth the money) It is plenty big and I sit 10-12 feet. I love it, great picture, got it for $1200. Dont forget to talk them down. I got $100 off just for asking at Best Buy. Not a ton, but anything is better than nothing. Everyone with a Samsung that I know loves it.

Edit: Also mine has a matte screen as my room has alot of natural light as well, didnt see that the first time. Might be something to look for. They said they picture isnt quite as good in perfect conditions, but I like to have the blinds open when watching tv.

I've got pretty much the exact same TV, only a Sharp. Same deal for me too, got $100 off the TV and $40 off the TV stand from Best Buy. If you're gonna negotiate, you can't get a Sony, they've got a price lock from the manufacturer or something like that. The prices on the 46" have been going down (I got mine for $1400 - $100 last year) so for $1600-$2000 you should probably go with a 54" (or whatever's close to that), especially being about 12 feet away. Samsung and Sharp are the best for LCD. I prefer LCD and don't know much about plasma.

[dem425]

Just my 2 cents........

I have a 46" Sony Bravia and I wouldn't trade it for the world........Best investment I ever made

[Doc]

Bravia's are beautiful, but you can't really haggle on Sony prices at the store. My buddy just got a 55" Samsung LED that's beautiful. Probably $2500 or so though. I love my LG LCD, and I'd certainly recommend that brand. Sony and Samsung are always solid...definitely go 1080p, and I'd probably go with LCD. If you can wait 2 months, do what I did and see what the Black Friday deals are looking like. Got my 42" at HHGregg last year for $700. Lines weren't too long (in comparison to Best Buy)...originally went for a 40" Toshiba IIRC, and they sold out, so they upped me to the 2 inch larger LG for no extra cost. It took a couple days to get it, but it's a purchase I'm happy with 10 months later. If there's no rush and you aren't opposed to standing outside for a half hour to an hour, it's probably worth at least seeing the deals they're offering.

[Naxos]

Samsung LCD 52"

LCDs are best for bright rooms. In the basement I put a 58" plasma.

I would compare sets in the store and then shop and order online for the best deal.

[exiledbuckeye]

I have a 50-inch LG plasma. I love it.

With that being said, it is one heavy TV. And it puts out a lot of heat. My LCDs are lighter and cooler.

[aoxo1]

Get an LCD, they are more energy efficient. Since everything else is about equal, that is a good enough reason to choose one over the other.

The new LED LCDs are even better than standard LCDs in this department.

[e0y2e3]

Get an LCD, they are more energy efficient. Since everything else is about equal, that is a good enough reason to choose one over the other.

The new LED LCDs are even better than standard LCDs in this department.

tree-hugger

[FUDU]

Get an LCD, they are more energy efficient. Since everything else is about equal, that is a good enough reason to choose one over the other.

The new LED LCDs are even better than standard LCDs in this department.

Legit point, to go even further if money isn't that big a deal get one of the few brands that has the sensor that will put the screen in sleep mode when somebody leaves the room and doesn't return in a couple minutes (IIRC only Sony has that feature).

That could save a few bucks a year and maybe even add months to the life of the television over its lifespan.

[aoxo1]

Get an LCD, they are more energy efficient. Since everything else is about equal, that is a good enough reason to choose one over the other.

The new LED LCDs are even better than standard LCDs in this department.

tree-hugger

If I could recommend a wooden tv set that runs on rainbows I would.

[idoctribefan]

My brother-in-law is a techno geek and he says that an LCD TV will last longer than a plasma TV. FWIW.

Also, I've been considering a purchase as well and have thumbed through the ads for months now.....HHGregg's prices are consistently lower than Best Buy's.

[rebelwithoutaclue]

My brother-in-law is a techno geek and he says that an LCD TV will last longer than a plasma TV. FWIW.

Also, I've been considering a purchase as well and have thumbed through the ads for months now.....HHGregg's prices are consistently lower than Best Buy's.

I think it's because the quality of HHGregg merchandise isn't as good. They usually have older models. Not really a big deal for a TV like it would be for a car.

[idoctribefan]

My brother-in-law is a techno geek and he says that an LCD TV will last longer than a plasma TV. FWIW.

Also, I've been considering a purchase as well and have thumbed through the ads for months now.....HHGregg's prices are consistently lower than Best Buy's.

I think it's because the quality of HHGregg merchandise isn't as good. They usually have older models. Not really a big deal for a TV like it would be for a car.

That may be true. But I was talking about comparing prices of the same brand and model between the two stores.

[pup]

My brother-in-law is a techno geek and he says that an LCD TV will last longer than a plasma TV. FWIW.

Also, I've been considering a purchase as well and have thumbed through the ads for months now.....HHGregg's prices are consistently lower than Best Buy's.

Yes. 30 years instead of 28.

The only way to buy a TV is with your own eyes. Don't believe anyone else's judgement. You can show 6 people 6 different sets and get 6 different rankings.

Do your homeowrk. Go to stores. Go to different stores because they will all have slightly different lighting and set ups.

Read CNet reviews. That is a great source for durability and stuff. Also, I think they have some sort of learning guide which includes distance from the set and room lighting that you must take into account.

I have a 42" Panasonic Plasma. Wouldn't trade it for any of the other TV's I looked at. Doesn't make it the one for you.

[dmiles]

Like Pup I have a 50 inch Panasonic Plasma, and it's only 768p. I love it. Everything I watch looks fantastic and I don't think there is a seat any closer than 10 feet due to the odd layout of the room. After a ton of reviews from guys who liked the Panny 768 (some say 720 but it's not quite accurate) picture better than their 1080p LCD and the fact that it was dirt cheap at costco, I went for it.

Can't say enough good things about this set. At the distance you are sitting you might want see if scaling back to 720 offers a $300 savings or so. I had a certain budget in mind and by scaling back ended up with a bigger screen than I initially was going to purchase.

It's all about choices, I rarely meet anyone who hates their main Plasma/LCD, so in this thread I expect the same. You'll have to make the decision, so if you have a lot of time look around.

[mattvan1]

What Pup wrote. Devote time.

Also, go to the AVS forums. They have a great serach feature. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/ Remember that you'll be watching your set (for the most part) sitting down, so try and compare everything at eye level. Bright show rooms will really gain up their display models, so try and find a store which has ambient light similar to your home. Do your homework, act serious, and many home theater stores will let you have an in-home trial.

Here's some info on resolution, screen size, and distance http://carltonbale.com/2006/11/1080p-does-matter/

[FUDU]

Not sure if it was brought up before matt hinted at it, but be very aware that the sets in the stores are tinkered with in terms of contrast and brightness. Done so in such a way to catch your eye but they are rarely set to correct television watching levels in which contrast, brightness and colors re true to life.

You'd be very shocked at how televisions look with the settings set to mimic true to life colors and contrasts, so much so you probably wouldn't buy the set in the store.

[Bayou Tribe]

Noles, I have a similar setup as you do and have a 52" Bravia (LCD) and it is great. My room opens up past 13 ft into the kitchen and breakfast area though so I can still see it great when cooking. If I had a closed wall at 13 ft I may have gone a little smaller though, but prob not cause I don't think things through like that with electronics.

I have a 46" Sony Bravia and I wouldn't trade it for the world........Best investment I ever made

[FUDU]

My brother-in-law is a techno geek and he says that an LCD TV will last longer than a plasma TV. FWIW.

Also, I've been considering a purchase as well and have thumbed through the ads for months now.....HHGregg's prices are consistently lower than Best Buy's.

FWIW I have read multiple write ups on both and after testing both LCDs and plasmas are rated to last 60,000 hours, one article claimed the difference between the two is less than +/- 1%. 1% is 600 hours mind you. 3 hours a day of TV use (probably very conservative number) would mean an extra 200 days (6 months).

You'll break it way before it goes on its own the way our football and baseball teams perform though.

[Bayou Tribe]

My brother-in-law is a techno geek and he says that an LCD TV will last longer than a plasma TV. FWIW.

Also, I've been considering a purchase as well and have thumbed through the ads for months now.....HHGregg's prices are consistently lower than Best Buy's.

FWIW I have read multiple write ups on both and after testing both LCDs and plasmas are rated to last 60,000 hours, one article claimed the difference between the two is less than +/- 1%. 1% is 600 hours mind you. 3 hours a day of TV use (probably very conservative number) would mean an extra 200 days (6 months).

You'll break it way before it goes on its own the way our football and baseball teams perform though.

I think the big conflict with lifespan came into play with 1st gen plasmas. The technology has improved considerably from then, and I don't think it's that big of a deal anymore.

[Orenthal]

I like CRT TV's in those fancy looking wood consoles. Its like having a TV and a rich looking piece of solid wood furniture, all built into one unit. State of the art...

[noles1]

Final Verdict...

55 inch LG 120 Hz
Price - $1,400

No interest 24 months from HHGregg.

25% off Tv Stand and 50% off Surge Protector