In the Market for a new TV

[Tivoman44]

I am saving up for a TV.  I love my Toshiba LCD Regza (37 inch).  I want one bigger (between 46 and 50 inches).  I need a little refresher course into what to look for.  

DLP is a dying technology, Plasma has gotten better but my living room has four windows, so that leaves LED and LCD.  LED is ideal but expensive.  I could care less about 3D or internet connect-ability TV (the Tivo and PS3 can connect for me).  

So what exactly am I looking for?  Obviously having a handful of HDMI inputs, a high refresh rate (at least 120, the higher the better).  I don't know the difference between Sharps Quatron technology, or the deep blacks, what is important to look at now.

[Tivoman44]

Oh another thing, what brands rate the best?  I have consistently heard that Samsung are among the best, and LG, Toshiba, Sharp and Sony are really good to, and that Vizio, while cheap just aren't as good.

[Jack 1000]

Everyone I know, (including me) who has a Samsung, just loves it!

Jack

[Tom Snyder]

I liked my 46 inch Samsung till it died. I bought a cheap 46 in Westinghouse LED and hated it. Not only was the color washed out, but when I wasn't looking at it dead on from the front, the picture nearly dissappeared.

When I returned it, the salesguy at Best Buy tried to convince me to go with a 1080p 120hz 46" Insignia LCD. Having previously bought only a Toshiba, Phillips, LG and Samsung, it was hard for me to even entertain that thought. But the picture looked really good in the store, and the price was right... Figured if I hated it, I'd return this one too.

I gotta tell ya... the picture is so crisp, even film looks like HD video... almost 3D. lack levels are great, and it has all the jacks that most people need (and more than I'll ever use). The set was so  cheap I sprang for the 4 year extended warranty, so if something goes wrong, I'm covered. It's not internet ready ready or 3D, but for $599.. i don't regret it at all.

[ddeerrff]

Plasma will have the best picture quality, deepest blacks, best viewing angles;  but may not be the best pick for a brightly lit room or for playing games where there may be a static image on the screen for a long period of time.  Plasmas use typically 30% more power than an LCD.

LCD's tend to be a bit better for rooms where you can not practically control the lighting.  And they are immune to image burn in.  Blacks are not as black, and viewing other than straight on can reduce picture quality.  Motion blur is more of a problem in LCDs than with a Plasma.  120 Hz/240 Hz refresh inserts interpolated frames in an effort to reduce this motion blur.  This technique (Auto Motion Plus in Samsung) can create an undesirable artifact commonly know as the "Soap Opera Effect'.  LCDs can have glossy or semi-matte screens.  For a plasma or a glossy screen LCD, be sure you look for something with an anti-reflective coating.

LED-LCD is nothing more than an LCD display with LED backlighting instead of CCFL.  *Most* LED-LCD's use edge lighting which can produce problems such as uneven illumination and 'flashlighting'.  Only the top of the line LED-LCDs use full array backlighting, and those do produce significantly deeper blacks.  The main advantage to LED backlighting is thinner sets and lower power consumption.  IMHO, the extra cost of an LED-LCD is not worth it.

In Plasma, Panasonic is the undisputed king, with Samsung coming in second.  For LCDs, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, Sharp in that order.  LG appears to be making a good product now too, but historically LG (Lucky Goldstar) QA has been an issue.  For the budget minded, Vizio makes a very good product.  

The Sharp 'Quatro' is a gimmick.  They add yellow cells, but yellow can be produced just as well without the extra cells.

I've been very happy with my 1 1/2 year old Samsung LN46B630 CCFL backlit LCD with semi-matte screen.

[Urwhatuis]

My 46" Sharp Aquos LC-46LE700 looks great. It is Fed buy a Sharp BD-HP52U Blu-ray player and a TWC SA 8300HD box.

Everything is processed via HDMI through an Emotiva UMC-1 controller.

Jeff

[Bebop]

If anyone is getting an LCD, make sure the panel is IPS or better.

Plasma gets warm, but heats up the room nicely in winter.

[klwillis45]

Stay away from edge lit LED sets. Either go full array or save your money and get a regular LCD.

[SRW1000]

I am saving up for a TV.  I love my Toshiba LCD Regza (37 inch).  I want one bigger (between 46 and 50 inches).  I need a little refresher course into what to look for.  

DLP is a dying technology. . .

You may not want to discount it, though.  Judged on a cost per inch basis, it simply can't be beat.  Right this minute on the Vann's website, you can get a 60" set for under $575, including shipping.  Mitsubishi is going to be concentrating on higher sized DLP sets, so they're clearancing out the smaller ones.

There are disadvantages, but that's true with all the technologies out there.  I'm not sure if I'd recommend one without seeing it in person, but the value is outstanding.  

Scott

[budda]

I am in the Plasma side of things. Have a 58 inch Samsung in a room with windows all over. Light is not an issue. The high end models have a night day mode turns up the cell light for day time if you fell you have a problem. Best Buy has a 1080P 51 inch Plasma for 799 on sale this week great set.  But really comes down to person preference. I have a LED LCD and a plasma. All nice, all Samsung. I just really love the picture on that unit, Also don't really have to worry about burn any more could happen but they also have pixel shift to reduce or stop it. Good luck.

[gparris]

You may not want to discount it, though.  Judged on a cost per inch basis, it simply can't be beat.  Right this minute on the Vann's website, you can get a 60" set for under $575, including shipping.  Mitsubishi is going to be concentrating on higher sized DLP sets, so they're clearancing out the smaller ones.

There are disadvantages, but that's true with all the technologies out there.  I'm not sure if I'd recommend one without seeing it in person, but the value is outstanding.  

Scott

Mitsubishi is still using DLP for larger HDTV's right now:
http://www.mitsubishi-tv.com/theater.html in 73" to 92" sets along with the Laserview series, which, though not DLP, is still RPTV.
The amount of screen to cost is amazing, I have seen some of these sets and rather do a nice HT setup with RPTV than projection in areas that have lighting issues.
Outside of that, a nice 70" Sharp LED-LCD set I saw in Best Buy was very nice and according to what I have read about those owners of it in AVS, a great deal, too, if you have got the space.
If you could go up at least to a 55", you won't regret it. I have set up a small HT for a client recently and they first wanted to go for a 46" LCD screen, found it a bit too small, even at 7-8 feet viewing distance, then went for the 55" and never regretted it. When movies are widescreen OAR, the size of the picture diminishes considerably and a good quality Blu-ray picture or good HD transmission (name your source) on your 55" set means you can sit comfortably closer for more immersion with your HDTV viewing nowadays, IMO.

[oz]

It's a great time to be in the market for a new TV.  We're going to see some great sale prices between now and the end of the year.

Make a habit of checking http://slickdeals.net/ several times a day.  They regularly post TV deals and prices are coming way down.  You might even get lucky and order at a store like Amazon.com and avoid sales tax.

[Homebrew101]

In Plasma, Panasonic is the undisputed king, with Samsung coming in second.  For LCDs, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, Sharp in that order.  LG appears to be making a good product now too, but historically LG (Lucky Goldstar) QA has been an issue.  For the budget minded, Vizio makes a very good product.  

with this year's models, many people would dispute Panny's being the king including reviewers at CNET

we've had a Samsung PN59D6500 plasma for a bit over a month now and my wife being on disability watches quite a bit of TV during the bright daylight hours

we have 10 windows in our living room facing east, west and south and glare has not been any problem at all - we could close blinds if necessary buit have not ever had too; this set has an effective enough AR coating, the D7000 and D8000 have an additional screen coating to reduce glare from overhead lighting (we have no ceiling lights)

btw, we upgraded from a 30 inch Toshiba HD CRT and cannot believe the improvement even though this set was only $150 more than the Toshiba was 7 years ago :mad:

[OlsonNet]

Any retailers still have the KUROs in stock?

Bought my 60" KURO 3 years ago and there hasn't been anything that's come out since that can beat it.

[ddeerrff]

Sharp has been working with Pioneer to produce a new 'Elite' model.  Full array LED, and the reviews have been pretty good.  

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article/sharp-resurrects-elite-brand