UPDATE: HDTV For $1700 and under...

[headpiece747]

UPDATE: I wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone that posted here because it did help alot.

Here is the LCD HDTV I bought at Fry's Electronic in Anahiem on Sunday, http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4759189?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG. So far I am really impressed with this LCD HDTV. The colors held up next to the higher priced Sonys and DLPs. I went to Compusa, Circuit City, Best Buy, Costco, Target and Walmart to compare HDTVs. I decided on this one for a couple reasons the great picture, built-in HD tuner, the price $1,399 (with a $100 rebate), HDMI port (only one thats fine for now), Viewsonic (my current computer monitor and most of my old monitors) and its 37" (My wife and I both agreed that 32" even looked good maybe because of the flat screen).

And the final reason is with the money I saved I finally broke down and got a Xbox 360. The screen looks get for it at 720p and even 1080i. I have Burnout Revenge and the crashes look sweet. I also noticed that the 360 upscales DVDs to 420p if this is true then I will hold off on buying another DVD player for that, is this right?

Here are a couple of quick shots:
http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/2960/hdtvxbox36022gg.th.jpg (http://img131.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hdtvxbox36022gg.jpg)http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/1220/hdtvxbox3609ib.th.jpg (http://img131.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hdtvxbox3609ib.jpg)

I have been doing a lot of research and saving to get a HDTV ($1700). I want one for the next-gen consoles and dvd players. So here are the models I am looking at and need more suggestions. I can't afford 1080p and don't want to wait to save more so 720p is good for me. Oh and I would like 37" and up because I am coming from a 55" TV.
On to the list:
Samsung 50-in. Widescreen HDTV (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1648787&Sku=S223-5014) (suggested by Ugamer_X)
Panasonic TH-37PX60U 37" Plasma HDTV (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F6SR0E/002-5119216-7628035?v=glance&n=172282)

[Beana Blasta]

well, i would check costco, they have a 37 inch lcd tv for 1100 right now. its hot

[4tygames]

Dell sells some pretty good LCD and Plasma TVs

http://www.dell.com/content/products/compare.aspx/tvs1?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd

Starts at $1899 for the 37", but you can always find dell coupon codes to get it cheaper.

I got my Dell TV with a 25% off coupon, so they are out there.

[dafoomie]

Check out the hot deals forums at Fatwallet and Anandtech, you'll get a good impression of what a good price is for what type of TV.

[equest943]

How about a Sony 42" A10? Those run about $1700 usually, sometimes for $1800, depends on the week. I wish I saw this thread earlier because Best Buy had that 10% off coupon with $100 in video game purchases. Look out for another 10% coupon in the mail, then get the A10 when it's $1700 - 10%. Great TV, very highly regarded apparently. I hope projection is good for you.

[ajh2298]

How about a Sony 42" A10? Those run about $1700 usually, sometimes for $1800, depends on the week. I wish I saw this thread earlier because Best Buy had that 10% off coupon with $100 in video game purchases. Look out for another 10% coupon in the mail, then get the A10 when it's $1700 - 10%. Great TV, very highly regarded apparently. I hope projection is good for you.


Its $1700.00 on sale this week.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7298998&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat31800050029&id=1118841724863

My brother has this TV its great I think as soon as my car is paid off in July I am picking one up.

[maddfrog]

One of the best places to get an HDTV is from the Philips Outlet Store (http://www.outlet.philips.com/b2c_redesign/b2c/catalogForward.do?catalogEntry=true&shop=OUTLET).

I bought a 32" CRT HD TV from them last summer after seeing a post on here for them. Got it for around $400 and probably one of the greastest deals I've seen.

The catch is (yes there's a catch) that they are fractory refurbished or a discountinued model. I'm actually thinking of buying a flat screen TV from them this summer to replace my TV since I'm moving and its too big.

But its worth a look if you can look past that some aren't new out of the factory.

[roland13x]

I got the Dell 37" LCD at Costco for $1700, and I love it. Plus, Costco has a very good return policy. Highly recommend it. Very few TV's have two HDMI inputs.

Personally, I think Panasonic has the best stuff out there these days, but I just don't trust plasma tech. Take a walk down a Plasma aisle that has a few older sets there, and you'll often see plenty of burn-in.

[Ugamer_X]

I have been doing a lot of research and saving to get a HDTV ($1700). I want one for the next-gen consoles and dvd players. So here are the models I am looking at and need more suggestions. I can't afford 1080p and don't want to wait to save more so 720p is good for me. Oh and I would like 37" and up because I am coming from a 55" TV.
On to the list:
Samsung 50-in. Widescreen HDTV (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1648787&Sku=S223-5014) (suggested by someone on CAG?)
Panasonic TH-37PX60U 37" Plasma HDTV (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F6SR0E/002-5119216-7628035?v=glance&n=172282)
I recommended the Samsung in the other thread and I was going to recommend it again had you not already mentioned it. That is the best price-to-size/quality ratio for any TV you can find right now. It's a DLP so it's great for gaming. Comes with the excellent stand as well, free shipping seals the deal. I have heard that the extended warranty would be a smart purchase though.

[Chris in Cali]

I just got the 42" Olevia for $1640.xx shipped from Target.com, and it's the best purchase I've ever made in my life. The picture is amazing.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/XXChris805XX/Myspacelonghair.jpg

42" lcd hdtv
720p/1080i
8ms
1600:1 contrast ratio, blacks look amazing.

The only bad thing about the set is it's a little heavy, but if you've got two people it'll be no problem.

[headpiece747]

I got my work cut out for me but thanks guys. I will stop by Costco tomorrow during lunch to check out the TVs there. Also the Phillips Outlet has $200 off and free shipping on these two sets 42 in Pixel Plus Plasma Flat HDTV 42PF7220A/37B $1249.99 (http://www.outlet.philips.com/b2c_redesign/b2c/productdetail.do?productguid=4328965C3ACA008E00000 000828BD4724364CA1F862300CD00000000828BD538&productarea=4328965C3ACA008E00000000828BD472&scenario=catalog&shop=OUTLET) and 42PF7320A/37B $1599.99 (http://www.outlet.philips.com/b2c_redesign/b2c/productdetail.do?productguid=4328965C3ACA008E00000 000828BD47242BB1985A1E50A7500000000828BD443&productarea=4328965C3ACA008E00000000828BD472&scenario=catalog&shop=OUTLET) but the refurbished part worries me. How is Phillips Outlet on returns and what is the difference in these sets the specs seem the same.

Ugamer_X thanks for the Samsung I have seen that one in person and always liked it but it was too expensive until now.

Does contrast ratio really matter as much as I have been reading because the set Chris in Cali has is amazing but I worry about darker images on screen. Keep the suggestions coming.

[dafoomie]

I got my work cut out for me but thanks guys. I will stop by Costco tomorrow during lunch to check out the TVs there. Also the Phillips Outlet has $200 off and free shipping on these two sets 42 in Pixel Plus Plasma Flat HDTV 42PF7220A/37B $1249.99 (http://www.outlet.philips.com/b2c_redesign/b2c/productdetail.do?productguid=4328965C3ACA008E00000 000828BD4724364CA1F862300CD00000000828BD538&productarea=4328965C3ACA008E00000000828BD472&scenario=catalog&shop=OUTLET) and 42PF7320A/37B $1599.99 (http://www.outlet.philips.com/b2c_redesign/b2c/productdetail.do?productguid=4328965C3ACA008E00000 000828BD47242BB1985A1E50A7500000000828BD443&productarea=4328965C3ACA008E00000000828BD472&scenario=catalog&shop=OUTLET) but the refurbished part worries me. How is Phillips Outlet on returns and what is the difference in these sets the specs seem the same.

Ugamer_X thanks for the Samsung I have seen that one in person and always liked it but it was too expensive until now.

Does contrast ratio really matter as much as I have been reading because the set Chris in Cali has is amazing but I worry about darker images on screen. Keep the suggestions coming.
I only recommend the Philips outlet if you are absolutely cash strapped and need to save a buck. I own 2 refurb Philips 30 inch HDTV's, and while I'm happy with my purchase, I would go a different route if I had your kind of money. Thats too much cash to leave to chance. Their return policy is OK, I believe a 30 day warranty on refurbs, on site repair or exchange for an identical product only, no refunds unless they no longer have your item in stock. If we're talking that amount of cash, I'd rather a longer warranty and a new product.

Its too bad you missed out on the TV's at Woot.com, I believe they had a 60 inch DLP in your pricerange, delivered.

I would NOT by a plasma, by the way. They won't last. LCD's and DLP are the way to go.

That Samsung above is quality, but I would never buy from Tigerdirect. Nothing but headaches.

[stoned99]

I got my work cut out for me but thanks guys. I will stop by Costco tomorrow during lunch to check out the TVs there. Also the Phillips Outlet has $200 off and free shipping on these two sets 42 in Pixel Plus Plasma Flat HDTV 42PF7220A/37B $1249.99 (http://www.outlet.philips.com/b2c_redesign/b2c/productdetail.do?productguid=4328965C3ACA008E00000 000828BD4724364CA1F862300CD00000000828BD538&productarea=4328965C3ACA008E00000000828BD472&scenario=catalog&shop=OUTLET) and 42PF7320A/37B $1599.99 (http://www.outlet.philips.com/b2c_redesign/b2c/productdetail.do?productguid=4328965C3ACA008E00000 000828BD47242BB1985A1E50A7500000000828BD443&productarea=4328965C3ACA008E00000000828BD472&scenario=catalog&shop=OUTLET) but the refurbished part worries me. How is Phillips Outlet on returns and what is the difference in these sets the specs seem the same.

Ugamer_X thanks for the Samsung I have seen that one in person and always liked it but it was too expensive until now.

Does contrast ratio really matter as much as I have been reading because the set Chris in Cali has is amazing but I worry about darker images on screen. Keep the suggestions coming.

So a word of warning, don't get plasma if you intend to play games on it, they are notorious for burn in issues, pay attention to the refresh speed < 12ms is ideal, and try and get a tv with multiple hdmi ports. 1 may seem like enough, but you will utimatly need more. I picked up the 37" Olivia during the xmas sales for 1100. It's awesome, but only has 1 hdmi. I also realised after the fact that the builtin hdtv receiver was a waste of money. I ended up upgrading my cable box to hdtv due to the fact that I could never get all the OTA hdtv signals at the same time without fiddling with the antenna. Contrast will matter if you intend using the screen in a bright room, and lcd's typically have reduced visibility compared to plasma's when viewed from the side 10-15 degrees less. I would personally avoid refurbs as my guess would be that they were sent back due to dead pixels. LCD's also use less electricity than plasma, and generate less heat.

[XxFuRy2Xx]

I just got the 42" Olevia for $1640.xx shipped from Target.com, and it's the best purchase I've ever made in my life. The picture is amazing.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/XXChris805XX/MyspaceTVbigger.jpg

42" lcd hdtv
720p/1080i
8ms
1600:1 contrast ratio, blacks look amazing.

The only bad thing about the set is it's a little heavy, but if you've got two people it'll be no problem.Ah yes, I remember recommeding it to you in the thread you made. You having fun with it?

As for you OP. The Samsung with the pedestal is a great tv. It looks sexy as hell too.

[FFMooglestar]

I know you said you can't afford 1080p, but Costo.com begs to differ:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11042448&whse=&topnav=&browse=&s=1
37" Sceptre
Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
Response Time: 8ms
$1499.99

[headpiece747]

I know you said you can't afford 1080p, but Costo.com begs to differ:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11042448&whse=&topnav=&browse=&s=1
37" Sceptre
Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
Response Time: 8ms
$1499.99

That sounds like a great deal but the contrast ratio is kind of low right. Why do I see some sets with 10,000:1 and some with 1,000:1 are they lying or is there a big difference in picture quality.

Also about the plasma thing I was doing some research and they said that it has been fixed and they last from 12 to 55 years based on your usage.

[dafoomie]

Also about the plasma thing I was doing some research and they said that it has been fixed and they last from 12 to 55 years based on your usage.
They should still be avoided if at all possible.

[stoned99]

That sounds like a great deal but the contrast ratio is kind of low right. Why do I see some sets with 10,000:1 and some with 1,000:1 are they lying or is there a big difference in picture quality.

Also about the plasma thing I was doing some research and they said that it has been fixed and they last from 12 to 55 years based on your usage.

I dont think you can compare the contrast ratio of an LCD to a Plasma, in fact most articles I have read seem to think the contrast question is a complete red herring. If I was you I would go to a few stores and compare lcd to plasma contrast ratio's, they look identical, plus the way the colors are generated in lcd vs plasma is entirely different.

[Koggit]

That 50" Samsung is a pretty great deal considering it comes with the stand. DLP is definitely the way to go, and if 50" is fine for you I say bite.

Samsung does make some really nice larger DLPs if you want to go larger, but you'll be paying $300 or so for a decent stand where-as this one includes a stand.

[daroga]

That Samsung above is quality, but I would never buy from Tigerdirect. Nothing but headaches.

Just out of curiosity, what bad problems have people had with Tige Direct? I ordered my TV from them and it was delivered about 4 days after I ordered.

[dafoomie]

Just out of curiosity, what bad problems have people had with Tige Direct? I ordered my TV from them and it was delivered about 4 days after I ordered.
Their reputation is horrible. If you don't have to deal with rebates, and if your product arrives OK, then you should be fine. But, they're known for not honoring rebates, selling used/refurb product as new, selling broken product, not honoring extended warranties, making deceptive warranty claims, and not being particularly willing to accept returns.

[friedram]

I recommend that you save your pennies and actually buy a 1080p set when you can afford it.

[psincubus]

I am looking for the same thing as the OP. I plan to get a Nintendo Wii that only outputs in 480p so I want at max a 37" HDTV.

What is the best TV for gaming at this size? All the DLP TV's I find are larger than 37". Are flat screen LCD TV's any good for gaming?

Thanks!

[Chris in Cali]

IMO LCD's are the best for gaming followed by DLPs.

[psincubus]

nice, so are the DELL LCD TV's any good??

[Koggit]

In larger sizes, LCDs are not better for gaming. Everything depends on size.

In general, my advice...

Up to 30", CRT is king
27" - 42" LCD is hard to beat
42"+ DLP hands down

If you're okay with a bulky, heavy set you might even look at CRTs up to 36". They're extremely heavy, but give amazing picture quality, especially with lower res sources (they scale MUCH better than fixed-pixel technologies like LCD, plasma, DLP, LCoS). LCDs won't give as good a picture quality and will be much more expensive, but they look nice on your wall, a CRT on your wall is death. ;]

LCDs are very affordable at mid sizes and give pretty good picture quality with little risk of burn-in. The quality of picture isn't nearly as good as a CRT, but they beat the tar out of plasmas and projection sets at these sizes.

DLPs are great in larger screens for the price. The quality is about the same as a LCD, but no risk of burn-in, and much cheaper (in larger sizes, a similar quality LCD or LCoS would run about double the DLP's cost). You can get LCDs that rival DLP prices in large sizes, but they won't be able to rival the quality. The only time you should go LCD in larger sizes is you just MUST have a flat panel and money isn't an issue.


For your case, a lot of 480p and a smaller set, I say go with a nice CRT, it's the most bang for your buck, but like I said definitely take size/weight into consideration.

[lpj8]

My brother-in-law plays his 360 on a 42" Panasonic plasma with absolutely no burn-in problems. He refrained from playing for the first 100 hours or so of the displays life, and its been fine. It looks incredible.

I'm an avid avsforums.com visitor, there are plenty gamers over there who use plasmas with no problems. I'd suggest checking it out, it has a lot of great info on HDTVs.

[daroga]

Their reputation is horrible. If you don't have to deal with rebates, and if your product arrives OK, then you should be fine. But, they're known for not honoring rebates, selling used/refurb product as new, selling broken product, not honoring extended warranties, making deceptive warranty claims, and not being particularly willing to accept returns.
Interesting, I'll keep that in mind. The rebate for the TV wasn't from them, but a company offering a rebate for ythe TV manufacture that included several websites to buy from (buy.com, tigetdirect, etc.). Thanks for the heads up though.

[dafoomie]

In larger sizes, LCDs are not better for gaming. Everything depends on size.

In general, my advice...

Up to 30", CRT is king
27" - 42" LCD is hard to beat
42"+ DLP hands down
Thats pretty much right. CRT is king in any size, DLP is better for gaming than LCD, and in the sizes in between CRT and DLP, LCD is good. DLP also seems cheaper for their sizes. Its not sexy like LCD and plasma because they're not completely flat, but they're much, much thinner than CRT and projection TV's. 5-6 inches max.
Interesting, I'll keep that in mind. The rebate for the TV wasn't from them, but a company offering a rebate for ythe TV manufacture that included several websites to buy from (buy.com, tigetdirect, etc.). Thanks for the heads up though.
You should be safe as long as its not through them. You might want to read the fine print on their 'rebate guarantee' thing, its pretty draconian.

[vherub]

Another 1080p lcd to consider in your pricerange is the Westinghouse LVM-37W3

[b3b0p]

Save your cash for something of higher quality. A decent newer (this year) model Samsung DLP or Sony SXRD.

[Koggit]

Thats pretty much right. CRT is king in any size, DLP is better for gaming than LCD, and in the sizes in between CRT and DLP, LCD is good. DLP also seems cheaper for their sizes. Its not sexy like LCD and plasma because they're not completely flat, but they're much, much thinner than CRT and projection TV's. 5-6 inches max.

You should be safe as long as its not through them. You might want to read the fine print on their 'rebate guarantee' thing, its pretty draconian.

I think my 56" Sammy DLP is actually 13" deep. It's not a big deal, since it's actually a giant triangle from bird's eye view and I have it in the corner. The sides are touching my wall, so even if it were a plasma or LCD it'd be taking up the same amount of my living room. =)

[Chris in Cali]

The bad thing about DLP's is you can't sit closer than six feet, and they have crappy viewing angles. I have a 46" Samsung DLP, and it's great for tv & movies, but I like to be close to the tv when I game, and I can't do that with a DLP.

[dafoomie]

The bad thing about DLP's is you can't sit closer than six feet, and they have crappy viewing angles. I have a 46" Samsung DLP, and it's great for tv & movies, but I like to be close to the tv when I game, and I can't do that with a DLP.
I didn't have that problem when I was using a DLP... Is this common for all DLP's?

[headpiece747]

UPDATE: I wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone that posted here because it did help alot.

Here is the LCD HDTV I bought at Fry's Electronic in Anahiem on Sunday, http://shop1.outpost.com/product/475...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG (http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4759189?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG). So far I am really impressed with this LCD HDTV. The colors held up next to the higher priced Sonys and DLPs. I went to Compusa, Circuit City, Best Buy, Costco, Target and Walmart to compare HDTVs. I decided on this one for a couple reasons the great picture, built-in HD tuner, the price $1,399 (with a $100 rebate), HDMI port (only one thats fine for now), Viewsonic (my current computer monitor and most of my old monitors) and its 37" (My wife and I both agreed that 32" even looked good maybe because of the flat screen).

And the final reason is with the money I saved I finally broke down and got a Xbox 360. The screen looks get for it at 720p and even 1080i. I have Burnout Revenge and the crashes look sweet. I also noticed that the 360 upscales DVDs to 420p if this is true then I will hold off on buying another DVD player for that, is this right?

Here are a couple of quick shots:
http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/2960/hdtvxbox36022gg.th.jpg (http://img131.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hdtvxbox36022gg.jpg)http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/1220/hdtvxbox3609ib.th.jpg (http://img131.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hdtvxbox3609ib.jpg)