Help find my parents a TV

Mr Dude65

Mr Dude65

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My parents are in the market for a new TV to replace their 12 year old Sanyo CRT. They're looking to get an LCD that is 40+ inches but no bigger than 50. I have no idea what the price range on it is, but I'm just looking for deals at this point. Here's the list of what should be included:

40-50 inch screen

120Hz refresh rate

1080p resolution

Brands like Samsung, Toshiba, Sony, Vizio, LG, etc.

Here's some things that they would like, but aren't necessary (at all):

LED backlit

Internet connectable

Here's what they don't want or need:

3D

Plasma

Brands like Westinghouse, Dynex, Insignia, etc.

240Hz refresh rate or higher

So, that's it! Please let me know of anything you find that hits most of these requirements. I'd really like to help them get it this week and if possible pick it up or have it shipped to their house by the end of this week. Thanks!
 
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Costco usually has a nice range of Samsung, Toshiba, Sony, Vizio TVs once you walk in the store. I havent really been TV searching lately, but they have one of the best return policies with electronics.

My sister and I bought my parents a 40" vizio LCD about 2 years ago and they love it.
 
[quote name='sasukekun']Costco usually has a nice range of Samsung, Toshiba, Sony, Vizio TVs once you walk in the store. I havent really been TV searching lately, but they have one of the best return policies with electronics.

My sister and I bought my parents a 40" vizio LCD about 2 years ago and they love it.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, we looked at Sam's Club, as we don't have a Costco nearby, and saw some decent ones, but I was curious if there was anything online.
 
I'm not sure I would look anywhere else besides Amazon for an online deal. Or at least, that's where I would start looking. There are certainly deals to be had through other sites (bought my NEC directly from the manufacturer since they were running a big promotion) but no sales tax in most states, free shipping and a good return policy are tough to beat.

As far as upgrading, just about any HDTV at 720p or better is going to make your folks' old Sanyo CRT seem archaic when you compare the picture quality -- but of course you want to find something for them that looks good. Vizio is a decent brand (designed in the USA but made in other countries) but be sure to check the reviews for each model as they can vary widely.

Just a general observation, but LED TVs seem to be considerably sharper and more vivid than LCDs, almost to the point of being too real. I've heard it described as "the soap opera effect." One of my mother's friends ended up returning a high-end LED TV for this very reason. This can probably be mitigated by changing the picture controls but not 100% of the time.

edit: Any particular reason you're trying to stay away from plasma display tech? I own one and love it.
 
[quote name='eLefAdEr']I'm not sure I would look anywhere else besides Amazon for an online deal. Or at least, that's where I would start looking. There are certainly deals to be had through other sites (bought my NEC directly from the manufacturer since they were running a big promotion) but no sales tax in most states, free shipping and a good return policy are tough to beat.

As far as upgrading, just about any HDTV at 720p or better is going to make your folks' old Sanyo CRT seem archaic when you compare the picture quality -- but of course you want to find something for them that looks good. Vizio is a decent brand (designed in the USA but made in other countries) but be sure to check the reviews for each model as they can vary widely.

Just a general observation, but LED TVs seem to be considerably sharper and more vivid than LCDs, almost to the point of being too real. I've heard it described as "the soap opera effect." One of my mother's friends ended up returning a high-end LED TV for this very reason. This can probably be mitigated by changing the picture controls but not 100% of the time.

edit: Any particular reason you're trying to stay away from plasma display tech? I own one and love it.[/QUOTE]

I find LED to be kind of a "just for show" thing, as I've never really seen a difference big enough to justify the prices. They, however, would like it, so I guess it's up to them. The reason for the plasma oversight is that my parents like the LCD tech better, and think that it creates a sharper image. My parents always say that plasmas at the store look "faded". Personally, I think plasma is great, as long as you don't game much. I think it has a much richer color to it, and blacks are fantastic.

I have looked at amazon, but didn't see much, so I thought maybe the CAG community could help a tad in that respect. The more people we have looking, the better a deal I'll find, I think.
 
One thing about LED-lit TVs is that there's two types of LED lighting.

The much more common one is LED edge-lit, where a set of LEDs replaces the lamp bulb on an LCD panel. It lights up the TV from the edge, and with the LEDs, it's brighter and allows for a thinner panel.

The less common one is LED back-lit, where the LED elements are lighting the panel from behind it, like you have with a CRT set. LED back-lit sets have much better color fidelity and deeper blacks than an LED edge-lit set, though they're much more expensive than edge-lit sets. They're close matches to plasma sets for black levels, though plasma is a bit better for blacks. I have an LED back-lit set (LG 55LE8500, a model from a year and a half ago) and it has some of the best blacks for a non-plasma set.

Unless you plan to spend some serious amounts of money, an LED set would be an edge-lit set.

Also, at the sizes you're looking at, you'd most likely have 3D coming along for the ride regardless if you want it or not. Also, you're probably going to get LED edge-lit at that size unless you go very low-end on TV prices. In the 40" - 50" range, you'd be looking at 40" and 46"/47" as your sizes. I'd lean towards the 46"/47", especially if they'll be sitting more than 8 feet away from the set.

Knowing their budget would help, so we know how much money they'll spend on the set.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']One thing about LED-lit TVs is that there's two types of LED lighting.

The much more common one is LED edge-lit, where a set of LEDs replaces the lamp bulb on an LCD panel. It lights up the TV from the edge, and with the LEDs, it's brighter and allows for a thinner panel.

The less common one is LED back-lit, where the LED elements are lighting the panel from behind it, like you have with a CRT set. LED back-lit sets have much better color fidelity and deeper blacks than an LED edge-lit set, though they're much more expensive than edge-lit sets. They're close matches to plasma sets for black levels, though plasma is a bit better for blacks. I have an LED back-lit set (LG 55LE8500, a model from a year and a half ago) and it has some of the best blacks for a non-plasma set.

Unless you plan to spend some serious amounts of money, an LED set would be an edge-lit set.

Also, at the sizes you're looking at, you'd most likely have 3D coming along for the ride regardless if you want it or not. Also, you're probably going to get LED edge-lit at that size unless you go very low-end on TV prices. In the 40" - 50" range, you'd be looking at 40" and 46"/47" as your sizes. I'd lean towards the 46"/47", especially if they'll be sitting more than 8 feet away from the set.

Knowing their budget would help, so we know how much money they'll spend on the set.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the info! I'll try and find out their budget, but I'm kind of thinking that them not telling me means they're not that serious about buying one...
 
Trying to find a TV for my parents as well, trying to stick to the sub-1000 dollar range. 50 inch TV is a must. Doesn't matter plasma, lcd or LED. They pretty much only watch TV and very rarely will watch movies from a DVD player or via Netflix.
 
Wild-TV.jpg


I win!
 
[quote name='eLefAdEr']I'm not sure I would look anywhere else besides Amazon for an online deal. Or at least, that's where I would start looking. There are certainly deals to be had through other sites (bought my NEC directly from the manufacturer since they were running a big promotion) but no sales tax in most states, free shipping and a good return policy are tough to beat.

As far as upgrading, just about any HDTV at 720p or better is going to make your folks' old Sanyo CRT seem archaic when you compare the picture quality -- but of course you want to find something for them that looks good. Vizio is a decent brand (designed in the USA but made in other countries) but be sure to check the reviews for each model as they can vary widely.

Just a general observation, but LED TVs seem to be considerably sharper and more vivid than LCDs, almost to the point of being too real. I've heard it described as "the soap opera effect." One of my mother's friends ended up returning a high-end LED TV for this very reason. This can probably be mitigated by changing the picture controls but not 100% of the time.

edit: Any particular reason you're trying to stay away from plasma display tech? I own one and love it.[/QUOTE]


Your so-called "soap opera" effect is a result of the refresh rate on the TV. The higher refresh rates will make the movement much smoother and look funny like a British soap opera...

The only difference between an LED and LCD TV is the "backlighting". On an LED TV the "backlighting" is much more efficient meaning it doesnt get as hot, consume as much electricity, and generally will last longer before burning out and having to be replaced.

I personally use a plasma. I used to be strictly LED/LCD because apparently a LCD/LED TV will last longer is what "they" say, but you cannot beat the depth of color in a plasma. The refresh rate is great too as I dont get the "soar opera" effect of too high a refresh rate, but it is good enough that I can fire up GTA 4 and spin my character in circles, in place, without everything on the screen being incredibly blurry and incomprehensible... For my purposes (namely HD gaming and bluray movies) plasma suits me perfectly.
 
[quote name='RedRingOfDeath']Your so-called "soap opera" effect is a result of the refresh rate on the TV. The higher refresh rates will make the movement much smoother and look funny like a British soap opera...

The only difference between an LED and LCD TV is the "backlighting". On an LED TV the "backlighting" is much more efficient meaning it doesnt get as hot, consume as much electricity, and generally will last longer before burning out and having to be replaced.

I personally use a plasma. I used to be strictly LED/LCD because apparently a LCD/LED TV will last longer is what "they" say, but you cannot beat the depth of color in a plasma. The refresh rate is great too as I dont get the "soar opera" effect of too high a refresh rate, but it is good enough that I can fire up GTA 4 and spin my character in circles, in place, without everything on the screen being incredibly blurry and incomprehensible... For my purposes (namely HD gaming and bluray movies) plasma suits me perfectly.[/QUOTE]Full LED backlit LCD TVs are as close to plasma color range and black depth as you can get on a LCD TV.

Problem is that full LED backlit sets are rare and expensive.

Plasma does have good color gamut and deep blacks, though you have power consumption issues and the (much less now these days) chance of burn-in for constant images.
 
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