In the Market for an LCD HDTV Under $2000 - Need Help Looking

RelentlessRolento

RelentlessRolento

CAGiversary!
Feedback
48 (100%)
Yes, it's one of those damn "Looking to buy an HDTV" thread.

I'm currently looking for an HDTV that is(sorry if I come off as an idiot not knowing too much):

Under $2,000
1080p
LCD
roughly in the 45" to 50" size range
Minimal blurring (something ratio, or whatever it's called)
Good Contrast Ratio (don't know what's good)
HDMI Ports (I'll be buying my HDMI cords from MonoPrice)
Good for Gaming

and lastly... overall just a very good deal.

Ideally I plan to be ordering online, but B&M may be an option.

any pointers would help.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
[quote name='Nelo Ice']nice finally upgrading from that tv u have :applause:
sorry cant help but grats on getting a new tv :)[/QUOTE]

:lol: sad news for you. This aint going in my room, but I will be playing some of my stuff on it.
 
[quote name='RelentlessRolento']:lol: sad news for you. This aint going in my room, but I will be playing some of my stuff on it.[/quote]

:lol:
 
The only time you'll find a 45"-55" LCD 1080p under $2000 in stores is on Black Friday. The average price for something you're looking for is $3000 - $5000 depending on brand. It's been awhile since I've been looking at TVs, but I doubt they've gone down $2000 since then.

By minimal blurring do you mean ghost effect? Even if that's not what you're talking about, you'll need to get a TV with 8 or 5 ms lag.

If you can find a good deal, I'd go with a Samsung. They're TVs are top quality, and are relatively cheap compared to Sony and Pioneer.
 
Post a pic of your current tv. I'd say go with Samsung. Samsungs are top quality and they are cheaper than similar Sonys and Pioneers. You want a response time of 8ms or lower. Contrast ratio is better the higher it is, but going just by that number isn't telling you much. Also you should read CNET reviews to get a better idea of the particular tv because specs aren't everything. LCDs also have a tendency to not have very deep blacks, so check that out in the reviews for sure.
 
from CNET

Our resident video guru, Senior Editor David Katzmaier, stands by what he said two years ago: The extra sharpness afforded by the 1080p televisions he's seen is noticeable only when watching 1080i or 1080p sources on a larger screens, say 55 inches and bigger, or with projectors that display a wall-size picture. Katzmaier also says that the main real-world advantage of 1080p is not the extra sharpness you'll be seeing, but instead, the smaller, more densely packed pixels. In other words, you can sit closer to a 1080p television and not notice any pixel structure, such as stair-stepping along diagonal lines, or the screen door effect (where you can actually see the space between the pixels). This advantage applies regardless of the quality of the source.
 
Check out these Tv's at newegg.com

Sharp Aquos 52" 1080P: (4ms refresh rate, but onyl 2 HDMi inputs)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889101095

Samsung 52" 1080P: (8ms refresh rate... but 3 HDMI inputs, and 100 bucks more)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889102136

both have free delivery currently, so for under 2,000 this is an amazing deal, ether would make great TV, although if you can deal with only 2 HDMI inputs i'd go with the Sharp because of its lower refresh rate. I bought a small switch box from monoprice.com which adds 4 mroe HDMI inputs, only cost about 40 bucks for the box.

good luck!
 
The 46" Bravia W or V series might be a good fit. I would've bought one of these if it weren't for an employee discount on Panasonic Plasmas.
 
I just bought a 37" 720p Samsung for 1k. Highly recommended all Samsungs, buddy got a 1080 42" for 17xx over the summer and they both look amazing. Mine has a 10,000:1 contrast ratio on a 37"!

Dude at best buy said #1 sellers are LG's and Samsungs. Says the war is between these two companies right now.
 
[quote name='keithp']Look again.

Here's a good Samsung for you, RR- Samsung LN46A550 - 46" Widescreen 1080p LCD HDTV - 30,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio - 5ms Response Time - Piano Black - LN46A550P3FXZA[/QUOTE]

Hmm that one looks like a possibility. I saw it up on amazon as well. I have been eyeing samsungs since they are the best of what I've seen outside of sony. I'm still looking, but right now thisone is at the top of the list.

as for a pic of my old TV, this is not a pic I took, but this is the same model I am using now... and no it's not a joke at all :lol: ... sadly >_<

c_1702.jpg
 
[quote name='RelentlessRolento']Hmm that one looks like a possibility. I saw it up on amazon as well. I have been eyeing samsungs since they are the best of what I've seen outside of sony. I'm still looking, but right now thisone is at the top of the list.

as for a pic of my old TV, this is not a pic I took, but this is the same model I am using now... and no it's not a joke at all :lol: ... sadly >_<

c_1702.jpg
[/quote]

o_O....WOW
 
LCD is preferred, but I don't know shit about DLPs.

also, those wow'ed by me playing on a commodore 64 screen should know that a large reason why i don't have an HDTV yet is because I own all 3 major consoles at the moment and all current handhelds.. so money has gone to those more than a TV >_
 
I have one of those Commodore monitors too and I use it for some of my older 8 and 16 bit systems. Looks great on it. I just cant get some of those older systems to look that good on my 32 inch Samsung LCD HDTV.
 
If you can be patient you can score some cheap tvs (prices are new including shipping and tax) These are the lowest prices I have seen in the last 30 days as a starting point but prices are always falling

Also have you considered plasma? You tend to get a bigger bang for your buck

Panasonic Th-Pz700u 50" 1080p for $1500 plasma

Samsung ln-t4661f 46" for $1115 LCD (J&R thru amazon lists $1500 with a free upconverting dvd player) http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/samsung-ln-t4661f/4505-6482_7-32385769.html

Samsung ln-t4061f 40" for $924 LCD CNET didn't review this size but rather the 46"

Samsung ln-t5265f 52" for $1533 LCd http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/samsung-ln-t4665f/4505-6482_7-32306311.html?tag=prod.txt.1 46" reviewed
 
RR, I bought my 46" Samsung 1080P off of Amazon for under $1700 a few months ago. That included shipping. I highly recommend their shipping. The "white glove" service will bring it in to your home, take it out of the box, and hook it up to make sure things are working.
 
[quote name='RelentlessRolento']Hmm that one looks like a possibility. I saw it up on amazon as well. I have been eyeing samsungs since they are the best of what I've seen outside of sony. I'm still looking, but right now thisone is at the top of the list.

as for a pic of my old TV, this is not a pic I took, but this is the same model I am using now... and no it's not a joke at all :lol: ... sadly >_<

c_1702.jpg
[/QUOTE]

:shock: That is going to be one hell of an upgrade!
 
Samsung LN46A550 46-inch 1080p is $1600 at amazon - 3 HDMI

Samsung LN46A650 46-inch 1080p 120Hz LCD is $2000 at amazon - This one gives you the 120Hz refresh rate and an extra HDMI bringing the total to 4.

For the price and performance samsung cant be beat when it comes to LCD.
 
[quote name='pimpinc333']Sony 46" V or W Series.
http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=376115

Also for price the Vizio 47" 1080p is a good deal as well.
http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=387376

Vizio Cnet Review:
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/vizio-vo47lf/4505-6482_7-32890968.html?tag=prod.txt.3

Both pretty solid TV's for there price range.[/quote]

And there's also a 52" Vizio at Costco:
VX52LF

 I have the VU42LF, 42" LCD 1080p, 8ms response time, 2000:1 Contrast ratio, HDMI, etc. I paid $1,099 in August '07 and it's still around that price right now. It was a great deal because most LCD's were priced $1600 or more for a 42" (Sony or Samsung). Vizio is slightly behind Toshiba, Panasonic, Sharp but 100x better than "B-List" brands like Westinghouse, Olevia and Envision. (I'm not saying those brands suck, but I can't see myself paying a lot for a Westinghouse. Don't like the quality of their LCDs.)

It's a great TV, but it does have some problems. Like my TV drops the sound over HDMI. Easily fixed by switching inputs (say HDMI to RGB then back). Doesn't happen often, maybe once a month. Doubt that it's still an issue with the 47" or 52". And a 8ms Response time isn't so appealing but ehh it's not too bad.

But a bigger issue might be it's sharpness and blur. By no means is it not a sharp TV, but if you put it up against a Bravia or a comparable Samsung, you'll notice that it's not as sharp. I'm not super picky and I don't notice it as being blurry. And I probably sit a little close to a 42"...like 7 ft away.

All in all, it's an awesome LCD for the price and I'm pretty satisfied with what I have. But I'd say see it for yourself at a store like Circuit City, Sam's or Costco.
 
wow... all this helps out more than you guys realize. any more input is a great help. I have to sit down and go through the reviews and whatnots now before I can have a good opinion on anything.
 
Wow excellent thread... I went through the whole research process for an LCD last year around this time, prompted somewhat by my dad's purchase of a TV. I ended up buying the same one for myself - Samsung LNT4665F 46" LCD -

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NVLQ72

I paid $2300 for it last year, and it's now down to $1759 with free shipping. I have my XB360 hooked up to it, as well as a Wii, cheapo Philips upscaling DVD player, DirecTiVo, and PS2, and they all look fantastic on it. The XB360 is hooked up via HDMI through an intermediate receiver, as is the DVD - the Wii is component to the receiver (which then upconverts to HDMI to the TV).

I can tell you that I am 100% happy with this setup - gaming is so much fun on a big screen, and this screen is, in my book, high quality all the way. Samsung have come out with LCDs more recently that have truer blacks, but I don't think you can buy one anywhere near this price. I'm totally happy with watching movies on this one as well as any game you can throw at it... they all look and play wonderfully.


Going from your monitor to a wide screen LCD - you may as well be buying the consoles over again - it will be a totally new experience. Best investment you could make at this point I think.
 
[quote name='guyjr']Wow excellent thread... I went through the whole research process for an LCD last year around this time, prompted somewhat by my dad's purchase of a TV. I ended up buying the same one for myself - Samsung LNT4665F 46" LCD -

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NVLQ72

I paid $2300 for it last year, and it's now down to $1759 with free shipping.

I can tell you that I am 100% happy with this setup - gaming is so much fun on a big screen, and this screen is, in my book, high quality all the way. Samsung have come out with LCDs more recently that have truer blacks, but I don't think you can buy one anywhere near this price. I'm totally happy with watching movies on this one as well as any game you can throw at it... they all look and play wonderfully.

[/QUOTE]

Except the one I posted earlier here is only $1500 at Buy.com. I really don't think there's a better bang/buck model out there right now, and I've been looking for a little while because I need a new TV also. But keep the models coming guys and we'll see.
 
[quote name='kklems']If you can be patient you can score some cheap tvs (prices are new including shipping and tax) These are the lowest prices I have seen in the last 30 days as a starting point but prices are always falling

Also have you considered plasma? You tend to get a bigger bang for your buck

Panasonic Th-Pz700u 50" 1080p for $1500 plasma

Samsung ln-t4661f 46" for $1115 LCD (J&R thru amazon lists $1500 with a free upconverting dvd player) http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/samsung-ln-t4661f/4505-6482_7-32385769.html

Samsung ln-t4061f 40" for $924 LCD CNET didn't review this size but rather the 46"

Samsung ln-t5265f 52" for $1533 LCd http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/samsung-ln-t4665f/4505-6482_7-32306311.html?tag=prod.txt.1 46" reviewed[/QUOTE]

kklems, when did you see the 5265 for $1533? The lowest I've seen it is 1899 on Outpost.com. 1533 would push me to get it right now.
 
I'd reccomend at least checking out Plasma as well....better chance of getting a good 50" one in your price range--and I'd never go for another main TV under 50".

LCD rear projection are nice as well, but the pic quality isn't quite as good as plasma. I did like them better than regular LCD TVs, and bought one, when looking last year as none of the LCDs I looked at in my price range were big enough nor did blacks well enough for my liking--but that could have improved in the past year.
 
WAIT AT LEAST ANOTHER WEEK BEFORE BUYING YOUR TV!!!

Word around the net is that all of the big manufactorers (Sony, Samsung, Toshiba, Panasonic) are going to slash prices on all of their HDTV's by around a third to take advantage of the recent tax return most people will be getting. Waiting another week or two could save you hundreds of dollars!
 
[quote name='Nicko']WAIT AT LEAST ANOTHER WEEK BEFORE BUYING YOUR TV!!!

Word around the net is that all of the big manufactorers (Sony, Samsung, Toshiba, Panasonic) are going to slash prices on all of their HDTV's by around a third to take advantage of the recent tax return most people will be getting. Waiting another week or two could save you hundreds of dollars![/quote]

Do you think amazon will cut their prices as well? I figure I could just buy from them and have them pm their price after the cut. Or I could just wait =p
 
ive got a samsung 50" dlp im sellin. its only 720p and has a warrenty till dec 27 2009. i got a 56" 1080p dlp and cant tell a difference. very good for my gaming.
 
[quote name='Green Card200']Do you think amazon will cut their prices as well? I figure I could just buy from them and have them pm their price after the cut. Or I could just wait =p[/QUOTE]

I would wait.

No one is showing their hands until the very last minute. I am guessing there will be a all out price war here in a week or so. As soon as those checks come in, the battle begins.
 
[quote name='Nicko']WAIT AT LEAST ANOTHER WEEK BEFORE BUYING YOUR TV!!!

Word around the net is that all of the big manufactorers (Sony, Samsung, Toshiba, Panasonic) are going to slash prices on all of their HDTV's by around a third to take advantage of the recent tax return most people will be getting. Waiting another week or two could save you hundreds of dollars![/QUOTE]

good pointer. I'm in no hurry to get it immediately, so if I have to wait a week or two for the good prices to kick in, I will.
 
I wouldn't touch an LCD with a ten foot pole unless it had the brand Samsung on it. I mean, I have an LG 32", but that's nowhere near a $2000 LCD. For high end LCD, it's Samsung or go home and cry when you get there.

Honestly, why LCD? You know LCD's react to lighting the same as plasmas do, especially high end LCD's because they use a reflective sheet to repel lights and enhance the contrast ratio.

The reason plasmas have a glass shield isn't just to protect them, but to maintain their high contrast ratio. Plasmas, for all intents and purposes are the leading picture quality in the industry. Panasonic 80 series have a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and a 480hz response time.

Check out a calibrated Panasonic 42PZ80U before you make fast judgments. It pretty much puts any Samsung LCD to shame for black levels, response time and color clarity.
 
[quote name='NamelessMC']I wouldn't touch an LCD with a ten foot pole unless it had the brand Samsung on it. I mean, I have an LG 32", but that's nowhere near a $2000 LCD. For high end LCD, it's Samsung or go home and cry when you get there.

Honestly, why LCD? You know LCD's react to lighting the same as plasmas do, especially high end LCD's because they use a reflective sheet to repel lights and enhance the contrast ratio.

The reason plasmas have a glass shield isn't just to protect them, but to maintain their high contrast ratio. Plasmas, for all intents and purposes are the leading picture quality in the industry. Panasonic 80 series have a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and a 480hz response time.

Check out a calibrated Panasonic 42PZ80U before you make fast judgments. It pretty much puts any Samsung LCD to shame for black levels, response time and color clarity.[/QUOTE]

I personally don't like plasmas. I use to love them until I realized they have burn-in. the area where the TV will be is dark enough where LCD will look good anyway.
 
Dont overlook Toshiba's TV's.

They make some nice sets for sure.

I went through this last yeand and got on AVS forums and dug for hours..

It was between Sony, Samsung, Panasonic and Toshiba. Toshiba one for me.

Good luck.
 
[quote name='NamelessMC']I wouldn't touch an LCD with a ten foot pole unless it had the brand Samsung on it. I mean, I have an LG 32", but that's nowhere near a $2000 LCD. For high end LCD, it's Samsung or go home and cry when you get there.
[/QUOTE]

Except that Samsung isn't an A tier manufacturer, they are a B-tier Korean company.....they occupy the middle ground. Depending on how you shop, Samsungs can either look like a great bargain, or something you are over-paying for. If you look at Sharp or Sony you might think they are a bargain, if you look at Vizio or Westinghouse or even Toshiba in some regards, they may look like a ripoff.

The reason plasmas have a glass shield isn't just to protect them, but to maintain their high contrast ratio. Plasmas, for all intents and purposes are the leading picture quality in the industry. Panasonic 80 series have a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and a 480hz response time.
Click to expand...

Dynamic Contrast Ratio = Jack Shit.

All that matters is the static contrast ratio the panel is capable of doing, because Dynamic ratio will change depending on what is going on screen at any given time, the sets can modulate their brightness and that can sometimes be seen. But...it doesn't really matter in the end, because I believe Pioneer or Panasonic...one of the big makers, is getting out of the Plasma business entirely. Plasmas are a dying technology, like DLP Rear Projectors.....they consume far too much power and while they look jaw-droppingly good, they aren't a great choice for gaming because of the potential for burn-in unless you are very careful (or lucky).

For every Plasma pundit who claims burn-in is BS, there are posts on the web of burn in...sorry..."Temporary Image Retention" as the Plasma guys call it, that wont go away...that makes it burn-in. Besides, anytime I hear someone say "Dude my HALO3 HUD went away after only about 10 hours of watching regular movies, its no big deal!"....I guess its not if you dont mind seeing the Halo HUD for 10 hours of movie watching! :)

[/QUOTE]
Check out a calibrated Panasonic 42PZ80U before you make fast judgments. It pretty much puts any Samsung LCD to shame for black levels, response time and color clarity.[/QUOTE]

Or better yet, skip this and go right to a LCD or DLP front projector for 1/2 the cost and game/watch movies at 100" or larger.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top