Best LCD HDTV Under $500?

Karuto

Karuto

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Hey guys, I'm on the lookout for a really good television set that falls under this budget. I'm looking at the 20-30" range because I'm going to be hauling this to school, around campus (not a lot, very rarely, but the possibility is there), and back home at the end of the school year. I'll also be using it with my laptop that I'm buying this August.

My qualifications is that it has to have an HD Tuner built-in to avoid any unnecessary hassles, a 16:9 contrast ratio for Widescreen movie-watching and gaming, and at least one HDMI input for my PS3. Picture Quality and Sound Quality are pretty important as well, since I won't be using headphones. Other than that, it's pretty much option.

So what are your recommendations? Any great deals coming soon I should watch out for? ;)
 
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Do they make any HDTV in that size with HDMI for under $500?

The best would be the 32" Westinghouse from Best Buy which retails for usually $600/$700.
 
Every LCD HDTV I've looked at from $250-$500 has an HDMI input, so I'm sure there are. ;)

Thanks for the suggestion, though. I've looked at Westinghouse, and they are looking pretty attractive.
 
I've actually been looking at this one myself, does anyone know much about the Sceptre brand? Costco has a Sceptre 23" LCD for $399, which seems like a decent price. I am not looking for anything too big, nor too small.
 
Yeah, I looked at Olevia before, but every time I see it in the shops the picture quality isn't really up there. I don't know if it's because of the Home Theater employees or what...

Can it be trusted alongside Samsung, Toshiba, etc.?
 
A lot of people swear by Olevias and whatnot, but I think you're better off spending the extra dough on a nicer TV. I heavily considered the 537H myself but after a lot of thinking, decided that I'd rather have a far superior image and settled for a more expensive, smaller 32".

$500 is pretty tight for an LCD so you might have to settle for an Olevia. But they're not bad TVs at all, IMO. For the money, they can't be beat and honestly, I think they're the only budget brand to consider. I see 32" Olevias for $500 all the time, check around places like FatWallet and SlickDeals.

Heres, the thread I made which really helped my decision.
http://cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135457
 
I thought this looked pretty good. What do you guys think?

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-26PF5321D-26-Widescreen-LCD/dp/B000FBK2NY/ref=sr_1_4/105-9774954-1567654?ie=UTF8&s=audio-video&qid=1182146467&sr=1-4

It doesn't have a specific PC port, but I figured I can just use one of those HDMI-to-DVI plugs instead. Does this look good?

As you can see, it got an 5/5 on Amazon from the 3 reviews, and 9/10 from 4 people on Cnet Reviews. Obviously not a lot of people, but hey, so far, that's a good consensus. lol

Then again, it'd also be very nice to have a TV under $23".... I didn't notice how big my 20" TV can really be...
 
^^

How much would shipping be on that TV? Sometimes shipping tends to kill a good thing

[quote name='Raikoh']I've actually been looking at this one myself, does anyone know much about the Sceptre brand? Costco has a Sceptre 23" LCD for $399, which seems like a decent price. I am not looking for anything too big, nor too small.[/quote]

My relatives recently got a Sceptre as a gift, although I forgot what size it was. It has perfomed rather well HDMI wise, just don't rely on the built-in speakers, they give an annoying crackle during some audio testing, at least through the HDMI port :/

The TV tuner works well, and S-video and component each deliver suffice picture. I'm no HDTV guru though, so you can take my experience w/ a grain of salt
 
I've read a few good reviews on CNet and elsewhere for the 32" Emerson LCD that Wal-Mart now carries, their "Everyday Low Price" is $498.00. Built-in HD tuner, native res of 720p supporting up to 1080i, HDMI, pretty good contrast with nice deep blacks.

At $500, you ain't gonna get top o'tha line, let's face facts. But many of these budget brands (I've heard nothing but good things about Olevia) will provide a good-quality entry-level set. Good luck.
 
I'm facing facts. I'm well aware I won't get top of the line. lmao. I never said I wanted that. I just don't want to spend hoards of money for a television set. ;)

Anyway, I want to get Olevia, but that lack of a Tuner throws me off. I won't have a cable or satellite box where I'm going (college), so even though I'll be using this to play games an amount of time, I'll also be watching plenty of network television, and there are still plenty of SDTV shows that have yet to make the jump to digital. I saw the 27" under $400 which looked like a really good deal, so if you guys know of a place that has this TV with a tuner, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know. :D

@ Vinny - That Aquos is dead sexy! :O I'll have to reconsider yet again. Lol! Well, I guess choices made using this much money should be long and drawn out, because I'll have to live with it for years.

EDIT: Ugh, the cheapest thing under $500 that's HDTV has a 4:3 ratio, and I love me widescreen.... well, time to keep shopping.
 
I have a 32 Olevia its great. The sound is very good The picture is like a half step below the sony and sharp. But better than the westinghouse i tought. IZ got a 1 year warranty thru cosco and thru manfacturing
 
Well, I should mention that I am going to be using this in my dorm and in my bedroom, so the screen shouldn't be that big. That's why I put the limitation there. I prefer 20" or 23", because that seems big enough for me. Any bigger and I can't keep an eye on the action. We have a 32" in our living room and that is perfect. I'm hoping to not break the bank just getting a television set, because there will be other things I will be paying for. ;)

Thanks a lot for the suggestions thus far, though! I really do appreciate it.
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889101125

It's going to be about $50 shipped. The extra $200 is extremely worth it. I bought an Olevia because I also wanted to stay around $500 and the thing sucked horribly. HD will look decent, but will ghost, SD will look like crap and ghost even more. I sold it to someone else after a few days.

I got this one last week and the difference in quality is ridiculous. Plus, it's not every day you see a 32" Sharp Aquos for $700 ;)
 
You definitely have the right idea staying with a 20-23" LCD for school, especially if you plan to haul it around.

Honestly, just be patient though... I paid $780 for my LCD back when everybody else had it for like $1000. It usually depends on a when a manufacturer releases their new line that the prices of older models fall.
 
you missed the 32 LCD Westinghouse from BestBuy last week...out the door for $475 after tax and coupon...and shockingly it has 2 HDMI inputs
 
^^ Lol, well, that's great and all, but I won't have the money for a few weeks, if even then.

Like I said, I'm not looking for 32". That's way too big and expensive for me. I'm looking more at 20-26", and under $500 as the title suggests. Anything more is unnecessary. Thanks, though. :)
 
[quote name='Karuto']^^ Lol, well, that's great and all, but I won't have the money for a few weeks, if even then.

Like I said, I'm not looking for 32". That's way too big and expensive for me. I'm looking more at 20-26", and under $500 as the title suggests. Anything more is unnecessary. Thanks, though. :)[/quote]
This LCD is made by Astar, pretty good company. It includes a tuner as well http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889114026

429.99 AR.
 
Well, the Olevia 27" does look pretty good. I was staring at this long and hard, but I just couldn't imagine being totally satisfied with 19" despite its beautiful looks (I had a 19" monitor, which was great, but I don't know if it's TV great). Plus, same price, but 8" more seemed like a no-brainer.

So how do I go about getting the tuners for the TV? It looks like I need ATSC Digital and NTSC Analog tuners, but where do I buy them for the best price? What would you guys recommend?

Thanks for the great help thus far! I'm feeling quite confident. :D
 
Oooh, I am not going to pick up that Olevia set. Not only would I have to pay extra for an HDTV antenna, but it doesn't have a TV In, so I wouldn't be able to have cable in my dorm room, which is quite necessary.

Any other recommendations for this price range? I think 23" or 27" would actually be quite benefactory, on second thought. :D
 
Walmart recently started selling Vizio's and the website used to list a 27" one for $448. Includes ATSC/QAM tuner. I haven't seen it in person because I hate going to Walmart.

As for the Olevia's check out the 2 and 4 series sets if you want a cheap small set with a tuner. The 3 series (specifically the 332) that are often on sale don't have tuners at all but the 2 and 4 series sets do. Also if you can still find it the 323, 23" 3-series set, is the only one in that line that has a tuner (not-HD though) and it is the size you are looking for.
 
Hmm, I'm actually seriously considering the Vizio from Walmart, it's a good size, but not too big, and not a bad price. Anyone had first hand experience with Vizio's?
 
Yeah, I'm definitely considering picking it up as well. It's a great choice, you get plenty of inputs, and it's a really nice price. Thanks a lot for the suggestion. I may go check it out tomorrow. ;)
 
Damn we need to find you a tv... so I can buy it also. I'm also looking at the same size and range and haven't ever seen anything that was a decent price and brand. Though that Samsung you link seems nice, I wish it was at least 23" though instead of just 19.:cry:
 
is there gonna be July 4th Sale or something? who knows, if any of the stores will be selling decent ones. i'll wait.
 
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