Cheap Ass TV Shopper

Jimbo Slice

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Hey everyone,

with my graduation $$ I'm looking to upgrade from my 30" HDTV. I was looking at this model in particular....

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8828691&type=product&id=1207957070411

but it's a little pricey for me. I definitely want 1080p and would really prefer 120hz. I'm leaning toward LCD but could be swayed.

Are there TVs similar to that one that might be a little less expensive? I have enough money to afford a TV up to 2,500 dollars but it would really have to be worth it.
 
Have you looked at LG? They're making a name for themselves in the TV world, their quality has greatly improved in the last few years but their price has not gone up with it.

The LG 47LH30 is a great TV. I know Sears has it for $1199.99 (after hours of deliberation we all agreed on it being the best value for your dollar TV in our stock.) It has a 50,000:1 contrast ratio, which compares to even the top model Samsungs this year so you get very deep blacks.

They also have very vivid blues, the green scales lack a little compared to the top tier Samsungs but it's nothing awful. The red to me was what left the most to be desired, but that was comparing it to a $2,299.99 TV.

Unfortunately, it is not 120hz refresh rate. I think it's kind of a trade off, if you would want a better refresh rate don't go with the LG if you want one of the best ranges of colors (much deeper, crisper black which sets the tone for all other colors) than go with the LG.

However, and this is coming from a big fan of Sony's, there are much better TVs for your money than the one in the OP.
 
I've also been in the market for a 46 inch to 52 inch for quite some time now. I've been looking at Samsung and Sony but a buddy of mine pointed out that his LG is amazing. I'm really unsure what to get and I think now it a great time to buy. I'd also love to hear some more recommendations if possible.

What do you guys think about purchasing a TV online? A lot of my co-workers and friends were telling me not to do it since it will be shipped and the quality isn't "guarenteed" until you buy. I figured that ordering from trusted sites would be OK but I was wondering if anyone had any issues with ordering a TV online?
 
I would honestly go for a Samsung LCD. I have a Sharp and I love it but it seems like it's missing a lot of features. My brother has a Vizio and while my TV's image quality is noticeably better (we both used the same calibration software), his TV has more features.

But Samsung just seems like they've got the best overall package, especially for games. I think Samsung provides screens to Sony but I've heard that Bravia's (which probably have the best image quality) are somewhat more unreliable than most other brands.
 
Pretty good deal and you are gonna love that tv! I've had the 52" model for almost 2 months now and it's the best money i've spent.


[quote name='lolwut?']http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN46A...4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242518713&sr=8-4

Not a whole lot cheaper, but I have the 52" and it is amazing. Price must've gone up though, because I got the 52 for around $1850[/QUOTE]

You probably got last years model like I did, the new additions are fluff so I didn't care. I paid $1800 off Amazon and at the time the cheapest competitor was Best Buy on clearance for 2000 which is the current Amazon price as well.
 
Nooooooo get a plasma jimbo!!!!!!!!!!!!

120HZ LCDs can kiss plasmas butt!!! i think plasma is 640 hz by default and has absolutely no motion blurr.

10 reasons why u should get a plasma over LCD

1) NO MOTION BLURR PERIOD!
2) Deeper blacks!!!
3) You can get bigger sizes for cheaper!!! 50" for like 1100, 52" for like 1400, 60" for... alot
4) Kuros are cheap as shit right now and are the best tv on the market hands down( excluding OLEDS or wahtever)
5) Plasmas colors are better cause the blacks are better
6) Image Burn does not exist nor does image retention unless u leave ur tv on for 3 weeks straight on the same picture
7) PQ of the "lower" end plasmas looks better then the "Higher end" LCDS
8) I HAVE ONE
9) They look a lot better, but look like shit in retail cause the lighting conditions and crap
10) come over mi casa and ill show u!!!


http://6ave.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=PANTH46PZ85U
46" 1080P for 988 shipped

50" 1080P for 998 shipped

http://6ave.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=PANTH50PZ80U

i donno how much u know about tvs, but contrast ratio is diff for every manufacturer because of what they measure, and dynamic ratio is bullshit because they measure like Black on a pure white screen which will NEVER happen during any normal viewing!!! dynamic is a marketing scheme so they have the number 1,000,000 :1.

u want ansys or whatever aka NATIVE ratio and u can compare that between the SAME manufacturers ONLY
so SONYS 50:000:1 native vs say panasonics 20:000 1 is TOTALLY Different because they are measuring different things and get these dumb numbers for marketing reasons ONLY.

being only 19 years old I did a TON of research before i bought my TV,

@RenoTurk, i ordered from 6ave got the cheapest shipping and had NO problems.
they shipped from NYC to SOCAL

alot of people look down on plasmas because of
made up/old fears of
- image burn
- image retention
- over power usage
- REFILLING PLASMA LOLOL
- not as common or as marketed as LCDs

plasma is LIGHT years ahead of LCDs imo.
i used to have an LCD and my bro in law has a sony bravia and he wants to buy a plasma now.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[quote name='$hady']You probably got last years model like I did, the new additions are fluff so I didn't care. I paid $1800 off Amazon and at the time the cheapest competitor was Best Buy on clearance for 2000 which is the current Amazon price as well.[/QUOTE]

Really? They update models every year? I mean I know they come out with new ones (the new Samsungs being ultra slim), but I didn't think they would update the A650 series anymore...

And yeah, the deal Trakan posted is the best in this thread yet. You won't be disappointed.
 
[quote name='Jimbo Slice']Thanks so much Trak... pulled the trigger. Really, really appreciate it.[/QUOTE]

No prob, let me know how you like it when you get it.
 
[quote name='Furashu']Nooooooo get a plasma jimbo!!!!!!!!!!!!

120HZ LCDs can kiss plasmas butt!!! i think plasma is 640 hz by default and has absolutely no motion blurr.

10 reasons why u should get a plasma over LCD

1) NO MOTION BLURR PERIOD!
2) Deeper blacks!!!
3) You can get bigger sizes for cheaper!!! 50" for like 1100, 52" for like 1400, 60" for... alot
4) Kuros are cheap as shit right now and are the best tv on the market hands down( excluding OLEDS or wahtever)
5) Plasmas colors are better cause the blacks are better
6) Image Burn does not exist nor does image retention unless u leave ur tv on for 3 weeks straight on the same picture
7) PQ of the "lower" end plasmas looks better then the "Higher end" LCDS
8) I HAVE ONE
9) They look a lot better, but look like shit in retail cause the lighting conditions and crap
10) come over mi casa and ill show u!!!


http://6ave.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=PANTH46PZ85U
46" 1080P for 988 shipped

50" 1080P for 998 shipped

http://6ave.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=PANTH50PZ80U

i donno how much u know about tvs, but contrast ratio is diff for every manufacturer because of what they measure, and dynamic ratio is bullshit because they measure like Black on a pure white screen which will NEVER happen during any normal viewing!!! dynamic is a marketing scheme so they have the number 1,000,000 :1.

u want ansys or whatever aka NATIVE ratio and u can compare that between the SAME manufacturers ONLY
so SONYS 50:000:1 native vs say panasonics 20:000 1 is TOTALLY Different because they are measuring different things and get these dumb numbers for marketing reasons ONLY.

being only 19 years old I did a TON of research before i bought my TV,

@RenoTurk, i ordered from 6ave got the cheapest shipping and had NO problems.
they shipped from NYC to SOCAL

alot of people look down on plasmas because of
made up/old fears of
- image burn
- image retention
- over power usage
- REFILLING PLASMA LOLOL
- not as common or as marketed as LCDs

plasma is LIGHT years ahead of LCDs imo.
i used to have an LCD and my bro in law has a sony bravia and he wants to buy a plasma now.[/QUOTE]


Wow talk about fanboy

Ask anyone who knows even anything about tvs and LED LCD's > Plasma

Plasma's are a step above dlp and under regular lcd which are under led lcds which are under Oleds.

the 640hz crap is a marketing scheme invented as soon as 120hz lcds came into the picture. Seriously 120hz on a lcd looks so much better than the "640hz" on a plasma. Anyway not to go off rambling the 120hz on lcds really only doubles a frame to make it look smoother since there is no 120hz signal even made but it does make it look so much smoother by doing that. Plasmas are cheap big good tvs but dont say that they are better.
 
[quote name='Malik112099']best buy has a 42"? 1080p lcd in the ad this week for $600[/QUOTE]

The Dynex? I've had really bad experiences with Dynex/Insignia as has my Geek Squad friend (him both on and off the job).
 
[quote name='ferant316']The Dynex? I've had really bad experiences with Dynex/Insignia as has my Geek Squad friend (him both on and off the job).[/QUOTE]

[quote name='Malik112099']best buy has a 42"? 1080p lcd in the ad this week for $600[/QUOTE]

You missed out last week BB had a 40" Sharp Aquos 1080p for $699.00 with 4 HDMI inputs it look like a really good deal.
 
[quote name='s2k']Wow talk about fanboy

Ask anyone who knows even anything about tvs and LED LCD's > Plasma

Plasma's are a step above dlp and under regular lcd which are under led lcds which are under Oleds.

the 640hz crap is a marketing scheme invented as soon as 120hz lcds came into the picture. Seriously 120hz on a lcd looks so much better than the "640hz" on a plasma. Anyway not to go off rambling the 120hz on lcds really only doubles a frame to make it look smoother since there is no 120hz signal even made but it does make it look so much smoother by doing that. Plasmas are cheap big good tvs but dont say that they are better.[/QUOTE]

Although I dont mean to be a fanboy to either LCD or Plasma, I am a fanboy about facts.

There are both positives and negatives to LCDs and Plasmas.
Plasmas can have deeper blacks (especially the Kuros) but LCD is catching up on this and improving greatly (the new Samsung LED backlit TVs are a great example).
The one advantage of Plasmas is the viewing angle of the TV. LCDs tend to have a problem in this category where if you sit off axis the "sweet spot" of the TV, the picture quality can take a hit with the color and contrast being affected.
LCDs use less energy than Plasmas but with the new PDP panels being utilized, more and more Plasmas are becoming more energy efficient.

Here's a good guide from Crutchfield detailing LCD vs Plasma.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-VBhCHdz1WhJ/learn/learningcenter/home/tv_flatpanel.html

Tons of info over at the AVSforums as well. Research your TVs carefully.
 
[quote name='lolwut?']Really? They update models every year? I mean I know they come out with new ones (the new Samsungs being ultra slim), but I didn't think they would update the A650 series anymore...

And yeah, the deal Trakan posted is the best in this thread yet. You won't be disappointed.[/QUOTE]


Probably worded that wrong but I was referring to 650 being updated by the 750 and 850 series. They pretty much hit a plateau where specs are barely improved on the 750 and the 850 was same but thinner.
 
[quote name='s2k']Wow talk about fanboy

Ask anyone who knows even anything about tvs and LED LCD's > Plasma

Plasma's are a step above dlp and under regular lcd which are under led lcds which are under Oleds.

the 640hz crap is a marketing scheme invented as soon as 120hz lcds came into the picture. Seriously 120hz on a lcd looks so much better than the "640hz" on a plasma. Anyway not to go off rambling the 120hz on lcds really only doubles a frame to make it look smoother since there is no 120hz signal even made but it does make it look so much smoother by doing that. Plasmas are cheap big good tvs but dont say that they are better.[/QUOTE]

yes i come off as a fanboy oh well haha!

anyways
compare 42" lCDS to 42" plasmas
the price vs quality plasma beats LCDS.

if u look at sonys top end bravias and compare them to pannys mid line... theyre the same.

lcds are good, but the blacks arent as deep and u pay way more for the same size in plasmas.
 
[quote name='ajh2298']You missed out last week BB had a 40" Sharp Aquos 1080p for $699.00 with 4 HDMI inputs it look like a really good deal.[/QUOTE]

I picked that TV up at Costco as our bedroom TV, paid $700 and NO TAX since I have a reseller's permit and business account at Costco. This saved me another $6X bucks. It is simply phenomenal, especially for the price. It's listed online at $700 through the end of the month (manufacturer's rebate of $50), and it was $750 in store:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

I printed out the online price just to see if there would be a problem getting it in store, and they tried to tell me that the online price is different from in store. I argued that the state of California's laws state that any online advertised price must be the same at any phsyical store in the state. The Attorney General of our state has stated as much.

They didn't want to give it to me for an additional $50 off, citing that online would cost you extra with shipping, etc. but the cashier had a coupon that she ran and it took another $50 off. Don't know what coupon it was, but I ended up getting it for the $699.99 flat. Total steal.
 
[quote name='ajh2298']You missed out last week BB had a 40" Sharp Aquos 1080p for $699.00 with 4 HDMI inputs it look like a really good deal.[/QUOTE]
This deal is still going on. Just bought one today, and so far I'm very happy. $849.xx including the 4 year geek squad plan.

By the way, all the reviews that complain about it being dark...theres a setting called "OPC". Just turn it off and it's bright lol. It's the auto-dimming feature (adjusts for room lighting for "the best" picture) that makes it very dark in the showroom
 
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