In market for LCD TV...Need help !

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Tee_Ken

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Hi guys, I'm looking to purchase a new 32" LCD for my room and I am torn between two models. The Sony Bravia KDL-32S3000 32" 720p LCD HDTV or the SHARP Black 32" 16:9 6ms 1080p LCD HDTV w/ ATSC Tuner Model LC32D62U

. I'm gonna mainly be using it to view HDTV, 360 gaming, and viewing DVD's. I don't see myself viewing any HD DVD or Blu Ray movies soon, so that's not so much a factor. My maximum viewing distance is no more than 9ft. The other one that I was also considering is the Samsung LNT3242H 32" LCD HDTV
I just want to make sure I get the best TV for my given situation and to try and spend under a grand. Any help would be appreciated guys! Thanks!


Here are the tiny urls for the deals I am looking at. 2 are from Amazon and the Sharp Aquos is from NEwegg.

http://tinyurl.com/yrol7u
http://tinyurl.com/ypowp3
http://tinyurl.com/3a42oy
http://preview.tinyurl.com/3a42oy
 
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Hmm... that's a tough one. Based on specs and what I've seen of these companies' TVs, I'd go with the Bravia, just because they typically look a bit better, and this one has a better contrast ratio than the Sharp. The Sharp does 1080p, but at 32", that's seriously pointless to have... you really won't be able to discern a difference between 720p and 1080p on that size TV. So I'm saying the Sony is the better option, but it's really kinda a toss-up. Either way you go, you'll have a phenomenal TV.

And thanks for not buying an Olevia.
 
Wow, those are the exact same two TVs I have been looking at...
From my research (AVSForum), it seems that there may be banding issues with the Sharp (though it is unclear whether it is common at the smaller size - for some reason the thread there is only for the larger sizes). On the other hand, I gather that Sony's LCDs commonly have clouding issues. Either way, you should be able to exchange it if it is a problem.
I'm thinking I will probably be 5"-6" from the TV, and from the chart I saw (who knows how whoever made it came up with it) 1080p would be noticeable even on a 32".
 
[quote name='Chacrana']If you really mean 5-6 inches away, then yeah, you'll notice. That's probably not good for your eyesight though. Damn.[/quote] :oops::D
Right, well 5'-6'. How about that?

EDIT: This is the chart I mentioned.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.png
According to that it seems 1080p should be noticeable at that distance. On the other hand, most (PS3/360) games are in 720p (I think...), so it might make more sense to have a native 720p set anyway...
 
[quote name='Chacrana']Hmm... that's a tough one. Based on specs and what I've seen of these companies' TVs, I'd go with the Bravia, just because they typically look a bit better, and this one has a better contrast ratio than the Sharp. The Sharp does 1080p, but at 32", that's seriously pointless to have... you really won't be able to discern a difference between 720p and 1080p on that size TV. So I'm saying the Sony is the better option, but it's really kinda a toss-up. Either way you go, you'll have a phenomenal TV.

And thanks for not buying an Olevia.[/quote]

Wow you an I agree for once! :hot:

Well all but the last line.

[quote name='shyguy0383']hey wats the deal with vizio and olevia? Chacrana and rodeojones, whats wrong with them?[/quote]


Some people are just elitist bastards :lol:

However to answer you there is nothing wrong with them both brands do very well in all Reviews and test but are a 2nd tire brand. You MIGHT get a few less inputs on them and the warranties have to be read very carefully but they are hard to beat for the money. Vizio has received a few editors choice awards including PC Mag and C-net.com. Long story short you can get a good TV from them.


And for the record I own both a Sony and A Vizio
 
[quote name='Kfoster1979']Wow you an I agree for once! :hot:

Well all but the last line.




Some people are just elitist bastards :lol:

However to answer you there is nothing wrong with them both brands do very well in all Reviews and test but are a 2nd tire brand. You MIGHT get a few less inputs on them and the warranties have to be read very carefully but they are hard to beat for the money. Vizio has received a few editors choice awards including PC Mag and C-net.com. Long story short you can get a good TV from them.


And for the record I own both a Sony and A Vizio[/quote]


Yea, thats the thing, I own a 37" Vizio and only paid 550 for it. It has plenty of inputs and its 720p/1080i. Im not a big gamer and i dont have HD dvd or blueray so i was fine with my choice of not going for a 1080p. I love this tv except for the fact that it doesnt have a headphone input.
 
The new Westinghouse units are sporting up to 4 HDMI inputs, so lack of inputs shouldn't be a real concern for some of the 'lesser' units. My 37" 1080p Westy displays HD content extremely well. When looking for a living room TV, my choices were 46-50" sets and the 47" Westinghouse was an option. I found the Sharp Aquos to be superior but ended up with a Panasonic 50" 1080p plasma - go figure :D.

I think the Sharp units have better black levels than the Sonys in general, so I expect the same here. The difference generally is minor. You will get better audio from the Sony. The 1080p is a bonus that you probably can see a bit of a difference vs 1080i, especially if you are close enough. However, the 1080p isn't quite the feature difference to consider but the 1920x1080 vs 1366x768 resolution. That will make a big difference in both 1080i and 1080p content even on a 32" screen. If either of these have a VGA input (or you have an HDMI/DVI video card), using it as a PC monitor would sway towards the much higher resolution. It will be the most noticeable with a PC Input as a definite.
 
Hey, thanks for all the great input guys! I meant to say that the maximum viewing distance was going to be about 6-9 ft. lol! not 6-9 inches. I'm seriously leaning towards the Sharp Aquos since it's a pretty good deal at 999.99 plus free shipping, no taxes, and a free dvd player over at newegg. However, I'm hearing it's overkill to have 1080p at 32" so I'm still not sure.
 
[quote name='Tee_Ken']Hey, thanks for all the great input guys! I meant to say that the maximum viewing distance was going to be about 6-9 ft. lol! not 6-9 inches. I'm seriously leaning towards the Sharp Aquos since it's a pretty good deal at 999.99 plus free shipping, no taxes, and a free dvd player over at newegg. However, I'm hearing it's overkill to have 1080p at 32" so I'm still not sure.[/quote]

Well thats a good deal but in all honesty you will not see a difference at that size from that distance in 720p to 1080p. However its a good deal but you may want to see if you can find the 720p set for a few bucks less.
 
Honestly, you can't go wrong with either one.

Granted, the Bravia will have better image quality but the Sharp does do 1080p. Depending on how far away you sit from the TV, the Sharp could be a better choice. Ultimately though, I'd say their overall image quality would be almost the same.

The thing that I'd consider is that the Sony has an 8ms and 1600:1 contrast ratio whereas the Sharp has 6ms and 2000:1 CR plus it does 1080p (and you get a free upscaling DVD player!).

I love my Sharp. It freakin rocks hardcore. Way to go OP for not looking into crappier TVs like Olevia and Vizios.
 
[quote name='shyguy0383']hey wats the deal with vizio and olevia? Chacrana and rodeojones, whats wrong with them?[/quote]

their haters
 
[quote name='shyguy0383']hey wats the deal with vizio and olevia? Chacrana and rodeojones, whats wrong with them?[/QUOTE]


Nothing. They are just TV snobs.
 
OP, you may want to go to the store yourself and check out these TV's. Like (most) everyone else has said, they are all three good tv's to get. I'm in the market for a 46" myself and it's going to be one of those 3 companies.
 
[quote name='Punk_Raven']You all know that if you had the money you'd rather buy a Sony or Sharp than an Olevia or Vizio.[/quote]

That's true, but not everybody has the money. The way people talk about Olivea or Vizio, they make it sound like they're comparing a used pinto to a BMW.
 
both sony and sharp make the best lcd tvs so a good start. I'd go with the sharp just due to the fact it has 1080P.
 
[quote name='Punk_Raven']You all know that if you had the money you'd rather buy a Sony or Sharp than an Olevia or Vizio.[/quote]

I have both (Sony and Vizio) and could very easily have afforded another Sony or Sharp but went with the Vizio.
 
[quote name='Tee_Ken']Hey, thanks for all the great input guys! I meant to say that the maximum viewing distance was going to be about 6-9 ft. lol! not 6-9 inches. I'm seriously leaning towards the Sharp Aquos since it's a pretty good deal at 999.99 plus free shipping, no taxes, and a free dvd player over at newegg. However, I'm hearing it's overkill to have 1080p at 32" so I'm still not sure.[/QUOTE]

1920x1080 resolution is not overkill for a 32" set. 1920x1080 looked substantially better on my 37" set versus my old 40" 1280x720 set (before I replaced it with the 50" Panasonic). It's not arguing 1080p vs 1080i, you're getting a huge bump in actual pixel resolution. If the price is not all that different then getting the extra resolution is a huge benefit - if not now but later since you're sure to be using this TV for years to come. Even 1080i will look better since the 720p set will have to take the 1920x1080 image and downsample it to 1366x768 at the very least.

Again, if you are ever thinking of hooking up a VGA/DVI/HDMI PC device, the resolution will hands down be worth it. I know you said you weren't planning on that, but it gives you versatility if you ever did.

Remember to snag an HDMI cable since I'm sure it won't be included with the upconverting DVD player (and they don't upconvert over component!). It's a little more than Monoprice, but since you're getting free shipping it will come out to be less :).
 
Wow, I never knew I'd get so much input! Thanks for all the advice everyone! So I've decided to go with the Sharp 32" from since I figured that I might in the future want to use it as a PC monitor in some fashion. It was definitely a tough choice, but I saw both models in person and something just drew me more to the Sharp. No offense to Sony, as that looked awesome as well. I actually like the design of Sony better (felt the frame had a more clean look to it), but Sharp was just a little more in price and yet came with a little more. I'll be sure to grab some cables from the suggested site by everyone monoprice.
 
[quote name='Bojizzle']Would anyone recommend Plasma over LCD?[/QUOTE]

Depends on which Plasma and which LCD. One's not always better than the other.
 
[quote name='Kfoster1979']I have both (Sony and Vizio) and could very easily have afforded another Sony or Sharp but went with the Vizio.[/quote]

So you chose to save the money?

Explain exactly why you did that.
 
[quote name='Punk_Raven']So you chose to save the money?

Explain exactly why you did that.[/quote]

Easy, When it came down to it I liked the PQ on all . The HD on all were fantastic and the SD was about the same but Sony did have an advantage there. The Vizio has one less component input but not a deal breaker for me, so it came down to money and the Vizio was cheaper so yes I decided to save the Money had have not regretted it a bit. I honestly don't see why some people hate on them so much Vizio gets Fantastic reviews, good specs, and are cheaper with out a quality sacrifice. To be honest I think to many People see the price and declare they are crap before even giving them a chance.
 
[quote name='Tee_Ken']Hi guys, I'm looking to purchase a new 32" LCD for my room and I am torn between two models. The Sony Bravia KDL-32S3000 32" 720p LCD HDTV or the SHARP Black 32" 16:9 6ms 1080p LCD HDTV w/ ATSC Tuner Model LC32D62U

. I'm gonna mainly be using it to view HDTV, 360 gaming, and viewing DVD's. I don't see myself viewing any HD DVD or Blu Ray movies soon, so that's not so much a factor. My maximum viewing distance is no more than 9ft. The other one that I was also considering is the Samsung LNT3242H 32" LCD HDTV
I just want to make sure I get the best TV for my given situation and to try and spend under a grand. Any help would be appreciated guys! Thanks!


Here are the tiny urls for the deals I am looking at. 2 are from Amazon and the Sharp Aquos is from NEwegg.

http://tinyurl.com/yrol7u
http://tinyurl.com/ypowp3
http://tinyurl.com/3a42oy
[/quote]

That's tough--they're all good sets for the size. If you can, try to demo them all so you can decide which PQ you like best. Of course, since you're buying for a dorm room, and you're probably going to have to upgrade after you leave, I'd ultimately just get the cheapest of those three.
 
Anyone own a 32" Samsung? I've been eyeing those since I saw them side by side with others at BB. Amazon has this one Samsung LNT3253H 32" LCD HDTV for $858 or this one Samsung LNT3242H 32" LCD HDTV for $789. Seems like a great deal compared to what BB or CC is asking for them especially when you consider no tax and free ship. Anyone have any experience with either of these sets?
 
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