Is this a good deal for a 42" LCD?

[ragtop70]

http://www.target.com/Westinghouse-...4545&searchPage=1&field_keywords=westinghouse

I'm not sure that link will work, but it's a 42" Westinghouse 1080p LCD at Target. I have a raincheck to get it for $499. Is it worth it with a 60hz refresh rate and contrast ratio of 4000:1? My current set is a Magnavox 32" 480p, so this is obviously a big step up, but I'm wondering if there are 120 or even 240hz sets out there at comparable prices. Thanks for any help.

 

[bdb2m]

While I think the price itself is very good for a 42", reading the reviews on the link you provided a lot of people had problems with this set. I think you might be better spending a little more and getting a tv that isn't going to crap out in 6 months. I did some digging(about to buy a bigger tv myself) an found this:

http://www.amazon.com/LG-42LH30-42-...?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1266777347&sr=8-14

Thats 649 for a 1080P LG which is probably fuller featured if you can afford it. If you want to stay at the 499 price point you might try to go 720p instead(at 42" 1080p probably isn't worth too much of a premium unless you are sitting really close to the television.)

In the end its up to you, but i hate to see anyone pay 500 for a television that a lot people had problems with.

 

[Icehearted]

I got this one for $699 shipped.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889200038

TL;DR follows...

It's a fantastic TV, but unfortunately it's not for sale on this site anymore. If you poke around a little you might find a comparable deal on a name brand (I've read mixed stories on Westy tvs, particularly after they or a company that manufactures their screens was bought out and quality took a hit for it). I just happened to find it when I was ready to go HD, when NewEgg dropped the price by about $500.

I went from a Magnavox 29" that died after about 8 years, so I was in a bit of the same situation as you and I learned a lot, such as contrast ratios numbers being unreliable, that with LCD the 60hz 120hz game isn't as important as one might think but issues like "flashlighting" and ghosting are.

My tv has about 3 stuck pixels, which was what I was most concerned about, and to be honest in anything but a solid color at less than two feet away it's impossible to see them.


TL;DR
You can probably do a bit better or at least get a big name brand for as much, but I'd make sure that this is one of the "good" westys and not a "bad" one if you buy it.

 

[ragtop70]

Those reviews on Target's site concerned me at first, but then I considered that it's only about a dozen reviews when thousands of people have bought this TV from them.

My real concern is that I buy this and then a considerably better set is on sale near this price. Something I noticed while looking at a different 42" 1080p LCD 60 hz next to a 42" 720p plasma with 600 hz refresh rate was that the plasma was much clearer. The NFL Network was on and it was crystal clear on the plasma while the LCD was extremely blocky. Is this the norm with sports and fast moving pictures on all 60 hz LCDs?

The deal I can get right now is that my brother gives me $125 for my 3 year old set and I get this for $499, effectively making it $374. I'm hesitating because crap is crap at any price and those 13 reviews are scaring me a bit. However, 13 bad out of 1,000 or even 100 isn't bad.

 

[Suade]

It doesn't sould like a good deal to me. I've been shopping for a 50" for over a month now and there are a few things I've noticed. First off, the prices are always falling. Second, you're comparing a plasma and an LCD refresh rates. Plasmas have always had the beter rate and to combat that LCD's are going to 120/240 Hz. According to the online guides, Plasmas and LCDs are introducing features that counter act each styles short comings, making them more similar. My strategy is to determine what features matter the most to me and get/wait for a TV that is in my price range with those features.

 

[Kevfactor]

honestly unless you're goign to spend some money id just go plasma

i like lcd's better but you got to get a quality one with like 100k contrast ratio and is rated good with at least 120 refresh. all of which is really going to cost a little shy of a grand. otherwise it's like watching legos. i mean go to wallmart, most those tvs are just awful looking!

plasma always will have better pic but gen more heat and there is always that concern with burnin. if on a budget id jsut get a 720p 40 incher. theysay past 6 feet you're not going to tell a differance from 1080p anyways.