What TV should I get and from where?

Casteor

Casteor

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I've been looking at TVs on Amazon and Sam's Club (maybe Best Buy, too). I'm looking for the following specs:

at least 40 in
1080p or no?
LCD best right?
good price not looking at something around $900+

I'm planning on using the new tv to use with my blu-ray player and PS3 slim. If I get a new tv, I'll pick up an hdmi cord and I'm pretty sure all tvs these days are basically hdmi compatible.

I've been looking at a lot of tvs (mainly amazon), but I'd appreciate if someone can provide suggestions, etc.

Edit:
My plasma and sofas are about 10 feet apart. I'd be willing to move the sofas 2 feet up in order to see the "difference" between 1080p and 720p. Therefore, I guess I can conclude that I'll be going with a 1080p HDTV for sure. That way, I can take full advantage of the PS3's capabilities with 1080p and blu-ray player. LCD is also what I'm getting from everyone. Size wise, the tv has to be less than 42 in--- preferably 40. Good price as well.

Btw, 1080p is best correct? There's also 1080i.


Can you guys also comment on these following tvs that I looked up on Amazon?

http://www.amazon.com/LG-32LH30-32-...ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-3
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-BRAVIA-K...ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-4
http://www.amazon.com/ViewSonic-VT2...ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-6
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN40B...f=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-11
http://www.amazon.com/LG-37LH40-37-...f=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-13
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN40B...f=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-14
http://www.amazon.com/LG-42LH40-42-...f=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-15
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIE...f=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-16
http://www.amazon.com/Viore-LC26VF5...f=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-18
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN32B...f=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-21
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-40RV5...f=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-23


I'm trying to for the best TV for me that is most cost-quality-effective, if that's even a word.
 
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I would stay away from plasma due to a very slight chance of burn in.

Samsung makes great LCDs, if I am not mistaken their rated number one at the moment. The big difference is the Sony is 120hz and the Samsung is 60hz. I prefer 120hz, most people will choose 60hz. You really need to see 120hz in action to make a decision.
 
To be honest, a large TV is not something I would want to order off a place like Amazon. I would much rather go into a store and buy it, that way not only can I see it in person, but if there is any sort of issue I can easily box it up and get a replacement that day, instead of trying to mail it out for repairs or replacement or whatever. That, and I've seen how UPS/FedEx/USPS handle packages, and I'm not sure I'd trust a TV with them.

I really think you'd be better off going into someplace like Best Buy or even Walmart and buying a TV.

Oh, and I've got a 32" Vizio, and love it. My parent's have a 47" Panasonic that's nice, but for some reason they put the speakers facing outwards behind the TV, so the sound sounds like shit.
 
I had a 32 inch Vizio Plasma TV for a while. I recently sold it to my brother and bought a 37 inch Insignia LCD (Best Buy brand). Both of them being hooked up to an XBOX 360 I really couldn't tell much of a difference. The Vizio was 720P and the Insignia was 1080P. As far as LCDs go with Refresh rates and what not, I believe that's where Plasmas shine. They have very little response times as well as high refresh rates (240hz ?) The only thing though was that my Vizio was a lot heavier and the screen was made of glass. So if there's a usually sunlight in your room then maybe Plasma isn't so good. I think they're also starting to plummet in price a lot more as well with all those LEDs coming out and the 120~240hz LCDs. Burn in was never an issue, but sometimes there was image retention. That was only visible when the screen was completely black, a loading screen for example. These are just my thoughts though.
 
1080p is only worth the extra if you are sitting close enough for it to be noticeably different than 720p. HDGuru has a chart that shows the distances here: http://hdguru.com/hdtv-seating-distance-chart/6/

I have a 50" Panasonic Viera 800 (plasma) series from 2008. It's a great set and I couldn't be happier with it. I've had it for over a year and a half and have not had burn-in. Occasionally I will get a little image retention if I've played the same game for 6+ hours straight, but it's not really that noticeable even if you are looking for it and goes away within 10-20 minutes.

As far as ordering off Amazon or other sites, I would recommend this more than going brick and mortar. If you go b&m, you're not going to see a tv with it's accurate colors because of how poor the lighting is. Also, you're going to pay more and you're going to pay tax. I ordered my tv from mountavision.com. I found them through AVSforum.com, which is a site I would recommend to do a little more research regarding tvs, or narrowing it down between a few different sets. Most of the time if you buy a tv that is 40"+ it will ship freight and not UPS/FedEx, etc. Mine came freight and arrived in perfect shape. Also, if it is broken on arrival you decline the shipment and notify the seller and another one ships out almost immediately. Granted, you have to wait another week or two, but considering you'll likely save a couple hundred over b&m, I would consider it worth it.
 
[quote name='cheekymonkey']As far as ordering off Amazon or other sites, I would recommend this more than going brick and mortar. If you go b&m, you're not going to see a tv with it's accurate colors because of how poor the lighting is. Also, you're going to pay more and you're going to pay tax. I ordered my tv from mountavision.com. I found them through AVSforum.com, which is a site I would recommend to do a little more research regarding tvs, or narrowing it down between a few different sets. Most of the time if you buy a tv that is 40"+ it will ship freight and not UPS/FedEx, etc. Mine came freight and arrived in perfect shape. Also, if it is broken on arrival you decline the shipment and notify the seller and another one ships out almost immediately. Granted, you have to wait another week or two, but considering you'll likely save a couple hundred over b&m, I would consider it worth it.[/QUOTE]

In regards to price differences, that can easily be negated. You simply go at the end of the month and talk to a salesperson. My parents were able to get about $300 off the cost of their TV that way, simply because the store/salesperson needed to meet the quota, so my parents pretty much got the TV at cost, which turned out to be about $100 lower than anywhere online at the time.
 
I've heard that you can haggle prices at some b&m as well, but you're not always going to find someone that needs to make sales. When I bought my tv, online was $700 cheaper than any b&m.

I suppose it boils down to the deals you find. Right now Amazon has a 50" Viera G series for 1160. It's a little more than you want to spend, but a whole lot more tv.
 
[quote name='cheekymonkey']I've heard that you can haggle prices at some b&m as well, but you're not always going to find someone that needs to make sales. When I bought my tv, online was $700 cheaper than any b&m.

I suppose it boils down to the deals you find. Right now Amazon has a 50" Viera G series for 1160. It's a little more than you want to spend, but a whole lot more tv.[/QUOTE]

I bought my TV online too. I got it for $770 and saved a lot of money compared to BBY who had it for $1200, and Circuit City had it for $1600. Granted, there's a risk of a defective unit, which means you'll have to return it to the manufacturer... but I just kept the TV box and calculated shipping costs for the TV, and it ended up being $40. Considering that I saved $400, I would have to return it more than 10 times in order to lose money.

But the savings between online and B&M aren't as drastic these days.
 
whatever you do, stay away from insignia. I've purchased a 37" 1080p lcd hd tv with 2 year warranty from best buy for about $600 and have had several problems with it and am in the midst of getting a replacement instead and it's only 60hz. It looks good and all, but from what i've encountered it doesn't save the favorite channels for more than 2 days, if you label a channel it won't save for more than 2 days as well, date and time get reset after a few days and it flickers at random times. I'd stick with a well known, proven brand such as Sony or Samsung if I were you which is what i'm hoping to do once all of this is cleared up. There is a Toshiba 40" for like $749.99 @ best buy in their weekly ad but shop around at wal-mart, target and other places first and don't buy on impulse. If you see something you like, get the model # and go home and do research and read reviews on it first.
 
[quote name='Casteor']I've been looking at TVs on Amazon and Sam's Club (maybe Best Buy, too). I'm looking for the following specs:

at least 40 in
1080p or no?
LCD best right?
good price not looking at something around $900+

I'm planning on using the new tv to use with my blu-ray player and PS3 slim. If I get a new tv, I'll pick up an hdmi cord and I'm pretty sure all tvs these days are basically hdmi compatible.

I've been looking at a lot of tvs (mainly amazon), but I'd appreciate if someone can provide suggestions, etc.

Edit:
My plasma and sofas are about 10 feet apart. I'd be willing to move the sofas 2 feet up in order to see the "difference" between 1080p and 720p. Therefore, I guess I can conclude that I'll be going with a 1080p HDTV for sure. That way, I can take full advantage of the PS3's capabilities with 1080p and blu-ray player. LCD is also what I'm getting from everyone. Size wise, the tv has to be less than 42 in--- preferably 40. Good price as well.

Btw, 1080p is best correct? There's also 1080i.


Can you guys also comment on these following tvs that I looked up on Amazon?

http://www.amazon.com/LG-32LH30-32-...ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-3
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-BRAVIA-K...ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-4
http://www.amazon.com/ViewSonic-VT2...ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-6
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN40B...f=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-11
http://www.amazon.com/LG-37LH40-37-...f=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-13
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN40B...f=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-14
http://www.amazon.com/LG-42LH40-42-...f=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-15
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIE...f=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-16
http://www.amazon.com/Viore-LC26VF5...f=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-18
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN32B...f=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-21
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-40RV5...f=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1262569441&sr=1-23


I'm trying to for the best TV for me that is most cost-quality-effective, if that's even a word.[/QUOTE]

Yes 1080P is the best. 720P
 
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Lots of people like to talk up how much money they have to throw around, so it's not uncommon for people t consider a $2000 TV "cheap". For people like that I imagine $200 or less is merely a pittance.

Not that I meant to critique Ivanhoe directly. This is just the mentality I see a lot on boards all over, as well as by journalists at sites like Extreme Tech. I'm not sure when $2000 became "rock bottom" for a TV, but that's what they keep on saying.
 
I recommend going to a store and picking the ones that look best and then buy whichever of those models you can find online for the cheapest.

Also, I've always been really pleased with Samsung TVs
 
Ok. If you at all value input response times, AVOID SAMSUNG. I bought a 40b630 and returned it 3 days later for an LG 42lh40. The Samsung had the following 2 deal breakers that you can google for further evidence:
1. It had SEVERE ghosting. This is apparently common with many 09 samsung sets, and I found it to be unacceptable.
2. Input lag. This game singlehandedly threw off my entire Modern Warfare 2 skills. Everything felt floaty and unresponsive. Granted, input delay is more noticeable to some people, but I definitely fall into the category that cannot stand it.

If you read up on the LG 42lh30 or lh40 on avsforum, you will find a set that has the best input response of pretty much any LCD, and it has none of the excessive ghosting that plagues Samsung's offerings. The only downside of the set is that it doesn't quite have the black levels of the competition, but, with tweaking and research on avsforum, I got it looking great.

Hope this helps.
 
[quote name='o2012o']Ok. If you at all value input response times, AVOID SAMSUNG. I bought a 40b630 and returned it 3 days later for an LG 42lh40. The Samsung had the following 2 deal breakers that you can google for further evidence:
1. It had SEVERE ghosting. This is apparently common with many 09 samsung sets, and I found it to be unacceptable.
2. Input lag. This game singlehandedly threw off my entire Modern Warfare 2 skills. Everything felt floaty and unresponsive. Granted, input delay is more noticeable to some people, but I definitely fall into the category that cannot stand it.

If you read up on the LG 42lh30 or lh40 on avsforum, you will find a set that has the best input response of pretty much any LCD, and it has none of the excessive ghosting that plagues Samsung's offerings. The only downside of the set is that it doesn't quite have the black levels of the competition, but, with tweaking and research on avsforum, I got it looking great.

Hope this helps.[/QUOTE]

I have to disagree about the Samsung. I bought the same TV from BBY (LN40A630) early last year and have found it to be nearly perfect. I went through several other TVs (a lower model Samsung and a Bravia) that week before finally settling on the 630.

Like you, I'm very sensitive to noticing small issues, but excessive lag is not something I've noticed at all.
 
I'll recommend LG's LH90 series. I got a brilliant deal on one back in november... the 47" LH90 for $1240...... It's 1699 now at best buy though.. A Great LED-LCD Television!
 
[quote name='Casteor']Edited saying under 42 in.

Also, a difference of $188.48 between the two TVs is little?[/QUOTE]

I didn't notice the extra 58 for shipping.
But you are paying for a 120mhz and 42inch compared to 60mhz and 40.
 
It's tough to disagree with tested fact. Samsungs lag. Period. If you can live with it, that's great, but if the OP plays fighting games (or anything heavily input dependant), Samsung is simply not the way to go.
 
[quote name='o2012o']It's tough to disagree with tested fact. Samsungs lag. Period. If you can live with it, that's great, but if the OP plays fighting games (or anything heavily input dependant), Samsung is simply not the way to go.[/QUOTE]

Any genre, really. Shooters, RPG, platforming (LBP, Ratchet and Clank), etc.
 
[quote name='o2012o']It's tough to disagree with tested fact. Samsungs lag. Period. If you can live with it, that's great, but if the OP plays fighting games (or anything heavily input dependant), Samsung is simply not the way to go.[/QUOTE]

Tested fact? Where is your proof?

For the record, I have 3 Samsungs, all hooked up to various AV equipment. Not a single one of them lags on anything. Period.

OP, I also bought all 3 off of Amazon. Every one came from Amazon directly and were all delivered free of charge with their "white glove" delivery. They came in my home, unboxed the TV, and ensured that it worked before leaving. I HIGHLY recommend Amazon for something like a TV.
 
[quote name='o2012o']Here you go.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1132241&highlight=lh30

This doesn't outright damn Samsung, but follow the thread, and others that it leads to, and Samsung's 09s are problematic. Also, a great resource is shoryuken forums. Samsung is not popular around those parts.[/QUOTE]

You quoted a thread on a specific LG TV on the AVS forums as "proof" that Samsung TV's are problematic? Seriously? Where is the actual tested proof that Samsung TV's have issues, short of a few posts on the AVS forums?

A certain group of people over at AVS are very peculiar about displays and whatnot. A majority of people have absolutely NO IDEA what any of that means and are perfectly content with their TV out of the box. Of course Audio/Videophiles are going to nitpick about issues. For every group on there that hates on Samsung, there's another that hates on LG, and another on Sharp. No device is perfect, but to say the Samsung's are "problematic" is bullshit at best. They make perfectly fine TV's for 98% of the market.
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']You quoted a thread on a specific LG TV on the AVS forums as "proof" that Samsung TV's are problematic? Seriously? Where is the actual tested proof that Samsung TV's have issues, short of a few posts on the AVS forums?

A certain group of people over at AVS are very peculiar about displays and whatnot. A majority of people have absolutely NO IDEA what any of that means and are perfectly content with their TV out of the box. Of course Audio/Videophiles are going to nitpick about issues. For every group on there that hates on Samsung, there's another that hates on LG, and another on Sharp. No device is perfect, but to say the Samsung's are "problematic" is bullshit at best. They make perfectly fine TV's for 98% of the market.[/QUOTE]

I said the 09 models are problematic. Seriously. Before you get all amped up. Google "Samsung lh40b630 ghosting." In addition, I would rather take opinions from the pickiest, most technically minded community for something like a TV. Avsforum has yet to do me wrong. There is nothing wrong with you enjoying your sets. I already said that not everyone notices input lag. I did, however, so I put my recommendation in a recommendation thread.
 
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