Help Me Pick an LCD TV

So no LED DLP? My girlfiend's dad bought one of these Samsung HL61A750 61" 1080p and it's freaking sweet. It's pretty slim and cheap for what you get (about 2k for the 61") and there is NO picture burn. The lamp is LED based so it would last just as long as an LCD.

Otherwise, most 1080P LCD tv's are close enough to the same thing it doesn't matter that much if they cost about the same. My dad bough a 46" Sharp Aquous and it's wicked. It's so bright we had to turn the brightness down to 35% so it didn't burn our retinas. Combined with a cheap BlueRay player (PS3) and you're golden.

I love to ponder . . . my home theater consists of a great audio system (DIY) but an old ass 27" CRT

RC....just a fyi...I am very happy with the Vizio....was not sure of the quality when purchased but have been very happy with it.......

I have a Samsung and Im very happy with it. Sony & Samsung are the top of the line as far as HDTV's go, they make very good stuff. Dont let them sucker you into buying an expensive HDMI cable either. Dont spend more then $15 $20 on one.

my 55" sharp is awsome i have a 120 refresh rate which is the highest rate as of 6 months ago. great pic and black is great on it too. look for the depth of the blk that will tell you about the contrast of the set your buying.

We just got a 50in Samsung plasma for $1334 back in May or June after doing a LOT of research. I asked around and some local hardcore video guys (who all own several brands/types of TV's) and for my setup/needs in a room were I can control the light plasma was better than LCD. MANY of the issues with plasma are no longer valid...think of it as the old 347 oil burning issue or that the 94-95 eec is not tunable and you need a fox pcm. If your not a gamer plasma may be an option.

Not everyone is broadcasting in 1080, only Dish has just started with 1080 Video on Demand. Direct is 720, and local (at least here) is 720. Cable and phone connections might be to some extent but I not 100% sure so I am not saying. That and even if it is broadcast in 1080 it still has to be filmed in 1080 to actually be 1080 and most are not expected to do that for several years. I notice a lot of HD channels running programming that is not HD even as it was filmed in SD def. Again if your a gamer LCD alone seems to be the choice and most seem to need the 120hz off to work right so that is something to think about, I just noticed some "tracer" or funky motion stuff with the 120hz LCD. That and to get a 120hz or just 1080p the price went to 2500+ for starters when I was looking.

If you want to compare and view rankings...I was sent to pricegrabber.com

Sony IMHO is overpriced and the top brands seem to be Pioneer, Panasonic, Samsung for Plasma and Samsung and Panasonic seem to be the best for LCD.

Another thing I found when asking around/looking is about warranty stuff.

"No matter what type of television you own, the chances are you won't experience any problems during the set's first few years of service.

Repair rates have been very low for LCD and plasma sets, according to a 2007 survey of more than 93,000 consumers conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center covering sets bought new between 2004 and 2007. Rear-projection sets have been somewhat more repair-prone, but most of those still remain trouble-free for their first few years. For more on TV reliability, see our online reports: Repair & reliability of LCD TVs, Repair & reliability of plasma TVs, and Repair & reliability of rear-projection TVs (all available to subscribers.)

In the small number of cases where a set did need servicing, most repairs reported by respondents were free, presumably because they were covered by the manufacturer's standard warranty. The few respondents who paid for repairs spent an average of $264 on flat-panel LCD, $395 on plasma, and $300 on rear-projection sets. That's about the cost of an extended warranty.

Given the low likelihood of a repair, an extended warranty usually isn't a good value, especially for a flat-panel TV. But if you're very risk-averse and an extended warranty gives you peace of mind, ask the salesperson for a lower price. Warranties are high-profit items, so a retailer might be willing to bargain."

Linked from http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electro...v-breaks-ov.htm

here is a place I was directed to in order to get my own after the fact if I still wanted a warranty - Mack warranty Mack Television Warranty - 3 Year TV (under $1,700) In-Home Service

A local guy who gave me a lot of good info suggested this model LCD - "Samsung LN52A650. The 650 is 120hz (Auto Motion Plus) 50,000 to 1 contrast ratio and a really nice glossy screen instead of a matte one like most LCD's. Amazon has it for 2199 with free shipping"

Some more good reading I was pointed to 120hz explained - Blu-ray Forum

You're on the right track. For LCD, get one of the three S's, Sharp, Sony, or Samsung.

Sony - you pay more just for the name

Sharp - has had some quality issues lately

Samsung- probably the best overall of the three.

Just make sure you get the 120hz refresh rate and then it comes down to just going to the store and watching it. They say that the hardest color for these tv's to produce is black. So pay attention to the black contrast during scenes of a movie that are dimly lit.

Good Luck, I'm getting a Samsumg 46" as soon as I get my relocation check.

i snagged a 1080p 46" sony very soon after 1080p came out and i will say it has worked flawlessly for me since day 1. 120hz refresh is currently the best but you will pay a premium for it. my sony has a lower refresh rate and even watching high motion programming such as sports or racing, i dont see any blur like someone mentioned previously. as far as manufacturers go, you cant go wrong with sharp, sony, or samsung. all 3 are top notch manufacturers.

Samsung LN46A550 - 46" High Definition LCD TV | BuyDig.com, The Internet's Digital Superstore

I just talked to my sister and bro-in-law and they got this tv last week. Came one day after purchase. They did a lot of research and this place had the best prices by far. TV is amazing they say.

I couldnt tell you how to tell the refresh rate on most tvs, I got mine off the magnoloa center and almost all of there tvs have the specs

One feature I'd recommend is a DVI input. It was not standard on all TVs when I shopped this spring. And with a TV as big as you are using, you can effectively use it as a computer monitor too for a HTPC.

-Edit- Did I say DVI? I meant PC input (VGA/SVGA). Well, either DVI or PC will work because the converter connector is virtually free (online) and most graphics cards come with one anyway - so you might have one lying around. -End edit-

The biggest remaining flaw in LCD panel sets, IMHO, is the black rendering. The backlighting technology isnt there yet. Plasma and DLP are clearly superior here. But let your own eyes be the judge in a store.

Whatever you do, do NOT buy cables at the store. And by all means, do not buy your HDMI cable at the store. They are marked up something like 1000% over equivalent cables you can order online.

GRGT1994 said:

One feature I'd recommend is a DVI input. It was not standard on all TVs when I shopped this spring. And with a TV as big as you are using, you can effectively use it as a computer monitor too for a HTPC.

The biggest remaining flaw in LCD panel sets, IMHO, is the black rendering. The backlighting technology isnt there yet. Plasma and DLP are clearly superior here. But let your own eyes be the judge in a store.

Whatever you do, do NOT buy cables at the store. And by all means, do not buy your HDMI cable at the store. They are marked up something like 1000% over equivalent cables you can order online.

Click to expand...

both lcd and plasma have their shortcomings. you are definitely right about plasma being superior as far as the blacks and dark color rendering goes, but i play a lot of games and although improved on newer plasmas, they are still susceptible to burn in. also, (even though i will probably buy a new set long before then) the plasma has less of a usable life rated somewhere in the 5 year range for most sets.as far as dvi goes, i have never been able to see a noticeable difference over vga, so that wasnt a concern for me when purchasing either.

Any plasma in the last 2yrs and LCD has like said a 20k life span. The sad thing is the DLP's that are now more or less an aged product are hitting a wall at around 10k or less according to C.R. I know 4 people with DLP's less than 3yrs old and every one has had a failure already...3 bulbs, 1 circuit board (they actually had a board and bulb go out), and the inlaws is going out intermit. now.

I have a Sharp Aquos 42" LCD with a 4ms refresh rate and it's AMAZING with my direct tv HD service, last year when I bought it I sat in best buy just to make sure I was buying the best tv I could and the sharp was the brightest and sharpest of them all and I don't regret my purchase one bit.