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A new TV

BigAl

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Ok ... I got a headache ... We would like to get one of them new flat wall TV's to hang on the wall in Idaho . We don't have as much room there and one of them wall hangers seems like the way to go .
Went down to the TV store and they have about a Bazillion different ones . The only thing I am sure of is we want something about 46" for the area in the builtin book case I am building for it .
I do not understand nor do I want to understand all the little words . Like HDTV , LCD , 720 vs 1080, Plasma, 60 vs 120 hz .

Picture and cost I understand . Christmas specials are coming soon and it seems like a great time to buy .

I don't need a lot of options . We only have Direct TV there so I don't need a tv with a built in foot warmer or a beer holder or all the other upgrades/crap I can't use or could care less about .
So what do I want ????
 
B

bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
The first thing I did to thin down the choices is to look at the screen, preferably with the TV off. If I can see reflections, I don't want it as it'll reflect all light in the room off the screen. Mat finish won't reflect.

As for quality, IMHO the top few are:
Sony
Samsung
Panasonic
Toshiba

I've been happier with our Toshiba then our Samsung.

www.newegg.com normally has very nice pricing.

E.g. Here's a Toshiba 46" 1080p LCD HDTV for $849
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889253233
 
Doc

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I'm also in the market for a plain 46" or bigger flat screen. I have not zero'd in on one but in addition to New Egg, Tiger Direct and Sams have some pretty good prices. Sam's online even auctions them off. I saw a 46" Vizo go for $520 + shipping. I bid on one but did not win the bid, but doing that I found out that shipping to my place would add $130 to my bid price. They let you know the shipping cost before you finalize your bid. :thumb: Of course you have to have a Sam's Club membership to be able to bid on anything there.

Tiger Direct: http://www.tigerdirect.com

Sam's Club: http://www.samsclub.com/
 
rback33

rback33

Hangin in Tornado Alley
SUPER Site Supporter
My ex-wife has our Samsung. I loved it. My thoughts...

1. LCD
2. 1080p
3. 120 HZ
4. Any of the brands mentioned... I think Vizio actually gets high marks too...

LCD is lighter and produces less heat than plasma.... That will be better on the wall.

Numbers 2 and 3 will give you the best picture.... I could throw in one more thing to go LED also.. all of these things cost money though, but I am not afraid to suggest them. I know you would rather do this right the first time. I would also get the extended service plan. LCD can run into issues from time to time...
 
muleman

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Al, if you have the room go for a 55 inch. We got the Samsung back in late winter and love it. Last week we got a 40 in. Sony at Sams club for under $500. Get the HD box from direct and just suck up the $10 fee. If you don't get the HD the picture will not fill out the whole screen. Love both of ours and can't really pick one over the other. Stay away from the plasma if you have a lot of light in the room. They are better suited to dark areas. We have the LCD and they are both in rooms with huge windows and the picture is fantastic. You can actually see the 55 inch Samsung from the garden 150 ft. away.:clap: The one thing you won't like on any of the new TV's is the sound. They don't have big speakers anymore and I have to turn it up to hear it well. Might want to consider a sound bar.
 
rback33

rback33

Hangin in Tornado Alley
SUPER Site Supporter
muleman said:
Al, if you have the room go for a 55 inch. We got the Samsung back in late winter and love it. Last week we got a 40 in. Sony at Sams club for under $500. Get the HD box from direct and just suck up the $10 fee. If you don't get the HD the picture will not fill out the whole screen. Love both of ours and can't really pick one over the other. Stay away from the plasma if you have a lot of light in the room. They are better suited to dark areas. We have the LCD and they are both in rooms with huge windows and the picture is fantastic. You can actually see the 55 inch Samsung from the garden 150 ft. away.:clap: The one thing you won't like on any of the new TV's is the sound. They don't have big speakers anymore and I have to turn it up to hear it well. Might want to consider a sound bar.
Click to expand...


Two words... SURROUND SOUND :thumb: :)
 
muleman

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Had one for years. When the wife gave it to my youngest boy I was happy. That damn thing woke me up more times than I care to remember when I worked shift work. I used to threaten to throw it in the pond if they did not turn the thump-a- bump down.:hammer:
 
Erik

Erik

SelfBane
Site Supporter
what Rback said, but you want an LED if it's in your price range.
Still an LCD screen, but uses a lot less energy to light it up and the colors are incredible.
OTOH, LED TVs cost more than "regular" LCDs.
720 vs 1080 = how detailed your picture can be, the bigger the number the better your resolution.
Hz is the refresh rate (how often the picture updates itself) - 120 or better is a good thing. even better is a refresh rate that does not divide evenly by 60. (so 150 is better than 120, but 180 may not be better than 150)
plasma = short life expectancy in most cases.
 
Snowtrac Nome

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
Thank you Brother Al I also need to look into newer technolagy as my old tube type tv is starting to go tango uniform good thread also can you get smaller sceens annd how do you mesure the screens is it like a computer or the old type tubes.
 
jimbo

jimbo

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
I agree on a separate sound system. At a couple of hundred bucks, the sound will be light years ahead of the best TV. You also get the DVD player.
 
jpr62902

jpr62902

Jeanclaude Spam Banhammer
SUPER Site Supporter
dds said:
Thank you Brother Al I also need to look into newer technolagy as my old tube type tv is starting to go tango uniform good thread also can you get smaller sceens annd how do you mesure the screens is it like a computer or the old type tubes.
Click to expand...

Screens are measured diagonally.

jimbo said:
I agree on a separate sound system. At a couple of hundred bucks, the sound will be light years ahead of the best TV. You also get the DVD player.
Click to expand...

Yup, I love my surround sound. I wouldn't get a cheapie plastic boxed speaker set up though. At minimum, I'd invest in a good subwoofer -- one that has a dense speaker box (i.e. wood). A good sub can take a lot of stress\distortion away from smaller, cheaper satellite speakers if they don't have to drive frequencies below 100 Hz or so.
 
tommu56

tommu56

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
you must have poked the tv devil
our flat screen died
costco had some vizio on sale got a 42" looks great but not enough inputs for
our stuff

tom
 
fogtender

fogtender

Now a Published Author
Site Supporter
The Plazma TV's tend to burn (fade) out after about five years, get an LCD screen for the little bit more you pay for, they last a lot longer.

Hell, just get the new 3-D TV and be ahead of everyone!
 
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