Recommend me a TV!
- Thread starter Weevus
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2004
- Posts
- 2,979
Movies and games mostly. Fairly well lit living room. Probably 7-8 feet.
Been thinking about the VIZIO XVT423SV for full array backlit, matte finish, good value and pretty good reviews.
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2000
- Posts
- 13,852
What size are you looking for? 42 inch? I'd steer towards Sony/Samsung if it were my cash. I just like the Sony sets, but Samsung had quite a few that impressed me as well. For the money, I'd honestly think about throwing a little more at the equation and start looking at plasmas as well. Panasonic have a couple that are just stunning right now (and what I ended up purchasing last year around this time). They're not much more and you'll get more bang for your buck than with an edge-lit LED screen.
StealthLurker
Naomi Yamazaki's Wingman
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2003
- Posts
- 2,422
Now I'm a plasma guy, but he might have issues. He said it was a "well lit living room". Might have annoying screen glare from the sun.
.
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2000
- Posts
- 13,852
True. I have to drop the blinds sometimes if the room is too bright. I just love the color reproduction too much, though
I was never a big plasma guy. This set has made me a believer.
Phyeir
My only regret is that I have... Boneitis!
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2009
- Posts
- 5,541
I'll throw in the same and maybe even add Panasonic or even some of the Toshiba sets in that range are pretty damn good. I'd rather have a slightly smaller set from Sony/Samsung/Panasonic/Toshiba then a slightly bigger Vizio any day.
Also, I want to add, the best thing you can do is go to a site like CNET, read reviews, read customer reviews. Write down maybe 6 sets your interested in and then spend a day going to stores just looking at the sets. Take in the pictures (don't just go one place cuz some may have bad feeds to a given set and it's not a fair judgment call) and then make your pick. You're talking about something that you plan to spend over a grand on that you will plan to enjoy for hopefully a decade, so take your time and make the right choice. It'll be worth it in the end.
I'm just going to keep editing with extra stuff that I've learned on TV shopping. If you will be hooking up ANYTHING standard dev, try and find in the reviews how well it upscales. Not as much of an issue as it used to be, but you don't want to be watching standard def and just have everything always looking deinterlaced or blocky all the time. Just something to think about that people sometimes ignore.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2002
- Posts
- 2,188
Anyone have a suggestion for a LCD/LED for around $1000-1200? I've read reviews online and its kind of overwhelming the amount of choices now.
Thanks.
My suggestion is just to go to your local Best Buy or whatever electronics store you have near you and look at the TVs in action, it is easy since they are all next to each other. that's what I did. walked out with a killer deal too, you just need to make sure whatever unit you choose has many different input ports (important for gamers) and scans at 1080 LCD is best for gaming Plasma is best for movies I would not go with LED they have not perfected it yet and some of them have improper scan rates and movies like Avatar end up looking like soap operas.
I went with LCD and am insanely happy got a 36 for under 600 and the picture is beautiful.
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2002
- Posts
- 3,939
I have a 46" Samsung LED that I bought last summer for around $1100, and I'm pretty happy with it. Great picture, good size, and didn't really go over my budget. But it did look like there are quite a few really nice quality TVs that you can find at a pretty reasonable price these days.
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2000
- Posts
- 11,109
yikes
terrible way to shop for TV's. who knows how well the employee set up the TV.
good for relative shopping but not for Picture quality.
StealthLurker
Naomi Yamazaki's Wingman
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2003
- Posts
- 2,422
Also note that the "soap opera" effect (120/240 Hz interpolation) can occur on LCD and LED. Remember that LED is an LCD with LED edge or backlighting. The interpolation is common now on all current LCDs. Note that you can scale back this feature a couple levels or just completely turn it off.
... and yes, as mentioned above... this is generally a bad way to view PQ.
Now if they let you play with the remote's settings to adjust picture and pop in your own reference dvd/bluray.... OK. But typically the store lighting and the default picture setting (dynamic) is really bad.
.
Last edited:
Jedah Doma
Chroma Ma' Doma!,
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2004
- Posts
- 9,902
After some research, I picked up a 46" Sony BRAVIA KDL-46HX800 (linky).
So far loving the set. With game mode turned on, the lag is unnoticeable. You can find it for $1,100 to $1,200 on a good day. Plus t's 3-D compatible (which who knows where that will go). Got a 240 hz refresh rate and the white & black are very rich. Very impressed so far. Plus I'm a whore for a Sony.
So far loving the set. With game mode turned on, the lag is unnoticeable. You can find it for $1,100 to $1,200 on a good day. Plus t's 3-D compatible (which who knows where that will go). Got a 240 hz refresh rate and the white & black are very rich. Very impressed so far. Plus I'm a whore for a Sony.
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2002
- Posts
- 2,188
In my experience, LG makes fantastic, expensive TV's. I've got 3 LG sets in my house and love every one of them.
They're over priced at most retail stores...so shop around.
Also, you can't really go wrong with the new Bravias.
They're over priced at most retail stores...so shop around.
Also, you can't really go wrong with the new Bravias.
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2002
- Posts
- 3,939
Just curious, why is that? Did you have a bad experience with their TVs, or something else. Most people I've talked to recommend their TVs. Is there a specific reason that makes Samsung a worse TV than a Sony, LG, Panasonic, or Sharp?
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2004
- Posts
- 44,884
I've had a Samsung DLP since summer of '07 or '08, and a month ago it broke. Reading on A/V forums with the real nerds turns out it's very common and will happen in that amount of time. Even worse instead of just the lamp dying it was the whole power supply, which would have cost $900 alone had I not an extended warrant. $900, man. Just to fix my TV. Not even including labor.
But what bothered me most is, like I mentioned, how extremely common it is that these TVs last only a few years before an inevitable repair which would cost in the hundreds...and at that point, why not just buy a new TV.
Just left a sour taste in my mouth. Now for the rest of my life, no matter what product it is since Samsung makes more than just TVs, I'll stay away from Samsung.
Phyeir
My only regret is that I have... Boneitis!
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2009
- Posts
- 5,541
Don't blame Samsung for that (well you should for THAT but not all their other sets), honestly anything that was made in through the 2000's that is a non-CRT projection was in hindsight an ill-advised purchase. They usually involve that lamp for projecting light that either A) has components get damaged due to heat or B) get damaged due to ultraviolet light. My Sony SXRD started having issues in 4 years due to that, lucky there was a large lawsuit and I was able to get a replacement LCD set.
Mitsubishi, Sony, Samsung, Projection LCD, DLP, doesn't matter who made it or the type of rear projection (non CRT), they all suck balls. If you have one, you're living on borrows time. It's like having a release X360.
Jedah Doma
Chroma Ma' Doma!,
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2004
- Posts
- 9,902
It's why I still have my lovely Sony 970. If you can find a Sony 32" CRT 970, buy it in an instance. It's only 1080i yes, but it's one of the best sets ever made and I'll put it against my new Sony any day.