So I may be in the market for a 42" - 46" hi-def tv. Any suggestions on what to look out for?
Plasma seems to be affordable in this price range, LCD and even edge-lit LED TVs.
I was at costco yesterday and saw a number of brands that looked nice, all at or under a thousand bucks. I'd prefer spending around 600 bucks, maybe up to 800.
Given that budget, would technology would suit me the best, and provide the best image quality.
From what I have seen they are both about equal. I would take LCD though as you do not have to worry about burn in on the screen and it uses a lot less electricity.
Just go to Best Buy and walk by a wall section of plasma screen's. It's like being in front of a space heater.
I would be more interested in the number of HDMI connections on the back three is perfect to me for HD cable, Blu-Ray and miscellaneous (side ones are a pain for permanent equipment). How it performed upscaling 4:3 standard def pictures (number of zoom options and quality). If it is 1080P native rather than 720P (2.1 megapixel vs 0.9 megapixel). How loud the speakers get. If it has digital audio output for your stereo. If it has composite and component connectors (for older equipment such as DVD, Laser Disc, VHS, and video game systems).
Also if the coloring is not that great try changing the settings. The installer may not have optimized the tone, contrast and brightness or someone who did not know better was fiddling with the settings. Also turn it off to see how close to pure black the screen is. Because that is as black as it can get for night scenes in movies. You do not want it to be grey.
I was just at Best Buy and CostCo comparing TV's the prices are on par but Best Buy has a far greater selection though Costco has better return policies and default warranty. At least you can find the ones you like at Costco then find similar units at Best Buy to compare to check out how it handles standard def pictures as they usually have standard and HD channels in store to look at. They may not have the exact model but the same make and features though a slightly different screen size could give you a good idea of what to expect.
Personally I am partial to Insignia. They basically use previous generation LG parts. Their zoom and upscaling is exceptional on SD broadcast TV and DVD's. Coloring is on par with similar bargain screens but have good black levels. The speakers are not the loudest but remain clear (LCD TV's rarely have decent speakers), for sports and movies I use a 5.1 system.
If you do not have one I would save for at least a simple 5.1 system. Even the cheap $100 to $150 systems will blow away the speaker performance on an LCD TV. It makes for a more encompassing experience watching a good movie or boxing match and being surrounded by the audio with some distinct bass.
