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I'm in the market for a new TV. Any recommendations?

LadyX

LadyX

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Mar 4, 2012
2,374
252
I have an HD Ready (720p) LG TV. I mostly use it for watching my iTunes movies/shows from my Retina MacBook Pro via an HDMI cable. Anyway, the contrast and brightness is not that great. My retina MBP has a much better picture quality whereas my TV displays a much brighter lower contrast picture. At darker scenes, the screen looks "grayish". I tried playing around with the TV's brightness/contrast settings but it didn't help. So, I'm looking into replacing it with one that has a much sharper picture quality. I have a Samsung Blu-ray player, so I'm looking for a Full HD TV in order to get the maximum experience from it.

LCD
1080p
32"- 37"

I'm not sure if I should get an LCD or plasma. Which is better?
 
LadyX said:
I have an HD Ready (720p) LG TV. I mostly use it for watching my iTunes movies/shows from my Retina MacBook Pro via an HDMI cable. Anyway, the contrast and brightness is not that great. My retina MBP has a much better picture quality whereas my TV displays a much brighter lower contrast picture. At darker scenes, the screen looks "grayish". I tried playing around with the TV's brightness/contrast settings but it didn't help. So, I'm looking into replacing it with one that has a much sharper picture quality. I have a Samsung Blu-ray player, so I'm looking for a Full HD TV in order to get the maximum experience from it.

LCD
1080p
32"- 37"

I'm not sure if I should get an LCD or plasma. Which is better?
Click to expand...

Depends on your budget. Top of the range LCD verses entry level Plasma. I would go with the LCD.
I think the latest smart TV offerings from Samsung are worth a look at. I got one for the bedroom last year (40") and it's pretty good.
 
LadyX said:
I'm not sure if I should get an LCD or plasma. Which is better?
Click to expand...
LCD, Plasma TVs are getting phased out of the consumer market due to the cost and popularity of the LCD models. I don't think you can go wrong with Samsung, I've been very pleased with those models.
 
Apple fanboy said:
Depends on your budget. Top of the range LCD verses entry level Plasma. I would go with the LCD.
I think the latest smart TV offerings from Samsung are worth a look at. I got one for the bedroom last year (40") and it's pretty good.
Click to expand...

I don't really have a budget. I'm willing to spend whatever amount as long as the TV I'd be spending on is worth it. A 40" TV would be amazing however, I can't get one that is bigger than 37" as it will be in a TV cabinet and a 37" TV fits just right in it.


maflynn said:
LCD, Plasma TVs are getting phased out of the consumer market due to the cost and popularity of the LCD models. I don't think you can go wrong with Samsung, I've been very pleased with those models.
Click to expand...

I'm currently browsing LCDs from Samsung online. I'll see what I can find.
 
LadyX said:
I don't really have a budget. I'm willing to spend whatever amount as long as the TV I'd be spending on is worth it. A 40" TV would be amazing however, I can't get one that is bigger than 37" as it will be in a TV cabinet and a 37" TV fits just right in it.
Click to expand...

You need to get a new TV cabinet. I have 55" now and I want a bigger one. :D
 
maflynn said:
LCD, Plasma TVs are getting phased out of the consumer market due to the cost and popularity of the LCD models.
Click to expand...
Which is disappointing seeing as plasma give better blacks and does better with quick motion and sporting type events.

I don't think you can go wrong with Samsung, I've been very pleased with those models.
Click to expand...
Samsung makes nice stuff. My suggest is to check out this and read up on which TV's they suggest. If you like one that is to large just see if it comes in a smaller size.
 
prostuff1 said:
Which is disappointing seeing as plasma give better blacks and does better with quick motion and sporting type events.
Click to expand...
I won't disagree with you, but I think LCD's have an edge on power consumption and heat. I remember walking by a large plasma TV in costco and thought I just walked by a space heater - it was throwing off some serious heat.
 
maflynn said:
I won't disagree with you, but I think LCD's have an edge on power consumption and heat. I remember walking by a large plasma TV in costco and thought I just walked by a space heater - it was throwing off some serious heat.
Click to expand...

True, a new plasma will use more electricity than an LED backlit LCD. If the LCD is anything but LED backlit then the power consumption is about the same.
 
IMHO Panasonic do the best TV's

----------
maflynn said:
LCD, Plasma TVs are getting phased out of the consumer market due to the cost and popularity of the LCD models. I don't think you can go wrong with Samsung, I've been very pleased with those models.
Click to expand...

maflynn said:
I won't disagree with you, but I think LCD's have an edge on power consumption and heat. I remember walking by a large plasma TV in costco and thought I just walked by a space heater - it was throwing off some serious heat.
Click to expand...

Do you mean LED?
 
No recommendations but if you can get it with 2 or more HDMI ports then really that's the only thing I would look for when buying a tv. With 2 HDMI ports you can your tv cable and your apple tv cable going in to your tv at the same time.:)
 
Vizio may be another brand worth looking into if you are more "cost conscious". I don't personally own one, but I've heard mostly positive things about Vizio sets, and they're more affordable than Samsung, Sony, LG, etc.
 
sdilley14 said:
Vizio may be another brand worth looking into if you are more "cost conscious". I don't personally own one, but I've heard mostly positive things about Vizio sets, and they're more affordable than Samsung, Sony, LG, etc.
Click to expand...


I have 3 Vizios I bought about 3 years ago from Costco. They are still going strong and still get complements regarding the real life looking images from the 120 MHz refresh rate.
 
LadyX said:
I don't really have a budget. I'm willing to spend whatever amount as long as the TV I'd be spending on is worth it. A 40" TV would be amazing however, I can't get one that is bigger than 37" as it will be in a TV cabinet and a 37" TV fits just right in it.




I'm currently browsing LCDs from Samsung online. I'll see what I can find.
Click to expand...

Check the actual dimensions of the sets you are considering vs. your cabinet size. Bezels have been getting so much slimmer lately that you may be able to fit a much bigger tv than you think.

I also agree to consider plasma, although finding a 1080p one less than about 50" is difficult these days. How far away are you sitting though? Plasma, even cheap plasmas, do really look a whole lot better than most LED's right now - especially for motion and off-axis.
 
This one seems like the one I'm looking for: http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/UN32EH5300FXZA

Specs are much better than what I currently own however, it's only 32". I'll keep searching for a bigger one as I now feel that 32" is small.

I've never heard of Vizio and I tend to stay away from companies that I don't know anything about but I'll check what they have.
 
Sony, Samsung, LG, Insignia (Best Buy's brand built by LG). LCD can be just as adequate as LED. Check them out in the stores. Into sports? Look for higher refresh rates 240. 120 and 60 are adequate, but at lower refresh rates, blur might be noticeable on live broadcasts of sporting events, not so for movies. Plasma is the highest refresh rate. Also check resolution. 760 on small tvs, no problem. On large tvs you want 1060. Size- small room, go for 55". Large room 60". You need a minimum of 11' for a 60" TV unless you want your eyes to go daffy on you.

Last time we bought a 55" tv (Sony) 2 years ago, the LEDs were about $2400, the LCDs were $1200. At the store the LCD looked just as good as the LED so we saved 50% and have not regretted it, although they may not even be selling LCDs these days. :)
 
The benefits of LED are longevity and lower energy consumption. Over time, the fluorescent lights behind the LCD will begin to fail, usually by turning pink. Provided you sell it before that, you should be okay.
 
maflynn said:
LED is LCD. Prior to LED the backlighting was done by a florescent tube, now they're backlit by LEDs
Click to expand...
This is one of those marketing gimmicks that the manufacturers and retailers don't explain well. LED is still an LCD it is just the way it is backlit.
 
MacNut said:
This is one of those marketing gimmicks that the manufacturers and retailers don't explain well. LED is still an LCD it is just the way it is backlit.
Click to expand...

And it annoys me to no end. My parents and another friend were both looking for TV's during the Holiday shopping season and the whole LED vs LCD thing came up.

LED is just the back light in the TV people, they are still an LCD panel.
 
Huntn said:
Sony, Samsung, LG, Insignia (Best Buy's brand built by LG). LCD can be just as adequate as LED. Check them out in the stores. Into sports? Look for higher refresh rates 240. 120 and 60 are adequate, but at lower refresh rates, blur might be noticeable on live broadcasts of sporting events, not so for movies. Plasma is the highest refresh rate.
Click to expand...

Although it should be noted that increasing the refresh rate has the side effect of making the content look overly processed and artificial to many people. In comparison a plasma tends to look much more natural.
 
LCD. Plasmas are dead technology.

If you want it to last a few years, I highly suggest spending the extra money on a Sony or Samsung TV. They are worth the extra price. And no, LG is NOT equal.

If you really want it to be future proof, might I suggest LED-backlit displays? They will be much thinner than regular LCD TVs and have deeper blacks.
 
AutoUnion39 said:
LCD. Plasmas are dead technology.

If you want it to last a few years, I highly suggest spending the extra money on a Sony or Samsung TV. They are worth the extra price. And no, LG is NOT equal.

If you really want it to be future proof, might I suggest LED-backlit displays? They will be much thinner than regular LCD TVs and have deeper blacks.
Click to expand...

It may not be the long-term future, but as has been the case many times in the history of technological development, better technologies are sometimes left behind for a variety of reasons.

TODAY plasma still offers better blacks, far less motion blur, and far better off-axis viewing than LED by a not insignificant margin.
 
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