TV is dying...

[hallux]

I'm not sure you could really go wrong with anything Samsung makes. Like LG, Samsung actually makes the LCD panels (I believe), and pretty good ones at that. I'm not looking at Samsung as they don't make a 42" TV (as I noted, a new 42" has the same dimensions as my 37" when accounting for the bezel) and a 46" is too big as I only sit 8 feet from the TV.

I hadn't considered the reprogramming of the remote as a factor for getting the same brand TV, though my Harmony One is simple to reprogram, it would only take a few minutes to modify the configuration on the site then upload to the remote.

 

[danny_w]

...One thing I just don't get is that the smart TV's all have 3 or more HDMI inputs while the non-smart TV's have 2. I don't need a smart TV (I have an ATV and my Blu-Ray player can do the smart functions) but I do need 3 HDMI inputs….

At least I don't have that problem, although I've noticed what you say. I have a Sony sound bar/amplifier and use it for my HDMI switching instead of the TV, so I really only need 1 HDMI input (although the Samsung has 3). The only thing I do need is both an optical and an analog audio out (optical for the sony and analog for the headphones). I know I can work around this issue but it is still frustrating. The current Samsung plasmas only have an optical out (no analog), but the LEDs have both.

 

[hallux]

I stopped by a "high-end" home theater place in my area (they had a room dedicated to McIntosh stereo equipment), looks like the 42" LG I'm looking at is the best 42" option out there. The sales guy said there are not many manufacturers making 42" sets anymore, it's 40" or 46". At least the guy was honest, he had the 2013 LG 42" set right by the door, and it was priced the same as I could get the 2014 one for, told me to just go to Best Buy and get the newer one as he'd lose money ordering it for me and price-matching BB.

The BB "expert" said that while the LG may not have "micro-dimming" or "local dimming", it'll be a better picture than the Vizio that does have that feature at a better price.

The guy was surprised that, as the one making the decision and being a guy, I wasn't looking for the biggest screen that would fit on the wall.