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What's a good HDTV?

longball11

longball11

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 3, 2009
656
0
I am looking for a new HDTV. I currently have a VIZIO 26'' HDTV that maxes out to 1080i. I would like to upgrade to a 40'' or 46'' with 1080p and 120+ hertz. I have looked at the Sony Bravia and Samsung LED. I am so tempted by the Samsung LED but it's incredibly expensive. Does anyone know any good HDTV that is worth looking at?
 
What would really help is what your budget is.

OT: saw a 56" Samsung LED for sale down here in Australia for the same price as what I paid for my 46" Bravia 3 years ago. Too bad I'll be holding out for a huge 3DTV now.
 
Samsung Plasma!

longball11 said:
I am looking for a new HDTV. I currently have a VIZIO 26'' HDTV that maxes out to 1080i. I would like to upgrade to a 40'' or 46'' with 1080p and 120+ hertz. I have looked at the Sony Bravia and Samsung LED. I am so tempted by the Samsung LED but it's incredibly expensive. Does anyone know any good HDTV that is worth looking at?
Click to expand...

I love my new Samsung Plasma. Forget LED or LCD right now. They look washed out compared to a Plasma. Plus! Plasmas are cheap right now!

I got a 50" 1080p Plasma which is 600Hz (that's right- 600Hz!!) for $999 from BestBuy! I put both the LCD and LED tv's next to it and the Plasma is WAAAY better. Plus- plasmas don't have as bad of a reputation for "burn in" like their earlier brethren did. I ALWAYS go Samsung- and it's plasma line is great!! 10 out of 10 stars!
 
Well, I would like to try to get 46'' or 40'' HDTV especially LED. Im in on a 2000$ or less HDTV.
 
Vizios are great HD TVs to had mine for a year and love it still also recomend buying from costco they give a extra year on all warantys on the tvs they sell.
 
BigBeast said:
I love my new Samsung Plasma. Forget LED or LCD right now. They look washed out compared to a Plasma. Plus! Plasmas are cheap right now!
Click to expand...

Be that as it may I hear plasma doesn't last nearly as long as LCD TVs which might explain why they're so cheap.
 
Synchromesh said:
Be that as it may I hear plasma doesn't last nearly as long as LCD TVs which might explain why they're so cheap.
Click to expand...

Plasma also has a temperature problem. If the temperature in your house ever goes below 50 degrees, the plasma in the screen in ruined. One bad power outage during winter and that's that.

I still have my tube HDTV. I'll keep it until 3D TV becomes more affordable. It's an excellent television.
 
The LED Vizio's are pretty nice and cheaper than most Sony and Samsung HDTV's but I'd advise you to look in-store for the right one before buying anything :)
 
i just bought this one

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/LG+-+42...HDTV/9791077.p?id=1218175545494&skuId=9791077

the picture quality is excellent, and if you are not going to use a home theater reciever the speakers are really good too, they are actually hidden inside and the sound comes through vertical slots on the edges of the TV

however for 1200 you can get a 40" LED TV which would be much better as you wont have to worry about the brightness fading over time.
 
leekohler said:
Plasma also has a temperature problem. If the temperature in your house ever goes below 50 degrees, the plasma in the screen in ruined. One bad power outage during winter and that's that.
Click to expand...
Nonsense. Most TVs, including plasmas, can be stored at temperatures down to minus 20. Plasma TVs can operate from 32F to over 100F. The real problem as with any electrical items is condensation. If you move from a cold location to a hot, humid one then the moisture in the air will condense on the cold device and possibly cause a short. This should not be a problem in a house that takes a while to warm up.

Plasmas offer better black levels than LCD TVs (whether fluorescent tube lit or LED lit). They do tend to use a lot more power, however, especially during brightly lit scenes. They also tend to reflect more light. The usual rule of thumb is plasma or projection for a dark viewing environment, LCD for a well lit or variable one.
 
leekohler said:
If I were you, I'd hold on to what you have right now and get a 3D TV once the prices come down. Honestly, that's the future of TV.
Click to expand...

Im not really understanding the specialty of the 3d HDTV. I mean when I think about why would I want to bring a chick home, watch a movie and give her a pair of dim glasses to watch the tv?

I did see a samsung one that was 1800 that had 3d. I'm just not seeing the justification for 3d hdtv though.
 
flopticalcube said:
Nonsense. Most TVs, including plasmas, can be stored at temperatures down to minus 20. Plasma TVs can operate from 32F to over 100F. The real problem as with any electrical items is condensation. If you move from a cold location to a hot, humid one then the moisture in the air will condense on the cold device and possibly cause a short. This should not be a problem in a house that takes a while to warm up.
Click to expand...

I stand corrected. Someone had told me this before.
 
leekohler said:
If I were you, I'd hold on to what you have right now and get a 3D TV once the prices come down. Honestly, that's the future of TV.
Click to expand...

I agree with Lee. I'm sitting in front of a perfectly good 32" Sony Bravia LCD in my office. It's going to be my primary TV until 3D capable displays are standardized and available on a large scale.

So, I'm going without a TV in my living room until I see one that I like. I don't want to get a nice TV now and then have nowhere to put it. That would be pretty wasteful of me. So I will wait.
 
BigBeast said:
I love my new Samsung Plasma. Forget LED or LCD right now. They look washed out compared to a Plasma. Plus! Plasmas are cheap right now!

I got a 50" 1080p Plasma which is 600Hz (that's right- 600Hz!!) for $999 from BestBuy! I put both the LCD and LED tv's next to it and the Plasma is WAAAY better. Plus- plasmas don't have as bad of a reputation for "burn in" like their earlier brethren did. I ALWAYS go Samsung- and it's plasma line is great!! 10 out of 10 stars!
Click to expand...

I got the same TV over christmas and its gorgeous. I got mine for $970 with a $100 gift card. My only complaint it that I should have gotten the 58 inch.

The whole 120Hz thing/gimick is just a stop-gap measure until OLED comes out when refresh won't matter; like on a plasma. To me, the "smooth motion" gives me a headache and looks crappy. The plasma is a beautiful set and should last me for the next 5 years or until an affordable OLED comes on the market.

Samsung and Sharp(maybe) are the brands to look at. Then maybe Panasonic. Sony quality has been sucking lately and a bit too much money.


The did have a 3D 50inch LED Samsung on display playing Monsters vs aliens. It was pretty cool, and when they start broadcasting sports in 3D that I might consider it. The set was about $3500 with a 3D Blu-ray at $500.
 
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