hdtv crew, help me pick one

[spanky]

I currently have a 42 (or 48?) wide screen but it's one of the big ones. it's only 4 years old. I'm either going to move it into my bedroom and buy a same size or bigger for the living room or leave it in the living room and buy a smaller (32 or 37) for the bed room. i nkow this is comparing apples to oranges to bananas but these are within my "budget" so i'm trying to get a feel of what to get. 32" Vizio LCD 720p - $399 - http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...9&sku=A2797174 37" Panasonic LCD 720p - $550 - http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...9&sku=A2594937 37" Panasonic LCD 1080p - $649 - http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...9&sku=A2594939 37" Vizio 1080p $599 - http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...9&sku=A3139068 37" Sony Bravia 720p $629 - http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...9&sku=A2982377 40" Sharp Aquos 1080p - $749 - http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...9&sku=A2514646 42" Vizio 1080p - $749 - http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...9&sku=A2953118 50" Panasonic Plasma 720p $ 669 - http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...9&sku=A2612466 I'm leaning with the last one (50" plasma for $669) Really I'd like to spend less than 800 and would prefer to buy from dell since I have to order some other stuff and I have a dPA account. :o

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[TaekOne]

id say go w/ the 37" Viera w/ 1080p. although i dont have one i've heard many good things about panasonic's Viera line

anything 37" or bigger should be 1080p, IMO. having a 50" tv w/ just 720p sounds like a bummer.

[å]

http://reviews.cnet.com/720p-vs-1080p-hdtv/

decide between 720 and 1080..... that should cut down your choices... the difference between 720 and 1080 are almost negligible if you looking at stuff under 50"..
then between LCD and plasma ... imo stay away from plasma, i *hear* its dying.

out of all those, i'd go for the last one tho biggest, cheapest 'brandname'

[joebenz]

plasma is dying. some companies have already stopped making them

[spanky]

Originally Posted by å

http://reviews.cnet.com/720p-vs-1080p-hdtv/

decide between 720 and 1080..... that should cut down your choices... the difference between 720 and 1080 are almost negligible if you looking at stuff under 50"..
then between LCD and plasma ... imo stay away from plasma, i *hear* its dying.

out of all those, i'd go for the last one tho biggest, cheapest 'brandname'

TBH I am fairly certain I won't be able to tell (or care) the difference between 720 and 1080

[sherwood]

Plasma may be dying but it doesn't mean they're that bad.

If you're willing to do BF there are tons of options, if not I'd go with the Vizio 42.

My personal choice is this $900 Samsung PN50B530- 50 inch 1080P plasma

[spanky]

what is this "BF" that you speak of?

[b00gers]

black friday

[sqkev]

stick w/ the top tier brands when it comes to a larger TV (reliability and picture quality)
dell offered a 50" samsung 1080p plasma + HTIB last week or two for $800
hold out for another similar deal

[dj02]

out of those choices. 42" Vizio 1080p

[spanky]

the only TV in my price range dell is going to have for BF is a sharp 42" for 599.

[spanky]

theres a 37" vizio 1080p for for 539... I'm not sure if the extra 5" is worth $200 ()

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...9&sku=A2953135

[sqkev]

hate to repeat myself...but since you still havent pull the trigger...ill say it again
stick with the top tier brands
dont know bout you...but when i spend that amount of $$...picture quality is on top of the list
you wont get that with vizio nor sharp

[spanky]

is there really that significant of a difference between a vizio and a panasonic? its my understanding that the vizio tvs are actually pretty good quality but i could be mistaken.

[sqkev]

back then Vizio was one of the leading brand in term of cost:value
not true anymore since there's a HDTV war right now (hence the plummeted prices)
a panny g10 plasma will outperform most TVs in the market in term of PQ once calibrated, the 54" model went as low as $1300-1400
would i pay a few hundred more for the panny over a vizio?
definitely

[Black2KGSR]

Originally Posted by sqkev

hate to repeat myself...but since you still havent pull the trigger...ill say it again
stick with the top tier brands
dont know bout you...but when i spend that amount of $$...picture quality is on top of the list
you wont get that with vizio nor sharp

Sharp is top tier.

Samsung, Sony and Sharp are where it's at.

[sherwood]

Note please that the samsung LCD sets from last year are having major issues. Not sure if this has cleared up but bad caps on the power supplies are causing shut offs and in my case a 6" off color bar at the bottom of my ln52a650... may still apply to the newer ones because they asked recently to have quite a few people send their sets in for a free in-depth diagnosis.

not sure if this applies to the new models though.

[LABARINTH]

At 50" it is highly unlikely you will notice a difference between 720p and 1080p. I agree with your choice of the 50" plasma. Panasonic makes great TV's and it's probably the best bang for your buck.

[spanky]

if i wanted to spend more, would someone recommend the sharp aquos LED LCDs?

[spanky]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16889248054

is that thing worth a damn? :o

[LABARINTH]

Originally Posted by spanky

if i wanted to spend more, would someone recommend the sharp aquos LED LCDs?

LED TV's are great...currently they are almost as good as plasma but still way more expensive. I see no reason to spend the extra money.

http://www.cnet.com.au/led-vs-lcd-wh...-339295938.htm

[hitman619]

Originally Posted by sherwood

Note please that the samsung LCD sets from last year are having major issues. Not sure if this has cleared up but bad caps on the power supplies are causing shut offs and in my case a 6" off color bar at the bottom of my ln52a650... may still apply to the newer ones because they asked recently to have quite a few people send their sets in for a free in-depth diagnosis.

not sure if this applies to the new models though.

This^^^^^

Watch for banding on the sharps
I have a 52 sharp aquos I bought from dell.com for 1299.00
I love this T.V.

This same T.V.
http://www.amazon.com/Sharp-Aquos-LC52D85U-52-Inch...
Id go with the 40" sharp

[XScarAudio]

I've owned 2 different plasma tvs and did extensive research. For the price and quality, you can't beat them. I currently have a 1080p panasonic 42" (it's the middle of their 3 ). There is a noticable difference between 720 and 1080 if you are within a few feet of the TV AND have media that supports it. Blu Ray & DVD, you'll see a difference side by side (but it doesn't by any means ruin the picture). TV is so compressed, it depends on channel.

I vote for the panasonic...but if i were you, i'd look for a 42 inch 1080p over the 50 insh 720p...it's a generation newer of technology. Has anti-burn in technology, 3 hdmi inputs, runs MUCH cooler than my old plasma, etc.

As to the sharps, their higher ends are great. their lower ends just look slower...you see blur when stuff is in motion, even compared to low-end plasmas. They tag a LOT of models as AQUOS and I don't remember which models were good, average, & bad.

[spanky]

so you guys are saying the LEDs are not worth the money?

[themonsteraria]

I sell TVs for a living, so my $.02 might be worth some thought....

The 50 inch Panasonic Plasma is a good deal. I have 2 Panasonic plasmas, and I've never had any problems with any of them. They're tough, reliable, great TVs. The picture, particularly motion quality, is amazing.

Now as far as professional advice goes, on the floor where I work, we have LCDs, Plasmas, and LED backbit and edge lit TVs. Basically, we have returns, and problems withe every brand of LCD. Samsung less so, but even there, plenty of my customers return 650s because of dead pixels or power supply issues.
On Plasmas, as long as it's a Panasonic, it's a good TV. I have literally seen 1 Plasma TV come back, in the 5 years I've been selling HDTVs. They're more durable, have better pictures for longer, and are WAY cheaper. And remember when comparing LCDs to Plasmas, that just because the LCD is brighter, doesn't mean its a better picture. Plasmas are more accurate and lifelike.
LED TVs are fine, but the problem there is that it's a new technology, so down the road they're going to have problems. In fact, we have a Samsung LED on our sales floor that has a bad processor. If you must buy LED, then get a Sharp back lit LED. Right now, they have the best picture of all the LEDs, and they seem to be the most reliable.


To sum up:
So my personal opinion is Plasma.
My professional opinion is Plasma.
My "what do I make more commission on" opinion, is LED.

[XScarAudio]

Also, LED is just a marketing ploy....they are just LED lit LCDs instead of bulb....seems they played on the Organic LED naming to make more $.

Another FYI - drop a few bucks and get it professionally calibrated. I didn't w/ the first one, did with the 2nd one. Night and day difference compared to when I tried to tune it myself. I was actually amazed and it's supposed to increase the life of the TV and reduce power consumption by quite a bit. Plenty of literature on it around the web.

[themonsteraria]

Originally Posted by XScarAudio

Also, LED is just a marketing ploy....they are just LED lit LCDs instead of bulb....seems they played on the Organic LED naming to make more $.

Another FYI - drop a few bucks and get it professionally calibrated. I didn't w/ the first one, did with the 2nd one. Night and day difference compared to when I tried to tune it myself. I was actually amazed and it's supposed to increase the life of the TV and reduce power consumption by quite a bit. Plenty of literature on it around the web.

Honestly, this one is a matter of opinion.
It may just be because I've been trained to do professional calibrations,:ghye: but it doesn't seem that hard to me. You basically can go through and mess with all the colors and brightnesses until it looks right.
If you want to have it done professionally, it will be more accurate, which usually means less bright, hence the saving power and increasing TV life....

[XScarAudio]

Originally Posted by themonsteraria

Honestly, this one is a matter of opinion.
It may just be because I've been trained to do professional calibrations,:ghye: but it doesn't seem that hard to me. You basically can go through and mess with all the colors and brightnesses until it looks right.
If you want to have it done professionally, it will be more accurate, which usually means less bright, hence the saving power and increasing TV life....

They calibrated each color with their laptop to be true-to-life...something that I really doubt I could do with the naked eye.

[hitman619]

Originally Posted by themonsteraria

I sell TVs for a living, so my $.02 might be worth some thought....

The 50 inch Panasonic Plasma is a good deal. I have 2 Panasonic plasmas, and I've never had any problems with any of them. They're tough, reliable, great TVs. The picture, particularly motion quality, is amazing.

Now as far as professional advice goes, on the floor where I work, we have LCDs, Plasmas, and LED backbit and edge lit TVs. Basically, we have returns, and problems withe every brand of LCD. Samsung less so, but even there, plenty of my customers return 650s because of dead pixels or power supply issues.
On Plasmas, as long as it's a Panasonic, it's a good TV. I have literally seen 1 Plasma TV come back, in the 5 years I've been selling HDTVs. They're more durable, have better pictures for longer, and are WAY cheaper. And remember when comparing LCDs to Plasmas, that just because the LCD is brighter, doesn't mean its a better picture. Plasmas are more accurate and lifelike.
LED TVs are fine, but the problem there is that it's a new technology, so down the road they're going to have problems. In fact, we have a Samsung LED on our sales floor that has a bad processor. If you must buy LED, then get a Sharp back lit LED. Right now, they have the best picture of all the LEDs, and they seem to be the most reliable.


To sum up:
So my personal opinion is Plasma.
My professional opinion is Plasma.
My "what do I make more commission on" opinion, is LED.

Listen to this Man

[hitman619]

Originally Posted by XScarAudio

They calibrated each color with their laptop to be true-to-life...something that I really doubt I could do with the naked eye.

I went to this site to calibrate it my own http://www.ultimateavmag.com/flatpan...tv/index7.html
turn out pretty good

But i see your point