HDTV Recommendations? (NRR)
G_Balliando
3,916 Posts
I know there've been threads on this but I couldn't find any searching on here or on google. I'm in the market for around a 32" LCD HDTV and I wondered if anybody here knew any particularly good deals. I know LG and Sharp are two of the top manufacturers of these TV's, and they do cost a little more. I won't spend over a G and would like to keep it around $750 if possible. Anybody got any tips? Any good experiences with these TV's? Any bad? Thanks.
Comments
Drewn, you frickin' w/ DirecTV? I got my new MPeg5 jammie coming on Thursday, gonna catch all the new HD channels they've launched.
My building is only Dish Network-enabled, which I've been pretty satisfied with, but I have heard that DirecTV has a better HD channel line-up. The part that sucks the most about Dish is that Comcast owns the Sixers and Phillies, so even with League Pass they block out of the games, even all of the away jawns!
I will check out that Samsung TV, looks liek a good deal. Thanks Drewn!
You'll find a ton of user reviews that will save you the hassle of buying a TV only to find out it has a bunch of problems.
I have the 32" Sharp Aquos LCD, the 50" Pioneer Elite Plasma, and the 26" Toshiba LCD. All of them are hooked up to HD service over Verizon's FIOS.
LCD's have a nice sharp colorful picture but most people who are really into high-end and home theater and all that bullshit will tell you that a plasma is the way to go, then give you some schpiel about how "deep the blacks are". I didn't think I'd be able to tell the difference so I bought both types to see which was better.
The plasma is insane and not to be trifled with. The LCD is cool and I give it the mercywatch sometimes. But it knows it's the redheaded stepchild compared to the big boy.
My sister's got the Samsung 50" LCD, it's nice too.
Make sure you get something with 1080p, it has something to do with the amount of pixels per something. But you want that, it'll make a difference when they convert all the signals (I realize now that I don't know where in the world you live, so that might not apply).
Get the Aquos, it's good for what you're looking for. If not, get the Samsung. There are some cheap joints like Olevia that people have and are perfectly happy with, a lot of these tv's are made in the same factories anyway and just have different names on them.
I
needreally want a new TV. I'm stillrocking a 15" TV/VCR combo. I could
mess with a 32 inch flat screen for under 800, easily.
Vizio 37" LCD HDTV
Tuner: NTSC/ATSC/QAM
Resolution: 1366 x 768
Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
Brightness: 500 cd/m2
$759.99
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.asp...y=1&topnav=&s=1
I'm rocking the Vizio vx20l as I type. I have a tv remote that I can switch to the TV with, got it hooked up to a $5 switch and a $5 antenna and I can switch between my DVD player, My computer, Cable TV, and Local HDTV channels.
Best $350 I've spent easily.
Plus the warranty is butter. I have a Westinghouse 20" from Christmas 04' that I still can't afford to fix.
I love me some sharp lcd's too. Hope this helps!
- spidey
Honestly Plasma doesn't do it for me. I have a friend that calibrates these for a living, and they're really not that far off from LCD. Deep blacks my ass. 1080p is expensive, and not really imo proving its worth. Audiophylactic-status.
- spidey
Man, that's some BS about the games.
I actually thought Dish had the better HD lineup but we'll see after DTv gets the rest of their shit launched.
I spent saturday evening at PC Richards looking at new televisions figuring i would make my decision based on the size, picture quality and design of tv itself, but i soon realized things are MUCH more complicated. I guess some of these new TVs have wifi built in so you can stream video directly?? this would be amazing and would save a lot of space and time trying to rig up a laptop. are there any brands that people recommend for this? I really only watch dvds and netflix, so i wouldnt need it for much else.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=8198552921644751998&XID=O:internet TV:corp_sitv10_gglsrch:inttvph_inttv_ad5#googleTVSet
and all these are apparently ready to go as well:
http://www.netflix.com/NetflixReadyDevices
my head is swimming. too many options. can someone help me narrow it down?
What helps is to start with the two "easiest" basics: what size screen and what's your budget. Hold firm to both and that will help filter things down considerably.
For me, that meant a 42" screen under a $1K. 47" was tempting but my options of making my price point were too limited. Likewise, I could have gone down to 37" and that could have saved a couple hundred (or not) but I was willing to trade up to a bigger screen so long as I stayed under budget.
I ended up with this for under $1K (including tax and shipping): http://www.amazon.com/VIZIO-SV422XVT-42-Inch-Class-Internet/dp/B0036DDHSU
It's a 42" Vizio LCD w/ internet integration.
Re: the latter, most of the apps you can get are really a waste of time but Netflix is the fucking truth. The streaming service is astounding from my iphone up to my TV.
Vizio isn't as well-regarded as Sony or Samsung - it targets the more budget consumer and you tend to find them in big box stores more than, say, Best Buy. But Vizio got decent marks from owners and so far, I've been extremely pleased with the choice. Had I had, say, a $1500 budget, I might have gone with a Samsung instead or a thinner LED/LCD hybrid but for less than a grand, I thought I did ok.
http://www.apple.com/appletv/
totally worth the extra $200 or whatever at the time of sale. trussmeh.
DVDs /NBA league Pass and mostly PS3 gaming.
I really want something that is "pro-videogame" if there really is an option.
My boy is playing Madden on some 50+ screen. I dont need to go that big.
I dont need to watch the News on a big ass television.
I stayed away from the internet-ready "smart tv" business, I have a PS3 that I use for Netflix and things like that, and it's also an excellent blu-ray player. Plus you can play video games on it.
Don't bother with 1080p unless you're buying something over 42", otherwise you won't notice the difference - and it only counts for stuff that's at 1080p, meaning only some blu-ray dvds and some HD programs on TV. And I wouldn't go over 42" unless you have the space for it and are going to sit several feet away. I find my eyes get tired very quickly if I'm sitting too close to one of those big-ass screens.