*sigh*
Well, it was inevitable. The big-screen projection TV that we've had as long as we've been in the house just isn't cutting it any more. It still works, but its days are definitely numbered - personally, I think Mrs. G. is just sick of seeing it squatting in the corner of the family room taking up valuable real estate. Personally, I'd just as soon let it die, then replace it with another TV we have kicking around the house, but I'm a distinct minority in the house in that regard...
I'm not a big TV guy; haven't really watched anything other than local news since "The Simpsons" started coming out on DVD. I catch the local news when I'm working out; other than that hour a day I don't watch television of any sort. If there's something I want to watch I'll either get the DVD or see it online - I have little patience for 99.9999% of the dreck that's on TV these days. It's sad when one reflects on the halcyon days of "The Dukes of Hazzard"...
But time, alas, marches on. Technology has advanced long beyond the projection TV currently fulfilling the needs of the G. family, rendering the large, ED209-like Panasonic little more than a cultural relic, our very own Easter Island monolith sitting our our living room. We're in search of something new, something shiny, something HDTV-like that we can use to broadcast the new opium of the masses directly into our vacuous skulls.
And now that Jay is through channeling Hunter S. Thompson, onto the original intent of this post...
What are some of the things we should be looking for in our search for a new TV? We have very simple, basic needs - play DVDs (although we might be tempted to switch over to Blu-Ray if the display is superior), hook up the Wii, etc. - we're not doing 3D or anything fancy. Are there certain brands to avoid? Brands to look for? Our current TV is a Panasonic and has endured 12 hard years with us, nearly 10 of which saw little people attempted to destroy it, so we're fans of Panasonic. Any other brands to look for? We're not looking to spend a ton of money, but we'd like to get something in the 46" - 60" range, with a budget of under a grand.
What options for entry-level HDTVs do y'all recommend?
That is all.
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33 comments:
Stay far, far away from Westinghouse. We've had bad juju with those. Our Samsung and Toshiba have been pretty rock star though.
Buy a Samsung. It doesn't really matter which model, but check the inputs to make sure it will handle your older devices.
I finally bought an HDTV in march, and ended up with a 55" LED Samsung. My only complaint was only having one composite input, but I just ordered a fancy-shmancy AV reciever that gets around that.
Get a Samsung of whatever size you need.
I have a 53" SONY. Tons of inputs including SVGA. www.hulu.com rocks on that thing.
The picture on the new HDTVs is so sharp, be careful you don't cut yourself.
To ensure longevity, make sure it has lots off HDMI inputs as well as old school RCA (red,white,yello) inputs.
You will love it if you mostly watch DVDs/BRs.
Provided that your TV-watching room isn't constantly flooded with high ambient light, a plasma is probably your best bet. The issue of image retention (burn-in, etc.) is all but a non-issue anymore, and the color representation and black levels will be much better than on an LCD. Also, plasmas, as a rule, are usually cheaper.
Right now, for the money, Panasonic makes one helluva plasma. Stay with the 1080p models (they still have some 720p models running around, and, while much cheaper, a switch to Blu-ray will warrant the higher-resolution display to avoid cheap scaling). The 50" version is going for $699 at Best Buy, and the 58" is going for $1299, which is the sale price of the 54".
Also, get a Blu-ray player. It's worth the money to get one for the picture quality, and worth twice as much when you can stream Netflix, etc., through it.
tweaker
Go with a 52" or a 55" LCD as the LEDs are forcing the LCDs down in price. Get LOTS of inputs: the more HDMI, the better.
The 3 "S" brands are all good: Sony, Samsung and Sharp. I have bought Samsungs and Sharps.
A year ago, I got a 120 Hz Sharp 52" fro $1100 at Dell Home. Check out http://www.techbargains.com for coupons and sales.
The Mitsubishi read-projection DLP sets are unbeatable for the price. They aren't as slim as the plasmas and LCD’s but a lot slimmer than your old projection TV.
The picture is as good as any HDTV - just bigger. We have a 73-inch model that is incredible. We got it professionally calibrated and never touched the settings again. It’s hypnotic – and it cost the same as a good 50-inch LCD.
$500 off at Dell Home:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?cs=19&c=us&l=en&sku=A3728761&dgc=CJ&cid=24471&lid=566643&acd=10550055-227502-E01202A0C232487C0A00232487A0A1A1A0G16
Dell yesterday had a 47" Visio for $600 + free shipping, LCD, 4 HDMI inputs, 120Hz, etc. The only reason that I know this is that Mrs. Lordjim called me up to say she was going to buy it. (Our 2nd hand TV is dying a slow death.) We've seen them in stores so we know what we're getting and we like it.
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/ProductDetail.aspx?sku=A3875925&c=us&l=en&cs=19 Not sure what the price is now since it says call though.
Might as well go Blu-Ray if you're buying a player. We got a Magnavox model last year for Black Friday for $85. This year it was $65 and was WiFi-equipped.
More HDMI connectors are better. That's less important if your receiver has a bunch of HDMI connectors - in that case just run everything to the receiver and run one cable from receiver to TV.
Samsungs seem to do great. That's what we have. Sanyo is also good. My mom's five year old Sanyo is going strong even though for the first four years it basically ran non-stop 24 hours a day.
Big question is regular or non-reflective screen? We went with non-reflective/matte for our living room because it's on the southwest corner of the house with lots of big windows. We're not sorry we did, but it doesn't look as clear and bright as the regular screen.
I deal with tvs every day at work. In my opinion the best are Samsung. Sony's are nice as well.
For your needs? Personally I'd go with a Vizio with plenty of input ports on the back (which typically isn't an issue on the newer hdtvs).
Oh, and stick to the big names. Vizio, Westinghouse, etc., are throw-away HDTVs. Customer support is all but non-existent, warranty service sucks, and, most importantly, they look like shit.
tweaker
We have a Sony and love it, most of our friends have Samsung and they seem pretty nice and are a bit cheaper than Sony.
+1 Bram
DLP is just as sharp as an LCD and superior in color. And, since it isn't cool because it's not as thin, DLP is cheaper. I talked my father-in-law into buying one three years ago and he has been very happy with it. I finally bought one early this year and I have no regrets. (I would have gotten one sooner, but I couldn't justify it with the wife as long as our old CRT HDTV kept working. Then we moved and I convinced her that moving 300 lbs of leaded glass was too much.)
http://www.mitsubishi-tv.com/theater.html
Personally, a year ago this time my 57" Sony rear projection went to the halls of its ancestors after 8 years of excellent service. I settled on a Panasonic 58" plasma, 1080, and they "threw in" a Panasonic BluRay player as well.
Wow. Effing wow. And don't forget the speakers!
I've been shockingly pleased with our Insignia (Best Buy house brand, I believe) 32" LCD.
I'd strongly suggest going to whatever electronics store floats your boat (and yes, Walmart counts in this case) and spending some time comparing images. Look at the dark parts of a picture - are the fades smooth and even, or are there bands of black and then bands of dark grey? Look at the highlights - is the white actually white? (Yes, to some extent that can be tuned, but only some.) Look for pixelation/ghosting during fast scenes - can the TV keep up with Agent Smith? :-)
Count up the inputs you have and need right now - RCA/composite, component, HDMI, VGA, co-ax, whatever. If you don't have at least that many, add the cost of a switch box to the setup.
IMHO, it's worth buying a TV one size *smaller* than what you'd really like in order to get MUCH higher picture quality.
And yes, cough up for the Blu-ray, you cheap bastich. I need to do that myself...
No one has quite stated this, but 1080p is a must. Don't get a plasma regardless of the deal you're offered. I've had a 60" Samsung DLP for about a year and a half and I love it but LCD and LED are both good.
Panasonic Plasma. I bought a 42", 1080p, from http://www.modia.com/
in Feb 2010 for $650, free shipping.
It's just about a year-old now, I'm very pleased, good off-centered viewing angle, viewable in all-but direct sunlight, I don't do games so no advice there, fast-paced movies and sports are spot-on, no blurring or smearing.
3 HDMI inputs, 3 Component, 2 S-Video, 2 Toss-link inputs, built-in SD card reader, Ethernet jack for viewing internet content, built-in decoder with separate audio out for use with separate amps and/or Toss-link out for using your own decoder/amp.
Get the best wall bracket you can afford, get one that easily adjusts to all angles, it will cost more, but is well worth it.
My parents bought a 52" Samsung maybe 2 years ago and it's amazing. I wouldn't be surprised if you could get that model for about a grand now.
Sadly I don't know what model it is off the top of my head.
Definitely stick to a big name brand. Side by side you really notice the difference between say a Samsung and a Vizio.
Personally I've got a 720p Sony Bravia. It's my bedroom TV rather than the main one in the apartment. Not bad. Works well for hulu & DVD's but I really wish I'd ponied up a few hundred more for something bigger and in 1080p. Little did I know my parents would've kicked in some cash if I'd asked.
I'd stay away from plasma as well. LED, LCD and even DLP are far superior.
By-the-way, DLP's needs regular bulb replacement, (~500 hrs) at $500-a-pop, everyone I know, tossed their DLP at that point rather than fork out that much cabbage.
Funny, how the DLP proponents forget to mention that.
Panasonic Plasma. I bought a 42", 1080p, from http://www.modia.com/
in Feb 2010 for $650, free shipping.
It's just about a year-old now, I'm very pleased, good off-centered viewing angle, viewable in all-but direct sunlight, I don't do games so no advice there, fast-paced movies and sports are spot-on, no blurring or smearing.
3 HDMI inputs, 3 Component, 2 S-Video, 2 Toss-link inputs, built-in SD card reader, Ethernet jack for viewing internet content, built-in decoder with separate audio out for use with separate amps and/or Toss-link out for using your own decoder/amp.
Get the best wall bracket you can afford, get one that easily adjusts to all angles, it will cost more, but is well worth it.
I'll second SpeakerTweaker's recommendation - make sure the TV is 1080p, and go ahead and get a Blue Ray player with it.
Make sure you get a player that will read and up-convert regular DVDs (I think most do, now) - it does make a noticeable difference, even if you don't really get true HD that way, and especially with the size range you're looking at.
Don't go DLP, as others have noted you have to replace the bulbs, and then there's the fact that if you regularly play games on it you will burn out the color wheel.
As for the Blu-Ray player, if you get one you're honestly best off getting a PS3.
My husband works for Verizon Fios and often tells me that there are certian brands of TVs that don't work as well with the service as others. Reasonably high end brands too. I'll ask him when he gets home for some names, but I'd suggest a quick internet search based on your cable provider to see if there's any repeated reports of problems with certian tvs with the service.
We have a 42" Sony Bravia which works quite well with Time warner cable service, have occasional sound issues which is apparently par for hte course for the model we got, but over all we're pleased with it.
also I say skip the Plasma, go with LCD or LED. Plasma's have a generally less long life span (unless they solved that problem, possible but unlikely). Definetly 1080P. And if you get a PS3 it'll play both DVDs and BluRays!
My $0.02: Plasma gives very deep black areas compared to LCD, but you CANNOT lay them down to move them. Also, Plasma generates lots of heat. LCD, especially with LED for backlight, is more energy efficient, but doesn't give the deep black areas as well, and is a little more expensive. If your room doesn't have much glare, LCD is fine. If you have glare, get a Plasma.
Brand... Samsung and Sony in my mind. I don't buy Sony stuff for personal reasons: Their DRM on music and their BIG SNAFU with the copy-protection on their CDs several years ago.
BluRay vs. Enhanced DVD: Almost a toss-up. But BluRay is only a few more bucks.
Get 1080p, nothing less for resolution.
Don't make it a requirement, but a VGA and/or DVI-D input (think PC video) is handy to share your display with others, or PC based video games. HDMI is mandatory, but you may want a Component Video (CYMK) input as well. Not as good of resolution, but bypasses some of the DRM that HDMI includes.
I got a smoking deal several years ago on Amazon, an out-of-box that had been returned to Amazon's store. White glove, they delivered, unpacked, and set up, for $1000 off the price of new. Was a gamble, but worth it for a 52" Samsung LCD several years ago. Wife was surprised!
Gawd, I sound like a salesman. Happy hunting, and Happy Hanukkah, tomorrow!
After a few days of looking, my beloved husband braved Black Friday by himself to purchase our Samsung HD LED.
When you go to the store of your choice, take a good look at the picture quality of each TV, because you will get EXACTLY that when you purchase it.
Hertz/refresh rate: Yes, it does make a difference. 120 and above.
Stay with the big names, although I echo Alan's comment with Samsung.
My father-in-law advised us to buy a 3-year warranty agreement (he's not big on warranties for large appliances, but this one he was rather adamant about.)
If you get a blu-ray, make sure the refresh rate matches the TV!
We love our Samsung LED 46". Even though they are more expensive, the LED will last longer than the LCD's (and nominaly save energy). Also, the picture of the LED is much the superior.
Oh yeah, like Dave said - 1080p is a must
Yeah, well 1911 is far superior to you Glo...
Oh, sorry. Wrong discussion;)
tweaker
Jay, don't discount DLP as an option. The objections I've seen here don't apply to modern DLP designs.
The color-wheel has been superseded by 3-chip designs, which also eliminates the issues with the "rainbow effect" early DLP TVs were notorious for.
Newer DLPs use special high-intensity LEDs instead of a bulb, and there is at least one design that uses lasers for illumination, so bulb life and replacement is not an issue with these.
Jay, I was going to write a comment, but after I hit 500 words, I thought I'd better just make a seperate post.
My Post
I have a lot to say on the geeky side of TV's, I guess.
Jay,
I bought a Visio (don't recall the exact size, maybe 52 inches?) HDTV w/my fantasy football winnings from '08 and it's the best $600 I ever spent. Get a blue ray, as well.
You'll thank me later.
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