The millionth thread on the topic. I am finally making the jump to HDTV.
Have my eye on a few at the BestBuy here in Vancouver.. looking at either 42" or 46" LCD's.
Here are the following I am deciding between. Looking for some help with regards to company (hard to notice differences in the store), and essentially anything else. Price isn't essential, more looking for quality (but would like to keep it around $1000). The 46" Sony is considerably more and I am still debating which size I want.
They had a big Sharp 52" for 1500, considerably less than the other +50"
The millionth thread on the topic. I am finally making the jump to HDTV.
You will need to decide this because if you want to spend $1000 max on a name brand you are probably looking at 42-46 as your biggest size. So that would depend on things like how far you sit from your TV.
Panny PX80s are 50 inchers and would be close to $1000 on a deal. I think I even saw the low end Samsung 50 on Boxing Day for around $1k. Neither would be 1080p (but this goes back to how close you will be to your TV, what you intendon watching, etc). This time next year you might see this year's 1080p TVs for current 720p prices. But you could play that waiting game forever.
It's also worth checking out the AVS forums at http://www.avsforum.com as they will have owner threads dedicated to most TV models. See what's said in them regarding quality and such.
My seating area/couch is 10 feet 4" from where the TV will be placed. I mostly want it for hockey, and obviously movies and other sports as well but that is secondary.
I am targeting a 46", a 50" would be good if it was at a deal, and I can go a few hundred more if the quality is worth it.
I sit 11 feet from my 50 inch and find it to be perfect. Some people prefer the theatre experience and sit 6-8 away from a 50 which is too close for me.
I think a 46 or 50 would be ideal for you. In your price range I'd definitely stick to Panasonic and Samsung first, Sony and Sharp second. I honestly don't think you can go wrong with any of those brands, but some do offer a better bang for the buck (like Sony tends to be a little on the pricier side, if you prefer plasma Sharp isn't an option, etc).
Also remember at your viewing distance, 1080p won't be much benefit. You said you would spend a few hundred more if it was worth it. When you start spending more on a TV the picture quality is going to improve because of contrast ratios and colour accuracy more than resolution (720/768p, 1080p). Just something to keep in mind if you decide you want to stick to the $1000 price tag and can't find a 1080p set at that price point. Just buy the best you can afford and I would spend ALOT of time haggling when doing so. You are going to be happy with your TV and the glories of HD no matter what you get.
Slightly over your budget but 50", and probably the same if not a slightly better picture qaulity then anything you've listed.
Plasma's love hockey on TV.
1080p is gonna break your budget with either technology at these sizes. But with no mention of a Blu-Ray player, and with the distances your from the set itself, does it really matter?
I definitely think you should go plasma. Not to fire up this debate again, but it's really only marketing and manufacturers that have pushed the number of LCDs we see in store and homes. I've owned both in the past and am in the market again and plasma is an absolute must for me.
And check your credit cards before making a purchase. Many of them offer an extended warranty just by using them, so you get an extra 1 year warranty. My CIBC VISA and AMEX both do this.
You probably don't need 1080, so you can save a lot of money by going to 720. You can get a 50" plasma for about the same price in a lesser brand (Samsung, LG).
best advice is to go into a store and actually take a look at the various models.
there might be something that catches your eye that you never thought would have.
and LG does make some nice TVs. i've seen more than a few LGs, and there was nothing wrong with them.
it really all depends on the model, though.
you could have an LG that looks better than a particular Sony model, etc. it just depends. that's why it's good to go in an take a look for yourself.
any of the bigger names should be pretty decent, and by no means should you limit yourself to just Sony, Sharp, and Samsung like many would have you believe are the only companies that matter.
Another thought, your timing is really bad. The prices have crept back up since boxing week deals. If you can wait a couple months you might get some amazing deals. Also check out the red flag deals forum.
i thought that was an old issue, back before sharp and sony teamed up to make the panels? if they are still pumping out the banding tv's then someone needs to be fired ASAP
my tv is very uniform. using it as a pc monitor at the moment to type this post. clear as day.
2) horizonal line movement (not sure the technical term, looks awful though) in solid colors. noticeable in grays.
3) horrible black levels. either the blacks look blue in the store with all their settings maxed out, or they should look very very gray. i was at a store recently and they had the LG between a sharp and sony and it was not black at all, very much simply gray.
i returned my LG a few years ago to the store, it was awful. the blacks were so bad it made watching some movies impossible during dark scenes.
Just remember that LG stands for Lucky Goldstar, the same Goldstar that made some of the most craptacular home electronics devices in the late 80s and early 90s.
i thought that was an old issue, back before sharp and sony teamed up to make the panels? if they are still pumping out the banding tv's then someone needs to be fired ASAP
my tv is very uniform. using it as a pc monitor at the moment to type this post. clear as day.
i remember reading (and it could have been incorrect) that Toshiba and Sharp were teaming up, and that Sony and Samsung were kinda in bed together with LCDs.
the Toshiba/Sharp deal was supposed to be that Tosh would make the micro chips for the Sharp tvs and Sharp would make some of the panels for Tosh.
Sony/Samsung ...all i remember reading about that, was that Samsung was making some of the LCD panels for the Bravia line.
could have been incorrect, but i remember reading that.
and as far as banding goes ...i've read that many (if not all) LCDs have this problem to a certain extent. it's just that some are better than others.
Here's what I learned while researching which TV to buy last year. I ended up getting a 42" Samsung plasma 720p whose only bad review on the internet complained of crappy speakers (true but they're definitely bearable to a non-audiophile person). All the reviews raved about incredible image quality for the price and that's exactly what I got.
Best TVs in order
Pioneer
Sony
Samsung/Sharp
Panasonic
LG
other lesser-known brands
If you're not watching Blu-ray or playing PS3/360, there's pretty much zero advantage to 1080p, but if you will be then I recommend getting it.
I think the Sharp for $999 is the one I'd get if I were in your position. If it has banding problems (old issue so unlikely) you can always return it.
And I agree with what the guy said above me about hockey and plasma. There's almost zero motion blur from a 10' distance from my TV, which is more than I can say for the LCD's I've seen in stores.
Here's what I learned while researching which TV to buy last year. I ended up getting a 42" Samsung plasma 720p whose only bad review on the internet complained of crappy speakers (true but they're definitely bearable to a non-audiophile person). All the reviews raved about incredible image quality for the price and that's exactly what I got.
Best TVs in order
Pioneer
Sony
Samsung/Sharp
Panasonic
LG
other lesser-known brands
Panasonic below Samsung and Sharp? I would definitely disagree there. But all three make good TVs for sure.
Here's what I learned while researching which TV to buy last year. I ended up getting a 42" Samsung plasma 720p whose only bad review on the internet complained of crappy speakers (true but they're definitely bearable to a non-audiophile person). All the reviews raved about incredible image quality for the price and that's exactly what I got.
Best TVs in order
Pioneer
Sony
Samsung/Sharp
Panasonic
LG
other lesser-known brands
If you're not watching Blu-ray or playing PS3/360, there's pretty much zero advantage to 1080p, but if you will be then I recommend getting it.
I think the Sharp for $999 is the one I'd get if I were in your position. If it has banding problems (old issue so unlikely) you can always return it.
And I agree with what the guy said above me about hockey and plasma. There's almost zero motion blur from a 10' distance from my TV, which is more than I can say for the LCD's I've seen in stores.
Panasonic is far above those others if we're talking plasma. It's quite distinctly:
i remember reading (and it could have been incorrect) that Toshiba and Sharp were teaming up, and that Sony and Samsung were kinda in bed together with LCDs.
the Toshiba/Sharp deal was supposed to be that Tosh would make the micro chips for the Sharp tvs and Sharp would make some of the panels for Tosh.
Sony/Samsung ...all i remember reading about that, was that Samsung was making some of the LCD panels for the Bravia line.
could have been incorrect, but i remember reading that.
and as far as banding goes ...i've read that many (if not all) LCDs have this problem to a certain extent. it's just that some are better than others.
Yeah, Sony & Samsung were in bed together a few years back. Same LCD panels from the same factories. Samsung is out of that contract now and doing something else, with Sharp taking their place recently.
Pioneer is or already has stopped their own operations, and is teaming up with another company. I'm tempted to say Panasonic, but I'm not sure at the moment.
make sure the black-levels are decent enough though, as this can ruin the viewing experience
if you cant get a decent all black picture on the screens to compare, try putting your hand on an angle in the corner of the screen, so all you can see in your field of vision is: frame>corner of screen>hand. remember how the black looks and check it on another screen.
in these stores they jack up the contrast and lamp light, so when you get home its a totally different picture once properly calibrated. with the bright lights in these stores its hard for your eyes to properly assess the color black.
