Which tv would you get?

[kstuart]

OP - Why are you buying at Walmart ?

The best deal in terms of value for your dollar is Toshiba (who invented DVD and HD-DVD), and Walmart does not carry them.

The best and simplest way to figure out which TV to get is to spend some time reading the customer reviews on Amazon.com

As a general rule, Samsung, Toshiba, Sony, Panasonic and Pioneer all make good sets (although IIRC Pioneer is beyond the budget of most of us here).

Lastly, remember that a Plasma usually uses more electricity than an LCD, so it will cost you more in the long run.

 

[Ghpr13]

I guess I'm not really but the nearest real store with people that actually have knowledge about their product is 2 hours away. I know I can read reviews til I'm blue in the face but shouldn't I actually see the tv I want before I buy or just rely on reviews?

When I was ready to purchase a HDTV I started researching Sony, Samsung, Sharp, Vizio, and LG. I read all the info I could online, and I read all the threads I could on each brand, on the AVS Forum. The info from the AVS Forum was the most useful, because actual users of the TVs I were interested in posted the good & bad of each model. After reading the threads, I went to Best Buy, Circuit City, WalMart, & Target to compare the models. I settled on a 40' Samsung LCD and got a sweet deal online thought Abt Electronics out of Chicago. The Samsung was going for between $1300 and $1400, I got it for $1000. No tax, and free Air shipping. I bought it in May of 2008, and I love it...I have no buyer remorse at all.
Do your research first. Just remember one other thing, no matter what you buy, there will always be something better for sale soon. You have to make sure you're please & happy with what you purchase, because trying to have the latest and greatest is a never ending circle of frustration.
Good Luck!
Ghpr13
BTW: I'm thinking about getting a second HDTV, a 32", and Vizio is definitely on my list to check out, read a lot of good things on them.

 

[jasperpso]

you cant beat panasonic plasmas for the $$

 

[whatchel1]

Opposite camp to $ony

Stay away from $ony. Go with Panasonic. I have a 42" inch Panasonic plasma & it wasn't expensive either. It was a clearance of the warehouse version of the top of the line. All pannys' 1080p plasma's have freq. of 480hz. They do 24fps, have watched the the Dish 1080p movies on mine. $onys' are not made by $ony, they are built either by LG or Citizen's watch company. They have anti-burn in circuitry and lag is non-existent. You will have to do a custom setting to get the best picture due to the fact they will be set on "torch" when you first get them out of the box.

 

[vaylon]

Think of all the cash you will save if you buy it on the internet.
No taxes.
Free shipping.
and if its a biggie? free help getting it in the house. (if your nice)

 

[BK94541]

Ya Sony all the way
have few Sony TVs working flawless for more then decades, U do pay a bit more for Sony but u get the quality for yearssss… to come that’s for sure and experienced!

 

[Ghpr13]

Ya Sony all the way
have few Sony TVs working flawless for more then decades, U do pay a bit more for Sony but u get the quality for yearssss… to come that’s for sure and experienced!

I would agree with you if we went back in time about 15 years, but is the last 5 years or so Sony has lost their edge. You still pay more for their name, but their product is not always at the top of the list anymore. The reviews on their latest HDTVs were not overwhelming on CNET and other top reviewers. Don't get me wrong, I had a Sony 27" CRT I bought in 2003 and the PQ was fantastic, but it started having trouble in 2007 and died in 2008. 5 years for a CRT is not good. In 1990 I bought a 27" RCA (cause I couldn't afford a Sony back then) and it had great PQ and lasted until 2003. Now I wouldn't buy a RCA HDTV, but there are a lot of other brands out there that not only may be a notch above Sony, but also offer you a much better "Bang for the Buck". IMO
Ghpr13

 

[jerryez]

Samsung and Panasonic get the best rating in the latest Consumer's Report. I got the Samsung PN63B550 Plasma and the picture is beautiful and the price is better than Panasonic, but my viewing room is 20ft x 21 ft. and one window.

 

[CowboyDren]

That's interesting, Jerry, because Samsung and Panasonic also occupy more than half of the spots at CNet. I guess Consumer Reports isn't useless after all.

 

[KAB]

I met a friend of a friend who does field TV repair. He said Sony has the most trouble and the hardest to get parts for in a timely manner. Again, Sammy and Panny, he said. Also said he has had more calls for LCD repairs than he has ever had for plasmas. He called them (plasma) the "tanks" of HDTV.

 

[whatchel1]

Brother having trouble with his $ony

I have brother that is already having trouble with his $ony. It' less than a year old and a month ago was working fine w.dish download and 2 days ago can download any. It tells him that it is HDCP compatible anymore. My Panny has never had any problems ever w/ HDCP and was an I-net clearance of the warehouse version of the top of the line 1080p/24fps plasma from a year ago. I got it for 750 w free shipping. In fact the new version of it on the Panasonic web site is only 850 600 hz TC-P42U1.
The 46 is 1099, the 50 is 1299 Here's a link to all of these. All VIERA® Flat-Panel HDTVs from Panasonic
These are all Energy Star rated now. So they must have upgraded their electronics inside to reduce the power consumption.

 

[teachsac]

The Panasonic S and U series accept a 1080p/24 signal but apply 2:3 pulldodwn to 1080p/24 signals. They do not display them at an even interval of 24, or cinematic playback. The V series displays them at pseudo 96hz. The older 800 and 850 series displayed them at 48 hz, but there was severe flicker.

S~

 

[mdprince]

THX Viewing Calculator

That calculator is the bomb !! Thanks

Also agree with the above post on Sony TVs. I'm a big fan!! Just got done working on the Michael Jackson movie on the Sony Pictures lot and they have a little store there. I am amazed at the PQ of the bravia sets, and now they have 120 and 240 motion flow. Also on the sports broadcast trucks and tv shows I've worked on, Sony HD sets are the norm.

No, I don't work for sony !!

 

[whatchel1]

On our set

That calculator is the bomb !! Thanks

Also agree with the above post on Sony TVs. I'm a big fan!! Just got done working on the Michael Jackson movie on the Sony Pictures lot and they have a little store there. I am amazed at the PQ of the bravia sets, and now they have 120 and 240 motion flow. Also on the sports broadcast trucks and tv shows I've worked on, Sony HD sets are the norm.

No, I don't work for sony !!

We have $onys in our TV studio as well but I don't recommend them. The One's we have were really made by LG. So $ony really no longer builds the Consumer equipment. They make some of the Hi End commercial monitors that you have seen but mostly they out source to whoever gives them the lowest bid. So they no longer have a consistent quality like they did 20 yrs ago.

 

[CowboyDren]

The One's we have were really made by LG. So $ony really no longer builds the Consumer equipment.

Mid next year, the mid-upper and top-end Sonys will be Samsung panels.

 

[getstuff4less]

Walmart had a 52" Panasonic for $768 or so.

 

[whatchel1]

Sounds like a 720 p set to me. I really think most people should go w/ 1080p sets.

 

[getstuff4less]

Not sure, anyways the highest E* broadcasts in is 1080i (minus PPV).

 

[jeffero]

Get a Sony forget the stupid asumptions. Even if they do partner with a big manufaturing company (which I doubt they do for their televisions) it must be made with Sony parts and to Sony's specs. A lot of electronics and appliances are made all at one factory but the companies use different quality parts. That's why there's a price difference and a difference in quaity. Sometimes it may be just different features in which those features are what make the product much nicer than the similar generic one. I think in the case of TV's Sony would never let someone put their name on a TV set. And LCD's do outlast CRT TV's. They're on top of the Blu-Ray HD home theatre business which includes TV's. You pay for what you get.

 

[navychop]

But you don't always get what you pay for.

Sorry, I used to be a Sony fan. I've had too many products with their name on it that were serious disappointments, despite paying a price premium. And don't forget their memory sticks. Or the root kit.

Yes, I own a PS3 & some other items from Sony. But I always give preference to other brands, due to my experience.