HD / LCD TV Recommendations please.

This is actually what I do for a living, as a BDM in the industry. Much as with speakers, if they sound okay they are good in most comsumer's eyes. That doesn't make them good speakers or even a good value for money though.

There is actually a MASSIVE difference in sets these days, they are all just marketed as the same to try and group the weak with the strong. So people are left buying without any real knowledge of what to look for, just as with PC's and other electronics.

SHARP for instance, is THE leading brand (manufactured by LOEWE in Germany) of their own and many other brands (such as Pioneer) sold under other names. However, the SHARP brand itself is generally a better value for money than products rebranded for others becaus ethey own a huge chunk of Loewe corporation too.

Lighting is actually a MAJOR factor when buying a screen these days, if not the most important factor (well, besides properly calibrating it when installed)

There are many considerations to be looked at before choosing a set. The lighting level for instance, if in a room with bright light, you will find a matte screen is best and reduces glare, however the screen is more susceptible to damage and scratches.

A high gloss screen, usually a glass panel, is much more durable but needs to be in a room with no light reflections or with very few windows.

Contrast ratios also vary a GREAT deal with LCD's, which is why you should [b]never rely on the picture you see in store[/b] but buy based on specifications instead.

First of all, the store will calibrate screens it wants to sell (usually due to strong margins) but they will leave others in 'out of the box' mode instead, resulting in a poor picture when compared side by side.
However, the cheaper, uncalibrated set may actually be far better in many ways, they just don't make as much margin for selling them so they try not to sell them.

"(Samsung and Sony are best)":
I beg to differ, these aren't CRT TV's, in which case Sony and Hitatchi lead the pack, in the LCD world, SHARP is by far rated the best.

Top picks, from installers and homeowners:

1) SHARP (makers of many other brands too)
2) SONY (though pricey as always)
3) SAMSUNG
4) PANASONIC
5) HITACHI

Now onto other KEY factors:

>Contrast ratio: Here's a great guide that explains how the numbers are misleading and often fudged, often also by purposely miscalibrating them in the store, Best Buy is famous for such 'scams' with their flat panels. In short, plasma GENERALLY has better contrast ratio and colour depth and refresh rate, until you get into the high end system.
http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com/contrast-ratio.html

>Back or edge lighting: With LED TV's ecomign more and more popular, as they actually do stand up against the plasmas quite well. Back lighting is a nice even light panel but costs a lot of money. Edgel ighting is cheaper and mroe popular nowdays but is not very consitent across the entire panel.

This is a great starter for display comparisons: http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com/LCD-Tv.html

For a greater definition of LCD vs Plasma, look here: http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com/plasma-vs-lcd-TV.html

EDUCATE YOURSELF BEFORE YOU BUY!!! That way even when not prepared to spend big bucks for a top end set, you still get the est value for money available. I have a friends that ignired all of my recommendations and decided he'd go out and buy whetever he wanted withotu researching specs. He ended up buy ing THRE sets now in 2 1/2 years, one died completely, one had a dead backlight and was too expensive to fix and the other ghosts an image (burn-in that they say doesn't exist anymore, pure BS) from other channels where it was left on overnight.

Don't buy based on what a salesman tells you in store, don't uy based on specs alone, but learn what differentiates one from another.

simply put though, if you buy SHARP, you can't go wrong with most of their own branded sets.

For example: Best Buy up here has a SAMSUNG 40" 180P LED HDTV on sale for $ 1999.99

However they also have a SHARP AQUOS 40" 1080P HDTV for only $1699.99.

Now logically, you would think that the Samsung is the better of the two.

In reality the Samsung simply has added, possibly useless features such as Headphone output, built-in subwoofer (?impossible to get sub frequncies from a 4" driver anyway?)while the SHARP has a FAR better video processor. Quick display change options for auto picture adjustment to DVD, PC, Movie mode etc. That way you can add that movie effect when needed without recalibrating your set, a 4ms refresh rate and a matte black frame.

So for watching movies, the SHARP set is better, for less money. not too many people rely on a TV for surround sound and built-in speaker quality, but that's what sells the Samsung.

Sorry for rambling, it's my life. Just make sure you do your homework and DON'T let anyone tell you they are all the same and buying on price is your best idea. Those are the words of someone who just didn't do any research.

Lastly, pay the extra $100.00 to have a tech come in and properly calirate it, or read up on LCD calibration yourself and take time to set it up properly, they do NOT come out of the box optimized.

by jck Nov 18, 2009

a) 120HZ min refresh.
b) 1080p does make a difference the bigger the TV is. 720p might be okay for 32", but I'd be wary of it for 40, 42, 50 or higher.
c) Get as many HDMI inputs as you can.

Last year, I got a Sony 52" LCD 1080i/p, 120Hz refresh, etc etc etc. I love the thing. Has not given me one bit of trouble. I have also heard that Samsung LCDs are quality as well as Toshiba.

The best thing I can say to do is this:

Go to BestBuy, and stand there and compare and contrast the quality.

Then, go watch Amazon.com for deals on the TV you want. I got my TV, blu-ray player, and 4 blu-ray DVDs for under $1400 w/free shipping (yes...over 100 lbs of freight on the TV alone...free).

Sony is a little more pricey, but if you shop around you can find a great deal about every 3 months and they should be coming around in about...mmm...7 days? lol

by charliespencer Nov 18, 2009

I'm not going over 40".

I've heard a couple of problems with going to the store. One is that the sets may be in a dark room, conditions that don't duplicate our LR. The other is some stores have been known to properly configure the high-end sets while conveniently 'forgetting' to tweak the less expensive models.

I may avoid mail order in favor of brick-and-mortar. As you noted, deals on the shipping are easy to find. (Wally is offering 99 cent shipping on some models.) However, if there's a problem I don't want to hassle with shipping it back.

by jck Nov 19, 2009

I wasn't too worried about returning it. If it had an issue, shipping was paid under warranty with Sony. I just had to pack it and meet the freight truck. After 30 days with most stores, you'd have to do the same anyway unless you buy their "extended warranty".

I wouldn't worry about quality, unless you go with LG, Vizio, and others that are new, lower-priced names in the market. Just read the warranty and check on what they offer on their websites.

And like I said, don't be afraid of mail-order. Most times with stores like Best Buy or Wal-Mart, trade-in after 30 days means calling the manufacturer for an RMA number and a UPS label anyways.

"The best thing I can say to do is this:

Go to BestBuy, and stand there and compare and contrast the quality."

LCD's are not calibrated to their optimal levels out of the box. Best Buy also offers an in-home caliration service, if the guy knows what he's actually doing. in the store, they will calibrate sets they want to sell and leave others out of the box when they know it COULD look better than others ut they don't make enough margin on it.

Gawd, we did the same thing with CRT's when
I sold retail A/V in the mid 80's. In store comparissonsare the worst idea, you will be duped every time. Specs are also misleading, such as 120Hz, unless you did your homework and realize that one person's 120hz is not always the same as another's 120Hz spec.

by tig2 Nov 18, 2009

What I did was to look at everything on the top end in terms of performance and user 'happiness'.

Then I looked to find that set after it had been optimized.

So I bought a Panasonic VIERA, 52 inch, 1080. I had it installed by the pros.

Doing some due diligence made a difference as far as I am concerned. But this was a gift to the SO. I am still apologizing (two years later) so my input must be suspect.

Panasonic makes a great product. So does RCA. So does LG. It really comes to what you want.

by charliespencer Nov 18, 2009

They had at least one recommended Viera in their listings for each of the screen sizes I'm looking at.

What do you mean by 'optimized'? What do the installers do besides hook everything up? I've been capable of connecting the few devices I have to previous sets without any problem; how much different is this? Or does installation involve something more?

Thanks!

by notsochiguy Nov 18, 2009

Most LCD HD sets nowadays come with settings that allow you to customize the viewing experience, based on several factors (lighting in the room, type of material being watched, etc, etc). This isn't really all that much different from later model CRT sets; except that there seems to be even more options, now.

When shopping for a new set, make sure to ask the sales person whether or not the model you're looking at has been optimized for the show room. Sometimes, they'll only fine tune the high end stuff (commission makers), and leave the lower end models set at the out-of-the-box config. Makes the disparity between low-end and high-end look more drastic than it may really be.

by Member 25348569 Nov 18, 2009

I've had a Panasonic TX32LXD700 for a year or more now and I think it's still the second best picture I've seen. In my bijou little flat I'm only sitting about eight feet away so it's plenty big enough.

The best picture was a demonstration ultra high resolution screen we had in our offices, sixteen times current HD in a 52" display. A snip at ?45,000 except that no-one is ever likely to get the bandwidth necessary to drive at home. We also had a dem of a 3D system that was very good but only if you sat in certain lines of sight from the screen. Move your head a foot to the right or left and the image flattened out. I'd still like one, though...

by charliespencer Nov 19, 2009

Other games they'll play include running a Blu-Ray movie on the high end set, with the same movie on DVD (or even VHS) on the low end. They may also run a high-end set on an HD channel with the low end on standard def.

We mostly watch cable, and don't look at many DVDs / movies. Since all the HD shows (and sports) are being broadcast in 16:9, I've decide it's time to get a set in the format.

Keep in mind, just because a channel SAYS it's high def, it dosn't always mean yuo are watching it in high def. Many providers won' pay for teh high def output that the show was originally produced with. You'll get sharp digital imags, which you feel are HD ut in ssence they are not actually broadcast to your home in HD.

There used to be only 4 channel broadcasting in HD in the USA, despite every other channel showing HD in the screen corner during the program. The show was initially broadcast in HD, but the local provider sends it out in lower resolution to save money.

These days, more and more common networks are actually broadcasting in full HD, but you still can't rely on the HD sign on the screen to determine which is which.

As for your in-store comments, exactly true, I've done it myself (though I was just a teenager with an eagerness to sell retail electronics)and had to compete with the all new Future Shop (the original, Iranian tax shelter Future Shop, before the Best Buy coupling), who sold utter garbage with deceptive practice.

by jamesrl Nov 25, 2009

I see these DirectTV ads on US stations, trumpeting the fact they broadcast in "full 1080p". Thats fine, but when you look at what the broadcasters actually use for their signals, its rarely 1080p, these days split about even between 720p and 1080i. So the fact that DirectTV can broadcast in 1080p is great for the future, but doesn't help much right now.

James

I'd rather drag it back and hand it to somebody, even if the freight is pre-paid. I'm not worried about after 30 days; I'm more concerned with a DOA.

Consumer Reports assures me extended warranties are the biggest rip-off going.

by jamesrl Nov 20, 2009

The odds of failure mode is that if they are going to fail it will be right out of the box, or soon after. The only exception would be if you move around alot. So I would agree with Consumer Reports, its usually throwing your money away.

James

by rookietech Nov 20, 2009

get a LED tv man picture is outstanding

Even a 37" is $400 more than I plan on spending.

by jamesrl Nov 20, 2009

See if the seller has price protection. I know when I was in Best Buy the other day, they offered price protection, which is normally 30 days, extended till Jan 2. So if there is a drastic Boxing day sale, like there are in Canada, you can get some money back.

This week marked a big reduction in the 40" sets around here, they seem to be dumping all the 1080Ps that run at 60hz at bargoon prices.

I'm probably looking at a 37" myself, given my smallish living room.

James

While my wife is swooning over "Twilight", I'm going to check out some systems at BB. I'm probably not going to make a purchase this weekend, but I want to see what the various manufacturers are offering.

by tonythetiger Nov 20, 2009

[i]After 30 days with most stores, you'd have to do the same anyway unless you buy their "extended warranty".[/i]

Many of them, when they break, cost more to fix than what you paid for them.

by Member 23340214 Nov 20, 2009

I know most everyone agrees that below 40" you can't tell much of a diference between 1080 and 720, but I still recommend 1080. It's the resolution of Blu-Ray and that to me is reason enough. I have a 27" Olevia LCD I bought a couple years ago, 1080p and love it. My only wish is that it were larger. I concur with the observations of others that watching an LCD is different from a CRT and you really do want to go as large as you can afford. I looked at websites that recommend screen sizes based on how far your sitting from the screen before I bought mine, and 27-32" was recommended. Today I'm looking at 40" screens.

Most brands are decent enough for regular viewing. My Olevia has a great picture, but only one HDMI port. I want at least 3 on my next TV. I also have a 15" Sharp LCD in the bedroom. Don't forget about Sharp, they have outstanding picture quality and a great warranty. They are usually a little pricey, but if you can find a deal don't hesitate.

I also like Pioneer. I thought they were crap 10 years ago, but they have really upped their game. Even though the picture quality is decent, I recommend staying away from off-brands. Take my Olevia for example, I cannot find a universal remote that will work with it. Even my cable box remote doesn't work. So I have to have my universal for all my components plus the TV remote out to power it on/off. I even have a programmable, Internet-conectable Sony universal remote and it can't talk to the TV.

For good deals also check MicroCenter (if they have a store near you, check 'em out online for store locations) and Appliance World.

by santeewelding Nov 20, 2009

With all this savvy input and advice, are you getting any closer to your pinnacle of material joy? Or, will it be a candidate for the Smithsonian in, what, six months?

Yeh. I went through this. The final arbiter was size. Any bigger for my small room and I would have had to sit outside and watch it through the window.

Hang the cost.

"Hang the cost."

Sorry, but it's just TV. My limit is around $550, but I plan on spending less than that. No matter how big the screen, the majority of what's on is still crap. There are other things I'd rather spend my entertainment dollar on; race tickets, for one.

My living room has a 24" Sony VAIO CRT, I got for free for sales volume a couple of years ago.

I have a Panasonic 40" plasma (also a freebee from a sales promotion) in the bedroom but it's usually just on with something aimlessly blabbing in the background while I watch UK TV shows on my laptop.

My "theatre", (the 2nd bedroom converted) has a 96" screen with a high-end, Mitsubishi projector, but only because I could buy it at cost when the warehouse was clearing them out, it only cost me about 25% of the retail store's price, no WAY I would have spent $2500.00 on a projector for a spare room (nor could I, I'm far from being wealthy).

If not, I'd just have abig CRT knowing me (I tossed out a 46" CRT when I bought the projector).

Don't go wreck your head over it, it's just a TV as you say.

My point is, with all due respect, SO many people go on and on about panels but they really have no idea what they are on about other than some fluff they read online or heard on a tv review show that was sponsored by a specific manufacturer etc.

You can spend within your budget and get top quality, just be prepared to sacrifice some, most often unimportant, features.

by willcomp Nov 21, 2009

I've purchased 3 LCD TVs in the last 6 months with the last one about 2 weeks ago. Two Samsungs and an LG. All are excellent TVs with the LG the best of the three. All were purchased from Amazon which is also a very good source for user reviews. Some of their reviewers are quite knowledgeable. My brand preferences were Samsung, LG, and Sony. Here's what I wound up with:

Samsung 26B360 -- 26" 720p
Samsung 40B530 -- 40" 1080p 60Hz
LG 42LH40 -- 42" 1080p 120Hz

All are matte screens which pretty much eliminate glare from sun and lights.

There's not much price difference between similar 37" and 40/42" TVs. I'd go for the larger ones. 32" 720p TVs are quite a bit less. There are some excellent buys on Panasonic 32" LCDs now.

BB wasn't an option for me. I'm 60 miles from the nearest store and that's a bit too far. Did check Wally World but Amazon was considerably cheaper and no sales tax. Newegg has also had some really good deals on TVs lately.

Reason for two 40/42" class TVs -- one for the wife and one for me. She's in Arkansas and I'm in Mississippi.

Edited to add:
Amazon delivery on larger LCD TVs includes unpacking and setup. Carrier is supposed to verify that TV is operable before exiting premises. Protects against DOA. Smaller LCDs ship UPS and you're on your own. I know 40" and above ship by freight carrier and 32" and below ship UPS. Not sure about 37" ones.

by bigstuie2 Nov 21, 2009

I bought a Samsung 42" Samsung Plasma for $750 from Amazon. It's has an awesome picture. I've had it for 6 months.

by charliespencer Nov 23, 2009

Advantages and disadvantages of each, please.

by jamesrl Nov 23, 2009

Plasma. Advantages - smooth picture, less "blurring" durring action, price
Disadvantages - will not last as long, sucks power.

As posted above: http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com/plasma-vs-lcd-TV.html

PHTG is a great website an very reliable resource.

As for refresh rate, blurriness, it's not so much of a factor these days with the faster LCD refresh rates. However that was a huge seller for Plasma early on, as well as cost advantage.

I remember playing Ghost Recon on an LCD where it looked like a child's PC camera putting out 12 frames per second.

I posted above with some links you should review that explain the common mistakes made when buying a panel, many of which have been offered as tips in this thread too. Practical Home Theater Guide is a very good buying guide.

by delbertpgh Nov 23, 2009

Purists love plasma's superior ability to show stunning colors and faint details against an utterly black background. (The "contrast ratio" that LCD manufacturers talk about relates to this.) The drawback is that you need to watch in a fairly dim room, because plasma isn't as bright as LCD and has a much more shiny screen. Plasma can also be more difficult to view from an oblique angle, though this varies from set to set.

A risk that you don't see at all with LCD is "burn in", where something like Fox News's bottom-of-the-screen banner stays on all the time, and can eventually leave a faint image of itself permanently on the plasma's glass.

Plasma costs less, but weighs more and uses more electricity. Most plasma screens are only available in 720p, though some 1080p are available. The difference is overrated; it's actually very hard to tell. Almost all hi-def cable comes across as 1080i, which both screens display equally well. You can get a very good plasma screen of larger size for less money, and you'll experience a beautiful image, so long as you're sitting in the right place under optimum conditions.

by charliespencer Nov 23, 2009

We usually have a lamp or two on, and the room is fairly wide.

Thanks.

False: I have a friend on his third now, didn't want to do research, I warned him of LCD burn in and he has had three cheap TV's now. The latest one shows channel 2 (our TV listings channel) burned in so dark that you can actually read the header banner, from months ago, clearly.

It's a bit different than teh old CRT burn in though, in LCD panels it's called image persistence. Leaving a static image on too long does cause the effect most commonly known as burn in.

In the case of my friend's set, while playing music from a listings channel he got NASTY image persistence (burn in) and now it shows the header banner clearly no matter what you watch.

by Member 23340214 Nov 23, 2009

Also, I don't know where you live, but plasma's can have problems in high altitude areas. I live near Denver, Colorado and the gasses in plasma screens often react badly to the altitude.

Plasma is far superior in the high end for large displays in dedicated rooms (generally light controlled).

99.999% of good installers of custom home theaters use plasma displays, the wannabe installer usually use LCD's as they go for profitability and not customer saisfaction.

When you get o the high end of LCD and Plasma, there's not much difference. At the entry level, Plasma dances circles on LCD for most applications, though LCD are catching up quickly in the smaller screens.

They KEY, NUMBER ONE benefit of LCD is cost and that's why they are so popular in North America, where consumers are purely cost driven. Despite tchnology, companies decided to improve on LCD because they just couldn't sell Plasmas to the mainstream despite being a superior product overall. The R&D for plasma died and now LCD's caught up to them.

http://www.ecplaza.net/news/0/29065/vizio_again_ranked_1.html

I found 37" and 40" models I like from Visio, Panasonic, Sony, and RCA. These were at Best Buy and Wal-mart. Sears and HH Gregg didn't have anything in my price range ($500 - 600). I'll check the web over the weekend.

Any additional feedback on these brands? So far, everybody that's mentioned Panasonic has been pleased with them. Other than the RCA, I looked at multiple sets from these companies and the picture quality looked similar across sizes and product lines. I'm a bit concerned I only found one RCA set in four stores.

by jamesrl Nov 24, 2009

Vizio is the low cost leader, big volume . Sony is considered top tier, though not all of their models are as good as their best. Panasonic has a good reputation, but mainly for plasma.

I would eliminate RCA. I've found their products over the last decade to be inferior.

James

by Member 23340214 Nov 24, 2009

I'd recommend the Panasonic or the Sony. You'll have the best luck long-term for service options, universal remote compatibility, etc. Between the two, assuming picture quality is a draw, I'd pick whichever one had the most HDMI inputs.

by delbertpgh Nov 24, 2009

Sony is the most esteemed name, ranking right up there with Samsung among HDTV salesmen. However, the other two are okay. The only way you'll regret whatever one you buy is if you install a second TV in your living room next to it, and tune them both optimally, and watch a variety of shows from different media for a number of hours. Then, you'll begin to see "important" differences.

Visio's got a good rep. The only thing you may regret is when your brother in law snorts about people who settle for the bargain brand. However, you'll usually get more inches for the money, and like I said before, size matters in HDTV. Size, and the number of HDMI inputs.

I'm comfortable sprawled across a chair eight feet from my 46 inch screen, drinking bourbon and watching Mad Men.

The brand won't matter. We already have the smallest primary set in our family, and moving up to a 37" or 40" set isn't going to change that. If one of them doesn't like it, they can watch the 25" secondary CRT set, or the 13" set in the garage.

I didn't see a Samsung in my size / price range.

I don't get it. SHARP makes the better panel, up here Best Buy carries SHARP, I haven't looked down there but Target does carry them in the US.

There is also a 32" Phillips LCD (fastest refresh rates)and excellent quality at Target for $569.00.

SHARP seem to be a bit out of your price range, but I would even recommend a 720P 32" Sharp over a 1080p Panasonic or RCA any day of the week. It's just a superior product all around. Chance are you wouldn't tell teh difference between 720 on a good set and 1080 on a cheap set, especially at the at size. 1080P is way over rated for most TV viewing anyway and soon to be obsolete too, they already have sets doing more than double that resolution in Japan on high bandwidth cable feeds that make digital TV look like old VHS quality. Why waste your money on cheap ?

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Video_Conferencing/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&cs=19&sku=A2863297

Not to waste my money on cheap, that is. But I've set a limit of $550 for a 37" to 40" set. I'll allow myself an extra 10% if the seller offers "12 months same as cash", but that's the max. I'm not looking to build a home theater. We don't watch many DVDs or any PPV stuff, strictly cable programming. Some of that is HD (racing and some football), most is not. My motivation is my secondary set died. The current primary set, a CRT, will become the guest bedroom set. If I'm going to buy a new one, it might as well be a 16:9.

Thanks for the links; I'll look at them over then next couple of days. And thanks for reminding me about Target; I forgot them completely. But regardless of what I spend, it's just television. No matter how good the picture is, 95% of the programming is still crap. Good looking crap, better looking crap where I can count the corn, or great looking crap where I can identify the variety of corn; it's still crap.

by delbertpgh Nov 24, 2009

If you've got other expenses to balance in life, then some place you've got to go cheap. Unless you're a serious techno connoisseur, HDTV is not a bad place to go cheap. A nice big one of medium quality looks great, and unless you have a superior model right next to it, you're not going to sweat the issue much. It'll be great football in your living room, either way. And, like computers, HDTV will just keep getting cheaper and higher performing, so in two years it's going to seem out of date, regardless of how much you pay this year.

The nice things you have to say about Sharp make me more content with my purchase from last year.

by charliespencer Nov 25, 2009

A 42" Sharp from Dell. ZDNet reports it will be on sale Black Friday for $599

Others on the short list are a 40" Samsung LN40B500 for $597 at BB. The big advantage to BB is they'll do a '12 months, same as cash'. I've got the money set aside, but why not spread the payments out if it doesn't cost me any extra?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung+-+40%22+Class+/+1080p+/+60Hz+/+LCD+HDTV/9543416.p?id=1218121946001&skuId=9543416&st=LN40B500&cp=1&lp=1

And a 40" Sony KDL40S504 at Wally for $598. The problem with it is, it is a 'Black Friday only, limited quantities' special.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=12460935

by jamesrl Nov 24, 2009

Here you go - 32 inch on sale for $397.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung+-+32%22+Class+/+720p+/+60Hz+/+LCD+HDTV/9230708.p?id=1218063831450&skuId=9230708

James

But I'm going to do some serious web searching over the holiday.

Oviously not at such an entry level though.

But Samsung is no slouch in the LCD market, in fact they rank higher than Hitatchi and Panasonic by most reviewers.

SHARP's 780P falls in under $600.00 at Target and will give you a better all around set. 1080P is a buzz in the industry, but most people don't even watch much in 1080P when they invest in one. For just cable TV viewing, you'll be fine with 720P.

When I said wasting money on cheap, I meant that there are a lot of cheap quality and cheap costing TV's that people buy because they show similar specs to more expensive panels. If you don't have the money to spend, you can't start looking for models with the features of high end models as you will get all the features you want, in a junk product.

You can still spend what you can afford and find the best value in your price range.

As I noted to Palmetto, SHARP makes a better panel; a 37" is less than $600.00, within budget. However, it is 780P.

So people ask why buy that when a Panasonic 1080P is less money?

Answer, it is called wasting your money on CHEAP, the panasonic will likely encounter that phenomenon you feel doesn't exist with LCD's, "burn in". The tuner components are cheaper, it will have limited calibration abilities, it will have a cheaper panel (despite teh 1080P)etc.

If you are on a budget, wouldn't buying something that will last be a better idea than uying a new set every couple of years?

You are far better off spending the same cash on a better quality set that is 780P. It will offer a better picture, better component quality and better reliability, though with fewer buzz features advertised.

Its the same as we have seen with ALL electronics, whether audio equipment, video equipment, computers etc. Features are used to sell low end machines as high end quality to people who read flyers and watch TV ads. However sacrificing some features results in you affording better quality products.

A higher end E-Machine could have a bigger hard drive, a TV Tuner and more USB ports than an entry level HP, but is it better? Not likely.

Make more sense?

1080p is usually a waste of money.

Plasma and LCD makers have been at it since day one. LCd had high res and that was what they sold product on, plasma caught up and now 1080P is the boasted standard, but only due to manufacturer wars, content is not usually rebroadcast in such high res, even if the channel says it is/was originally. the providers aren't on board with BlueRay and real 1080i broadcasts are rare to unheard of.

It took nearly 10 years to get broadcasters to start adopting 1080i, they are not going to jump on 1080p as there just isn't the content to support it. There just no use for 1080p unless watching BlueRay movies or playing Playstation or working with very high res graphics software, nothing else you see is 1080p. MAYBE 1080i but even then, the source isn't what you actually get from your provider.

An originating station may have broadcast the show in 1080i, however in order to keep costs down on rebroadcast, DirectTV will just pipe it in at lower resolution. All sations do it really. It was only 2 years ago that there were only 3 stations in North America rebroadcasting in real HD, yet alone 1080i. The show would display HD in the watermark, you'd be paying for HD digital cable, but the feed you got in the home wasn't really HD.

That's the problem with Digital and Satellite now, they are paying for rebroadcast bandwidth to pipe it into people's homes. So they cut corners with costs and pipe it in at low res, while the picture says 1080i and people THINK they are watching 1080i/HD.

by jamesrl Nov 25, 2009

My assumption about the broadcasters is that those who got in early are the ones who broadcast in the lower resolutions, and they don't want to replace equipment just yet since they want to amortize their investment.

The truth about cable and satellite companies is that the also compress the signals, which doesn't impact the resolution, but does impact the picture quality. There are many people with HDTVs with anntennas who say their picture is noticeably better than satellite, because of the compression.

James

Actually that SHARP looks pretty nice. I think teh only reason it is so cheap is because of the 6ms response time. Quit ehonestly that is REALLY fast, fast enough for anyone's needs. They are really pushing the new ultra fast 2ms SHARP models now, but that's way overkill.

What happened is plasma was known for superior speed. LCD was known for superior pixel depth. So after the speeds wars, and everyone was at 1080p, more than any broadcast definition of 1080i and strictly for BlueRay format, the competition had to change, as digital providers were already balking on offering 1080p.

So they turned to refresh rates as the big selling point. Early LCD sets were quite slow so as new technology developed, the focus was on faster pixel response times. It came down to 15 then 12 then 8 and now as low as 2ms. So 6ms is VERY quick, just don't let the sales rep tell you you need 2ms speeds or even 4ms that some second rate manufacturer offers.

nice deal! As for teh cash equivalent option, I understand that cash flow is important at this time, BELIEVE me,I understand. However, if there's any way you can suck it up and work around the initial outlay, you will not be disappointed. You have to remember BB is using that as a consumer hook as they can't offer the same product for less.

Target could have the big box exclusive on that model too, that's how everyone offers price match guarantees, they try to carry exclusive products that can't be matched.

So look to suit your needs financially, but alo consider that such policies also urge you to compromise your initial decisions.

Happy shopping! Don't forget the riot gear and please leave your gun at home. ;)

by jamesrl Nov 25, 2009

Just to make it more confusing, some manufacturers have specialised video processors which try and adjust the picture when you have a sub prime refresh rate or response time. They try and make it look better than the specs would suggest. Wether it makes a difference is somewhat subjective.

James

Compress it down and fit more data into the same pipeline, another cost saver in a world with limited bandwidth.I wonder if Google's new SPDY HTML enhancement will be used to compress header info in Digital TV signals too? (If that's even possible)

That would be interesting, they'd be able to offer more, PERHAPS at more reasonale pricing!?

That's also a good reason to uy a high end LCD, you get a better decoder and tuner system. MANY don't support NTSC, but when they do the decoder in the tuner is generally pretty hhigh end. A bit over my head there though, I know there is a difference in decoders (also marketed as upconverters in some cases) but I am not well versed on brands and models of internal components. (Maye I'll learn all that next year, my head's a bit full of product info overload right now).

by delbertpgh Nov 25, 2009

Be aware that when you open one of these "same as cash" credit deals, you get a new installment loan arrangement, which is reflected on your credit report. (Any time you get a new credit card, your credit rating dips a few points, and goes back up after a year.) Best Buy, like all others, processes their payments through an agency, which can sometimes make mistakes. In my case, they mis-recorded a $50 paper check as $500. Then they destroyed the check, because they are only required to keep an electronic record of their action, which does not include even a photo image of the check. (This was a gift of the Senate Banking Committee to the banking industry several years back.) They corrected themselves, after two weeks and a half dozen phone calls, and my bank reversed the $400 in overdraft charges that resulted, but I was informed along the way (by my bank) that nobody was legally obliged to refund anything, and that my only recourse might be to sue the payment agency for fraud.

Tread carefully.