HD Flat Screen TV Advice Needed

[pushdabutton]

Posted: 1/3/11 at 1:41pm

I apologize in advance as this is way off topic but I truly value the advise of the great people that post on this message board. I am looking to purchase a flat screen hd television for a bedroom and don't know where to begin. I tend to watch more movies on dvd than television programs. Which is better, LCD or Plasma? How do I determine which size to purchase? I currently have an old Sony 27" television that I will be replacing. I was thinking of a 42" or 46" screen. Which brand names should I be looking at that will give me the best quality? All recommendations and advise is greatly appreciated!

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 1/3/11 at 2:50pm

I would definitely say go with LCD over Plasma. Plasma tvs have a great picture, and have really come down in price but they have a problem with static images being burned into the TV. I used to have a plasma and this was a big problem with video games...but today most stations have their logo on the bottom of the screen somewhere. I remember even the CNN logo got burned into my screen at one point.
Size is really a matter of personal preference. A good place to research is CNET.com. They have a ton of info including reviews and a buyers guide.
CNET's HDTV page

[DAME]

Posted: 1/3/11 at 3:09pm

I own a Samsung and a Sony. Both 52 inches and both LCD. I find the picture on my Samsung to be stunning. Plasmas do use more power and are heavier. They are also more expensive to fix if something goes wrong. I would also stick to a lower priced tv that doesnt come with all the internet extras that are offered now. for that spend $99.00 and get Apple Tv or a Roku box in addition.

[supportivemom]

Posted: 1/3/11 at 3:24pm

I just got a 42" LCD made by LG. I love it! We bought a router- similar looking to a jump drive- that attaches to the back of the TV. This allows us to streamline netflix movies directly to our tv through our home router! I did read an article that said right after Christmas is the best time to buy a TV so go for it! They're all coming down in price.

[DAME]

Posted: 1/3/11 at 3:28pm

That is the way to do it Supportive Mom. Also there should be some cool Super Bowl sales coming up.

[madbrian]

Posted: 1/3/11 at 3:30pm

Size matters. Figure out the largest size that will fit the room, then get the next size bigger. We have a 46" Sony LCD, and we are thrilled with it. We also have an internet-capable Sony Blu-Ray, and we are able to get netflix, youtube, etc through that.

[jasonf]

Posted: 1/3/11 at 4:04pm

I just got a new tv for our bedroom - we were going to go 26 inches and I looked at it in the store and thought, "nah, too small" so went up to 32. We brought it home and since it's basically just a little past the foot of the bed it looks great - and I'm SO glad I went with the bigger!

I got a Dynex because, well, money's tight, but so far no problems at all and the picture is great.

[pushdabutton]

Posted: 1/3/11 at 9:42pm

Thank you all for such great advice. Looks like LCD is the way to go. I forgot to mention that I do also play video games. I agree that I should be able to get a good price with the Superbowl sales just a few weeks away. Thanks again for all your help!

[CyCoSpAz2]

Posted: 1/3/11 at 9:58pm

We just bought a 46" Samsung and it is glorious. Great sound, great picture, great ports.. can't get enough of watching it!

If you are in the market for 42+, you should be looking for no less than LCD, 120Hz and 1080p. Also, if money isn't too much of a restraint, avoid buying off-brand. Stick with Sony, Samsung, LG, Sharp (or even Vizio) for real quality

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 1/3/11 at 10:57pm

Another word of advice, don't get scammed into buying the high priced cables, whether HDMI or component. There is absolutely no difference between the Dynex cables (one of Best Buy's off-brands) that run around $15 and the Monster cables that can cost upwards of $100. There are plenty of articles out there essentially stating that "high-quality" cables are the biggest scam out there in the electronics world.

As for size, definitely do take into account how close you will be to the television when watching it. One friend has this beautiful 52" television, but in their tiny Brooklyn apartment you are sitting about 7 feet from it and it's just completely overwhelming when you watch it, and kind of wasted since it's just difficult to take in the whole screen without your eyes darting all over.

And also, if you are really going for great picture, LED is now leading the pack, considered to combine the picture quality of plasma with an even greater energy efficiency and slimmer design than the standard LCD televisions. Of course, they are also the most expensive models.

[pushdabutton]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 7:44am

Those are the brands I had in mind CyCoSpAz2. Good to hear you are pleased with your Samsung. Good advice about the cables AEA AGMA SM. I have looked at them in Best Buy and can't believe how expensive they can get.

[jasonf]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 8:01am

Like I said, since this is a secondary tv and money is a concern for us, we got a Dynex. Other than it taking about 25-30 seconds to start (first we get a "Please Wait" screen and then a few seconds while it's fuzzy before it sharpens - but then again, my older non-HD, non-LED TV does that too) the picture is crystal clear. I threw God of War in the PS3 and it looks amazing on there.

So if you are looking at price as a big factor (and the Dynex was about 200 less than the leading brands), definitely consider it. So far I'm very happy with what I got.

[Jilani]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 1:43pm

On the cable issue, don't even spend $15 at Best Buy! You can get great cables for less than $10 each online. CNet has a very helpful guide:

http://reviews.cnet.com/2719-11276_7-226-3.html?tag=page;page

CNet is also a really helpful source of information for deciding what type and size of TV to buy.

[morosco]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 1:50pm

Monoprice is also a great source for HDMI or any other imaginable cable. I've bought from the for years and they are great. Astonishingly great prices!
http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240

[pushdabutton]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 9:34pm

It looks like I will be buying my cables online. I can't believe the difference in price!

[pushdabutton]

Posted: 1/5/11 at 8:12pm

I am planning on purchasing a Blu Ray DVD player. I currently have a rather large collection of dvd's. I do not plan to rebuy any of these on Blu Ray. I know my DVD's now will not be nearly as good quality wise as a Blu Ray disc but will the quality improve any playing these old DVD's on a Blu Ray player?

[morosco]

Posted: 1/5/11 at 8:48pm

I know my DVD's now will not be nearly as good quality wise as a Blu Ray disc but will the quality improve any playing these old DVD's on a Blu Ray player?

Absolutely. The blu ray players do improve the quality of a regular DVD.

[pushdabutton]

Posted: 1/5/11 at 10:41pm

Good news. Thanks morosco.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 1/6/11 at 12:00pm

If you are planning on getting a Blu-Ray player, and you play video games, you should get a PS3. Then you will also be able to watch Netflix and Hulu through your PS3 on your new tv.

[pushdabutton]

Posted: 1/6/11 at 7:02pm

That is a good recommendation Erik but I already have Nintendo Wii and a bunch of games for it. I can get Netflix with my Wii system but I think I will get a Bluy Ray player that can access the internet.

[CyCoSpAz2]

Posted: 1/7/11 at 1:18am

Keep in mind if you stream Netflix on your Wii it will not be in HD, the Wii can only display up to 480p, so you will definitely want to make sure you get a blu-ray player that can access the internet

[pushdabutton]

Posted: 1/7/11 at 7:52am

Good to know CyCoSpAz2. I did not realize that. I will definitely buy a blu-ray player that can access the internet.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 1/7/11 at 11:31am

Ya..the Wii doesn't support HD, or Hulu. You can also stream new releases to rent over the PS3 in HD...something you can't do on the Wii. And the games on the PS3 are...so much better!

But look into it. The price on the PS3 has come down but I'm sure you can find a stand alone blu-ray player for cheaper.

[pushdabutton]

Posted: 1/7/11 at 10:02pm

The prices have really dropped on blu-ray players. I should be able to find a good price.

[BroadwayBenny]

Posted: 3/24/12 at 12:59am

I recently bought an LED/LCD 40" Phillips TV from Target, and have decided to take it back. The HD picture looks brilliant....except when objects are moving. All I do is watch movies on DVD and Blu-ray. I don't play video games or watch sports, so I went with the cheaper 60hz, since everything I would be watching is at 24fps anyway. Well, even with the TV and blu-ray settings at 24fps, the motion was still kind of jerky, and dark colors with fast motion got to be horrendous with a muddy looking smear trail or brown halo around things with too much contrast. Again, the image quality was perfection if I paused it, but in motion, forget it. When I called tech, and the problem wasn't fixed he told me this was very common for some LCD/LED tvs...so if you like to watch "Films", I recommend checking out before hand that any LCD/LED TV's you are buying have a good 24fps playback capability. I am going to be shopping around for a good plasma now instead.