LCD televisions

[KaiineTN]

What brands are respectable? What brands should I avoid?

I'm thinking of buying a 32" or 37" within the next few days, but I honestly don't know much about newer televisions. People have told me to make sure that I have HDMI inputs. I know I want 1080p or whatever for Xbox 360/PS3 in the future. Basically, if anyone has some experience with these things and knows what to look for, or look out for, it would be much appreciated.

[Tikker]

you're not going to find many 32" tv's with 1080p

Samsung and Sharp make probably the best LCD's

Sony's are nice as well

for value brands, Vizio is very good, westinghouse is not bad

[KaiineTN]

What about Toshiba?

I was thinking about going for this one: http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-REGZA-37R ... 376&sr=1-6

A friend recommended Hitachi to me, but I can't seem to find much of a selection for Hitachi brand LCD's.

[brinstar]

stop trying to fill your empty life with material possessions

[Tossica]

on a 32" you are going to be hard pressed to tell the difference between 720 and 1080. If you plan on watching TV or movies on it, buy a plasma. If you just want games and are set on a 32", get a cheaper 720P display and you will be happy.

[recks]

on a 32" you are going to be hard pressed to tell the difference between 720 and 1080. If you plan on watching TV or movies on it, buy a plasma. If you just want games and are set on a 32", get a cheaper 720P display and you will be happy.

Why a plasma over LCD? What's the main difference picture wise?

[Tossica]

It's a matter of personal preference but I think TV and movies look FAR superior on plasma displays.

[Tikker]

black levels on plasma are much better than lcd

[recks]

We were in Best Buy the other day... I dunno whether it was the Blu-ray player or the 1080p TV, but the shit was so sharp it looked like a home movie. It was set up to look impressive, but it looked like shit. I like my movies to look like, well, movies.

[Tikker]

some of the new tv's with that 120hz shit look terrible

[Markarado]

I've never really liked plasma tv's. I'd recommend getting a Sony LCD. Samsung would come in a close second. Most other LCD brands can't come close to these two. Some people prefer Sharp, but seriously... stick a sharp and a sony next to each other and there's no comparison.

[Evermore]

do yourself a favor too and check out the power requirements. Plasma TV's can use 400w of power while off.


btw i have a viewsonic and it isnt too bad.

[Harrison]

Having looked at them for quite a long time side by side, and often. I'd choose an LCD over a plasma anyday.

[Tossica]

LCD's have come a long way in the last few years but I still prefer plasma to LCD for movie watching. The black levels and refresh rate are generally better, they are brighter and have more realistic color to my eyes. I still think CRT is king for TV watching but they are tough to find these days. Plasma is the next best thing with LCD close behind. If you are just going to be playing video games, get an LCD. If you spend a lot of time watching movies and TV, consider a plasma.

[brinstar]

stick a sharp and a sony next to each other and there's no comparison.

actually that is EXACTLY what you have when you put two items next to each other to compare them-- a comparison

[Zanchief]

Sure the color on a plasma screen looks better, but I just wouldn't want to deal with the image burning. Maybe things have changed in the last 5 years but my fathers burned after about 4 months. Watching HD hockey with two giant pink bars on both sides was a little silly.

[Tikker]

burn in isn't nearly as big of an issue as it used to be

power consumption is the reason I wouldn't bother with a plasma

[Arlos]

How about the DLP sets?

-Arlos

[Tossica]

How about the DLP sets?

-Arlos

Not a big fan. Great cheap way to get a large HD TV but the colors look like crap IMO.

[Reynaldo]

It's all personal preference really. Just go sit in best buy or circuit city, or audio/video for a more "home" experience....see what looks best to YOU, the go hit cnet for the reviews / specs and find your favorite online discount store to snap it up at.

[Tikker]

How about the DLP sets?

-Arlos

DLP is good for a bachelor that watches TV alone from a lazy-boy 15 feet away, perfectly centered in the room

[dammuzis]

when was with dell i would as a side job hook up peoples home systems (great pay)

while image wise plasma IS better and the burn in issue is more or less resolved among the higher end brands there are still several reasons plasma suck. for the first year or two it will be amazingly gorgeous and then start loosing its image quality. other issue with plasma is they cannot be tilted too far from pure vertical or the gas will mix and boom dead tv. as others have already mentioned there is the power issue (hope you dont have any noise on your power lines)
also have to take into consideration elevation plasmas do not work above a certain elevation.

that all said buy a samsung or sony lcd