TV buying help

Rockslinger said:
tboy, how do you manage to see all these pink beavers? You must have a "beaver detection" TV!:cool:
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actually no, just watch for em lol.....I know on a recent episode of true blood the "vampire queen" was walking around in this filmy white dress. I had to slow mo and rewind a few times but what I thought were 'lips' were just a fold in the fabric.....(she walked in front of a light and you could see through the fabric, you get that a LOT with bedroom scenes etc).
 
I am a Samsung guy and haven't had any issues with my 46" LCD *touchwood*

Just make sure you invest in that extended warranty whatever the tv you buy.
 
trod said:
I am a Samsung guy and haven't had any issues with my 46" LCD *touchwood*

Just make sure you invest in that extended warranty whatever the tv you buy.
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Extended warranties can be expensive for the end user yet cheap for the retailer, but that's why I say, in your negotiations, see if they'll throw it in or give it a real big discount. They push them because the profits on them are very high with little risk.
 
bucky88 said:
I'm looking to get a new 40" or 42" tv. One part of me is tempted to go cheap and get a no-name/store brand like Dynex ($630 at Best Buy). The other part of me says to spend about $900 or $1000 and get a quality brand name like LG, Panasonic, Samsung or (for even more) a Sony.

Any thoughts?

B88
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Go quality as the tv is getting used often. I went to Best Buy to get a look at their tv's. The crappiest cheap brand (Dynex? insignia?) had such a poor refresh rate that the tv fuzzed up during action scenes, Really pathetic.

If you want to go cheap get a 720 P from a quality brand like Sharp, or Samsung. They are getting rid of them due to age, but do you really care if they are 2 years old? It's still high def. and you'll likely not notice the (slight) difference unless you're a big time gamer.
 
tboy said:
Man, I wish people would search the forums, this topic has been done at LEAST 10 times before.....

be careful about the cheap off brands: many at that price are only 720I resolution which means you will NEVER be able to see or view HD content because the tv can't produce it.

The big thing these days is contrast ratios. Better screens produce blacker blacks.

Another thing to look for with LCDs is ghosting (where an image appears behind a fast moving object) like the contrails of a jet.

Burn in isn't an issue with LCDs but it is with Plasma and my Pannie Plasma runs fricken HOT.....

Another thing to watch for is/are number and type of inputs. Many cheaper models only have one or two inputs and if you want to connect more than two items (ie: dvd player and playstation) you'll have to buy an external HDMI switch box (and they can be pricey).

As for durability/warranty. I think toshiba is the only flat screen OEM that has a 2 yr warranty, the rest (even Pioneer when they made the Kiro line) was only a year.

When you do buy one, make sure you anchor it properly. There have been reports of a lot of screens falling over and hurting small kids because these puppies are very heavy and with the slim bases, are tippy.
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I pretty much agree with most of what you said except that the ghosting issue on LCDs has pretty much been solved in the better brands (look for high refresh rates and fast response time like less than 10 ms) and the same is true of the burn-in issue on plasma's. If you go cheap then these issues will likely still be there.

My local pub bought cheap plasmas and they have TSN and CP 24 on a lot. Whenever a hockey game comes on against the white of the ice you can clearly see the various bars and frames for the news ticker and weather window permantly burned into the screen.
 
Thanks for everyone's advice.

Took the splurge and bought one today. I decided to take a low brand/high spec approach. Went to Costco and got a 42" Vizio with 1080p, 120Hz, 50,000:1 contrast, picture in picture. It cost $850. A Sony with similar spec would probably cost about $1400 or $1500. Comes with 90-day return and 2-year warranty.

B88
 
I got a 42" Sharp Aquos during the boxing week sales & I am very happy with it!
 
bucky88 said:
Thanks for everyone's advice.

Took the splurge and bought one today. I decided to take a low brand/high spec approach. Went to Costco and got a 42" Vizio with 1080p, 120Hz, 50,000:1 contrast, picture in picture. It cost $850. A Sony with similar spec would probably cost about $1400 or $1500. Comes with 90-day return and 2-year warranty.

B88
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I know people hate to hear this but you should have shopped around more. The specs are fine and the warranty is better than average, but I paid $100.00 more for my pannasonic at the sears warehouse. It was open box but was perfect.......

The thing is, if YOU are happy with it, you're fine. In the end that's all that matters. Just don't skimp now by not getting HD signals. I know the cable HD is compressed but it is awesome just the same.

Wait until you watch your first hockey game. Not that it is terribly important but the image is so clear you can see the holes in the athletic knit jerseys on the players......Hockey in HD is almost orgasmic......
 
tboy said:
I know people hate to hear this but you should have shopped around more. The specs are fine and the warranty is better than average, but I paid $100.00 more for my pannasonic at the sears warehouse. It was open box but was perfect.......
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Believe me... I did shop around. The Vizio at Costco was the best specs at the best price, that I could find. Granted though, there is always the occasional open box or refurbished deal that may be better.

As well, the free extended warranty by Costco alleviated any concern I had about buying an off brand.

B88
 
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