Buying a new TV.

[Daydreamer]

Ok so I am graduating in like 2 days, and can expect a crazy amount of money from my grandfather (I hope), possibly upwards of 15-20k.

Now I am going to do the wise thing and save most of it, however I've always wanted a big ass TV, and damn it, I deserve it.

I'm thinking something like 58 inches which seem to be around 2.5-3k.

The thing is. I really don't know much about buying these new fangled HDTVs and all that, so that's why I'm here.

Which is better for a gamer? Plasma or LCD or something else I don't know of? What are good brands? Etc.

And most importantly, anyone know of any good TV sales going on right now?

[Popeh]

That sized screen, your only real option is Plasma. LCD's at that size with be very steep on price and you probably won't be as happy with the quality.

I think you'll struggle finding a decent 58"+ in that price range though.

[thestalkmore]

15-20k jesus christ

[wintersquall]

beware plasmas, if you play videogames. plasmas can burn in just like a projection tv.

i knew i was going to be playing a lot of FFXI on my new TV when i bought it two years ago, so i went with an Polaroid LCD - 37" widescreen, cost me around 1600 plus warranty and i'm happy with it. it's not LIEKOMGHUEG, but it's nice and the pic is inceredible.

yeah, bigger plasmas are cheaper than bigger LCDs, but wouldn't you be a little upset if your 3000 dollar TV burned in? i would be.

[Correction]

3k gets you a 50 inch TV, tops. For 58 inches the absolute best price you'll find (without buying some knockoff piece of trash) is going to be around $3.7k.

Just a warning.

I picked up the 40" Samsung for a song: http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/ ... /462055380

I'm pretty happy with it.

[Daydreamer]

beware plasmas, if you play videogames. plasmas can burn in just like a projection tv.

i knew i was going to be playing a lot of FFXI on my new TV when i bought it two years ago, so i went with an Polaroid LCD - 37" widescreen, cost me around 1600 plus warranty and i'm happy with it. it's not LIEKOMGHUEG, but it's nice and the pic is inceredible.

yeah, bigger plasmas are cheaper than bigger LCDs, but wouldn't you be a little upset if your 3000 dollar TV burned in? i would be.

That's what I've been told, and of course I'm a gamer (I wouldn't be on these forums otherwise would I?), so it looks like LCD is the way to go, although I may need to cut back on the size just a bit for the pricing issues.

Though Amazon has a seemingly nice one for 3200$ by panasonic, but again. I don't know much about this subject.

[Daydreamer]

3k gets you a 50 inch TV, tops. For 58 inches the absolute best price you'll find (without buying some knockoff piece of trash) is going to be around $3.7k.

Just a warning.

I picked up the 40" Samsung for a song: http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/ ... /462055380

I'm pretty happy with it.

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-TH-58PZ ... 225&sr=8-1

Great reviews too. Yeah it's a little bit over what I said, but still a good price. I am talking price pre tax/shipping/whatever btw.

[Correction]

Sold By: Vanns



Trust them. Just be ready to take a day off work/whatever to move it into your apartment/house/room. They only do curbside delivery and won't install it for you.

I was wary about Plasmas when I was shopping for my first HDTV, mostly due to the burn-in issues I'd heard about. If I were you I'd go to the nearest A/V showroom (NOT Best Buy, NOT Fry's, but an actual high-end home theater showroom) and demo the TV you're thinking of buying. Nothing quite like seeing it in person set up by someone who knows what they're doing.

[noblemountain]

i have a 60" pioneer plasma...have had for almost a year and a half...never burned in. the burn in used to be a big problem...not so much anymore. as long as you buy a good t.v. you won't have to worry about it. all the newer models also have a "burn in eraser" option where it resets the pixels.

[Nystul]

The bottom end 58" plasmas are going to be above 3k- in the 3300 range or so. I bought a TV recently- over xmas actually- and my fiance and I basically settled on the logic that a good quality TV that was a step down in size was better than a bigger but lower quality set. As such we got a 32in Sony rather than the 40in off brand ones we had been looking at.

My suggestion would be to settle on a budget, then find a good quality TV for that amount that has all the things that you need (consider inputs especially).

[Darus Grey]

Worrying about burn-in on Plasmas hasn't been true in almost 10yrs.

Plasma is the best when you want to go that size, people who speak of burn-in are incredibly out-dated in their advice.

[Popeh]

OP, seriously look at an expert website or go get advice from an independant TV shop. People on forums like this read scrap bits of info that other people have wrote and generally don't know the accurate functionality details.

I.e.
"people who speak of burn-in are incredibly out-dated in their advice." Anything using a phosphor coating can burn, it's just more tolerant lately.

[octopus]

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-TH-58PZ700U-58-inch-1080p-Plasma/dp/B000R1G76I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1210292225&sr =8-1

Great reviews too. Yeah it's a little bit over what I said, but still a good price. I am talking price pre tax/shipping/whatever btw.

I have this TV. It's amazing. Definitely recommended.

[Penthesilea]

I've got a 50" Pioneer Elite which I game on pretty much 3-6 hours a day (between me and my brother). I haven't seen anything related to "image retention".

Your best bet is to do what I did after graduation, which is get a part time job at somewhere where you can get a discount on the TVs. Best Buy gets crazy good discounts on TVs (I got my Elite for 1900, it's a 3500$ TV). There's a Panny 65" which retails for $9k, and employees get it for $3.3k.

[Daydreamer]

I've got a 50" Pioneer Elite which I game on pretty much 3-6 hours a day (between me and my brother). I haven't seen anything related to "image retention".

Your best bet is to do what I did after graduation, which is get a part time job at somewhere where you can get a discount on the TVs. Best Buy gets crazy good discounts on TVs (I got my Elite for 1900, it's a 3500$ TV). There's a Panny 65" which retails for $9k, and employees get it for $3.3k.

So basically you're saying I should get a job there, buy the tv, and then quit? This logic is genius! (no joke, that's an awesome idea)

Also, there are no independent TV shops around me =\. I think the best we got is a massive Circuit City.

[Azkarin]

I've got a 50" Pioneer Elite which I game on pretty much 3-6 hours a day (between me and my brother). I haven't seen anything related to "image retention".

Your best bet is to do what I did after graduation, which is get a part time job at somewhere where you can get a discount on the TVs. Best Buy gets crazy good discounts on TVs (I got my Elite for 1900, it's a 3500$ TV). There's a Panny 65" which retails for $9k, and employees get it for $3.3k.

So basically you're saying I should get a job there, buy the tv, and then quit? This logic is genius! (no joke, that's an awesome idea)

Also, there are no independent TV shops around me =\. I think the best we got is a massive Circuit City.

I think they have a system where the amount of employee discount varies on how long you work there. I gotta imagine their not that stupid to let you work 2 weeks and save a few thousand dollars just to watch you quit. Maybe... but I doubt it.

[aru]

when i bought my 42" LG lcd, i ordered from vanns.com. they had nothing but good reviews and were one of the cheapest prices for the tv i was looking at so i would second the suggestion to check them out.

as far as lcd vs plasma vs dlp vs w/e... there are pluses and minuses for each technology so do your research about each one because sometimes there is some really obscure shit out there that you wouldnt have thought about before. for example, when i was looking up plasmas, i came across people complaining that they were delivered cracked because they either layed it down before they installed it or the delivery company layed it down in the truck when they are supposed to keep it upright. apparently with big plasmas, the glass viewing surface is very thin and simply laying it on its back bows it to the point of breaking occasionally- completely avoidable and probably wouldnt even make it on the pro/con list but it's just one more thing to consider (might want to go with a premium delivery). energy consumption and heat generation is another issue, not only when it's on but also when the tv is in 'stand by' mode. that could add signifigant costs over the long term (not only directly from your tv, but also possibly from increased a/c use to keep the room cool).

i would also suggest that before you say what size you think you want is to check out some websites that have tv size suggestions based on room size/viewing distance. know how uncomfortable it is to sit in the front row of a movie theater and think to yourself that you wasted 10+bucks on a shitty experience? think about spending 3k+ every time you sit down on your couch. too big can be too much.

good luck making a decision, it won't be easy

[Merovingian]

The image burning on plasma is getting old. I have a 42inch panasonic plasma and trust me i'm a hardcore gamer and i can say for sure that i play more than 8hr a day, more on the weekends. Like many people say u will not find a 58inch well i think u might find it but not at the price tag u want.

Btw for me the best TV brand is panasonic and zenith they both last for an eternity.

[Apelila]

Something no ones mentioned: Size. Seriously, those fucking things look SMALLER than they actually are in stores.
I got a 58" for 1k in an after thanksgiving sale 2 years ago, and it was so much bigger in my apt than I was thinking it would be

Also, remember: HDMI only works if your computer has HDMI out if you where planning on using it as a monitor.

[Daydreamer]

The more I'm looking into it the more I see that if I just get a 50" one it's literally half the price of the 58, so I will probably just go with that...unless I get a crazy amount more than I'm expecting for graduation.