Purchasing an HDTV.

[Siya]

This will be the first time ever purchasing an HDTV so I'm not entirely sure what to look for and all. I've been looking around and I (think) Samsungs are pretty good quality so I've decided to look around at their stuff.

I've come across this 40" LCD TV LN40B630 40" 1080p LCD HDTV - LCD TV - Televisions | SAMSUNG which is actually currently on sale at best buy for 300 dollars off. Curious if this is worth it or should I go with something else? I can go up to around $1200 (but would still like to keep it as low as possible lol) for something better if anyone can suggest something better.

[Darus Grey]

I've said it several times, but Panasonic S1 series. Cheaper, larger size, better refresh, way better color and blacks. 42inch runs $700-$900, 50 inch $900-$1100.

LCD has really fallen behind in the last year in terms of price/performance. You need to spend 3k+ just to get comparable performance to sub $1000 Plasmas.

[Akucaen]

LCD has really fallen behind in the last year in terms of price/performance. You need to spend 3k+ just to get comparable performance to sub $1000 Plasmas.

Sorry to derail, but is burn-in still an issues with plasma TVs?

[killerx]

Id say thats a great deal for that tv. I payed 2k for mine about 2 years ago.

[Stromgarde]

What happened that enabled plasma to achieve such a drastic price drop?

[Darus Grey]

Sorry to derail, but is burn-in still an issues with plasma TVs?

You still should run a "wear disc" for the first 100 hours you own it, but really no.

Even with really bright whites(like from a game menu), you have to leave them on for 20+ hours on the screen to start getting major image retention. You almost never see anyone get actual burn in now.

That's really only an issue with some games where there's never a loading screen or cutscenes for long stretches(Prototype is an example with it's bright white UI).

Essentially just be conscious of it, but don't worry about it unless you've been watching/playing something for the entire day that has a static image.

[Ruiner]

I recently got this:

Amazon.com: Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P54G10 54-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, Black: Electronics

And it's amazing. LCDs kinda suck unless all you're watching are action movies and sports.

[Jak]

Not to derail the original intentions/questions of the OP.. I decided to just ask here to avoid making a new thread.

I'm a completely nab when it comes to TVs.. as I play my PS3 on a 1990~ 32" TV (yah..) and it looks horrible. I was thinking of waiting until the sales started between Thanksgiving and Christmas to buy a new HDTV. Having said that, generally speaking.. will any HDTV (LCD and Plasma) come with everything I need to hook my PS3 right up to it and make it look.. well.. high def?

I always see the LCD/Plasma TVs at stores all playing stuff and sometimes they look super crisp and clean.. but sometimes they just look like crap. I just need to know if I should expect to shell out more money for extra cables for my PS3. (I don't have cable or satellite so that's not an issue in making those look good.)

[Mrf]

All you need to make your PS3 look great on an HDTV is a HDMI cable and doing some color adjustments. You can get the cables MUCH cheaper online at stores like Monoprice.com than at any local store.

[kareface]

This will be the first time ever purchasing an HDTV so I'm not entirely sure what to look for and all. I've been looking around and I (think) Samsungs are pretty good quality so I've decided to look around at their stuff.

I've come across this 40" LCD TV LN40B630 40" 1080p LCD HDTV - LCD TV - Televisions | SAMSUNG which is actually currently on sale at best buy for 300 dollars off. Curious if this is worth it or should I go with something else? I can go up to around $1200 (but would still like to keep it as low as possible lol) for something better if anyone can suggest something better.

Ug, all the home theater questions have to pop up right as I'm moving. What do you plan to do with the TV? How bright will it be in the room you plan to use the TV in?

[guartz]

Sony Z or bust

[Auspice]

I've been partial to Samsung TVs the past couple of years but the touch of color series is kinda goofy looking with the red tint. Have you looked at that TV in stores? The screen is gorgeous but some people hate that the cabinet is red.

[Siya]

Gaming mainly. Will watch movies on it of course but for the most part it'll be for games. Brightness in my room will be low most if not all of the time. Hopefully you get back soon, planning to run to best buy later today.

Ug, all the home theater questions have to pop up right as I'm moving. What do you plan to do with the TV? How bright will it be in the room you plan to use the TV in?

[Penthesilea]

Gaming mainly. Will watch movies on it of course but for the most part it'll be for games. Brightness in my room will be low most if not all of the time. Hopefully you get back soon, planning to run to best buy later today.

So my question for you regards light as well.

I've got THE worst glare issues which you can see with this picture.

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/9308/photoqft.jpg

In my opinion, the only downside to plasmas is that right there.

[gaimear]

oh gross, how can you do anything with that glare? I would have moved that IMMEDATELY to another wall.

[Xanthe]

oh gross, how can you do anything with that glare? I would have moved that IMMEDATELY to another wall.

This. Putting your screen opposite a huge window like that is asking for trouble.

[Penthesilea]

oh gross, how can you do anything with that glare? I would have moved that IMMEDATELY to another wall.

lol, I take some comforters and hang them over the windows for watching football/baseball. Blacks out the room nice, but yeah I mostly watch TV/Movies at night so it doesn't make much difference to me.

[Phraust]

Idk, but there use to be a problem with earlier models, My brother recently bought a relatively "modern" TV that still had the issue. Make sure your TV has something like "Dot-by-dot" processing. unfortunately every manufacturer calls it something different. It will help image quality tremendously if you're using your tv as a computer monitor.

I personally recommend Sharp. I use a 46" wall mounted for my Computer monitor and a Hauppage TV card so I can watch TV while I play.

Butterfly Photo

Best place to get TVs too, tax free, free shipping, and super low prices. I talked ot the guy on the ophone and basically the company is like a front for one of the bigger retailers (I think it's best buy) they operate out of Jersey iirc. I ordered my TV with the standard shipping and received it 2 days later.

Price wise, I went to Butterfly Photo because Dell kept screwing me on availability. The model I wanted was $1,850.00 + Tax & Shipping at Dell; I ended up getting two models up(Higher refresh rate, more connections including DVI, thinner design, 40% less power consumption) for $1,400 delivered to my door for free & no tax.

Hope that helps.

P.S. take the time to wall mount it, completely changes the way you use the TV and the room. Wall mounts are just steel, buy a used one on ebay or whatever, but never use the bolts that come with it, they pack em with the cheapest possible bolts... go spend like 5 bucks over at OSH or Home depot and get some good solid bolts, lock washers and washers.

[Freeko]

I am looking to purchase a HDTV but I am not sure what to get.


This will be my main TV for movies, sports and games. Looking to get a 40 or 42 inch 1080P TV.

LCD or Plasma? Which would be a good choice if i intend to play PS3 / 360 on it. Looking to spend about $1000-$1200. Also, what stores could I go to, to check out the TV's. ( Los Angeles) What is the best time to purchase a TV, should i wait for black friday sales or are there better sales out now?

[Siya]

After looking around and comparing TVs side by side I decided to stick with my original choice. And I couldn't be happier. Got it home and set up and was pretty amazed by the picture. The TV looks bigger in my room than it did in the store lol which always seems to be the case.