Will someone just TELL me what HDTV to buy?

[gmoney]

I'd like to keep the budget under $600, large screen, good picture, mainly watching movies, rather than sports or gaming. Would like it to have decent speakers. Also would be great if it would be likely to last a few years.

What to buy?

[shanti]

1. go to costco and get one if you can

i got mine there a couple of years ago. it's an "off" brand, but no problems. plus, costco guarantees everything, money back.

[LeftyMom]

2. Get a Samsung.

For your price range this isn't bad, but if you're not in any great hurry TVs generally go on sale more in January.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN37B530-37-Inch-1080p-HDTV/dp/B001U3Y8NQ/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=tv&qid=1261113545&sr=1-15

or 5" more and plasma but lower resolution: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-PN42B450-42-Inch-720p-Plasma/dp/B001ULBPAM/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1261114557&sr=1-9

edit: forget the first one unless you want to use it with your computer. For LCD this is a better deal otherwise. http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN40B500-40-Inch-1080p-Black/dp/B002SXMRIU/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=tv&qid=1261114557&sr=1-14

[EOTE]

11. +1. Without asking for more information, Samsung is always a safe bet.

But you should know that Amazon has an AMAZING deal on a 46" Samsung right now, the LN46B550. It's $860 right now shipped, BUT it includes a free Samsung Blu-ray player which is a $150 value. So you're pretty much getting the TV alone for $700 and that's an amazing price for a 46" 1080P, 120hz television. You're unlikely to find a better deal. If that's a bit too much, there are lesser models that have similar deals for the holidays. One thing I can say though is that unless you'll be sitting very close to the television, I wouldn't look for 1080P sets in models 40" or smaller. At that size, you'll be very unlikely to note the difference between 720P and 1080P unless you've got a VERY keen eye or you sit very close to the TV.

[LeftyMom]

16. That is a very good deal.

My Dad has a Samsung LCD, and not only is the picture spectacular, when he had a problem with the TV and the first contract repair people Samsung sent out didn't get it fixed right away, Samsung made it right by sending another repair crew out. To deliver a newer, nicer TV of the same size.

Nobody takes care of customers like that anymore, so I'd rec them any day based purely on that bit of fantastic customer service.

[uncle ray]

3. panasonic plasma.

you'll be glad you decided to screw the budget.

[JCMach1]

4. Panasonic has by far the easiest controls/remote/interface of the major players

It also has damn good quality of picture!

[RebelOne]

5. Check out J&R Electronics at JR.com

They have all sizes of HDTVs at really good prices. I bought one last month, a 32-inch flat screen for only $347 with free shipping and no tax.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

8. My favorite toy store in Manhattan

Spent several hours there many times as it was conveniently close to my apartment.

[HopeHoops]

6. You don't need one.

You don't even want an HDTV. You want to keep your money. When I snap my fingers, you will wake up.

[Deep13]

7. You mean the talking picture box?

I dunno.

[elocs]

9. Even if you do not buy there, check out BestBuy.com, read the comments, check the prices:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olstemplatemapper.jsp?id=pcat17080&type=page&qp=crootcategoryid%23%23-1%23%23-1~~q70726f63657373696e6774696d653a3e313930302d30312d3031~~cabcat0100000%23%230%23%23wv~~cabcat0101000%23%230%23%236e~~nf519%7C%7C24353030202d20243734392e3939&list=y&nrp=15&sc=TVVideoSP&sp=-bestsellingsort+skuid&usc=abcat0100000

Last spring I bought a 50" Panasonic plasma online for $850 and although it has a great picture it sucks electricity big time.

Last fall I bought a 32" Insignia from Best Buy for the bedroom and it has a great picture, I'm completely satisfied. My old hdtv for the living room was a 30" crt (tube tv).

Don't get too caught up in the 720p/1080p thing because if your viewing distance is too great you will not be able to tell the difference between them. So if you were able to get a much larger tv for not too much more than your $600 you might consider doing it if your viewing distance is 9-10' or more.

Also, know that most tv speakers are probably only adequate. You're not going to get good speakers so you might either consider an inexpensive receiver or use one you have or a surround sound. I also have a front projector and when I have used it outside I simply used my Bose computer speakers (which I got for $100) and they worked great.

I think most tvs sold today will last. That being said, my old 30" crt hdtv only lasted 6 years any my even older Bell & Howell 32" non-hdtv is still working great for the friend I gave it too and it's over 12 years old (although I must admit that I can really, really appreciate how much better the picture is on either of my hdtvs).

[david13]

10. There is only one word to know there. Sony. Toshiba. Ok 2. dc

[EOTE]

12. Sony dominated the CRT market, but I'm less impressed with their LCDs.

I've got two Sonys that I consider to be incredible products. The first is my 34" Wega CRT HDTV. It's a bit older and only does 720P/1080i, but it puts to shame the picture on just about any LCD I've seen today. The second is my 24" Sony CRT monitor. This thing is an absolute beast. It supports resolutions up to 2560x1600 and looks incredible so long it's hooked up to the correct source. Gaming, HD movie watching, all look impeccable. I'd save a ton of desk space by replacing it with an LCD, but I can't see myself ever getting rid of it.

As far as LCDs go, though, it seems that Sony is no longer king of the hill. I've seen some Samsung units priced hundreds below comparable Sonys that have picture quality just as good. And their "Grand Wega" line seems to me to be even more priced out of the mainstream.

[david13]

18. Well, doggies. *(Uncle Jed). There was another word there.

But I think longevity is a good issue, as well. I would avoid phillips like the plague. Those things seem to work for only one year.
Toshiba seems to last forever, as does Sony.
The other brands, I don't know.
dc

[TrogL]

13. Wait 'til next year - the 3D tv's are coming out

[EOTE]

19. But there's still no definitive 3D standard for televisions.

So I don't know what these 3d TVs are going to provide that current TVs dont. There's no reason that slightly older 60hz televisions shouldn't be able to display 3D content so long as they're able to split the image stream into two 30FPS feeds, one for each eye. 120hz televisions can do that better because they can more easily do two 24FPS feeds, but I see no reason why 60hz TVs couldn't too. I've seen polarized 3D on my projector (720P, 60hz) and it did it quite well.

[dysfunctional press]

14. i LOVE my 60" lg 1080p plasma....

but it cost a little more than $600.

[elocs]

15. Saw today for $599 at Best Buy and also at Target:

Panasonic - VIERA / 42" Class / 720p / 600Hz / Plasma HDTV and here are the Best Buy reviews (72 reviews averaged 4.8 out of 5 stars):

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Panasonic+-+VIERA+/+42%22+Class+/+720p+/+600Hz+/+Plasma+HDTV/9219213.p?id=1218061795104&skuId=9219213#tabbed-customerreviews

This was the same tv that I was looking to get last spring but decided at the last minute to move up to the 50" model. It is 720p, but read about 720p versus 1080p here:

http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/guides/size-optimal-viewing-distance/

Viewing Distance and 1080p vs. 720p

One important note to make, is that, depending on the viewing distance, you may not see any difference between 720p and 1080p. To explain this better, imagine that you have in front of you two displays of the same size. One has 1080p resolution while the other has 720p. If you sit close enough to get the best detail from the 1080p display you will probably notice the pixels of the 720p display (which ca be very annoying). On the other hand, if you sit far enough to get the best detail from the 720p display, you will no longer see the full detail from the 1080p display (the image will look the same on both). Knowing this might just save you some money when shopping for a plasma TV. If for any reason (e.g. limited budget or space) you settle on a certain plasma TV size, and you realize that your viewing distance is optimal for 720p, then buying an 1080p display will give you no advantage in picture detail. Of course, that is true only if you don’t intend to move your armchair closer every time you watch a 1080p movie.
Size & Viewing Distance for High-Definition Displays

As I said above, in order to determine the correct size based on viewing distance we must also take into consideration the resolution of the display. Below is a table with the recommended viewing distance for each popular plasma TV size. There is of course, one recommended viewing distance for 1080p displays and another one for 720p displays. Since most of us know the viewing distance and need to deduct the best plasma TV size, we can use the recommended distance column and see what size of plasma TV suits us best. There’s a great chance you will not find your exact distance in the table, but that’s not a big deal. Just look for the closest match.

The chart here shows that for a 42" plasma, at 720p the optimal viewing distance is 99 inches or about 8 feet away. The optimal viewing distance for 1080p is 66 inches or 5 1/2 feet from the screen. So unless you are going to sit as close as 5 1/2 feet from the screen you will probably not be able to see a great deal of difference between 720p and 1080p (especially if you have old eyes like mine). My tv is a 50" plasma Panasonic Viera and both it and the 42" models have gotten good reviews.

Once last bit of advice: get as big a screen as you can afford to get. That is why I jumped to getting a 50" as opposed to the 42" because I remember when I bought my old 30" Samsung years ago it didn't take long until I wished I had spent the extra $150 to get the 34" model. The good news today is that I was able to buy that 50" plasma for less than I paid for the 30" crt 6 years ago.

42 99 66

[firecrackerfilms]

17. dont

buy one waste of money

[gmoney]

20. Hmm, so the consensus is: no consensus

I appreciate everyone's suggestions though. Even the ones suggesting not to get one...

[GOPisEvil]

21. There's a reason for that.

Even Consumer Reports will tell you that the differences between sets is mostly down to personal preference, and some minor differences in ease of use. All brands are reliable more or less.

My parents have a Panasonic plasma and a Sony LCD. Both look great to me. I had a Vizio LCD for a couple of years, and it was fine. I just bought a Philips LCD and it's great.

I hear good things about Best Buy's store brand, Insignia. A few less features, but a solid product at a great price.

[elocs]

22. As I wrote earlier, I bought a 32" Insiginia for the bedroom last fall

and it is great. I came across the receipt tonight and it was $469 on sale at Best Buy at the time.

The truth is, in looking at the reviews at Best Buy of the hdtvs most get ratings in the 4s out of 5 stars. Some, however, only get in the 3s and those might be the ones to avoid since there are many good choices, and most seem to be good.

[elocs]

23. There are really too many brands and sizes as well as lcd or plasma to get a consensus.

If you had gotten a hundred or more responses you might have found a few that agreed. There are many good hdtvs out there and some that are simply less than good, but not bad. Scope out your price range on the Best Buy reviews to get an idea. My suggestion was for the 42" Panasonic plasma for $599 but I also saw a 42" Magnavox lcd today at Target on sale for $549. As far as the look of the set (not the picture) pretty much all of them look alike--black.

As I said, try to get as big a screen size as you can, make sure it has as many and the kinds of inputs you need (it is not much of a jump to go from 32" to 37" or 42"). Don't get too hung up on 720p vs 1080p since your viewing distance will determine if you could really tell the difference. Plus, the only place you will always get 1080p video is with Blu Ray dvds because most tv broadcasts from the networks are either 720p or 1080i. Also, if you want an hdmi cable do not buy from the store because you will get royally ripped off. Buy from a place like Amazon and they will be so cheap that you will buy a couple to get the amount more than the shipping. Just use your regular cables in the meantime.