Plasma, LCD, DLP TV's Help in buying please!!!

[Dirtcrasher]

I want a nice TV. Not a big daddy, only about 37" or better a 40" - my current TV is a Magnavox 25" and I really have no problem with it but I would like to upgrade my bachelors pad.

I've been looking at LCD as thats what everyone seems to like and they run about 1300$ - 1700$ for the size I want. I found a special but at Walmart for 37"LCD HDTV 1366x768 resolution (whats good resolution anyhow??) for 948$ - THATS CHEAP!! - no idea who makes it and they is probably why it was so cheap. Does anyone have Consumer Reports that could at tell me brands to avoid or to look for?? I'm told Sony, Samsung and LG are good to buy..??

I'm told Plasma won't last, LCD is the best value and I know nothing about DLP other than it's a boatload of mirrors and is priced inbetween the Plasma and the LCD. Are they longlasting, clear and nice??

What looks best, what lasts - I want at least 15 years out of a 1500$ plus purchase!! And does anyone know a place online for one? I buy everything online as it's always cheaper and usually free shipping.

I know enough to look for HDTV but what is contrast ratio, aspect ratio, resolution?? Please help me with this purchase - I'd rather buy a 350X for 1700$ than this, at least I'd know what I'm getting..

Also - I wanted to hang it on the wall, but then I realized that I still have a VCR, PS2, DVD and a steroe to deal with so maybe a regular flatscree on a stan would work too - how do you know what is totally flat or not?? The flat ones must be more cash....


Long post with alot of questions but I truly thank you for any help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dirtcrasher]

Anyone....

[82300R]

Anyone....

pm range rover, err. eastcoast atv. he bought one recently maybe he can give you some hands on advice. i think he upgraded his little one for a bigunn.

[Enigma]

Well I too have been looking for a good HDTV. I found 2 websites that have alot of info on them http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/ and http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/ Also you can check out the wiki page on HDTV's and EDTV's to get more info and see the different resolutions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDTV http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EDTV
This artical explains EDTV and HDTV very well.

A quick bit on what I have read from the pages I supplyed links to. First off get a name brand. Some EDTV's (Enhanced-definition television) from a name brand can look better then a HDTV from an off brand. Also some where in those links it mentions that Plasma tv's have about the same life expectancy of LCDs now.

Contrast ratios: a measure of the blackest black compared to the whitest white. Higher is better.
Aspect ratio: the ratio of the width to the height of a tv picture (wide screen 16:9 or standard 4:3).
Resolution: expressed as a number of pixels across by a number of pixels high, the higher the resolution, the sharper the image. For more on the different HD resolutions check wikipedia.

As far as a good online retailer I like www.newegg.com but shipping can be kinda pricy, also I have to pay state sales tax because I like in CA and they are based in CA. But amazon is also a good place to check and you can get free shipping sometimes.

Hope this helps a bit. Its alot but you want to make sure you get the right thing. I would suggest to grab a beer and read up.

[ScottZJ]

I bought the 55 sony and it rocks. But fair warning, these suckers are big and you need to have plenty space cuz not enough and it will be blurry cuz u be so close. hehehe.

Here is mine.



This is is one hanging on the wall in my server room.

[KASEY]

i have a 52" with DLP i love it,,,, BUT the picture is only as good as the signal,,, if you don't have digital cable you picture won't be as good as the picture in the store,,,,,,,,,, i found that out,,,, so now i have digital cable,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Solid Snake]

My older bro got a Mitsubishi DLP 50 something inch. It looks fantastic. We get HDTV through our roof antenna from Philly stations and it looks fantastic. We also have some HD channels on satellite. An uncle of mine has an LCD tv and honestly it's nice but at certain angles the picture is kind of hard to see, kind of like a LCD computer monitor. As long as you're sitting head on it's nice but from steep angles it's not so nice, that's something to consider. Just like Kasey says, it's only as good as the signal, an HDTV isn't worth it if you don't live near a big city where you can get the stations over a roof antenna, or aren't willing to subscribe to the channels on cable or satellite.

[Macs]

I i have just bought a 55" DLP mitsubishi. I love it. I do not have digital cable but on regular cable it has some fuzzy channels which was the same with every TV in the house. I just recently purchased a HDDVD player for it and it is amazing. I also purchased the HDTV Atenna which i also love. Just about every local channel is HDTV and i dont have to pay the cable company for HD access. the only thing i need to get now is a HD Tivo. I have a regular one and it will not even record the HD signal.

[bigredhead]

I helped the neighbors install their new 42" LG plasma over the weekend !!!... Very nice !!!...

Sony - great

Panasonic - good
Hitachi - good
Toshiba - good

LG - still good
Samsung - still good

Walmart brands you have never heard of.. = Bad ..

Plasma is the way to go.. wallmount that sucker and get a component rack for the rest of your stuff.. 42 " is big.. i don't recomend going any bigger unless you have one very big room !!!!..

What do you have for incoming signal ? satelite ? Rogers cable ? etc....

If you go big with a bad singal.. you will likely not like the outcome.. if you have HDTV available... then .. oh yeah... !!!!

[clutchcargo]

I have had a 42" panasonic plasma EDTV for a few years now and can honestly say that it is one of the best things that I have ever bought! I get HD off of my roof antenna from my local channels and it looks great. Get good cables. They will run you some dough. But I found a place in Frankfort, IL that has great cables at very good prices. They'll make you up whatever you need and are way cheaper than monster cable or others. Their website is www.avcable.com. I think the other website for reviews is plasmatvreview.com. I also have Directv and like that also, but when heavy storms come in, you'll lose signal for a little while until the heavy stuff passes.

[Dirtcrasher]

Thank you, I appreciate the replies. Any reports on life spans of Plasma, DLP and LCD?? I can snag a nice 40" DLP for about 1500$ which isn't that bad - I'd rather spend it on an 86 350X!!! But how many ATC's can one man actually ride... I need a TV for my pad. I may even get a flat screen that isn't wall mounted. The more I think of it, I still need an ETcenter for my DVD, VCR, Stereo and PS2 (PS3 soon :-) ) So maybe a wall mount isn't such a big deal and I'll just put it ontop of the ET.

[ausatc70]

ok no one has mentioned it yet. with a plasma there is a chance (and ive seen it) that individual pixels can burn out. once they do they cant be replaced the whole tv is stuff unless you dont mind seeing a little black dot on your screen. but when you pay the big$$ for it then its just not good enough. lcds dont have this problem and are better in my opinion. but if you want the best picture quality get a hd flatscreen ctv (thats a normal tv like they ahve been making for years (of course being hd and flat screen they have are good quality) but they have a picture that plasma and lcd cant match!!
it might be a bit hard to find one but its worth it. i have an 80cm panasonic hd flat screen ctv and i wouldnt swap it for an lcd or plasma no way.

[gravelord]

buy a projector, and a screen. the bulbs last a long time but can be replaced when burnt out for 100 to 200 bucks, and you can adjust them for any sized room and any sized screen. the quality can be great. i have a 72 inch screen in my 14 my room which i believe is 16 x 18 foot room, needless to say i couldnt mount the projector far enough back even with the zoom out and in options, because basically my room isnt big enough. but i can fill almost the entire screen. if your watching movies this is THE BEST. there is absolutely nothing like watching a movie the way its supposed to be - projected.

[ceaserthethird]

I bought 2 of them - 37" & 22" HD LCD Top Brand - Sharp Aquos

Sharp makes most of the LCD for other Brand's -

Buy the WARRANTY ! well Worth it .

Down Side you have to get HD progamming they have about 10 channels & 10 movie ch.

make sure it has the built in HD CARD for comcast , and if you go with Direct TV make you have to Get their HD Box which is $100 or if you haggle them you'll get it for free ....

Down side you have to buy the HDMI cables $100 to $250 depends how many feet you'll need .

Few other things ....

if you dont have big bucks to spend for all the extra stuff required then don't buy it you'll be disappointed ...