Tips on buying a TV?

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Yes, it is good to see Articwhite on the 'Forum', again. And don't worry Alboston, I made the same gender mistake about our prize winning detailer over a year ago.

I don't know if your pictures are still in the archives, but for those of you who don't know, there are some great pics of the prize winning vette, and the trophies. She does an excellent job and has a first place ride.



As for Footy it is good to hear from you again. We haven't had a good mongoose story in quite a while. And who can forget the Fog Chicken story.



Good to see both of you post. Enjoy!
 
arcticwhite - Do you still have the pictures of your Vette? I found the thread where beau posted the pictures but they were no longer there due to the changing nature of the internet.



I'd love to see some pics after all I read about! You sound like quite a detailer.
 
I actually have many "regular/paper" photos of the car, but I doubt that that will help here. If you want, I can email photos to you.



As far as being "quite the detailer"....well, I do what I can. :p



Today I spent 5 hours on the Escape, and I must say that it looked awesome....until it RAINED. :mad:
 
I'm thinking about getting a new TV and there's so many options out there now its tough to decide.

What I've got now is a Vizio LCD 720p flat panel 32". Its about 4 or 5 years old.

So with the options of Plasma, LCD, LCD+LED, and LED choices, I don't know what to pick. The prices are getting really tempting too.

Now, since I'm still house shopping, I'm not gonna get a HUGE TV or spend a ton on it. Anything bigger than 50" is gonna be too big. Anything over $1k is gonna be too much. I'd like 1080p and a quality picture. Think thats about it. So like 42-50" and under 1k. Oh and it will replace the 32 in the bedroom.

I'd love for someone to shed some light on Plasma vs LCD vs LED too.
 
I'm the same way Jeff, need a new TV. Have my eyes on a 42" LED 240hz TV. It's under 1K and been waiting to see if the price drops some more.
 
Well my favorite and sharp looking tvs are the LED. I used to have a plasma and it heats up the room. So if its going in the bedroom I would stay away from them. They are great and all but trust me, not for a bedroom. Samsung LEDs are usually what I go with. But Sharp, Sony, Samsung, Toshiba, they are all good.

Now you have to decide if you want 3D capabilities, 120hz, 240hz. My fios service only allows me to use 60hz on my 1080p. Don't know why but whatever. Personally I would go with 120hz. 240hz imo will just make you dizzy.

So if I were you I would be looking for a 42"-50" FULL LED 120hz 1080p tv. Now its up to you to decide brand and cost. Knowing the brand will tell you the cost of a television obviously.

Also just keeping mind it is an expensive unit. I was never a fan of extended warranties until my $2000 died on me. Since then I feel better when I buy something to protect it.

Have you looked at any stores yet or looked online and had your on on a few? If so let me know. Ill give you my opinion on them.

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Plasma televisions use a gas and can make your electric bill rise quite a bit and last about 5-10 yrs, lcd use bulbs kinda like the old projection style tvs and can cost an arm and a leg to replace. When one bulb goes out, that spot will go dark. They normally use about 3 or so depending on how big it is. These last about 10yrs or so. LEDs on the other hand using small drop size bulbs and use close to nothing on power. When one bulb dies you don't even notice. These can use close to 100+ bulbs and last 20+ years watching 10hrs a day.

Hope that helps out a bit on the difference between the 3.

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There is this site called d e a l n e w s that usually has some killer deals on TVs if you dont mind having them shipped to you.

Personally, Id go Samsung, best picture quality right now. And Id get the LED backlit, but not the 3D.
 
I replaced a two TV's in the past 5 months. The first purchase was a 58" Samsung plasma. I selected the plasma over a comparable LED because it was able to reproduce the most accurate picture.

Last week, I purchased a 32" Samsung LED to replace an older CRT model that died. For the size screen I was looking for, it was the best bang for the buck. I also have an LCD in the house giving me 1 of each type. In order, I would rank them plasma 1st, LED 2nd and LCD 3rd in terms of picture quality.

When comparing within brands, one of the specs to compare is Contrast Ratio. CR is the difference between the brightest whites and the darkest blacks. Be careful because you may see two different specs, one for Static CR and one for Dynamic CR. Of the two, the Static may be the best point of comparison. CR is not really a controlled industry standard so I'd use that spec to compare models within brand versus across brands.

Depending on what you decide, I would try to view the TV in a home theater store versus a electronic chain store. Even if you don't buy it there, chances are they have the TV's setup and calibrated correctly for the optimum picture. A chain store is just going to take it out of the box, plug it in and hook it up to the same cable feed as 100 other TV's. Can't speak to what's in California, but for Angelo, there used to be a Sound Advice store on Fowler Ave and a Sensuous Sound on Busch Blvd (I'm an old USF grad) that carried some quality equipment.

Not sure if you can post URL's but if you go to "www dot crutchfield dot com slash choosetv", there are some informative video clips that compare the different types and explain the differences.

Good Luck!
 
I am in the AV industry, and I personally l would get a LED. LED at this time has IMHO, the best picture. Great brightness, great black levels, and great off axis viewing. If you go the LED route, I really like Samsung.

However, your budget of $1,000 might be a little low for a quality LED. If that is the case, I would go for a good Plasma. Not many manufacturers are making plasmas any more, but you get get a great deal on them now. Bang for the buck, this might be your best bet.

You have to take into consideration, what you want in a TV, and what features are important to you. Are you going to be watching mostly broadcast TV, or sports, or movies on either Blu-Ray or DVD.

There are many variables, so if you want PM me with what you want in a TV and I will try to help you decide.
 
The array of choices out there is mind boggling, making a choice is often a roll of the dice. Six months ago, I found a 47" LG (47ld650) at Costco for $800. This set did not have LED,3D, but did have 240 MHZ) but most of the user comments said the picture was better than most LED sets they looked at. They were only available online, not in their stores. So, I got one and it's fantastic, especially at the price. Should have bought two of them as I need another for my living room system. Unfortunately, the best price I can see now is around $1200. Costco TVs are a good deal because they double the factory warranty.
 
I picked up a TV today.

LG 47" LED, 1080p, 120hz, and SmartTV to access Netflix, YouTube, and some other sites directly through my wireless internet connection ... pretty cool feature.

On a 1 week sale down from $1499 to $899, and a 1 day sale on top of that for another $100 off bring it to $799. I'm happy with it so far. Still setting it up.


Thanks for the info and help guys!
 
Lol I forgot about the LG. I must say you did a great job finding a great tv at a very nice price. Enjoy. :)

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Unlike Barry (and I will certainly defer) to anyone in the industry, but I think often people prefer sets that actually DO NOT look as close to real life.

I have found that anytime I have calibrated a new tv, *most* lay people prefer to super bright factory settings (or the "dynamic" setting option).

I also think that most people don't have a that much of a discerning eye when it comes to home video, so my advice would be to get something that you like (in the store) and fits your budget.

Personally, I would probably try to stay within one of the "big" name brands (Panasonic, Samsung, Sony).

I have three sets at home. A 65" Panasonic Plasma, a 55" Samsung LED and a 46" Sony LCD.

In terms of most "true to life" picture, I would say the plasma is the best. Probably the deepest black levels and best contrast (although from what I read it is not nearly at the level of the older Pioneer Kuros). The LED is 2nd the LCD last.

What I like LEAST about the plasma is that I do get NON-Permanent screen burn in. So, if I'm watching a non-HD channel and switch to a HD sports channel (with a green playing field) I can see the residual burn in from the last channel for about 10-20 minutes (and my plasma is only a year old so it isn't and "old technology" plasma.

What I like about my LED is that it is paper thin, looks super bright and is more energy efficient than my Plasma. What I don't like is that I actually think the off angle viewing is not as good as my plasma and I think the picture can often lack uniformity.

The LCD is my old dog. I've had it for about 6 years. I paid more for it than my other two (even though it is the smallest). It is a nice tv but it is so old it's not even a 120hz tv, so watching sports on it is not very good on account of blurred frames (judder). However, since it is an older tv, that is not exactly a fair comparison.

For the bedroom, I'd probably buy either a LCD or LED.
 
Electronics get outdated so quick, I opp to purchase used from a pawn shop and save major dinero :money:

No one will ever know unless you tellum :-B
 
I got a reg. tube type 27" tv now for 10 years and cost was $249. Still works great and color is fine by me. Would like to get one of the LED TV's but with prices fallen all the time, I'll just wait for a bargin to come along.
 
LED all the way! I have a 40" Samsung LED in the bedroom and it's like looking in a glass box picture is perfect. I have a 55" Vizio XVT553 in the living room...picture is amazing!

Any tv's you guys are looking to purchase I would cross reference cnet.com they have excellent reviews and are honest about the tvs.

That's how I ended up with a Vizio. Samsung is the best, but also one of the most expensive. cnet had a great review for my Vizio and I went with it. I was a bit skeptical because it was a Vizio, it was super cheap 1900K(last year) compared to the 55" Samsungs. Everyone falls in love with the Vizio once they see it because the colors are outstanding and it's very clear. Assuming you watch it on HD.

LED's in the long run ( 5 years of lots of tv watching) you'll save a nice chunk of change on the electrical bill

Plasma's are super clear and have pretty much the same picture as LED's, but when purchasing a TV these are long term purchases I would assume. You would save tons of money on the LED over the Plasma on the elec. bill
 
Get the March 2010 Consumers Report. They have a full write up on TV's.
The article is great. You can get a copy to read at your local library.
 
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