Help Me Pick an LCD TV

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I opted not to get the extended warranty based on the extremely low failure rate on these TVs. If something goes wrong, hopefully I'll be able to get some help on the net and fix it myself.

It's hard taking good pics of a TV to show resolution, but here you go...

just got this today...

Nice work. Very similar to mine, except the house I rent isn't as nice as where your stuff is. Gentleman Jack is the *****, but nobody knows it because they buy Single Barrel instead from the price. Gentlemen Jack is better, and smoother, IMO then Single Barrel. Attached is my setup (for now) until I can take advantage of some fool with a 5 over 1 sub prime foreclosure:rolleyes:

Adam
 
Nice set-up.

So you're pipe smoker...how bout cigars?

I need to decide where to put my center channel speaker. I tried putting it in front of the TV but it looks out of place.

I'll smoke either. The pipe is tough because I won't smoke it indoors and its hard to keep a pipe lit outside. I end up smoking cigars more often. Inside the humidor that the pipe is resting on are Rocky Patel 1990s and a few Dunhill Diamantes, along with my cherry pipe tobacco. I probly smoke 1-2 a month, more in the summer and less in the winter. I swear I'm the only 25 year old that smokes a pipe but I like the smell.:nice:

I looked at putting a small shelf up above the TV for the center channel and I didn't like that either. I'm not a huge fan of where it is right now but it works great so until I get a place that I own, that's where it will stay. I think the best way to do it would be to put a shelf level with the top of the TV so that when you looked at the TV, it appeared as if the center channel was resting on the top of it.

Adam
 
Ok I have worked in tv's for 5 years. I can tell you tv's inside and out. It really depends on the room it is going in and what all you will be hooking up to it (to get what you will need out of it without paying too much).

My TV of choice is the A650 series Samsung LCD and some people can't get the full worth out of that tv. Some people can get away with the PX80U Panasonic 720P plasma TV.

Everything depends on your needs and what you really want out of a TV.

If you would like any advice I may be able to help just send a PM and tell me your needs in a TV and I will point you out possibly a few options that you may haven't looked at.
 
Ok I have worked in tv's for 5 years. I can tell you tv's inside and out. It really depends on the room it is going in and what all you will be hooking up to it (to get what you will need out of it without paying too much).

My TV of choice is the A650 series Samsung LCD and some people can't get the full worth out of that tv. Some people can get away with the PX80U Panasonic 720P plasma TV.

Everything depends on your needs and what you really want out of a TV.

If you would like any advice I may be able to help just send a PM and tell me your needs in a TV and I will point you out possibly a few options that you may haven't looked at.

I would take you up on the PM for advice, except Ive already decided on teh A650. I saw the picture on it and it convinced me right away. If your opinion changes, let us know!

OH, do you think it's worth the extended warranty?

Thanks
RC
 
I didnt know, but there is a Samsung, 630 in addition to the 650. They both have the 120hz refresh rate. The 630 is a 40k:1 contrast and the 650 is 50k:1....only difference. The 630 is now down to 1699 at CC, about $100 less than the 650. The prices are such that I may start looking at a 52" instead of the 46". They are under $2k now at Buydig. Just have to see if it would fit where I want to put it.
Thanks
RC
 
I FINALLY got it last week...The Samsung A650 52" TV. At first I was disappointed with the quality, but then we realized that Direct TV never updated my signal to HD. Once they did, Holy Shmoly!! Watching a movie is like watching live action.

I also bought a Pioneer 01TXH Receiver from Best Buy and the Definitive Technology 800 series surround speakers with twin sub woofers...I went ALL OUT on this.

Also got a nice wall unit to put everything in. Thanks for the guidance.
RC
 

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Cool you will love the 650. I just installed some software on one of the new B650's and after seeing the tv and all it has to offer lets just say that the A650 has a brighter light source.
Also remember that your samsung olny flips through the video channels that you have something hooked up into.
RC remember that USB input won't read everything.
Also the 650 is the only samsung 120hz that has not gotten a bad record for the trim cracking on it for no reason.
Last but not least good luck keeping your sanity with that spin wheel on that remote.
 
You guys got it all wrong, it's all about the Samsung PN50A450. Best tax-free $850 I ever spent :D (from Amazon)

The 650s are pretty nice. I was thinking of getting a 52" 630 (I didn't want the gloss screen of the 650) before I decided I prefered the picture of the plasma. I was ready to spend the $1800 on it too. It's a shame that the big box stores play down the plasmas to the main stream consumers now days.

Don't forget to check the AVS forums for calibration settings for your 650!
 
You guys got it all wrong, it's all about the Samsung PN50A450. Best tax-free $850 I ever spent :D (from Amazon)

The 650s are pretty nice. I was thinking of getting a 52" 630 (I didn't want the gloss screen of the 650) before I decided I prefered the picture of the plasma. I was ready to spend the $1800 on it too. It's a shame that the big box stores play down the plasmas to the main stream consumers now days.

Don't forget to check the AVS forums for calibration settings for your 650!

You prefer a 720 plasma to a 1080p lcd. To each his own...
If you wanted a plasma you should have looked at the new B series which has increased brightness over the A series plasmas. The one good thing about the 450 is the speakers which are exceptional considering the 5 and 6 series has more powerful speakers. Just not enough difference in the two to tell a difference.

The best 720 plasma is the X series panasonic plasma which has already hit stores for under a grand which means the web sites will probably have them somewhere around $800-900.

I do have a question about calibration setting for the 650?
:jaw:
If you get a TV never trust a forum to tell you how to adjust your picture.
Do just like you would your car.
Set it up the way that you want it cause only you know what you like and you are the one who has to live with it everyday.


ALSO the new hottest tv for 2009 that I have seen so far is the new B6000 and B7000 series LED's. The picture is the hottness!
 
Samsung LN46A550 - 46" High Definition LCD TV | BuyDig.com, The Internet's Digital Superstore

I just talked to my sister and bro-in-law and they got this tv last week. Came one day after purchase. They did a lot of research and this place had the best prices by far. TV is amazing they say.

I bought the 46" 550 in December.. I only payed $1099 for it at Vanns Electronics...

Cheapest place to buy ANYWHERE.. They'll generally ship it for free too.. They are local to me, but blow everyone else's prices out of the water..

And I love mine...
 
I do have a question about calibration setting for the 650?
:jaw:
If you get a TV never trust a forum to tell you how to adjust your picture.
Do just like you would your car.
Set it up the way that you want it cause only you know what you like and you are the one who has to live with it everyday.

Many of those people are pro’s that have done professional calibrations for customers TV’s. I agree, you can’t trust everyone…but it’s a good place to start. The best thing to do would be to pick up the likes of DVE and run a calibration using the test patterns and color films provided with the kit (usually < $30).

There are so many different settings that you cannot simply “Do just like you would your car”. The reason they have professionals that calibrate TV’s is because the average “Joe” doesn’t know jack about settings…or about what is correct. Hell, a retired co-worker leaves his TV on the retina burning “vivid” setting because he “thinks” it looks good. The colors are so distorted from reality in vivid mode it’s sickening. A simple calibration using a closer Kelvin scale, proper grey-scale, brightness and color adjustments would do WONDERS for his set. The reason he doesn’t do it is….simply because he doesn’t know better.
 
The guys in the AVS forums have calibration meters and software for tuning the TVs. Their settings are usually within a few percent of each others' results, so they're accurate. Typical consumers don't like an accurately calibrated TV. They like the default picture modes which are WAAY off from the SMPTE standards. A properly calibrated TV only puts out less than 40 ft-ca at a 100% white screen. It's basically designed to reproduce what you see in the movie theater in a dark room. A typical plasma can put out twice that light output and lcds even more. To say LCDs are brighter is true, but my cheap plasma gets so bright it's blinding during the day light if it's on the standard picture modes. It's unwatchable when it's that bright. On top of that, LCDs will go SO bright that all the colors get over saturated and the picture gets overly noisy. Properly calibrated, it's not an issue.

Anyone who instantly thinks LCDs are all "better" and that 1080P is worth double the price is a sucker for big-box store marketing. The best hi-def TV money can buy is still the 720P Pioneer Elite Kuro (as the AVS forums and proffesional reviews will backup). It's actually a toss between the 720 and 1080 versions but the 720 had slightly better black levels and greys.
 
AVS forums?
Just got back from DC>. They had an LG 46" lcd in the room. Granted, it was not HD channels, but When i just got home and looked at MINE, :drool:

I chose LCD over plasma for 3 reasons.

Longer lifespan of the LCD
Less energy comsumption.
TV is in a bright room with lots of glare.

Dont have a Wheel on the remote.

Im sure I will like the 120hz as soon as FB season starts. The twin subs and Definitive speakers sound really nice...you can see them if you look hard enough in the photos.

Thanks again for everyone on here that put in their knowledge of the TV's :nice:
RC