Need Advice On Buying A New Big Screen TV

[fawcett]

My Mom is looking for a sick 50inch TV for her new house.
Its got to be a flat screen as it will hang/sit above the fireplace in the living room.

She doesnt really have a budget, but let me just say that its got to be under $6k.

My local bar has several Dells and they have the best picture I have seen.

What do you guys suggest?
We have ComCast as our cable provider.
Thanks
-fawcett

 

[95strokerPSU]

Your budget is obviously higher than my roommate's, but he bought a Zenith 50" Plasma 1080i for around $2k. It's the samething as an LG except for the Z symbol on the front of the TV.

I hear though, LCD is the way to go. I think Sony makes the Bravia series and they're close to 50", maybe 46". My granddad has a 36" in his bedroom and the picture is amazing.

 

[Caldwell]

If you want to go plasma... then yeah LG or Pioneer are two companies I would recommend. The gf's dad has the Pioneer, and my friend has the LG, both exceptional televisions.
My brother just bought an LCD Samsung... and it's gorgeous.

It all depends personally... on size.

if you want a size larger than 40 inches
go with plasma

you want 40 inches or smaller...
go LDC

imho.

 

[Synned]

If there is a lot of light where you would be putting the TV, stay away from plasma. If you're going to be watching in evenings, or if there aren't many windows around, go with the plasma.
Even though it would be cheaper to buy an LCD with the same resolution as a plasma, plasma's will always have the better detail, and plasma > lcd with sports.
For 6k you can have a pretty damn awesome TV.
Check out magnolia in the local Best Buy.
I would definitally stay away from the media monitors (HP) and I think the Dells as well.

 

[reddy351]

I would definitally stay away from the media monitors (HP) and I think the Dells as well.

I have a 42" HP plasma "monitor" and I love it! Why do you recommend staying away from them?

When I was shopping for my flat panel, I found that Samsung makes one of the best on the market. The picture was at least as good as/comparable to the Pioneers. (I like them both about the same. They both had exceptional picture quality.) The price point is about the same for them so they are probably using a lot of the same key parts, internally.

I bought the HP because the price was "just out of reach" on the Samsung. In other words, I made a sweet deal on the HP.

 

[urban96]

check out tv's at best buy or CC. or even comp USA has a bunch of nice tv's


also some really good deals listed here http://dealnews.com/categories/Electronics/Televisions/159.html

like that pioneer, buy one get one free

 

[bimmertech]

samsung for me.

in-laws have a huge sony wrciig22fr---ur sumthin and it is awsome.

 

[VibrantRedGT]

Don't waste your time with 1080i technology, it's dead already. In a few years 1250p will be available but until that time 1080p is what you want.

Sony Bravia
http://www.compusa.com/products/pro...&Pn=BRAVIA_KDL_46V2500_46_inch_LCD_HDTV_1080p

Can't beat this-

High Contrast Ratio: Sony uses a dynamic backlighting system called ACE (Advanced Contrast Enhancement) on BRAVIA V-Series TVs. ACE automatically senses the APL (Average Picture Level) of the video signal and adjusts the intensity of the backlight for improved contrast. VESA test and measurement methods are applied yielding a contrast ratio of used 7000:1. This number represents the widest possible ratio between black and white contrast levels. Sony also measures their BRAVIA televisions with a more stringent method that measures the amount of black and white levels that can appear on the screen at the same time. This method yields a more real world measurement of 1300:1

1920 x 1080 Panel Resolution: When it comes to high-definition TV the pinnacle of performance is achieved by using 1920 x 1080 display panels. And BRAVIA V-Series televisions have them. Full HD 1920 x 1080 panel resolution with over 2 million pixels (more than twice that of 720p HDTV) is exactly what you need to reproduce the 1080p content that can be delivered by our cutting edge 1080p Blu-ray disc™ player. And working with BRAVIA Engine™ PRO everything from standard definition and high definition is upconverted to 1080p for a picture so real it's like you're actually there.

 

[fawcett]

Thanks for the advice thus far. I feel much more informed. The room it is going in does get a good bit of light in it, but there are shades so the light shouldnt be a big factor.
It sounds like the Sony Bravia is a good deal. They have a 52incher that could fit the bill.
What are the key differences between LCD and Plasma?
What will last longer?

I heard that if you hit pause on a plasma tv it can burn the background into the screen and then your screwed. I also heard that they dont last as long and that they are near impossible to repair.
Are there any issues with the LCD's?

Can anyone shine some light on these areas?
Also does anyone know when the next big thing in flat screen tvs will come to the common market place?
Will either Plasmas or LCD's become obsolete within the next 5-10years?

 

[reddy351]

The current (newest) generation of plasma's does not have a problem with "burn in". With the budget, you should easily be able to get the latest technology. I would avoid the Best Buy type of stores, if you are looking for "cutting edge". (for the reason I've already mentioned.) Look in the Yellow Pages for businesses that sell <only> home theater type equipment. Some HT installers might have an idea where you can go to get the "latest" stuff.

The "life expectancy" of the typical plasma (and I think LCD) screen is 60,000 hours. Not too bad for what you spend.