Yip Cabbage Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 I am in the market for a HDTV in the next few weeks. Did alittle window shopping at BestBuy. I am looking to spend around $17-1800. Tell me what you guys and gals have out there. I need pros and cons for projection vs. LCD vs. Plasma. Looking for something between 40-50" I saw two that I liked at BestBuy. 1. 46" Sharp Aquois LCD 1080p 2. Samsung 56" projection 1080p (alittle bigger but nice) both around $1700 Any and all info and opinions will be appreciated. Thanks Also: anyone ever do any shopping from the RefurbDepot.com?? If so, tell me about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 alright...just some quick things as I don't have my mind right to go over everything.... but Plasma's are being made better nowadays....yet they are only made to be watched about 7 hours a day... LCD is the way to go...flat-panel is nice... I wouldn't look for a refurbished HDTV if you are spending over a G.... top 5 brands or so I look to are.. Pioneer Panasonic Samsung Sony Sharp although check reviews for the latest Sharp models as they have changed a few things......for the worse from what I've heard... Samsung models are pretty much the same as Sony except they offer more features for about the same price.... anything Pioneer is a gem...but likely out of your price range... if you go to Sears...they already have some of the new Sony models alot cheaper with closeout prices... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Cid Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 I agree with everything Avernus said and I'll add that you shouldn't go to Best Buy or Circuit City to buy your TV. Look for a mom and pop place. You'll get a better deal and you'll talk to people that know what they're talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 CNET.com has a lot of free beginner's info and reviews. CNET Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajncajn Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 I bought a Sharp Aquos & have been in love with it ever since. Unless, as Avernus said, they've "changed it for the worse" I'd highly recommend it. It shouldn't be too hard to do a little digging on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sox Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 It's a DLP,but I purchased this last December.I absolutely love it,and this is a great price. http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-HL-S5087W-10...8980&sr=8-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 I bought a Sharp Aquos & have been in love with it ever since. Unless, as Avernus said, they've "changed it for the worse" I'd highly recommend it. It shouldn't be too hard to do a little digging on it. Sharp used to be above Sony and Samsung for me.... but now...I've heard they altered something with their screens that brought down the quality, but improved the response time from HD box to the TV set.... that's pretty much paraphrasing as I don't recall exactly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajncajn Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 (edited) Sharp used to be above Sony and Samsung for me.... but now...I've heard they altered something with their screens that brought down the quality, but improved the response time from HD box to the TV set.... that's pretty much paraphrasing as I don't recall exactly... I do know they are still offering the same model line as mine, but they also have another line out. If you look at the 32" LCD ratings on CNET they list them both with mine being the better rated. Not sure about the 46" version though. Edit: the new line is much more expensive as well. Edited August 2, 2007 by rajncajn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz13 Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 I have both a Samsung DLP and a Sony LCD. IMO the DLP is superior. I believe the colors are brighter and the picture is incredible. But it's personal preference. If you took 100 people 50 would probably say they like the DLP better and 50 the LCD. Look for yourself. I love my DLP and that is probably all I will ever buy from here on out. I just saw a 50" Samsung DLP at Circuit City for $1300. Also I've been told by someone that fixes HDTV's under warranty that Samsung is by far the best company to deal with and he fixes all different brands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egret Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 I have both a Samsung DLP and a Sony LCD. IMO the DLP is superior. I believe the colors are brighter and the picture is incredible. But it's personal preference. If you took 100 people 50 would probably say they like the DLP better and 50 the LCD. Look for yourself. I love my DLP and that is probably all I will ever buy from here on out. I just saw a 50" Samsung DLP at Circuit City for $1300. Also I've been told by someone that fixes HDTV's under warranty that Samsung is by far the best company to deal with and he fixes all different brands. It all comes down to personal preference and where you'll be watching the tv. In our basement, I LOVE our LCD. It takes up no room, and I love the picture... especially with gaming. Upstairs, we have a "regular looking" 27" 4:3 Samsung CRT. We bought it six years ago, and the picture is still great. My wife likes it because it looks normal. It gives great picture quality for my son's DVDs. It also looks great with his VSmile and my wife's Wii. I almost went with a plasma for the basement, but burn-in concerns with gaming scared me away. I didn't want to worry about having a static image on the tv for too long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTed46 Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 vanns.com i purchase most of my TVs from there. They are authorized retailers (manuf warranty) and they give free shipping and no tax. Also, look at costco they have many TVs on sale and they are top notch with their warranty/returns. I like plasmas better than LCDs but they do have a finite life (something like 7hrs a day for 10 years). Thats ok with me since I love my audio/video stuff so I will prob switch a TV every 5 years or so. I wouldnt get rear projection DLPs. Plasmas I would look to get a Panasonic LCDs I would look to get a Sony JMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 vanns.com i purchase most of my TVs from there. They are authorized retailers (manuf warranty) and they give free shipping and no tax. Also, look at costco they have many TVs on sale and they are top notch with their warranty/returns. I like plasmas better than LCDs but they do have a finite life (something like 7hrs a day for 10 years). Thats ok with me since I love my audio/video stuff so I will prob switch a TV every 5 years or so. I wouldnt get rear projection DLPs. Plasmas I would look to get a Panasonic LCDs I would look to get a Sony JMHO not to mention Plasma's are more likely to have image burn-in... but if you do go plasma, Panasonic isn't a bad choice at all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbpfan1231 Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 I bought a Hitachi plasma almost a year ago and I love it. I am not worried about burn in because I do not do gaming. For movies and sports it is awesome. It does get a bit of a glare at certain times of the day but I have it in a sunny room and it looks great if I mess with the blinds a bit. I went Plasma and I am not disappointed - I am not saying I would not love an LCD - I am just saying I am very happy with what I bought. I was also told that hitachi has great TV's but they are just not as well known and not marketed as hard. I compared to the Panasonic and I actually liked the Hitachi better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 I bought a Hitachi plasma almost a year ago and I love it. I am not worried about burn in because I do not do gaming. For movies and sports it is awesome. It does get a bit of a glare at certain times of the day but I have it in a sunny room and it looks great if I mess with the blinds a bit. I went Plasma and I am not disappointed - I am not saying I would not love an LCD - I am just saying I am very happy with what I bought. I was also told that hitachi has great TV's but they are just not as well known and not marketed as hard. I compared to the Panasonic and I actually liked the Hitachi better. Hitachi is more of a hit or miss than Panasonic... they make some crappy TV's and they make some great TV's... Panasonic is more consistent IMO.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTed46 Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 not to mention Plasma's are more likely to have image burn-in... but if you do go plasma, Panasonic isn't a bad choice at all... For my experience burn-in is fixed. This was a real issue on 1st gen plasmas. I have a 50" plasma by Sony (the last they made before switching to LCD) and I play hours and hours of games on it without permament burn in. Most of the burn in goes away when u put a black screen or turn it off for a few seconds. I have have a 42" plasma by Maxent (unknown company - gpt it cheap as a secondary tv) and I play games on that without burnin images....and this is the set I thought for sure would have burn in since I bought it cheap. But again its whatever your preference is. LCDs are also great so I am not saying to stay away from them and buy plasma. I would really go to a best buy and just eye them (go to more than 1location to compare better) and see what you like better. Another thing to know is - if your room gets ALOT of sun light then plasma might not be for you. Plasmas do not look good in front of a lot of light. OR - if your room is small and there will be alot of angle viewing then LCD might not be for you. LCDs look horrible from an angle, best enjoyed in front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 For my experience burn-in is fixed. This was a real issue on 1st gen plasmas. I have a 50" plasma by Sony (the last they made before switching to LCD) and I play hours and hours of games on it without permament burn in. Most of the burn in goes away when u put a black screen or turn it off for a few seconds. I have have a 42" plasma by Maxent (unknown company - gpt it cheap as a secondary tv) and I play games on that without burnin images....and this is the set I thought for sure would have burn in since I bought it cheap. But again its whatever your preference is. LCDs are also great so I am not saying to stay away from them and buy plasma. I would really go to a best buy and just eye them (go to more than 1location to compare better) and see what you like better. Another thing to know is - if your room gets ALOT of sun light then plasma might not be for you. Plasmas do not look good in front of a lot of light. OR - if your room is small and there will be alot of angle viewing then LCD might not be for you. LCDs look horrible from an angle, best enjoyed in front. Burn-in's have been a problem up until about a year ago and it's not so much a problem anymore....but it's still possible...and that's one of the reasons I still prefer LCD... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcat2334 Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 not to mention Plasma's are more likely to have image burn-in... but if you do go plasma, Panasonic isn't a bad choice at all... not even remotely true anymore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcat2334 Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 A few things,,, do not necessarily get caught up in the LCD hype- a Pioneer plasma blows and LCD out of the water. Pioneers are expensive- BUT if you settle on a 42 inch- go get this tv while is still around. I believe the 50 inch has fallen in price. In tv's - it is all about the brand, Panny plasmas are nice as well- but Pioneer is #1. LCD's are nice as well, it all depends on your tasete. The rich colors of a nice plasma or a slightly sharper, LCD pictue. I researched alot- and I initially was looking LCD all the way- just check out Pioneer- there is a reason why they are at the top of every list. Pioneer 42 it is last years model- reatiled for about $2700- now is as low as $1100- you will noe find a better picture on any tv- period, and at that price it is absolutely unbeatable. quality plasmas do not burn in- and for sports there is no comparions- plasma loos better, and has a faster processor and won't lag like many LCD's. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 A few things,,, do not necessarily get caught up in the LCD hype- a Pioneer plasma blows and LCD out of the water. Pioneers are expensive- BUT if you settle on a 42 inch- go get this tv while is still around. I believe the 50 inch has fallen in price. In tv's - it is all about the brand, Panny plasmas are nice as well- but Pioneer is #1. LCD's are nice as well, it all depends on your tasete. The rich colors of a nice plasma or a slightly sharper, LCD pictue. I researched alot- and I initially was looking LCD all the way- just check out Pioneer- there is a reason why they are at the top of every list. Pioneer 42 it is last years model- reatiled for about $2700- now is as low as $1100- you will noe find a better picture on any tv- period, and at that price it is absolutely unbeatable. quality plasmas do not burn in- and for sports there is no comparions- plasma loos better, and has a faster processor and won't lag like many LCD's. . Anything Pioneer blows a Panasonic out of the water.... and I've seen recent Plasma's with burn in's as display models in store's.....so it is remotely true.... they really need to get rid these models....one was a Hitachi and the other was actually a Panasonic.... it can happen to any brand of Plasma....but if you can afford Pioneer....it's the way to go for anything except speakers.... or Pioneer Elite rather.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 LCDs look horrible from an angle, best enjoyed in front. Not totally true, at least from what I compared. Every TV type fades from an angle , but in my observation while Plasma is considered the best, LCD is a very close second, and any reflecting/projecting TV was the worst. I lay on the floor when watching my LCD. No fade at all and the set is on a ~28" table and I'm 5' from it. Specs say 170+ degree viewing angle, H & V. I have no complaints at all. I'm not knocking any of the other types, as there is always a good reason for someone to buy any of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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