Chief Dick Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 (edited) Ok, the old lady somehow, miraculously has decided to let me buy a high def TV. So I need to strike while the iron is hot. Wal-Mart has an ad today (for tomorrow) for a 42" Samsung plasma, but it's a 720p for $698. They also have a 40" Samsung 40" LCD that's a 1080p for $798. They also have a 50" Samsung plasma, but it's a 720p, for $798. Which would you rather have? I really cannot afford more than this, since I know I will have to buy cables and stuff. What say you? Edited November 27, 2008 by Chief Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_bone65 Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 I personally prefer LCD over Plasma and I saw the same ad you are talking about. Depending on the size of the room and how far away you will be sitting I would go with the 40" samsung LCD. Bigger is always better but I haven't done much research on the Plasma as of late, I know they used to have a burn-in problem but this could of easily been fixed by now. Hopefully Kid Cid or someone a little more knowledgeable will be around to help out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylive5 Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 I have a 42" Panasonic Plasma. Had it for 3 years. Have had not one bit of problem. (Knock on wood.) Next door people just bought a 42" LCD Samsung and seem really happy with it. Looks okay. Not sure just what the specs are on it though. I guess I would go with the 40" Samsung 1080p that you have listed. I'm sure that the purists will show up soon.... but figured I would answer anyway. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Cid Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 First of all, the maker is Samsung so you don't have to worry about buying an off brand. Second of all, bigger is always better. No matter how big you get it, you will get it home and after two weeks you will think you should have gone bigger. Third, go to the store and look at the difference between the plasma and the LCD in picture quality. Get the remote for each TV and turn the contrast down to about half. This is what you'll be seeing when you get the TV home and make the proper adjustments to it. Unless the LCD looks that much better to you, go with the 50". Personally, I like the 1080p but unless you plan on getting a BlueRay player that supports 1080p, you won't need it. There are no HDTV broadcasts, cable or satellite channels that support 1080p and that will not change anytime in the immediate future. Bottom line, you'll be happy with whatever you bring home. All of them are pretty decent sets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted November 27, 2008 Author Share Posted November 27, 2008 First of all, the maker is Samsung so you don't have to worry about buying an off brand. Second of all, bigger is always better. No matter how big you get it, you will get it home and after two weeks you will think you should have gone bigger. Third, go to the store and look at the difference between the plasma and the LCD in picture quality. Get the remote for each TV and turn the contrast down to about half. This is what you'll be seeing when you get the TV home and make the proper adjustments to it. Unless the LCD looks that much better to you, go with the 50". Personally, I like the 1080p but unless you plan on getting a BlueRay player that supports 1080p, you won't need it. There are no HDTV broadcasts, cable or satellite channels that support 1080p and that will not change anytime in the immediate future. Bottom line, you'll be happy with whatever you bring home. All of them are pretty decent sets. If I get the 50" but get a blu-ray player, I assume it will still work fine, just not optimum? And will an average person not really notice? We hardly watch movies, so it's not a big issue with us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowboutthemCowboys Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 First of all, the maker is Samsung so you don't have to worry about buying an off brand. Second of all, bigger is always better. No matter how big you get it, you will get it home and after two weeks you will think you should have gone bigger. Third, go to the store and look at the difference between the plasma and the LCD in picture quality. Get the remote for each TV and turn the contrast down to about half. This is what you'll be seeing when you get the TV home and make the proper adjustments to it. Unless the LCD looks that much better to you, go with the 50". Personally, I like the 1080p but unless you plan on getting a BlueRay player that supports 1080p, you won't need it. There are no HDTV broadcasts, cable or satellite channels that support 1080p and that will not change anytime in the immediate future. Bottom line, you'll be happy with whatever you bring home. All of them are pretty decent sets. very good post. especially the bolded section. CD, I have a Sammy 50 inch 720p plasma and I love it. I also paid much more than the offer you posted. That's a GREAT set for that price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilthorp Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 CD, I know nothing about these new TV's, i was just surprised to see them become so affordable. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 I linked this in another thread. 42 inch Sharp 1080P for $799 from Dell. No need to get up early and wait in line. Free 3-5 day shipping as well. I'm no techie but it has favorable reviews on the site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted November 27, 2008 Author Share Posted November 27, 2008 I linked this in another thread. 42 inch Sharp 1080P for $799 from Dell. No need to get up early and wait in line. Free 3-5 day shipping as well. I'm no techie but it has favorable reviews on the site. I saw that too in an ad today. That Sharp also has a 3rd HDMI port and an S Video, while the Samsung has 2 HDMI ports and no S Video. Not sure how important that is, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylive5 Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 Maybe they have changed.... I don't know 'cuz it has been a few years.... but if I were you I would stay way way far away from any Sharp product. Worst TV I ever bought. Can't believe that the Sammy doesn't have S-Video. The next door people have it on theirs....but it isn't on the back, it is on the side. I would get the Sammy anyway... sounds like a great deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missoula Griz Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 If there is a Costco nearby, go with the 42 inch panny plasma 1080. You cant beat it for $899.00. I have two in my house. One great TV! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missoula Griz Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 BTW, Cables want cost you jack... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robash Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 There are no HDTV broadcasts, cable or satellite channels that support 1080p and that will not change anytime in the immediate future. Dish Network offers 1080p video on demand service Can't believe that the Sammy doesn't have S-Video. The next door people have it on theirs....but it isn't on the back, it is on the side. I would get the Sammy anyway... sounds like a great deal. i know not everyone has a BD player or up-converting DVD player...but why would you even think of using S-Video when you are talking about HD. Just wasnt even something i looked for... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moss6 Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 Buy cables online instead of the store - here is one site some info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJoTheWebToedBoy Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 (edited) I have a 32 inch Sharp Aquos in my office, great picture. Bought it at Dell. Maybe it's just the techo-geek snob in me but I wouldn't consider anything but a 1080p. If you want to go 720p I like the 50 inch plasma option Edited November 27, 2008 by JoJoTheWebToedBoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackass Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 very good post. especially the bolded section.CD, I have a Sammy 50 inch 720p plasma and I love it. I also paid much more than the offer you posted. That's a GREAT set for that price. I don't know. i got a 42 inch tv and i think i got the right size and wouldn't want a bigger tv. i saw Hd cables at either wal mart or target on sale for 9.99 for tomorrow's sale - can't remember which store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chargerz Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 I agree with the other posts on what size TV to get. Always go with the........BIGGEST! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Neutron Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 I braved the Black Friday crowds to find my TV - no luck. I didn't find anything I know was a steal. I did look seriously ad Sammy and Panny plasmas for the first time and liked what I saw, though most were 720p in the range I want to spend. They did have two 50" Sammys next to each other - one 720p and 1 1080p - there wasn't much difference. Are you only going to see a difference with Blu Ray? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 I braved the Black Friday crowds to find my TV - no luck. I didn't find anything I know was a steal. I did look seriously ad Sammy and Panny plasmas for the first time and liked what I saw, though most were 720p in the range I want to spend. They did have two 50" Sammys next to each other - one 720p and 1 1080p - there wasn't much difference. Are you only going to see a difference with Blu Ray? Pretty much true. But the sets upscale to the native rez. When I looked closely 2 years ago, I saw a slight difference in the color intensity, but that could be due to the store's settings more than the rez diff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin Posted November 29, 2008 Share Posted November 29, 2008 I just bought a 42" Panasonic Plasma 720 for the bedroom and a 52" Sony Bravia LCD (S-series 1080) for the living room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delicious_bass Posted November 29, 2008 Share Posted November 29, 2008 I braved the Black Friday crowds to find my TV - no luck. I didn't find anything I know was a steal. I did look seriously ad Sammy and Panny plasmas for the first time and liked what I saw, though most were 720p in the range I want to spend. They did have two 50" Sammys next to each other - one 720p and 1 1080p - there wasn't much difference. Are you only going to see a difference with Blu Ray? The way I understand it, the only way you're going to achieve true 1080p is with a Blue Ray or HD DVD player connected with HDMI cables. For the majority of your tv watching, it will not be 1080 even if you have a 1080 monitor as most broadcasts are not 1080 at this time. For most people, I dont think they'll be able to really see the difference between 720 and 1080 anyways(as you didnt in the store). So I guess what I am trying to say is dont let the 720 scare you off if you find a deal on one or that is what is in your wheelhouse pricewise. You will likely be very happy with it. I have a Pioneer 720 plasma and it looks great. Hockey, football. action movies...awesome! Some other good advice from this thread... -look at the sets in the stores with the brightness turned down(they jack them way up for in store purposes) -stick with a reputable brand rather than saving a few bucks on an off brand -get decent to good cables but buy them online(I was told cables are one of the highest marked up items in the retail stores) Good luck and happy viewing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylive5 Posted November 29, 2008 Share Posted November 29, 2008 So did you get a TV or what? Huddler minds want to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted November 29, 2008 Author Share Posted November 29, 2008 So did you get a TV or what? Huddler minds want to know. Well, I haven't pulled the trigger yet. Have found a couple deals locally that rival the Wal-Mart deal, so I'm going shopping again today. The more research I do, the worse it gets trying to decide. Now I'm wondering if I should go LCD or Plasma. I've settled on Samsung as the brand. I'm concerned about the refresh rate of the LCD's only being 60hz in this price range, and since the majority of what we watch is sports, I'm concerned about seeing a blurred image during fast content. So now the question is: Plasma or LCD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylive5 Posted November 29, 2008 Share Posted November 29, 2008 Well, I haven't pulled the trigger yet. Have found a couple deals locally that rival the Wal-Mart deal, so I'm going shopping again today. The more research I do, the worse it gets trying to decide. Now I'm wondering if I should go LCD or Plasma. I've settled on Samsung as the brand. I'm concerned about the refresh rate of the LCD's only being 60hz in this price range, and since the majority of what we watch is sports, I'm concerned about seeing a blurred image during fast content. So now the question is: Plasma or LCD? LOL Get off the stick my friend and go buy the Plasma. The more research you do the less chance of purchase. All that info just confuses the issue and you end up with no new TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted November 29, 2008 Author Share Posted November 29, 2008 LOL Get off the stick my friend and go buy the Plasma. The more research you do the less chance of purchase. All that info just confuses the issue and you end up with no new TV. My wife last night: "Are you going to buy the thing or not?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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