I need a new TV

[Barnacle Bill]

I'm embarrassed to ask this as I started my electronics career repairing TVs for RCA. But things have changed a little :rolleyes: and my tuner went out on my JVC. Its obsolete equipment so I can't see repairing the monster. I'm in no hurry as I've got it rigged to bypass the tuner. I just can't use my VCR anymore. What brand(s) of the newer equipment do you like? RCA used to be the best but went rapidly down hill when the french bought the TV part of them. My JVC is about 10 years old but has been a good one.

[Cane Pole]

I'm embarrassed to ask this as I started my electronics career repairing TVs for RCA. But things have changed a little :rolleyes: and my tuner went out on my JVC. Its obsolete equipment so I can't see repairing the monster. I'm in no hurry as I've got it rigged to bypass the tuner. I just can't use my VCR anymore. What brand(s) of the newer equipment do you like? RCA used to be the best but went rapidly down hill when the french bought the TV part of them. My JVC is about 10 years old but has been a good one.

I here ya.

I went by the Consumer Reports report for the TV

Sony, Samsung, Sharp. All excellent reports on the 40 inch LCD tv. I got a Sony Bravia finally. What a struggle it is to figure out all the crap. I don't own any stereo stuff. Brenda cant hear it anyway. Good luck with all the confusion. ha

[wwwUncle]

You will probably find just about every brand will be named on here as one someone likes. Rating services like Consumer Reports are good starts, but, a warning- when I shopped, I had to take back my first choice due to very bad closed captioning of the cable signal versus my old sets- something I can't recall considered in rating reports. I need good CC'g due to my hearing. I ended up buying from a shop that had a connection to my cable service to be certain the captioning worked right as big stores did not have the cable as their video feed. I ended up with an LG LCD and have been very happy with it.

[Cane Pole]

You will probably find just about every brand will be named on here as one someone likes. Rating services like Consumer Reports are good starts, but, a warning- when I shopped, I had to take back my first choice due to very bad closed captioning of the cable signal versus my old sets- something I can't recall considered in rating reports. I need good CC'g due to my hearing. I ended up buying from a shop that had a connection to my cable service to be certain the captioning worked right as big stores did not have the cable as their video feed. I ended up with an LG LCD and have been very happy with it.

Yep. CC is why we got the Sony. I almost got a LG. LG makes most of the LCD screens.

[Barnacle Bill]

LG does seem to be a top contender. I don't need CC. YET! But it won't be long I'm afraid. Not surprised about Sony and Sharp being a top pick, but Samsung? Just goes to show you how long I've been out of the TV repair business.

[Downwind]

Consumer Reports is the best first step in searching. I purchased a Panasonic 42" plasma on their recommendation. Really have enjoyed it. It's still rated # 1 by CR last time I looked.
PLASMA
Best 42-inch sets:

• Pioneer Elite PRO-950HD , $3200
• Panasonic TH-42PX77U , $1300, CR Best Buy
• Panasonic TH-42PZ700U , $1900


All three had top picture quality with all types of video. The pricey 720p Pioneer has loads of features and settings, and four HDMI inputs. The 1080p Panasonic TH-42PZ700U had the finest detail of the three, but the 720p Panasonic TH-42PX77U did very well. On a 42-inch screen, the advantages of 1080p resolution aren't as apparent as on sets 50 inches or larger.
Other fine 42-inch sets:

• Samsung HP-T4254 , $1400
• LG 42PC5D , $1100


Both 720p sets had very good HD picture quality, just a notch below that of their 50-inch siblings. The Samsung had the same quirk as Samsung HP-T5064. The LG has a 24-month warranty. We didn't see the same issue with bright images as on the other LG sets, LG 60PY3D and LG 50PY3D.

LCD

Best 40- and 42-inch sets:

• Samsung LN-T4053H , $1500
• Sony Bravia KDL-40V3000 , $1900
• Samsung LN-T4061F , $1800
• Mitsubishi LT-40134 , $2200
• LG 42LB5D , $1600
• Toshiba REGZA 42HL67 , $1150, CR Best Buy



All had fine picture quality. The 40-inch Samsung has 720p resolution, sufficient for this screen size. It had deeper blacks than many LCD sets. Its pricier sibling, the Samsung LN-T4061F did better with HD. The Sony 1080p set had an excellent, detailed picture and great color. Its 720p sibling, the Sony Bravia KDL-40S3000 did almost as well and costs less. The 40-inch Mitsubishi and 42-inch LG are both 1080p sets that did very well. The Toshiba stands out for its excellent, detailed picture and low price. It and the LG had very good viewing angles.

Good values in 37- and 32-inch sets:

• Olevia 537H , $800
• Olevia 532H , $650
• Insignia NS-LCD37 , $750
• Vizio VW32LHDTV , $600
• Vizio VW37LHDTV , $770


All these 720p sets offer very good picture quality-a step below the best, but fine values for the price. The Vizio had a very good viewing angle. The 32-inch siblings of the Olevia 532H and Vizio VW32LHDTV had comparable performance at low prices.

[Barnacle Bill]

Good info Downwind. Thanks

[Boscoe]

Bill get off the couch and go fishing, you don't need no TV.

[Crappie Reaper]

I've been researching the Big screens for 3 months now. Price and quality being the main issues. DLP, (rear Projection) can be ok and have really cut down on the bulkiness. If you're after size and can sacrafice a bit of quality, DLP is down pricewise compared to LCD or Plasma. The main downside to the rear projection is the bulb will go anywhere from 6k hours of usage to 10k. They can cost as much as 3 bills to replace (bulb only). LCD has come a long way to compete with the quality of the Plasma. Their Blacks are better these days and they have come up with a way to help the action scenes from appearing "jumpy" by boosting the rate to 120 hz vs. 60 hz in older units. Also, they are imune from the "burn in" factor which can hamper a Plasma. Things like ticker screens running at the bottom of a news channel can cause burn in after a certain period of time. LCD's have also come out with a greater angle of viewing without darkening the screen. LCD's also tend to be brighter and easier to see in bright rooms. Plasma still has issues in this area. Talk to any professional in the business and they will tell you that a good Plasma is much better than any other style. Plasma has been King for a few years now, but the LCD has become quite competative.

Now for quality, 1080p is currently the lastest and greatest format. It has twice the refresh rate than the 720p and is also better than the 1080i which only scans every other line when processing the picture.

BluRay and HD Discs are in 1080p. It looks as if Bluray is going to win the format war and HD might go the way of Sony Beta.

The Specs, if you are buying anything over 42", I would definately suggest going with a set that is 1920 x 1080 Display resolution. This is the latest technology in resolution. It will give you an overall clearer picture on whatever you are watching. I read a CR review that said a lower resolution is ok for the 40" and below, which can save someone some money as last years models were quite a bit lower.

Another thing to look at is the contrast ratio. It can help you recieve a clearer picture as well. The higher the ratio, the mo gooder it is.

I ordered a 47" Toshiba LCD on Monday, the price I got it for was $1,399, no tax, free shipping. All the latest and greatest bells and whistles too. I consider the 46" Bravia strongly, and looked at both sets at Best Buy side by side. The Bravia was a tad clearer picture wise than the Toshiba Regza. The Best Buy rep said the Toshiba could be adjusted to a better clarity. The price of the Bravia was $2,199. The Toshiba was $2,199. I asked the rep if they could match an online price I found for the Toshiba and he said the best they could do is knock it down to $1,700. I went home, searched the 46" Bravia, the 47" Toshiba, the 46" Sharp Aquos, and several others in the same size range.
You must be sure to compare Display Resolution while comparing prices. The lower Display Resolutions have really come down in price, but some are still out there slightly below original retail. Be carefull NOT to leap into a buy until you have made all the comparisons you can.
Here is a link to the place I ordered the Toshiba from. The next morning after I ordered it, the price jumped up to what it is currently listed.

Good luck, and prepare to have some aspirin handy, as well as moving a finger between you upper and lower lips repetatively. (don't forgot to make the noise too) Good luck, your best deals will be found online with no shipping or tax if you can be patient enough to wait. Circuit City has a tendancy to advertise a product available for local pickup online, then as soon as you try to order it, it is no longer in stock, OR availble online either. You can spend your wheels trying to deal with them.
I truly wish you luck!
Craig

Oh, I forgot that a Best Buy rep told me that Panasonics tend to have issues after 1st year, Online I found horror stories about the Olevias. And, that CR reported that the Westinghouse brand was a good choice, steady, quality and pricewise.
http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/prod...?sku=TB47HL167

[Barnacle Bill]

I've been researching the Big screens for 3 months now. Price and quality being the main issues. DLP, (rear Projection) can be ok and have really cut down on the bulkiness. If you're after size and can sacrafice a bit of quality, DLP is down pricewise compared to LCD or Plasma. The main downside to the rear projection is the bulb will go anywhere from 6k hours of usage to 10k. They can cost as much as 3 bills to replace (bulb only). LCD has come a long way to compete with the quality of the Plasma. Their Blacks are better these days and they have come up with a way to help the action scenes from appearing "jumpy" by boosting the rate to 120 hz vs. 60 hz in older units. Also, they are imune from the "burn in" factor which can hamper a Plasma. Things like ticker screens running at the bottom of a news channel can cause burn in after a certain period of time. LCD's have also come out with a greater angle of viewing without darkening the screen. LCD's also tend to be brighter and easier to see in bright rooms. Plasma still has issues in this area. Talk to any professional in the business and they will tell you that a good Plasma is much better than any other style. Plasma has been King for a few years now, but the LCD has become quite competative.

Now for quality, 1080p is currently the lastest and greatest format. It has twice the refresh rate than the 720p and is also better than the 1080i which only scans every other line when processing the picture.

BluRay and HD Discs are in 1080p. It looks as if Bluray is going to win the format war and HD might go the way of Sony Beta.

The Specs, if you are buying anything over 42", I would definately suggest going with a set that is 1920 x 1080 Display resolution. This is the latest technology in resolution. It will give you an overall clearer picture on whatever you are watching. I read a CR review that said a lower resolution is ok for the 40" and below, which can save someone some money as last years models were quite a bit lower.

Another thing to look at is the contrast ratio. It can help you recieve a clearer picture as well. The higher the ratio, the mo gooder it is.

I ordered a 47" Toshiba LCD on Monday, the price I got it for was $1,399, no tax, free shipping. All the latest and greatest bells and whistles too. I consider the 46" Bravia strongly, and looked at both sets at Best Buy side by side. The Bravia was a tad clearer picture wise than the Toshiba Regza. The Best Buy rep said the Toshiba could be adjusted to a better clarity. The price of the Bravia was $2,199. The Toshiba was $2,199. I asked the rep if they could match an online price I found for the Toshiba and he said the best they could do is knock it down to $1,700. I went home, searched the 46" Bravia, the 47" Toshiba, the 46" Sharp Aquos, and several others in the same size range.
You must be sure to compare Display Resolution while comparing prices. The lower Display Resolutions have really come down in price, but some are still out there slightly below original retail. Be carefull NOT to leap into a buy until you have made all the comparisons you can.
Here is a link to the place I ordered the Toshiba from. The next morning after I ordered it, the price jumped up to what it is currently listed.

Good luck, and prepare to have some aspirin handy, as well as moving a finger between you upper and lower lips repetatively. (don't forgot to make the noise too) Good luck, your best deals will be found online with no shipping or tax if you can be patient enough to wait. Circuit City has a tendancy to advertise a product available for local pickup online, then as soon as you try to order it, it is no longer in stock, OR availble online either. You can spend your wheels trying to deal with them.
I truly wish you luck!
Craig

Oh, I forgot that a Best Buy rep told me that Panasonics tend to have issues after 1st year, Online I found horror stories about the Olevias. And, that CR reported that the Westinghouse brand was a good choice, steady, quality and pricewise.
http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/prod...?sku=TB47HL167

Looks like you have done your homework. I like that. Beach Camera appears to have some good prices too. thanks.