Help buying a TV

[Frequitude]

I can't help but notice reports of LCD HDTV supply exceeding demand in the world markets. Sounds like there will be some pretty awesome deals coming up here. I'm hoping the TV gurus around here lead the way to a smart purchase.

What technical specs are a must have?
Any brands to target or avoid?
Have TVs gotten to the point where I can wirelessly broadcast my computer screen onto my TV? That sounds usefull. Is it stupid expensive or at all usefull?

On a price/quality balance, is there a specific model that I should target? I don't want the top of the line, but I don't mind shelling out a couple hundred extra bucks if its worth it.

[Yamer]

What a coincidence that this thread pops up.

[Frequitude]

Well we are headed into Black Friday / Christmas / Boxing day season, and reports of cheap LCDs are all over the place.

[Zevo]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

Well we are headed into Black Friday / Christmas / Boxing day season, and reports of cheap LCDs are all over the place.

Just remember, you usually get what you pay for. This is especially true with HDTVs. You don't have to spend a ton of money but if you get the cheapest tv out there, chances are you will get the worst picture as well.

It pays to do your research. Do you want 1080p or will 720p do?
How far away do you sit and how big a tv do you want?

[Yamer]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

Well we are headed into Black Friday / Christmas / Boxing day season, and reports of cheap LCDs are all over the place.

I guess it will all depend on what you will be using the set for.

I have been spending the last few months of my life selecting a tv, the problem is I have horrible luck and no education on the matter.

See the plasma/burn in thread I created a few months ago for my ongoing saga in buying a competent television. The only thing I can tell you for sure is to not buy a low end Vizio. The features are awful for the price you pay.

I really like the features and picture on Samsungs, however I got 2 faulty panels in a row on the same model. There is a 46" Sharp Aquos LCD on sale at BestBuy, $500 off (originally 1499 and listed at 999).

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...162ac773dcen02

As I said before, I have been researching and shopping heavily for a while now. If I come across any sales or deals I'll be sure to flip them your way via this thread.

Hope you end up having better luck than me, and that you get something you really enjoy.

[Russic]

I don't agree with the "you get what you pay for" rule applying here. Yes there are slight differences in many areas, but in my experience it's hard to see those when you aren't viewing them side-by-side. When I watch my 42" Sharp and then go over to my buddy's place and watch on his 42" LG I notice absolutely no difference beside the fact he spent about $500 less.

Many will think me crazy, but truthfully I don't see all the differences without a direct comparison. In my experience the quality of the picture is largely dependent on what you're plugging into it.

If I could do it all over again I would have skipped going Sharp and would have found a 720p budget tv.

[Frequitude]

The "cheap" comment comes more from worldwide LCD panel oversupply, so I think all LCDs are getting pushed down.

I want 1080P, the TV will see mostly sports for me and regular TV for the lady. I'll also game on it a bit.

I'll be sitting a little further away than I should (about 10 feet, but space limits me to about a 46" TV). The TV will also sit about 3-4 feet higher than my eyes when I'm on the couch. So I'll probably have to angle it down.

[Canada 02]

good place to find deals, including this one

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/47-10...t-ymmv-960948/

[Misterpants]

Thanks for opening this thread! On a bit of a tangent, does anyone know how Future Shop works with regards to haggling? Do they usually have any room to move? I know that Visions and Soundsaround always have the posted price and the price you pay, but is FS the same?

Anybody have any experience with FS installing their TV's?

[Frequitude]

Originally Posted by Yamer

I really like the features and picture on Samsungs, however I got 2 faulty panels in a row on the same model. There is a 46" Sharp Aquos LCD on sale at BestBuy, $500 off (originally 1499 and listed at 999).

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...162ac773dcen02

On first glance, this seems to be a solid recommendation. In my $1000 price range, 120Hz, 1080P, tons of inputs, good contrast ratio (though that spec seems to be a little misleading amongst manufacturers).

A question on the ethernet input though...what's the point? Does the TV have a built in browser or something? What sort of other stuff would you use an ethernet port for? Could I hook up a wifi receiver and stream my computer onto it?

[Frequitude]

One final thing, the Ethernet port works but the internal browser is limited to surfing Sharp AQUOS chosen sites; not sure why Sharp bothered integrating this into the set if they don't allow it to run a regular free browser. Also, the USB displays photos but doesn't play any video media, even just basic camcorder AVI. Just like the Ethernet port, Sharp almost got the point of it, but not quite.

I found this in the reviews. Interesting. Sounds like a pretty useless ethernet port if true. Same goes for the USB port. That almost doesn't make sense. A port's a port. Surely software can fix that.

[WilsonFourTwo]

I bought a budget Samsung (40", 720p) for ~$700 about a year ago, and cannot tell you how happy I am that I didn't drop $1500+ on the super fancy box. When displaying actual HD content, it's as clean as the 1080p TV that my friend bought (at twice the price) a couple months later.

The one area I will recommend......120Hz is an absolute must. My TV is only 60Hz, and the difference is VERY noticable.

[Prototype]

Originally Posted by Misterpants

Thanks for opening this thread! On a bit of a tangent, does anyone know how Future Shop works with regards to haggling? Do they usually have any room to move? I know that Visions and Soundsaround always have the posted price and the price you pay, but is FS the same?

All places have room, but keep in mind... why would they cut into their paycheque so you can save money. You pretty much have to buy other stuff to compinsate for what they're going to be losing out.

[Yamer]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

On first glance, this seems to be a solid recommendation. In my $1000 price range, 120Hz, 1080P, tons of inputs, good contrast ratio (though that spec seems to be a little misleading amongst manufacturers).

A question on the ethernet input though...what's the point? Does the TV have a built in browser or something? What sort of other stuff would you use an ethernet port for? Could I hook up a wifi receiver and stream my computer onto it?

The Samsung I had (http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10337098&whse=BCCA&Ne=5000001+ 4000000&eCat=BCCA|79|2341|3316&N=4008767%204294966 519&Mo=8&pos=0&No=3&Nr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Ns=P_Pri ce|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-CA&Sp=C&ec=BCCA-EC13271-Cat2341&topnav=) also included an ethernet port. When hooked up to my network, I could play movies straight from my computer to my TV (even mkv files). It also had some available widgets, so I could post to Facebook from my tv and carouse YouTube...among other neat things (some downloadable games and news sites). It wasn't a terribly important feature because with TVersity and my Xbox I can play anything I want anyway. Still, it was kind of nice to watch downloaded movies without having to fire up my game system. And most sets with this feature will have a wifi dongle you can use on it as well (at additional cost, of course).

I really, really liked that Samsung...however getting 2 faulty panels (one had a dead pixel, the next had vertical banding) kind of turned me off. Thankfully since I shop almost exclusively at Costco for my electronics their return policy covered me (90 days). They also extend the manufacturers warranty to 2 years at no additional cost. The same coverage at BB would have cost me an additional $200. One downfall is that Costco is fairly limited in their selections, and in some cases have exclusive model types that can differ from what the big box stores sell (all dependent on what features you want in your set).

Not sure what Sharp offers in terms of this (widgets), but I would imagine it is fairly similar. Perhaps they have something listed on their company site. For an LED/LCD that Sharp is a pretty amazing price. I see that BB is starting to begin the sales on a lot of panels.

EDIT: Read your previous post with the review. Sounds like Sharp missed the mark a bit on this feature.

[Igottago]

I got a 42" Samsung LCD, 1080p, 60 Hz for about $800 about 6 months ago. Love it.

I remember being pretty conflicted at the time about what features to get and how much to spend, but I'm glad I didn't go to overboard with the spending. Its all about personal preference of course, but I couldn't tell a significant enough difference between mine and a bunch that were priced way above it, to spend the extra dough. Saved some money on the tv, got a sound bar a couple months later. I've got a nice setup now, xbox is amazing, HDTV amazing, sports amazing (other than the Flames performance). I can play videos from a USB drive directly on the tv. Its great, and I don't regret not spending more for a "better" model.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Russic

I don't agree with the "you get what you pay for" rule applying here. Yes there are slight differences in many areas, but in my experience it's hard to see those when you aren't viewing them side-by-side. When I watch my 42" Sharp and then go over to my buddy's place and watch on his 42" LG I notice absolutely no difference beside the fact he spent about $500 less.

Many will think me crazy, but truthfully I don't see all the differences without a direct comparison. In my experience the quality of the picture is largely dependent on what you're plugging into it.

If I could do it all over again I would have skipped going Sharp and would have found a 720p budget tv.

I got a 720p Sony Bravia, 3 years ago this boxing day with the same mindset. I paid $800 for it. At the time, a comparable 1080p TV would have run me $1300-1500+. I had no plans to get a 1080p source and all TV is broadcast in 720p so it made sense.

I don't regret that choice.

[Komskies]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

The "cheap" comment comes more from worldwide LCD panel oversupply, so I think all LCDs are getting pushed down.

I want 1080P, the TV will see mostly sports for me and regular TV for the lady. I'll also game on it a bit.

I'll be sitting a little further away than I should (about 10 feet, but space limits me to about a 46" TV). The TV will also sit about 3-4 feet higher than my eyes when I'm on the couch. So I'll probably have to angle it down.

Are you mounting the TV above a fireplace?

[DownhillGoat]

If I were to get an LCD it'd be the Sharp Aquos line or a Sony XBR.

[Frequitude]

Originally Posted by Komskies

Are you mounting the TV above a fireplace?

Yep...

[Russic]

Originally Posted by Rathji

I got a 720p Sony Bravia, 3 years ago this boxing day with the same mindset. I paid $800 for it. At the time, a comparable 1080p TV would have run me $1300-1500+. I had no plans to get a 1080p source and all TV is broadcast in 720p so it made sense.

I don't regret that choice.

You're a smarter man than I. My tv is coming up on 4 years old now and I'm still waiting for all that 1080p content.