Buying a tv

[Digeman]

Well i've decided to buy a full hd 42" tv so that i can fully enjoy the graphics of my 360. (got an old 360 with no hdmi port but i'll use the vga cable instead.
So i was just wondering what little things to look for when buying the tv? Like what brand, if it should be an LCD or Plasma, what kind of "ports" (or whatever it's called) should be included on the back of the tv, etc. etc.

Any help is really apreciated! Thanks!

 

[Livin in a box]

Make sure you don't get a rubbish brand, such as Wharfedale. SONY, Samsung and Panasonic are the ones. I would highly recommend the SONY Bravia series. It's really easy to set up and it has superb quality in every way.

You also need to make sure that it has at least 3 HDMI ports. 2 is OK, but 3 is like...Good. Obviously more than that is good too.

LCD are better than plasma. Plasma TV's take ages to load up because it needs to warm up, whereas LCD's don't take as long since they don't need to load up, they last longer and they are more energy efficient.

 

[RebelX]

You absolutely can't go wrong with Samsung. They have the best TV's in the business. I have used their products for years, and they are nothing but pure quality and performance.

There is a 46" LCD TV in my living room, and when my friend brings his 360 over (I don't game on consoles) I will say it just looks amazing! And don't even get me started when my other friend plugs in his PS3... Even though I am strictly a PC gamer, I will say that the graphics were pretty damn good. But that was with HDMI, and you said you didn't have it on your 360 which is a shame.

In my opinion, Samsung is definitely the safest buy. But don't get plasma, they use so much power and it takes its sweet ass time turning on.

 

[BurlyEd]

Samsung LCD.
Do not get any Plasma for VideoGames or computer monitor because of burn-in danger.
Plasma has best looking picture for TV.
720p is OK for TV or monitor up to 22", 1080 is available starting at 24".
I have a 22" and a 52" LCD Samsung. I also have a 42" Plasma Samsung for TV only.
I can use both LCD's as a Computer Monitor with TV in PIP and TV sound!
I can not find any other brand that can do that.

 

[Deleted User]

look for high refresh rate and high resolution, not necessarily huge TV dimensions. 32" is a good size.

 

[dinofan01]

Make sure you don't get a rubbish brand, such as Wharfedale. SONY, Samsung and Panasonic are the ones. I would highly recommend the SONY Bravia series. It's really easy to set up and it has superb quality in every way.

What? You just said not to buy Sony.

 

[Sick Wario]

if we are just talking best panels hitachi/lg, smasung and pioneer are all fantastic.

what you need is a nice 40" 1080p display. i'll assume you are sitting relatively close to watch/game. 40" is a nice size
something from sony will be too much cash for something you can buy much cheaper non-sony

read some reviews, try to find something local on sale.

you can also read this info site and find the exact size of panel for your viewing distance
http://www.carltonbale.com/2006/11/1080p-does-matter/

 

[Ferrariman]

http://reviews.cnet.com/hdtvs/?filter=500963_11765729_

 

[science]

You absolutely can't go wrong with Samsung. They have the best TV's in the business. I have used their products for years, and they are nothing but pure quality and performance.

My family's 52" Samsung DLP TV has broken so many times I've lost count. Thank God we got the extended warranty

QUOTE(Livin in a box @ Jul 27 2008, 02:22 PM) Make sure you don't get a rubbish brand, such as Wharfedale. SONY, Samsung and Panasonic are the ones. I would highly recommend the SONY Bravia series. It's really easy to set up and it has superb quality in every way.

What? You just said not to buy Sony.

Reread what he wrote...

 

[feds4u]

Samsung = Great, Sony = Crap, Panasonic = Seriously Dark Picture (due to their "true black" tech)

Sign up for the Consumer Reports website. They have some great comparissons for all brands.

BTW, RESPONSE TIME, RESPONSE TIME, RESPONSE TIME.

Personally I feel there is no acceptable Gaming HDTV at the moment. The lowest response time for a LCD it 5ms. Entirely unacceptable.

Plasma TVs may require calibration if you play old school games. And DLP TVs have severe viewing angle problems.

I've decided to wait another year before I buy my set. I just don't like whats currently on the market.

 

[falcon64z8]

Look at contrast ratio, higher the better!

I have a Sony Bravia and a LG. Even tho the Sony looks a little better the LG has better features. So look around!

 

[Sick Wario]

Samsung = Great, Sony = Crap, Panasonic = Seriously Dark Picture (due to their "true black" tech)

Sign up for the Consumer Reports website. They have some great comparissons for all brands.

BTW, RESPONSE TIME, RESPONSE TIME, RESPONSE TIME.

Personally I feel there is no acceptable Gaming HDTV at the moment. The lowest response time for a LCD it 5ms. Entirely unacceptable.

Plasma TVs may require calibration if you play old school games. And DLP TVs have severe viewing angle problems.

I've decided to wait another year before I buy my set. I just don't like whats currently on the market.

sorry but we can't trust anything to do with response time from manufacturers. there is no set standard for measurement!
some manufacturers list grey to grey times, some list black to black times etc DO NOT trust these imaginary ratings. instead get to a store and look for something that feels right for your eyes

 

[pokemongalaxy]

SHARP tvs look really goos

 

[fischju]

The 42" 1080p Kuro from Pioneer is one of the best available, the blackest blacks you can buy.

 

[Renegade_R]

Sharp TVs are good if you don't want to run your computer to it. I'm sure most of you haven't but if you look at the Sharp TVs very closely, you'll notice they have a different pixel arrangement than standard LCD TVs. LCD TVs usually have their pixels arranged in a matrix format. Sharp on the other hand has their pixels arranged in a hexagonal fashion. I don't know why but it messes up how PC images look on the Sharp panels. After selling TVs for 3 years, I've come to notice the little differences between these TVs.

BUT HERE'S SOMETHING TO NOTE. As long as you buy a big brand of TV that's reliable and looks good, once in your home, you will think its awesome and hardly notice the difference between brands.

If you are looking for a good LCD panel, I'd recommend Sony or Samsung.
If you are looking for a good plasma display, I'd recommend Panasonic or Pioneer (if you can afford it).

 

[RebelX]

My family's 52" Samsung DLP TV has broken so many times I've lost count. Thank God we got the extended warranty

Well that's DLP, pretty much all DLP TV's are crap... I had one from Sony and, like you said, it broke numerous times. I learned my lesson not to buy DLP ever again...

 

[spinal_cord]

If you're going to play games on it all of the time, you might not want a plasma because of the burn- worries. However, i have a plasma tv and as long as you look after them, they're fine, much better contrast than lcd, very dark black very bright white etc. as for lifespan, its apparently between 15 and 30 years, you'll porbably want a new tv long before that anyway. I use mine for both tv AND games, i have no problems. You will want HD though and for none HD content (tv,sky,wii etc) get yourself the best cables you can cos on a huge tv, you will see all the bluries ans quiggles, so the cleaner the signal you can get to the tv, the better. if whatever your watching has hdmi, use it, failing that component is second best.

If you do worry about burn, get an LCD, but for larger sizes the price is way higher, you get slightly less contrast and they 'last' about twice as long (as iff you'll still have it by then anyway).

A simple tip, with a plasma tv, if you start to notice image burn on the screen (even if you dont i guess) just stick it on an untuned station for a while, the noise will soo have the shadow removed.

 

[DSGamer64]

Based on price to performance ratios, I would say that LG is the best bang for your buck, the picture quality is really nice and the prices are not hard on the wallet compared to a Sony. Samsung and Sharp make excellent TV's imo, the Aquos are a very nice line but they are not cheap thats for sure. I would not waste my money on a Sony, my dad bought one a few years ago and it isn't all that great, the something in the back burned out a few days ago and had to be replaced, it is an older HDTV. One of my friends has had a problem with his Sony TV burning out the last couple of months.