HDTV

[greyhound]

I finally have enough money to buy a new TV so I went browsing today. I have no idea what I am looking for and the reps in the shops weren't so helpful. There are far too many choices and every model seems to be displaying a TV channel that makes the quality look absolutely awful. All of those showing a blu ray movie blow me away, but I can't help but think that they show the blu ray stuff on the high end models to make the most money from a purchase and you really need to know what you are looking for to find the best deal. Then they show some standard definition channel on the others...

Anyway, I was hoping someone here could give me some information on the specs and features that I should be looking out for so I don't waste all this money. I'm not planning on buying anything soon as I tend to look around loads before I make a decision. I'll probably be buying one in the January sales. There may be some other people on the forum as confused as me and hopefully this'll help those people out too.

 

[xcalibur]

The first thing you want to consider is the size. if want full HD (1080p) then you should be looking at 32" and above.
If you've got a big living room, you probably want a 50" - 40" TV.

Seondly, the type. Plasma tv's usually have a much better contrast than LCDs but are very heavy and need time to warm up. LCDs are great nowadays so I could go with those.

Lastly, brand. Everyone assumes Sony is the best brand but thats not true. Samsung is the undisputed king of all LCD displays so if you get one by them you should be set.
Other good brands are Sharp (which I have) and Sony.

Also, the more HDMI connections it has, the better.

 

[Shichibukai]

They are only making plasma tv's

 

[Mangofett]

To be honest its hard to go wrong with a TV as long as you buy from one of the top manufacturers like Sony, Sharp, or Samsung.

All that's left to decide is how large you want it to be, and how large of a resolution. You won't see much improvement with 1080p over 720p unless your TV is bigger than 40" or you're sitting really close to your TV.

 

[Dr.Stiles]

To be honest its hard to go wrong with a TV as long as you buy from one of the top manufacturers like Sony, Sharp, or Samsung.

All that's left to decide is how large you want it to be, and how large of a resolution. You won't see much improvement with 1080p over 720p unless your TV is bigger than 40" or you're sitting really close to your TV.

Yeah I agree. I have 2 Full HD TVs by Sony which are about 46"s. It's pretty cool. You can't really go wrong with Sony.

 

[MicShadow]

Resolution, contrast ratio (although doesnt matter TOO much), inputs and display modes. Then it just comes down to the other smaller things, like looks etc

 

[Wii-Nis]

okay since no one in this post actually gave you any info ill give it......first forget plasma if you grab the right LCD or DLP screen the differances are only contrats ratio and that isnt by much. If you go the LCD route make sure the response time is less then 5ms. also make sure it has a refresh rate of 120hz as this also ensures no motion blur. must have at least 3 HDMI ports and also make sure there is a USB port( used for updating TV's firmware) my personal favorite LCD right now is the Philips 42-52PFL7403D and for DLP samsung HL50A650 both sport response times of 2 ms....both are under $2000.

 

[alucard77]

Realistically, let me make it easy for you. Buy this:

Panasonic TH-50PZ85U

Hands down the best TV to get at a great price. I recommend this to over 20 people, and all bought it after doing comparisons with other models in person.

You can also learn more about HDTVs by going to AVSForums. Great educational site with a whole bunch of tech snobs that know their shit.

 

[Sc4rFac3d]

Pioneer Kuro 9G if you got the money. Especially since Pioneer is stopping production of their own panels. If you get this you're set. The best TV money can buy now.

 

[alucard77]

The Pioneers are definately nice, but the second best TV currently is the one I mentioned. Why not get the one I mentioned for $1450 vs the one you mentioned for $2900. I mean price vs. quality, Panasonic wins out. Quality the Pioneer wins, but you pay the price for it.

Most people won't be able to tell the difference between the two sets, nor would someone who never owned a HDTV before.

BTW, Sony is crap. It's the same as Bose. If you ever compare their TVs with other TVs in the same price point, you'll always get some other TV at that same price point out performing the Sonys. My favorite is the fan boys with a $8,000 system of Bose and Sony. If they only knew what they could really get for the $8,000 they would smack themselves.