i need a new TV...

[iza]

okay, my girlfriend got a wild hair up her ass and re-arranged my whole living room. But thats not my complaint, now my living room has more space to play wii. but now the TV is way way too small. I'm looking for a HDTV so i can witness the x360's HD goodness too. i'm looking for a 40" - 50" screen, it doesnt have to be plasma or a flat panel, but not a huge rear projection one either... it wouldnt fit in my apartment. so basically, i'm looking for a 50" thats not more that a foot deep and less than $2,000 (YAY INCOME TAX!). does anyone know of any good deals going on right now or have any suggestions on brand/contrast/ect (i'm totally new to HDTV) ???? thanks a million for any responses!

 

[oofrost]

You should first lean all the pros and cons of the current televisions on the market. LCD, Plasma, or DLP. You can research on the intraweb.

Sometimes stores like Best Buy and Circuit City have sales on their display models. You can pick those up pretty cheap. Amazon has a selection of TVs too.

 

[friedchicken]

Do some research. Here's a great site. http://www.avsforum.com/ Dont be afraid to ask these nice people.

The cheapest option for that money is a DLP. I got my 56 samsung dlp 1080p (only via vga) for 2000 after tax from frys. Since you're from texas, you might be close to a frys in Dallas.

The sammy is about 16" deep but i leave an extra 4" off the wall for easy connection and air space. So my setup with a tv stand is 2' deep which. For 1 ft, you gotta get plasma/lcd.

PS check out your local frys ad. Dont go to the store and look at their displays (picture wise). Just look at the size and styling. I say this because at stores, they tend to up the picture brightness to attract your attention on the models they want you to buy. READ THE REVIEWS ON AVSFORUMS, they got a lot of peer feedback. Frys I believe is carrying the popular 42" plasma- px60U but that if i recall is 720P. http://www.frys-electronics-ads.com/ look at their tv section.
I still recommend you get something with FULLHD for hdvd/blueray futureproofing.

If you're into putting out money, Sony XBR2 is very good, XBR3 is pretty much the same but with better styling is my top choice to get. I own XBR1 27" as my monitor and its awesome. Only downside is that the Sony dont have PIP which sucks.

 

[iza]

well, 16 in. is fine, i just cant have a CRT thats 4 feet deep. I've heard of Fry's , some friends said good things about them, but the closest one is in Austin. i might make it down there next weekend. but i have been spending my time on researching the TV's....at the sacrifice of GBAtemp time. but from what i can see on c-net (didnt know about avsforum) either all the good one's are out of my price or they have some rather crappy rateings, or the review was written in 2003. i am leaning towards a DLP, they seems to be good quality and decently priced. the only thing i fear is the rainbow effect i hear about. All the plasma's i see are way outta my price range unless it comes from a brand i've never heard of. LCD's arent bad either though, so i'm kinda stuck about that. i will probably spend the rest of my work week in AVS Forum (no, gbatemp, dont cry, you'll always be my first forum love... i'll visit), so i appreciate the responses guys!! been alot of help!

 

[Darkforce]

TVs are a big minefield...

General consensus states that if you want a large screen (37"+) then go for a plasma.

Basically the benefits of buying a plasma are that you have a far superior picture over an LCD set, colors are richer particulary black and video is smoother. Also standard definition video looks miles better on a plasma.

On the downside the lifespan of a plasma TV is supposedly less than that of an LCD (but this is still 10-15 years).
Also there is a potential problem with image retention on plasma TVs (where images displayed on screen for a long time e.g. logos, remain visible when you change channel) - at worst this is visible for a couple of minutes max and I've not heard of any cases of permenant burn in.

Now after a lot of deliberation my family recently bought a 42" Panasonic PX60 plasma and I was worried like hell about image retention - I shouldn't have been though as there isn't any. Ziltch, none whatsoever - and I've looked hard! Maybe I'm lucky?
Personally I think the problems of retention are wildly exagerated... just stick to a Panasonic set (THE name for plasmas) and you'll be fine.

So yeah in short if you want a 32" or smaller go for LCD if you want anything bigger I'd definately recommend a plasma TV.

I can't vouch for many sets but the 42" PX60 is an outstanding TV... a great picture and all the connections you could ask for (VGA, 2 HDMI, component, 3 scarts and more). It's very well priced to boot. I've read up on it a lot and everyone who's bought one seems to love it, myself included.

If you're after a bigger set or whatever read up on avforums.com and places like cnet. avforums is an excellent source of information.

Oh and one more thing, go round shops to get an idea of screen size and dimension of the unit but DON'T use it as a judgement of picture quality - stores have most TVs set up really bad with crap video sources. Though if you ask them nicely they might let you hook your 360 upto the TV. =)

 

[iza]

is this the full name of your plasma; Panasonic PX60 Viera Range - TH42PX60??? it's a really nice looking set, but a search on Froogle doesnt turn anything up, and on one site it says its discontinued... about how much was your unit? i'll search cnet next...

edit: WOW that set has awesome ratings on cnet...

 

[Darkforce]

Yeah the set we have is the TH42PX60 and a link to it is here:
http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39...49261925,00.htm

But it looks like it's only available in the UK? cnet.com doesn't have it?
Oh and there's also a PX600 which is the same set but with slightly better speakers, memory card slots and Picture in Picture mode (so you can view 2 sources at once) but it's a fair bit more expensive, but maybe it exists over in the US?

Oh and yes rumours are the THPX60 along with other models in the range have/are being discontinued to make way for Panasonics new 2007 sets, but the current models are widely available and do sell very well.

Maybe the TH42PX60 is just called something else in the US? I see the TH42PX60U exists but don't go for that as by the sounds of it the picture is worse and it doesn't have a VGA connection.

Looking at the TVs on best buy I see there's several sets available in the US I don't think we can get over here e.g. HP sets, but you're best off to look at the reviews - all manufacturers make good and bad TVs.

http://reviews.cnet.com/4323-6531_7-6509125.html might be a good place to start. =)

 

[friedchicken]

I already posted a link for the general price (frys one).

like i said, the panasonic TH42px60U is a very popular unit. About image quality, I have LCD and plasma. XBR1 vs Samsung hlr5668w and i admit the XBR1 better when sitting upclose, ie 5ft but above that, its not noticeable. But then again, if i got hte same size XBR it'll be way more expensive than the sammy.

As for rainbowing concern, I havnt experienced it.
For burn-in (image burns onto screen) new plasma (i've read) shouldnt be that much of a problem, just dont use it your computer monitor and have it on prolong amount of time.

I can also vouch for the Panasonic th42px60 too. My friend got it and its amazing set. However, its 720P and since you said you want to play HD games on xbox, stick with 1080P sets since the xbox360 addon is out. Games on 1080P will come out too. I also want to reiterate that HDDVD/BD movies are 1080P. Enjoy it at its full glory. My 2 pennies =)

 

[iza]

well, i would love 1080p, but from what i've read, it's not used much right now, and even though the 360 supports it, most games dont. i donno how correct that is. and as far as the 360 HD-DVD player is concerned, its not a huge deal for me...see'ing how i'm upgrading from a 10yr 32 in. CRT. a regular DVD on an HDTV will be impressive enough.

So i'm heavily leaning toward the TH42PX60U. i've found it $1,320.00 delivered to my door. i guess that aint so bad. i'm still planning on doing more research and price hunting. but i definetly plan on making my purchase by the end of the month.

 

[friedchicken]

Great price. Man the price drops fast. Last time I checked, sept 2006, they were going for 2200.
Yeah the difference between 720 and 1080 isnt that much of a difference to warrant paying hundreds more.

DONT FORGET A STAND. Thats about another 2-300 dollars, well within your budget =)

 

[mikeosoft]

dude keep in mind that 1080p will be important in the next 4-6 years... how long do you want this tv to be future proof, the longer you expect to use this tv, the further ahead u should think.

if you do decide to look into 1080p, may i suggest a look at Westinghouse 47" 1080p plasma. they sell em at bestbuy for under 2 grand and there amazing. check out the posts at avsforums.

 

[MC DUI]

I can vouch for the Panasonic Plasmas, they are top notch!

Picture quality rocks and there is no risk of burn-in. (As long as you run in the set for the first couple of hundred hours on half brightness and contrast settings! VERY IMPORTANT!)

The model numbers may vary between the US and the UK, thats prob why you can't find the model. Just look for the Pana HDplasma at the size you want and you should find the model.

Personally I wouldn't worry too much about 1080p if I were you. Most experts state that people cannot tell the difference unless you buy a screen at 60"+ and sit a reasonable distance back from the unit.

 

[iza]

if you do decide to look into 1080p, may i suggest a look at Westinghouse 47" 1080p plasma. they sell em at bestbuy for under 2 grand and there amazing. check out the posts at avsforums.

it is a nice model, but it's right at 1999. i also need a stand as mentioned above (200-300) to place all my crap on. and i know 1080p will be the future. but, for right now, i'm still stuck in the past anyways. trust me; any kind of flat panel, hd capable, tv bigger than 26 in. is an improvement. 720p should be fine for me for atleast 10 yrs. and i'm sure that in a decade 1080p will be well into a lower price range. but where it stands right now, it's just not looking budgitable to get a 1080p. Great suggestion though! good lookin out!

 

[iza]

OKay, i cant seem to find a good answer to this question on another forum;
whats the difference between the ;
Panasonic TH-42PX60U 42" Plasma TV
and the
Panasonic TH-42PX50U 42" Plasma TV

 

[Wanque]

Don't take my word for it, but it looks like the 60 is basically a slightly updated model - it's more compact (apparently) and has more inputs - 2 HDMI (instead of 1), and a few front panel connections: an SD card slot, an S-Video and a composite input.

As far as the actual video quality goes, there's probably not much of a difference. All the specs seem to be the same in that regard.

 

[iza]

so it would be worth maybe a hundred dollars more, i think. Awesome. from the sites i was looking at. they looked the same except for the 75-100 price difference.
Thanks!!!
looks like my income tax will be arriving next week, and i'll be able to make my final decision then...

 

[iza]

Income tax cam early...Awesome! i've found the PX60 at only a few bucks more over the PX50. $1252 delivered to my house from Fry's in Austin. it should ship tommorow (2/18/07) and i should have it within 7 days after that. i think i got a pretty good deal. i've eye'd a stand at BestBuy for 150, and it's nice. not extravegant, but solid, and it has a swivel top...

i have spent all week researching the model, but i had never seen it in person. So i drove around town to Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears, Walmart, and even a locally owned store (toy's for grown up's is their slogan) ... CC and BB wanted $1599 for the set. and sear's was the cheapest in town at $1499. They would have price matched Fry's if we had one locally. too bad. Padgitt's unfortunantly didnt carry plasma's anymore, but they had some hella deals (if my income tax had been $300 more, i would have a 55" DLP in my living room today.)

anyways... to the point. I know to run it on half brightness and contrast for a while. but Darkforce, do you have any recommendations for the best calibration on this set? i've read alot about it on AVSForum, but most of it is jargon i dont understand. everyone there is recommending a certified specialist come and do it, but i want to same as much money as possible. also, someone posted a pic of them waxing their screen... is this good for the TV or something, or does it just make it shiny? Any other tips on the care and maintenance of plasma's is appreciated!!!

edit: sorry, i forgot this had reached two pages, and i was the last one to post, i would have just edited the post above if i had known...

 

[friedchicken]

Iza: my friend just got 1080P GV47LF - 47" LCD HDTV at costco for 1800. I dont know if he included tax price he told me. It looks great. We watched Equilibrium HDDVD on it.


whoa. second page already. forgot this post but the its a thought. you can still afford that 150 stand =) with this set maybe.

 

[iza]

after some more research, some people claim that your power source is just as important as the TV. i've read that the Monster PowerCenter HTS 1000 MKII is an awesome surge protector for this purpose. but it's $100. so my question is, if i buy this, do i need to have the TV on it's own power outlet with the surge protector? also, what are the cable hookup's on them for?

 

[friedchicken]

are you talking about clean power?