New TV - Requesting Recommendations

[jeremyofmany]

Greetings,


I have read a few reviews but would like to get some feedback from you guys.
We have had the same TV for 7 years now, which is a Prima 23".
I walked into my local FutureShop about 2 weeks ago and was walking through the TV section.
I saw I, Robot playing on a TV that was about the same size as ours, only widescreen.
My stopped in my tracks and my mouth fell open. Aside from the amazing detail, was it the refresh rate that made the motion look fantastic?
I normally watch 720p on my PC monitor (a 7 year old 17" Dell LCD) at a refresh rate of 75 Hz.

I realize I am so far behind the race that pretty much anything modern would blow my socks off.

We normally watch TV at night with maybe a single lamp on.

I would prefer not going over $1000 with a new purchase.

I hear plasma is the way to go if you want deeper blacks and more accurate colors?

The market is just too confusing with LCD, Plasma, LED... all these tech trends the companies are trying to one-up one another with.

Any suggestions?


Cheers,
Jeremy

[Jonwall]

Well led is the same as lcd, it just using LED lights as a backlight rather than a ccfl. A lot of LED tvs in the price range will only be edgelit as well, which is kind of pointless. If i were you i would go with nearly any plasma under $1k, you can actually pick up a 50" panasonic set thats 1080p or about that price and they have some of the best plasma panels available today.

[chrisk]

I picked up a 42in Panasonic plasma for ~$500 at Sears (Boxing Day).

Might not be that cheap now, but you can pick up a decent 42in plasma for about $7-800, taxes in. Lower end will be last-years technology (I got the Panasonic 'U2' series, that has 1080P and 600hz rate). For a few hundred more I could have gotten the 'S2' series, that has newer technology.

Overall, I can say that I have been very happy with the Panasonic U2 series, and others that have seen it like it too.

Best advice is to go, look at a bunch, and pick the panel that looks the best to you in your price range.

[ilya]

Refresh rate probably didn't have much to do with the image quality. 1080p and the contrast ratio were probably what impressed you.

A 42" Panasonic IPS LCD can be had for ~$550+taxes, I just got a 50" Panasonic Plasma for ~$500+taxes after boxing day for my grandparents. (C2 series 720p though)
A 50" S2 can be had for $1100+taxes if your budget can stretch.

I would personally recommend the TC-L42U22 since I don't know your specific viewing conditions. It's an IPS panel (better colour reproduction for an LCD) that can be had for under ~$700 after taxes, it has plenty of features and frills, power consumption is good, and the viewing angle is acceptable.

Otherwise, if you can live with the downsides of plasma technology, get one, you won't regret it. I personally watch on a 54" G20 from Panasonic and love it, even though it's in a well lit room. LCD displays of that size and image quality typically cost twice as much as what I got it for.

[crazyhorsejohnny]

Check the Phillips LCDs that Future Shop has on sale pretty often. I got the 40 in the fall and man was it a great buy.

[Prolab]

Something to take into consideration, if the sets going to be use on a bright room - LCD is way to go. Room that lights can be controlled, go with plasma.

Make sure you bring some of your favorite movies (BR preferably) and watch it on your top 3 or 5 sets. Also, turned off the torch settings (B&M stores do this often to give you a snazzy videos) then watch the movies.

I have a 50 viera plasma and it looks wonderful watching BR rips. Even gaming is quite nice.

[jeremyofmany]

Originally Posted by Prolab

...if the sets going to be use on a bright room - LCD is way to go. Room that lights can be controlled, go with plasma.

Check out these 2 JPEGs I uploaded to ImageShack.
To show you the lighting.

Daytime & with lamp light on (POV)
http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/6100/p1030016zu.jpg

Daytime & with lamp light off (POV)
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/2777/p1030019f.jpg

[Eldonko]

Looks bright, I would go LCD. You should be able to find a good 50 incher for a grad no prob.

[enaberif]

I picked up a Dynex 46" during the Future Shop boxing day sale for just over $500 and it does a pretty good job and does 1080p

[Eldonko]

Good deal on this one right now: Philips 46" 1080p 240Hz LCD HDTV (46PFL5505) : 40" - 49" LCD TVs - Future Shop

and this one

TV & Video: Televisions: 45 - 54" Televisions: Sony 46" EX400 Series 1080p LCD HDTV (KDL46EX400) | Visions Electronics