larryv: So the other night Kate and I ran a bunc

Larry (

larryv) wrote,
@ 2008-04-16 12:16:00

So the other night Kate and I ran a bunch of errands. On the way home we swung by Best Buy with my massive accumulated gift card that I have been collecting over the last several years. I have nearly $2000. My plan was to buy a nice entertainment center when I move into my own house. But I tossed around the idea of getting a flat panel TV with the card now. Largely this was inspired by seeing

Carrie and

Ryan's awesome flat panel TV. Since then, and since going to Best Buy, I've been jonesing for an upgrade. They didn't have the model I wanted in stock at the store I was at so I instead looked on their website. I narrowed it down to the following 4 options:

LG 37" 1080p Flat-Panel LCD HDTV 37LG50 - $1,299.99
Samsung 37" 1080p Flat-Panel LCD HDTV LN37A550 - $1,399.99
Sharp AQUOS 37" 1080p Flat-Panel LCD HDTV LC-37D62U - $1,599.99
Sharp AQUOS 37" 1080p Flat-Panel LCD HDTV LC-37GP1U - $1,699.99
Compare the 4 TVs here

If any of my tech friends has any input on which TV is best by all means speak up. Or if you think I should wait it out because better prices and better TVs are around the corner, also say your piece.

Buying a TV does mean some other expenses beyond just the TV. Theres also extra cost for cable service and possibly upgrading to a new TiVo. Thats likely not gonna happen though. We just got our series 2. A series 3 can wait a year. Still, the extra added cable expenses might make me not give in to temptation.

(Post a new comment)

	chap 2008-04-16 04:21 pm UTC (link)
	For the connections and stuff I would either go with the LG or samsung, but the best thing to do is to see them in person and judge for yourself. You also might want to look at AVSforums where I'm sure many people have reviewed all of the models. (Reply to this)

	lizzyfur 2008-04-16 04:27 pm UTC (link)
	i know nothing about electronics except that lg has never failed me. (Reply to this)

	wickersage 2008-04-16 04:46 pm UTC (link)
	Do you want me to look into our prices for tv's? Honeslty, I would go with a plasma cause they are ah-may-zing. let me know. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	wickersage 2008-04-16 04:47 pm UTC (link)
	ps. we aslo get funky fresh discounts on cables. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	gypsywoman816 2008-04-16 04:52 pm UTC (link)
	My dad, who works for Sony, says to stay away from the Plasmas. They crap out very easily apparently. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	wickersage 2008-04-16 05:21 pm UTC (link)
	Of course he says that cause he works for Sony!! lol. I haven't heard anything terrible about the plasmas (and i work in legal!), there are more problems with the DLP's than anything. We also have LCD's on sale too... (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

gamsby
2008-04-16 05:26 pm UTC (link)

The plasma vs LCD argument is one of the trickiest bits of advertising *ever* created because there is truth to it.

An LCD tv will last you 15 years if you leave it on 24/7 where as a plasma will only last you 12-14.

Now honestly; who is going to own a TV for 12-14 years, let alone leave it on 24/7?

But, yeah, I've heard a lot of bad things about DLP's image processors, motors, etc..

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	lizzyfur 2008-04-16 09:11 pm UTC (link)
	i left an lcd tv on in my room, pretty much 24/7 for several weeks while unemployed and it died. yep. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	lizzyfur 2008-04-16 09:12 pm UTC (link)
	also, you can't tip a plasma on its side or lay it down without f-ing up the plasma completely. we were working with a rental plasma on a set and the techs were all freaky about even leaning it over. let's remember this is larry and this thing needs to be able to bounce =) (Reply to this)(Parent)

	carrisse 2008-04-16 04:50 pm UTC (link)
	FYI -- Best buy matches prices you find at the big name stores (i.e. circuit city, pc richard, etc). That's how we got the best price on our tv while still buying it at Best Buy :-) (Reply to this)

gamsby
2008-04-16 05:23 pm UTC (link)

For what it's worth, I absolutely love my 32" 1080i Samsung (the one we were playing Ultimate Alliance on).

Also, we don't have cable and I've never missed it outside of football season.

Any TV shows that I watch can usually be found on the internet (often legally through the network's website) and look pretty good on the TV via my laptop. Not as good as an HD broadcast, but good enough to keep me from that $100 a month cable bill. :-)

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	gamsby 2008-04-16 06:39 pm UTC (link)
	Right... HDMI vs Composite vs "regular" cables... Not cable TV... I are retarded. (Reply to this)(Parent)

midnightmadness
2008-04-16 06:25 pm UTC (link)

I'm a total Samsung junkie, so my opinion is kionda biased towards that - though, look around at BB/CC displays and misc sporting events. There's a reason the LCDs you see everywhere are almost always Samsung - best picture IMO. Best advice I can give you is pick what looks best to YOU. Some people swear by Sharps and even Vizio.

As far as cabling goes, no need to jump on the bandwagon right away. You can buy the set and just use standard RF/component cables to hook stuff up and upgrade to better connections for your stuff over time. All of my HD connections use the 3 color composite (which you can even use 3 standard RCA-RCA cables) and they look wonderful with just those. HDMI IMO is only really good if you have a 1080 source, or something like a BluRay player that is (in some cases) dependent on the HDMI connection. HDMI is really nice, but still needs to come down about another 30-50% before it really hits mainstream. Almost all sets come with multiple composite and HDMI inputs these days, but as long as it has at least one of each, you'll get what you need to get out of it in the long run.

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	larryv 2008-04-16 06:33 pm UTC (link)
	I've actually been leaning towards the Samsung the more and more I look at it. The model in the store that I was looking at was a Samsung. (Reply to this)(Parent)

whodini
2008-04-16 06:51 pm UTC (link)

If you're not gonna get HD Tivo, and therefore HD cable, definitely pick up an Apple TV to get some really good HD content. Both paid and free.

1080p future proofs it a little bit, but theres just no need unless you're picking up a Blue-Ray player or something else of the sort.

Right now is a good time to buy as most places are clearing space for the new TVs that start to come out this summer. That said theres always some latest & greatest and the next one is just around the corner. Eventually ya just have to take the plunge.

We have a Sony 50" projection LCD. Our Entertainment Center didn't need a flat panel, so we got the most bang for the buck byt getting something that was still just 11" deep.

Also, given that you live in an older apartment, I would pick up some type of really good power supply. Don't let them talk you into any of that Monster Cable crap, a computer UPS from APC works just fine.

(Reply to this)

screamingdolai
2008-04-16 07:22 pm UTC (link)

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STAY AWAY FROM LG!!!!
Our LCD LG broke in less than a week.

Go with the Samsung or the Sharp.

If you are planning on spending over $1000, go with a plasma tv. The LCDs are nice but the picture is best with a plasma. When watching sports or fast motion, the LCDs can look pixelated. Peter and I love our Panasonic 40" Plasma. The picture is amazing. Plus, I think don't think we paid a whole lot more than $1000.

(Reply to this)

howlingcoyote
2008-04-17 12:09 am UTC (link)

I have less info on the specific models and more on HOW to buy the TV.

First... how far is your couch from where you are going to put the TV. Measure that difference...then go to Best Buy (or something) and measure the same difference at the store. They'll look at you funny, but years of Rocky has prepared you for that.

For me... I am using Poker After Dark as a model. I can't see the damn 1" high cards on a letterboxed picture on my current set. Knowing that if they were 2" high I could see them much better, I figured... letterboxed picture 13" high, double that for 2" ... 26" high..so TV has to be about 52" wide in 16:9. Which is too big for the living room, so 42" and glasses will have to do for me.

Also, are most of the signals you are going to be watching 1080i or 720p? You can imagine the division (and pixelation) work that would have to be done for 1080p vs. 720p on a 1080i signal. Fox, ESPN and ABC are all 720p, the rest of the networks are 1080i. I have a 1080i TUBE 4:3 TV and I love it. My cable box does all the scaling on the 720p channels, which seem to look great in 1080i.

I would look at inputs too. When I plan to get one, I want one with at least 2 HDMI (for Blu-Ray and Cable) and 1-2 component (same deal, in case the HDMI causes audio synch problems.) Also are you going to use DVI to hook up your laptop?

Some reviews

LC-37D62U http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889101109
LC-37GP1U http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889101116
Samsung, new item, no reviews but specs http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889102222

P.S. Does a 10% off coupon and some suffering make me an honorary Jew? http://www.dealcatcher.com/bestbuy-coupons

(Reply to this)

	howlingcoyote 2008-04-17 12:16 am UTC (link)
	P.S. Cheap but highly rated HDMI cables. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812189053 Downside... you can't use your best buy card with these. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812189056 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812189058 to possibly hook up the computer to DVI (read closely, I'm not 100% sure) (Reply to this)

	ibanez7997 2008-04-17 02:42 am UTC (link)
	We have a Samsung 40somthing inch, it's awesome got it 2 years ago i think. I would go for a Samsung and quite possible look at uping the size a little bit. A friend has a 50somthing inch Sony in front of his bed and it's very nice though you eyes wander across the screen. I would look at: Model: LN46A550 \| SKU: 8749447 from best buy (Reply to this)

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