Help me pick out a new TV

[coop]

Has anyone made a recent purchase and can guide me in the right direction?

I need a 46 in with the best picture quality possible. I do not want 3D because I think its a fad and a waste of money. Also, I don't really understand what a "SmartTV" is, but I'm pretty sure I have no desire to check my fukkin Facebook on my television. Is that all it is? Plus I already have an xbox360 that streams movies and NBA League pass and all that shit.

Basically, just want an awesome picture with none of the bullshit. Best TV? Where to order from? Best deals? Etc

Thanks men

[Snowball]

buy used.
check your local craigslist or ebay.

[Andy117]

Has anyone made a recent purchase and can guide me in the right direction?

I need a 46 in with the best picture quality possible. I do not want 3D because I think its a fad and a waste of money. Also, I don't really understand what a "SmartTV" is, but I'm pretty sure I have no desire to check my fukkin Facebook on my television. Is that all it is? Plus I already have an xbox360 that streams movies and NBA League pass and all that shit.

Basically, just want an awesome picture with none of the bullshit. Best TV? Where to order from? Best deals? Etc

Thanks men

Buy a panasonic plasma, best bang for the buck + best picture quality. $665 for a 50 incher on amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIERA-TC-P50U50-50-Inch-Plasma/dp/B00752VLRC/ref=lh_ni_t

[slambam]

Can't really beat Amazons free shipping and no tax. I've always had good luck with Panasonic, but last year mid-Christmas rush I got a sweet deal on a 42" LG LED on Amazon which I have no complaints about. Not sure what's out there right now or how bad you need it, but if you're gonna price shop, you might be best to wait a month or so when it's closer to Christmas.

[cash$bro91]

You might want to get an extended service warranty especially if you purchase a plasma. After just 3 years I had a power supply problem with my mine and the tech came to my home and fixed it at no cost. He said if I didn't have the warranty the repair would have been over $400. When customers didn't have the warranty, he just told them to go buy a new TV.

[ngates815]

Buy a panasonic plasma, best bang for the buck + best picture quality. $665 for a 50 incher on amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIER...RC/ref=lh_ni_t

Agreed. Panasonic Plasma is top notch... Have 2. Just bought a samsung Plasma 3D, very nice as well.


I have my Smart TV's hooked up to the Wifi, I don't have facebook, or even bother to check out the internet on a tv. I have a phone to check weather if I need to know that badly.

The GREAT thing about Smart Tv's are that you can hook up a USB or External harddrive and play MOST video files straight onto your TV. Your Xbox only allows you to play .AVI files which aren't 1080P, but hook a USB to your TV and plays without a problem. Those are the only types of TV's I'll be getting from this point on. Download old TV shows and play them straight off your tv is awesome. Regular tv's with USB inputs don't allow this option, only Smart TV's, well worth the extra cash for that.

[Dutch]

I have the 55' Samsung plasma. It's pretty badass. It's a Smart tv...gots the netflix app, ESPN app, youtube app and a bunch of other shit built into it. Netflix is all I use.

[Andy117]

You might want to get an extended service warranty especially if you purchase a plasma. After just 3 years I had a power supply problem with my mine and the tech came to my home and fixed it at no cost. He said if I didn't have the warranty the repair would have been over $400. When customers didn't have the warranty, he just told them to go buy a new TV.

Warranties are major money makers for retailers. Use your AMEX or other CC that gives an extra year of warranty and that's good enough.

If you have a costco nearby check them out, last I checked they add a 2nd year of warranty, too. Also that same basic set is $599 there which might save you a couple of bucks depending on sales tax in your state.

[easyliving]

a similar boat as I need to change my living room tv. that Amazon deal sounds great.

[easyliving]

Buy a panasonic plasma, best bang for the buck + best picture quality. $665 for a 50 incher on amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIER...RC/ref=lh_ni_t

this looks pretty good. would you prefer this over an LG? also is the 4 year warranty @ $99 worth purchasing?

also I've read that the sound quality is bad not to mention these tvs don't go for too long meaning they don't survive past a few years

[soul786]

this looks pretty good. would you prefer this over an LG? also is the 4 year warranty @ $99 worth purchasing?

Depends what those 4 years are. If its an extension of just a manufacturer's warranty, don't bother. I work retail in the electronics market at a big box retailer so take it from me, buying a longer manufacturer warranty aint worth any marbles. Half the time you don't get shit, or you get a tv back with shittier parts that go in less time.

[easyliving]

Depends what those 4 years are. If its an extension of just a manufacturer's warranty, don't bother. I work retail in the electronics market at a big box retailer so take it from me, buying a longer manufacturer warranty aint worth any marbles. Half the time you don't get shit, or you get a tv back with shittier parts that go in less time.

the 4 year warranty is advertised on amazon with the tv. not sure what it covers

[Andy117]

this looks pretty good. would you prefer this over an LG? also is the 4 year warranty @ $99 worth purchasing?

also I've read that the sound quality is bad not to mention these tvs don't go for too long meaning they don't survive past a few years

The Panasonic a better tv than the LG. No TV really has great sound, if you want quality sound get a receiver and separate speakers.

[easyliving]

just realized a 50 incher would be too big. gonna be forced to get a 42 inch

[Andy117]

just realized a 50 incher would be too big. gonna be forced to get a 42 inch

They make a 46. Do you have to fit into something?

[dogkatcher]

Chime in about the Panasonic Plasma. Picked a 46" about
6 months ago for $269 +Tx, thanks to tipsters on Fat Wallet.
Love the picture, HD absolutely stunning. Use it in my
computer room, looking to get a 73" DLP, but may be spoiled
by the quality of this Plasma. Best of Luck in your decision.

Sorry, didn't see the post about 42".

[easyliving]

They make a 46. Do you have to fit into something?

yea I was planning on putting it on a shelf. the problem is my living room is fairly small and even if your sitting across the tv your still fairly close to it, which is why I prefer the 42 inch

[19th Hole]

Buy L.E.D. or plasma.....
Most stores today pricecheck.so
you know that you're getting the
lowest price.
Ask them if they pricecheck and match.
Good Luck.

[19th Hole]

Chime in about the Panasonic Plasma. Picked a 46" about
6 months ago for $269 +Tx, thanks to tipsters on Fat Wallet.
Love the picture, HD absolutely stunning. Use it in my
computer room, looking to get a 73" DLP, but may be spoiled
by the quality of this Plasma. Best of Luck in your decision.

Sorry, didn't see the post about 42".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pass on the DLP...You'll regret it.
Go with the 60-70 flatscreen.

[Andy117]

yea I was planning on putting it on a shelf. the problem is my living room is fairly small and even if your sitting across the tv your still fairly close to it, which is why I prefer the 42 inch

How far are you from the TV?

[El Nino]

I also have a Panasonic 50" plasma. Would recommend it to anyone. I've had it for almost 5 years with zero problems. Extended warranties are for suckers. The store makes all the profit on it, employees are trained to push them hard. Buy a quality name brand product and you don't have to worry about it.

[Mantle7]

Has anyone made a recent purchase and can guide me in the right direction?

I need a 46 in with the best picture quality possible. I do not want 3D because I think its a fad and a waste of money. Also, I don't really understand what a "SmartTV" is, but I'm pretty sure I have no desire to check my fukkin Facebook on my television. Is that all it is? Plus I already have an xbox360 that streams movies and NBA League pass and all that shit.

Basically, just want an awesome picture with none of the bullshit. Best TV? Where to order from? Best deals? Etc

Thanks men

If you want the best picture possible you have to go with a L.E.D. It's is by far better and brighter then any LCD or Plasma. I'm a Audio/Visual junkie and I have a HD projector with a 90 inch "screen". Its cool having a huge screen but a good backlit LED tv has a much better picture quality.

*Leds are energy efficient. They'll consume around 6X less electricity then a plasma.
*They are brighter and noticeably thinner then plasmas because theyre "backlit". I could go on and on about that but just trust me.
*You pay a little more but you get what you pay for. Just go to Best Buy and look.at the difference between a plasma and led. Its crazy.

Oh and don't rest your new tv on a bookshelf, man... Get a wall mount. All you need is a screwgun, level, and $5 stud finder. It's worth the extra time and money. I personally think Vizio and Samsung carry the best TVs. Best place to buy a new TV? Costco. Good luck.

[Andy117]

If you want the best picture possible you have to go with a L.E.D. It's is by far better and brighter then any LCD or Plasma. I'm a Audio/Visual junkie and I have a HD projector with a 90 inch "screen". Its cool having a huge screen but a good backlit LED tv has a much better picture quality.

*Leds are energy efficient. They'll consume around 6X less electricity then a plasma.
*They are brighter and noticeably thinner then plasmas because theyre "backlit". I could go on and on about that but just trust me.
*You pay a little more but you get what you pay for. Just go to Best Buy and look.at the difference between a plasma and led. Its crazy.

Oh and don't rest your new tv on a bookshelf, man... Get a wall mount. All you need is a screwgun, level, and $5 stud finder. It's worth the extra time and money. I personally think Vizio and Samsung carry the best TVs. Best place to buy a new TV? Costco. Good luck.

You don't know what you're talking about. Plasma is still better than LED which is really just a fancy LCD. Plasma still produces better shades of black and a smoother picture which is important when watching sports. As an extra bonus a nice plasma is cheaper than an LED set.

[ngates815]

If you want the best picture possible you have to go with a L.E.D. It's is by far better and brighter then any LCD or Plasma. I'm a Audio/Visual junkie and I have a HD projector with a 90 inch "screen". Its cool having a huge screen but a good backlit LED tv has a much better picture quality.

*Leds are energy efficient. They'll consume around 6X less electricity then a plasma.
*They are brighter and noticeably thinner then plasmas because theyre "backlit". I could go on and on about that but just trust me.
*You pay a little more but you get what you pay for. Just go to Best Buy and look.at the difference between a plasma and led. Its crazy.

Oh and don't rest your new tv on a bookshelf, man... Get a wall mount. All you need is a screwgun, level, and $5 stud finder. It's worth the extra time and money. I personally think Vizio and Samsung carry the best TVs. Best place to buy a new TV? Costco. Good luck.

Just go to store and Look at the TV's. I had them turn on Football and looked at the 2 tv's I was wanting to get, 1 LED and 1 Plasma...Couldn't tell a difference besides the 300 bucks. Price doesn't matter to me, the first "nice" TV I bought was 2100 for a piece of shit 55" now, that was about 4-5 years ago. So I'd definitely spend that again, but when I saw the Plasma and LED for 1200 and 1500, I'm not lying when I say I couldn't tell the difference, so of course I went with the cheaper one.

But everyone has different opinions and you'll flip flop 20X in the store thinking 1 looks better than switching to something else. But like the guy working at the store said "soon as you get it home, you'll think it's the best, because there will be no comparison" The guy was right, I couldn't be happier with the choice I made.


But go to a store and look to see what looks the best to you, remember or write down what they are...Go online and check prices, most likely can get off Amazon for cheaper. That's the best way to go, imo.

[Mantle7]

You don't know what you're talking about. Plasma is still better than LED which is really just a fancy LCD. Plasma still produces better shades of black and a smoother picture which is important when watching sports. As an extra bonus a nice plasma is cheaper than an LED set.

Youre still living in 2008. Plasmas are better then L.E.D's? LOL. Youre not even going to see Plasma T.Vs in 5 years. Just a side note.... Panasonic, one of the last major TV manufacturers to champion plasma TVs, is now probably regretting that decision. The company just posted a $10 billion loss for the year, and one of its biggest losers is the plasma TV category, where sales fell way short of expectations.

I know you have a Plasma and you think its the best because you have one. Its OK. The bottom line is that LED's are much brighter, they dont get hot like your Plasma because they are energy efficient and utilize a fraction of the electricity your Plasma does, LED's are capable of being much thinner which doesnt impact the color but who doesnt like a razor thin T.V. Trust me.. You dont want to have a Audio/Visual debate with me. Im not saying Plasmas are shitty T.V's. I like them. However, you cant say that they are better then a LED television because it is simply not true. Plasmas will be phased out soon.

[ngates815]

Youre still living in 2008. Plasmas are better then L.E.D's? LOL. Youre not even going to see Plasma T.Vs in 5 years. Just a side note.... Panasonic, one of the last major TV manufacturers to champion plasma TVs, is now probably regretting that decision. The company just posted a $10 billion loss for the year, and one of its biggest losers is the plasma TV category, where sales fell way short of expectations.

I know you have a Plasma and you think its the best because you have one. Its OK. The bottom line is that LED's are much brighter, they dont get hot like your Plasma because they are energy efficient and utilize a fraction of the electricity your Plasma does, LED's are capable of being much thinner which doesnt impact the color but who doesnt like a razor thin T.V. Trust me.. You dont want to have a Audio/Visual debate with me. Im not saying Plasmas are shitty T.V's. I like them. However, you cant say that they are better then a LED television because it is simply not true. Plasmas will be phased out soon.

So you go to the store, look at the pictures of similar priced LED's and Plasmas, and you can tell a big difference?

Last I checked the similar priced Plasmas and LED's , I could see a little Lag in the LED's movies. Similar priced.

If I'm spending 2500...yes It'll be a LED...But if I'm spending 1k - 1500, might as well be a plasma. But there isn't a big enough difference to justify spending the extra 1200...They ALL look very good to me. But I can see a little difference in the higher priced.


My parents have a 60" LED...My dad helped me install my 60" Samsung Plasma. He asked me how much I paid for it, because he thought it looked nice, and was going to get one for their basement. Weird that he said that after owning a LED that's 1 year old.


Go to the store, see what looks nice, check the prices, see if there is a 200-400 dollar difference that you can see, go online and buy it. You'll get your TV home and be satisfied no matter if it's 720P/1080P...LED/LCD/Plasma...It's a gimmick, the LED's are the newest Tv's out so they have to be the best right? Go look and tell me you can see a huge difference...All TV's can have color adjusted for optimal settings (avsforum)...Also none of the TV's will look the same in the store as they will in your house, light settings are completely different.

[Mantle7]

Its a decision he has to make. O.k. Heres the bottom line and then im done with this one. Plasma probably has better color, but it's darker. You'll have trouble viewing it in a sunny room. It's best in a home theater where it's dark. Also Plasma uses a lot more electricity because it has to send electrons to every single plasma pixel 60 times a minute. Your electricity bill actually will be effected by this so you're not really saving money in the long run.

LEDs are much brighter and the TVs themselves are extremely thin. Around an inch thick. The use of 96 separate LED dimmable lights behind the screen allows it to get darker blacks in dark areas of the screen. I prefer a razor think t.v with brighter colors anyday.

Right now, plasmas are dirty cheap while LEDs are still expensive. If you're looking for more bang for your buck, then fukk it and go plasma. But most TV companies are closing down their plasma plants. It's a technology that's going extinct.

[tto827]

If you want plasma, and price is not an issue still not sure you can beat the pioneer Kuro from 08. Way to expensive though if cash is limited. If you are gaming you have to be careful with plasma, if you leave it on a pause menu, you can burn the picture in pretty quick.

Samsung LCD (the ones with the red tinted border), they've got a great picture and shouldn't run you too much.

[tatommack]

Samsung led

[ColdBeerHere]

I used to hook up tvs for people....Pioneer if they still make tvs is/was #1.....

After that depending on the model/price I would go with either a Samsung, Sony, or Panasonic.....

The rest of the brands are pretty much rubbish, imo.....

[Easy-Rider 66]

Bought a 42" Samsung and it works great. Clear picture and sound. Would highly recommend.

[Andy117]

Youre still living in 2008. Plasmas are better then L.E.D's? LOL. Youre not even going to see Plasma T.Vs in 5 years. Just a side note.... Panasonic, one of the last major TV manufacturers to champion plasma TVs, is now probably regretting that decision. The company just posted a $10 billion loss for the year, and one of its biggest losers is the plasma TV category, where sales fell way short of expectations.

I know you have a Plasma and you think its the best because you have one. Its OK. The bottom line is that LED's are much brighter, they dont get hot like your Plasma because they are energy efficient and utilize a fraction of the electricity your Plasma does, LED's are capable of being much thinner which doesnt impact the color but who doesnt like a razor thin T.V. Trust me.. You dont want to have a Audio/Visual debate with me. Im not saying Plasmas are shitty T.V's. I like them. However, you cant say that they are better then a LED television because it is simply not true. Plasmas will be phased out soon.

Brightness is not as important as you think it is. Technology is always changing in 5 years you probably won't see Plasma but that's not really because of picture quality. LED sets are still not better than Plasma. The one or two inch depth difference between the two is irrelevant for 95% of the population. I don't care about the efficiency of my tv, I want it to look best and the blur of an LED/LCD is a problem that I can't get past.

[LordVodka]

Plasma still has superior picture to any type of LCD. LED is a type LCD, they're not two different things. Plasma is king and it's cheaper.

[Mantle7]

Well, it seems as though its just a matter of opinon. I personally like L.E.D's and think the pictures is much better. You guys should start looking into H.D projectors. The new H.D projectors are insane. You used to have to sit in a pitch black room to get a good picture on H.D projectors but not anymore. The prices are coming down as well. How cool is it to decide how big you want your picture to be? i could go up to 120 inches if had a wall big enough.

[Mantle7]

I used to hook up tvs for people....Pioneer if they still make tvs is/was #1.....

After that depending on the model/price I would go with either a Samsung, Sony, or Panasonic.....

The rest of the brands are pretty much rubbish, imo.....

Same here. I still do if any of my friends need a t.v hung or need a surround sound setup. I love A.V. I do it just for fun.