Members Jeff Leites Posted January 6, 2012 Members Share Posted January 6, 2012 It's late, and I didn't have time to read all the previous posts, so I hope I'm not repeating too much. LED/LCDs use the least power, run cooler, and are thinner.Cold cathod/LCDs, are the older technology.LED/LCDs come in two types, edge lit, and back lit. The back lit contains circuitry, the will dim or not light dark sections of the screen (for better blacks). Personally, I think my edge lit set looks fine. One thing to consider is the screen glass.LCDs tend to use non-reflective glass. Plasmas use reflective glass. The reflective glass will have a mirror effect, and depending on where lights and windows are, you may see them reflected in the screen (annoying). That said, Samsung is using reflective glass on their LED/LCD sets. We just got one, but it's in a dark room, so not harm done. Extended warranties - Had a $1,700 Mitsubishi. The screen started to show some defects after 3 years. A new screen was $2,000. Had a 4 year warranty, and got them to pay enough for a new similar featured set. The warranty cost $400.Got the replacement at Costco (the Samsung). Their extended warranty (Squaretrade)was $99. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BushmasterM4 Posted January 6, 2012 Members Share Posted January 6, 2012 Samsung !!!! TCL brands are starting to hit the stores and are very inexpensive, but very well made. TCL actually makes alot of Samsungs flat screens. We bought my father a 42" TCL for Christmas and it has a great picture. As far as setting them up, many Disney DVD's and the Star Wars series DVD's have a THX Setup feature for setting sound and the picture. Home Theatre Shack is a wonderful place to increase your flatscreen knowledge http://www.hometheatershack.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted January 6, 2012 Members Share Posted January 6, 2012 Hmmm...you guys are making me want to watch some TV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members scud133 Posted January 6, 2012 Members Share Posted January 6, 2012 This is one of those things that "everybody knows" that ain't so. TV salesmen tell you this ALL THE TIME and it's pure unadulterated total bull{censored}. I have all of them around my house: A 42" LCD, two 32" LCD, a 32" LED top-of-the-line Samsung and two Plasmas, a 50" Panasonic that's now about 7 or 8 years old and a 58" Samsung. Both Plasmas are in rooms with LOTS of sunlight and they punch through it FAR better and more clearly than ANY of the other TVs in the house. Not one of the other TVs can perform as well in bright light. We got my late father-in-law a BEAUTIFUL top-of-the-line Samsung 55" LED which my MIL still has and, as beautiful as it is, it STILL doesn't punch through daylight as well as our old Panasonic does.I have NO idea why this canard has been perpetrated... you just have to LOOK at them perform!Then, of course, there's the final advantage of plasma: No matter WHAT angle you look at it from, it's always the same brightness. Go off to the right, left, up or down on an LCD/LED and it dims. There's a sweet spot you have to be in to see it. Not so with plasma.I suggest you decide where you will sit, where the TV will be, what the light conditions are, and how you will use it BEFORE you select the type and size TV. I own both a samsung lcd and sammy plasma, and while the plasma has better/more accurate picture, the LCD definitely is easier to see when the sun is rising through the big windows. So I guess I should preface that with IMO --- but it also happens to be ALOTOFOTHERPEOPLE'S-HO too. I'm a 100% advocate for plasma, but for some people it just won't work with glare and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Geoff Grace Posted January 6, 2012 Members Share Posted January 6, 2012 First, look at the listings and see if there's anything on that you want to watch. I haven't watched TV of any kind in months, and really don't think I've missed anything. In fact I'm trying to think of the last time I sat down and actually watched TV, and I'm drawing a blank... Come to think of it, it has been awhile since you started an American Idol thread. Is that show still on? I find TV to be a lot like the Internet. Both can be great fun and have a lot of useful information, but they can also be colossal time wasters, depending on how you approach them. Best, Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus Lozada Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Whatever TV is good to watch "The Simpsons". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted January 6, 2012 Members Share Posted January 6, 2012 I bought my wife a 42" Sony Bravia LED TV and a Blu-Ray player a couple of weeks ago. We don't really watch commercial TV but she likes movies and I like some documentaries and concert DVDs. Last year I purchased Santana's "Hymns for Peace: Live at Montreax" on Blu-Ray by mistake before I knew what Blu-Ray was and hadn't been able to watch it. Of course the first thing I watched was the Santana concert and it was as if I was right there on the stage with them - amazing video quality. We watched a couple of Star Trek movies on Blu-Ray and they too looked really good. One feature that was new to me is the Internet connection right on the TV. You can watch YouTube videos just by plugging the Ethernet cable in and subscribe to services like Netflix if you wish. All in all I'm quite pleased with the unit and so is my wife but I find I am wasting a bit too much time with it. We still do not have cable TV and after doing an out of town gig New Year's Eve and watching a bit of TV in the motel room we decided not to get it . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members philbo Posted January 6, 2012 Members Share Posted January 6, 2012 A couple things to consider: - These TV technologies are not time tested, so there is no reliable way to project their life. I recommend buying an extended warranty (usually 10% of the price). Sams Club & Costco have the best deals on these. - Visio is USA made, BUT: our model has a non-audio taper volume control. Changing from volume level 1 to 2 is a 12 db jump, from 2 to 3 is a 6 db jump, 3 db from 3 to 4, etc. By the time you get to 100, there is basically no difference from one level to the next. I find it hard to believe they let a product with such a gross design defect reach the market; it doesn't say good things for their design quality control. We ended up running a line from the 1/8" headphone jack to our stereo (muting the built in speakers), then using the stereo remote to control it. Other than this little weirdness, we love it. - Look for a variety of inputs; at least a couple HDMI, a couple Red/White/Yellow analog, and RGB+1/8" if you want to use it with a PC. Conversely, look for the same variety in outputs. - I'd recommend a smart TV (with WiFi), because the future of TV is via internet. It'd be really cool if there was a smart TV with Firefox built in. - As always, I strongly recommend avoiding anything built by Sony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ernest Buckley Posted January 6, 2012 Author Members Share Posted January 6, 2012 So far, this one is in the lead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members techristian Posted January 6, 2012 Members Share Posted January 6, 2012 I have had a 52" Philips 1080 LCD for almost 2 years now. (bought it right after the Olympics) I love it, great picture, colors and contrast ! It cost $1250 back then but I'm sure that you will find it for much less now. I went with the Philips because I have had a Magnavox 32" tube tv for over 16 years and it is still running faithfully. I know that tube and LCD are different animals, but Philips has always been good to me. I also have a 22" Philips 1080 HD monitor. YES I WATCH TOO MUCH TV ! P.S Plasmas usually have a 200 hour "burn in" time, not so with LCD. They also tend to be warmer and use more energy. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members A. Einstein Posted January 6, 2012 Members Share Posted January 6, 2012 So far, this one is in the lead. OMG, a Made in China product which rationalized jobs away in the USA, aren't you ashamed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BushmasterM4 Posted January 6, 2012 Members Share Posted January 6, 2012 If you are worried about where its made, then you may be in for a shock. There are only a hand full that make the actual flat screen used in their TV's. Most farm it out to the fewer LCD,Plasma,LED screen manufacturers. Like the CD Rom. Maybe 5 manufacturers in the world making CD-Roms and everybody selling them with their name on it. But thats a different story. Our 3 year old flat screen Samsung is on an average of 18 hours a day !!! Thats alot of use and it still works and looks great. Our computer LCD's, 5 of them (Samsung), get the same amount of use with the oldest about 5 years old. Thats why Im a Samsung fan. But then again I think you will find all will do OK, seeing how they are all made by a few manufacturers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ernest Buckley Posted January 6, 2012 Author Members Share Posted January 6, 2012 OMG, a Made in China product which rationalized jobs away in the USA, aren't you ashamed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted January 6, 2012 Moderators Share Posted January 6, 2012 You wouldn't be sorry going for the 50" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hard Truth Posted January 6, 2012 Members Share Posted January 6, 2012 1. A set with lots of inputs is worth paying a bit extra for. 2.Look for an input that will work with your computer (RGB or other) at good resolution. 3.Also look for at least one audio output also so you can run the sound through your stereo (required for real surround sound). If your receiver has the inputs a digital audio output is best. 4. I don't think it is important to have net connectivity on the TV set. That can be done with a Blu-ray player or standalone box like the Rokus. 5. Get an antennae, over the air HD channels look much better than the same channel carried on cable or dish, even if the cable or dish company calls it an HD channel. Passive antennaes work better than powered ones. Simple rabbit ears will probably be sufficient, depending on where you live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members panthalassa Posted January 7, 2012 Members Share Posted January 7, 2012 If you go for a non-connected TV, make sure the HDMI port(s) support Mobile High Definition Link technology. The Roku Streaming Stick (to be followed by others, no doubt) will do everything Roku already does; it just means you won't have to spend as much money for a connected TV: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/04/BU0G1MKPS5.DTL&type=tech I still have a 27" CRT "rescued" by my brother-in-law when one of the bars he worked at closed down. The coax board got loose last year, so I opened it up and soldered it back on. Interestingly, CRTs still portray the truest blacks out of anything - including current high-priced LCDs, Plasmas, etc. I transfer my own DVDs and purchased movies; along with pictures - to a 8GB stick that goes to my $20 Diamond Media player:http://www.diamondmm.com/mediaplayer.php The rest of my time is spent watching 49ers and Giants games. And thankfully, PBS is still around, however compromised they may have become. I hardly ever watch it, which is why we still have it. Cheap 'n good! Once OLEDs are cheaper I'll consider that future model, but I'm in no hurry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff Leites Posted January 7, 2012 Members Share Posted January 7, 2012 3.Also look for at least one audio output also so you can run the sound through your stereo (required for real surround sound). If your receiver has the inputs a digital audio output is best. The audio output for a "stereo" will be RCA jacks or a 1/8" mini jack. The audio output for surround sound is a coax jack or optical TOSlink jack (there are converters available if the TV's jack doesn't match your surround receiver jack), the move seems to be towards HDMI. 4. I don't think it is important to have net connectivity on the TV set. I've found, on my newest TV, that it's nice to have wi-fi connectivity on the TV because then the TV can do a firmware update right from the web. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mister natural Posted January 7, 2012 Members Share Posted January 7, 2012 fwiw, the most respected & coveted brand in Japan is Panasonic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted January 7, 2012 Members Share Posted January 7, 2012 - As always, I strongly recommend avoiding anything built by Sony. Is there a particular reason? I just bought my wife a Sony Bravia and your statement makes me a bit nervous. She picked it out because she liked the picture when she saw it in the store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thankyou Posted January 7, 2012 Members Share Posted January 7, 2012 Hoarders?!?!?!? Which leads to Storage Wars. My first band was called No TV Motel. I came up with the name because that was what my house had kind of become. Every TV I owned would die, but still my house was a popular resting spot for the weary traveler. FWIW, Consumer Reports likes three 'S' brands - Sony, Sharp and Sanyo, plus Panasonic for reliability. We've had good luck with Samsung, too. Mitsubishi and Polaroid were lowest. As a phone guy, I ran into a few hoarders. My aunt hoarded books and magazines after she became a widow. One of the pro organizers said, "Own your stuff, don't let it own you." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members A. Einstein Posted January 7, 2012 Members Share Posted January 7, 2012 fwiw, the most respected & coveted brand in Japan is Panasonic which is made in china my vodeo pro monitors are panasonic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thankyou Posted January 7, 2012 Members Share Posted January 7, 2012 Oh, and for whatever highway robber's price they charge, HDMI cables do make a difference. Lots easier to connect, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members yanktar Posted January 7, 2012 Members Share Posted January 7, 2012 So far, this one is in the lead. Great choice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members scud133 Posted January 7, 2012 Members Share Posted January 7, 2012 Oh, and for whatever highway robber's price they charge, HDMI cables do make a difference. Lots easier to connect, too. Digital is 1's and 0's. The signal either gets there or it doesn't. The only thing that matters is that you don't go so cheap that connectors fall off. Get your HDMI from here:http://www.monoprice.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members philbo Posted January 7, 2012 Members Share Posted January 7, 2012 Is there a particular reason?I just bought my wife a Sony Bravia and your statement makes me a bit nervous.She picked it out because she liked the picture when she saw it in the store. I've had a long series of misfortunes with every Sony electronic product bought since the mid-90's, except the Sony Vaio PC (I suspect they had somebody else build that for them). So I've finally learned my lesson and vote against them with my dollars (and occasional rants on a forum)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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