Television Purchase

[lcbj68c]

So we are going to upgrade the family room tv and take advantage of some Black Friday love. All the numbers (720,1080,60hz,120hz) and verbage (plasma, lcd) blah blah blah. All I care about is not getting it home and watching it stutter and blur like a buddy's tv did last year after he bought his. The darn thing couldn't keep up with a simple football game. Not a gamer, not big into action films..just sports. If a buy a new tv and it gets the herky jerky while I try and watch the tv pan on a touchdown pass from Rodgers to Jennings, I may break the sonofayouknowwhat before it's even a month old. So tell me friends, what matters and what doesn't when buying a hdtv with mostly sports in mind.

[JimH5]

I bought this one in August and love it.

 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung+-+40%22+Class+/+1080p+/+240Hz+/+3D+LEA-LCD+HDTV/9783551.p?id=1218173773356&skuId=9783551

 

It's only a 40" tv, but they make the model in bigger versions. Picture is great (I have Verizon Fios), Action is smooth. It's in a pretty small apartment with wood floors and lots of hard surfaces, and I'm just using the tv's own sound. It's fine.

[hawing]

lcbj68c, I'm glad you started this thread, because one of these days we'll have to take the TV-upgrade plunge in the hawing household (our current TV was purchased in 1997) and I would rather not wait until our current set dies, then have to choose in a hurry. To show how out of it I am when it comes to modern televisions, I found myself reading JimH5's post and saying "only 40"?"

 

I did read somewhere in the last week that deals on TVs are expected to be best between now and Black Friday. Take that for what it's worth.

[colbyjack]

Get 1080p and at least 120 Hz. The 1080p (vs. 720p) denotes the HD quality (pixel pitch, if I remember correctly when I bought out HD TV a few years ago), while the Hz is the speed in which the information is processed. So the higher the number for this, the less likely you will have your TV freeze/flake out (again, from what I remember from our purchase).

 

Basically, for sports lcbj68c, keep an eye for the higher Hz number.

 

The brands suggested at the time were Sony, Toshiba and Samsung. I'm a big believer in buying the best brand names for electronics/appliances.

 

The link that JimH5 didn't work for me, but based on the URL as posted it seems he got 1080p, 240 Hz and a Samsung, which would get my thumb's up, and should process fast-moving action without a blip. The size of the TV really doesn't matter as compared to the technical mumbo-jumbo. The size is only important based on the space you have available.

 

The cheapest TVs you will see on sale are 720p and 60 Hz. Don't buy these.

[theavrock]

In my opinion if you are going to drop big bucks on a nice TV I would suggest Samsung, LG and Sony as the brands to look at with Samsung leading the way.

Refresh rate it one thing that has become a huge stat recently. To me I can absolutely tell the difference between 60 hz and 120hz, but 120 - 240hz not as much. Additionally contrast ratio is something to look at, but only when comparing TV's by the same manufacturer. There is no universal method for measuring this, so a 4000:1 contrast ratio for Manufacturer x as opposed to 1000:1 for Manufacturer Y might not mean that much.

Lastly is aspect ratio: 720 vs. 1080. Go for 1080p. There is a noticeable difference and I wouldn't get anything other than 1080.

Generally these are what will differ when you are looking at between different models. Higher end models will have a higher refresh rate and contrast ratio. Additionally the more expensive TV's are starting to have network connectivity, apps and 3d ready functionality.

The other matter is LCD, LCD-LED or Plasma. Plasma gives you a more "natural" feel, while the newer LED's give you more of that eye-popping almost 3d feel. At least that is my opinion. I am going to be taking he Black Friday plunge as well and try to get my hands on a 46" Samsung 6300 series from Best Buy.

I would suggest giving them the eye test. Head to Best Buy and spend some time just looking at the differences between tv's brands and the specs. I would give specific attention to the refresh rate and Plasma vs. LCD-LED.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions. I'm not an expert by any means, but I can try my best.

EDIT: Colby beat me to it. But I agree with pretty much everything he said. Definitely at least 120 hz. I personally feel there is a difference between 240 and 120, but not a huge one and I cant justify the expense to go from 120 to 240 for the performance gain that I see with my eyes (all that really matters).

[logan82]

I would do more research into 120 vs 240. I believe that tv comes to your house at 30 fps and movies are shot at 24 fps. I think the big difference between 120 and 60 was with films did not line up properly with the 60 tvs.

[chadomac]

Although I agree Samsung has the best picture, some of their models have had some capacitor issues the past few years. I know because I bought a Magnavox that had the same issue. Almost had to put $200 into a TV that wasn't even 5 years old. Luckily I had a friend that is good with electronics that opened my TV up and replaced the capacitor himself.

 

I would google whatever TV-brand you're going to buy along with the words "capacitor issue" to see if there are hits or Consumer Reports about it. So far I've heard/read about a lot of issues with Philips/Magnavox and Samsung. Basically when HDTV's were first being mass-produced, some companies used very cheap capacitors that would slowly burn out and cause the TV to "warm up" for very long periods of time. Before I got mine fixed, it took literally 20 minutes for my TV to stay on. It was ridiculous. I think Samsung is the best picture of any TV, but I thought I'd pass my recent experience on.

 

Because of the issue I just had, I'll be looking for a Sony or Panasonic TV next time I'm in the market.

 

You're definitely looking for a TV at the best time possible. A lot of people are predicting that now until the end of this year should have the best deals on HDTV we've ever seen.

[1992casey]

If you opt for plasma, refresh rate will definitely be way beyond LCD, meaning that you can disregard it (if the manufacturer even bothers to make it available). I don't think contrast ratio is much of a factor either.

 

lcbj68c, how big is your room, and what's the most usual viewing distance going to be? hawing pointed out "only" 40", but that's how things are these days. A friend who sells TVs says that the number one reason for returns is that the screen is too small.

[jlau20]

Don't know if anyone would know the answer to this but worth a shot since I didn't find much searching around for it...

 

I bought a TV last year after I got done with college, just looking to upgrade from the older projection I had and bought an Insignia (because the price was right) 1080p, 60hz...anyway within a few weeks I started noticing every now and then the picture would go black and come back a second later with the input info in the corner (Component 2, etc.) like I had just switched to it. Doesn't happen during movies or video games. It's random too, might happen a few times one minute, then not at all for an hour. Does this sound like a weak cable signal or an actual issue with the TV? Have a relative with almost the same TV and happens to them too. I'm kind of assuming it's the brand.

 

Anyway after watching TV at a friends house, thinking it's going to have to be a Samsung next time I need a TV.

[SquirrelMaster]

Just bought a 42 inch plasma. I suggest everyone that is looking to make a tv purchase soon to check out plasmas. Absolutely phenomenal picture. Plus todays models have anti burn in protections, such as pixel shift. I bought my 42 inch samsung for 500 from sears. The only bad thing about plasma is the glare. If you are going to put the tv in a room that gets a lot of light, make sure you invest in shades that make your room into a cave!

[JimH5]

Maybe this link will work. . .

 

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN40C7000-40-Inch-1080p-Black/dp/B0036WT4AG/ref=sr_1_5?s=tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1290079804&sr=1-5

 

Mine was bundled with a 3D BluRay player and 2 pair of 3D glasses and a 3D movie, which my daughter has watched twice. We never use the 3D stuff, but that was basically free. Also be prepared to spend money on HDMI cables.

[Invader3K]

Just bought a 42 inch plasma. I suggest everyone that is looking to make a tv purchase soon to check out plasmas. Absolutely phenomenal picture. Plus todays models have anti burn in protections, such as pixel shift. I bought my 42 inch samsung for 500 from sears. The only bad thing about plasma is the glare. If you are going to put the tv in a room that gets a lot of light, make sure you invest in shades that make your room into a cave!

I love our plasma TV. We bought ours last February (50" Pioneer Kuro...Pioneer unfortunately is out of the TV market now, but this is a fantastic set). I personally feel that plasma looks more natural and does blacks better than LCD, but some people like LCD better for whatever reason. The glare is a concern for daytime TV watching with plasma, though. We have drapes in our living room, so it's not a big deal for us.

[Nader Raider Tim]

I'm looking for a cheap TV. I currently have a tv from the 70's that ends up glowing bright red inside if I leave it on for more than an hour. I am curious what everyone's opinion is of this TV, it's one of the Black Friday deals. Like I said I want cheap and don't need something that good.

 

http://www.target.com/gp/...6FU&AFID=Froogle_df&LNM=|B00402I6FU&CPNG=movies&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=B00402I6FU&ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001

 

It will be on sale for 298 on Black Friday with a 10$ gift card, is it a value at that price?

[Invader3K]

Tim, the TV is only 60 hz, so it might not be ideal for sports viewing. Otherwise it's probably fine.

[owbc]

When buying a plasma TV, you might want to consider power consumption. It seems like most plasma TVs cost $30-$40/year more in electricity compared to LCD TVs and there are a few especially bad TVs that use way more than that.

[homer]

1080p and 120Hz minimum.

 

1080 refers to the number of rows of pixels from top to bottom. More rows = better resolution. It's actually short for 1440x1080 (1440 is the columns, and 1080 is the rows). "P" refers to the way the image is scanned onto the screen (progressive). The other option is "i" which is "interlaced". I could go into what that means but you probably don't care. Most people probably wouldn't notice a difference between the two anyway but most articles I've read say P is better so if you have the option get P.

[pitchleague]

as for HDMI cables, monoprice.com is your friend. There has been research done that confirms that there is zero difference in quality between the $60 (and up) HDMI cables from Monster Cable and the $4 HDMI cables that can be found.

[logan82]

Also be prepared to spend money on HDMI cables.

 

I have heard you shouldn't waste money on expensive cables. You either get a signal or you don't.

[Outlander]

I like the Samsung LCD/LED and the Panasonic Plasma sets. Pioneer was nice also but not an option anymore. Contrary to what another poster said I would go as large as possible. If money is tight I would even go with a 720P Samsung or Panasonic that is 50 inches, over a 1080 P set 42 inches or less every time.

[thebruce44]

I would suggest giving them the eye test. Head to Best Buy and spend some time just looking at the differences between tv's brands and the specs.

 

 

 

From personal experience, I wouldn't put much stock in the eye test at your local electronics store. They jack up the settings so much its fairly useless. When I purchased my 58" Samsung plasma, I read a lot of reviews on Amazon and AVS forums to narrow it down to 2 or 3 brands I wanted. At that point, I chose the one that was on sale since I knew they would all have quality pictures.

[Invader3K]

Also be prepared to spend money on HDMI cables.

 

I have heard you shouldn't waste money on expensive cables. You either get a signal or you don't.

This is true, as long as you aren't going with bargain basement unshielded cables that can be prone to interference. Monoprice.com sells good cables at very competitive prices, like someone mentioned.

I can say as someone who used to sell Monster cables (and owns some of their products) that they are good, but way overpriced. There are less expensive cables that are just as good out there; they just don't have the Monster marketing behind them. They do have a lifetime warranty though, which I've heard Monster is very good at honoring. I wouldn't worry about that, personally, though.

 

[Invader3K]

Contrary to what another poster said I would go as large as possible. If money is tight I would even go with a 720P Samsung or Panasonic that is 50 inches, over a 1080 P set 42 inches or less every time.

Well, you want to be somewhat careful. There is such a point where a TV can be too big for its purpose. Like if you're only sitting seven feet away, a 60" screen is probably too big... you'll feel like you want to crane your neck back to take in the whole picture. I don't know what size the OP's room is or what the room layout is like, so this could all be irrelevant.

There's some kind of formula out there for determining ideal TV screen size, but I can't remember what it is off hand.

 

[1992casey]

(1440 is the columns, and 1080 is the rows)

 

Actually, it's 1920x1080, but who's counting. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

720p is either 1280×720 or 1366 x 768.

 

As others have mentioned, glare and power consumption are concerns with plasma. However, sets have generally improved in these areas. Weight is another concern.

 

I specifically chose LCD because of the lighting situation where the unit is placed. Had that not been a concern, I may have gone with plasma.

 

Speaking of HDMI, etc., make sure you have plenty of inputs. You never know what you might hook up in the future.

 

Also, it pays to know how the non-HDMI inputs work. I have a cheap (actually free) smaller set where the non-HDMI inputs share the same audio. So while you have the choice of video inputs, only one of them is actually operable at one time.

[1992casey]

There's some kind of formula out there for determining ideal TV screen size, but I can't remember what it is off hand.

 

There are a bunch of HDTV size calculators available that allow you to enter various criteria to determine the range of sizes best suited for your situation.

[JimH5]

I found myself reading JimH5's post and saying "only 40"?"

 

Alright, admittedly, it does seem pretty absurd. I grew up in a house with a 25" console tv, and went to college with a "luxurious" 13" color set. So a 40" tv is a bigger number than many of us can imagine. But with that 16:9 ratio vs. the old 4:3, the 40 inch display is more a matter of being "wider" than it is "bigger".

 

And thanks to pitchleague, logan3825 & Invader3K for the new knowledge on HDMI cables. I surely overspent at Best Buy.