2 year old has no spare parts available, 100,000 hours before the set reaches half brightness, unless you get a fluke, Now I'm gonna be sick. Might ought to just buy 2 small tvs in case one breaks.
Which tv would you get?
- Thread starter priester68
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Go to the store. Look at the tvs. pick out the one that has the picture you like best. Make sure it has the connections you need. Buy it. Bring it home. Enjoy it. Don't let all the "experts" ruin your Christmas by telling you that you got the wrong tv.
By the way, if you are going to buy at Wal-Mart, check a couple of them if you can, and make sure you are getting the best price. I just bought a 32" and my local Wal-Mart wanted $400, while the Super Wal-Mart that my son works at, 30 miles away, had the exact same model for $300.
By the way, if you are going to buy at Wal-Mart, check a couple of them if you can, and make sure you are getting the best price. I just bought a 32" and my local Wal-Mart wanted $400, while the Super Wal-Mart that my son works at, 30 miles away, had the exact same model for $300.
Thanks man. We have a super WM here so that's what I'll do. Is there a brand to absolutely stay away from?
Don't go by the in store displays. Most of the time they have specific "store mode" settings to make them very bright and vibrant in the heavy store lighting. They will look nothing like that once you get one home. Not to mention the displays are playing material that is more than likely far from HD.
They tend to come in "store mode" straight out of the box too. So when you get it home and turn it on, you think a nuclear explosion just went off because of the brightness. You'll play with the settings constantly to get it to where you like it. My current TV is 2 years old and I play with the settings at least once a week. Not to mention the settings are different for Dish, for the PS3, etc. Usually you can look up your TV online and somebody has posted what they like for settings. Sometimes, it's easier to adjust off of those than the default settings.
so how do you decide on what to get? I read that I need a response time of 5 milliseconds or less, and a 30,000:1 or higher contrast ratio. What else?
30,000:1 contrast ratio is a good starting point for an excellent picture. Don't be fooled by a TV that has a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, but a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. Also you might want to try your local Best Buy or similar store to see if they have a light controlled display room with multiple TV's set in normal home environment settings. 60hz is fine, but you can go to a 120 if you like the motion effects it has. 240 is overkill, and expensive, imo.
But the best thing to do is to read professional reviews online after you get several tv's in mind. And whatever you do, don't go by what looks best under heavy fluorescent lighting, unless that's what you have in your house.
But the best thing to do is to read professional reviews online after you get several tv's in mind. And whatever you do, don't go by what looks best under heavy fluorescent lighting, unless that's what you have in your house.
Don't get hung up on contrast ratio. Unless you are watching TV in a completely dark room in which there is no ambient light (including the light of the TV, which is impossible while watching it!!!!), numbers above 1,000:1 are barely perceivable to the human eye. Black cannot be truly black with a light on. As far as response time, remember this--it takes roughly 200 milliseconds to blink and you blink 12 times per minute, so how much of your day is perceived as missed because of blinking? 8 ms vs. 5 ms is not going to be perceivable unless you are specifically looking for it.
You may want to check out this thread if you've really got your heart set on 1080p from Dish.
http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-network-forum/181577-vod-wont-play-1080p.html
http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-network-forum/181577-vod-wont-play-1080p.html
Sony's overpriced. Samsungs at the same price point have the same PQ (not IQ) and more features. Since you're stuck at Walmart, Panasonic and Samsung are your best bets, with plasma and LCDs both covered (respectively). Check these out (print ad images with TVs):
Walmart Confirms 360 Sale, More Cuts Coming
Wal-Mart offering $100 gift card with purchase of Xbox 360 Arcade
The Panasonic U1 is going to have better PQ than any LCD you can get for under $1500. It'll also have slightly higher power consumption (about $20 per YEAR assuming 1000hrs/yr use), and will offer the best cinema experience. Even the 720p Panasonic C1 50" that some stores just got are much superior in final PQ to most LCDs, especially when you start talking about motion resolution, and they just don't cut it.
I like the Sharp LCDs, but nobody else who knows what they're talking does; for a few bucks more, the Samsungs all have better PQ. When you look at Visio, just remember that it's a BRAND, not a MANUFACTURER...those TVs come from all over China and other parts of Asia, and their customer service is nonexistent.
I have no idea where "you must be at least..." figures come from, but that's a poor way to state "you won't know the difference." According to the THX guidelines, you should be about 4.6 FEET away from a 46 INCH set, 5.0' from a 50", 6.5' from a 65", and so on. Farther than that, and it's not THX eligible. SMPTE guidelines are looser, but not much.
If you don't already have a real A/V receiver, you're not going to be getting the most out of HD VOD or Blu-ray titles. A big TV is just a big TV, but 5.1 channel sound makes it a theater. Cap yourself at a Grand for the TV, and spend the other $500 on an HTIB to get your feet wet, but stick with the same brand as the TV you buy to reduce/eliminate remote control shuffle.
Walmart Confirms 360 Sale, More Cuts Coming
Wal-Mart offering $100 gift card with purchase of Xbox 360 Arcade
The Panasonic U1 is going to have better PQ than any LCD you can get for under $1500. It'll also have slightly higher power consumption (about $20 per YEAR assuming 1000hrs/yr use), and will offer the best cinema experience. Even the 720p Panasonic C1 50" that some stores just got are much superior in final PQ to most LCDs, especially when you start talking about motion resolution, and they just don't cut it.
I like the Sharp LCDs, but nobody else who knows what they're talking does; for a few bucks more, the Samsungs all have better PQ. When you look at Visio, just remember that it's a BRAND, not a MANUFACTURER...those TVs come from all over China and other parts of Asia, and their customer service is nonexistent.
I have no idea where "you must be at least..." figures come from, but that's a poor way to state "you won't know the difference." According to the THX guidelines, you should be about 4.6 FEET away from a 46 INCH set, 5.0' from a 50", 6.5' from a 65", and so on. Farther than that, and it's not THX eligible. SMPTE guidelines are looser, but not much.
If you don't already have a real A/V receiver, you're not going to be getting the most out of HD VOD or Blu-ray titles. A big TV is just a big TV, but 5.1 channel sound makes it a theater. Cap yourself at a Grand for the TV, and spend the other $500 on an HTIB to get your feet wet, but stick with the same brand as the TV you buy to reduce/eliminate remote control shuffle.
That is positively the worst advice ever given for TV shopping. You can't tell ANYTHING by looking at a TV in a store, ESPECIALLY at a Walmart or a typical Best Buy. Cnet.com has several lists of their favorite TVs here:
Best HDTVs overall - CNET Reviews
The column on the left of the screen breaks it down into more manageable brackets. The kicker is that most of these TVs aren't at Walmart. HDGuru.com also does reviews on specific models for a more in-depth analysis. Find a model you like, then do the research on it, then buy it. Never buy the first thing that catches your eye.
Why are you at the mercy of Walmart?
There are many very reputable on line stores that can provide an equal or better model that wally world cannot. Also, the etailers can offer many more models and brands (which I will admit can confuse any shopper) to select from.
If you have a warranty issue (not likely with a brand name set) Wally world will tell you to contact the manufacturer so that is not an issue.
Also, If you have a local Sears, sometimes Best Buy, they will pricematch a competitor's price and Sears will give you 10% of the difference, at least they did for me a couple of years ago.
As other members have said, if at all possible, try to narrow your choices to 4 or 5 models and view the sets at a retailer keeping in mind most flat panels out of the box are set with maximum brightness to get your attention.
One final bit, again as a member mentioned, check out AVS online. There is a wealth of information on this forum which may help or hinder your choice.
Try to make an informed decision then sit back and enjoy
I guess I'm not really but the nearest real store with people that actually have knowledge about their product is 2 hours away. I know I can read reviews til I'm blue in the face but shouldn't I actually see the tv I want before I buy or just rely on reviews?
Picking a TV based on PQ in the store is as good as picking a TV based on how much the remote control weighs; it has NO BEARING on the TV's performance (after mild optimization) inside your house. Hit the Cnet links I posted. Find the TVs that you can get at Best Buy or Walmart or Sears (none of which have employees who know what they're talking about), and do some shopping. Then go to HDGuru.com, AVSForum.com, and do more research there. Then go to the store, scroll through the menus (this is actually more important that in-store PQ), and pull the trigger when you're educated, not when you're infatuated. Hell, I did all that research, and STILL got bit by post-Christmas price cuts.
If you're seriously 2 hours away from the nearest Big Box, buy the extended warranty so that the blueshirt/redshirt monkeys have to give you a new TV if the old one breaks. Not having to deal directly with Samsung customer service on the phone and then not having them drive a certified repair man to the middle of nowhere is worth $150, easy.
If you're seriously 2 hours away from the nearest Big Box, buy the extended warranty so that the blueshirt/redshirt monkeys have to give you a new TV if the old one breaks. Not having to deal directly with Samsung customer service on the phone and then not having them drive a certified repair man to the middle of nowhere is worth $150, easy.
I bought a TV from WalMart for the bedroom that went out after a couple of months. Called them up, they gave me a new one. No problems since. I think the warranty from WalMart was about $20. Sears will sell you one for $150.
Personally I would, you might not like the bezel color or looks of the stand or the screen may be reflective and you prefer a matte screen and on and on.
I'm like you, small town with a wally world and a small Sears retailer, 120 miles away is a Best buy and a larger Sears which is not much of an improvement as far as choices go.
I try not to recommend brands as everyone has their own opinion of what's best.
I still believe if you buy a "brand" name set you will be pleased.
When you make your purchase, go to AVS, sign up, then search for your model and you should find many owners sharing their calibrated settings (some are done professionally while others will list personal settings that look good to them) then apply to your set and I think you will be pleased.
I bought my brand name 40"LCD set unseen (read reviews) two years ago and I am still blown away with HD picture and 1080p movies.
Check out Amazon, One Call and 6th Avenue Electronics, I've bought electronics from all three with excellent pricing and usually free shipping. Good luck!
