I'm looking to get a 42" to 50" HD LCD. Been shopping around but does anyone have any hookups...I'm leaning towards the Samsung. The Vizio's that Sams has are a great deal for $1300 for a 47" 1080p but you can tell the pic quality between a Vizio and the higher end brands. I know that most brands only have about 3 major manufacturers of the actual screen itself. Any help you guys can provide would be much appreciated...yes,this will include the necessity for a PS3 as well.

JD

 

i remember yay back in da days when i use to work for best buy, i miss that employee discount! for good deals i like to hit up fry's or best buy when they have something advertised. My friends vizio went out last week and dont recommend them. Never really cared for samsung, they would always come back to the store, unless they have gotten better. Sorry not much help, im always looking for a new tv, so who gotz them hook ups!?! Let me know when you get that ps3.

- b

 

samsung is really nice...check fry's ads as they always have something on sale...

panasonic is nice...got one for me and one for my parents. always liked their quality...got them both @ best buy on sale...

 

I bought a 50 inch plasma Zenith at Circuit City for $999. They may have gone back up now.

 

Ok.... here is a breakdown.... of HDTV types...

1. Is my screen gonna be bigger than 36''?
YES: Go with a 1080i/p (p if you wanna future proof)
NO: Get a 720p... you will NOT be able to tell **** for difference

2. Do I watch SD and HD with it?
YES: If you watch SD AT ALL... you need to make sure that the company that makes your TV has a good scaler in it. With high end Sony's and Sammy's you will find pretty decent scalars (Samsung > Sony unless you go XBR5 or better).
NO: Well if you watch absolutely no SD and are only gaming / watching HD then you could get away with buying from companies like vizio

3. How do I get both size AND quality with HD for cheap?
Simple... DONT buy a LCD... blacks are off contrast and the thing heats up... if you dont mind having a TV thats like a foot wide (as opposed to traditional LCD's which are about 3-5" wide), then you should ABSOLUTELY consider a DLP (see samsung HLTXX87S - XX => size of screen). The new DLP's come with an LED backlight that will last 20K hours.. Not to mention the 1000 time better picture quality and contrast ratios. The only downside to DLP is that you will sacrifice some of your viewing angles... (LCD is ~180 degrees and DLP ~130 degrees - also ... DLP you need to view it from the right height for optimal picture).

I have a DLP 50'' samsung @ home and when people come over they are pretty sure its a plasma or an LCD.... (although the sticker says DLP in big red letters ).

and as far as plasma... unless you dont mind rebuying a HDTV every 3-5 years... you should not concider a plasma - they still look better than the others (other than OLED) but plasma gets VERY HOT and uses a LOT of power

PM me if you have specific questions... hope this helps

 

Oh... and also... DONT BUY IT AT A VENDOR... get it online...

go to pricegrabber.com and search for the TV you want... i bet you this price will be lower than any average store you could walk in to bya few hundreds (even w/ shipping).

I got my sammy for 1500 shipped ... retail @ frys was 2500....

 

DLP without a doubt, permitted space isn't a concern (i.e. you're not dead set on hanging something on your wall)... Dad and brother: Mitsubishi's 65" 1080P DLP ... Best picture hands down...

 

I have a friend who is an LG dealer, I got mine for 800 new after 300 rebate for a 42 plasma last summer.

 

I would have to disagree with shabarivas on a few points here, and these are IMHO based on my direct observation (and my dad's knowledge working for Magnolia for 4 years now):

1. 720p vs. 1080i - most any HDTV's offered nowadays will handle both 720 progressive AND 1080 interlaced so this comment should only pertain to whether or not to go with 1080p or not.

3. I agree you will be able to get a much larger screen with DLP, but personally I cannot get over the viewing angle issues with DLP ... unless you are going to be the only person watching and you are directly seated in front of the TV. Watching the recent UFC fight on my friends 65" DLP (purchased mid-2007 new) was very annoying since I wasn't seated directly in front of the TV set ... you get shadows and dimming, similar to trying to look at pictures on a laptop from an angle. Most LCD flat panel TV's will not have this problem and any new plasma will not exhibit this either.

As far as plasma's burning out in 3 - 5 years, I would say in my experience maybe if you bought your plasma 5 years ago (or off the back of a truck) ... but the newer plasma's are worlds better and have a far longer life expectancy than 5 years.

Personally I decided on a LCD front projector after demo'ing about 12 different brands/models. I went with a Panasonic just as a new model came out and the colors were every bit as crisp as the DLP plus the project was way more flexible with respect to mounting distance and features.

If you are willing to spend ~$1500, I would seriously consider a 50" Panasonic plasma, you will be absolutely blown away.

 

Buy online. I got my 65" RP DLP for 1399.00 shipped. Flawless 1080p. <3 it.