Need a new tv for March Madness...suggestions?

[Cajun Reff]

I have a toshiba HD TV and I love it

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by LoveBasketball

I am a huge fan of March Madness and look forward to it every year! This year, though, I want to get rid of my little 32" TV and get something that will actually be fun to watch.

I want at least a 40" HDTV, 1080p, and in the realm of like $1,000-$1,500 bucks. So obviously I can't get a super high end brand like Sony.

I was thinking maybe Vizio... they have a 42" LCD that is only like $1k. They seem to be decent quality but I don't know much about them.

What do you think? Other suggestions? I'm trying to stay (somewhat) low budget here.

Thanks!

The best set is what your eye likes.

I'm partial to Samsung. Bought a 40 inch just after Christmas.... 960.00

Still can't get over the the great picture in HD.

College hoops the best on HD

[truerookie]

How about a bizhub.

[Bad Zebra]

Just got a Samsung 52" LCD. For me, it came down to Sony and Samsung. Saw them side-by-side and I just liked the Samsung's picture better. Make sure you get one with 120 hZ. That's the newest technology for a quality ACTION picture (basketball). Also, make sure ya go with LCD. Plasma is going to go the way of the Beta Max. Pioneer has already discontinued production of plasma.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by Bad Zebra

Just got a Samsung 52" LCD. For me, it came down to Sony and Samsung. Saw them side-by-side and I just liked the Samsung's picture better. Make sure you get one with 120 hZ. That's the newest technology for a quality ACTION picture (basketball). Also, make sure ya go with LCD. Plasma is going to go the way of the Beta Max. Pioneer has already discontinued production of plasma.

Not exactly...they're no longer making the plasma panels but will be selling plasma TVs....buying the panels from someone else That market, like many others, is just consolodating to a few high volume manufacturers.

Plasma has a size advantage....no LCDs come in some of the larger sizes that Plasma does.

That said, when there are both to be had at the size you're looking at, I'd probably go with LCD. THey're a lot lighter, use much less power, and run much cooler. They also don't suffer from burn-in....the picture stays the same from the day you buy it...plasma can get burnin.

One point to really take note of is the black level of LCDs. That is one of their biggest weaknesses. How black is black? Is it really grey? In a showroom it might be hard to tell but in a darkened home, a dark night sceen might seem like times square (...exaggerated a bit...).


As for brands, avoid the cheapies....they cut a lot of corners. Two co-workers have Vizio's and they're cheap...but not great. Seemed to be working OK but when he latered tried an HDMI input, it had red lines all over. He tried it on other Vizio's and got the same result. He tried the same source on other brands and had no problems. Maybe an odd incompatibility but I'd bet that Panasonic, Toshiba, Sony, et. at. don't have those problems nearly as much...doing more compatibility testing than the small guys have the budget to do.

[BktBallRef]

I bought the 52" Sharp Aquous LCD 1080P. I looked before Thanksgiving and they were $3199. The day after Thanksgiving, $2199 @ Circuit City. Knock off another $300 for Directv signup and I was looking good. Even so, a friend found the same TV on the dame day at the PX for $1599, Unfortunately, I didn't have that advantage but I'm still happy with my purchase. For me, Sharp products are as good as anything on the market. I'm looking at buying a Sharp Blu-Ray player this weekend.

LCD > Plasma, although Plasma is cheaper. The biggest difference for me is that there's no screen reflection with LCD. With the glass plasma screen, every light that hits the panel is reflected back at you. As Cameron said, you'll want to compare contrast numbers, because you want black blacks, not gray blacks.

Don't screw around with RCA or S-video cables. Go HDMI, It has the highest quality video and includes audio. But don't get ripped off! Sam's Club has 6' HDMI cables for less than $20. If you go anywhere that I know of, you'll pays $35 to $85.

Check with your cable or satellite dealer and see what HD packages they have. Directv has almost 100 channels and they're great! They're still working on audio sync with some channels but it's usually minimal. Time-Warner cable here SUCKS! They have less than a dozen HD channels. So going to satellite was no problem for me.

Finally, if you're gonna spend the money on a TV, buy quality. Don't screw around with looking for cheap. Get what you pay for.

[w_sohl]

I have a 61" Mitsubishi Widescreen HD television, LOVE it....

Just can't figure out how to remove the removable protective shield on the front, I get terrible glare on it from certain spots in the room.