2011 Official LGP HDTV Buying Guide

[JS©]

I haven't seen a 70 inch for under $2000, there's no way an 80 inch is under 1000.

Unless it's the infamous "free tv" from Craigslist with the burned-in image.

[mac5155]

Lol Im telling him it's too good to be true.. He insists on buying it

[JS©]

[JeffDFD]

I haven't seen a 70 inch for under $2000, there's no way an 80 inch is under 1000.

Unless it's the infamous "free tv" from Craigslist with the burned-in image.

I bought a 70 for 1850...woo go Costco

But the same TV (about) in the 80 inch version was a lot closer waaaaaaaay more expensive...I forget but approaching 4k I thought so yeah...unless its an 80 inch piece of cardboard with drawings on it...

[pittsoccer33]

I haven't seen a 70 inch for under $2000, there's no way an 80 inch is under 1000.

Unless it's the infamous "free tv" from Craigslist with the burned-in image.

I bought a 70 for 1850...woo go Costco

But the same TV (about) in the 80 inch version was a lot closer waaaaaaaay more expensive...I forget but approaching 4k I thought so yeah...unless its an 80 inch piece of cardboard with drawings on it...

Thats a fairly typical price for the 70". That would be on the lower end, but I've seen that before.

What's the largest tv you can buy under 1000?

-Sears usually carries a 60" Zenith plasma (made by LG) for $999. Sale prices have taken models by LG and Panasonic close to that too.
-Walmart occasionally sells a 65" Toshiba LCD for $999
-BB, HH Gregg, and Sears have all sold a 60" Sharp LED for $999
-Mitsubishi 60" rear projection sets were under $1k, but I think they discontinued 60"

Picked up the 46" Toshiba LED. Had to trek out to Century 3 BB to get it. Will give a review once I get everything up and running for a few days.

Sorry I didnt see this before. Toshiba often makes their 40" models 60hz only, so its good you went with the slightly larger set. They are good tv's for the money. No frills, but a nice picture.

[the wicked child]

Yeah... This model had all the specs I was looking for and was in my price range. Combined with the fact that I wasn't seeing any bad reviews made it an easy buy once I saw it in person.

The Samsung models looked a bit better, but were typically $200 more expensive.

[the wicked child]

So after the first week of use, I have to say that I'm more than pleased with my purchase. The only negative so far is that sometimes the high resolution exposes the weakness of the signal from Comcast.

When playing my PS3 or a blu-ray though, the picture is fricken amazing.

[manicmonday18]

I'm jumping back into this thread for some advice on my next tv purchase...Pittsoccer I hope you and all the other informed people in this thread can help score me a deal...

Last fall I got a 55" Samsung (UN55D6000) LED that I love (thanks for the help, Pittsoccer). I am in the process of building a house that will be done next month and am looking to get a new tv for my bedroom. I am looking for anything 40-46 inches and would prefer Samsung or Vizio. I have a Samsung LED as aforementioned as well as a 46" Samsung LCD (LN46c670). I love both of these tvs. My parents have had good success with Vizio as their bedroom tv (no needs for every bell and whistle in a bedroom tv) and I may be swayed to try that brand if the price is right. I am looking for something with streaming capability (both my LED and LCD have that and I enjoy watching Netflix that way). 3D is not needed. Mostly I'm looking for a great deal. Is father's day or memorial day weekend a big time to get a good tv deal? I am not in any hurry so I could also wait until the fourth of July weekend or even longer if there is a typical summer time or holiday weekend that tvs go on sale. Pittsoccer since you are in the biz, do you recognize the sales on one of these holidays to be better than others?

Also, what recommendations do you have in my desired size (40-46"), brand (Samsung or Vizio), with streaming? Am I missing the boat and is there another tv that I should be considering maybe in a different brand that I should take time to check out? Like I said I'm not in any hurry to buy this tv but I know a purchase is in my future in the next couple months so I want to get the best deal I can. My price point is definitely below $1000. My 46" Samsung LCD is still a great tv...even though it is 2 years old. I wouldn't be opposed to purchasing a very similar model (i.e. left over from past model years) since it had great picture and streaming capabilities. My only other concern is that for the first time, this tv will be FACING windows. Granted this windows will have blinds which will be closed the majority of the time, but they will still provide a direct light source aimed AT the time. I have always had windows BEHIND my tv, but never facing the tv. Since it is the bedroom, I will be watching it in the dark 90% of the time, but I still assume LED or LCD would be preferred, is that correct? Any help or advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

This tv looks like a great deal based solely on what I see online...I have yet to see it in store.
1. E3D470VX Vizio (47" $748)
Thoughts?

[pittsoccer33]

I'll lay out a few thoughts I have on it.

Its a bedroom tv. Even though there are windows facing the screen, are you watching it very often during periods of sunlight? If you spend all day Sunday lounging around it might be a consideration, but if you're mostly watching Leno or those Western Conference Penguin games, I wouldnt worry about it.

If you decide it is NOT a consideration, I'd honestly consider a 42-46" 720p plasma. It's a secondary screen, mostly used to watch regular tv (which isnt 1080p) and occasionally Netflix. Your bill on one of those would be in the $400 range. Just a thought.

If the glaring light will be a problem LED/LCD would definitely be better. You will then have to differentiate between gloss and matte screens. Gloss will pick up more glare than matte. Your D6000 has a glossy screen so you have a basis to compare. I think that 2010 C series model does too but my memory if fuzzy on it. See what you think of the glare on that and if you are ok with it. All of Samsung's LEDs use gloss screens. Some of Vizios do, some don't.

Panasonic LEDs are getting a lot better. They offer a decent choice of streaming options. You have to be careful to mention what you want to stream when you say that. Netflix is a go 99% of the time if a device does "streaming." They make the E50 in 42" and 47" that would have good sale prices of around $750 and $900 respectively. They are pretty new in stores so prices haven't dipped to much yet though. They don't build the wifi in though if thats a concern.

By and large, streaming is being left off of LCD models now and becoming mainstream on more LEDs.

If you really need wifi, unless the tv you're buying has it built in you will pay just as much for a Roku or wifi bluray player as you will for their proprietary wifi adapter (pc ones wont work). A Roku will give you tons more options and will be updated more as well.

I actually think Fathers Day week had some of our best deals last year. I remember the 46" Sony EX720 (a competing model do your D6000) being $899, and the 46" D6000 was either $999 or $1099 and it came with a $150 gift card. Credit card financing deals are likely to be expanded to more months interest free as well if that appeals to you.

Not extremely familiar with that Vizio but I don't have anything bad to say about the company other than that they cannot be repaired (not that most tvs that break down can be). They do not carry an inventory of parts and view them as disposable products.

Thats a 3D model, you might be able to find something similar without 3D for less. If not, bonus to you.

[Sarcastic]

pittsoccer - What are your thoughts on DLPs these days? I am not in the market for a new TV... just asking in general because I don't hear of many people buying these and yet you can find enormous sets for little money. How popular are they? I think they look fine whenever I see one in person, except that you have to be aligned well because it loses its picture if you're too much off center. They're obviously extremely bulky, but once you get it set up in one place, you're OK. I found this 82 inch for $1,599 last night by clicking a random link while looking for something. Here it is on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Mitsubishi-WD-82738-82-Inch-DLP-HDTV/dp/B003HPB97I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337232035&sr=8-2

[pittsoccer33]

mitsubishi is the only name in rear projection now. while contrast is still not as deep as the compeition they have got much better. the bulbs life span has too. sears [occaisonally] has them in some stores, best buy carries the nicest model line, and hhgregg does too. none of the other stores that are starting to sell a lot of tvs (target, costco, etc) carry them.

their quality is above average and the feature set is impossible to beat for the size and money. as home projector screen set ups are becoming more popular i think they are positioning themselves as competitors to those as opposed to the enourmous sharp leds and panasonic commerical grade plasmas.

if you had a basement with a lower height ceiling and thought a projector mount would be problematic this is the way to go. theyve lost the popular appeal bacause theyre not new technology, and most wives arent interested in having a big ugly tv taking of their family room.

the model you pointed to is slightly older which explains its price being a bit lower, but that is such a sweet deal for a big screen set up.

[JS©]

pittsoccer, this thing is gonna drop in price on black friday, right?

[FreeCandy44]

Walmart has a Sanyo 39" TV. 1080p 60hz LCD. Its only $299.00 and I can get it on lay away. I was courious if anyone has or has dealt with this model or Sanyo in general. Also if you needed this TV, would you buy it? It would go into my bedroom and I'd be about 8 feet from it. I'm just hoping this TV isn't to big so that I see all those pixels.

[mac5155]

That seems a bit expensive to Be honest . I just got a group on for a 47" jvc tv for 489 I think it was.

[pittsoccer33]

Walmart has a Sanyo 39" TV. 1080p 60hz LCD. Its only $299.00 and I can get it on lay away. I was courious if anyone has or has dealt with this model or Sanyo in general. Also if you needed this TV, would you buy it? It would go into my bedroom and I'd be about 8 feet from it. I'm just hoping this TV isn't to big so that I see all those pixels.

Thats a pretty solid deal for a tv that size. I have a 37" Element 720p tv in my bedroom and I think its fine all things considered.

Sanyo is Panasonic's entry level brand. They bought them two or three years ago.

[mac5155]

My grandma had a sanyo tube TV and its still kicking like 15 years later FWIW

[pittsoccer33]

And that 4K Sony? That won't be in any stores, so I'm sure it will still carry a $10,000+ price tag on black friday. Thats the kind of thing some high end show rooms will get (the only place like this in the PGH area is probably Butch's Sound and Vision and I doubt he'd have one). Mostly they will be sold direct to custom installers.

Panasonic has sold 80" and 150" plasmas for a few years now, but they aren't sold in normal stores. There are also some other companies you've probably never heard of that sell to that market such as Runco and Bang & Olufsen

[JS©]

I was somewhat kidding with the 4k. For each new TV released, I'm sure there are also two models being produced to supercede it. So I'm thinking that on the day the 4K was released, something else was already in teh works.

mitsubishi is the only name in rear projection now. while contrast is still not as deep as the compeition they have got much better. the bulbs life span has too. sears [occaisonally] has them in some stores, best buy carries the nicest model line, and hhgregg does too. none of the other stores that are starting to sell a lot of tvs (target, costco, etc) carry them.

their quality is above average and the feature set is impossible to beat for the size and money. as home projector screen set ups are becoming more popular i think they are positioning themselves as competitors to those as opposed to the enourmous sharp leds and panasonic commerical grade plasmas.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Mitsubishi- ... Id=9966999

60 inch mitsu for $499, although I'm sure the delivery charges will send this TV north of $650.

My grandma had a sanyo tube TV and its still kicking like 15 years later FWIW

My sister has a sanyo in her spare room. It's creeping up on 20 years old and it's still going strong. Think she bought it in 1993 or 1994.

[pittsoccer33]

4K is cool and all, but there really are no 4K videos and fewer devices that could actually play them. High end Nvidia gfx cards for pcs can do it and I'd be ATI can as well, but there are no bluray players (that I'm aware of) that have been updated to output it (though for many a firmware update would fix it).

the most immediate benefit of a 4k tv will be on 3D bluray movies. Right now 3D on a tv is shown one of two ways
1) the screen only shows the left eye or the right eye, alternating very quickly. each eye gets 1080p but not at the same time.
2) the screen shows both eyes at once (eliminating the flicker) but each eye only gets 540p.

A 4K tv could do 1080p to each eye at the same time. That's why the Sony model in the video uses the passive glasses like movie theaters, LG LEDs, and Vizio LEDs use.

There is a waiting library of 4K content - for the past few years when digital masters of movies have been made (the source file that dvds and blurays are made from) they are done at at least 4K. The problem will be delivery. A 4K movie will not fit on a normal bluray disc without being heavily compressed - eliminating the benefit of the extra detail. Streaming it won't work either - a 4K movie would likely be several hundred gigabytes.

[Allegheny66]

Looking to get a 30-32 incher.
Narrowed it down to these below.
Which would you choose and are they all good.

LG models (CS40, CS560, and LS3410)

[Allegheny66]

Just measured. I am going to be watching TV from 10-13 feet away.
Is a 32 inch set good or too small? 37? 40?

Along with this question, at that larger size does 1080P and 120HZ begin to matter and what budget is it for a good TV that size?
Any recommendations?

[viva la ben]

Just measured. I am going to be watching TV from 10-13 feet away.
Is a 32 inch set good or too small? 37? 40?

Along with this question, at that larger size does 1080P and 120HZ begin to matter and what budget is it for a good TV that size?
Any recommendations?

Go ask big as you can, I'd recommend at least 55". I have a lg 55lw5700 for almost a year and its been great.

[Allegheny66]

Just measured. I am going to be watching TV from 10-13 feet away.
Is a 32 inch set good or too small? 37? 40?

Along with this question, at that larger size does 1080P and 120HZ begin to matter and what budget is it for a good TV that size?
Any recommendations?

Go ask big as you can, I'd recommend at least 55". I have a lg 55lw5700 for almost a year and its been great.

This for a bedroom, not a living room. I can't afford a 55 inch "2nd" TV.

[JS©]

better question would be a $ amount to work with? $300? $500? $800?

[Allegheny66]

better question would be a $ amount to work with? $300? $500? $800?

This is a second TV, so low budget.
If it was 32, under $300 but if a 37-39 will do from 10-13 feet I can do $400.
But I want quality. I'm unclear at this size if you need the 1080P and 120HZ upgrade.
Found this set, thoughts?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+-+39%26%2334%3B+Class+-+LED+-+1080p+-+60Hz+-+HDTV/6266483.p?id=1218725905648&skuId=6266483#tab=reviews