Thinking of getting a new TV...

[iheartnihilism]

Getting a tv also. The one I had broke (no video, audio was still perfect).
Dont want HD (it looks "cheap" to me, I know it's not, but that doesn't change my brain so don't bother - I will admit football looks awesome on it though.)
I have no idea how much tvs should cost having never bought one before but I need it to be high 40s-low 50s. Not too big to be obnoxious. Any suggestions?
I've been told I shouldn't get a plasma and that Vizio is good for someone who's going to use it for gaming/movies (what else would you use a tv for?)

Also, some Mac users have told me to just get a Mac instead of a tv..?? Can I hook cable up to that? I'm a total Luddite. Halp!

[lizsquiz]

Originally Posted by Rufio

I'd been looking into maybe a tv around 42" the lighting in the room is average. i saw some great deals on some samsung plasmas but theres also a lot of talk that the samsung plasmas make this loud buzzing noise, dont know loud that buzzing actually is. for LCDs i was thinking of going with 120 1080p, which brands make the best LCDs? also, dont these new LED tvs make the images look very "computery"?

Get an LCD if you're going to put it in a spot where there'd normally be glare on a TV screen. LCD screens are plastic so even when it's bright outside there is no glare or reflection off the surface.

You can get a bigger plasma for the same money, but the LCD technology's better and it performs better in different lighting conditions, as well as being cheaper to run.

I didn't really look at LEDs seriously as they were too pricy for my budget.

[fluxquanta]

I don't know about any particular suggestions for you, but you're right about the deals that are available right now. My brother bought a 73" Mitsubishi DLP a couple of weeks ago for like $1300. Shit's ridiculous.

[da_ticklah]

Originally Posted by fluxquanta

I don't know about any particular suggestions for you, but you're right about the deals that are available right now. My brother bought a 73" Mitsubishi DLP a couple of weeks ago for like $1300. Shit's ridiculous.

Not a fan of DLP talk to somebody who's had one for 3 or 4 years and had to buy a lamp or color wheel for one, not cheap.

[fluxquanta]

Originally Posted by da_ticklah

Not a fan of DLP talk to somebody who's had one for 3 or 4 years and had to buy a lamp or color wheel for one, not cheap.

My brother's not too concerned. Sure a new bulb is like $200 or $300, but he has the money, and doesn't actually have the TV on more than 5 or 10 hours per week, anyway. Mainly just for football games, news after work, and the occasional (3D) movie.

[Rufio]

DLPs are pretty horrible, they have for the most part pretty horrible picture quality, are a pain in the ass to move, and take up way too much space. I'm def only looking for a flat screen.

[fluxquanta]

Originally Posted by Rufio

DLPs are pretty horrible, they have for the most part pretty horrible picture quality, are a pain in the ass to move, and take up way too much space. I'm def only looking for a flat screen.

They are huge and a pain to move, but I think the picture quality's still great. To be fair, I wouldn't have have gotten any TV as big as my brother's. Even with a true HD source, you still only have 1920 x 1080 pixels, and you gotta think that those pixels are spread out on a larger area, so you're either going to see a visible grain if the definition is too sharp or fuzz if the pixels blend. I personally only have a 19" LCD that only does 720p, and I think it looks great, and don't need anything bigger for the time being. It's on my desk and used part time as a second monitor, so it doesn't need to be OMG HUGE.

To each their own, I guess...

[Rufio]

Originally Posted by fluxquanta

They are huge and a pain to move, but I think the picture quality's still great. To be fair, I wouldn't have have gotten any TV as big as my brother's. Even with a true HD source, you still only have 1920 x 1080 pixels, and you gotta think that those pixels are spread out on a larger area, so you're either going to see a visible grain if the definition is too sharp or fuzz if the pixels blend. I personally only have a 19" LCD that only does 720p, and I think it looks great, and don't need anything bigger for the time being. It's on my desk and used part time as a second monitor, so it doesn't need to be OMG HUGE.

To each their own, I guess...

they look "ok" if you're at the perfect distance from the them and if you're standing directly infront of them, as soon as you go off to a side you get that weird dark depth thing going which is horrible

[DudeEMETIB]

I bought a 42" Insignia Plasma 720p for about $340-350. Can't remember exact price after taxes.

It was Black Friday though.

Things to consider are the size of the room / stand/entertainment center the TV will be in/on. How far from the TV you'll be sitting when using it. And like the guy above said, the lighting of the room.

I personally prefer plasmas, seeing LCD/LED/Plasma's a lot (cause I'm bored and at Best Buy, Target, or Wal-mart a lot, and I always just go straight to the electronics), I think they just render the best image on average, and their extremely high refresh rates are epic win for gaming.

Your average LCD/LED will have 60-120Hz, average Plasma has at least 600Hz, I've also heard that LCD's can't handle fast motion images as well as Plasmas, I haven't personally noticed this, but there's that...

It's harder to find a comparatively cheap Plasma 1080p of the same size, than it is to find a 1080p LED or LCD, not sure why that is...but it is. But before you go off assuming you need a 1080p, take the info on this site into consideration:

1080p Does Matter – Here's When (Screen Size vs. Viewing Distance vs. Resolution) | CarltonBale.com

I found it helpful, there's no question 1080p is better than 720p, but sometimes you won't be able to notice the difference, so why pay more for something you're not really getting? Ya know? Unless you are, and then go ahead.

Also helpful, though perhaps a tiny bit outdated, cause a lot of the kinks in Plasmas, LCDs and LEDs that they had when they were first being produced have been worked on / corrected...like the plasmas burning in, and what not.
is this:
Plasma vs. LCD vs. LED - Home AV Buying Guide - CNET Asia

But if your request for help is more so on finding deals, then...I'd say Amazon, if you don't mind buying your TV online....also Walmart.com you can often find great deals and bundles, and they have a thing now, where I think in most occasions, if you find a TV you like (or w/e you're looking at) that isn't available in your local store, you can have it shipped to the local store, and you'll pick it up, and I'm pretty positive it's a free service.

[Diglass]

This is the 42 in Vizio TV I have Vizio 42" 1080p LCD 60Hz HDTV - Walmart.com

It's $500 through them right now. Like I said, I love it. It's a great HD tv.

Compared to all the other ones in it's price range looking side by side it looks the best (imo). You can't beat that it's made in CA and free 1yr warranty (Not too long, but nice).

I did have to mess with some of the video settings when I set it up for best picture quality.