Zilvia HDTV Options/Discussions

[Edgar]

Well, I have been in the market to getting a nice HDTV (FINALLY) for my room. I dont want anything too big and HUGE. Something just right like a 26".
What are some of the recomendations some of you guys give when looking at diffrent brands and stuff.

[Rob's S14]

For something that size go LCD. 1080 isn't really necessary but if you can afford the extra dough, go ahead. Make sure you check the contrast ratio and refresh times. High contrast ratio, low refresh rate. Check places like Costco, because they have awesome return policies. Also, if you don't mind the risk you can find some sick deals at Best Buy etc in the open item section.

[buku_points]

i recently purchased a 52" mitsubishi dlp1080p looks really good im not a fan of lcd tv's i got mine from howard's

[94cc0rd]

I'd say look at 32". Even in my small room, my 32" is just right... but any smaller would look a little too small.

Good brands to look at are Sony, Sharp AQUOS, Samsung...

Depending on your budget, You can get a nice 32" LCD tv for around 7-900 these days. If you want 1080p on a 32" I think the certain Sharp AQUOS model is the only one that offers 1080p... Not sure though..

Oh yeah, I bought my 32" Sony at Circuit City. It was an open box item so I got a slight discount but they said it was never even turned on. The box was only opened. When I was unpackaging everything, it still looked brand new so either, it was never even taken out of the box, or whoever returned it did a hell of a job repackaging everything the exact way it would look from the factory... ;)

[i need tires]

i would go with a samsung or sharp if you dont want to spend sony prices! they are just as good.. most are 1080, i know here there is a place that was selling some for $1200-1400 for a 46" so im sure you can get a 26" for a good price

i personally for a room would go with a 32" reason being is because when u buy the small onces u can pay like an extra $100 and get like 8" more inchs in screen

and 40"+ for living room

[ALEXTHESUS*PECT]

this is my tv and i loooooove it!
37" samsung flat panel lcd tv
http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/8559/8559204_sa.jpg

got it from best buy!
With an 8,000:1 contrast ratio and an ultrafast 8 ms response time, this 37" LCD HDTV delivers stunning high-definition visuals and crisp, clear detail. Wide 178° viewing angles ensure comfortable viewing from almost any seat in the house.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8559204&type=product&id=1188562133732

[axiomatik]

I avoid Samsung like the plague. I've had too many samsung products fail on me within 18 months of purchasing them (including a TV, a VCR and a microwave)

[eastcoastS14]

parents just bought a 50" pioneer and it looks great....they went for the 720p instead of the 1080p cause there inst enough of a picture difference to be worth the extra cash....i spent a lot of time staring at all different HDs and i gotta say the pioneer looks the best, all the others look too sharp or grainy...but seriously just get what looks good to you, cause once its in your room its not like youll have another HD to compare it too, and they really only look better or worse by comparison to other HDs

[mt2forty]

I just purchased a 20" LG lcd hdtv as a temporary installment in my room. Although 20" is a bit small (it's only temporary) the clarity is remarkable and it has a good response time. If you're a gamer, there is an additional setting that ups the refresh rate. Really...LG makes quality televisions...just my 2cents

[dirtdiggler666]

go with a 32 at least and do not get a sony i know of 3 tv's that took a crap in 1 year.

[sleepy_s13]

If your gonna spend some dough do it right. I also say Get At least 32" LCD 1080P, SONY SHARP OR SAMSUNG

[theronin]

this is my tv and i loooooove it!
37" samsung flat panel lcd tv
http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/8559/8559204_sa.jpg

got it from best buy!
With an 8,000:1 contrast ratio and an ultrafast 8 ms response time, this 37" LCD HDTV delivers stunning high-definition visuals and crisp, clear detail. Wide 178° viewing angles ensure comfortable viewing from almost any seat in the house.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8559204&type=product&id=1188562133732

this man speaks the truth i got the same tv but in the 40in version. love it!

[trsilvias13]

For something that size go LCD. 1080 isn't really necessary but if you can afford the extra dough, go ahead. Make sure you check the contrast ratio and refresh times. High contrast ratio, low refresh rate. Check places like Costco, because they have awesome return policies. Also, if you don't mind the risk you can find some sick deals at Best Buy etc in the open item section.


Costco here doesnt have the awesome return policy any more. I think it either 60 or 90 days return policy now. Before it was like whenever you fee like it and still go back close to full price.

[bigOdom1]

my moms just got a sharp aquos. if i house sit for her one weekend it my come back to auburn with me



i like it, but the toshiba 62" is a badass in the living room so i dont really need another tv

[fromxtor]

I just got a 50" Sony WEGA and I love it, I've been hearing nothing but good things about the vizios.http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5623471

[murda-c]

I just bought my dad an LCD toshiba regza.

good shit, check the reviews online.

you can find them for cheap at circuit city and other places most of the time as well.

I hope you have golf channel in HD, because that's the best channel for just enjoying your super awesome picture quality.

[BOROSUN]

definetly get 32"
im wait for the sharp D62U (1080P) to drop under 800.

budget/good lcd under $700
1# Toshiba 32HL67
sharp 32D43U
Samsung T3253H
all 720P hdmi can go to 1080i but, you cant really tell from 1080p the diff.


if budget is not a concern go sony XBR.
oh when buying tv always go bigger the better.

[ZX88]

this is my tv and i loooooove it!
37" samsung flat panel lcd tv
http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/8559/8559204_sa.jpg

got it from best buy!
With an 8,000:1 contrast ratio and an ultrafast 8 ms response time, this 37" LCD HDTV delivers stunning high-definition visuals and crisp, clear detail. Wide 178° viewing angles ensure comfortable viewing from almost any seat in the house.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8559204&type=product&id=1188562133732

i also just got this tv in 32 inch had a 32inch sharp lcd and the samsung has better color higher contrast ratio and just overall is an amazing tv for the price i recommend it.

[ctm_motortrends]

55 Hitachi. Great Tv a very good investment... In the shop right now my 1 year old trew a screwdriver at it.... Parenthood is a Bitch...I miss my TV

[EDacIouSX]

im sure with games u can tell the diff btwn 1080 and 720. i sure can tell differences in resolutions on computer monitors that aren't evne half as big as the difference between 1080 and 720.

[Mlogue84]

First of all.... Vizio = Shit

Secondly, there is a huge difference between 720p and 1080p! Especially on a Pioneer! Samsung and Sony use the same panels to power their tvs. Both are really awesome sets.
Don't buy open box anything!!! Stores lie, and people beat the shit out of them. Not to mention that dumb sales associates might clean the tv with a chemical that could potentially damage the tv if they're not careful... Open Box = Fail

1080i is entirely different from 1080p.
The "i" following 1080 stands for interlaced. The "p" stands for progressive... the numbers 480i 480p 720p 1080i 1080p are in reference to how many horizontal lines of resolution there are. If it is interlaced then every other line of resolution refreshes at a time. Progressive means that every line refreshes at once, resulting in better picture quality... An example would be if you were watching a baseball game and the batter hits the ball... on an interlaced signal you're more likely to see a "comet trail" behind the ball. What it boils down to is it depends on what you're planning to hook up to your tv. HD cable... 1080i is fine because thats the highest output offered. Blu-ray... 1080p is necessary to accomplish true "HD". HD-DVD... depends on the player that you have, the shitty thing about hddvd is that only certain players output 1080p (some are 1080i), although almost all movies are 1080p.
It goes on and on but you get the idea.

[kandyflip445]

Don't buy 1080p for a freakin 32". Unless you're like 5" away you won't notice the extra resolution. The only 4 sources that can do 1080p right now are PS3, Xbox 360, HD-DVD, and Blu-ray so unless you use a lot of those then it won't make a difference anyways.

If you watch a lot of standard definition programing then you need to know that it will usually look fuzzy on a HDTV. Not so much as a larger version. But it won't look like what you're used to.

Go look at what you like best. Everyone here is just going to tell you they like what they bought. lol

STAY AWAY FROM MAGNAVOX AND PHILIPS. They suck balls.

[BOROSUN]

i wasn't tell to buy a 32" 1080p tv. i just noted that the D62u is a 1080p model.

he is looking for some recommendation.

While this isn't the most scientific test, both Katzmaier and I agreed that, after scanning through Mission: Impossible III for an hour, it would be very difficult--practically impossible--for the average consumer to tell the difference between a high-definition image displayed on a 1080p-capable TV and one with lower native resolution at the screen sizes mentioned above. At larger screen sizes, the differences might become somewhat more apparent, especially if you sit close to the screen.
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-6661274-1.html

you wont even notice it until you go big.

also clouding,binding,burn-in,deadpixels dont be scared. its only a few bad apples thats happens.

SONY ftmfw!

[94cc0rd]

I believe Sharp AQUOS and SONY are at the top for LCD tv's right now..

[flclsteve]

ya i work for people who sell tv's mark up is alot more then u think on tv's but as far as the best lcd's samsung and sony but when u purchase a sony ur just paying for the name really any one in the market for a good lcd should pick up a samsung

[Bushido]

i heard sharp manufactures the screens for all the top LCD brands... sony, samsung, etc true?

[BOROSUN]

ya i work for people who sell tv's mark up is alot more then u think on tv's but as far as the best lcd's samsung and sony but when u purchase a sony ur just paying for the name really any one in the market for a good lcd should pick up a samsung

they are made from the same plant/panels (not sharp) but, different have components.


have you even seen a samsung and sony (71f/81f vs xbr5) side by side.

[txrxs]

Interesting, almost everything posted in here is the same shit I've been telling you for a while...I'd say go with samsung, although if you don't treat them right they shit on your very quickly.

Go get learned:
http://www.avsforum.com/

[Edgar]

Yea TR told me Visio was shit, and all those other none brands. Samsong is what I am leaning towards. I will probably purchase my TV from FRYS www.frys.com

HUmmmmmmmm

Thanks for all the info guys

[S14monkey]

I got a 42" Sharp Aquos like 3-4 months ago. I was originally looking for a 37" but I got a killer deal on the 42 so I got that instead.

[bigOdom1]

First of all.... Vizio = Shit

Secondly, there is a huge difference between 720p and 1080p! Especially on a Pioneer! Samsung and Sony use the same panels to power their tvs. Both are really awesome sets.
Don't buy open box anything!!! Stores lie, and people beat the shit out of them. Not to mention that dumb sales associates might clean the tv with a chemical that could potentially damage the tv if they're not careful... Open Box = Fail




i bought mine open box and floor model, told them i wanted a new bulb installed also, from best buy, free extended warranty(five years), half off the stand for it, and free hdmi cables, bought it two years ago now, 2100 out the door 62" Toshiba 1080p be careful buying open box but it can save a ton and you would never know mine was a floor model if you saw it

[ManoNegra]

I'd say look at 32". Even in my small room, my 32" is just right... but any smaller would look a little too small.

Good brands to look at are Sony, Sharp AQUOS, Samsung...

Depending on your budget, You can get a nice 32" LCD tv for around 7-900 these days. If you want 1080p on a 32" I think the certain Sharp AQUOS model is the only one that offers 1080p... Not sure though..

Oh yeah, I bought my 32" Sony at Circuit City. It was an open box item so I got a slight discount but they said it was never even turned on. The box was only opened. When I was unpackaging everything, it still looked brand new so either, it was never even taken out of the box, or whoever returned it did a hell of a job repackaging everything the exact way it would look from the factory... ;)

You can get a 1080p 37-40" LCD TV for around that price is your do your shopping. Know a couple of people that did.

First of all.... Vizio = Shit


Not quite true. Like I've said, I know a few people with them and not a problem. One did a ton of research on them and figured out that Vizio used different components on different models. Don't know the specifics but it came down to picking the right model. 37" 1080p LCD for ~$800. Looks amazing.



Don't buy open box anything!!! Stores lie, and people beat the shit out of them. Not to mention that dumb sales associates might clean the tv with a chemical that could potentially damage the tv if they're not careful... Open Box = Fail


Yes and No, I worked at CC in the past. Stay away from store displays since those are usually thrashed by customers. A lot of returns are usually in brand new shape: guifts returned, impulse purchases, shady customers that buy and return items for credit or tax purposes, etc.
I personally bought my current Sony TV (non HD, this was ages ago) for ~40% of its retail price simply because a small piece of the stand was chipped when the dumb customer opened the box. Also bought one of the old iBook laptops for a nice discount because a retard bought it after being brainwashed by Apple advertisment and realized he couldn't run some of the apps he needed for work. Longer an item is open box the lower its price dropped, we used to stash items in the warehouse... ;)


1080i is entirely different from 1080p.
The "i" following 1080 stands for interlaced. The "p" stands for progressive... the numbers 480i 480p 720p 1080i 1080p are in reference to how many horizontal lines of resolution there are. If it is interlaced then every other line of resolution refreshes at a time.

First line then third then fourth, etc. etc.


Progressive means that every line refreshes at once, resulting in better picture quality...

1st line then 2nd then 3rd... not at once but in sequence.

Overall effect is that progressive results in less flickering of the image. Better for your eyes too.

This is my work desk:
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/8488/deskatworkbd3.jpg

24" Dell monitor with DVI, VGA, Video, S-Video, and Component inputs. I'd like two of these bad boys for my place and get rid of the TV. Just hook up the HD cable box to one of them and voila.

[s13poop]

holy shit mano where do you work?

hook me up with a job :keke:

i'm also on the market for a LCD HDTV after doing my research these are the candidates

the samsung is what i'm set on as far as the look and customer reviews on the tv
http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/8250/8250126_ra.jpg

the LG has a really nice picture but some customer reviews say that they have a tendacy to "go blank" and shitty customer service can anyone vouch for that??
http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/8260/8260552_ra.jpg

basically these 2 tv's under the 800 margin

[B18C5MK1]

walmart has a 42" 'vizio' for $650.
700:1 contrast ratio

lol

[ManoNegra]

holy shit mano where do you work?

hook me up with a job :keke:



lol... looks can be deceiving. I'll be out of a job soon. Good thing is that I may be able to buy my gear for cheap. *crosses fingers*

[s13poop]

^ is that video editing stuff i see?? :confused:

sucks that you might leave but i guess looks can be deceiving for both of our jobs :keke:

[ManoNegra]

^ is that video editing stuff i see?? :confused:

sucks that you might leave but i guess looks can be deceiving for both of our jobs :keke:

Yup, BETACAM deck, SVHS pro deck, DVD, VHS to DVD deck, DV deck. Dell PWS690 workstation with dual 3.00 ghz Xeon processors, 3.00 gb of ram, NVIDIA Quadro FX 3450/400i SDI card that's capable of driving both the 24" widescreen and 22" regular screens at full resolution. Couple that with a T1 connection to the internet and all I can say is that I when I die I wish to be buried with this set up.

Enough bragging.. lol... I run Adobe Creative Suite 3.0 and various encoding programs from time to time but can't hardly call my self a video editor. My job is more of an encoder and like I said is ending soon.

Oops... treadjack.. sorry.

Anyhow, the widescreen LCD runs at 1920x1200 pixels, 32bit color depth and 60 hertz. 1080p? no problem.

[origin_s135]

hmm i have a 46" sony bravia xbr lcd, and for some reason my xbox doesn't support 1080P!!! i was told to get a hdmi cable and it should work. anyone has experience with the 360 doing that?

[s13silvia03]

holy shit mano where do you work?

hook me up with a job :keke:

i'm also on the market for a LCD HDTV after doing my research these are the candidates

the samsung is what i'm set on as far as the look and customer reviews on the tv
http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/8250/8250126_ra.jpg


I just picked up that Samsung today, must say I'm really pleased with it (although they jipped me out of the batteries for the remote), haven't played games or anything on it, but so far for viewing TV shows its awesome.

The reviews were good on it, and the TV in my living room is a Samsung and it is awesome as well, so I figured they've been good to me so I'll stick with it.

[silviaguy240]

yea, i just picked up the 40" samsung LCD 1080 10000:1. real nice tv, hd is awesome on it, games i havent played much but my ps2 which is dated as hell but still looks decent, and im waiting to get my xbox fixed so i can try that out on it. over i am very pleased with it.

[sideways7]

The new 120Hz Samsung has a very fast refresh rate. No more pixelation with fast moving scenes or sports. I have an older Samsung and its great but it ocassionally gets pixelation. The Aquos is also a really good tv, we use these at work alot. Both the Samsung and the Sharp Aquos have models that are 1080p.

[ctm_motortrends]

The new 120Hz Samsung has a very fast refresh rate. No more pixelation with fast moving scenes or sports. I have an older Samsung and its great but it ocassionally gets pixelation. The Aquos is also a really good tv, we use these at work alot. Both the Samsung and the Sharp Aquos have models that are 1080p.


This guy knows his shit he does this for a living because building bad ass car and Jasper transmission was not good enough. Haha Love you D keep up the good work.

[ctm_motortrends]

hmm i have a 46" sony bravia xbr lcd, and for some reason my xbox doesn't support 1080P!!! i was told to get a hdmi cable and it should work. anyone has experience with the 360 doing that?


Xbr have a recall on there Boards something they don't tell you.

[BOROSUN]

yes get and use the hdmi.

[kandyflip445]

I believe Sharp AQUOS and SONY are at the top for LCD tv's right now..

You need to look up a Samsung 5281. ;)

Sony usually charges more for about the same quality as others. They're just better at branding. Stay away from KDL??V2500(??=size in inches) tvs. They have video artifacts for just about anything you watch. Even HD movies.

[TheTimanator]

lots of good info in here.

I've been looking at a lot of tv's lately and my interest was peaked when my boss bought a Sony with the 120hz refresh rate (?). I looked at some of them at best buy...is it just me or is there something really weird about them? A few of them were showing some animated movie and movements looked so unatural. They were also showing Bourne Ultimatum and it seemed the same way.

Anyone care to shed some light on this?

[kandyflip445]

120hz just means that the frames are refreshed twice the amount that a normal tv displays them. You can actually turn the feature off on the 71 and 81 series Samsungs. I dunno about the Sony's or Sharps. I see a lot of glitching in the 120hz. But I work in Home Theater and watch them everyday. lol

I love the displays that have the half-screen 120hz and the other 60hz comparisons on a freakin 60hz tv. Freakin idiots. lol

[lflkajfj12123]

i've got the new sony 40 incher lcd

its got glass all around the edges

its sweet like wowow

[sideways7]

120hz just means that the frames are refreshed twice the amount that a normal tv displays them. You can actually turn the feature off on the 71 and 81 series Samsungs. I dunno about the Sony's or Sharps. I see a lot of glitching in the 120hz. But I work in Home Theater and watch them everyday. lol

I love the displays that have the half-screen 120hz and the other 60hz comparisons on a freakin 60hz tv. Freakin idiots. lol

True, I see it too. But for some reason people love the way shit looks on full 120. The sharps dont have the same feature and I havent seen a Sony in forever.

[s13poop]

I just picked up that Samsung today, must say I'm really pleased with it (although they jipped me out of the batteries for the remote), haven't played games or anything on it, but so far for viewing TV shows its awesome.

The reviews were good on it, and the TV in my living room is a Samsung and it is awesome as well, so I figured they've been good to me so I'll stick with it.

word looks like i found a winner! :bigok:

i go do my taxes today and get paid on friday so that samsung TV should be in my possesion soon :coold:

[SimpleS14]

I'm in the same boat and consider a TV for my room, just so I can play the PS3 and vids from my computer. I'm leaning towards this model, but I still have some research to do...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889102125

[ZX88]

I just picked up that Samsung today, must say I'm really pleased with it (although they jipped me out of the batteries for the remote), haven't played games or anything on it, but so far for viewing TV shows its awesome.

The reviews were good on it, and the TV in my living room is a Samsung and it is awesome as well, so I figured they've been good to me so I'll stick with it.

my roomate has this tv the only problem with it is if you are looking at it from say laying on the ground and are not directly level with it, the picture gets really dark.this doesn't happen with my samsung just his. just throwing it out there.

[kandyflip445]

His might use an older type of panel. I can't remember which ones are bad though TFT or TN or something else. lol

Most LCD's now though have very good viewing angles. Older ones were kinda limited though.

[Howard92884]

Bump. So I'm going home in a couple of days, I'm looking into buying a TV. Whats the most important thing to look for? Contrast ratio? If you know of any deals post em up. Anyone know of any good deals going on?

[kandyflip445]

Go in knowing the lighting situation of your room.

How far you're going to sit from the TV.

What kind of use it's intended for.

How it's going to be hooked up. (games, movie players, comp, tv provider)

If there are kids using it.

The new LG's are pretty badass. Samsungs are good. I haven't seen any new Sony's out yet. So you probably won't want to look at them, since they usually are still more expensive and they are last years shit. The new Panasonic plasmas are badass and cheap for the size and features too. I'd look at those if you want 42" or bigger.

And keep in mind, the settings on all the TV's aren't all going to be the same.

Oh, and don't tell the sales guy "Hey, I have a quick question." BULLSHIT, no one has a fucking quick question. It's always 1bajillion questions or you can't understand so it takes days to get through to you. lol

Don't get pressured into buying a set you don't feel is what you want.

I like plasmas, but I won't sell one to someone that is a hardcore plasma basher because he will return it eventually. Just because of what he/she's heard or whatever.

[Howard92884]

Go in knowing the lighting situation of your room.

How far you're going to sit from the TV.

What kind of use it's intended for.

How it's going to be hooked up. (games, movie players, comp, tv provider)

If there are kids using it.

The new LG's are pretty badass. Samsungs are good. I haven't seen any new Sony's out yet. So you probably won't want to look at them, since they usually are still more expensive and they are last years shit. The new Panasonic plasmas are badass and cheap for the size and features too. I'd look at those if you want 42" or bigger.

And keep in mind, the settings on all the TV's aren't all going to be the same.

Oh, and don't tell the sales guy "Hey, I have a quick question." BULLSHIT, no one has a fucking quick question. It's always 1bajillion questions or you can't understand so it takes days to get through to you. lol

Don't get pressured into buying a set you don't feel is what you want.

I like plasmas, but I won't sell one to someone that is a hardcore plasma basher because he will return it eventually. Just because of what he/she's heard or whatever.
Thanks man, yeah I was looking in the 42" range. Doesn't Best Buy have like open returned boxes for a lot cheaper? Thanks for help!

[SimpleS14]

I ended up going with a Sharp Aquos 26" which is ideal for my small room. Nice fit and finish and fits perfectly on top of my drawer and PS3 next to it.

You're going to find the best deals online, from sites such as http://www.buydig.com

In regardless to brick-n-mortar stores...you missed out on the good deals IMO, because last year models were being phased out and prices reduce by +$200 across all HDTV.

[kandyflip445]

If you go into a Best Buy, ask if they have any "at-risk" items they can give you a good deal on. ;)

[illxs14]

you can go in and ask for the at-risk or opened box items. you can buy their warrenty that they offer. if the tv messes up for any reason, if they cant fix it. you get a new one. thats what my buddy did. he got a really good deal on a 52", something was going out, they got him a new one.
i picked up a 42" Lg last night... I've heard good things about it.
gonna put it in today.:x: