BTW. I'd agree to NOT get plasma.
Not worth it IMO

 

The biggest thing is, what kind of room will it be going in? People get caught up with buying the biggest tv with 1080p capabilities, when they don't need any of it.

First of all, don't get caught up in the 1080p bullshit. It's nice, but unless you're sitting 6 feet away you can't tell the difference. It's a scientific proven fact that on a 42" tv you can't tell the difference between a 720p and a 1080p set after about 8-10 feet. Anyone who says otherwise either has superman vision or they're feeding you a line of bullshit.

As far as LCD versus Plasma, hands down I would get a Plasma with perfect conditions. The LCDs have come a long way and the 60hz sets were far inferior. The 120hz sets are much more comparable and with the introduction of the 240hz sets you may see LCDs surpass Plasmas.

All things considered, the best tvs on the market are Panasonic Plasmas. They are the best value with the best picture and score excellent in just about every single category.

The only reason you wouldn't consider a plasma is if you don't have curtains or blinds and have a super bright room. If that's the case then you probably don't need a nice TV anyways.

Also stuff like burn-in and bulb life are a thing of the past. Most good plasmas could be left on for 24 hours a day for about 8-10 years before they'd eventually have half as bright as they were brand new. That's a lot of TV watching.

 

Samsung LCD. Go to best buy and find an open box one.

 

panasonic may have good prices but side by side comparison with a pioneer elite is no contest imo .

 

Contrary to what was said earlier, Vizio is starting to cater more towards the high-end market. They are a solid piece. I've had my Vizio 50" plasma for almost 2 years and it still has a great picture. Just read up on setting it right and you'll have a great picture. You can't tell much difference between a $3,000 set and a $1,000 set. I have friends with the higher end TVs and I'd take mine and pocket the extra few grand ANY day of the week.

As for surround sound. I got an Onkyo surround system and it has been nothing but nice. It has the seven speakers for 7.1 (I figured I'd get it now since eventually most movies will be in that) and it also does 5.1. Go to the store and look at TVs in your price range and find whatever looks best to YOU. But keep in mind store light and settings will have an affect as well.

 

I'd also ask if they'll let you see the remote. some remotes have GOBBS of buttons and some don't.
That way you can also check out the features and see what your comfortable wtih. My sisters has a million buttons and a shift button for more buttons (or was that her radio?). She has some features I like and Mine is really simple but some of the features don't stay.

For instance You can Zoom or Stretch the image. Zoom is a square and stretch takes the whole screen. I like the Stretch and it works fine but if I've been flipping through the channels it will display in Zoom again unless i go back to the menu and change it again.

 

Wow! I am so simplistic. I could probably go buy any tv and be happy. I've never had anything other than a tube tv. TV's and electronics are just not my hobby. But I don't want to buy some junk at the same time. All I know is...I just moved into a new house last week, football season is around the corner, I'm calling the cable company next week to hook up and i'm ready for some HD to go with my home brew!

 

Personally, if you have to ask a bunch of performance trucks what TV to buy, your not much of a techy, gotta have the best this or that, latest thing in a TV, since most people can't tell the difference any way unless you have them setting side by side.

It's just a TV, you watch it and drink beer!
The more you drink, the fuzzer it's gonna get anyway,

I did a bunch of research a couple years ago when I bought mine and my conclusion was Samsung was about the best bang for the buck and of GREAT quality. I like the LED's better so I would recommend, finding the Samsung LED, that fits the money you want to spend for the size and pull the trigger. You won't be disappointed in what ever you buy.

 

i agree you will really like the samsung led's they have three series now , the 6000 , 7000, 8000 and the 8500 soon to be released.

the 6k series can be found for about 1700 if you shop . the difference between the 3-4 is the contrast ratio. which isnt a big deal if your not a total techy like mentioned.

the bad part i have had with plasma is the energy they use and the heat they produce. its hot here in ca so in summer its not great along with adding to the electric bill.

the samsung led uses about half the power of a regular lcd with better picture imo.

if you can go to your local retailer and see what you like best and then do some online shopping.

 

plasma=short life span. lcd is the best as far as life span and the LED tv's out now r lit by LED's but are really LCD screens if u do research ull understand. OLED is the next big thing and its actually PURE LED instead of just being backlit by LED's. i think i like the LCD with the LED's the best...