TVs

[Duke{CLR}]

I will be needing a big TV to go over my fireplace, The mantle should be between 4 and 5 ft so i was thinking that a TV between 47 to 55 would look OK. I started locking around newegg and I realized that I have no clue where to start. There are LED, LCD and Plasma. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the different types?

[K PhaNTOM]

LCD: Thin - Bad view angle - easy mount - Cheaper
LED LCD: VERY thin - Better View Angle - Expensive
Plasma: Thick - Great view angle - cheapest - heavy as hell - Best colors compared to LCD/LED

That's what I think I know about TV's.

In this day and age, go LED LCD because they are all gorgeous and tiny.

[Dead...Again]

If you want 3D, you may want to go plasma, as I have heard they have better 3D. Otherwise, go LED LCD. They are thin and light and have very good picture. Go with at least 120Hz. I would recommend Samsung. I know 4 people who all have Samsungs (myself included) and they are really good.

[WalkinTarget]

Another vote for plasma. We have two and I wouldn't buy a big screen that wasn't a plasma in this day and age.

120hz is something you need to compare at the store. I could BARELY make out any difference between 60 and 120 watching sports, so just compare them locally if at all possible.

Ohh, and as far as Samsung, I have to point you to this link:

http://www.dailytech.com/Why+Ill+Nev...ticle21543.htm

[Caddys83]

Samsung LCD here too

[Duke{CLR}]

These look OK to me,

Here is a LED LCD

Newegg.com - LG 55 1080p 120Hz LED-LCD TV 55LE5500

Here is plasma,

Newegg.com - LG 50 1080p 600Hz Smart 3D Plasma HDTV 50PZ950

Any thoughts on theses bad boys?

[{CLR} Cobalt]

Check out Amazon too. They have some deals going on now.

Here's the deal. Make up your mind right now wether you want to run anything from the internet through it. If so, then hardwire or wireless are your options.

I cant remember if you put in an ethernet cable when you ran the wiring. I thought I remembered you running one if so then you're good to go.

If not, then when they tell you the TV is WiFi ready it just means it will work with WiFi but you have to buy the adapter to make it function. Does not come with the TV unless it specifically says it is built in.

If you got hardwire then forget all this.

[baconoclock]

I purchased this LED TV a few months ago, no complaints so far.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...00_i00_details

[Rand{CLR}]

Don't buy a tv from the Egg. You can get better prices elsewhere for nearly all models, including at Amazon.

The current generations of internet-able tvs aren't really a necessary purchase as you can simply buy an internet capable blu-ray player or the like and use that instead. This wouldn't be a deal breaker or maker for the current generations. The big players (Sony level) charge an enormous premium for built-in connectivity for their TVs, but you can get like a Vizio with internet apps for not much of an additional cost.

Now is a good month to buy--the 2012s start appearing on shelves in March, so you can find good bargains. Downside is the inventory back in October-November was likely as large as it will ever be, so some deals then were better.

PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION to the Plasmas. At the sizes you're looking at, it probably won't be that big a deal, but right now at the size I am looking at (40-42" for my man cave basement), the Plasmas are, nearly all, 720p tvs. They are not full 1080p at that size anymore for some reason. I understand screen burn-in isn't nearly the problem it used to be, so you can feel more confident watching channels with those stupid logos that never go away, or leaving a pause screen up on a console.

My current 32" is an LCD and I'm at a wide angle from it while at my pc desk, and it looks better to me than the LEDs in stores both at an extreme angle and front-on. The LED lit-LCD is a good hybrid. I'm a big fan of Sharp Aquos--both of my 32s are Sharps, and I haven't had a single problem.

-Rand

P.S. I'm toying with pulling the trigger on 3D. There are a couple of models that aren't too outrageous in price for a 42--a Toshiba that's becoming harder to find, and a couple of Vizios, with 1-2 more expensive LGs. If YOU want 3D, it's going to cost an arm and a leg at the size range you're looking for.

[omfg karl marx]

Viewing angles and life span of both types of TVs are nearly the same nowadays.

LCD:
Brighter than their Plasma counterparts
Matte screens (less glare)
Less energy consumption/less heat [LEDs use even less than LCD]
Weighs less than Plasmas
Will not dim over time
Not susceptible to temporary burn in

Plasma:
Much better contrast
Better color reproduction
Much better refresh rates

Some other thoughts:
LCD vs LED [Back lights]
Every TV you see in a store marked as "LED" is actually an LCD TV. The difference is the back light. TVs marked as "LCD" have fluorescent back lights whereas "LED" TVs have LEDs. To make things even more confusing, LED TVs can be broken down further into Edge Lit and Full Array.

If you go LED, make sure to get a "full array" with local dimming. This will put the quality of the picture really, really close to plasma without the drawbacks. Otherwise, they are not worth the cost. Edge lighting can actually be worse than plain fluorescent LCD TVs on some TVs due to uneven lighting.

120Hz TVs: They take in a 60Hz input and process it to produce a 120Hz picture. Because movies and some TV shows are shot at differing frame rates (24p and 30p), you can get some odd jittering that makes things look fake and terrible, imo (google Frame Pulldown for more info). The "motion blur" was more of a problem of ghosting than anything.

3D: It's a total gimmick, in my book. It gives me a headache and makes my eyes go crossed, so if you haven't tried it in real life, make sure you do. You don't want to drop a bunch of money on a 3D TV only to be unable to use that feature. It will also cut the resolution of many sources in half, meaning your 1080p movie is now only 540p.

Personally, I went with a plain old LCD TV as they were the cheapest and got me the largest screen. In the size and price range I was looking at, there were simply no 1080p plasmas at a decent price. I purchased my TV from Sam's Club, I would suggest looking there (or Costco) in addition to online.

[goldenfooler]

I saw a couple of shows on 3d tv and some Tv's even going back several years can be upgraded to 3d with a memory stick.

[Dead...Again]

Another vote for plasma. We have two and I wouldn't buy a big screen that wasn't a plasma in this day and age.

120hz is something you need to compare at the store. I could BARELY make out any difference between 60 and 120 watching sports, so just compare them locally if at all possible.

Ohh, and as far as Samsung, I have to point you to this link:

http://www.dailytech.com/Why+Ill+Nev...ticle21543.htm

My Toshiba I bought around the same time had a similar problem. About 9 months ago, it just wouldn't turn on anymore. I googled it and determined the likely cause was bad caps. I called Toshiba. They gave me the number of a company who could fix it; they estimated it would cost ~$500. It sounds like a lot of companies used those crappy caps in that time period...

[WalkinTarget]

It sounds like a lot of companies used those crappy caps in that time period...

Its exactly like the debacle that hit the motherboard manufacturers from around 2002-2007, and still exists today thanks to bean counters who purchase poor caps for a cheap alternative.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

There are very few, if any, brands that were able to say they weren't affected by it, so you are correct in your statement. Brand loyalty doesn't help when it is the majority of manufacturers at fault to some extent.

[Dead...Again]

Its exactly like the debacle that hit the motherboard manufacturers from around 2002-2007, and still exists today thanks to bean counters who purchase poor caps for a cheap alternative.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

There are very few, if any, brands that were able to say they weren't affected by it, so you are correct in your statement. Brand loyalty doesn't help when it is the majority of manufacturers at fault to some extent.

I had already decided I wasn't buying another Toshiba even before my TV had the cap issue. I bought one of the first 1080p TVs (at the time I think Toshiba and Sharp were the only ones), but found out later that, although it was a 1080p panel, none of the inputs actually supported 1080p! When I found out, I was like WTF!?!?!?!?

[WalkinTarget]

I bought one of the first 1080p TVs (at the time I think Toshiba and Sharp were the only ones), but found out later that, although it was a 1080p panel, none of the inputs actually supported 1080p! When I found out, I was like WTF!?!?!?!?

WTF indeed. On something as pricey and complicated as a TV, research the hell out of whatever you want to buy and then buy it. I check out Amazon and separate the wheat from the chaff in regards to their 'review' comments. Some are truly informative and explain those little 'gotchas' that you encountered.

I used to be a fan of Sharp, but the last two plasmas I bought (a 32" in 2006 and a 42" in 2011) have been Pannys. Not an endorsement for Panasonic, just seemed like a good, problem free brand at the time.