Researching 32" LCD TV's...
 

...because our old 27" CRT lost picture last night. It was a GE we got in '97 and it had a great picture up until the end. It also had fantastic sound... as a matter of fact, it still has great sound. :D

A 32" unit is an equivalent replacement and is about the right size for the 18" deep, 28" high cabinet it sits on (and where it sits: in a corner with a bifold door behind it that is used as access to my studio)... a 37" would kind of overpower that cabinet and that spot.

So, I'm asking for a little help after doing a couple of hours of online research and seeing customer reviews all over the place on various models and brands.

I searched "LCD TV" here and read through many, many threads and got some good info.

I know I don't need anything higher res than 720p at the 32" size. Just looking at the sale sections from Sunday's paper, Target, Radio Shack, HHGregg, KMart, and Best Buy all have 32" LCD's in the $350-430 range.

I'm looking for one with decent sound... I don't want to have to go with external speakers unless I have to. In some of the reviews I've read, there are complaints about should quality, but there's no way to tell if the reviewer is comparing it to a system with a subwoofer, etc. I guess it remains to be seen whether I can evaluate sound in a store display.

I'd like to have reliability too... if any brands are noted for reliability and longevity with a decent warranty period, that would definitely be a plus.

I know I want it to be able to produce black and dark colors well and want good adjustability.

Some specs have included a feature that keeps the volume at a steady level so you don't get "ad blast"... I'm hoping for that, but don't have to have it. If you know of a certain brand's system that works especially well, let me know.

Do any of you have an LCD with matte finish on the glass, and is that recommended? We can shut the blinds and darken the room in daylight hours to cut down on glare either way.

If there are any other features and considerations I should know about, I would appreciate any help you can give. Thanks in advance.

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i saw an ad for a 40" for about $550.

i bought a big tube tv from a guy at work years ago, and i must say, that tv has the most incredible stereo/suround sound even though it has 2 speakers. i will be watching tv and look over to the side because i hear something and it is from the tv. it just blows me away at how good it can though the sound.

Yeah, that old GE was like that... ventriloquist surround sound.

Maybe I should keep it and just strap the new one to the front of it with bungee cords, plug the inputs into both sets, and have the best of both worlds.

We bought a Sharp Aquos a couple years ago. I think it is a 37". We have no problems with it EXCEPT for the sound, which sucks. We have to run it through the stereo so deaf people like me can hear.

My folks' visio sounds damn good on its own.

Sharp Aquos
 

I had a 1080i 37" Sharp Aquos. It was really a great size for my room...not too big, not too small. The glass had a matte finish too. Sound quality was not great, though I haven't heard any flat panels with good sound.

Only reason I don't have the Sharp anymore is that the Mrs. & I won a 50" Samsung 1080p Plasma at a charity raffle:D. I sold the Aquos to my neighbor.

Well, I spoke by phone last night to a very helpful and knowledgeable guy at HHGregg and found out nobody makes a 32" LCD that runs at 120Hz... I would have to choose from a very small number of 37" 1080p sets that are $600 or more... so that tossed me back into a smaller pool of choices, so I began to look back through the rest of the features that are important to me.

I found this LG on sale at Best Buy for $430... it has a 6ms response time, 30,000:1 contrast ratio, auto volume leveler, and 2 X 20 watt surround sound.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp;jsessionid=9E30E04970215D1674940FFB1A7 F76F2.bbolsp-app02-02?skuId=9244631&type=product&id=1218066284734

I would get it from HHGregg for $450 out of gratitude to the guy who spent 15 minutes on the phone with me last night, but that's a 15-mile, 30 minute trip across town and out to uber-crowded suburbiaville mall sprawl... but Best Buy is less than 10 minutes away.

My search is over. Many thanks to those of you who took time to give input. :)

I have a Vizio 37" myself, and it sounds pretty good. It sounds WAY better piped through my Onkyo/Bose surround system though. :)

Bill, I gave Vizio serious consideration, but this LG has those great specs on those other things I'm looking for, and the HHGregg dude said it's next to impossible to get an authorized Vizio repairman to come to your home if it needs to be serviced/have warranty work done.

He also said most brands are the same way if you have a set smaller than 32" and some are requiring you to have 42" or larger to have service/warranty work done in your home.

I'm getting ready to call Best Buy to see what size box this thing comes in... I might have to borrow a neighbor's pickup, because I've seen some huge boxes around TV's coming out of stores in the last year or so.

After that, I hope to be watching some college football on this thing within an hour or so. :^)

I honestly figure if my vizio goes boom it's just going to be trashed- the last 2 tv's of mine that went would have cost so much to fix that it was just not cost/effective. The box my 37" came in was gigantic, but for a 32" you should be able to fit it into a hatchback with the seats folded down. If you lived closer i'd lend ya my Saab 900 to go get it. :)

Good luck with it man...i really hope you like it, and make sure you give us your opinion of it after you have it. I'm gonna be in the market for something north of 40" pretty soon myself.

see if the (spendy) LED LCD sets are out yet in your size -- they are great compared to the regular LCDs (which use fl. tubes)

You definitely want 1080. I have a 32" 720 and the 40" 1080 RCA we just got from Walmart really shows the difference. I think we paid $490 for it, then bought the extended warranty for $60. It cameout to about the same cost as a better brand with just the standard warranty. I figure i it last 4 yrs while under warranty it's had a good life.

I've got a 50 inch Vizio plasma in my Living room, and a 37" in my bedroom. My roommate has a 37" too....and his crapped out on him last week, 4 days after his warranty expired. An authorized Vizio guy came out to the house, replaced his power board, (only 3 days after my roomie called) and there was NO charge, even though the warranty was technically expired. That says a lot to me.

I love my 40" Sony with built in digital tuner.

Essential to get 1080 resolution :)

TVs are so nice these days I'm sure whatever brand you choose you'll really like.

We're really enjoying it... and I didn't have any trouble getting it in the car. The guy I spoke to on the phone said the box is only a few inches bigger than the set in each dimension.

When the aspect ratio is set at 16:9, the picture is stretched out horizontally... I think we would have to pay extra for digital HD or something for that to change... not interested in doing that at this point. Anyway, I can not watch TV like that... it looks like a cartoon where everyone is on Jupiter. Being an artist, the proportions are just too outta whack for me to tolerate.

I know some people are freaked out if every square inch of their set isn't filled with image. They're the same people who went nuts back when everyone had 4:3 CRT's and they played a tape or DVD in letterbox format. I'm not one of those people.

So, we began watching at 4:3, and watched South Carolina vs. Georgia that way... nice, crisp picture. One of the other video settings is called "Zoom," and it is essentially the 4:3 image zoomed in a bit so it fills the screen horizontally with a little of the top and bottom chopped off. That works pretty well, and even though it cuts the wide receiver at the top of the screen off from the waist up until the ball is snapped, it's kind of nice that it drops out the ticker that runs across the bottom some of the time.

The sound on it is excellent for onboard speakers... not as full as the sound on our old CRT, but it had lots of room for chambering.

BTW, I found out when I went to Best Buy that there are 32" units that run at 1080p and 120 Hz, but they're $800... not worth that kind of money to us.

We looked around at LCD's and ended up picking up an Insignia which I think is made by Samsung. Great picture, sound and you can't beat the price. Best Buy carries them.

I have the samsung a650??? I forget the exact model, I just know it is the top of the line samsung at 720p and I have been very impressed with the performance. I don't really know that 1080 is worth it at such a small screen size, but ymmv

I saw a 32 inch at costco for 400.00 750i

you have to have a 1080 signal to utilize the 1080 feature. the other tv may just have a better picture or it is setup different.

i dont think any cable companies are sending 1080 signals are they?

both of my brothers tvs broke. one would turn on/off by itself and i dont know what the other was doing. i think they were LG but dont hold me to it.