New Flat Screen TV Help
 

We currently have a 52" Sony LCD rear projection TV. Since our living room is a bit on the narrow side, my wife thought it would be a good idea to get a new flat screen tv that we can mount on the wall (above the fireplace) so we can get rid of the tv console furniture and gain some extra space.

I've been looking around and have a budget somewhere in the $ 1,500 range give or take a couple hundred bucks. I'm looking to get something around 50".

So far I've been considering the Panasonic 50" Viera plasma. However, Samsung has the new LCD LED tvs and I'm wondering if it makes more sense to go with that (however I'd have to go for a smaller size - 46" I think?).

What do you guys recommend?

samsung all the way. 120 hz a must. The 50-52" 630 series are right around your price range, but their new 1" thick models are damn sexy but add several hundred dollars.

Despite them being discontinued, I'd still probably get one of these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250494743607

the new LCD LED type should live longer

but I love my used $100 sony tube tv
1080i twin tuner 7 input
and see the bright clear pic way off angle

here what I found when I was looking for our.

Plasma, too heavy to mount ont he wall, just me. I don't feel safe about it. Heat too. I ordered philips. When it came, the screen was broken before it arrived and it ook over a month to get my money back from philips. They are promt to refund but it's just the process.

Panasonic, nice, price is super-nice too. but when I compare side by side, It took me several trips to make the dicision, sony and samsung have better resolution. Cheaper and biger is very nice (panasonic), but to me, a TV is a thing you keep for a long time. I want better resolution even it's a little bit smaller.

Between Sony and Samsung, their resolution look the same, sometimes I even think samsung seem to be a little better, but I am the old type of guy. I want something look like a traditional TV. Samsung somehow look a little "too modern", fashy and shiny is not me, for TV. Also, it's kind of new, even though it's good now. Will it be good next, or next several years?

I ended up with a 48 or 50 (can't remember) Sony. Mounted it on the wall, out of children reach, and feel safe.
Good luck.

Only advice is to try out the TV with dark moody images having lots of black (e.g. Blade Runner) as the bright contrasty images used in the store will flatter any TV. I didn't do this, also cheaped out, and now I regret it. We will likely end up moving the ill-chosen flat panel to the study and getting a better TV.

I got a 46" samsung in the 750 series. I really like it.

I know it may not be in your budget but here is my Samsung 55 120 hz LED LCD - Its the first TV that ever wow'd the wife. At 1.1" thick it actually hangs like a picture and lays flat on the wall.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1252546723.jpg

I just picked up a Sony Bravia 46" 1080p 120hz for $1448. That did not include the install.

Nothing touches the picture of a Pioneer Kuro. Nothing.

Matt, before you do the hang-it-above-the-fireplace thing, sit in your favorite spot and try to imagine the TV up that high. I've seen two installations like that... one at friends' home and the other at my MIL's.

We watched a good bit of college football on those two screens last year, and it just didn't seem right for it to be up that high.

I appreciate our screen being eye-level viewing from the couch... I dunno... above the mantle seems kinda cheesy somehow, too.

Also, neither setup had a nice, clean installation with the wires and cables. I'm sure that could be overcome with some forethought, though.

I have a Philips 42" Plasma

Next time, I will definately go with the LCD. The plasma runs hot and you can fee the heat radiating at least 2 feet away from the tv - that's got to be using a fair amount of utilities.

Secondly, on ocasion, I get some blue haze on the left side of the picture. The only happens ocasionally but it annoys me since the tv is only 3 years old.

Lastly, My picture is great and well above the average tube tv or rear projection. But when I go over to a friends house that has an LCD, I can really tell the difference - the LCD of today is far better than plasma.

just my $0.02

picked up a 42'' samsung lcd for 200 in trade at my shop couple months ago girl had receipt for it picture is gorgeous.

just purchased a 48" LCD samsung....outstanding!

I have 2 Samsung LCD's, one is so old I actually had to get one of those digital converter boxes for it (just have an antenna on it). The other I bought last year. Both have great pictures. I agree that mounting above the fireplace is just too high. I think you lose picture quality viewing at that angle.

For what it is worth, I measured power consumption of my 42" LCD TV plus receiver plus cable box plus TiVO, at appx 170 watts. And when I turn the TV "off", it really turns off - no power consumption. This does not seem too bad to me.

When I had mine installed last week the wife and I agreed that the top of the TV would be at 60 inches. Of course when the installer came out, I was at work and they say to the wife "60 inches to center? " and she says "uh yeh?. So I get home and the TV is a foot too high. Need less to say they came back out and dropped it a foot. Eye level is where you want 'em. I don't agree with the 'above the mantle movement' either. You're putting two focal points on top of each other.

I read this all over the place and have had the opposite experience. My plasma runs much cooler than my LCD. I bought my plasma before HD or digital was even close to becoming a norm. I went with the Hitachi 42HDT52 w/ the power swivel base. I chose it over the Panny and Samsung models due to the better quality stanadard def pictures. I'm not sure how much of an issue that is anymore since all signals are digital now, but it was an issue when I bought.

A great resource is http://www.avsforum.com/

+1. Awesome picture. Been watching the US Open - the 120hz screen really makes the game POP.

-Z

Yes, the 120Hz is a big benefit. Movies (DVDs) are recorded at one speed and TV is recorded at another. If you try to play both back at 60 Hz, the picture of the movies suffers. If you get a 120Hz set, the 120Hz is a multiple of both and both will play better (or something like that).