HDTV's

[Bullwinkle]

I have a nice Samsung LCD that like millions of others will no longer power up since they used bad capacitors and they have started leak. Samsung says my TV is not in the date range they are paying to fix. Instead of paying to fix it myself Amazon has kindly offerred to give me 50% credit and pay for the shipping of it back to the. (after 3years and 4 months) Since I'm not in the marker for another Samsung what do you guys like? It will be in a large room with a wall of windows facing east I don't think a plasma is the way to go. I'm kind of liking the Visio LED's but I'm open to any suggestion. (I really don't net web application and wireless)

Thanks for any input.

 

[malocchio]

after 3 years 4 months I think amazon is really being generous to you...samsung has consistantly ranked #1 or #2 in most polls,especially in value...I am sure they do not want to lose customers,and probably have figured out the problem by now...I would not hesitate in giving them another try,especially when amazon is giving you the 50%,panasonic plasma would be my second choice..the plasma technology has vastly improved in the past few years

 

[Bertilak]

I got a Panasonic plasma about two months ago to replace a three year old Samsung LCD. I did a bit of comparison shopping and saw the latest Samsungs and Panasonics side by side. The Panasonic plasmas were noticeably better in the color, the whiteness of the whites and the blackness of the blacks. I was careful to reconfigure them from "store mode" to a more reasonable configuration for comparison purposes. The Panasonic has a THX configuration that I particularly like.

I am quite happy with the Pannasonic.

 

[TheVez2]

I'm happy with my Sony.

 

[xillion]

We just bought a 50" Panasonic G25 for our living room, which is very bright during the day, and it is a fantastic set. The colors and the deepness of the blacks are phenomenal without looking artificial.

 

[Bertilak]

We just bought a 50" Panasonic G25 for our living room, which is very bright during the day, and it is a fantastic set. The color and the deepness of the blacks are phenomenal without looking artificial.

That's the one I have.

 

[Don Barbiere]

Most of my TVs have been Sony and I have never had any problems with them, thats is like only TV brand that never failed me. Samsung is very nice as well but Sony is if you want something else!

 

[Amer]

I like my Toshiba. Seems to cost less than other brands but still nice performance.

 

[ModusPwnins]

Don't get anything unless the refresh rate is 120 Hz. You have no idea how smooth this feature can make DVD and BluRay playback. It's amazing.

 

[Bertilak]

Don't get anything unless the refresh rate is 120 Hz. You have no idea how smooth this feature can make DVD and BluRay playback. It's amazing.

Does that spec only apply to LCDs? For plasmas the hot tickets seem to advertise "600hz Subfield Motion". That spec probably has some meaning but I suspect it is given mostly to reassure people looking for high refresh rates.

 

[xillion]

Does that spec only apply to LCDs? For plasmas the hot tickets seem to advertise "600hz Subfield Motion". That spec probably has some meaning but I suspect it is given mostly to reassure people looking for high refresh rates.

Yes the 120 Hz-240Hz spec only applies to LCD based sets.

 

[Spacegeezer]

120 Hz etc mostly exist to try to quell fears related to LCD's poor motion resolution. These modes don't improve that. However, many people don't notice or care about that issue. The processing that generally goes along with 120 or greater Hz features is more divisive; many people really hate how it looks, and some people really like it.

Check out the TVs in person... not that store displays reflect anything like proper TV settings or the lighting conditions you'll experience in your home

Samsung is pretty well known for having awful customer service, but I don't know which companies are known for having good service.

Most Plasma TVs are pretty bright and, depending on which line you get, have pretty good anti-reflection coatings. Some lower-end and higher-end lines do away with AR because it diminishes total brightness slightly.

I've never been satisfied with LCD performance under lighting conditions that were too extreme for Plasma, but you may be more willing to put up with washed out images as an alternative to glare. I dunno, I don't like either. Some LCDs now have reflective screens that are worse than Plasma, too.

Be mindful of the difference between edge-lit and back-lit LED LCD screens. Edge-lit is awful, but it's much more common and cheaper.

In general, I prefer plasma and Panasonic, but your mileage may vary.

 

[Owens187]

Sony, Sony, and Sony. Everything I own is Sony - total Sony whore right here!

Its all about the XBR, baby!

I run a 70" Bravia XBR, with a 1000 watt 7.1 theater surround system, 5 disc Blu-Ray changer, Playstation 3, Wii(for the kids) , and of course HD satellite system. Too bad I work 90% of the time. Oh well, at least my wife has something nice to watch....

 

[Bullwinkle]

I'm heading out today to take a look at the Pannasonic's (g25).. the TV will be connected to Direct TV's HDTV receiver/recorder. I have a $50 samsung dvd upconvert dvd player that I'm go to replace with a Pannasonic.

Thanks everyone...

 

[Amer]

Make sure you really watch a 120HZ TV before getting one. My parents bought an LG LCD 120HZ TV earlier this year and while normal HD programming looks okay, anything like old TV shows and what not that they upconvert looks horrible to me. Like everyone is moving in fast forward with shakey cam. It makes me get motion sickness.

 

[xpavar]

Panasonic for plasma, unless you want to spring for a Pioneer and can find one.

 

[SiBurning]

Why not just replace the capacitors? It's a couple of bucks for parts, and pretty easy to do. You'll need a screwdriver, soldering iron & solder, and maybe a bulb or wick to clean up the old solder. My Samsung died on Wednesday and it only took about an hour to figure out what was wrong (mostly finding out about the bad capacitors on the net) and get it running again. http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2459660&postcount=6

The bad capacitor thing is rampant and recurrent. There's even a website about it. http://www.badcaps.net

 

[Bullwinkle]

well.. I have been wanting to upgrade from 40" to something like 54" and the wife couldn't understand why we needed a new HDTV when the one we had worked just fine! 50% of what I paid for this over 3 years ago will buy a lot more TV and with a little boot money I can get into that 50 something range.

 

[SiBurning]

In that case, go for it. They're giving you a great deal.

 

[s&g'sdad]

I have a Panasonic plasma and love it. I feel plasma gives the superior picture. People worry about image retention, but it is not as serious a problem as it once was. Just be mindful of your viewing material. If a program is broadcast in 4:3, I always expand the picture to fill the screen. No problem.

Aaron