Flat Screen TV's

[reinko]

Any opinions?  Pretty much open to a lot, 40-46", $700-$1300...

The Samsung LED's (both 40" and 46") @ Best Buy are on sale for $1299, and they look stupid awesome, albeit last years model.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung+-+46%22+Class+/+1080p+/+120Hz+/+LED-LCD+HDTV/9238835.p?id=1218065985439&skuId=9238835

Any other opinions?

[Moonboots]

As long as you do a bit of research and the product you get is consistent with what you're looking for, it's hard to go wrong.  We have a 52" Sharp Aquos that we purchased in summer of '08 and couldn't be happier with it. 

I heard from a friend who does tech support for TVs that Samsungs are far and away the easiest to service, to the point that certain types of service calls that could take 2-3 hours on a Sharp or a Sony Bravia take 15 minutes on a Samsung of the same style due to ease of disassembly and how their parts are connected.  I don't know how or why that is, but I suppose it's something to keep in mind. 

I've also noticed that unless you're a true videophile or are looking at TVs side by side, you'll never tell the difference in day to day use between the top of the line brands (like the Sony Bravia line) and a lesser known brand.  Side by side (like you see in a Best Buy showroom) you can definitely tell the difference in sharpness, clarity, and color depth, but take the "off brand" one and stick it in your house with nothing to compare it to, and you'll be thrilled with it.  HD is HD.

It seems as though you're looking in the LED/LCD area, but in case you're open to other styles, keep in mind that glare is worse on plasmas and glare is almost eliminated on LED/LCD TVs, so if the placement of your TV is near a window, the LED/LCD is the way to go.

I bought a 32" Dynex 720p (Best Buy's in-store brand) for $399 on Black Friday three years ago, and it's been worth every penny.  Still running like a champ, and my Ps3 and Time Warner HD stations look awesome on it.  Not a single complaint.

[Chili]

An LED TV is the only thing that would ever steer me off a plasma. I have a few friends with the 55" and it is crazy sweet. But, getting me away from my Panasonic plasma's would take some doing.

[mu_hilltopper]

.. just make sure what you intend to watch isn't broadcast by WMLW. 

[SaintPaulWarrior]

An LED TV is the only thing that would ever steer me off a plasma. I have a few friends with the 55" and it is crazy sweet. But, getting me away from my Panasonic plasma's would take some doing.

+1...The newer Panasonic plasmas all have anti-glare screens now....my two year old 42" faces a picture window and faces west and  I have never had a problem with any glare.  Make sure you look at the TV in the showroom from different angles besides straight on...some LCD's have fuzzy viewing from side angles.  Not an expert here just saying from reading many reviews.

[damuts222]

 I have last years Samsung and it is a 42" and I have never had any problems with it and it is a very good TV. I think I got it at Sears for like $950 including tax,
they had some crazy deal on.

[MUfan12]

Got a 46" Sharp LCD on Black Friday in 08 for $899. I absolutely love it.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I've got a Samsung LCD and a Sharp.  I think the Samsung is superior.  At DIRECTV, we use Samsung in the lobby to show off all our programming so we believe in their product.

[greenman]

There was a topic on this discussed a while back, it has some good info/opinions as well:

http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=10968.0

[willie warrior]

Samsung is the best on the market. I have two and they are great!

[reinko]

Samsung is the best on the market. I have two and they are great!

Thanks willie.  If I spring for the 57" samsung, mo acker will be lifesize in my living room.   

[dwaderoy2004]

Plasma is the best for watching sports.  They've also corrected the burn-in issues and glare issues for the most part.  I can't justify dropping the extra dime on an LED, but they do look pretty sweet.  I'm planning on buying a 55-58" panasonic or Samsung plasma in a couple months.  Just waiting for a deal to pop up. 

[LON]

Samsung is the best on the market. I have two and they are great!

Same here, agree totally.

[dwaderoy2004]

I've got a Samsung LCD and a Sharp.  I think the Samsung is superior.  At DIRECTV, we use Samsung in the lobby to show off all our programming so we believe in their product.

A little bit off-topic, but chicos, when do you see the capability of directv and/or cable to broadcast in 1080p, if ever?  Everything I'm reading is saying the bandwidth requirements are just too great to overcome at this point.

[Skatastrophy]

If you're ever looking for home theater stuff (and you want to make sure you're making the right choices( I'd highly suggest searching around the AVS Forums (that link is to the LCD Flat Panel sub-forum).  The AV Science guys are pretty hardcore.  I created an account just so that I'd have access to the search features.

It's tough to sift through all of the info at first.  Initially I'd look at the reviews for the different manufacturer's model years of product.  With LCD/Plasma/DLP/OLED technology being so new there is quite a bit of difference in product quality from manufacturer to manufacturer so unlike buying old CRTs the brand name matters for picture quality instead of just menu options.

The AVS Forums have been most useful to me when I've honed in on a model that I want to buy. 

For example, if you went with the LCD in your original post there is an excellent thread on calibrating the LCD to get the best picture.  But, according to this thread the LH90 line from LG , which is the closest competitor to the UNB6000 line from Samsung, is worth taking a look at even though it's about $200 more than the Samsung at Best Buy stores.

TV's are hard to purchase these days with the huge quality difference between different manufacturers and even between different product lines from the same manufacturer.  The best piece of advice I could offer you is to not purchase a TV based on how good it looks in a big-box store.  Any TV can be extra bright and vibrant.  What you really care about is home viewing and how good the contrast and black-levels are.

I suppose that just like any electronics you can get pretty geeky about the decision.  I hope I didn't give you too much info.  Good luck on your purchase!

[DegenerateDish]

I always find this topic interesting, as I work in the LCD industry (professional grade). Just coming off a sales meeting as well and seeing and hearing about the new technology coming, I'd stay far away from the current LEDs on the market. The consumer grade models out there right now are no where near the quality that will hit the professional market late this year/early 2011. As economies of scale take over, the consumer panels will improve over time as they incorporate some of the professional/commercial grade panels. Price point is way too high right now on LED to justify what you're actually getting long term. LED's have a 30% to 50% less MTBF than LCDs do, and that's in consumer grade panels.

Chicos, you guys are using Samsung over in your offices? What size panels? I work for a competitor of Samsung, we're neck and neck with them in the professional grade LCDs.

[reinko]

I always find this topic interesting, as I work in the LCD industry (professional grade). Just coming off a sales meeting as well and seeing and hearing about the new technology coming, I'd stay far away from the current LEDs on the market. The consumer grade models out there right now are no where near the quality that will hit the professional market late this year/early 2011. As economies of scale take over, the consumer panels will improve over time as they incorporate some of the professional/commercial grade panels. Price point is way too high right now on LED to justify what you're actually getting long term. LED's have a 30% to 50% less MTBF than LCDs do, and that's in consumer grade panels.

Chicos, you guys are using Samsung over in your offices? What size panels? I work for a competitor of Samsung, we're neck and neck with them in the professional grade LCDs.

Thanks for info, any specific recs for a new set, 40-46", in the $900-$1200 range?

[spiral97]

I have two Samsung plasma TV's.. I love em.  I compare them against TV's I come across and Samsung keeps winning.

I've actually been looking at switching to the LED ones simply for power conservation (mine are 720 and the ones I'm considering are 1080 but that, honestly, hasn't been as big of a selling point as the energy).  Plasmas suck the wires dry and that is about the only thing I can find wrong with them.

[GuyIncognito]

Samsung is actually launching all of their 2010 product now (as well as most other companies), so if you're patient, you should be able to find a 2009 model at a great price as they try to clear way for the newer models.

[DegenerateDish]

Thanks for info, any specific recs for a new set, 40-46", in the $900-$1200 range?

If you're looking just at LCD, you should find a 40'', good quality consumer grade in that price range.

Plasmas will be gone real soon. We stopped mfg. them over a year ago on the commercial side.

I know LEDs look and seem like the cool technology now, and it will be going forward. Once the backlight issue is fixed (consumer tv's are side lit instead of back lit, causes variation in color points), and the price point comes down (generally 30% more than LCD, and half the life use), then LED will be the way to go. If you really want LED and can wait until early 2011, do it, you'll get a much better product and bang for your buck.

[BME to MD]

Make sure you do your research on the Samsung sets.  A TV buff told me that they switched the LCD panels they put in their midlevel and bargain sets to a lower quality.  

As Skatastrophy mentioned above: Always check out AVS Forums before you buy - the best way to find what you are looking for is to search google for "avs forums samsung ln550" or whatever the manufacturer/model number are.

I am not sure if the $1299 one you were looking at was the LN6000 but if it was I have it and absolutely love it.

One final note: if you are interested in upgrading to a 3D ready player then you will need at least 240 Hz to have a chance at your TV displaying it.

[GuyIncognito]

One final note: if you are interested in upgrading to a 3D ready player then you will need at least 240 Hz to have a chance at your TV displaying it.

Not entirely true.
http://hdguru.com/3d-hdtv-and-hdmi-explained/1336/
"As the drawing illustrates, the signal places the two frames in a configuration known as “over/under.” This is the first and currently only FHD3D TV standard signal and because it is totally new, no non-FHD3D display can accept it."

If you're basing your decision on your desire for a 3D televivion in your home, which you shouldn't since it's a worthless gimmick, then you should wait until 3D TV's actually come out.

[ChicosBailBonds]

A little bit off-topic, but chicos, when do you see the capability of directv and/or cable to broadcast in 1080p, if ever?  Everything I'm reading is saying the bandwidth requirements are just too great to overcome at this point.

We are broadcasting some movies in 1080p already, but on the pay per view side and via on-demand.

[ChicosBailBonds]

On the 3D side, we had the Panasonic 18 wheel truck here the other day to give us a demo of their 3D sets.  Very cool.  As some of you might be aware, we are launching a HD 3D channel in June.  I don't think I could ever get around to wearing the glasses in my house all the time for this stuff, but the visuals are beautiful

[willie warrior]

Thanks willie.  If I spring for the 57" samsung, mo acker will be lifesize in my living room.   

Good one! One of mine is a 55" and he still comes up a bit short.