Any TV buying tips?

**dawnwes** · 09-25-2011, 08:08 PM

I am not the TV person, I let my husband pick that out. We do have 2 flat screens now that our tube TVs went out a while ago. I think ours are LCD high def, 1080p. One is a 37" that we bought at Costco for $500 or so. The other is some monster 56" that was way too much $$ (I think around $2,000.) But we now have a "media room" where that one goes.

I am confused as to you needing new furniture if you get the same size you already had. Your comment that if it fits it won't be as big as you are used to doesn't make sense to me. Isn't that where you have your TV now?

Dawn

**snafu** · 09-25-2011, 08:16 PM

Buying a new TV is fun! It comes down to 'how much money' you're willing to spend, how big the space between TV & couch, how dominant you want the TV and what you want the TV to provide. you'll get different opinions as we see different points as critical. Smart TVs stream Netflix & HULU for example. LG 60" let's you see the droplets of sweat on the forehead of the football players. 50" TV needs 5 ft. between or you see flaws in the picture. You can choose between side lit and back lit...the edge is the issue.

Best brands are Panasonic, Samsung, more reasonable priced LG. Best technology Plasma, 3D not yet popular enough. Before buying x-tras like HD cable, verify the price on-line at monoprice.com or whatever seller preferred, compared to brick & mortar outlets. I use Costco as my baseline when reviewing pricing. There are companies that will deliver and install/hang your new TV.

Wish you could wait until closer to Xmas, the pricing is much better.

**minnie1928** · 09-25-2011, 08:38 PM

Originally posted by dawnwes View Post

I am confused as to you needing new furniture if you get the same size you already had. Your comment that if it fits it won't be as big as you are used to doesn't make sense to me. Isn't that where you have your TV now?

Dawn

I understand what he's saying...my mom recently replaced an old, tub tv with a slightly larger flat tv. Even though the tv is technically larger, the screen looks smaller than the old tv.

**minnie1928** · 09-25-2011, 08:42 PM

Steve,
If you can, get a recent copy of Consumer Reports that reviews TVs.

We bought a Sharp TV about 1.5 yrs ago (55", LED) at Electronics Expo. The TV had an issue while under warranty and Sharp's customer service was great. However, Electronics Expo's service was horrendous. To say it was bad would be a massive understatement. So, my advice for a tv would be to NOT buy one at Electronics Expo. I know you're in NJ, and they operate stores in NJ...that's why I mention it.

**dawnwes** · 09-25-2011, 08:55 PM

Huh.....you mean because it is a wide screen maybe?

I am trying to picture the difference.

We never had cabinets for TVs. Ours are just sitting on top of a TV stand.

Dawn

Originally posted by minnie1928 View Post

I understand what he's saying...my mom recently replaced an old, tub tv with a slightly larger flat tv. Even though the tv is technically larger, the screen looks smaller than the old tv.

**seen** · 09-25-2011, 10:21 PM

Umm.. there's a bit of misinformation here so let me see if I can clear things up a bit. Please feel free to correct me or add to as you see fit, I'll try to summarize as best I can.

Plasma: Oldest (but still great) technology of the big 3. Deepest blacks, best picture but also most energy consuming, and although it's not so much a problem now, there are still reported issues with "burn-in" ie. Leave a video frozen on the tv long enough and it will begin to etch itself onto the screen permanently.

LCD: Typically better power consumption then Plasmas, they are what you might call the computer monitor TVs. If you want to hook your PC up to the TV, in general these or LEDs are what you want for detail and resolution.

LED: Newest technology. The best power consumption of all three and most expensive, overall same specs as LCD but better picture quality (back-lit), or thinnest size (edge-lit).

You can argue till the cows come home on which is the best but in the end it's all about what you think would suit you best. Personally I love the edge-lit LEDs because of how thin they are. The power consumption is the best of all 3 and the picture I feel is still fantastic but that's just me.

For Plasmas, Panasonic is at the top. For LCD/LED, Samsung/Sony is best, with some other brands such as LG/Sharp close behind.

Finer details:
-3D is a gimmick. Don't bother with it, you'll like it for a day before you get sick of the glasses. Also, when watching cable tv the signal is not naturally 3D so the set upscales the picture and what you end up with is a sometimes very inconsistent 3D experience.
-Get 1080p. It's the only resolution which can play Blu-ray in its max native resolution. If you're only going for a 32'' tv you could argue that you only need 720p due to the picture size but.. Meh, up to you. I'd say on anything over 42'', 1080p is a must. Note: Do not mistaken 1080i for 1080p.
-60hz was fine yesterday, but 120/240/higher hz is available today. In buying 120hz you will see the biggest difference, where 240/higher hz not as big of a gain. Increasing the hz means a higher picture refresh rate and smoother transition between frames on high speed scenes. Great for sports; it makes the picture pop like you're there in person. I like it for movies also, but some don't and so they turn 120/240hz off for that.
-you want as low of a response time as you can get. If you see 16ms, stay away. I don't think those even exist anymore, but basically the response time measures in milliseconds how quickly a pixel can re-draw itself. Quoted on another site, "Think of it in relation to shutter speed on a camera." A slow response time will cause ghosting/blurring on high speed scenes.
-Contrast ratio. Yes it's important, but these days you don't really see tv's with low contrast ratios anymore, so I'm leaving this as a minor point to look out for. The higher the ratio the better.
-Internet apps, do you do a lot of netflixing? hulu? web browsing? Some people like to buy smart tvs that have gadgets for online browsing/streaming, but personally I don't like them. Reason being, from what I've seen these gadgets are only good for so long before something better comes along. If netflix disappeared tomorrow, that feature on your tv is now useless. Perhaps someone else can chime in on how these apps are updated, if at all? I'm not the best person to ask about this, because I have a home theater PC hooked up to my tv for all internet/media.

Connections:
HDMI - This is your bread and butter for anything you hook up to your tv. If it supports HDMI, use it. The greatest thing about this connector is that it passes the HD signal as well as audio through 1 clean cable.
VGA - This is your PC connector. If you are going to hook your PC up to your TV and it doesn't have HDMI, this would be your next option. Audio would have to be connected separately
Component (YPbPr) - Typically paired with audio cables for a total of 5 connectors. This is the next best thing to HDMI if you're connecting a dvd/bluray player, etc.
Composite - Last resort, this is your single video, two audio connectors for a total of 3. This has been around a very long time, and should even be on that tv of yours that broke.

I'm sure I've left something out but off the top of my head this is what comes to mind.

**Gary Barzel** · 09-26-2011, 02:35 AM

Plasmas use more electricity, come in bigger sizes, don’t suffer from motion blur, and offer an unlimited viewing angle that’s best for off-axis viewing. LCDs are more energy-efficient, have fewer problems with glare due to their matte screens, can hold an image for hours or days without suffering burn-in, and generally look brighter.

**disneysteve** · 09-26-2011, 04:30 AM

Originally posted by dawnwes View Post

I am confused as to you needing new furniture if you get the same size you already had. Your comment that if it fits it won't be as big as you are used to doesn't make sense to me. Isn't that where you have your TV now?

Originally posted by minnie1928 View Post

I understand what he's saying...my mom recently replaced an old, tub tv with a slightly larger flat tv. Even though the tv is technically larger, the screen looks smaller than the old tv.

Dawn, what minnie said is correct. Our TV is in a wall unit in a square compartment. If we get a new TV that is as wide as our current one, it will also be shorter top to bottom since they are all wide screen format now. That may not be an issue since we're used to watching some wide screen programming with the black bars on top and bottom but it'll probably take a bit of getting used to. I suspect it will seem smaller at first. If we want a screen as tall as the current one, it would be too wide to fit in that compartment.

**bjl584** · 09-26-2011, 04:57 AM

Originally posted by disneysteve View Post

We came home from a weekend trip and my daughter turned on the TV only to have it come on momentarily then go out and start making a high-pitched whine. That can't be good. Of course, it is about 15 years old and I knew it wouldn't last forever.

So I guess we're going to be in the TV market this week. Any tips? We only own conventional CRT TVs. We have never purchased a flat screen, plasma, LCD, etc. type screen. Any pros and cons to the available options?

I'm hoping we can find one that fits in our wall unit otherwise this is going to be an expensive venture if we also have to replace our furniture in the process. I'm afraid whatever TV would fit in the space will be too small compared to what we are used to.

You basically have 3 choices.

Plasma, LCD, and LED.

Plasma = older technology and higher power consumption, but ideal for a darker room due to bright blues and blacks. These are the least expensive of the 3.

LCD = all around good picture and longevity. Lower power consumption and moderately priced.

LED = paper thin screen, newest technology. Super bright crisp picture, but higher priced.

You will have to take a tape measure with you to the store to see what will fit in your entertainment center. Or, you can remove the entertainment center and wall mount your tv. If you wall mount your tv get a mount that tilts. Don't buy a stationary one. You need to tilt the tv so that it is parallel to your line of sight while you are sitting down. So, if you are sitting on your couch and looking up at your tv, the tv will need to be titled at a slight angle.

Personally, I would probably buy a Sony or a Samsung. A bit higher priced, but the best quality and features. Vizio is a also a good brand that is a little less expensive. They are owned by Sony, and they serve as their "generic" brand.

**disneysteve** · 09-26-2011, 05:36 AM

Thanks for the education everyone, especially seen.

We'd only be looking at a 26" not one of those monster home theater screens. We definitely wouldn't get 3D as we have no interest and my wife can't see 3D anyway. We do stream Netflix through our Wii but we don't need it built in to the TV. I may want to hook up a PC to stream other stuff.

We aren't cutting edge kind of people (obviously, since we are still watching tube TVs). We'll probably go with LCD since it is not as costly as LED. Personally, I think what lots of folks are spending on TVs is quite nuts.

**MonkeyMama** · 09-26-2011, 07:10 AM

Oh, my dh would give you a lesson (like seen did). I am clueless.

Actually, you are coming into the market at a really good time. You can get a huge, super sweet, high quality TV for $800-ish. Maybe less. Seems like prices came down significantly since we bought just last year. Of course, these TVs cost $5,000 just a few years ago, but things have changed very rapidly. Plus, we replaced out behemoth TV (we could not move it by ourselves - was just HEAVY though it was a 2000 model?) and now I Can pick up and move the TV if I need to. Even though the screen is almost twice as big! Doesn't take up quite the space as older TVs. It just amazes me.

Anyway, it's funny to me the perceptions that linger about Plasmas. Our 50" Plasma (bought just last year) is the cheapest TV we have bought together. & it is of far superior quality to the 10-year-old TV it replaced. But yeah, people were spending fortunes on TVs, and then the prices fell significantly.

**Scanner** · 09-26-2011, 07:13 AM

Got mine at Walmart for $300.00. It's a Sanyo with the DVD player in the side.

You are near DE - you could have it shipped there and avoid sales tax.

**disneysteve** · 09-26-2011, 07:42 AM

Originally posted by MonkeyMama View Post

You can get a huge, super sweet, high quality TV for $800-ish.

No way would we ever spend that kind of money on a TV. I looked online at a couple of places and it looks like 26" LCDs are running under $300.

Originally posted by Scanner View Post

Got mine at Walmart for $300.00. It's a Sanyo with the DVD player in the side.

You are near DE - you could have it shipped there and avoid sales tax.

We already have a DVD player so just a plain old TV will do just fine. Buying in DE is always an option though as gas prices and tolls have risen, we don't go that route as much as we used to years ago. On a $300 purchase, we'd only save $21 (7%) but we'd spend that much in gas and tolls.

**Scanner** · 09-26-2011, 07:52 AM

Yeah, it was convenient to me as I just picked up on my way to visits my parents in SE PA. It may not make sense for you like you note. You may want to make a day of shopping if you go that route and get other things - get some groceries at least (dry goods make sense at Walmart). So, you could easily see dropping $500 in a trip (ooo. . .now you are up to $35.00, lol - you also should figure in wear and tear on your car at $.50/mile when doing these kind of frugal calculations).

Mine was going to be up on a fireplace mantle (don't use the fireplace anymore) so I didn't want it cluttered with a lot of DVD wires and what not.

Very happy with the set-up, pic. quality and price.

Any TV buying tips?