I'm looking to buy a new TV. Any suggestions? I Bought one!

[Telvis]

For some reason I have the itch for a big screen TV. I have a 32 inch Sony now. I like it just fine but some of those new big screen high definition units are looking pretty good. What is the best to get? I know plasma is out because of the short lifespan. I want durability and quality. I don't need the highest resolution available. I'm sure my vision will not be able to tell the difference between good and exceptional. I dont know the difference between DLP and LCD. I am just looking for some good sensible advice. Any helpful advice??

[SirNik73]

glad to hear your are keeping your eyes in mind when buying a TV. I don't know the least bit about new TVs. but i know that I've seen some $1500 TVs that look as good to me as some $3000 TVs... its the old "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link" statment... if you eyes are the weak link.. then a Bad A$$ TV isn't going to do anything for you.
My mom just gave me her 36" Phillups.. its only like 3 years old.. she had to have a plasma TV... but she doesn't have the HD feed on her Cable... so it looks worse then the old TV now at my house... with a high deff TV and a low deff signal you can see every thing wrong with the signal and its looks horrable.
I supose what i'm trying to say is, get a TV that looks good to you , and then get the HD signal from the cable company, or the dish network, whatever. Digital signal is not HD. trust me if you don't get the HD signal, you'll be asking yourself what was the point of the new TV.
My friend, got a new HDTV and it has some kind of pixel shading or something because it dosen't look as bad as my moms... but you can still tell the diffrance.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

I just recently purchased the Sony KDF-E42A10 42" rear projection LCD HDTV

I was doing a lot of research on this same subject a few months ago.  I learned a lot from www.cnet.com
Heres the write up on the Sony
http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_KDF_E42A10/4505-6484_7-31304863.html?tag=pdtl-list&ar=o

Physically going into the stores (Circuit City, Best Buy etc) I was always drawn to the overall brightness & clarity of this model over other LCD's & plasmas.  I had a price limit of about 2k. The rear projection LCD's, DLP & LCoS sets are very competitave.   "Slimness" wasnt an issue because I didnt plan on mounting the TV on a wall (still only 14" deep)
Warranties on these TV's are a must and can get into the $400 range.
HDMI & component cables are a must as well to get the full effect of the 1080i picture.

This TV along with my HD satellite receiver (Dish Network...28 HD channels) is a great setup and I'm pleased with my choice.

[wish4a68]

As mentioned above going to the store and checking them out for yourself is the key. Cause in the end its your money. I believe that DLP's are slightly (ever so) sharper than LCDs'... However the color wheels are known become damaged and aren't warranteed! I was at a Best Buy and one of the sales reps was telling me about a guy who was pissed off because Best Buy or the Manufacturer would not replace his TV which was only 2 months old! So you may want to consider that and ask about the warranty with a DLP now a days. Hopefully this conflict has improved in the past year. Other than that DLPs are pretty nice TVs.

In the end we went with a Sony LCD. With LCDs, you may (though we havent after 1 1/2 years) get some pixelation. This is when pixels may freeze and appear as a small dot on the screen. If so many appear within a certain square inch area then it will be replaced, but if its just scattered then it wont, depending how bad it is.

In any event there are pro's and con's to anything. It's always best to check them out and see what you like. Talk to the sales rep and ask him to compare and contrast the two types. GL with the hunt

[dkn1997]

I will go down the road less travelled here and say that if super hot shit see the atoms in the objects picture is not important to you, then I would go with a regular projection tv.  That's if you are looking for size.  I bought one. 55" and it was 1200.00 out the door with tax and all.  I had an old projection tv and it sucked.  this new one, although probably the same design, seems to have some improvements because the picture is very crisp (we have hd digital cable, that helps) and the daylight effects it very little. 

If you put on the short wall of a room it's fine and you cannot really get out of the line of sight.  if you put on a long wall, then you might want to go with something else.  my friend has the same size dlp tv and I cannot really see much of a difference at all.  down side is that it's pretty big and you are never gonna hang this thing on a wall. 

just some food for thought.

[Telvis]

Thanks for the advise. I am going to researcha bit more before going out and attempting to make a deal. Longevity it the most improtant aspect for me. I don't buy a new TV very often. I want it to last a while without any major service.

[Orange_Crush]

I have an InFocus SP 5000 High Def LCD projector with a 100 inch (about 9 feet wide) Carada fixed screen. 

My entire setup cost me just under 2000 bucks (including a new upconverting Denon receiver).  My setup is great, but I have it in a large room (18 x 24) which is relatively shielded from bright daylight.

If I had it to do over, I'd spend 1000 bucks more which would get me a  better DLP projector, but the one I have now is excellent.  I'll post a pic of my theater room later today.

[Old Moparz]

Hey Telvis, just put your old TV in a smaller room & sit closer, you'll save a bunch of greenbacks. 

I'm happy with a 42" Toshiba I got a couple of years ago from Best Buy. It's a projection model, not plasma or LCD, & I had thought it was a nicer picture than some of the more expensive flat models out at the time. I went there to get a Panasonic on sale, but this had a nicer picture for about $200 more & a warranty that was double the time frame. (2 years I think.) It's HDTV ready, but I'm not.

[chargedup]

DLP is best for fast paced movies/sports.

Projection LCD is cheaper than LCD's the same size

If it were me I would go with Sony or Samsung those are good brands to go with.

As for damaged light wheels or burnt out lamps those problems are covered in the Sears extended warranty. It covers everything that could happen in that particular time. Also, includes maintenence on these items.

[cool440]

Advice from a veteren.  I managed a big box electronics store for two decades so I really do know.

DLP-A Mechanical engine, this baby has a color wheel that spins colorizing a single B/W chip and has a fan with a filter that must be changed once a year or the motor will overheat.  TROUBLE!  People don't change their cars air filter.  The motor is a PC Hard Drive motor, should last BUT...  DLP suffer with fast moving objects.

LCD (Projection)- Three Color LCD panels with a single beam of light projected through them, no motor, no color wheel.

Both TV's neeed to have the lamp replaced when it goes out, MAKE SURE YOU CAN ACCESS THE LAMP AREA.  This will save you hundreds of dollars.  Each lamp should last 2 or so years under average use.  Sony though had a big problem but has since fixed it.

My choice...LCD.

Just my 2 cents, enjoy your big TV

Michael

[myk]

I will go down the road less travelled here and say that if super hot shit see the atoms in the objects picture is not important to you, then I would go with a regular projection tv.  That's if you are looking for size.  I bought one. 55" and it was 1200.00 out the door with tax and all.  I had an old projection tv and it sucked.  this new one, although probably the same design, seems to have some improvements because the picture is very crisp (we have hd digital cable, that helps) and the daylight effects it very little. 

If you put on the short wall of a room it's fine and you cannot really get out of the line of sight.  if you put on a long wall, then you might want to go with something else.  my friend has the same size dlp tv and I cannot really see much of a difference at all.  down side is that it's pretty big and you are never gonna hang this thing on a wall. 

I gotta' agree.  I'm just a poor boy so I can't ever see spending more than $1500 on a tee-vee, which is about what I paid for my 52" RCA projection type.  Don't let the monster size deter you from buying it though, as they are on wheels and are very easy to move around...

[Telvis]

Thanks guys. I'm going shopping tomorrow.

[Telvis]

I bought a Sony 50" LCD rear projection TV today. I bought a DVD theatre system too. The TV is a 3 LCD model that does not have the color wheel. The bulb is easy to replace too.  I bought the three year service contract. I bought it at Sears because the service contract seemed a bit better.

Thanks for all of the advice guys. It made the purchase a lot easier. I knew the model I was looking for before I went shopping. It was a real easy deal.

[73dodge]

I bought a Sony 50" LCD rear projection TV today. I bought a DVD theatre system too. The TV is a 3 LCD model that does not have the color wheel. The bulb is easy to replace too.  I bought the three year service contract. I bought it at Sears because the service contract seemed a bit better.

Thanks for all of the advice guys. It made the purchase a lot easier. I knew the model I was looking for before I went shopping. It was a real easy deal.

When's the dodgecharger.com movie night at your house???

I suggest the first movie we watch is Top Gun nothing like hearing an F-14 at full volume and large screen to get the full movie experience.

I'm good for the popcorn.