Which hdtv to buy?

[Mohaman Cheez]

I am in the market for a HDTV and I want to go at least 42" for the size and 1080i/p for image quality.Since I want to play games on it I've decided to go with LCD instead of Plasma. And the last thing is I don't want to spend more than $1200 to $1300 on the set. Normally I use cnet's reviews to help me decide what might be the best purchase but I notice now they are partnered with BestBuy and the reviews are kind of limited to what BB carries.

So I am looking for my DSFers advice,whether it be from personal purchases,research or even a good place to find non-biased reviews.Any opinions will be greatly appreciated.

[Randal Graves]

When I get my TV it's going to be a Samsung 52" LCD, but I've heard Sharp has TVs that are good for gaming. The one below is the one I'm going to buy. It's 3k so it's probably more than you want to spend, but I've seen it on sale for 2k. It's bigger than what you're looking for too so you may be able to get a 42" in your price range.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1169512522065

[trondi]

O.k. I did a lot of research on this subject. I was going to get the Sony Bravia 40 inch set with 1080p. You don't want to get less than that(1080p).
Make sure that what ever T.V. you settle on has 1080p and not 1080i. The reason you want Sony is simple= Bluray. Sony HD and Sony HD T.V. were built to run together. like a Fender guitar and Fender amp.
The HD Video war is over and Sony's Bluray is the winner.
If you get an HD video player, it wont do what it is supposed to do unless you have a t.v. that can do 1080p.
Best thing to do though is, go look at the T.V.s because they don't look the same in real life as on a computer or on a commercial. Also take into account that the lighting in the store isn't like what is at your house, and when you are looking at all those t.v.'s next to each other it is hard to gauge how big they really are.
A 40 inch t.v. is a pretty big t.v.
Anyway, my general rule with technology is this. Buy the best that you can afford, and be prepared for it to be obsolete in 5-10 years.
Lastly, I would wait till after Christmas time, right before the great HD switch in Feb.
With the economy as bad as it is and the fact that, if you don't have an HD T.V. by feb 2009, you won't be able to watch even just standard local channels. I am going to bet that unless some economy miracle happens, or if the gov offers subsidies on HD T.V.s, prices are going to drop.
Oh, and get the extended warranty, because when an LCD T.V. breaks , it is garbage.
Hope this helps.

[mathiaswvu]

I have a 61" DLP Samsung and wouldn't trade it for the world, unless is was bigger.
a couple things i learned thru buying a year ago with HD.

1. go all out and get the best buy card. ask for the 18 month payment with 0% finance. even though they dont always advertise it they still offer it. then buy the cables and suround sound as well. plus you get points on your reward card. i spent $3900 on tv, surround sound 5 disc, off air antenna, tv stand, cables and surge protector and got like $300 back i spent later. i could have held off and used the money to get a surround sound but said fuck it and swiped the card.

2. you want at least 2 HDMI inputs. they are like gold when it comes to inputs. the cables are kind of pricey...6' for $90 but you can find them at discount stores as well like Ollies or Big Lots.

3. I wanted plasma but went DLP. this was when movie theatres started putting them in their projection rooms and i was impressed and glad i went with the little mirrors.

4. don't get an HD tv if you don't plan on purchasing HD programs or they don't offer many channels. duh. i had to wait for 10 months from when i bought it until i could get directTV HD. then i didnt have local channels in my area but they slowly are coming in.

5. buy an off-air antenna. you pick up local channels for free. when i was in georgia i got all the locals in HD, a weather channel and a classic rock video channel. $60 1 time fee.

oh and get the warranty and look at everything. dlp looked better next to plasma when i sat down and has a 180 degree view.

[Mohaman Cheez]

Ok thanks for the 1st batch of replies and I guess I should expand upon my dilemna.
I have a wife who isn't a techgeek,so the biggest I can go with is probably 46" w/o hearing the "It's too big for the room"argument.I have Directv so it's digital programming already,yet I am in bumfuck egypt(70 miles from NYC)so an over the air antenna won't work for me.
I totally agree about the HDMI inputs,I'm looking for as many inputs as I can get between the satellite,Xbox360,the 360 hd-dvd(gift for xmas) and when blu-ray gets cheaper or ps3 gets better games and cheaper.

Leroylips-Very nice tv,I've heard the same about the Sharp's,I think they actually have a games setting built into the menu,it was either Samsung or Sharp.

Mathiaswvu-DLP is that flat panel or like a CRT type tube? I have a 34" phillips HDTV right now and love the pic quality,but I was thinking about maybe hanging the tv on the wall.

Trondi-Besides the blu-ray/hd-dvd player there isn't really any plans to broadcast in 1080p,so in your opinion is it ok to take the 1080i (or 720p) and a lower price for regular hd programming? And you're right,the Feds won't offer anything for new TV's,just a $40 coupon for a converter box for analog signal tvs.

And for anyone-Any opinions about lower end Tv's like Vizio/Insignia/Westinghouse etc.?

And once again,thanks a lot for everyone's input I am taking in all this good advice.I was also thinking about signing up for consumer reports(fee based I think) to see what they say about TVs as well.

[Randal Graves]

I'm pretty sure Sharp is the brand that has a gaming mode.

DLP is a rear projection TV. It is smaller than some of the older rear projections, but it's not something you're going to be able to wall mount.

[trondi]

I would go with the 1080p, even if that means a smaller T.V.
because eventually Bluray will be the standard, Playstation 3, and xbox 360 games in 1080p will be the best, and the consoles will be cheaper.
It will be better to have options you don't use than kicking your dinosaur.
As far as the T.V.'s and format goes, the hardware is way ahead of the software.
720p looks great right now, but once again, if you are watching a killer action movie in 1080p and your t.v. doesn't read it your missing out.
It's like listening to stereo records on a mono stereo, you know what I mean?
Really any of the brands out there are most likely pretty good, you might have to tweak the levels a bit or a lot.
I have been kind of into the Samsung brand of T.V., But....I have owned 3 different dvd players, a low end, amid level, and a high end model, and they sucked.
Returned all 3 after a couple of weeks. I also owned a Samsung cell phone, and I didn't like it, so I am worried about the quality of their T.V.. and I know that the brightness levels on the Samsung LCD T.V.'s at the best buy are maxed so they pop harder.
I recently picked up super cheap ($49) Sony dvd player and it is the best one I have yet owned.
Anyways, good Luck.

[Flash]

I used to work in Home Theatre department @ fs shop but i iddnt really have to learn much wen i first started since i know alot about electronics and this kind of stuff...Im kind of busy now but ill be on later 2nite...i really think i can help u get the best quality for ur money and explain ot u the pros and cons of different companies as well as differences between models...ill post some stuff later on so dot make ur descision yet!

[Mohaman Cheez]

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Cool guys,thanks again for the quick responses.
And I'll check back later for your input Flash

[K-Man]

Unless you are using or plan on using only Blu-Ray movies on the LCD TV, save some dough and get a 1080i LCD for now. Quite honestly, 1080p technology won't be something that will come right away (read the fourms and articles online) everyone says 1080p is a better standard than 1080i but aside from Blu Ray movies, (and realistically, the difference in the quality of movies between "p" and "i" standard are not THAT big a difference!) no one will be able to reach those viewing standards for a LONG time (at least 5-15yrs is what alot of people are saying it will take television to offer that level of output. Best anyone offers now is 720p anyways.)

It's nice to have the next gen. in TV's but if no one is offering that quality, why waste money on it? The TV will probably break before you'll be able to maximize it's full potential. Use the money you save to buy a PS3.

Oh, and to answer your original question. The Sharp Aquos line is pretty sweet as are the Samsungs. I like the Sharp's colour but Samsungs are pretty hard to beat when it comes to price/value. It's almost always a few hundred dollars cheaper and the picture quality is just as comparable. Myself personally, I ended up with a Panasonic 32' LCD and for the price I paid, I probably could have gotten a 37' from Samsung or Sharp but the colours on the Pansonic were the best of the three and I also liked some of the features on the Pansonic that neither of them had. Sharp also is the ONLY LCD TV on the market that the user can replace the lamp/bulb themselves if it ever breaks or burns out. (I'm pretty sure that is still true) ALL other LCD TV's have to have someone either come to replace it or you have to ship it off to fix. So that might factor into your final decision too. Also, if you can afford it, get the extended warranty on the TV. LCD's are one of the few items of technology that extended warranties are worth it for. I had a friend who didn't buy one and it cost him $400 to have some guy come in and fix his LCD TV. As is the case, his TV broke 3 months after the manufacturers warranty ran out!