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big screen plasma tv or lcd hdtv, help me decide!

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asscherisme

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I am planning on buying a large screen HDTV. I interited some money a few years ago and put the bulk of it into savings and college funds. But I want to purchase one thingthat the kids and I can enjoy and considering we have a 20 inch picture tube TV I thought a nice big flatscreen would be a wondeful thing we can all enjoy. And feel good about The money is from my grandpa and my gradfather LOVED his TV. He always had the biggest and best TVs of the era. And he had one of the earyl big screen plasma''s before he passed away. I think he would smile and approve knowing that I safely put away the money but am doing one splurge and it happens to be on something that he allways felt was worth the money :) knowing that the bulk of what I inhertied is safely put away for my future as well as the kids future. Win/win.

So...I don''t want to spend over $1,600. I saw at costco they had vizio brand 50 inch plasma for $1,499. They also had vizio 50 inch for 1,299. I am leaning towards plasma but am concerned about the burn in issue. I have noticed since I have been thinking about the tv how many stations from disney to cnn and every network has their little symbol in the corner when you watch. Would that cause a burn in on plasma? Do the newer plasma tvs still have burn in problems? I am looking for budget and quality.

If you own a big screen TV, is it plasma or LCD? And are you happy with it?

Does anyone have a Vizio brand?
 
Ditto Scarlet on the LCD! My BF is an installer for Best Buy, and we have a 40" Sony Bravia. You can't go wrong with Sony or Samsung. Or Panasonic. I'd avoid Costco though, their brands are cheap for a reason.
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The quality and longevity of the other ones are much better, in his professional opinion.

Oh yeah, and ours was within your budget too. Yay for new tvs!
 
Date: 6/6/2008 4:26:15 PM
Author: sunnyd
Ditto Scarlet on the LCD! My BF is an installer for Best Buy, and we have a 40'' Sony Bravia. You can''t go wrong with Sony or Samsung. Or Panasonic. I''d avoid Costco though, their brands are cheap for a reason.
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The quality and longevity of the other ones are much better, in his professional opinion.

Oh yeah, and ours was within your budget too. Yay for new tvs!
Click to expand...

Well Costco sells Panasonic and Sony (and also junk)...

But I personally prefere plasma... But I have both... Plasma gives a better picture with better viewing angles (Panasonic, Smasung, Pioneer do plasma)... Sony and others are LCD... In my living room, the TV is kitty corner, so I went with a 50" Panasonic plasma... In my bedroom, the TV is at the foot of the bed, so I went with a 32" Sony LCD...

The things are so cheap now, and the warranties are 5 years in homer if you extend them, so I dont worry about long term quality...
 
We just got a 46" Samsung LCD from Best Buy and it is awesome! The picture quality is amazing.
 
of course your source connection is important too... If you get a 1080p TV, does your cable box support it, etc? Are you using HDMI cables to transmit both audio and video, etc etc
 
we have 2 lcd''s and would buy another in a heartbeat. but like sunnyd said, be wary of cheap brands etc. we were gifted a visio lcd. then my friend and her husband bought a panasonic lsd. the difference in the 2 tvs were HUGE. and we had the hdmi cable and they didn''t. after that, we knew we wanted to upgrade with a larger one. i ended up buying a panasonic for a STEAL. wasn''t looking to get one at that moment, but couldn''t pass the offer up. it was like 80% off. we love love love it .

not sure if any of this is helpful, but good luck.
 
Assherisme, just one more thing to consider, make sure you check the power usage on whatever you pick, some of the larger plasma screens can suck as much juice as your fridge
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, which adds to up $$ in power bills.

Cyren
 
Dh and I have been doing some research and have found that Sony and Samsung are the the best in the market. Next to that are your Panasonics, LG, Toshiba, etc. We have a friend that has an Insignia and absolutely loves it - has no problem with it. If you''re planning on getting anything over 37 inches than you might want to invest in a 1080p.

Hope you find what you''re looking for!
 
If your kids play video games, select the LCD. As others have posted these do not run the risk of burn it like the plasmas.

Personally I prefer the LCD because the colors just pop. We have plasmas at work and they almost all have burn in. The colors also look dull compared to LCD.
 
My dad and friend have a 42" plasma and they love it.... theirs are panasonic. Neither of them have had burn-in problems, not saying burn ins dont happen....

On that note though my FI has a 46" LCD HDTV by Samsung and we LOVE it. I'm a huge LCD fan. Our second tv which is on the way is a 37" LCD HDTV by Samsung as well.

So my vote goes to LCD's and to Samsungs.... Sharp Acquos are nice as well and seem to be priced pretty well at Costco. I have no idea what the vizio brand is other than what I saw at Costco. There are so many brands out there and it does make a big difference in picture quality. You should try looking at the Vizio next to the other tvs at Costco, I know they carry sharp and samsung at least. Or go into a best buy and look at the wall of tvs. The Plasma vs LCD debate really breaks down to what you like looks-wise, it's not necessarily that one is higher quality than the other. I have some seriously geeky tv friends and i've done a bunch of research. I just decided I liked LCDs better.

I'd also advise buying online. You can get deals with NO tax and NO shipping from reputable dealers. That's how we got the first tv and that's how we're getting the second one. I just bought the second one tonight from a place called buydig.com that says they are cnet certified sellers. I saved about 2-300 dollars vs buying it from Best Buy or even Costco since there was no tax.

Both our LCDs are 1080p. Go for the best if you can! We also play video games on ours and I love the picture quality for that better on an LCD as well (as I type from my 24" LCD computer monitor)
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Well, we JUST went through this this wk. MH and I bough a 40 inch LCD (actually the one Scarlet posted from Best Buy- Samsung). Let me see what I can remember from what the salesman told us about plasma vs. LCD. If your kids play video games, definitely go with the LCD, since the chance of burn-in is possible with that. Also, I think I remember him saying something about the brightness of the room you plan on putting the TV in- I just cant recall which one is better for darker vs; lighter room- maybe you can ask. But, you can definitely find a great LCD within your budget- I would look into the TV we bought- its a GORGEOUS picture...I think you and the kids would love it!!

Good luck!!!
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I spent up until very late last night after my kids were in bed researching and I went to Costco today and bought one! The comments on this thread were VERY helpful and steered me away from Plasma.

I ended up spending $1,599 and got a Samsung '46 inch model 540 full HD 1080 LCD set. It got super reviews online and I was so excited to find the set at the store.

My kid are SUPER excited and I am as well :)

I am so glad Costco had what I wanted because they allow 90 day returns if there is a problem and also double the warranty to 2 years.

Thanks again for all the tips. I was originally thinking Vizio '50 inch plasma and am SO glad I took the time to post and research it. I called my best friend and asked to pick her husbands brain (he is TV obsessed) and she was happy to lend him to me for advice :) She and her husband are coming over tonight to help me set the TV up. I need to call my calbe company monday and get the HD signal. My friend has it and said its an extra $7 a month.

It suppose to rain tommorow so it will be a good excuse for my kids and I to rent a movie :)

edited to add, the box says energy star on it. I had not thought of the power usage. In this day and age, I like the more power effecient as well. That was a great tip.

In the store, I noiced that the picture on the one I bought was so much brighter and sharper colors than the plasmas and even other LCDs. It really stood out.
 
We have a 46" (I think???) Sharp LCD and really like it. DH got it at Walmart.
 
Date: 6/7/2008 8:30:42 AM
Author: Dani
Well, we JUST went through this this wk. MH and I bough a 40 inch LCD (actually the one Scarlet posted from Best Buy- Samsung). Let me see what I can remember from what the salesman told us about plasma vs. LCD. If your kids play video games, definitely go with the LCD, since the chance of burn-in is possible with that. Also, I think I remember him saying something about the brightness of the room you plan on putting the TV in- I just cant recall which one is better for darker vs; lighter room- maybe you can ask. But, you can definitely find a great LCD within your budget- I would look into the TV we bought- its a GORGEOUS picture...I think you and the kids would love it!!

Good luck!!!
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Click to expand...
if you have a dark room either plasma or lcd should be fine,but if your room has lots of lighting then go with a LCD.
 
Date: 6/7/2008 5:48:34 PM
Author: Dancing Fire
Date: 6/7/2008 8:30:42 AM

Author: Dani

Well, we JUST went through this this wk. MH and I bough a 40 inch LCD (actually the one Scarlet posted from Best Buy- Samsung). Let me see what I can remember from what the salesman told us about plasma vs. LCD. If your kids play video games, definitely go with the LCD, since the chance of burn-in is possible with that. Also, I think I remember him saying something about the brightness of the room you plan on putting the TV in- I just cant recall which one is better for darker vs; lighter room- maybe you can ask. But, you can definitely find a great LCD within your budget- I would look into the TV we bought- its a GORGEOUS picture...I think you and the kids would love it!!


Good luck!!!
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Click to expand...
if you have a dark room either plasma or lcd should be fine,but if your room has lots of lighting then go with a LCD.
Click to expand...


That''s it, DF!!!! I knew it went something like that- LOLl!!!! Thank you!!!
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And if you want HDMI cables check out monoprice.com. They supply cables to a lot of companies that repackage them under various brand names, but if you go directly to MonoPrice you can get them for around $5 each rather than $50.
 
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