Need help buying a 1080p TV!!

[chikkutom]

Hi guys,
I want to buy a LCD TV that is 46" or higher and should have 1080p. My budget is under 2k. I saw a philips 47" tv at costco.com for 1699.99. Is that good? Any other suggestions?? Thanks for the help!!

 

[avaserfi]

As far as LCD manufacturers go I would look into Sharp or Toshiba. I think the Toshibas might be a little out of your price range.

Here is a suggestions a good Sharp from the place where I bought mine: http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=SHLC46D62U

 

[mazersteven]

JVC HD-58S998

http://tv.jvc.com/product.jsp?modelId=MODL027864&pathId=139&page=10

 

[WmAx]

If image quality is a real concern, and your budget can not go higher, I recommend a Panasonic 50" 720P on sale(under $2k on sale). The increased resolution of 1080 over 720 can not make up for the horrible/synthetic appearance of a typical LCD screen, resulting from the narrow color gamut.

-Chris

 

[Adam]

If you're set on a 1080p LCD for under $2K, I'd suggest that you check out the Toshiba 47HL167. It's 47", 1080p, and costs around $1750 (actually, $1730 at Amazon.com).

The Toshiba 46LX177 has some nice features, but it is still above $2K. It has, however, dropped from $3K to around $2300 over the past month. So, it's only a matter of time.

 

[gus6464]

If you decide to go with the Toshiba 47HL167 I highly recommend you buy from a brick and mortar with 30 day return policy. The HL167 and LX177 have a green push problem but its not on every single tv unlike the sharp banding problem. I have had my 42HL167 for almost a month now and I am loving it. Blu-ray's on my PS3 look amazing and even though the tv had a slight green push on SD I was able to tweak it out very easily. This tv has a ton of color and picture settings. But then again from what I have seen from the other brands (Samsung, Sony, Sharp) they all tend to push a color. Samsungs and Sharps I have seen like to push blue while Sony likes to push red.

Another LCD that just came out which I was very impressed with the PQ was the new Mitsubishi LCD's. Fry's carries them and I think you can get the 46" LT-46133 for under $2k.

 

[chikkutom]

As far as LCD manufacturers go I would look into Sharp or Toshiba. I think the Toshibas might be a little out of your price range.

Here is a suggestions a good Sharp from the place where I bought mine: http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=SHLC46D62U

which is better, LCD or PLASMA?

 

[avaserfi]

which is better, LCD or PLASMA?

Between LCD and Plasma I would say plasma wins hands down in picture quality. The problem is implementation. If you can control light in the room very well Plasma is the way to go. If you had mediocre control I would still probably suggest plasma, but if you have little to no control then LCD will do better.

 

[WmAx]

which is better, LCD or PLASMA?

If you value realistic(as in real life-like) colors and contrast, then plasma is still king of the flat panel roost. But please realize, in-store demos are all but useless, and they like to point you towards the more contrasted image, which has more 'pop' effect, but is not in any way realistic. Do this: look at the greens and golds in graduations. Almost no LCD can begin to show a wide enough ranges of gold and green compared to a high quality plasma display. This extends to all colors to some point. The most critical thing to look for is the subtle tonal changes in faces(from light to darker graduations of flesh, for example) as a good example. Almost no LCD can do a good job on subtle graduations of tones. They just omit the information, with sudden changes in tone shifts that should not occur. If you are viewing a CRT monitor, I can make two small sample images for you compare, then look for this same effect in the store. If you using a LCD monitor, however, it will harder for me to make this sample image; I will have to exaggerate the difference to make it apparent on a LCD as the only viewing device.

-Chris

 

[zildjian]

It's just a little over your $2K range ($300+), but I'd still consider the Panasonic TH-50PZ700U which is $2267 from the buydig place avaserfi posted (it's $2699 at BB). It's a 1080p 50" Plasma. I've been looking at this one for a couple weeks now. I'm having a hard time justifying buying a new TV now since I'm going to move sometime in the next few months, and I've already sold a lot of furniture in preparation for a lighter move. I know I should just wait, and I probably will just keep the smaller HDTV I have for a few more months, but if I was going to get a flat screen TV today, that Panasonic would be it.

Brad

Edit: just saw where the Panasonic TH-50PZ77 was announced. It's to begin shipping at the end of the month and has a MSRP less than the TH-50PZ700U, so maybe it will have a lower street price too. Maybe worth waiting for...
see press release at http://www.panasonic.com/pressroom

 

[chikkutom]

What do u guys think about 47PFL7422D ($1799 at circuitcity.com)? Seems to me like good tv for a decent price. It also has high ratings(4.8/5)

 

[jonnythan]

Best Buy has a Panasonic 50PX75U for under $1800.

I'd go with that before a 47" LCD every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

 

[WmAx]

What do u guys think about 47PFL7422D ($1799 at circuitcity.com)? Seems to me like good tv for a decent price. It also has high ratings(4.8/5)

It's a mediocre image quality flat panel: it's a LCD. If image quality is not a big deal to you, go for it.

-Chris

 

[chikkutom]

Best Buy has a Panasonic 50PX75U for under $1800.

I'd go with that before a 47" LCD every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

But I want a 1080p TV..

 

[1tribeca]

Don't be so hung up on this "1080p" buzz word. Keep in mind, there's only limited HighDef material out there for viewing...Blu-ray, HD-DVD, and HD cable/Satellite. It's far from commonplace in the consumer marketplace.

There's so much more to consider for a panel than just pure resolution numbers. Such as contrast, video processing, life-like colour reproduction etc. Viewing distance is another consideration. If you're buying a 50" or less panel and you're more than 9 feet away, you're wasting your money for 1080p!!

I've seen for myself a Pioneer 720p Elite panel beside the top end Panny 1080p...no comparison!! Don't get me wrong, the Panasonic is a great TV, but it doesn't stack up to a Pioneer. Now, you're talking high end cash for a Pioneer, but the point is, it's a superior panel even at 720p. Why? Beacuse of the points mentioned above...fantastic blacks, excellent processors, the truest colour you'll get from any panel etc.

Remember, 720p is STILL HighDef!!!

 

[jonnythan]

But I want a 1080p TV..

At 50" and under, you won't even be able to tell the difference between 720p and 1080p unless you get really close.

You *will* be able to tell the difference between a crummy LCD and a quality plasma... or even a crummy plasma and quality plasma.

Don't get hung up on "1080p."

 

[chikkutom]

can i get some reviews on PANTH50PX75U, SAMHPT5054 and LGE50PC5D?

Please....thanks!!

 

[zildjian]

Just an update in case you're still wanting a 50" 1080p, the Panasonic TH-50PZ700U that I talked about earlier is now $2,039.88 from one of the online retailers selling through Amazon. Down from the lowest price of $2267 that I could find last week. There were some sale price errors ($1800) last week on that unit from BB and maybe other stores. I was real excited about that until I was told that it was a typo.

Current lowest price from Amazon seller here

 

[-Kevin-]

Another thing that you might want to consider is what you are going to be using it for.

If you plan on playing any video games LCD is definately not the way to go according to most counts. Due to motion blur during fast scenes, image trailing ect Another point I hate about LCDs is the "Black level." This has universally been a weakness for LCDs. Black not actually being black..but more grayish. (although recently it is getting better...)

A problem with plasma is the possibility of image "burn in." They both have their pros and cons...

A new-ish technology you might want to seriously consider is called "Lcos." Sony's version of it is called "SXRD" (it doesnt have any of the weaknesses that I mentioned for LCD and plasma) Check out this TV:

(its a touch out of your price range. If you REALLY need to be under $2k you can find last years model for quite a bit cheaper than this one)

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665153953

Good luck!

 

[avaserfi]

Another thing that you might want to consider is what you are going to be using it for.

If you plan on playing any video games LCD is definately not the way to go according to most counts. Due to image trailing/slow refresh rate ect Another point I hate about LCDs is the "Black level." This has universally been a weakness for LCDs. Black not actually being black..but more grayish. (although it is getting better...)

A problem with plasma is the possibility of image "burn in."

A new-ish technology you might want to seriously consider is called "Lcos." Sony's version of it is called "SXRD" (it doesnt have either of the weaknesses that I mentioned for LCD and plasma) Check out this TV:

(its a touch out of your price range. If you REALLY need to be under $2k you can find last years model for quite a bit cheaper than this one)

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665153953

Good luck!

I am going to have to disagree with you there. With current refresh rates on LCDs there is absolutely no reason not to game on them. In fact I game all the time on my LCD with no problem at all and have never seen a single instance of trailing or motion blur. LCDs biggest weakness is they aren't close as good as plasmas in black level, off axis viewing and gradient. All these problems are getting better for example blacks no longer look gray, they just aren't true black like you would see on a quality CRT or Plasma.

Also, any quality plasma such as a Pioneer or Panasonic will not have any problems at all with burn-in as that is something from plasma's past that has been overcome with things like pixel shift and a few other antiburn-in methods.

Lastly, if you are a gamer and worried about burn in then LCDs would be the way to go as most games have still images that would not change or change slightly the whole time you play. This is why LCDs were/are commonly recommended for gaming as many people still believe in burn-in after all which is worse burn in or a little motion blur although it is now a moot point.