LCD Help

[tdenny]

Hi,

It's been a while since I've been out here but the forum was so helpful when I put my home theater in I thought I'd come back to the some more really good advice.

I currently have an HD DLP projector (100" screen which is fantastic) in my primary theater room but am in the process of buying a new TV for the kids room downstairs - really only enough room for a flat panel TV.

I'm seriously looking at a Toshiba 47LZ196 LCD 1080p (47 Inch) and have heard some good things about it. I searched the forums but didn't find any specifics so please forgive me if this is a dupe. Anyone know anything about these or have any suggestions on LCD's in that size range?

I have looked at a lot of plasma's and with the exception of the Pioneer 8k model haven't found any I really liked. My primary uses will be the Sony PS3/BlueRay player and HD cable TV.

I am still a bit leery about LCD but need some reassurance from the forum? I'll search around some more but would really appreciate any info. Thanks much.

TD

 

[Swerd]

I'm seriously looking at a Toshiba 47LZ196 LCD 1080p (47 Inch) and have heard some good things about it. I searched the forums but didn't find any specifics so please forgive me if this is a dupe. Anyone know anything about these or have any suggestions on LCD's in that size range?

I have looked at a lot of plasma's and with the exception of the Pioneer 8k model haven't found any I really liked. My primary uses will be the Sony PS3/BlueRay player and HD cable TV.

I am still a bit leery about LCD but need some reassurance from the forum? I'll search around some more but would really appreciate any info. Thanks much.

TD

I recently bought a Sharp 37" LCD TV that I have been very pleased with. It was my first HDTV of any kind. It is 720p resolution, so my comments are general and not directly about your model.

It was a toss up between the Sharp LC-37D42U that I did buy and the Toshiba 37" 37HL66. Both seemed very good, and ultimately price was the deciding factor. From what I was able to learn about both the Sharp and Toshiba LCD TVs in general, I think your choice will be good. You might want to compare the Toshiba to a Sharp LC46D62U. It is also 1080p. I found the equivalent Sonys were much higher in price and didn't seem worth it.

I was surprised at how good the built in digital TV tuner in my set is for over the air reception. Before you commit to HD cable, if OTA is available for you, give it a try.

 

[tdenny]

Swerd,

Thanks much for the reply. I have looked at the Sharp models alot and they have been very high on my list. I never really considered the Toshiba until I read an article in Sound and Vision that gave it good remarks. I already have HD Cable coming into the house but plan on trying to use the CableCard in the new set. We'll see how it goes. Thanks again.

TD

 

[WmAx]

Hi,

It's been a while since I've been out here but the forum was so helpful when I put my home theater in I thought I'd come back to the some more really good advice.

I currently have an HD DLP projector (100" screen which is fantastic) in my primary theater room but am in the process of buying a new TV for the kids room downstairs - really only enough room for a flat panel TV.

I'm seriously looking at a Toshiba 47LZ196 LCD 1080p (47 Inch) and have heard some good things about it. I searched the forums but didn't find any specifics so please forgive me if this is a dupe. Anyone know anything about these or have any suggestions on LCD's in that size range?

I have looked at a lot of plasma's and with the exception of the Pioneer 8k model haven't found any I really liked. My primary uses will be the Sony PS3/BlueRay player and HD cable TV.

I am still a bit leery about LCD but need some reassurance from the forum? I'll search around some more but would really appreciate any info. Thanks much.

TD

I can not recommend the current LCD televisions, at least not for movie viewing. Sports, sit-coms and news programs generally have lower image quality, so it is not that much of an issue with these programs in general(though a fast response time is essential for sports programming). Regardless of brand or model, I have not yet found a LCD that matches, based on my perception, a good quality plasma unit, not even the most recent Sony XBR Bravia LCDs, though these are much better than most others. You refer to liking a Pioneer plasma. Please refer to the current generation Panasonics. These are almost always recommended by videophiles as being 2nd best choice (Pioneer being 1st choice) for image quality, but with a reasonable price tag. Please note that the default settings on these televisions in the stores are useless for comparisons. You must spend 15-30 minutes going through the set-up/adjustments to get some idea of what any particular television can do next to the one beside it. Even then, if you are not familiar with the image quality issues at subject, you may miss important details that will ultimately affect your image viewing experience, but you may not necessarily know why.

-Chris

 

[tdenny]

Chris,

This is why I've been very hesitant to buy thus far. Problem is I haven't been too impressed with the plasma's I've seen either. Thanks for the feedback it is greatly appreciated.

 

[hemiram]

Chris,

This is why I've been very hesitant to buy thus far. Problem is I haven't been too impressed with the plasma's I've seen either. Thanks for the feedback it is greatly appreciated.

The Toshiba you were looking at is a really nice TV, and so are the Sharps. I personally find most Plasma TV's kind of "dead" looking and prefer (and bought) an LCD, it was no contest IMO. I have the Sharp LC37D40U, it is closing out now for less than $1000 at some mail order places. I've had it for 9months and am extremely happy with it. With a good signal input, it's awesome looking. The blacks thing is highly overrated IMO, a new LCD compares very well to Plasma. You're buying a TV, not something you will have for the rest of your life. Why do people worry so much about this kind of stuff? If it looks ok in the store, with the settings all screwed up like they usually are, it will look 10X as good at home. My only regrets about my TV is I don't like the remote, and the price cracked about 2 months after I bought it. Big deal.