Can any of you recommend one of these? I like the 36-month no interest offer. Thanks! http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=pe_59010_13214990_pe_t5/?docId=1000423771
You asked the right guy, ABM. I bought this Samsung LCD HDTV about nine months ago, and I couldn't be happier with it. It's the 46-inch, LN46B650 model, with 1080p, 120 hz, and Red Touch of Color. The sharpness and detail of the picture is fantastic. You'll think you've died and gone to heaven the first time you watch a Blazer game in HD. My girlfriend loves the picture so much that she says she would date me just for my TV!!
Looks good. My latest questions are: Is the new(er) LCD LED technology all that? How about 120 hz vs. 240 hz? I'd love to spend a lot less (such as what you've recommended), but will I end up regretting not getting the latest and greatest?
I couldn't say. Maybe others on the board know more about this. I just know that my TV is all that I need, and the picture is great.
I can't answer the hz question as I haven't researched it, but having followed TVs the last year and a half (waiting to have money to buy one) I can tell you the LCD LED technology IS all that as it does a much, much, much, much better job of replicating the color black. When I thought once I was close to buying a TV I was hedging between the LED LCD and the LED DLPs, although there are only 2 mfgs. left of DLPs and they don't hang on the wall. You could also wait for a laser TV, but I'd buy now... Samsung is the "king" of the TV crop though Sony does an excellent job too. I've heard rumors of issues with Samsungs and repairs but nothing I can substantiate. P.S. Touch of color sucks, but what can you do?
240Hz is about 4ms response time for a pixel to change color. 120Hz is 8ms, obviously. LCDs were originally designed to show static pictures - like a computer screen. When it comes to moving pictures, especially where the background is changing rapidly or the camera is panning left/right (like following a basketball game), the faster refresh rate will make a huge difference. 16ms is about the least the eye can tolerate and be passable for moving pictures. The big draw of the LED TV to me is that they're like 1" thick. Another advantage is they don't lose picture quality over time. LCD is backlit, which projects the colors to your eye. Over time, the backlight dims; this is why an LCD screen has an expected lifetime. LEDs are low power and maintain their brightness for years, if not forever. LCDs cheat to achieve black. They basically turn off the backlight behind the black pixel so it looks blacker. It is not as good for pixels that are not quite black. I have a 58" Panasonic Viera plasma. It's rated by cnet as the best picture for a screen over 50". FWIW.
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/samsung-ln46b650/4505-6482_7-33544741.html?tag=mncol;lst Samsung LN46B650 CNET rating 3.5 out of 5 stars The good: Reproduces relatively deep black levels; accurate color; very good dejudder processing; extensive feature set with Yahoo widgets, network streaming, and built-in content; solid connectivity with four HDMI inputs and one PC input; energy efficient. The bad: Somewhat expensive; dark areas tinged bluer; benefits of 120Hz difficult to discern; shiny screen can cause reflections in bright rooms; no S-Video inputs; overt red coloration and funky styling not for everyone. The bottom line: While not up to the picture quality of Samsung's topflight models, the feature-rich, uniquely styled LNB650 series still outperforms most LCDs on the market. Specifications: Product type: LCD TV ; Diagonal size: 45.9 in ; Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 100000:1 ; See full specs Price range: $1,249.00 - $1,999.99 check prices
CNET's currently rated best TV at 58" or better is Samsung UN55B8500 LED based LCD. #2 on the list is: Panasonic TC-P54V10 The high-end Panasonic TC-PV10 series of plasmas delivers the overall best picture quality of any flat-panel HDTV we've tested so far this year.
Thanks, I just pulled the trigger on this one from Amazon. $1,769 after $250 instant promotional discount. Free shipping, 36-months no interest. Nice.
That 46" LCD that Shooter has is nice... I looked at it when I was buying but when with something a bit cheaper. Amazing BlueRay picture. Some people don't notice the difference between older LCD and 120hz and 240hz... but if you are someone like me who does... it is a big deal. My brain scrambles when watching something like one of the Bourne movies etc... and I found the 120hz made action movies a bit easier to handle. HD was made for sports though... the difference in a basketball game or football game is HUGE.
Sony or Samsung. Same chip, same screen, no difference. Buy whichever one is less expensive. I have the 46" Sony 1080p, but only because it was on sale versus the Samsung. Both companies have decent warranties as well.
Actually, this set must be the new version of the one I bought. Mine has a strictly rectangular shape (rather than that v-shaped design on the bottom edge), and the dynamic contrast ratio on mine is 50,000:1, not 100,000:1. I've had no problems with a blue tint to the black areas, either.
FWIW, I'm basically suggesting people go read some reviews about what they are looking to buy when it comes to electronics.
I ended up canceling my order with Amazon last night. Despite the very good reviews on the LN52B750, I still felt it was too much of an impulse purchase. After all, this isn't bowling change we're talking about. Thanks for all your insights. I'm still gonna sort all this out.
No problem. When I buy a new computer, monitor, or something like this (TV), I agonize over the purchase and do a LOT of reading up before finally pulling the trigger. I bought a new laptop about a month ago after spending about a month reading about my choices and all the technology available. For something like a TV, I don't expect to be throwing it away anytime soon, so I read reviews for days about them. I would also recommend that if you're going to get a HD TV, that you consider what you're going to do for audio and what you want to plug into the TV. If you're going to have great picture, you probably want great sound too! If you have a receiver you intend to use, what connection will you be making to it? If it has HDMI, then you want your TV to have an HDMI input for it (it will). But if the TV has 3 HDMI inputs and you want to plug in 4 devices (receiver, satellite receiver, playstation, xbox), then the 3 inputs is a limitation. New receivers may have 4 HDMI inputs, so you might consider one of those in this case. If you have an assortment of devices to plug in, then you might consider some sort of intelligent universal remote. One more thing to consider is screen size. For the best experience, the ideal screen size is related to how far away you intend to sit from it. Bigger isn't necessarily better: http://www.cnet.com/hdtv-viewing-distance/
Another place to get information on HDTV's is herehttp://hdtvbychadb.com/reviews.htm. This site is run by a fellow who calibrates HDTVs for a living, he really knows his stuff.
