New TV [Archive] - Icrontic Forums

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V|P

18 Jun 2008, 1:36am

I'm shopping around for a new TV for my living room (BTW I'm in NC with my parents now. Finished the year). The TV I'm looking for needs to be ATLEAST 42' but preferably slightly larger. It has to be flat panel, and I'm leaning towards plasma though LCDs are okay too. I want it to be full HD (1080p) and have an HDMI port, and if possible a DVI, though not necessary. I want to get a sound system with it but I don't know the first thing about them so I need help with that also. I want the total cost to be as low as possible, but I don't really have a ballpark so help me out. I'm okay with any brand, though Sony's TVs seem incredibly overpriced while Sceptre is not something I've seen or heard of often.

mertesn

18 Jun 2008, 3:20am

Samsung makes excellent televisions. I own a HL-T6187s, which is a 61" DLP with an LED engine instead of a standard bulb. Had it since August and couldn't be happier.

The best advice I can give is to see any TV you'll potentially purchase hooked up to its own video feed. If you're going to play Blu-Ray, be sure to have a player connected directly to the TV through HDMI. Most TVs come with at least two HDMI inputs, so you'll be able to connect a PS3 and another device such as a cable box.

Can't help much with a new sound system. I'm running my sound via optical cable through a Yamaha receiver into a 5.1 setup. It doesn't have HDMI but it does the job.

Whatever you do, do not buy HDMI cables from a retail store. You'll get ripped off big time. Order cables from a reputable site such as Newegg and you'll get a good cable at a good price.

tmh88

26 Jul 2008, 6:59am

V|P

26 Jul 2008, 3:45pm

All that I can say from experience, for gaming go with plasma. Even though response times are down to 5ms, it can make a difference in FPS.

I had a 32" sharp LCD and it was very nice. Obviously the big name brands like sony, samsung, sharp, LG, etc, are going to be good.

Well good timing in resurrecting an old thread TMH because we are actually looking for one still. We've been out of town a lot and we're going to be out of town for the next two weeks in Florida so I can't really do anything till then but when we get back I'll definitely get one. My mom's angry since I keep putting it on hold but I want to make sure I get the perfect TV with a PS3, a 5.1 cheap-o sound system, and all the necessary wiring and extras (universal remotes, anything else). I have a ballpark now though. We're looking at about $2500 for everything. I thought it would cost atleast $3000 but I made a quick shopping cart on Amazon with all this stuff and a 52'' Mitsubishi LCD and it came out to just under $2500.

mondi

26 Jul 2008, 11:10pm

Don't skimp on speakers. A cheap receiver will still power good speakers, but bad speakers will sound crappy even with a great receiver. If you can't afford a full complement of decent speakers for a 5.1 system, consider going 2 channel or 2.1 till you can afford to expand it. Buying a "cheap-o" setup, just to get 5.1 isn't worth it.

RADA

27 Jul 2008, 3:25am

I've seen 52" Samsung or Sharp AQUOS (my fave) 1080p on Ben's Bargains (http://bensbargains.net/) for $1600-1800. You may have to wait for a sale though..

RADA

27 Jul 2008, 3:27am

I've seen 52" Samsung or Sharp AQUOS (my fave) 1080p on Ben's Bargains (http://bensbargains.net/) for $1600-1800. You may have to wait for a sale though..

From Ben's Bargains: Frys.com has the Samsung LN52A550 52" 1080P LCD HDTV for $1599 with free shipping. You can find the full details on Ben's Bargains...

Thrax

27 Jul 2008, 4:26am

The LNxxA series is phenominal.

Cyclonite

27 Jul 2008, 5:05am

The LNxxA series is phenominal.

I've been waiting for the LN52A650 to drop to about 2k for some months now before I buy. I may just go ahead and grab it soon, as it's not looking like it'll make it. The TV is just gorgeous.

RADA

27 Jul 2008, 5:36pm

I've been waiting for the LN52A650 to drop to about 2k for some months now before I buy. I may just go ahead and grab it soon, as it's not looking like it'll make it. The TV is just gorgeous.

Amazon has it for around $2200...

Snarkasm

27 Jul 2008, 5:47pm

I want the 9-series they just announced. LED backlit with million to one dynamic contrast.... yum. I'ma be saving for a while though.

tmh88

27 Jul 2008, 5:55pm

I want the 9-series they just announced. LED backlit with million to one dynamic contrast.... yum. I'ma be saving for a while though.

who makes it?

Snarkasm

27 Jul 2008, 6:15pm

Samsung.

Lincoln

27 Jul 2008, 6:29pm

We got a Samsung LNT4665FX 46″ 1080p HDTV LCD (http://icrontic.com/forum/showthread.php?t=68956) (15000:1). Perfect size for us. Makes me feel good that the sale price we got is still less than it's selling for (some places) 6 months later.

RADA

30 Jul 2008, 10:37pm

The Samsung LN-Txx81F (40", 46", 52", & 57" 1080p) has a 500,000:1 contrast ratio!! Didn't even know that was possible....

The 57" runs around $6500-$6800... Pricey, but nice....

Thrax

30 Jul 2008, 10:47pm

Samsung has made 1,000,000:1 possible. :)

RADA

30 Jul 2008, 10:56pm

Samsung has made 1,000,000:1 possible. :)

WOW!! Need to get current on what's out there...

Is this R&D only, or available to the general public?

Snarkasm

30 Jul 2008, 11:21pm

That's the 9 series I just mentioned!

I want the 9-series they just announced. LED backlit with million to one dynamic contrast.... yum. I'ma be saving for a while though.

tmh88

31 Jul 2008, 12:37am

Samsung has made 1,000,000:1 possible. :)

And how much will that cost? I can't imagine the price tag on that beast.

primesuspect

31 Jul 2008, 3:05am

Samsung LCD prices (http://icrontic.pgpartner.com/search_attrib.php/page_id=197/form_keyword=samsung%20LCD/st=query_link%5DSamsung%20LCD%20prices).

You can use our shopping engine (http://icrontic.pgpartner.com) to search for prices.

Snarkasm

31 Jul 2008, 3:32am

tmh88

4 Aug 2008, 4:10am

Clearly nobody listens to me.

Samsung 9 Series (http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/07/23/samsung-gets-official-with-led-backlit-9-series-lcd-hdtvs/) introduced with 1,000,000:1 contrast, LED backlighting, and prices ranging from $3,200 (46") to $4,200 (55").

Yeah, but $3200 is quite a bit of money. I bet in a year or two there will be models from every company that offer LED backlighting with 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and they will be a lot cheaper.

NiGHTS

4 Aug 2008, 4:26am

RADA

4 Aug 2008, 5:35am

Somewhat of a threadjack, but what's the opinion on the large DLP rear-projection TVs? I mean, if I can save myself some cash and get over a foot in size larger in the process, I'm interested. Worth the buy?

DLP TVs have amazing pictures, but MAKE SURE you spend good $$$ on a power conditioner.

As you know, a DLP chip is thousands of tiny mirrors, if you have dirty power, a spike can blow your mirrors, resulting in spots similar to dead pixels on a LCD. These dead spot WILL NOT be covered by your unit's warranty!

The cost of a good power conditioner could offset the saving between LCD or DLP...

Snarkasm

4 Aug 2008, 3:07pm

I ran a 65" Samsung slim LED DLP on regular power for years, never had a problem.

I love DLPs, but some people can "see the wheel" - they have fast enough or sensitive enough eyes/senses/whatever that they can see the frequency flickers from the wheel. It arises because a DLP works by reflecting the light off of those mirrors through a spinning color wheel.

All it means is you have to go to a store and see if you're one of the people that can see the wheel, and if you can, you have to decide if it's enough to keep you from spending less money.

Also, I forgot: technically, since they're projection TVs, you might see some bowing or distortion or the like. If you throw a grid up on the TV, you'll see it, but otherwise, it's generally not a problem.

Cyclonite

4 Aug 2008, 3:12pm

The new LED DLPs actually do away with the wheel. It eliminates the rainbow effect.