School me on TV. I want to buy one

[Z06-Goose]

With so much technology out there, I want to ask you guys to shed some light on what to buy.
I'm looking for something 30" or bigger and somewhere around $400-$600.00 tops

So...
LCD TV, LED, Plasma TV?
Which one, guys?

Thanks a bunch
-Goose

[86 IROC-Z]

lesson 1

TVs make moving pictures n shit













I hear the DLPs are pretty good.

[redbird555]

I cant really get into the specifics but I the leds have outstanding picture life because the leds dont tire out with time like plasma and lcd. The new samsung and sharp 55" led's blow away any plasma Ive yet to see and theyre reasonably priced..

[SHines-IT]

What's the conditions of the room you watch?

[ibanez7]

samsung LED is considered the best on the market right now, also more expensive.

i prefer panasonic plasma over (other brand led, lcd, dlp/rear projection)
panasonic plasmas are the best in plasma technology and work the best for 3D movies (z depth) also they are very affordable and go up to 103"

Plasma and LED have the best contrast ratios, producing the best blacks

rear projection is a dead technology.

go to the car forums to ask about TVs is like taking your car to a Dr. to ask whats wrong with it.

check out the AVforums.

[Y2KPewterSS]

Samsung is the best picture by far.

[Z28Thunder]

Class in session


Samsung



End of Class and course...

Schooling complete.

[david_viny]

From what I've seen from best to worse is LED, Plasma, LCD.

The more contrast ratio the better. If its low (like my pc monitor unfortunatly), dark movies wont display real good.

1080p resolution of course, think that's almost standard at this point for any decent TV.

IMO def watch the tv in person before buying. Hopefully they will have a dark movie on to display, as that will make it clear which TV has a better picture. If theirs a bright nature scene its just about impossible to tell much of a difference between any of the tv's.

[Z06-Goose]

Thanks guys.
As far as room where I'll be watching, it really doesn't matter. I normally place my TV's where lighting will have the least effect.
Also, good points on the LED durability. I hear they tend to get less hot than others.
I'll look into the Samsung per recommendation.
Thanks all for the head start.
~Goose

[silverWS6]

I'm looking into buying a tv and I've heard that over the years a plasma tends to loose the image or like be dark and not as bright or clear and lcd was better, led's are kinda new right? or have they been out for a while? And of course the 1080p deal and I'm looking into getting a 40 inch

[Y2KPewterSS]

The LEDs are the newest, they came around in the past year or so. You can get a refresh rate of 120 mhz with an LCD. I believe you can get up to 240 mhz with an LED. The LEDs are lighter and thinner than the LCDs as well. Other than the price being higher with the LEDs versus LCD, I would recommend going with an LED. With me saying that though, the LCDs are being priced to clear out inventory to make room for LEDs.

[Murder after Midnight]

With so much technology out there, I want to ask you guys to shed some light on what to buy.
I'm looking for something 30" or bigger and somewhere around $400-$600.00 tops

So...
LCD TV, LED, Plasma TV?
Which one, guys?

Thanks a bunch
-Goose

The insigna 50inch plasma at bestbuy on sale................................

[00z28bubba]

samsung is top notch with their tv's. and to be simple about it LED bulbs will easily outlast a human lifespan. the only things that will go out will be the circuitry from overload(powersurge) or will be caused by physical trauma. if it werent for the new led tvs i would say find a samsung dlp because they made their last 2 lines of dlp's with led bulbs. refresh rate is ridiculously great for gaming(if needed) and they are less than 1 1/4" deep.

[5.0THIS]

From what I've seen from best to worse is LED, Plasma, LCD.

The LEDs are the newest, they came around in the past year or so. You can get a refresh rate of 120 mhz with an LCD. I believe you can get up to 240 mhz with an LED. The LEDs are lighter and thinner than the LCDs as well.

Honestly it's amazing how many people in this thread really dont have any clue when it comes to TVs and their tech. No offense guys . Apparently nobody has any idea what an "LED" TV is. Most big screens at stadiums are LED setups. None of your TVs are, there is no such thing as an LED TV. LEDs are simply used as a backlight for an LCD (liquid crystal display) TV. All LCDs need a backlight, and LEDs are simply the newest and most efficient way to do it. Before LEDs it was CCFLs primarily used as backlights.

You guys may be thinking "LED" TVs look the best because you're seeing them used in the newest and best LCD panels that companies have to offer, and the LEDs do indeed provide great backlight performance. And actually, if you talk to the experts in the field, most will say it is the plasmas that still have the best pictures, or at least a few of the elite plasma setups. That being said, LCD is the way to go IMO for all but the biggest audio/visual buffs. They're much more efficient than plasmas, use less energy, and have zero chance of burn in, although today's plasmas are much less vulnerable to it. If I could get any TV it would be Samsung's 55 inch 8500 series LED backlit LCD. It's about 4 grand at best buy.

All that being said, apparently you guys missed the part about where the OP's budget was 400-600$. You wont touch an LED backlit LCD TV for that. In all honesty, Vizio tvs offer great value and great performance. Is it as good as a high end sharp aquos or Samsung or Sony Bravia? No, but it's damn close, and unless you're an extreme audio/visual nerd, you probably wont notice the difference anyway, especially if it's custom calibrated. A 37 inch Vizio XVT series can be had for about 600 at Sams/Costco, and they look great when properly setup (no tvs are ever setup that great in stores). There are a handful of off brand TVs up to 42 inch that can be had for 600$ or less, like Insignia, Haier, etc. At that pricepoint I'd go with Vizio, no contest. I've had my 42 for a couple years, no issues, looks great.

[RiceEater]

Just bought a 52" Sony Bravia... loving it! You can browse the internet on it and stream movies directly to the TV.

[ARM5280]

Honestly it's amazing how many people in this thread really dont have any clue when it comes to TVs and their tech. No offense guys . Apparently nobody has any idea what an "LED" TV is. Most big screens at stadiums are LED setups. None of your TVs are, there is no such thing as an LED TV. LEDs are simply used as a backlight for an LCD (liquid crystal display) TV. All LCDs need a backlight, and LEDs are simply the newest and most efficient way to do it. Before LEDs it was CCFLs primarily used as backlights.

You guys may be thinking "LED" TVs look the best because you're seeing them used in the newest and best LCD panels that companies have to offer, and the LEDs do indeed provide great backlight performance. And actually, if you talk to the experts in the field, most will say it is the plasmas that still have the best pictures, or at least a few of the elite plasma setups. That being said, LCD is the way to go IMO for all but the biggest audio/visual buffs. They're much more efficient than plasmas, use less energy, and have zero chance of burn in, although today's plasmas are much less vulnerable to it. If I could get any TV it would be Samsung's 55 inch 8500 series LED backlit LCD. It's about 4 grand at best buy.

All that being said, apparently you guys missed the part about where the OP's budget was 400-600$. You wont touch an LED backlit LCD TV for that. In all honesty, Vizio tvs offer great value and great performance. Is it as good as a high end sharp aquos or Samsung or Sony Bravia? No, but it's damn close, and unless you're an extreme audio/visual nerd, you probably wont notice the difference anyway, especially if it's custom calibrated. A 37 inch Vizio XVT series can be had for about 600 at Sams/Costco, and they look great when properly setup (no tvs are ever setup that great in stores). There are a handful of off brand TVs up to 42 inch that can be had for 600$ or less, like Insignia, Haier, etc. At that pricepoint I'd go with Vizio, no contest. I've had my 42 for a couple years, no issues, looks great.

All that was pretty close to all true and good advice the only two things I will add is the LED component adds a refresh rate of 240hz not available before (in an affordable TV). Also Vizio TV's are made from LG components and are well worth the money, capacitor failure seems to be their only real problem, but an easy fix.

Good Luck with your purchase.