Samsung HL67A750 - can I really abuse this TV? (1 Viewer)

[ManW_TheUncool]

Congrats, Pat!

I'm sure you're dying to get it in your house and start enjoying some HDM, etc. on a big screen again. It's been almost 2.5 months now, hasn't it?

We're certainly enjoying ours (61" version) for the past month.

_Man_

 

[Patrick Sun]

The only good thing about daylight savings time going into effect this weekend is that it chops off an hour off my waiting time...

 

[DaveF]

Good TV, great price!

 

[headknocker]

That's an incredible deal for the 67"....major kudos to you. I'm looking to get the 61" in several weeks online if there's any left by that time. I'll probably be paying in the $1500 range shipped so that highlights your incredible deal. Did they offer you the set for $1299 without the extended warranty?

 

[Patrick Sun]

I think if I pressed the issue, I can simply get a refund on the warranty by going to customer service because they don't want that TV set back in their store.

 

[headknocker]

Thanks for the info. I had to do a doubletake when I saw what you paid. I don't have enough money right now for the 61"(after spending the $$$ on the Marantz SR5002 AVR,Panny BD-35 BR, and the pair of "Famous Maker"(aka Atlantic Tech) 10" subs from PE.

So, I'm sitting here playing the race/waiting game for the next 2-3 weeks hoping I can still find the set when I'm ready to make my move. It's driving me crazy since it's the set that I've had my heart set on for the last two months. It would fit like a glove between the two windows in my dedicated HT.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Definitely just lucky with my timing (but I've been actively looking for deals to materialize on this particular set), plus my insurance claim is coming through this week, so I don't mind spending a little bit more on the warranty portion of the purchase now.

 

[headknocker]

If I don't go crazy over the next 2-3 weeks it will be a miracle

We were walking around BB last night and we noticed they had the Samsung PN50A450 (50" 720p plasma) on clearance for $1000. Of course, that doesn't include sales tax which would bring it up to $1070 in the "great" state of NJ. I checked online last night and found that the HD store was selling it for $958 shipped.
While a 50" 720p(although I'm reading where it's resolution is even higher than that) set really isn't what I'm looking for I have to say the picture on that unit looked pretty darn good in the store. The wife and I looked at the 46"-50" plasma and LCD sets(most were 1080p) around it and it more than held it's own.
Do I wait another 2-3 weeks for the Sammy 61" DLP (and pray I can still find it) or do I pick up this 50" Sammy plasma as a quick fix and eventually move it downstairs to our living room when the eight year old Toshiba 50H81 RPTV gives up the ghost? Of course, if I go with this plasma set right now I'm probably pretty much screwed out of ever having the chance to snag the 61" DLP while they're still available. Or do I just forget about the DLP and get a 58" plasma or LCD at Xmas when my wife gets her nice bonus?
Like I said, I'm driving myself nuts

 

[Patrick Sun]

I'd wait it out because the plasma option is always going to be there, so take your time, and then pounce when the opportunity presents itself.

 

[headknocker]

Thanks for the advice. I was leaning that way anyway(based on the same thought process) and I've had my heart set on the 61" Sammy DLP for so long that I'd probably kick myself a month from now if I pull the trigger on the 50" plasma in a day or two. I don't think I could go wrong either way as the wife and I were impressed with the Sammy 50" plasma. For less than $960 shipped it has an impressive picture...and it would be a perfect fit in our LR entertainment center.

I just won't accept anything smaller than 58" in my dedicated upstairs HT(our daughter's old bedroom) at this point....just keeping my fingers crossed the next 2-3 weeks for the 61" to still be available.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Woo hoo! The TV just got delivered, and it looks fine from 20 feet away (as well as 9 feet away - almost too much, but that's a good problem to have). It also survived the trip as well without much wear-n-tear (as far as I can tell on a cursory view).

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Congrats again, Pat! Have a blast! I guess we probably won't see too much of you around here for the next few days, if not longer.
Kevin,
Yes, definitely hold out for more/better (or better pricing). Who knows? At the rate things are going due to the economic downturn, you might even be able to buy the Sammy 58" plasma for just a tad more than the current going rate of the 61" LED DLP. I just noticed that Crutchfield has slashed pricing for the 58" plasma down to $1999 shipped(!). I wouldn't have bet on that back last summer when I debated it (and it was still easily/consistently over $2500 until just a couple months ago). But now, who knows?
Of course, if you get such a huge plasma, there's the concern about power consumption. However, if you're not running it 8-to-10 hours per day everyday as your regular TV, but use it mainly for movies and maybe some sports, then the power issue probably is no big deal at all. Don't know what your electricity costs are in NJ(?), but in the NYC area, Con Ed seems to be charging an arm and a leg (after fees/taxes), so the costs do add up noticeably here, which was part of the reason I decided not to consider waiting longer for a big plasma -- we use our big set for pretty much all purposes (in our livingroom).
_Man_

 

[headknocker]

Man,

Thanks for info and advice. I'm not really a big TV junkie. I work swing shift(5pm-1am) and I rarely watch TV during the day. My wife uses our eight year old Tosh 50H81 RPTV much more than I do.

I mainly watch sports, football in particular, so that and the occasional BR or DVD will comprise most of it's use.

$1999 for the Sammy 58" plasma? Whoa!

Pat,

Give us tour take on the set after a couple of days. Congrats!

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Looks like OneCall also knocked the Sammy 58" plasma down to $1999 shipped -- and Amazon is not far behind (plus also has an open box unit for less).

Maybe they're starting to clear them all out much like was done w/ the LED DLPs before.

_Man_

 

[Patrick Sun]

If you live by a Fry's, they are now selling the 67" for $1699.99, and the 61" for $1299.99.
Here are some screenshots. I did a little bit of gamma correction due to the trickiness of taking shots of the TV screen, and then resized them. These were shots of shows that came from my HD DVR:
This is my old plasma set (50" Panasonic):

These are from the new 67" TV. As you can tell, I had to raise the center channel speaker about 8" from its initial height, and it's about 10" wider. Much easier to watch TV while surfing on the PC:

 

[headknocker]

I live in NJ so Fry's really isn't a viable option...particularly after reading the less than stellar reviews about Fry's.com.

I'm really want to kick myself. I kinda decided to forget about the Sammy 61" DLP and just get the aforementioned Samsung PN50A450 50" plasma right now to hold me over until X-mas in my new dedicated HT. At that point I would throw it downstairs in our living room and get a 58" plasma to take its place.

Sears had a killer deal on the PN50A450 in yesterday's flyer....only $799 which was $200 cheaper than last week's price at BB and $158 cheaper than HD.com. I didn't see it until the evening and I've been checking around today....it's gone....grrrrrrr.

It seems like every TV I set my sights on is in high demand and hard as hell to find.

 

[dschill]

Great pics Patrick...Love the quality

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

So how are you liking the new TV so far, Pat?

_Man_

 

[Patrick Sun]

I've had it for a week now, and have been enjoying it quite a bit. I'm still using only component 1080i video (DVR and HD DVD), waiting for some HDMI cables to show up so I can check out the 1080p video through HDMI. Finally got my Samsung remote control off Ebay yesterday, so now I have all the buttons at my disposal (my cheap universal remote was somewhat limited in what I could do to change settings).

I do think it's best to watch this sized set from about 12 feet away or further, but that's probably because I've been mainly watching my compressed Comcast HD feed via DVR. But no complaints so far.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Patrick,
I highly recommend a Harmony universal remote to go with your new setup. You will quickly retire all your component remotes to a shelf or drawer, to never be used again.
We sit about 12 feet from our 67-inch model, and I could see moving a foot or two closer if possible (it's not, due to our room layout), but that's about it.