I am a first-timer here, but spent a ton of time in other forums when looking to buy my first HDTV in 2003. At that time, I got a Mitsubishi 48411 and it is still going strong in 9+ years later. However, I need to get a TV in my study for gaming (the wife hates the kids gaming in the living room) and watching hockey (she hates listening to us cheer / yell in the LR). The Mitsubishi is going in the Study to fill the gaming and hockey role, and I have the green light to replace the living room TV. 
Our LR has significant daytime lighting, but is dark as the inside of a well at night when we watch most of our weeknight TV. During the weekends, we will occasionally (well, when there is NHL hockey anyway) watch a hockey game during the day. Most of the viewing angles are within 25 degrees of center. My wife's main concern is to get the best buy I can for the budget, which is around $1,000 +/- $100.
However, and this is the biggie, I cannot get anything over 50.2" in total width, and ideally, I would be around 49.5-49.7" wide. The space in which the set has to fit is 50.375 inches, and ideally, I'd have about a 1/4" on each side. I will be wall mounting it on an articulating arm that can get it at least 30" to the front left (as looking at the set) each away from the back wall when extended to the max at about a 45 degree angle for view in the kitchen (with the front right edge still visible).
That alone is a tough criteria to meet, and it's causing me some issues. I have found a few 55" LCDs and numerous 50-51" plasmas that fit the bill. I am totally open to getting either an LCD (LED?) or a plasma, and
Here are some ideas I have so far:
1) Panasonic Viera TC-P50ST50: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00752VKW8?ie=UTF8&tag=bestcoverycom-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00752VKW8 ($998 shipped via Amazon Prime)
2) Vizio M3D550KD: http://www.amazon.com/VIZIO-M3D550KD-55-Inch-Theater-Internet/dp/B007TEE8YO/ref=sr_1_13?s=tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1353378848&sr=1-13 ($1190 shipped via Amazon Prime)
3) Samsung PN51E7000FFXZA: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-PN51E7000-51-Inch-1080p-Plasma/dp/B0077SZO7W/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1353378983&sr=1-1&keywords=PN51E7000FFXZA ($997 shipped via Amazon Prime)
Ok, so I know all of these have their pluses and minuses, which I've listed below:
1) Panasonic is smaller - 0.8" smaller than the Samsung and 5.1" smaller than the Vizio
2) Vizio has some good reviews and some bad reviews, but seems to have some QA issues.
3) Samsung Plasmas haven't received quite the same number of positive reviews as the Panasonics.
In the end, that almost $1,200 price tag on the Vizio makes it hard to swallow but my wife wants the biggest TV we can fit in the spot, so if you know of something else under or right at 50" wide that has a 55" diagonal screen size, please let me know...I'd like to have this hanging on the wall around Christmas, but I'm willing to pull the trigger earlier if there is a better TV in that price range and size range.
Thanks,
Chris
Our LR has significant daytime lighting, but is dark as the inside of a well at night when we watch most of our weeknight TV. During the weekends, we will occasionally (well, when there is NHL hockey anyway) watch a hockey game during the day. Most of the viewing angles are within 25 degrees of center. My wife's main concern is to get the best buy I can for the budget, which is around $1,000 +/- $100.
However, and this is the biggie, I cannot get anything over 50.2" in total width, and ideally, I would be around 49.5-49.7" wide. The space in which the set has to fit is 50.375 inches, and ideally, I'd have about a 1/4" on each side. I will be wall mounting it on an articulating arm that can get it at least 30" to the front left (as looking at the set) each away from the back wall when extended to the max at about a 45 degree angle for view in the kitchen (with the front right edge still visible).
That alone is a tough criteria to meet, and it's causing me some issues. I have found a few 55" LCDs and numerous 50-51" plasmas that fit the bill. I am totally open to getting either an LCD (LED?) or a plasma, and
Here are some ideas I have so far:
1) Panasonic Viera TC-P50ST50: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00752VKW8?ie=UTF8&tag=bestcoverycom-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00752VKW8 ($998 shipped via Amazon Prime)
2) Vizio M3D550KD: http://www.amazon.com/VIZIO-M3D550KD-55-Inch-Theater-Internet/dp/B007TEE8YO/ref=sr_1_13?s=tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1353378848&sr=1-13 ($1190 shipped via Amazon Prime)
3) Samsung PN51E7000FFXZA: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-PN51E7000-51-Inch-1080p-Plasma/dp/B0077SZO7W/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1353378983&sr=1-1&keywords=PN51E7000FFXZA ($997 shipped via Amazon Prime)
Ok, so I know all of these have their pluses and minuses, which I've listed below:
1) Panasonic is smaller - 0.8" smaller than the Samsung and 5.1" smaller than the Vizio
2) Vizio has some good reviews and some bad reviews, but seems to have some QA issues.
3) Samsung Plasmas haven't received quite the same number of positive reviews as the Panasonics.
In the end, that almost $1,200 price tag on the Vizio makes it hard to swallow but my wife wants the biggest TV we can fit in the spot, so if you know of something else under or right at 50" wide that has a 55" diagonal screen size, please let me know...I'd like to have this hanging on the wall around Christmas, but I'm willing to pull the trigger earlier if there is a better TV in that price range and size range.
Thanks,
Chris
