Down to 4 Choices of TVs's? Please help me out (1 Viewer)

[Jeff Sch.]

Well iwent to Best buy and circuit city today and was looking at all tvs in my $600-$1300 range.(Upgrading from 3 yr old 27in pip phillips/magnavox) I was contemplating all day on weather to get a normal 36" tv or a 51" I saw. Dont know if i want to send the money.Basically the run down is this.
I have digital cable in my apt, even though i have yet to hook it up yet. I have an XBOX and GAMECUBE and do play games say 2 hrs at a time most times occasionnally for more in one sitting. I sometimes will play 2-3 hrs. turn it off for a couple and go back. I also watch dvds. Maybe 4-5 a week. Now my question is what is the best option for me.
I basically looked at these tvs and all seemed great.
36"
Toshiba 36a42($700) Really nice TV. Looked almost HD
Panny 36D32 ($800) Looked nice as well. Had pip
JVC 36320 ($700) Looked ok.

PANASONIC 51" HDTV 51hx42 ($1200) plus $300 service plan
that was a open box
retuned item from christmas. It was out onthe floor playing and was missingthe box. It also had scuff marks along the bottem(boticible but didnt care) Lastly it had a wood chip on the back of the cab. Couldnt even see. After talking to the mgr he offered it for $1200 with the option for a service plan or not.

Anyway. an input would be great. Dont know if i should WAIT or BUY NOW

 

[RickER]

If it were me..id save those pennies and get a widescreen HD ready TV. If you must have something now, my money would go to Toshiba...of the ones you picked. If you get the Panasonic return you NEED that service plan. Have you looked in Consumer Reports, or Home Theater magazine?

 

[Andy Kim]

I would be weary of any floor models, though the HDTV Panny sounds like it hasn't been playing out for too long. You don't know what's been playing and for how long and at what picture settings. I remember seeing a 16:9 floor model that already had the 4:3 burn-in because that's all they played.
But then again, you usually want the biggest TV you can afford. I went from a 27" to a 36" (wega) about a year ago. When I first got the 36", I kept saying "wow, look how big this TV is". But now after a year, I almost wish I had gone for something larger, even if it meant sacrificing the great picture of tubes and going to a rear-projection model.
I think I gave you more questions than answers

 

[Daniel Becker]

Hi Jeff,
I've done a lot of tv shopping over the past year and i've learned a lot about buying new tv's without spending over $1500. I'm not rich so therefore I think I can give you a good idea of whats going to give you the most bang for your buck.
In my opinion the best tv's at the $600-$1300 price level are made by Sony. Some people may diagree but from what my eyes have witnessed they make the best looking picture tube in that price level. So, I would reccomend buying one of the new Sony 32" high definition. You may be able to find one at the $1300 level. I really recommend buying a tube tv no matter what you do though. Why you ask? Well, at the prices you looking at your not going to find a projection tv that looks as crisp as a tube tv right now. Also, by buying a nice tube tv right now you can get a good 5 years out of it and at that point your going to find the high definition plasma tv's at a very reasonable price. At that point they will begin to take over the market place and you and I will be buying are first plasmas, as will the rest of the world.
There are several reasons I recommend you buying a Sony though. First, they have the 16:9 anamorphic squeeze for DVD's and some of your videogames. If you've never seen the "squeeze mode" before, trust me, you WILL be impressed when you watch a dvd or play a game that supports it in that mode. Second, the sound on the new Wega's is fantastic. Sure, if you have a good surround setup you may not use it much but for normal tv watching and videogame playing if you choose to just listen to the tv speakers you'll once again be VERY impressed. The sound is just awesome on the Sony tv's. I've got a 24" Wega and it sound better than some mini stereo systems when playing music.
So, to wrap things up for you i'll say this. If you want to spend the big money I would go with the biggest Sony Wega you can afford. It will either be a 32" or 27" and make sure you get the "NEW" model of the Wegas. They have the new sound features. Whether or not you get a high definition is your decision. If you can afford it you'll be very pleased with how your Gamecube and Xbox games look in progressive scan mode. Also, if you feel you want to save some money right now you could buy a 27" or 32" Samsung high definiton. They look very nice and have the "anamorphic squeeze" option just like the Sony's. Again, your DVD's and games will look awesome on this tv. Feel free to email me if you have more questions about how to use your new tv once you buy it. You will probably have to buy some new cables and stuff if you want to get the most out of your new tv. So, here are your best options:
32" Sony Wega--High def around $1500
32" Sony Wega--Non High Def around $1200
27" Sony Wega--Non High def around $900
32" Samsung Flat--High Def around $1000
27" Samsung Flat--High Def around $700
Hope all that helps.
Dan.b

 

[LloydM]

Is this the 27" Samsung you are referring to? If not do you have the model # of the one that you are talking about?
link here
Lloyd

 

[Daniel Becker]

No, thats not the tv. The tv you've linked to is not High Definition. The tv i'm referring to looks very similar to that one but it does high def. It's usually advertised at Best Buy and Circuit City for about $699.



Dan.b

 

[LloydM]

Could it be this one? Thanks
Lloyd

 

[Jeff Sch.]

has anyone ever looked at the Toshiba 36" 36a42??? It really looks beutiful. Also, what would be the point of going from a 27" regular nice to to a 27" hdtv?

 

[KevinJ]

the $699 one might be the set i have which is the txm2796hf

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Personally, I don't think I can ever go back to a direct-view now that I have a 53" 16x9 RPTV. Yes, it doesn't look as sharp or as bright as tube TVs, BUT I think the overall movie experience is MUCH better when setup correctly and watching good quality DVDs--mediocre DVDs would be different.

I don't play games, but plenty of other people love their gaming on RPTVs.

_Man_

 

[Daniel Becker]

Jeff,


When it comes right down to it for most home theater fans, picture quality is what it's all about. If you don't agree than you might as well just completely ignore my previous response. That what I base my tv buying decisions on.


Also keep in mind that I answered your question with YOUR budget in mind. Based on those things I listed the best tv's available for someone with your tv usage ratios. You said you play videogames and watch dvd's. So, I based my response on those things as well. In my opinion the tv's I listed are your best options. Why did I recommend a 27"? Well, I simply gave you that option sincey you listed your budget from $600-$1300. So, I gave you a low end option as well as the higher end options. I hope this makes sense to you now.


As I mentioned before there are probably going to be a few key issues for you and your new tv to be the perfect match. You want to see your dvd's in anamorphic widescreen (which all of the tv's I recommened are capable of), and you want a HD tv so you can view your Gamecube and Xbox games in a high resolution setting. They will look amazing as will your dvd movies. That I can assure you. I've seen those tv's first hand and came away very impressed with all of them.


So, the Samsung tv's are your choice if you want to save a little money now and buy a plasma widescreen in a few years. However, if you really don't mind blowing the $1300, I would go with an HD Sony Wega.


I really don't feel you'd get the most enjoyment out of a projection tv. Sure, they look good for dvd's but other than that I don't think they're all that. The Sony's and Samsung's will give you great performance on every level.



Dan.b

 

[Aurel Savin]

Here is a good choice if you want to stay somewhere in the middle.
It is HDTV and 16x9 ... 30"
http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=...t=24&scat=1470
$999 with 18 Months No Interest Financing onthe Best Buy Card and also a $100 coupon for future purchase if bought online.
This is my next set for sure ...

 

[Eric_M]

The 30 inch Samsung delivers a nice picture and is not a bad TV but.......
You have to learn to deal with its flaws as well.
This set has a strange problem where you see 2 transparent, vertical lines that change position now and then. Samsung denies there is a problem and technicians say there is nothing they can do about it.
It is a shame too since this is an otherwise nice set.

If you do a search you'll find other people with this set have the same problem. I tried 4 different sets and all had the exact problem.

 

[KevinFC]

Samsung has an upgraded version of this 30 inch set for 1199 or 1299 and it has an upgraded tube and sound and overall better picture quality. You might be able to haggle to get a better price or catch it on sale. I saw it at ultimate electronics while buying a dvd player and the sales men said I could buy it right then for 1099! With a 60 day price match guarantee. Just food for thought. Here is a link to see what it looks like.
samsung tv

 

[Eric_M]

The 3098WHF supposedly does not have the same problems the 3097 does. Had it been more readily avaliable I would have went for this one. The only drawback is it is alot thinner on top making it harder to sit a center speaker on hehe. A small problem I am sure one can work around.

 

[Chris Chang]

DO NOT buy an opened item. If you're going to spend $1500, I'd recommend the Panasonic 47wx42. I just bought it and am very happy with it.