Buying A New Television (1 Viewer)

[Vike Me]

How about 55 inch range for under a grand? Am I just wasting money?

It would be kids TV upstairs, no cable, just Netflix and Hulu and DVDs/Blu rays.

No sports, no serious gaming (maybe Wii).

 

[[icon]]

How about 55 inch range for under a grand? Am I just wasting money?It would be kids TV upstairs, no cable, just Netflix and Hulu and DVDs/Blu rays.No sports, no serious gaming (maybe Wii).

You can get some really nice 50" Plasmas for $600ish. Not sure about 55".

 

[Andy Dufresne]

No way would I buy DLP.

This set for $599 is 10x the television IMO.

50" is too small.I sit 15' from the screen.

I'll probably just buy a replacement bulb for my projector...again.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Vizio has big plans for the holidays

Vizio is Betting on Big Screens This Holiday Season

The company's new sets will range from 55 inches on up to 70 inches.

The folks at Vizio have announced a new lineup of TV sets that's due out this winter. The focus of this lineup is mixing size with economy – you're not going to need to shell out as much as you might expect for the TV you're getting.

The model that Vizio is highlighting is the E601i-A3, a 60 inch set with Smart TV capabilities. It features Razor LED edge lighting and gives you access to Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, Hulu and a variety of other streaming sources. The E601i-A3 comes in at $999, just $50 more than the 55 inch version.

At the top of the lineup is the E701i-A3, which comes in at 70 inches and $1,999. There's a 65 inch model as well, which goes for $1,499 or $1,699 if you want 3D.

Wow!

 

[stbugs]

Vizio has big plans for the holidays

Vizio is Betting on Big Screens This Holiday Season

The company's new sets will range from 55 inches on up to 70 inches.

The folks at Vizio have announced a new lineup of TV sets that's due out this winter. The focus of this lineup is mixing size with economy – you're not going to need to shell out as much as you might expect for the TV you're getting.

The model that Vizio is highlighting is the E601i-A3, a 60 inch set with Smart TV capabilities. It features Razor LED edge lighting and gives you access to Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, Hulu and a variety of other streaming sources. The E601i-A3 comes in at $999, just $50 more than the 55 inch version.

At the top of the lineup is the E701i-A3, which comes in at 70 inches and $1,999. There's a 65 inch model as well, which goes for $1,499 or $1,699 if you want 3D.

Wow!

$999 for 60"? Might make me think about replacing my gigantic 65" Mitsubishi rear projector, although the fact that my 5 year old cracked the screen shield with a Wii remote makes me wonder. Maybe good to keeper the "beater" up there a few more years.

 

[Banemorth]

I just purchased two of these bad boys but unfortunately, since my closing was pushed back, I have nowhere to use them yet. Hopefully next Friday they'll be hooked up!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MME75Q/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00

(When I bought them they were on sale. Paid $1,717.17 delivered per TV.)

 

[boots11234]

Just got a 60" LG plasma at Costco for 799. Have it in the basement so glare is not an issue. Great tv an great reviews on amazon.

 

[JHuber77]

If anyone else is in the market for a plasma, check out Panasonic's website. You can sign up for club pricing and usually get free shipping. Fantastic prices on TV's. Last week they had a 50" Panasonic Viera Plasma 3D TV for $675

https://shop.panasonic.com/panasonic/registration

 

[BigJim®]

Anyone know anything about the Mitsubishi WD-60638?

A 60" DLP for $500 seems like a killer deal.

But reviews are kind of all over the map.

I'm sure console TVs could be had for killer deals when there time had past also. This price seems about right to me.

Oh I know that projection DLP is rapidly approaching obsolesence. But the picture is still good, still pretty big, and is pretty cheap.I have the space for it, I was just wondering about quality.

No way would I buy DLP.

This set for $599 is 10x the television IMO.

Thanks for posting this, as it was the only Panasonic Plasma I could find at Costco. Couple questions though:1. Everyone here seems to be raving about ST50, and I'm curious if anyone can tell me the differences between this 50PU54 vs. that ST50? Is it just plasma 3D vs regular plasma, and no wifi?

2. If you are going Panasonic Plasma, are you pretty much forced to purchase online? Costco as mentioned only had the one you linked. Best Buy seems to only have 50+" 3D plasmas, and couldn't see any panasonic smart TV plasmas that aren't 3D.

3. I tried searching for Panasonic TS50 on Amazon and they all come up as 3D. Maybe I'm not in the know, but I had zero interest in getting a 3D TV based on things I'd heard, and seen window shopping. Definitely not wearing 3D goggles when I watch TV. Does TS50 come in non-3D or is everyone raving about this set wearing 3D glasses when watching?

Based on what I read in this thread, I'd love to get a <>50" Panasonic Plasma that has wifi, without the 3D glasses needed. Any good options out there for under $1000?

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Someone got a review of this thing at their house?

 

[17seconds]

Looking for an LED 55-inch or 60-inch. Has to be LED because I'm replacing my Plasma to cut down on energy costs.

Without me spending an hour digging through AVS forums, can anyone tell me in general what the difference is between the models you get at Target in the $800-$1000 range and the ones that are in the $1000-$1400 range? There are the cheaper brands like Vizio but Samsung and LG also seem to have models in both ranges. I'm talking similar features too - 120Hz smart TVs. I don't care about 3D.

Thanks

 

[SteevieG]

 

[sbonomo]

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Looking for an LED 55-inch or 60-inch. Has to be LED because I'm replacing my Plasma to cut down on energy costs.

Without me spending an hour digging through AVS forums, can anyone tell me in general what the difference is between the models you get at Target in the $800-$1000 range and the ones that are in the $1000-$1400 range? There are the cheaper brands like Vizio but Samsung and LG also seem to have models in both ranges. I'm talking similar features too - 120Hz smart TVs. I don't care about 3D.

Thanks

I can't give you a technical explanation because I don't know.

The best advice is to stand there and look at both of them. If the more expensive one doesn't look better to you than the less, buy the latter. Lame criteria, I know, but you're the one that's going to be looking at it. Some people see enough of a difference to justify the extra expense...others don't.

Figure out which one you are.

 

[joffer]

Looking for an LED 55-inch or 60-inch. Has to be LED because I'm replacing my Plasma to cut down on energy costs.

Without me spending an hour digging through AVS forums, can anyone tell me in general what the difference is between the models you get at Target in the $800-$1000 range and the ones that are in the $1000-$1400 range? There are the cheaper brands like Vizio but Samsung and LG also seem to have models in both ranges. I'm talking similar features too - 120Hz smart TVs. I don't care about 3D.

Thanks

I can't give you a technical explanation because I don't know.The best advice is to stand there and look at both of them. If the more expensive one doesn't look better to you than the less, buy the latter. Lame criteria, I know, but you're the one that's going to be looking at it. Some people see enough of a difference to justify the extra expense...others don't.

Figure out which one you are.

if you're not into researching it, get the cheaper one if it looks good.To answer your question, contrast ratio, black level, backlighting options, response time, bells/whistles such as embedded streaming apps, and brand name recognition all go into the price difference.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

For example, I was buying a new set for the living room a couple months back. I was looking for a 55" LED, blah, blah, blah... and was expecting to pay about $800 or thereabouts.

I was wandering through Best Buy and they had a 50" Toshiba for $360, new in box. It looked good on the wall and I didn't want to pay almost double for 5 more inches of television. So I bought it.

What's big and red and eats rocks? A big, red rock eater. Sometimes it's better to not overthink things.

 

[17seconds]

I don't trust looking at the displays in the store much because they are always setup differently from each other.

Makes sense the black level is better in the expensive models. I'll try to discern whether the blacks look better between sets, that's fairly easy to do.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I don't trust looking at the displays in the store much because they are always setup differently from each other.

Makes sense the black level is better in the expensive models. I'll try to discern whether the blacks look better between sets, that's fairly easy to do.

Well that is true. I asked a Best Buy guy why they don't adjust the TVs they have on display. He said that because when people get the set home and don't adjust the factory settings, they immediately return it to the store saying "Hey, this set didn't look very good when I got it home."

Makes sense.

 

[joffer]

I don't trust looking at the displays in the store much because they are always setup differently from each other.

Makes sense the black level is better in the expensive models. I'll try to discern whether the blacks look better between sets, that's fairly easy to do.

Well that is true. I asked a Best Buy guy why they don't adjust the TVs they have on display. He said that because when people get the set home and don't adjust the factory settings, they immediately return it to the store saying "Hey, this set didn't look very good when I got it home."Makes sense.

If I can't adjust the tv I'm looking at, I'm not buying it there.If there's a local mom and pop tv store, try that.

 

[Pigskin Fanatic]

Looking for an LED 55-inch or 60-inch. Has to be LED because I'm replacing my Plasma to cut down on energy costs.

Without me spending an hour digging through AVS forums, can anyone tell me in general what the difference is between the models you get at Target in the $800-$1000 range and the ones that are in the $1000-$1400 range? There are the cheaper brands like Vizio but Samsung and LG also seem to have models in both ranges. I'm talking similar features too - 120Hz smart TVs. I don't care about 3D.

Thanks

Some spec differences:

120 Hz vs 240 Hz - the 240 Hz will make everything you watch seem real life. At 120 Hz you already lose the old cinematic feel of watching a movie, which is why some DVD players actually come with the ability to down spec it to 60 Hz. Everything looking lifelike is good for sports, not so good for movies IMO. There is a difference between 120 and 240, but not anywhere near worth the $$.

Smart TV's give you extra features as you see on commercials, like motion sensors and ways to navigate within the TV menus. If you are comfortable with a standard remote though, again, to me not worth the extra dough. It's nice to have if the dollar difference to get a Smart TV is negligible.

Samsung and LG have the best quality, hands down. Both companies also stand behind their product for the long term, as does Sony which I think still uses the same panel from Samsung. I don't have any experience with the cheaper brands like Vizio. I've owned one of all big three, Samsung, LG and Sony. All three offered repairs to my TV (Plazma and newer) long after the warranty period, so past 5 years.

From an everyday viewing difference, you can't go wrong with the bigger names nowadays. I'd even add Panasonic to the mix. I would consider more so how many output and input (HDMI mostly) slots you get with each TV and what you will be watching and whether you plan on streaming a lot of internet based content. Sound is also a big deal imo, some Sony sets come with better speakers than its competition if you are not planning on adding a sound system.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I don't trust looking at the displays in the store much because they are always setup differently from each other.

Makes sense the black level is better in the expensive models. I'll try to discern whether the blacks look better between sets, that's fairly easy to do.

Well that is true. I asked a Best Buy guy why they don't adjust the TVs they have on display. He said that because when people get the set home and don't adjust the factory settings, they immediately return it to the store saying "Hey, this set didn't look very good when I got it home."Makes sense.

If I can't adjust the tv I'm looking at, I'm not buying it there.If there's a local mom and pop tv store, try that.

Nah, the'll let you do it in the store but as soon as you walk away they set back to factory defaults.

 

[boots11234]

I bought a samsung tv, the previous years model . Guy at SAMs told me that the previous years model was better then new year. Mine has two processors new model had one. Sales guy said that often happens because the need to price it close enough to the cheaper brands so it can compete price wise.

 

[Mr. Ected]

Thinking about a new TV for my basement, currently have an older plasma 47 inch that is dying. Would like to get something larger, 65-70." Keep seeing ads for projectors, might be interested, probably get an indoor and an outdoor screen for same price as a regular TV.

Kids mostly use the TV for gaming, does this work with a projector? If so, what kind works best.

TIA

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Thinking about a new TV for my basement, currently have an older plasma 47 inch that is dying. Would like to get something larger, 65-70." Keep seeing ads for projectors, might be interested, probably get an indoor and an outdoor screen for same price as a regular TV.

Kids mostly use the TV for gaming, does this work with a projector? If so, what kind works best.

TIA

Heck yes. It's all we play on.

We have an LCD and it works great. I don't think it matters if it's LCD or DLP or whatever else.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

If anyone is looking for a good deal on a projector at this time, the Epson 8350 refurbished is $699 at VisualApex.

That's a great deal for a great unit. If you don't like refurbished, a new one is $799. Still a good deal.

 

[Maik Jeaunz]

it seems like all the deals I'm finding right now are for smart TV's. I already have Apple TV & Playstation for apps...I don't really need a smart TV, right? plus, Google Chromecast and Amazon Fire are super cheap right now if I want to go that route.

has anybody seen any great "black Thanksgiving week" deals for non-smart, 60+ inch HDTVs?

 

[Popinski]

it seems like all the deals I'm finding right now are for smart TV's. I already have Apple TV & Playstation for apps...I don't really need a smart TV, right? plus, Google Chromecast and Amazon Fire are super cheap right now if I want to go that route.

This is the dilemma I'm in. I'm not sure that the extra money for a smart TV is worth it with Roku, Chromecast, etc. available. But like you said, most reliable brands seem to primarily make smart ones.

 

[jagbag]

I'm looking to buy another plasma before they are gone.

I'm looking at the following one.

http://www.abt.com/product/67902/Samsung-PN51F8500.html

Does anyone have one ? They seem to get real good reviews.

Price seems to be very good as well.

 

[cstu]

I'm looking to buy another plasma before they are gone.

I'm looking at the following one.

http://www.abt.com/product/67902/Samsung-PN51F8500.html

Does anyone have one ? They seem to get real good reviews.

Price seems to be very good as well.

Dierkdk ricardo • 2 months ago

Doubt you will find any NEW Panasonic plasmas still on the market: the VT60 would be a personal choice as a "truly superb" plasma. The ST60 would be a Nearly As Good At a Lower Price option - but, again, would not Expect to find either new-in-the-box.

That leaves the nearest competitor to the VT60: Samsung's F8500 series.These are fairly expensive, but many reviewers felt the Samsung offered better Bright Room PQ than the Panasonics, and some picked the F8500 over the VT.

An interesting option would be one of the LG PB6900 panels. Have usually considered LG as a "step behind" Samsung (and Samsung a step behind Panasonic), however a relative recently picked up a 60" LG and is Very Happy with the PQ.

Also note that the LG is roughly HALF the cost of the Samsung.

FWIW, Consumer Reports currently rates the Samsung F8500 ($2400) as #1 in "60-inch and larger TVs" - with the LG PB6900 ($1150) second, with THREE "Ultra HD" panels following in the 3, 4, & 5 spots (led by a $3,800 Sony)

If looking for VG - Excellent HD PQ, at a relative bargain price - and don't care about 3D - the Samsung F5300 series might be worth a look. It seems to be an "Entry Level" set, with sparse features (only 2 HDMI inputs?), but HD PQ will beat that of similarly priced LCD sets. $700 for a 60".

Panasonic has had the best overall reliability record among Plasma panels, followed by Samsung, then LG. Might consider budgeting for a 2-year warranty (or longer) if picking up a mid-priced or higher set. May not be worth the cost if buying a sub-$1000 panel....

 

[Spiderman]

Thoughts on these curved TV's? I have seen these in store's and are really impressed. Anyone own one? Like them?

Also, below is the Best Buy price online. Can I get a better deal elsewhere?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-55-class-54-5-8-diag--led-2160p-smart-3d-4k-ultra-hd-tv-silver/4497012.p?id=1219098558798&skuId=4497012

 

[worrierking]

Looking for some advice on a new tv purchase, specifically on mounting it.

I have an older 50 inch plasma Panasonic that is mounted on an older-style mount (the kind with the horizontal bar that you essentially hang the tv on) on my fireplace. Since it is on my fireplace I don't want to go through the hassle of putting a new mount up and drilling new holes in the bricks, etc.  I am looking at a great deal on a 60 inch Sharp LED at Best Buy and the dude there told me I absolutely needed a new mount and that they never recommend using an older mount since they do not know if the specs are ok with the new tv.  My old plasma that I am taking down weighs about six tons.  I am absolutely certain that there would be no problem with the weight of the new tv on the old mount.  It will likely weigh less than half of what the plasma weighs.  Am I correct that as long as the connections on the back of the new tv will fit within the size of the bar on the fireplace I should be okay? The dude was just trying to sell me a new mount, correct?