In the market for a big screen TV..

[shep]

Looking for any good advice or sales or stuff to stay away from...
My price range is up to $1500.....
Thanks for your help in advance...

 

[mudnuri]

I dont like them...the ones I've seen you have to sit straight on, sort of like a laptop screen in order to be able to see the picture, which would work for 1/2 the people sitting on my sectional...the other half would have to improvise..

Brandy

 

[02bBarbie]

how many inches are you looking for?

I have a nice 42 inch Toshiba but I realize to some people that may be too small

 

[shep]

42 inch would be a good size...
I am going to go price some tomorrow and see how they are to try and view from the side....I didn't even think about that....

 

[dizneenut]

We have a 53" Sony and love it. Its no problem seeing it from the side, either.

 

[catsrule]

Have you checked out ebay?

 

[02bBarbie]

I've not had any problem with the view.

I think you should be able to get 42 inches for $1500..I got mine from Best Buy..they seem to have really good deals

 

[shep]

Originally posted by 02bBarbie
I've not had any problem with the view.

I think you should be able to get 42 inches for $1500..I got mine from Best Buy..they seem to have really good deals

Thats one of the 3 places i'm going to tomorrow...along with circuit city & hh gregg...

 

[Dan Murphy]

We have a Sony 53" XBR, about 8 years old now I think. It is great, and fine from all angles. Early sets had the side view problem but have not seen that in years now. You won't find large flat panel sets though in that price range.

 

[Patrick IL.]

Todd, we have had excellent luck dealing with this company for major appliances
http://www.abtelectronics.com/

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

We got one a couple years ago (I think it's either 52" or 54") - it's a Toshiba, HDTV, back then it was $2500. It's a great TV, we love it, you can see it from any angle - that's a HUGE plus!

 

[Puffy2]

I've been studing this. I WANTED the flat thing that hangs on your wall...be cool right?

...wrong. I'm told that the plasma tvs has a lifespan of 4-5 years. WAY too expensive for that short life. When the break, they break and can not be fixed. They also are prone to "image burn" (the black areas left for long periods like you might find on a wide screen formated movie can burn an image into your screen.


OK, so I looked at LCDs - they are expensive. But they are rather thin (about 15 inches deep), and weigh only about 50-65 pounds (as opposed to a 200 pound conventional television of the same size. You can view these from ANY position in the room (you don't have to sit right in front of it). There is a "blub" however in the LCDs that costs about $250.00 to replace when it goes out (and it will go out after about 8000 hours of viewing time). At least you CAN replace the bulb (not the case with the plasma tvs.). Problem? Cost - most of the big screens are in the $3000.00 range.


Ok, so then I looked at tube CRT (sp?) widescreen televisions.
I found a Sony 34" widescreen that they want $2000.00 for.
Oh, and did I mention that you will need a stand for the 34" (another $300.00). Plus the thing weighs 200 pounds. It is about 25 inches deep. Great picture. You can get a Philips for 1500.00 but I've read bad reviews on the philips. Panasonic has one too for about 1800.00. and I think Toshiba has one. I'd like to know more about the Toshiba. Finding a store that carries a variety of these widescreen CRT televisions is not easy.

A "Rear Projection" TV has a big screen and the price is right but they are HUGH - take up tons of space. Plus you can't see the image very well from different angels in the room. I have decided not to consider these.

Anything smaller than the 34 inch I might as well keep my old tv. So I'm still looking . One tip is to look right after Christmas and after the Super Bowl - they will mark down returns by about 10%.

 

[twinmomplus2]

We have a 57 inch magnavox. Purchased last year from Best Buy. The picture quality is awesome! It is like being at a movie! My Dad had one that is built into the wall built in projection screen, He is so jealous, His was wayyyyyyyyyyyyy........more money and the quality isn't half as good.
My 3 year olds are so enamored with it it's the first thing they notice in anyones house. They say mine is bigggggggger.

I smell corvettes for them in middle age.

 

[Towncrier]

You should be able to find a decent sized set in that price range. We're on our second Pioneer set. I think that I might have to consider Philips next time (since I can get an employee discount).

One thing that you should seriously consider when purchasing a projection set is the extended warranty. I'm not much for these, but I had to get rid of my first set because it wasn't under warranty and the cost to repair it was astronomical. Projection sets have not one but THREE picture tubes. If you keep a set long enough, one of those tubes is bound to go. And it costs hundreds to replace. Also, it's tough to take a projection set to the repair shop, so there's the added cost of "house calls".

Good luck shopping. Hope you find what you're looking for.

 

[helenabear]

My advice is to invite your friends over to watch it soon after you get it Good luck shopping

 

[Pop Daddy]

make sure you get HD the ony way to go

 

[debster812]

Todd--

You have gotten some really good advice here. I think helenabear's might be the best.

One other thing to think about, is whether or not you want to get an HD ready set. The technology is coming, quicker than we all think, and it makes sense, to get the HD-ready, that way, when HD is mainstream, all you will need is the add on box, and you will be good to go.

The plasma burn-in issue is also being addressed, and will probably be fixed in the next couple or three years. It is still a VERY new technology, and with any such technology, there are 'issues' Same deal with LCD. Although, we have just gotten some devices in at work (not too familiar) that are kind of like a 'screen saver' for your plasma, which will help with the burn in problem.

The technology is growing by leaps and bounds, and it is going to be a very interesting next couple of years.

The only other advice I can give you, is to bring along a DVD or Video that you are VERY familiar with, and watch some of it on any TV you are thinking about, it will help you get a feel for the picture. A Sony is not a Panasonic, is not a Toshiba, is not a Mitusubishi, etc etc etc...

Good Luck, and have fun!!!

Debbie

 

[Melissa R]

We just bought a 53" Panasonic widescreen HDTV for $1600 at Circuit City and we LOVE it. Yes, it's big...yes, the picture is not the same at an angle as straight on (but it's still awesome!). I read a lot of reviews at circuitcity.com and read such great things about Panasonic that we decided to go with them. We never could have gotten as big a screen with a Sony. Panasonic, I read, is the best you can do for the cost.

 

[shep]

Went looking today...
DW said to stay away from HH Gregg for fear they will go out of business soon....

Best Buy seemed to have a decent price on their warranties and I will probaly go with them...
There are lots of things out there that can be confusing...
Thought about getting a 36" and stay away from the projection TV's and DW talked me into a 51" that I brought up earlier...
Them are words i like to hear....Now if we can get the basement finished quickly... ..don't want to have it delivered to my living room and have to move it to the family room in the basement(when it gets finished)

 

[Carl]

Shep, I would also advise you to get an HD TV if you can at all afford it. The difference in picture is awesome.