What's a good high definition TV to get? (HDTV)
 

Any ideas on a good or the best HDTVs to get? I was thinking maybe Sony or Panasonic, they've usually been good for me, any suggestions? I'm hearing some good things about Samsung. And what's the best way to go format wise, LCD, LED or Plasma? What looks nicest and lasts longest?

I dont know much about HDTV. Aside from every display model Ive seen looks like total crap. Ive noticed trails, or pixelation.. A very bad download video lol

If thats hi def. You can keep it .( P36 Exploding Space Modulator .with the Earth shattering Kabooom! [88])

The refresh rate is what you need to look at the higher the number GHz refresh rate the better. The same goes for the contrast ratio the higher to number the better. I prefer Panasonic, I had a 42" plasma, when I played animated videos via my old commercial grade Pioneer LD player looked vibrant and fantastic plus Panasonic includes the feature for SD card inputs if you need to view jpg or video via SD card. LED is the latest technology, I'm not too familiar with that technology though. I would stay away from Samsung because I had heard that their power supplies only last around two years and their tvs just look inferiorly made compared to Panasonic and Sony ie. case, stand overall construction. LCD is probably your best best, as plasma gets burn in from video games and static images, such as the bars on the bottom of the screen on channels such as ESPN, CNN although the prices on plasma have greatly dropped. I would suggest this though, stay away from the Black Friday tv specials unless they are models that are constantly instock, some manufactures use inferior components to cut cost/prices for these specials and sometimes these model numbers don't even show up when you do seaches on them for parts.

I don't trust LCD though, doesn't look as good to me. You touch it and make a ripple on the screen, plus, if it breaks you have liquid crystals spilling all over your carpet?

Funny you said Panasonic, I like them too, knew others that had good Panasonic TVs over the years and even phones made by them. I still have a Panasonic that's just a few years old, I think it's standard definition though. So when the time comes, it's good to know I can get another Panasonic.

I'm a big sports fan and I love my Panasonic 42' plasma.
Sunday Ticket never looked better ;)

I do not watch any recorded dvd's on my HD set. Even with a player that upconverts - I still prefer to watch my collection on regular SD televisions.

Then Panasonic 42 inch Plasma it is.

LOL - I've got a 42" Panasonic 720P Plasma and it's great. Everything looks good on it, if you've got a good source. DirecTV HD is fantastic, as is Blu-Ray. Upconverted DVDs look fantastic as well.

TV's are for watching, no fondling. :p

What the heck are you doing in front of the TV, anyway? [:u] [88]


... Seriously, though, the best HDTVs made are the Sony LCDs (as well as the now-discontinued Sony SXRDs). Plasma can be very hit-or-miss, and you really need to watch for the color saturation and black levels. Most plasma sets are very dull. The other thing I hate is the mirror-shiny screen, which means you'll be watching yourself watch TV.

LCD can be matte or shiny, and the better ones tend to be matte surface, so you don't have to watch yourself watch TV.

A CP32 mentioned, a cheap set shows a lot of pixel noise. One good thing about the Sony sets is many levels of noise reduction (NR), so you can reduce or completely hide noise that may be generated by the TV itself, but the source (old DVDs, tapes, analog signals), and even over-compressed Blu-ray and HDTV ATSC/QAM signals.

Colors tend to be overblown, too, on cheap sets.

Never judge a HDTV based on what you see in the showroom. Get the remote, and screw around with the settings, to see what's available, and how much/little can be tweaked. Also remember the bright blinding lights of the stores (or the dark cave section of the store) is nothing like your home's lighting.

What about a good standard definition set, or have stores completely phased those out by now?

I've not seen an old-fashioned tube SD CRT in at least a year or more. I have a 4:3 SD LCD in my bedroom, and even those are hard to find now, as everything is 16:9 and/or tube-less. Even pro broadcasting monitors have moved to special flat screen surfaces.