Anybody got some advice on big TVs?

I actually bought this sharp 60 inch LCD from Best Buy for $999. It seemed like a good deal. But then I started second guessing myself. And I haven't actually got the TV yet because they were out of stock.

A 60 inch Sharp LED is about $400 more. Does it look $400 better? I don't think I want or need 3D but everyone else thinks I need it.

I really just want a really nice big HDTV for watching SpongeBob with my younger child, MAD TV with my older child, Modern Family with my wife, and the playoffs by myself. Any other suggestions?

playoffs by yourself seems like the only reason to have a big tv, but this is coming from the guy who's never spent money on a TV, subsiting only on free and-me-downs :P

I bought a projector years ago. I'll never own a real TV set again.

A LED TV doesn't necessarily have better picture quality than a regular ol' LCD, but "should" have better black levels. Of course, if the TV is only LED edge lit, than it probably doesn't even matter.

Your link doesn't work BTW. But if it's a 60" LCD for $1k or less, it probably isn't "good".

Of course of course, having said all of that, if you feed a TV a crappy signal (standard def programming for instance), it will look like garbage on any TV larger than ~32". HD tv's really need to be used with HD signals.

As I tell everyone, go to cnet.com. Their reviews are second to none. Also research on avsforum.com, just "search" the part number of the TV, should be a thread dedicated to it.

I fixed the link.

What about plasmas? Less blur but use a lot more power. But how is the picture?

You'll like it. It's got most of the bells and whistles.

Did you compare it side by side with anything?

In reply to carguy123:

Just walking around the store. And that probably doesn't mean much unless they are all set up optimally. And I doubt that.

In reply to HiTempguy:

No cnet review. And the avsforum is impressive but overwhelming. I am just looking for basic advice. Once I get something, I'll turn to those guys for a 40 page thread on proper setup.

Otto Maddox wrote: I fixed the link. What about plasmas? Less blur but use a lot more power. But how is the picture?

I really like the plasma that is at my apartment (Panasonic 56").

999.. (wishes he could forget what he paid for the 52" sharp aquos)

Otto Maddox wrote: What about plasmas? Less blur but use a lot more power. But how is the picture?

Plasmas are still the be all end all for picture quality, ghosting, and their black levels are basically "black" now. If you go look at the power consumption of a high-zoot backlit LED TV, you'd be surprised at how comparable they are to new-age plasmas... a plasma still does a good job of being a space heater though! The good news is also that a plasma will typically be more inexpensive for the same size and picture quality as a LCD/LED TV. Plasmas also work much better with standard def TV.

The thing with plasmas is that they realistically should be used in a light controlled room, as the screens will always cause reflections.

That sharp is a newer version of the 77UN which has lots of reviews. Pretty low end TV relatively speaking besides its size. When it was on sale for $799.99 on Black Friday I'd say it was a good deal, but for $1k? There are better, especially if you are willing to pay another $300 or so.

I'm REALLY PICKY THOUGH. If you aren't, there is nothing wrong with that TV for the price. It just isn't a knockout TV is all.

I'm a little out of date on the underlying display technology, so I'm not going to get into LCD vs. plasma and such.

I will say this:

Don't spend money on cables at the store. They aren't going to have good deals on the cables, and they're going to try to sell you high-end wire.

To over-simplify, digital signals sound the same, regardless of static and interference, so long as the static and interference aren't so great that they keep the wire from delivering recognizable ones and zeros. All the way on and all the way off are pretty strong signals to move, so it's not that hard.

Spending money on analog cables isn't crazy, but generally, spending big-box store money on analog cables is. Spending money on cables for very long runs isn't crazy either. If either of these apply, that's another post.

Today, with HDMI being digital audio and video through a single cable, it makes less sense than ever to spend big bucks on a fancy cable.

Also, according to the HDMI website, the thicker wires can put tension on connections that exceeds the design specifications of the HDMI connector, so those thick cables can be worse than the thin, cheap cables.

^ monoprice.com FTW

we got a new TV for Christmas from the bro-in-law... its a low end 47" LCD and honestly i'm very happy with it (should be for the price and the fact that we're coming from a 27" CRT thats going out)... it's only a 60hz and relativly slow response time 8ms... I game a bit and once I got that HDMI cable connected to the xbox360 things where just awesome

the light control is the reason we got (er asked for) a LCD... the glare from a plasma drives me crazy... the plasma burn in on a few of the models at the store didn't help (yes it's a "thing of the past" blah blah blah)

all that being said... adding 40% for the cost to goto a higher end LED that may or may not look better to you would be hard to do... but if you are a videophile i'd assume you might appreciate the higher end stuff... for us it was a world of change just going from a SD 27" to the LCD 47" lol...

All I know is like boobs and garages, get the biggest you can afford and it will still be too small the first day you use it. Anything else will leave you disappointed.

Plasmas are still the be all end all for picture quality, ghosting,

Really? Have you compared the pic on a Plasma side by side with an LCD or LED? I have and in the dark sections there is still detail on the LCD and LEDs but in the Plasmas there's just a dark smudge.

Love my plasma. I think the best deals right now are on plasma sets if you can find them. The power consumption thing is way overplayed.

carguy123 wrote:

Plasmas are still the be all end all for picture quality, ghosting,

Really? Have you compared the pic on a Plasma side by side with an LCD or LED? I have and in the dark sections there is still detail on the LCD and LEDs but in the Plasmas there's just a dark smudge.

You weren't comparing a good plasma then. The be all, end all plasmas smoke backlit LED's. Of course, realistically, this is a pissing contest as at the bleeding edge each is awesome. Places like CNET will always recommend a plasma as the BEST picture quality TV, bar none.

So yea. And also, if you were looking at these TV's at a store, it's not even apples to apples. I have a 32" Sony LCD that is almost 5 years old and it IS SO GOOD, I love it. Fantastic color creation, vivid, good blacks, etc etc. I don't mind LCD's at all, and this one has functioned as my computer monitor since I bought it. So I don't have a hate for LCD's, but each TV has its time and place.

IF you are moving from a 32" tube or an old console TV, then ANY 60" HDTV will look awesome in comparison. Remember, you are not watching two TVs side by side, you are remembering the crappy old TV in the same spot as the awesome new TV.

As for 3D, I hate it in movies and don't want it at home.

I have that same Sharp 60", got it during the Black Friday sales. The picture quality is really good, but the sound is horrible. It really needs to be hooked up to a surround sound system or to some other speaker set up.

Back on track here:

It is a 1080p screen (good not a bargain bin 720p)
120hz framerate (human eye can detect the difference between 120 and 60 but 240 and 120 usually not.)
Several HDMI ports as well as legacy ones (good because I still own a Dreamcast)
Refresh rate of 4ms ("gaming" PC monitors are below 8ms)
It is CCFL so the backlight life is shorter than an LED backlight but 60000 hours is 6.8 years on continuously.

I'd say its a good midrange TV for that price based on specs alone. Obviously the quality of the panel varies from manufacturer to manufacturer so tough to tell without seeing it in person with an HD feed.

Costco has the same TV for $899, normal price. So, I am going to cancel my Best Buy order and I don't have to be in any big hurry to buy something else. I currently have a 52" Panasonic LCD projection. I like it. It is only a 720 and has only one HDMI connection. It will be going in the basement to replace at 35" tube TV (that weighs approximately 3 billion pounds).

Great advice here. Keep it coming.

I found a 60" plasma, same price, for comparison.

We bought this TV a few years back and are thrilled with it. 65" Mistsubishi 1800p DLP.

http://www.amazon.com/Mitsubishi-WD-65731-65-Inch-1080p-HDTV/dp/B000FVCOGW

It replaced a 27" TV that was probably 15 years old, so the difference was mindblowing. But even 4 years later, I'm still really enjoying it. I'm sure plasma technology has changed since then, but at that time, we didn't feel it was worth the extra money over our DLP. I also have to say we've been very happy with how Mitsubishi has handled the warranty. We've had a couple of issues with it, and they've been very responsive and fixed it quickly.

Whatever TV you look at make sure and read some reviews of it. When we were looking I completely changed my mind on what to get after doing some research. We ended up with a 52 in Panasonic Plasma and it is sweet.