Looking to buy a new tv

[Goosfraba21]

Plasma? LCD? looking around 42" for bedroom. I watch sports 90% of the time and not sure what to get.

[Acewalker]

Don't get a vizio

[cookinwithgas]

Samsung or maybe Panasonic were the best engines I saw, but everyone sees things differently. I've had my Samsung 54" LCD for a couple of years now and it's been fantastic.

[The Link]

Samsung is the way to go.

[SorthNarolina]

Plasma is pretty much dead. Some the the newest plasmas have recieved the best image quality ratings ever but LCD is taking over. It is probably best to go with the dominant technology.

LCD's response times are low enough now that Sports will do just fine. 5ms is a good target. Don't get a TV with anything higher unless you want to see what it's like to watch football on shrooms. 8ms is still ok but once your approach 10-12ms it gets noticeable. NASCAR, Football, The Olympics, and Hockey all do better with low response times.

1080p should probably be your target for resolution. It's pretty much expected nowadays for a TV around that size. I wouldn't want HD cable and Blu-Ray unless I was getting the max resolution. The high resolution also helps again with hockey.

If you don't want to spend a lot of money Vizio is surprisingly good for a value brand. They still are a value brand though.

Just shop around and you should find a decent one. Sony, Pioneer, and Samsung are all Brands that I trust.

Make sure you factor in the costs for the mounting equipment and speakers. If your watching it from your bed and you have a large bedroom you might want some separate speakers so you don't have to strain the TV's speakers to hear it. Some of the better brands have great speakers on their TV's now so that may not be a problem.

Make sure not to get scammed on HDMI cables if a retail place tries to package them with your TV. All salesmen are pressured to offer you Monster cable because their profit margins are far higher than the TV they are selling you. Expensive cables are only partially worth it if you are running them through walls.

One important thing to remember though is if you aren't' a huge videophile, you probably aren't going to notice a huge difference between an expensive tv and a cheaper one. A lot of the reviews you see analyze things that the average consumer isn't going to notice.

[SorthNarolina]

I have a Samsung T260HD 26" 1080p tv that doubles as a computer monitor and I give it a big hug every night. I love it.

[Carolina Husker]

Plasma is pretty much dead.

lolwut

[Carolina Husker]

Plasma? LCD? looking around 42" for bedroom. I watch sports 90% of the time and not sure what to get.

Read this thread.

[stankowalski]

I bought a 42" LCD from Dell 3 or 4 years ago, and it's been great.

[SorthNarolina]

lolwut

LCD tv's have the advantage in the long run. They don't use as much power which is a huge advantage since every market in the entire universe is emphasizing sustainability and green tech.

LCD's are also used in more applications than plasma. It's cheaper for companies to just concentrate on one application.

I shouldn't have said that you shouldn't not get a TV. But the plasma market is shrinking.

Most cheaper plasmas aren't going to get you 1080p as well. Since you like sports I would go with LCD.

Plasmas have better response times but once you get so low it's hard to notice a difference.

[Scrumtrilescent]

LED LCD. Get a plasma if you want a space heater, too.

[SorthNarolina]

LED's are great especially in your bedroom you'll strain your eyes less.

[charlotte49er]

Plasma? LCD? looking around 42" for bedroom. I watch sports 90% of the time and not sure what to get.

Check out Circuit City www.circuitcity.com

They closed their stores, but do a great business over the internet. I bought a 65" Mitsubishi DLP HDTV, 3D ready for about 1/2 price and they through in the TV stand for free and I think shipping was free!

[Carolina Husker]

It still all comes down to a few things, one of which is how bright/dark your room is. I have a really dark living room, so my plasma works great. My power bill increase was nominal at best, and it's not overly hot. It's 1080p. If you have a dark room without much window glare, get a plasma.

The bigger issue a lot of times is what you are watching on your TV. Anyone with Cable as their provider is doing themselves a greater disservice than debating between LCD or Plasma. Why spend all that money and then get a provider that will only broadcast in 1080i?