Who can help me buy a 50"+ TV??? UPDATED 1/15

[ZACHSQUATCH]

Originally Posted by MaxToTheG37

yea i think thats the next step... goin to hhgregg tomorrow to view a couple in action...

Do you have a Sam's Club near you??????

[MaxToTheG37]

Originally Posted by machinist

Hey Max, I bought a Pioneer Plasma 2 years ago for $5K...CNET gave it the editor's choice aware and I've been impressed with it's quality, especially in HD. But believe it or not, if I were to do it again, I would go LCD. Plasma will get you burn in, especially if you have a PVR. I paid $1,000 for the extended warranty. Definately go for the warranty, whether you go with LCD or Plasma. Many reviews will point towards plasma for better pic quality if you're watching movies. If you're a gamer, def go with LCD...no question about it. If you're dead set on going with Plasma, go Pioneer...the new ones are sick and much better. Expensive, but well worth it. But many of the well known companies like Panasonic, etc all use the same displays. Kinda like how certain car companies have the same engine, but under a different name. Believe me, there's more than meets the eye here. Play it safe, get a LCD...a new one...get yourself a nice warranty and you'll be happy. Just my 2 cents

thanks for the info...

Originally Posted by ZACHSQUATCH

Do you have a Sam's Club near you??????

yes why?

[wakeboardr116]

I'd say go LCD. My friend got a plasma a few years back and it was showing burn in after 6months. Every TV i have in my house is LCD and we have around 7, ranging from 19" to 65" Sharp Aquos 1080p in our theater room. LCD is brighter, less weight (plasmas weigh a freakin ton) almost no glare even in a room with alot of sunlight, and now with the 120hz stuff the motion blurr is alot better and closer to plasma. Just go with whatever you like cause we all know in another 6 months there will be some new rediculus technology that suposedly looks way better and it just keeps repeating and so on.

As for what machinist said on the exended warranty, i think its a waste. We got it on the very first Plasma we got over 6 years ago and it still works today. We got money back a few months ago when the warrenty expired cause we never used it. Like i said, we've probably got 7 or more tv's in our house and didn't get the warrenty on a single one and they are all still fine. Plus if anything did happen down the road the way prices have been dropping it would probably just be easier to buy a new one if anything ever did happen after the factory warrenty expires.

[Black Betty]

Originally Posted by ZACHSQUATCH

Do you have a Sam's Club near you??????

Sam's, Costco, etc tend to not have the higher end models from each manufacturer, just the lower end and mid line models so they can have lower prices. That's what I recently found in my search anyway. I ended up buying my parents a 50" Vizio plasma at Costco that's a pretty good TV, especially to them, but not the top end models like baller *** Max would go for.

[ZACHSQUATCH]

Because your ONLY option is to buy the TV at Sam's Club now. First off, they will likely be one of the cheapest. If not, they will price match. Additionally, there is no return policy. Keep the TV for a year and then return it...you don't even need a reason. I've done that with two tv's from sams club now. A 50 inch projection that i got for 1000 bucks a few years back, and a 40 samsung lcd.

As for the LCD vs. plasma, I'd personally recommend lcd.

A 50" plasma will absolutely destroy your electric bill. Far as brand goes, that is pretty easy: Sony, Samsung, or Sharp, in no particular order.

[ZACHSQUATCH]

Originally Posted by Black Betty

Sam's, Costco, etc tend to not have the higher end models from each manufacturer, just the lower end and mid line models so they can have lower prices. That's what I recently found in my search anyway. I ended up buying my parents a 50" Vizio plasma at Costco that's a pretty good TV, especially to them, but not the top end models like baller *** Max would go for.

they take a few months to roll out the new year models, but they stock all the same tv's as any other store. Look online and you will have even more options..

[Black Betty]

Originally Posted by ZACHSQUATCH

they take a few months to roll out the new year models, but they stock all the same tv's as any other store. Look online and you will have even more options..

Gotta disagree with you on that one Zach. I searched for about 3 or 4 months last year for the exact same thing Max is doing. The do not have the top line of any brand; for example not Sony XBR, no Samsung -950 models, etc. They'll carry the ones just under the top end models because people who aren't that big on having the top end models or latest technology will be able to get a better price which is what most Sam's or Costco consumers want in the first place. Check out models and specs somewhere like Crutchfield.com and you can compare side by side based on specs. Top lines won't generally be at discount wholesalers, there may be some exceptions.

[ZACHSQUATCH]

Originally Posted by Black Betty

Gotta disagree with you on that one Zach. I searched for about 3 or 4 months last year for the exact same thing Max is doing. The do not have the top line of any brand; for example not Sony XBR, no Samsung -950 models, etc. They'll carry the ones just under the top end models because people who aren't that big on having the top end models or latest technology will be able to get a better price which is what most Sam's or Costco consumers want in the first place. Check out models and specs somewhere like Crutchfield.com and you can compare side by side based on specs. Top lines won't generally be at discount wholesalers, there may be some exceptions.

to be honest, I never go top of the line on tv's, i always purchase second best, so you may be right. I know I have seen a Bravia at my sams club before, but im not sure they stock the entire product line. Either way, to get a tv that you can return in a year or two for a full refund is a nice safety net.

[MaxToTheG37]

Are there any options that I need to look for?

ex. number of HDMI hook ups? I know ill have a blu ray, a 360, a comcast box, and maybe a ps3 hooked into it... So would I need 4 HDMI hook ups?


And 1080p is what I want?

and is there a pixel minimum I need?

Contrast ratio?

120Hz rate ...


Thanks BB for all the help... and thanks for reminding me about crutchfield... great site...

[Kidcane]

Man you sound just like me a couple years ago. I wanted plasma cause it hung on the wall and took up less space, plus it was just cool. After a ton of research, I ended up going LCD. I got a 55" Sony Wega and it is crystal clear with sports, BlueRay, and video games. Every single person that sees it says, "thats about the best picture I have ever seen".


My buddy just bought a 52" Philips plasma and the picture on that is really good too but not any better than mine.

[ZACHSQUATCH]

Originally Posted by MaxToTheG37

Are there any options that I need to look for?

ex. number of HDMI hook ups? I know ill have a blu ray, a 360, a comcast box, and maybe a ps3 hooked into it... So would I need 4 HDMI hook ups?


And 1080p is what I want?

and is there a pixel minimum I need?

Contrast ratio?

120Hz rate ...


Thanks BB for all the help... and thanks for reminding me about crutchfield... great site...

1080p is your resolution (pixel count)

yes, that is what you want.

higher the contrast ratio, the better. 120hz is fine. 3-4 hdmi hook ups is standard nowadays, but you will probably want to get a home audio receiver after you get the tv. So that will have hookups as well.

(Most lcd's/plasmas have horrible speakers because they are so thin)

[MaxToTheG37]

WOW that was my next question....

surround sound system... not too picky on this... I just want it to have decents highs/mids and GREAT BASS....

any input?

[Gamedog]

Bose makes great home theatre systems.... Not so good car systems tho...

[Kidcane]

Yeah you have to get good surround system if you are going baller on the TV. Makes a HUGE difference. Bose is the front runner but there are several others for less money that are about as good.

[ZACHSQUATCH]

bose definitely makes a good product. Their forte though is big noise from small packages.

Since you don't need small speakers per se, I'd defnitely check out an Onkyo receiver. You need to make sure the receiver does not use hdmi pass through. If it does then you cant pass audio through the hdmi cable. And its not fun running hdmi and seperate toslink / digital coax cables for audio on each device.

Edit:

Not as nice, but complete: Onkyo Full system - HT-SP904

Higher end, receiver only: Onkyo Receiver Only - TX-SR606