Shopping for a new TV

[db1959]

Vizio. No complaints from the ones I have owned.

The one I have is a smart TV, so is my Blu-ray player. I use the Blu-ray as the "smart one".

 

[DownByTheTracks]

We just got a 70" Vizio LED Smart TV for $879 from COSTCO a month ago, we really like it.

 

[varadatt]

I vote for Samsung.
I have a Sony in the living room and used to have a Vizio. By far the best picture is on the Samsung. Best buy normally has a 60" version right at $999, LED.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Double T]

I had an LG 47" until my 3 year old destroyed it. Now we have a 50" RCA LED I picked up for 400 bucks last weekend at sears.

DO NOT go by what the pictures look like in store, businesses have a habit of screwing with lower cost TV's brightness/contrast/hues to make them look like **** to try and sell the higher end stuff.

Also, check to make sure the set has enough HDMI inputs. Mine has 2, I can handle switching cords and it doesn't bother me a whole lot when we want to watch blu ray or play the 2nd 360 on the TV.

 

[tatic05]

I would buy a TV for less and use it for a year or two then spend your 1k budget on the Vizio 4K HD TV that is supposed to be out later this year. I understand that 4K is not being offered yet but it will be a amazing TV none the less.

All my TVs are Vizio. I just got a 55 inch smart TV back in Feb for 6-700.

 

[Crbn79]

I would buy a TV for less and use it for a year or two then spend your 1k budget on the Vizio 4K HD TV that is supposed to be out later this year. I understand that 4K is not being offered yet but it will be a amazing TV none the less.

All my TVs are Vizio. I just got a 55 inch smart TV back in Feb for 6-700.

Don't waste your money on a 4k TV. The human eye cannot discern the difference from a normal viewing distance (5-15ft) until you get up to a 100 inch screen or above. Anyone who believes they are the bionic man/woman go right ahead and throw your money away. Also consider video source, how many providers are still not up to 1080p?

Here's a source for one of the many reviews on 4k TVs: Four 4K TV facts you must know - CNET

 

[Tactical Dave]

I'm around different tv's all day long.... Samsung LED 1080's are by far the best and it's what I have and recommend... The smart option often doubles the price and a blue ray or whatever other system you have can do the same stuff.... My standard def looks close to the average high def on a lot of the vizios lg's ect ect.

Plasma is nice depending on the application but a lot of them you can feel the head a few feet away and like said above weigh a ton and I have seen the pic get crazy on them over time.


On the 4k and up stuff don't waste your money yet... Hardly anything in that resolution yet yet alone a cable provider that is running it.

 

[Hohn]

I'm looking also. I have done some research but mostly I talk to my kids(in their 20's) that seem to be keeping up with technology better than me. My son likes plasma but says I shouldn't buy one because our TV watching room has too many windows and will have too much glare.

My daughter says don't get a Smart TV. Get a Smart DVD player. They are less money and if something craps out on the "smart" pieces, you just replace the DVD player.

I like the Samsungs and will probably go with one of those when I am ready. Looking at them in the store, the Samsung's picture is visibly better than the Visio to me. Though I understand that they can mess with the settings in the stores.

Huge North-facing picture window in our room. No problems with glare w/ plasma. Glare has more to do with screen shininess than light source(plasma, led, etc)

 

[Hohn]

I'm around different tv's all day long.... Samsung LED 1080's are by far the best and it's what I have and recommend... The smart option often doubles the price and a blue ray or whatever other system you have can do the same stuff.... My standard def looks close to the average high def on a lot of the vizios lg's ect ect.

Plasma is nice depending on the application but a lot of them you can feel the head a few feet away and like said above weigh a ton and I have seen the pic get crazy on them over time.


On the 4k and up stuff don't waste your money yet... Hardly anything in that resolution yet yet alone a cable provider that is running it.

Plasma is still the single best picture quality. There is nothing else. The only downside the plasma is that it's not as bright. So at home-- where it matters-- the best plasmas will smoke an led set where it REALLY matters: black level.

So many movies and other content now have such dark spots that on many LEDs the screen is completely impossible to decipher in the dark scenes.

 

[Hohn]

I'm around different tv's all day long.... Samsung LED 1080's are by far the best and it's what I have and recommend... The smart option often doubles the price and a blue ray or whatever other system you have can do the same stuff.... My standard def looks close to the average high def on a lot of the vizios lg's ect ect.

Plasma is nice depending on the application but a lot of them you can feel the head a few feet away and like said above weigh a ton and I have seen the pic get crazy on them over time.


On the 4k and up stuff don't waste your money yet... Hardly anything in that resolution yet yet alone a cable provider that is running it.

Id agree with the stipulation that you go all the way up to the 8000 series Sammys.

 

[illini40]

I'm around different tv's all day long.... Samsung LED 1080's are by far the best and it's what I have and recommend... The smart option often doubles the price and a blue ray or whatever other system you have can do the same stuff.... My standard def looks close to the average high def on a lot of the vizios lg's ect ect.

Plasma is nice depending on the application but a lot of them you can feel the head a few feet away and like said above weigh a ton and I have seen the pic get crazy on them over time.


On the 4k and up stuff don't waste your money yet... Hardly anything in that resolution yet yet alone a cable provider that is running it.

I have not done any price shopping, but what would a 60" Samsung LED likely run me?

I hear you on the Smart TV capabilities being a luxury, but, my wife wants to access Netflix right on the TV. Plus, we only ever stream stuff...no DVDs or Blu rays.

 

[Brandon]

Check out google's chromecast if you want to use netflix on tv. It will run you 35 bucks and play youtube, netflix, hulu and many others. Same the cost of the smart tv...

 

[Cameramonkey]

Skimming I dont see anyone mentioning longevity... LED screens are unlikely to burn out. Plasmas slightly more prone, and LCD's use of flourescent backlights are dead last.

The #1 failure of a flat panel display is the backlight. LED is the least likely of the 3 to burn out WELL before something else breaks. LCD screens also get dimmer over time before burning out completely. (up to 60% dimmer before they finally go *poof*) Also you cant argue with the lower energy usage.

 

[findingZzero]

I was @ Sam's club yesterday and saw one 65" set just under $1000, and @ least 2 60" sets considerably lower. Vizio & LG.

 

[dyerwatcher]

Check out google's chromecast if you want to use netflix on tv. It will run you 35 bucks and play youtube, netflix, hulu and many others. Same the cost of the smart tv...

This is a great option to a Smart TV. I have both and I use Apple TV on the "Dumb one". It works much better. The technology on Smart TV's as of a year ago (Maybe it has gotten better) was not as good as Apple or Google TV. More of a marketing gimmick IMO.
Save some budget for sound as was mentioned also.

 

[Brandon]

Google's doesn't have as many supported features right now, but the price is more attractive especially if you are only running netflix. I have never used apple's product so I can't compare or knock it but I was on a budget and $$ was an issue for me.

 

[illini40]

I was talking to a buddy today, and he mentioned getting a tv that is Bluetooth enabled so that you could use a Bluetooth soundbar so that the soundbar is wireless.

Does anyone have experience with this?

While I have not even settled on a tv, but I do think we will want to look at a soundbar at some point and anything wireless is obviously preferred. So - any guidance or suggestions?

 

[illini40]

I was talking to a buddy today, and he mentioned getting a tv that is Bluetooth enabled so that you could use a Bluetooth soundbar so that the soundbar is wireless.

Does anyone have experience with this?

While I have not even settled on a tv, but I do think we will want to look at a soundbar at some point and anything wireless is obviously preferred. So - any guidance or suggestions?

I just did some quick Googling, and I'm confused. From what I am now understanding, a Bluetooth soundbar is just for connecting your phone/iPad/etc to stream music via Bluetooth - not to connect to the TV wirelessly. Does this sound accurate?

For any soundbar, I would still need to somehow connect to the TV via HDMI, optical cable, etc, correct? No such thing as having the soundbar wirelessly connected to the TV?