i was looking at tv's the other day with my roommate. personally i prefer lcd. seems like the technology has come a long way in the last couple of years. personally, i'd go for something above 32". i was looking at 40-46". i'd go to bestbuy and look at the tvs and see what you want, then go home and order it much cheaper and tax free off of amazon.

 

Hasn't there been problems with Amazon lately? People getting their ordered items later than expected?

 

You can get a lot of good TV's from $2000 and under that are 40 inch and up for LCD. Honestly, the differences between plasma and LCD these days are minimal at best with the improvements made.

 

That's just what I heard from one person. I have ordered books from there and had no problems.

 

I'd think Amazon would charge a bundle on shipping considering it might need to be sent by freight (which can cost $100+). That alone could negate any discounts. Plus, the shipment could easily damage the set if handlers aren't careful.

 

Yeah shipping is expensive as hell now a days. I know because of my moms store. If the delivery takes longer than two to three days then you pay a lot.

 

I have a 42 inch vizio lcd. Its awesome, the only problem I have is the sound sucks. You need new speakers for it. Other than that, its great.

 

What's your budget, what size range do you prefer, and will you be buying any accessories such as a receiver and a stereo system?

 

Model
Brand LG
Model 32LB9D
Cabinet Color Black
Display
Screen Size 32"
Recommended Resolution 1366 x 768
Aspect Ratio 16:9
Viewing Angle 178°(H) / 178°(V)
Brightness 500 cd/m2
Dynamic Contrast Ratio 10000:1
Response Time 5ms

although there have been many changes to the Plasma technology, if you watch TV very much or you are a gamer, LCD is more practical. they generally will wear longer and have a lower chance for burn-in, things such as tickers on news or dials/gages on games will burn in and remain as a permanent image. for the price, the LG is a good quality TV and has the stipulated HDMI inputs. it is also very good on the contrast ratio, nearly as high as some Plasmas. if you were a gamer, this one also has a 5ms refresh, which is important for response time. 5ms is about as slow as you would want as a high end gamer, but the picture will have little lag when watching action (hopefully) such as the Mighty Phins.

make sure you use the best inputs with quality cables for all your components for the better picture. you don't need to spend $100 for a Monster HDMI, but look into mid priced cables, not cheap ones.

make sure you have at least a digital TV signal (air or subscription), cable out of the wall is generally still analog**even after the change this Feb, it may stay analog**. digital will give the 16:9 aspect and a sharper, although not HD, signal.

if you have any questions, there are several of us from the business that will be more than happy to help.:up:

 

going through DirecTv their techs should bring the cables that you will need. they will not be high grade, but more than likely you will not need them. if you have to supply them, Best Buy carries Acoustic Research and they offer a good mid grade cable at a decent price. $30-$50 will get you a decent HDMI cable if you need to supply them.

what do you plan to watch on it? DVD, VHS? you will need to have the cable to connect them, the DTV tech should hook those up for you. when you call them, make sure you ask questions. they will tell you what you need. the sales rep may tell you that they will only hook up the box, but the tech more than likely will do it for you if you ask them.

is you Media Center a full MC or just for what you can down load from the internet? a full MC will have a tuner and inputs so you can hook up your DTV to it. there will be a coax (cable) connection on the back of the computer if it is able to receive a signal.

you can hook up your MC computer to the tv, but depending on it's inputs and outputs will determine how much you can use what you already have. more than likely you will need to buy something seperate for sound. on your budget, you can get a Home Theater In A Box (HTIB) for $300-$400. stick with a name brand if you can, you will get a little more quality that way. keep in mind, this will be a bare-bones system.

 

If you want cables, go to monoprice.com, not retail.

 

yes. if you have time before they will arrive, get your cables on line.

 

I have 3 of the Premium 24AWG HDMI 1.3a Category 2 Certified Male to Male Cables (2 black and one white, all 6ft long), and I have no complaints.

I'm sure 22AWG is better, but I have no use for 20 ft of cable right now.

 

it depends on the type of connector the system uses. if it is a standard 3.5mm plug and the tv has the same, then you would be able to use it. as for the computer, can you post a pic of the back side? it would be easier to tell what you have and may need.

Product ID: 3661
HDMI 1.3a Category 2 Certified CL2 Rated (In-Wall Installation) Cable (24AWG) w/ Net Jacket - 6ft (Gold Plated Connectors)
$9.50 $9.13 $8.76 $8.40 $8.03
QTY

Product ID: 3960
HDMI 1.3a Category 2 Certified CL2 Rated (In-Wall Installation) Cable (24AWG) w/ Net Jacket - 6ft (Gold Plated Connectors) - WHITE
$9.52 $9.14 $8.77 $8.39 $8.02


these should do the trick. depends if you want white or black. 6 ft should be enough also.

 

didn't have time to read the whole thread, but two suggestions...

1) get LCD. don't waste your time with plasma
2) try places like CostCo or SamsClub if one is near you. They have a lot of name-brand stuff at discount-house prices, plus you don't have to worry about shipping... and if there is a problem with the set (hope not), its easier to go through the return/exchange process. :up:

 

Why would Plasma be a "waste" of time?

 

A lot of times on Amazon you don't have to pay for shipping, it just depends if you buy it from Amazon or from an amazon retailer. Also, while you pay for shipping, you typically don't have to pay for tax, so the price is still considerably cheaper online.

 

This is going in your living room, right? $1100 isn't enough to get a decent set in the living room size range. It's plenty for the speaker system, but the TV plus HD receiver box plus sound receiver plus speakers... you're under-budgeting.

Unless this is a bedroom TV, in which case just get the TV and the HD receiver box.

 

Just be careful.

Newegg typically has a policy of 8 dead pixels. Meaning if there's 8 or less dead pixels on the TV/monitor, you can't return it.

May not be the case anymore. But that was absolutely their policy. We got a 23-inch LCD for my grandfather back when 19 was not very common. Spent four figures on it and it had 2 dead pixels. Too bad, said Newegg. And it was spelled out right there on their website.

 

that's pretty harsh for just a return. most warranties wont cover unless there are 5 pixel per square inch or more.

 

Hrmmm bro check this model out...now this is the 67 inch one and they make'em 60 as well if this one's too big.

I am thinking of ditching my 60 inch Sony SXRD XBR1 for this sucker soon as the price is right!

http://www.hometheaterstore.com/productdetails.asp?productcode=HL67A750

You can find them at Circuit City, Best Buy etc.

 

I have both, a 42" Panasonic Plasma, and a 37" Maxent LCD, to me there's no diff in picture quality at all, so the LCD wins on longevity of the eqpt, no burn-in worries. FWIW

 

In that case, you don't need a speaker system at all. The speakers on the TV should suffice.

The Samsung A550, A650, and A750 series are all great choices. I have a 32'' A550 and love it.

 

I know you are thinking of limiting yourself to 37", but I would honestly suggest to go in the 40-44" range. The price difference should not be that great but the picture quality overall should be considerably greater. Of course this is just my opinion, and not everyone sees the same and such.

 

if you are going to be less than 8ft from the tv then i would suggest 37" as the largest for your space. if you are going to be 8-12ft, then i might jump up to 40-42" tv. anything larger and you should be in the 12" and further range.

for a bedroom, 37" should be large enough. as for sound, that is up to you. as Decides pointed out, the correct tv will have decent speakers. if you are trying to create a home theater in your bedroom, then an small HTIB would work nicely.