TV Purchase Thread

Discussion in 'The Mainboard' started by Joe Louis, Jun 11, 2009.

  1. Name P. Redacted

    Name P. Redacted I have no money and I'm also gay
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    Kansas State WildcatsSeattle Kraken

    Still loving my panasonic gt50
     
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  2. Det. Frank Bullitt

    Det. Frank Bullitt God Bless Texas
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    Texas LonghornsManchester United

    just got a 47LM4600 (edge lit LED 60hz with software up-conversion to 120hz and 3d) for $596 w/Tex sales tax+shipped. Sale still going on at Frys. I love it.
     
  3. M'ark Pepperonio

    M'ark Pepperonio Free mahi mahi! Free mahi mahi!
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    Michigan State Spartans

    Bought a 60 in st50 a week or two back. Very happy with it so far.
     
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  4. southlick

    southlick "Better Than You"
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    All Panasonics get a like.
     
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  5. M'ark Pepperonio

    M'ark Pepperonio Free mahi mahi! Free mahi mahi!
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    Almost went with the Samsung plasma due to reported ir, glad I didn't...haven't had any issues.
     
  6. southlick

    southlick "Better Than You"
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    I have a VT25 from a couple years ago and love it.

    If you have any IR, get the Disney WOW blu-ray. It has a pixel flipper that'll help fix that shit.
     
  7. OAK

    OAK a's, cal, lakers

    team samsung
     
  8. Det. Frank Bullitt

    Det. Frank Bullitt God Bless Texas
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    does LG and samsung share panels or have a common partner? I thought i was told that a while ago?
     
  9. spagett

    spagett Got ya, spooked ya
    Donor

    Taking forever to find a good deal on a '32 LED...
     
  10. OAK

    OAK a's, cal, lakers

    What are you looking for specifically and for what price?
    no they dont.
    from what ive seen, Samsung displays are much brighter and more vibrant... more expensive too. lol
     
  11. spagett

    spagett Got ya, spooked ya
    Donor

    No brand in particular. I usually just wait until something is on the front page of slickdeals because I trust it's a very good deal if it makes it that far.

    Basically I just want a reliable 32 inch for under 250
     
  12. Strom Thurmond

    Strom Thurmond Well-Known Member
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    My first HD was a 46 inch Samsung LCD and it was great. When I moved out of my house I sold it to my room mate.

    I am about to move back home and will hopefully be buying a house in the next 6 months....I will atleast have my own place. Want to get a new TV between now and then and figured these SB deals would be a good time

    The 2 choices I am bouncing back and forth on are a 55inch Samsung LED or the Panasonic Plasma mentioned before. I know Plasmas don't do very well in rooms with a lot of light and I won't know what the livingin room of my house will look like until I move, which I likely won't in the next 3 or so months.

    Would like to buy it at BB only because I have $300 in gift card there.

    Should I wait or jump now and if so which one?
     
  13. DC3

    DC3 Well-Known Member
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    I would jump now because it looks like best buy has a lot of TVs on discount for the Super Bowl. Like I said a few posts above this one, my dad was able to get a 60in LED Samsung that retails at $1899 and has dropped all the way to $1099 2 weeks ago. Once Super Bowl week is over, the TVs may jump back up in price. I don't know about plasma TVs as I have never own one, but I love my 46in LED Samsung and I am looking forward to getting bigger one after seeing my dad's in action.
     
  14. Strom Thurmond

    Strom Thurmond Well-Known Member
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    Big difference in 120hz and 240hz in the LEDs

    Plasma's are something silly like 600hz
     
  15. nofatchildren - cissp

    nofatchildren - cissp Free Da Guys
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    I wouldn't worry too much about it with the Panasonic Plasmas. The ST50's and above have a GREAT light filter (not sure on the lower models), so unless you have some absurd lighting conditions in whatever house you buy, it's not gonna be an issue.

    Best Buy has the 55" ST50 for $1199 right now. For $900 out of pocket, you won't do any better, period.
     
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  16. Det. Frank Bullitt

    Det. Frank Bullitt God Bless Texas
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    the whole notion of Tvs being lower during a certain time of year has been largely proven false. Pick a few models and watch their price. Some websites have great price trackers to keep dibs on over a long period of time.

    also before you buy. google your model number on slick deals and you will likely find it was lower at some point. dont buy till it drops back at least down to that point.
     
  17. OAK

    OAK a's, cal, lakers

    http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung...HDTV/4848105.p?id=1218551143793&skuId=4848105 this is a great tv. the 7000 class is much better than the 6000 series
     
  18. polo is for poors

    polo is for poors Damn it feels good to be a gangsta
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    Can't go wrong with the Panny ST50. If you pick one up, please take the time to calibrate it properly.
     
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  19. nofatchildren - cissp

    nofatchildren - cissp Free Da Guys
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    Outside of hiring a professional, nobody is going to have their TV calibrated "properly."

    What you should do if you get an ST/GT/VT, however, is run slides for the first 100 hours. This will virtually eliminate any image retention issues, and after running them you can use the D-nice settings, which will get you within a decent margin of what a professional calibrator would do.

    My buddy bought an ST50, and I tried to tell him to run the slides, but he wouldn't do it. Now he has a ghost of the ESPN logo in the bottom right hand corner of his panel. It will go away, but it's still annoying. I don't have the heart to point it out to him though.
     
  20. Strom Thurmond

    Strom Thurmond Well-Known Member
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  21. OAK

    OAK a's, cal, lakers

    Well the LED will save you a crap load of power in the long run. also, plasmas had overheating issues before, idk if they fixed this issue.
    you should probably go to your local BB store and look at them to see which picture you like better.
     
  22. nofatchildren - cissp

    nofatchildren - cissp Free Da Guys
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    You'll save somewhere in the area of $40 per year on average.

    If that's a big deal to anyone.

    Also, going to BB and looking at them in person isn't all that beneficial. That is not even close to an approximation of the typical home viewing environment. A bunch of TV's hanging on the wall in torch mode with giant industrial lights overhead tells you just about nothing. You're going to go "I like the one that's really bright and color saturated." And that's not what picture quality is about...if you care about that kind of thing. Maybe if they have a Magnolia in the store, and have a few TV's set up in a decent viewing environment, it'll help.
     
  23. polo is for poors

    polo is for poors Damn it feels good to be a gangsta
    Donor

    D'Nice settings are pretty damn good. I have a professional coming out next week to calibrate it. I'm curious to see what changes will be made.
     
  24. nofatchildren - cissp

    nofatchildren - cissp Free Da Guys
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    Yeah I rock the D Nice settings on my ST30. It's very very good.

    I've heard a true professional calibration can completely change your relationship with your TV though. I think D Nice said that his settings will get you within something like 10% of what a professional ISF calibration will, but I bet that last 10% is pretty glorious. On the other hand, there are always some people who won't even really notice too.
     
  25. southlick

    southlick "Better Than You"
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    It is glorious.

    I had Gregg Loewen http://lionav.com/new/?page_id=155 come out and do my VT25 about a year and a half ago. It looked amazing when he was done with it.
     
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  26. Jpripper88

    Jpripper88 Chryst and Saban
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    Doesn't mean the same thing.
     
  27. Det. Frank Bullitt

    Det. Frank Bullitt God Bless Texas
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    I dont know anything about tvs but I do know 6oohz subfield is way different than the panel refresh of 60/120/240
     
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  28. Strom Thurmond

    Strom Thurmond Well-Known Member
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    Well damnit, now yall are speaking a different language
     
  29. Name P. Redacted

    Name P. Redacted I have no money and I'm also gay
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    Kansas State WildcatsSeattle Kraken

    Strom Thurmond

    I have a plasma in my living room, Panasonic GT50 55". I don't have a ton of light, but it does well enough that I never notice it being drowned out. I have also placed the TV so that I do not get that much glare which helps.

    The TV is warm while I'm using it, but not so much it makes the room uncomfortable or that I am worried about it overheating. I may notice a 1-2 degree difference if I use it for awhile but that is probably more attributable to it being a kinda small area, sitting close to a big screen, and not moving much and the couch warming up.

    Physically the TV is very thin, I would compare it to LCDs and LEDs. It is true that plasma use more power but it is really not that much of a difference unless you have it running 24/7 I guess.

    Also going to a Best Buy isn't a great way -- but better than nothing -- to do a side-by-side comparison of TVs since the settings are usually jacked up. It does help you get a feel for the size and physical look however.

    Overall I am pretty pleased with my Panasonic and would recommend it. The ST50 and UT50 would probably be in the same price range that you mentioned before.

    I can take pics if mine if you'd like to see anything specific.
     
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  30. Strom Thurmond

    Strom Thurmond Well-Known Member
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    Thanks for the info.

    I would be leaning towards the GT50 if I knew what the room it was going in looked like. Hard to make a decision if you don't know.

    The LED is $300 more but it isn't that big of a deal with payments stretched out over 2 years. Plus I will pay off $900 of it up front.

    I don't think I can go wrong with either

    unless I go with the GT50 and my living room ends up being a sun room. :ohshit:
     
  31. Name P. Redacted

    Name P. Redacted I have no money and I'm also gay
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    Kansas State WildcatsSeattle Kraken

    :respek:
    Usually I avoid payment plans but Amazon had interest free 24 month financing so I opted to do that and pay $100 a month instead of using my cash up front.

    Plasma, LED, LCD, either way you'll likely get a nice TV and will enjoy the hell out of it.
     
  32. Strom Thurmond

    Strom Thurmond Well-Known Member
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    Best Buy does the same 24 month/0% financing.

    My brother has the 7000 series Samsung at his house....very nice TV

    My bedroom TV is a 32inch Panasonic....

    Decisions decisions.
     
  33. Det. Frank Bullitt

    Det. Frank Bullitt God Bless Texas
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    buying a tv on credit? smh
     
  34. spagett

    spagett Got ya, spooked ya
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  35. Babou

    Babou ocelot
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    I have the 65ST50, and I love it.
     
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  36. Name P. Redacted

    Name P. Redacted I have no money and I'm also gay
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    Kansas State WildcatsSeattle Kraken

    I had (have) the money to pay for it, why pay in full now when I can stretch it out at no extra cost and earn interest (pennies). Time value money.
     
  37. Name P. Redacted

    Name P. Redacted I have no money and I'm also gay
    Donor
    Kansas State WildcatsSeattle Kraken

    Two pics
    Tv is about 1.5 times the width of my thumb thick. just realized I should dust it.[​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  38. OAK

    OAK a's, cal, lakers

    any home theater people here?
     
  39. Babou

    Babou ocelot
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    yep
     
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  40. OAK

    OAK a's, cal, lakers

    Just installed a onkyo 5.1 receiver to my PC. audio was good at first but is now skipping for some reason. like when a song is playing (if mp3 or youtube) plays but will pause for a second and then continue playing. so words are being skipped in music and anything being played really. i already updated all my drivers for realtek hd and my mobo drivers.
     
  41. Babou

    Babou ocelot
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    South Carolina Gamecocks

    I thought you meant for your TV but I don't see why PC would be any different if you're using a receiver.

    Does the music skip without the receiver or with headphones?

    Does anything else skip if played through the receiver from another source?
     
  42. OAK

    OAK a's, cal, lakers

    everything skips, also, this isnt a new build, my previous 2.1 setup didnt skip. so, with the receiver.
    When i switch to 2.0 mode, the audio is fine, im just not making use of my tech.

    I havent tried another source, i dont have anything else that takes optical cables without a major rearrangement of the house.

    in a 3 minute song/video it skips for a second maybe 25 times
     
  43. 3NolesFan3

    3NolesFan3 There's no cure for being a cunt
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    I don't know how someone could listen tot he sound on one of these televisions and come to the conclusion they enjoy the sound on the TV alone better than the sound a very nice sound bar puts out. I mean, fuck.
     
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  44. Det. Frank Bullitt

    Det. Frank Bullitt God Bless Texas
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    this will sound weird, but I set up the sony 5.1 at my gfs apartment (very entry level set) but it sounded infinitely worse than the sound coming out of her 46" samsung tv. I mean the 5.1 was so underpowered, 'tinny', and underwhelming. The tv, even though it was flat, sounded more powerful.
     
  45. Lambert

    Lambert Well-Known Member
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    Either they were set up wrong or they are very shitty speakers. Maybe the sub wasn't working?
     
  46. OAK

    OAK a's, cal, lakers

    I think your receiver is lacking power.
     
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  47. bcuga

    bcuga Administrator
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  48. bcuga

    bcuga Administrator
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  49. Lambert

    Lambert Well-Known Member
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    Unfortunately you have to get tvs with 3d and apps to get a better quality picture. Just how it is. If your tv doesn't have those things chances are it is from a lower model line of lesser quality.