Looking for a HDTV for a media/computer room. Requirements are:
Saw some ads for a Saturday door buster sale at walmart for a 46" Samsung 1080 for 800 and change. Is that a good deal or hold out for better?
Last year my dad wanted to get a TV. He went to Wal-Mart but ended up with one of the black friday Costco sales. Better TV at a good price (at the time). He ended up with a Sony.
I don’t know about Vizio (which are supposed to be good TVs from what I hear – I am not an expert) but Samsung is not a Japanese brand. It is Korean. And the Japanese brands are not necessarily made in Japan.
I just saw a 46" Sony at Best Buy today for $797. It is LCD with 1080p, 60hz refresh rate & 50,000 contrast ratio. I just checked the website and it is not listed so not sure if it is in-store only or at certain locations. I am considering it for the family room in my house. It seems that LCDs are on the edge and we are finally starting that size in the sub-$1k region. Here is an Insignia they had that meets your requirements, barely.
Good Luck
It may not matter to you but the latest newest TVs have 120hz or 240hz refresh. I do not know whether or not that makes a practical difference. Just do some side by side comparisons in stores and research it a little. My dad’s Sony has the 120hz and it is quite nice.
I heard that Target is going to have some really good Black Friday specials to include electronics. I own a Samsung 52" and it is a great TV. Going to buy another.
If you have an HH Gregg in your area, you should give them a shot too. Their tv salesmen work off commission, so they might be more motivated to sell a tv to you than the hourly paid guys at Bestbuy. I would also recommend going in on a weekday when it is slower.
I recently bought a new 46" Sony XBR9 at HH Gregg. It was marked $1700 and after I said I would just keep looking elsewhere the salesman comes running back before I could leave the store and says he could do the XBR9 for $1200 because it has been a slow day. So you may be able to talk them down more than some of the other chains.
Just in case people are wondering, no, there is nothing wrong with Korean electronics. I was just clarifying. In fact, I think if you research it, some of the Japanese companies make their stuff in Korea (or China :() and have joint agreements with Korean Companies on LCD manufacture.
I have been looking for about 2 months now for a TV for over my fireplace. I have looked all over and I have narrowed it down to a Samsung. They seem to have the brightest pictures from all angles. I think I’m going with the 49.9 inch LED. It’s about $1700. I will wait for a sale. 
Yeah, only the older LCD units have the 60hz refresh rate. I have a 4 year old Sony rear projection LCD with 60hz and fast-paced action gets blurry in a hurry. The 120hz and above are the only way to go with a new set, but it’s just difficult to find a 46" LCD with 120hz at the OPs $900 and below target price. It is looking like new LCDs have 120hz to 240hz, which are much nicer!
I have a Sony Bravia and been very happy with it. Will be replaced with another one when $$$ allows, and our current one will go in my office.
I am not sure that comparing a rear projection refresh rate with LCD “refresh” rate (different technology) is valid but definitely compare the older 60hz LCD with the newer ones to see if you can tell the difference.
Panasonic G10/G15 and don’t look back. Best tv out there for the money. It’s a Plasma, but it has a 100,000 hour life.
And late model Plasma’s do not have burn-in anymore…just slight temporary image retention now (if left on pause etc.). However they have a moving white slider in one of the menu options to erase whatever image retention there might be.
With Plasma’s, there is no such thing as refresh rate, hence they are still considered the best for viewing movies and such.
TOSHIBA, not every store will carry them and they do not advertise their t.v.'s We have owned on for approx two years. All I can say is I am not disappointed one bit. It is a great t.v. and could not be happier. It also has a faster refresh rate then most. It shows no lagging (we watch a lot of sports and racing).
Unless you are planning on hanging one up on the wall then I’d seriously look at a DLP TV. They are about 6 inches thick and need to sit on a stand, but they are the best bang for the buck when it comes to size. Find a store that sells Mitsubushi’s and you can get a WD60735 or WD60737 for right at 1k for a 60 inch.
http://www.amazon.com/Mitsubishi-WD-60735-60-Inch-1080p-HDTV/dp/B00166BNFS
Btw, LCDs do not refresh in the same way that a Cathode Ray tube TV or monitor does.
The 120hz “refresh” seems to be a way of interpolating between two frames and showing these interpolated frames so the effective rate that frames can change goes up but the frames are “made up” through software interpolation. This can help with movement etc.
Another thing to look at is the speed of the LCD itself. This is listed in ms and is how fast the actual pixels in the LCD can react. Obviously faster is better.
I’ve always heard to stay away from plasma.
Basically, I’m looking for the biggest TV I can find for under $900 at this time. I had budgeted more but some bills came up and I’m left with about 900 by next friday.
If I can bump up my budget to $1200, I’m looking for a 50 or 52" Any suggestions in that range?
Who told you this? They are highly mis-informed. The Pioneer Kuro Elite Plasma is still to this day regarded as the best HDTV ever made.
What you really need to do is Educate yourself…and the absolute best website to do that is Crutchfield.com
This will help you in your quest to decide which tv is right for you and your family.
Please at least do me this favor and read through the following: http://www.crutchfield.com/learn/learningcenter/home/tv_flatpanel.html
Keep an eye on Amazon.com. They often have really good deals with free shipping. Also, it gets you around having to pay salestax, which is nice.
Check out the following flow chart: http://www.gliffy.com/blog/2009/11/12/gliffy-original-how-to-buy-a-television/
Might be helpful.
Also, one more link for some reading. http://gizmodo.com/5408494/giz-explains-the-difference-between-a-600-tv-and-a-6000-tv
Does a really good job explaining all the various features, and what is perhaps not worth it.
As for brand: I can recommend Samsung and LG LCD’s. Family has owned both, and have nothing but good to say about the both of them.
The following should fill your criteria nicely: http://www.amazon.com/LG-47LH30-47-Inch-1080p-Gloss/dp/B001V5J7NO/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=tv&qid=1258681259&sr=1-9.
-Adam
And Samsung makes a lot of product right here in Austin - chips and LCDs. They are one of our larger private employers.
Found an ad for a 46" Sony Bravia at walmart on sale on black friday for 798, regular price is 978. Good deal?
