Ok TST... School me on TVs. Search complete. 42" Samsung 720p Plasma IN DA HOUSE :)

[DPancoast]

Alright so im a little behind on the times when it comes to tvs/hd/720 or 1080, lcd/plasma/whatever.

I have a 24" symphonic tube tv currently. mono audio and im getting sick of it to say the least. Things to know:

- i have regular comcast cable. just the regular small box... no HD, just the basic box with the little black remote.
- I use my xbox to watch movies but i barely ever watch them to begin with.
- i watch the food network and discovery channel and thats about it lol... no sports
- whatever TV I get... it will be coming with me when I move out someday. SO... if I can find a bigger tv in my price range and it has everything I need/want. Then I will buy it. It will be more baller to bring a 42" into my new crib, than a 32" heh...

My biggest thing is that i play xbox pretty much every day. i know that any upgrade at this point will be night and day but i want to know what the best bang for my buck should be and what to look for.

My budget is $4-600 and realistically 32" is probably as big as i can go in my room. I still live at home and dont want to cut my wall open and i dont have room for a big tv stand.

Anyway. I just wanted to see what you guys had to say about different brands. Recomendations, things to stay away from, and anything you can tell me would be great.

The only thing i know is that when hd tvs started coming out, signals werent anywhere close to 1080 and that 720 was better. But honestly i dont know more than that lol.

I will def be getting hdmi for my xbox, so thats my main focus really.

Current 24" tv on the left... 4' long x 18" wide desk where the tv will go on the right. haha... woot

[CHAOS]

best bang for buck right now is plasma... and most come with a warranty against burn-in so thats not an issue... def get 1080p. check best buy.

[DPancoast]

yeah i heard plasma was good for the money. i was gonna check out best buy this week and also world wide stereo since my neighbor works there and can give me an employee deal lol

just gettin jealous of the new 46" in my living room and my buddies 72" jam... its been a wakeup call to realize the fonts and **** are distorted on most games i play because my video sucks

[CHAOS]

lol i promise you will get better at MW2 with an HD tv.

[TROLL]

When I did my TV research, everywhere I read it seemed that people said that for a TV 40" and smaller, you won't be able to tell the difference between 720p and 1080p. You should really go to a store and just check out a bunch to get a feel for them though and form your own opinion.

HD TV is broadcast at 720p, so you won't gain anything by going higher than that for TV.
XBox can do 1080p, but going back to what I said first, I don't know if you'll be able to tell on a 32".
The one real reason to go with 1080p on a TV this size is if you ever think you'll use it as a computer monitor... you'll need the extra resolution to keep everything on the screen from displaying obnoxiously large.
If you're going with an LCD, you might have the option between 60hz and 120hz... the higher rate will reduce ghosting on fast moving images like in video games or action/sports. Plasma doesn't have ghosting issues but I usually only see plasmas on bigger TVs.
Since you have a decent budget for your TV I'd definitely recommend aiming for a good brand, especially since you'll use it every day. I know Samsung is good and I've read good things about Sony, not really sure specifically about other brands but I'm sure there are others also.

I got a 32" 720p 60hz Samsung on Black Friday... it was only $325 which was an awesome price... I think they're normally $500 and go on sale for $400 sometimes. I love the thing... I don't feel like I'd be able to see a difference with 1080p and I don't notice any ghosting either but I don't do a lot of fast moving stuff really.

[DPancoast]

i may or may not take advantage of a pc input if its there. my computer is 3 feet from where my tv goes so itd be cool to get wireless stuff and surf the net from bed lol.

also thats what i heard also bryan when it came to the 720 vs 1080 as far as the size of the tv. I didnt think it made a difference until you were over a 40" screen.

And yeah. Im not ready to buy tomorrow but am just going different places to look at tvs. Going to world wide will benefit me greatly because i know first hand (used to work there) that all of their tvs are hooked up the right way so i'll be able to see differences unlike a place like walmart that just splits the output to all the tvs and it looks like crap no matter what haha.

[igo4bmx]

Originally Posted by DPancoast

i may or may not take advantage of a pc input if its there. my computer is 3 feet from where my tv goes so itd be cool to get wireless stuff and surf the net from bed lol.

also thats what i heard also bryan when it came to the 720 vs 1080 as far as the size of the tv. I didnt think it made a difference until you were over a 40" screen.

And yeah. Im not ready to buy tomorrow but am just going different places to look at tvs. Going to world wide will benefit me greatly because i know first hand (used to work there) that all of their tvs are hooked up the right way so i'll be able to see differences unlike a place like walmart that just splits the output to all the tvs and it looks like crap no matter what haha.

if i were you - get the biggest screen you can afford.
120 hz or not is pointless in lcd- i don't care for it.
I just saw on slickdeals a 1080p 40" sony lcd for 499! be on the look out for deals ONLINE b/c you usually don't have to pay tax!

size AND distance to screen matter for 720 vs 1080p but I will tell you I can barely notice a difference in highly encoded 720p vs true 1080p and i'm watching stuff on a 92" screen with an 1080p projector from about 16 feet away. I also play my xbox on this screen too. I play MW2 on a 92" screen and i still suck

[grimm]

go to a store and stare at the wall of tv's for a hour or so. play with them, turn the volume up and down, change the settings, ie contrast, color, brightness etc etc. then when you find the one you like, search online for the best deal for that tv. for 32" i would stick to an LCD. And I agree 1080P is not needed unless it will double as a computer monitor. you should be able to find a pretty decent deal.

[DPancoast]

yeah 32" just seems to be what i can afford but if i come across a deal like the mentioned above, then of course i'd jump on that lol.

Thanks for the feedback so far guys. I wont really know much until i go and stare at the tvs for a while.

TV shopping is very exciting lol

[TROLL]

Here's a Sony Bravia 32" 720p for $287... you need to sign up for Bing Cashback but its easy and works well so its definitely worth it

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1812057

[DPancoast]

hmmm i see. I'll def check it out when i get home. thanks for the heads up .

also in regards to viewing distance, from my bed im about 10ft.. When i play games im about 4 feet max lol

[BigWhiteTodd]

awesome ive been looking at tv's and couldnt figure out what i should get im thinking around 32" really just for games and movies.

[TJs98GT]

ive been wanting a 32" for my bedroom too, but kinda wanted one with a built in dvd player. we have a 42" in the living room of our apartment. and i have a 57" hd projection tv at my moms house ive never brought over, dont really have room for it

[c0nfl1kt]

Get the cheapest 32" LCD TV and call it a day. That's what I have and love it. Its an Insignia and it supports those day off 12 hour gaming days, and has been doing it for over a year, and its still running strong. LCD technology, even the cheap models, has advanced so much that you can barely tell the difference between Plasma and LCD colors.

[90blacktsiawd]

Originally Posted by CHAOS

best bang for buck right now is plasma... and most come with a warranty against burn-in so thats not an issue... def get 1080p. check best buy.

It is the best bang for the buck but last time i was shopping around i couldn't find one under 42". That's a bit above what he's looking for.

For what you want Dan any 32" lcd should do you just fine. I'd probably at least stick with a brand i've heard of before. My old roommate had great luck with his 32" Insignia he got @ best buy. I love my Samsung that i'm currently using.

[c0nfl1kt]

Originally Posted by 90blacktsiawd

It is the best bang for the buck but last time i was shopping around i couldn't find one under 42". That's a bit above what he's looking for.

For what you want Dan any 32" lcd should do you just fine. I'd probably at least stick with a brand i've heard of before. My old roommate had great luck with his 32" Insignia he got @ best buy. I love my Samsung that i'm currently using.

The one I got. It's been flawless.

[DPancoast]

Yeah I mean, honestly, if I let my dumb side get a hold of me, I'd by a bigger TV. It's not like I can't make room for it in my room lol...

But anyway, thank you all again for the input. Just have to go check some out and look at them in a more natural environment (better lighting... not Walmart style blowout lighting lol) and talk to some others at World Wide Stereo and see what they have to say. Can't wait to step up from the tube haha.

I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything so that the TV doesn't get outdated in a year lol

AND it seems like the closer I get to 40" (with LCD at least), it goes out of my budget range and skyrockets. And then it has to be remembered that I just want my games to look good. I don't need it to be a SUPER fancy tv because I don't entertain people in my room (other than Michelle but I doubt she cares about the picture like I do being a d00d) and I don't sit that far from the TV.

I'd also like to add now that I'm home:

Gaming distance: 4ft from the TV
Head on my pillow in bed: 15ft

if those make any kind of difference.

[WRXD]

IIRC blu-ray is all 1080p so if you are a movie picture snob and think you might eventually get into the BR it would be wise to step up to the higher res.

[DPancoast]

I can almost guarantee that I won't be getting a blu-ray player until I have my own place which is a couple years away... and by then, I'll be getting a bigger tv for the central living room anyway.

ALSO.

just wanted to ask just so I know. As I'm looking around on different websites... when it comes down to it, the difference in price between 720p and 1080 isn't really that big....

BUT

should I pay attention to whether it's 1080p or 1080i? If Im comprehending correctly, the differences start to come down to the Hz of the TV and how it deals with fast motions right? Not looking at price here, just at Samsung in general and what they offer along with Toshiba and Sony stuff that I've been seeing. Also would like to note that I don't think we should sidetrack into a debate about it because I'm not going to notice a difference ever I bet.

Anyway, here's some different TVs I've been looking at in general.. No notice to price yet... just what they offer.

Samsung 32" LCD HDTV 1080p - "Auto Motion Plus 120Hz"

Sony Bravia 32" 1080p - 120Hz

Toshiba 32" LCD HDTV 1080p - only 60Hz I think

Honestly I've been leaning towards Samsung since the start... but am open to other brands like Toshiba and stuff.

I've also seen some 37" that look nice but that's as big as I will go. I don't need a huge tv... probably won't say that enough.

Toshiba 37" LCD HDTV 1080p - 100Hz

Samsung 37" LCD HDTV 1080p

[05suby]

honestly if your not big into watching movies and sports a 720 60hz should be fine. i have a 32" 720 60hz in my room and it isnt that bad. xbox looks fine on it.