Tell us about your choice of TV.(Television set)
 

We are shopping for a new TV set.

What size and brand and features do you have and do you like it, love it, or hate it?

I bought a Vizio based on online reviews of owners' recommendations of reliability. I think it's 32 inches (bot it several years ago). Been pleased with it as good picture quality and no problems (knock on wood).

My system for purchases is go to a place like Walmart and stand back and look at all of them from a distance and then pick out the ones with the best picture and move in closer to find out which they are. Then investigate those favorites with online reviews.

PS. RichieB has defined the new way to post about televisions is to use small 'tv' letters as opposed to large 'TV' letters for The Villages. Seems like a good suggestion! :laugh:

I would rely on Consumer Reports for the best TV for the money. I have never been steered wrong and my televisions have lasted for many years with no problems.

Two years ago, I bought a 42" Samsung and the picture is remarkiable crystal clear. If you can afford a LED type tv, I would go with that type as opposed to a LCD, (almost as good). I would not buy a plasma as I believe if you sit at a angle the picture is nor viewable.

The size of the tv is determined by how far away from the tv you will sit.
A 42" set will require that you sit eight feet away. Consumer should advise on the proper distance.

I bought a 47" Samsung a year or maybe two ago with a sound system that is so easy to install even I did it. It's a surround sound, but it's in this little boom box and there is a panel that sits just under and in front of the tv (television). Awesome purhase! The tv is an LED and is SO clear. Quite an improvement over my other one that was dying a slow death... Hope this helps, but I am a big advocate of Samsung products. My washer/dryer and Fridge are Samsung as well and I love them too!

I'm waiting for Apple tv which, I understand, should be available by the end of the year. Currently, I have a Toshiba which is several years old and only 36 inches. Based on prices today, I would go larger. But the Toshiba has been excellent.

We have a plasma and can see just fine from all angles in our living room. The picture is sharp and clear. Amazon.com offers reviews on most televisions and are a good resource that is free to read.

I bought a 55” Samsung LED two years ago and the picture is the best. Needed another TV for our home in Chicago a month ago and was able to get a floor model 60” 3D for 35% off price including the glasses and a stand at hhgregg. Didn’t really need 3D but the price was right and the picture was the best on the floor. Samsung in my opinion is the best. Also bought Blue Ray players to go with each set that gives you WIFi access.

FWIW.............

Personally, I'd buy the most up-to-date display technology that fits into whatever you're budgeting for your tv. Brand-wise, we've bought Samsung. Unless you're wanting to constantly jump on the "newest and greatest" technology bandwagon when it comes down the road, chances are you're going to own your new TV for a good number of years. So buy the most technology you can provided you're buying a tv with features you want and will enjoy. There are a lot of things you can get with tv's nowadays that some people want........and some people don't want........such as 3-D, internet connectivity, etc. Picture quality continues to improve as time goes on and additional features abound. But don't pay for things you won't use. For example, a friend of ours just HAD to get a new 3-D tv - it was important to him. Wouldn't work for us - it gives us both headaches trying to watch it. But everybody has different preferences and experiences.

'OLED' displays seem to be the next technology wave but I think it's still a ways off. That will drive the prices of current technology sets down. But regardless of how long you wait for prices to come down, you've never waited long enough! It seems like prices are always falling.

Technical stuff to not overlook:

1. The higher the resolution - and the contrast ratio - the clearer/sharper the picture. 1080p resolution would be the way to go but 720p sets will be less expensive. Contrast is a fuzzy thing (pun intended!) - different mfrs calculate this different ways. But the higher the ratio, the better......arguably.

2. The faster the refresh rate, the clearer/sharper the motion and action on the display will be. 120 hz should be fine for most viewers. But higher rates will have less "blur" to the motion displayed.

3. Display technology comes down to primarily 3 choices nowadays: LED, LCD, and plasma. The choice is yours and it becomes somewhat personal. Just make sure you get a tv with a screen that won't reflect much of the ambient light from the room or streaming in through your windows. Plasma screens are generally more glossy and thus can become aggravating to watch in brighter environments. LED and LCD sets can be had with matte screens that do a better job with glare. LED sets are, of the three, the newer technology.

4. Viewing angle - If you're going to be watching from a fairly severe angle, plasma will generally be better than LED and LCD.

The better the quality of the display........the more you're going to want to watch things in HD. Broadcasts in SD (standard definition) will be satisfactory for many folks. If that works for you, then you're probably not going to get the most out of buying a higher end LED tv, for example. But if you're wanting to get the most out of a tv that's higher on up the technology ladder, you're liable to get spoiled by high definition broadcasts!

Everything is a compromise - it's a matter of finding the best balance of your preferences with how much you're willing to pay.

Hope all that blathering helps and will be useful for you - - -

Bill :)

Bill, great post very informative......I did have to stop half way through and fix some :popcorn:.

Was that before or after nodding off? :thumbup:

Thanks -

Bill :wave:

Consumer Reports has been recommending Samsung LCD and Panasonic plasma as best buys for several years. If you go more than 50 inch, you should get 1080. Otherwise, 720 is fine. I went with a 50 inch Panasonic plasma that was on sale last year at Best Buy and have been very happy with it. If you need top of the line features, can't go wrong with Sony.

Excellent post as usual. :smiley:

My favorite TV
 

My favorite TV has no brand name, is light weight and hardly costs anything. As a matter of fact, it doesn't weigh anything and doesn't cost anything. It's called, "NO TV". And you don't have to do a lot of shopping-around for it.

The best part is there's no cable bill and you don't have to worry about lightening zaping it. You don't have to rush home to see this program or that program; so, your life is your own. You're not tied to programing. You can go for a walk, read a book or even have a conversation with someone.

It's pretty amazing. :read: :)

oh.

Hi Gracie. We've had good luck with both Sony and Samsung. My advice is buy the largest screen you can happily afford. We have 32 inch in the bedrooms. And just bought a new 42 inch for the living room. I wish we'd have gone with 55 inch there. Of course as you know I'm half blind these days, so I want bigger.

Bottom line, fine one you really enjoy looking at in the store. You can find great bargins at Walmart, but be careful of their off brands no matter how good they look, you cannot get customer service and many only have a 90 day warranty.

And I just have to take a shot at the suggestion you do without TV. Typical answer for this forum. You ask a simple question and are told you shouldn't want what you want.

Good luck.

All 3 of our tv's are Samsungs.

There is a app for how big your TV should be for the room, it has to do with how many feet you are sitting from the picture, can't remember what we googled but thought what it said was wrong so went up a size and they were right bought too big, but it is a led samsung and has a great picture

One formula (from Abt Appliance) for determining the maximum size screen for your room is:

Screen size, times 2, divided by 12 = optimal distance, in feet, for the screen size you're interested in.

We used it for a recent purchase and it worked for us. We wanted a 55" in a relatively small den and wanted to be sure it wasn't too big or the room.

One minor nitpick on display technology. LED TVs actually are LCD TVs that use LEDs for illumination rather than flourescent (actually cold cathode flourescent) that is used for backlighting in other LCD TVs. Then, to confuse matters even more, there are various technologies for using LEDs for backlighting.

Panasonic
 

I agree, True color is best on a quality plasma and the new models run cooler and last longer.

Panasonic GT50 Model available at Best Buy gets my vots. For all that's worth.

GG, here's one calculator: Viewing Distance Calculator

Just Google size of television for viewing distance & you'll get many websites telling you what size TV will be good for your room.

We have an LG LCD HDTV. The picture is great, but I was disappointed at how poor the sound quality was. I understand that's a common fault with these kinds of TVs -- not only the LG brand. We bought a sound bar, and now we can hear what people say much better.

I was also surprised at how hot the TV gets. I can feel the heat when I walk past the television.

Good luck with your new TV purchase!

Just purchased one in April for our VA home. After lots of viewing, reading, checking, ended up with a 55 inch Vizio 1080p 240hz LED model that was internet and wifi ready. Synced it with our wireless system and Netflix, Hula and others are now just a click away. Instant Netflix movies when ever you want them. Instant Hula series and shows as well.

Got it at Costco which had a $200 off coupon, caught it on sale as well, so net was $899 for a $1299 TV. Probably even less now. It is very light in weight, so can be wall mounted if you want, easy to move and set up, and can be viewed in a large room. Mine is in the family room which is 22 X 16 and can be seen well from anywhere in the room.

Samsung HD 1080p. Pick the size that matters to you.

We have two Vizios and one Sony. I'm a constant chanel changer , the Sony is a slow chanel changer imo. We also have two Roku boxes so can do with less chanels and have acess to tons, literally tons of other things. Like the quality of bothh Sony and Vizio.

32 inch LG
 

Several months ago I bought a 32in LG 720p because a friend of mine had one and I found the picture quality and menus on his TV to be far better than what I had on my Sony. Also, the LG had 3 HDMI slots. I use one for cable; one for Apple TV to view my photos and video on the TV's bigger screen; and one for Roku to increase my streaming movie options. I'm thrilled with this LG TV and I consider it to be one of the best TVs I've ever owned. I sit about 15 ft from the TV and 720p works just fine for me. Only thing I would change in a future TV is to get 120HZ which makes picture seem even crisper.

Check out the Samsung 55 inch Smart TV. Amazing.

TV
 

Panasonic - plasma is my choice. Have a 46" model from 2008 and it's great. 3d and 60 - 65 Panasonic plasma is in our TV TV future.
I have 3 DVR Directv boxes so I can record 6 programs at a time and share on all three TVs we have. Just have to be careful of someone telling me a score of a sporting event.

We bought a 47" Samsung LED tv about 4 years ago and the picture has been great. However in the last couple of months when you turn it on, it clicks multiple times before actually powering up. It has gotten worse and now is about 15 clicks before starting. On a blog about Samsung tv's this appears to be too common a problem and they have a secret warranty program for selected models to replace the power board. Unfortunately our model is not covered even though it exhibits the same symptoms so I don't think I'd get a Samsung again, perhaps a Sharp with Quattro color. Sharp and Samsung share a production facility for the large LCD screens but each make their own electronics and LED light source/technology.
One thing about the plasmas, they are generally 600hz which makes motion much smoother to watch. Sporting events like football, basketball, motor sports really show the difference in the higher refresh rates with much smoother pictures, less jagged moves.
I used to be very concerned about glare on the shiny screens from outside light sources but the pictures are so bright there is very little effect from it.

We have 3 TV's"

1. Vizio LED - We bought this TV right after closing on our home so we would have a TV in where we spend most of our time... our den until we returned north two months later to plan for our move. One thing that's frequently overlooked is the sound quality. Althought the picture was fine, the sound quality s***ed! It was very tinny and drove me crazy. We moved it into our master BR where we've watched from rarely to never.
2. Panasonic LED - We bought this TV up north shortly before we started thinking of buying in The Villages. Love it.. good picture, good sound!
3. Panasonic Plasma - We bought this '50 TV from the sellers of our home. It has a great picture and an even greater sound system. The only negative thing about it is that it's really heavy, much more so than the LED's.

In my survey, about 14 months ago, Vizio delivered the best feature-price ratio and up to date technology (INternet surfing, streaming, etc.). I found a good unit for a good price at Target. Vizio is an up and comer!

Samsung and LG
 

We have two 42" LCD TVs, one Samsung and the other LG, and two 32" LCD LG TVs. We also have an old square frame, 25" Sony which I won't part with because the picture is still great. We have it in our office. We love them all. Personally, LCD is the way to go. Plasma TVs, in my opinion, do not have the best of picture. You have to get what works best for you.

For what it's worth, if you should be so inclined to do so, we have 2 TVs in the master. One for each of us. One of us uses wireless headphones. This way, we each get to watch what we want while we are in bed. I can watch my girlie shows and he can watch his manly shows. We love it!

Now there is a great idea.

We leave the tv on all night. There is something WRONG with our remote. I will fall asleep with it on HGTV and it somehow turns to the golf channel when I am asleep. (???!!??)

It's obviously a "remote controller issue". :ohdear:

Bill :wave:

Wrong! It was a channel changing ghost that followed her from Hadley! http://th492.photobucket.com/albums/...s_geistani.gif

Thank you for posting these suggestions. I still have a big old tube television (circa 2001) in my living room that I plan on replacing in the not too distant future. These suggestions have been quite helpful. Technology for televisions has changed tremendously in 11 yrs.

Funny,,Plasma set by Panasonic are rated #1!!

Another great feature is they're lightweight and not as cumbersome as those big old types. One person can usually handle the large ones.

Wouldn't that still qualify as 'remote control'? :laugh:

Cnet has a great buying guide which narrows down all the options. Here is a link.

LCD, LED, Plasma HDTV Buying Guide - CNET Reviews

We have a 60 inch Sony but Steve gets that wistful look in his eyes everytime we see a 70 or even 80 inch....I've decided that when we move to TV we will build with a road behind us...then everyone can drive up, we'll hand out speakers and Bill can deliver the popcorn. Hey..that would solve two problems..we could rent Lionsgate movies and everyone could watch them! (see previous post re: Lionsgate) and Steve could justify having a movie theatre size tv in our living room!!