[graciegirl]

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?

[CaptJohn]

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!

[2BNTV]

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.

[hotrodgirl]

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!

[Rubber Bucket]

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.

[jnieman]

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.

[dok4933]

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.

[Bill-n-Brillo]

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

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Bill-n-Brillo

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 .

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

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

Was that before or after nodding off?

Thanks -

Bill

[logdog]

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.

[2BNTV]

Originally Posted by Bill-n-Brillo

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

Excellent post as usual.

[Villages PL]

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.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Villages PL

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.

oh.

[OldDave]

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.