HDTV Gurus: Learn me!

I have the Sharp Aquos 42" LCD 1080p. It is the balls. I did some research and it was one of the top 42" tv's according to Consumer Reports. It is also the official tv of the MLB. Not to mention I got it on Dell.com and got no interest for 1 year. >
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that's what i have too, but in 32".

if you're shopping for the best, look at sony, sharp aquos and then samsung in my opinion.

stay away from 'vizio' and all that crap you've never heard of, it'll break in 6 mo and look crappy in the meantime.

and westing house is a chinese conglomerate that bought the name because it sounds american, but their product is still the same old crap.

 
I've had my 42" Sharp Aquos with 1080i for two+ years, and I have no complaints. I watch my DirecTV HD, and play a few HD PS2 games and even hook my new video card up to it to watch some "backup" copies of movies...
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I did a lot of research when I bought mine and it was the top of the line. I recommend banging around the HDTV websites and looking at all of the reviews from consumers and then looking those up on some professional reviews...

Just keep in mind that you want to have plenty of room between yrslf and the TV when watching. If you sit two or three feet away from a 42" than it'll look like crap, add another foot or two and things will blend together nicely...

 
Bumpity.

Finally pulled the trigger today, and ordered a Samsung LN46A550 off Amazon for $1450 shipped. Also ordered a Z-line Madrid stand for it from tvstands.com, as well as a Sony HDX275 home theater system, because my current Panasonic HT-system doesn't upconvert. And of course, I'll be picking up a PS3 on June 12.

 
let me know what you think when you get it in.

I am going to assume that it is DTV ready (I don't me HD, but the digital tuner in the TV)

 
Will do. I picked the Sammy because it gets rave reviews, and in person, it looked way better than either the Sony or Sharp, and was cheaper than both. It just had a lot less artifacting than the others, and more natural colors. I'll definitely let you know though. Hell, you can come see it next time your in the area.

 
Will do. I picked the Sammy because it gets rave reviews, and in person, it looked way better than either the Sony or Sharp, and was cheaper than both. It just had a lot less artifacting than the others, and more natural colors. I'll definitely let you know though. Hell, you can come see it next time your in the area.
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definitely will do.

if I don't have something new by the BBQ you will be able to see why I need a new TV.

the 32" we have (tube type) doesn't fit in the built in.. so we are watching on a 19" 'er... but with the LCD's I can use all of the fancy mounts and get it to work (I think)

 
The 32" version of the one I got goes for about $925 right now on Amazon, and if you trick Amazon like I did, I think you can get it for about $100 less than that.

Or, Circuit City has the bottom-end Sammy 32A330 on sale for $650.

Man, I can't wait to get my PS3 now.

 
Cool thread.

I went in to Tweeter for a Sony XBR LCD, and came out with a Panasonic Plasma. I can't say that I've noticed any color fading, but I don't generally have it on for 6 hours at a time.

 
From what i've been reading recently the new Samsungs are the schiznit. But... they're big $$ now. My LG 42" (42LB5D) is dope for what I do which is primarily movies and last price match on bestbuy.com was $996. Depends on what you want to spend. My dad has a 52" Sony XBR5 which is the hotness but honestly, unless i see 'em side by side I probably couldn't tell the difference between his $2500+ and mine. Some have built in speakers, others do not.

Don't even spend $10 on an HDMI cable. HDMI is HDMI. I got mine through buy.com or amazon.com. The cables were like $1.50 each for 6 footers plus like $5 shipping. It's digital so all the fandangle manufacturer promises are B.S. Read some threads... look up the AV Science forum (http://www.avsforum.com/) there's a crapload of info there....

Also, if you have TimeWarner and get their HD Converter box (Scientific Atlanta HDC4250 iirc) beware cuz most of the time they do not work with HDMI. It's why Time Warner supplies it with a composite cable & an audio cable.

Get 1080p. Also, the setup can be a beeyatch. Getting the colors right, etc. Out of the box they're designed to look good on display in the store... super bright, etc. Look on the AV Science forum for whatever model # you get and someone will have posted optimal settings. You'll find yourself tinkering with it.

Lastly... put the beeyatch on the wall. Buy.com typically has wall mounts for like $20 after rebate. I put mine on the wall last week, drilled holes in teh wall to fish the cables thru and it's awesome. Very clean. Don't pay over $30 for a wall mount.

And if you want a blu-ray player... http://www.sonystyle.com and click on their refurb outlet... $280 shipped for the BDP-S300 which will upconvert your crappy a$$ SD discs and do 1080p via HDMI or Composite.

Phew... that's a lot of info.

 
Way ahead of you mikey. The Sammy 46A550 was the perfect combination of price and performance, and is 1080P.

HDMI cables = free (I have connections).

TW box is a Motorola DVR w/ DVI (already have a DVI/HDMI cable)

PS3 (which I WILL be purchasing June 12th) will be my BD player.

No wall mount, I got a stand with a built-in, adjustable mount:

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yeah... limited time so I didn't read the whole thread. There's no issues with the TW Cable HD DVR's... just the regular HD Converters - Scientific Atlanta 4250HDC.

I'm not a gamer so I'm going for the straight up blu-ray player. No need for a PS3... does the PS3 upconvert? I didn't think that it did.

 
I think all BD players, including the PS3 upconvert, but I'm not positive. But that's why I went ahead and picked up a Sony HDV275 upconverting HT-in-a-box, so I dont have to worry about it and don't have to play all my DVD's in the PS3 too.

 
I bought a power conditioner for mine. Got a little bit of a hum which from what i've been reading is due to dirty power... i.e., fridge is on teh same circuit or something like that.

 
I think all BD players, including the PS3 upconvert, but I'm not positive. But that's why I went ahead and picked up a Sony HDV275 upconverting HT-in-a-box, so I dont have to worry about it and don't have to play all my DVD's in the PS3 too.
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PS3's upconvert yes. The PS3 is probably the best blu ray player on the market, especially with the constant attention it gets with firmware updates.
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I'm actually getting a new PS3 June 12th also when Metal Gear Solid 80GB ones come out. My launch (11/17/06) PS3 apparently has a design flaw that many had that I just noticed with GTA4 (ie it cant play that game). I'd suggest anyone with a 60gb ps3 that was an early release try GTA4 on it to see if yours has this problem.

 
I'm actually getting a new PS3 June 12th also when Metal Gear Solid 80GB ones come out.
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You and me both.

And since this thread is back, I actually just got my TV delivered yesterday. Still have a lot of setup left to do, but I'll post pics of the finished product.

 
W00t! Snagged a MGS PS3 bundle w/ a free $100 gift card on the way home from work. Guess what I'm doing tonite!
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Still waiting on my $600 reimbursement from bestbuy. I've heard they're out of the MGS bundles....looks like i'll PS3-less for a while. The 40GB one just wont cut it for me.

 
I had a 2nd one that I threw up on sleazeBay. If I'd have known you were interested, I'd have sold it to you. I'll check Waterville Mall-mart next time I'm there. They've had one most everytime I've been in.

 
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