TR Forums

As ridiculous as it sounds, I'm looking into getting a third bigscreen tv. I have the 55inch main tv upstairs in the entertainment area, and the 42inch in the 'video game room'. I have one final room that doesn't need a tv....but I want one. It's my sports room. It's down in the basement so i can be loud late at night, play pool and watch hockey. I have a small 24 inch crt tv set up in a small tv area. My annoyance is that I can't watch hockey and play pool at the same time. At it's furthest I'm about 30 feet away from the tv while playing pool. I was going to bring in the 42 inch, but a group of people playing Wii on a 24 inch tv just doesn't work.

Long story short, I'd like a very basic 47-55inch tv for down there. It's only going to be playing SD content from bell expressvu. No movies, no HD content, and no 3D stuff. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a good value tv that might suit the need. I would like it to be around 1000 bucks before taxes. There is a bit of wiggle room, but over 1200 bucks won't be considered. I would like to keep to retailers that I can find in Ottawa.

Any questions are welcome if they would help come to a suggestion. I'm not really up on the TV scene, so I'm not sure which brands or which models suck, or what is a good value.

Whatcha got TR?

What's the lighting like down there?

With no HD content, you should be able to get away with a super cheap 720p 50" plasma down there for under $700 bucks. Panasonic would be my preferred brand, but whatever you buy, get the extended warranty.

Here's one for $664 at Target.

Three year service plan is an additional $79 bucks and well worth it for an item this expensive.

The lighting situation if very dark. It's got dark floor and dark wood panel walls. Two small (roughly 3.5foot x 1.5 foot ) windows near the ceiling. But they are covered with dark blinds. Not much harsh lighting so reflections shouldn't be too much of an issue.

@bdwilcox : That is a good price, but we don't have Target around here...or at all in canada I don't think.

You should be able to find similar deals in Canada. Panasonic is a pretty universal brand.

What about the Panasonic TCP50U2?

Is burn in still a major concern with plasma TVs? Sports tend to keep a ticket up and TSN is bad for a solid unchanging bar at the top of the screen.

Any other concerns with going with plasma over LCD or LED these days?

MaxTheLimit wrote:

@bdwilcox : That is a good price, but we don't have Target around here...or at all in canada I don't think.

Target owns Zellers...they've actually done up Zellers to look "somewhat kinda similar not-really" like Target. I've also heard that Target is looking at breaking into Canada.

But on topic, since you're not going to be watching HD or be doing anything fancy, I'd say go used. usedottawaand ottawa.kijijji These two sites make up my top 3 sites to visit when I'm bored at work (the other being TR).

As you can probably tell by my region specific sites, I'm from this area as well. Where abouts are ya?

What do you think about this ?
Ignoring the price...

p.s. I have an LG full HD, but I am looking for something better, and less than 300W power needs .

Sargent Duck: I'm looking at moving eventually, but for now I'm in Perth. Small town, and it's a ways into work from there.

I do have the opportunity to get discounts at Walmart and Zellers because of friend who are willing to....perform the actual purchase. Though I'm not sure Zellers is quite the store Target is in the states.

The prices on the used sites are pretty good. My only concern is the risk. Lack of warranty means that if anything goes wrong I could be out of pocket and without the TV too. I may skim through though and see what is there.

@emi25: Ignoring the 2500 dollar price tag, it seems alright. Thin and big. But that is when I have to stop ignoring the price and come back to what I can actually own.

[quote="MaxTheLimit"]Sargent Duck: I'm looking at moving eventually, but for now I'm in Perth. Small town, and it's a ways into work from there.[quote] Yes, it is a bit of a daily drive into Ottawa. Been through there many times on my motorcycle trips through Calabogie and touring eastern Ontario.

[quote="MaxTheLimit"]Though I'm not sure Zellers is quite the store Target is in the states.[quote] agreed, but you can see the similarites between them.

[quote="MaxTheLimit"]The prices on the used sites are pretty good. My only concern is the risk. Lack of warranty means that if anything goes wrong I could be out of pocket and without the TV too. I may skim through though and see what is there.[quote] Yeah, buying used comes with that inherit risk. In my experience, most of the stuff I've boughten on usedOttawa came from people who were moving and didn't want to take it with them or were upgrading. As always, do your research and buyer beware.

Yes, it is a bit of a daily drive into Ottawa. Been through there many times on my motorcycle trips through Calabogie and touring eastern Ontario.

I head south towards Kingston. Not much to see on that drive.

agreed, but you can see the similarites between them.

Yes. Colour scheme and organizational layout seems to be similar to what I recall from a trip to the US.