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Nitrodist
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$800-1400 HDTV

Wed Oct 22, 2008 4:12 pm

I need a nice HDTV. What's the best that I can do with $800-1400?
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TheEmrys
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Re: $800-1400 HDTV

Wed Oct 22, 2008 4:27 pm

Check Slickdeals.net. There are lots of great deals for good TV's there. Cross-reference it with good review web sites.
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Re: $800-1400 HDTV

Wed Oct 22, 2008 4:55 pm

In that price range, you can get a rather nice 42 inch plasma. IMO, these are the best bang for the buck as you will get inferior LCD models at the same price range. Look on CNET for some reviews and check some tv's out in person to get an idea. I saw 42 inch plasma panasonic at costco for 799 and for the same price an equivalant samsung for the same price at newegg. You also might wish to wait to see what the holiday brings, as I am sure with the economic slowdown, we shall see some good deals as retailers want to get rid of stock rather than sit on a bunch of merchandise
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SpotTheCat
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Re: $800-1400 HDTV

Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:49 pm

I agree that you should go plasma, but I don't agree that you NEED one.

That said, aim for the panel with the deepest black you can find.
 
Vrock
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Re: $800-1400 HDTV

Fri Oct 24, 2008 6:23 pm

SpotTheCat wrote:
That said, aim for the panel with the deepest black you can find.
There are other factors that matter as much as contrast ratio. Color and greyscale accuracy and false contouring especially for plasmas. Far too many plasmas still have that neon green look to vegetation and if you don't know what false contouring is, it's very annoying.

http://www.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-5107912 ... contouring
 
SpotTheCat
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Re: $800-1400 HDTV

Fri Oct 24, 2008 7:48 pm

Vrock wrote:
SpotTheCat wrote:
That said, aim for the panel with the deepest black you can find.
There are other factors that matter as much as contrast ratio. Color and greyscale accuracy and false contouring especially for plasmas. Far too many plasmas still have that neon green look to vegetation and if you don't know what false contouring is, it's very annoying.

http://www.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-5107912 ... contouring

There's more to black level than contrast ratio :D

That said, from what I've heard the panels that have the better black levels are generally high enough up the market to perform acceptably elsewhere. To me, there's nothing more annoying for a TV than for the black to be grey. That's why I will never get an LCD TV based on current back lighting techniques.
 
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Re: $800-1400 HDTV

Fri Oct 24, 2008 9:24 pm

Vrock wrote:
SpotTheCat wrote:
That said, aim for the panel with the deepest black you can find.
There are other factors that matter as much as contrast ratio. Color and greyscale accuracy and false contouring especially for plasmas. Far too many plasmas still have that neon green look to vegetation and if you don't know what false contouring is, it's very annoying.

http://www.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-5107912 ... contouring

How's that different from banding?
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Usacomp2k3
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Re: $800-1400 HDTV

Fri Oct 24, 2008 11:35 pm

My opinion:
1/ Determine what size is optimal based on seating arrangements.
2/ Find the best TV you can to fit the size.


That said, what sources will you be driving it from? Computer, console, Blu-Ray, cable/satellite (the quality of cables sux in comparison), OTA.
 
JustAnEngineer
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Re: $800-1400 HDTV

Sat Oct 25, 2008 7:25 am

I haven't dived into the technical reasons, but you can walk into your local Buy More or other retailer that has a bunch of LCD TVs on display and pick out the Sharp and Sony models from halfway across the room. They seem to have better picture quality than most of the others.

I'd be looking for true 1920x1080p resolution as a must. I'd also like a 120Hz scan rate with the ability to handle 1080/24p Blu-ray viewing without any telecine judder.
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Re: $800-1400 HDTV

Sat Oct 25, 2008 7:40 am

JustAnEngineer wrote:
I'd be looking for true 1920x1080p resolution as a must. I'd also like a 120Hz scan rate with the ability to handle 1080/24p Blu-ray viewing without any telecine judder.

Both of these may put the target TV out of budget. Is the 24p thing really necessary? I am looking at the Panasonic 42" plasmas and the difference is like 800 bucks.
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JustAnEngineer
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Re: $800-1400 HDTV

Sat Oct 25, 2008 7:52 am

24p support would be nice but not essential. I agree that it probably busts the OP's budget, but TVs with this feature have dropped dramatically in price in the past several months, so it's something that I'd watch for as likely to continue to become more affordable. I would probably be looking in the $1500-$2500 price range for a 46"-52" screen for my application, though.
 
SpotTheCat
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Re: $800-1400 HDTV

Sat Oct 25, 2008 10:24 am

JustAnEngineer wrote:
I haven't dived into the technical reasons, but you can walk into your local Buy More or other retailer that has a bunch of LCD TVs on display and pick out the Sharp and Sony models from halfway across the room. They seem to have better picture quality than most of the others.

The problem with doing it like that is all of those screens are on "burn mode" with inflated brightness and contrast to look better under non home conditions. It's nearly impossible to tell how black a screen gets in those conditions, but take it home and it might drive you nuts.
 
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Re: $800-1400 HDTV

Sat Oct 25, 2008 10:36 am

Nitrodist wrote:
I need a nice HDTV. What's the best that I can do with $800-1400?


If you can wait a bit you should be able to save quite a bit of cash...or get a better set with the money you have allocated for your purchase. Sounds like most LCD/HDTV sets are going to go cheap this holiday season...maybe a hot black friday deal is in the works :wink:
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Vrock
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Re: $800-1400 HDTV

Sat Oct 25, 2008 11:01 am

Flying Fox wrote:
Vrock wrote:
SpotTheCat wrote:
That said, aim for the panel with the deepest black you can find.
There are other factors that matter as much as contrast ratio. Color and greyscale accuracy and false contouring especially for plasmas. Far too many plasmas still have that neon green look to vegetation and if you don't know what false contouring is, it's very annoying.

http://www.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-5107912 ... contouring

How's that different from banding?
Banding is a more generic term that can be used to describe a few different visual anomalies. Backlight banding, for one.

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