New TV's for electronic dummies

My old 32" tube TV channel selector E36 M3 the bed. Picture is OK but I'm stuck on one channel for days until it decides to function again. New TV time.

Online research and box store sales people are helpful but not always provide the best answer.

What I need:

42-47" screen, table-top mounted. LED, LCD, plasma I dunno... all I need is good quality picture and reliable. No 3d's.

Good quality sound outta the box but I could add on auxiliary sound later.

I want to be able to patch from my computer to TV from hard wire or WiFi. Prolly gonna need WiFi for a future security cam system. Online movies or (mostly) racing feeds (V8 Supercars come to mind here).

Dunno how 'Smart' it has to be but I don't want no more dumb TV. The more the better I s'pose. I'd buy Smart for when I learn it down the road.

I hear all the name brands from folks. Any brands or models preferred or to absolutely stay away from?

Local walk-in stores around here are W-M, Sears, Best Buy and a couple independent sellers. Could always Newegg it too.

Whatcha got?

I deal with peoples TVs everyday. In my opinion, Samsung has the best TVs. LGs are probably the next best. Sonys are pretty good too. They are virtually compatible with any device (cable box, DVD, blu-ray, etc). Toshibas aren't too bad either.

Off brands that seem to be descent are Vizio and Insignia.

Most off brand TVs are OK, but I see a lot that have circuit board issues that render HDMI useless.

The only name brands I have seen issues with are Panasonic and Sharp.

What are the advantages of a "Smart " TV? LED vs. LCD vs..?

We recently upgraded to a 55" Vizio LED Smart TV from a 28" tube and its remarkable. Built in WiFi, "apps" and lots of connectivity options. Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, M Go, internet, etc right from the TV. WiFi connection works well but it'd probably be more consistent being hardwired (there' a LAN connection). We have 4 HDMI ports and 2 USB ports, as well as composite cable. We have a dedicated HDMI cable for the laptop. If I could find an antenna that got the local NBC affiliate, we'd drop cable.

LED is supposedly more energy efficient and has a better picture over LCD. Plasma still has the best picture but more energy consumption (I don't know what the actual numbers are). Smart TV allows direct connection to the internet over WiFi without using a separate device. We got ours at Best Buy after our old TV died, leaving the store with TV, sound bar audio system, and all new cables (all we had were RCAs) for under $1000.

I would recommend a Samsung Smart TV. Seems like it will not be obsolete for longer than anything else out there right now. (assuming you don't care about 4K) Built-in Netflix and Apps, Wireless, great remote that can control your cable box and other things, easy setup.

Absolute best picture quality - a good plasma
Downsides - possibility of burn in and higher energy consumption

The difference between an "LED TV" and plain LCD is that the LED ones are backlit by LEDs rather than fluorescent tubes. The LED ones generally have less energy consumption than the fluorescent ones.

If you want semi-decent sound out of the thing, at least get a soundbar (preferably one with a sub). Most TVs just have absolute crap audio, particularly if you're not going for something top of the line. (I wouldn't do anything less than 2 bookshelf speakers and a sub, myself, though.)

I'm with scardeal on getting extra hardware for audio. Our living room TV (some Toshiba 42" LCD we picked up at Costco a few years ago) is running its sound via an old Hifi am through a set of JBL Control Ones and it sounds a lot better than via the built in speakers.

In addition to the aforementioned Toshiba we also have a Westinghouse 42" that we (again) picked up a Costco for a lot cheaper. Image quality wise both are good, the price difference mainly pays for the additional slickness of the Toshiba's UI.

LCD TVs are pretty much disposable unfortunately as in most cases you can't get the parts to repair them. Thus, my suggestion is to buy the cheapest one that meets your picture quality requirements (and comes with a decent warranty), do external sound and if you can't get all the apps you need, supplement it with a Roku or an Apple TV.

Yep LED TVs are the best. Best picture, lowest energy consumption. Stores are going to try to unload their obsolete old plasmas on you at low low prices, don't let them.

Smart TVs have an upside and a downside. Upside: There is an HTPC built into the TV. Downside: There is a "closed appliance" HTPC permanently stuck inside the TV and it will be obsolete in a few years.

There are very few "dumb TVs" on the market these days though.

From what I've read the burn-in deal with plasmas is not really an issue anymore, but they do typically have glossy screens that aren't so good for watching in a room with sun or if there are lights shining on the screen (I have a 42" Phillips plasma and it has a great picture, but I have to orient any lamps in the room so I don't get glare.) LCD screens have a matte finish which is less susceptible to glare.

All of the flat panels have mediocre sound out of the box. I run mine through an inexpensive powered speaker system meant for a computer and it sounds good enough for me.

I read about the sound issue which is why I bundled my tv with a soundbar and wireless sub. To be honest though, the sound out of our Vizio isn't that bad - no worse than the stereo tube tv we have. The soundbar is 1000x better though, which I rediscovered this weekend.

fasted58 wrote: ..Dunno how 'Smart' it has to be but I don't want no more dumb TV. The more the better I s'pose. I'd buy Smart for when I learn it down the road...

Depends on how you use the TV, but a lot of people will have little use for a smart TV. It essentially means there is a computer in the TV that allows it to run "apps" and connect to the internet. The most useful apps are likely to be a browser (not nearly as good as a computers) and things like Netflix. If you have a PS3-4 or XBOX, these will have little added value.

Another vote for Samsung here. We bought a big Samsung plasma 4 years ago and absolutely LOVE it. Burn in can be an issue on the older ones, especially if you play video games that have a HUD in the same place all the time, but we have not noticed an issue with ours.

I love my 42 in Sony Bravia. Great sound and picture out of the box. Previous to that I had no tv for years. For the person who doesn't care about the biggest next thing and wants a good tv to last I recommend it. I have had it about 3 years and can't complain.

It's good you don't want 3D, it's already a dead technology. So definitely don't buy a TV with it because that means it's an outdated TV. Just last month we picked up a 60" Vizio Smart LED tv for $799 and got 5% off for getting a Target card while we were at it.

I just went with an LG combo. 47" smart led, every thing but 3d and 4k. Same goes for the blu ray. My only gripe is no hbo go app. The best part is it makes my wife very happy.

We've got a Sharp, and I think I'd have preferred getting a slightly smaller Samsung, myself.

I have an LG 47" smart Tv. I use the Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Pandora apps. I don't subscribe to cable; Amazon and Netflix provide more than enough content. I get about 20 local channels from an antenna.

The picture quality is spectacular. I have it connected through a new external sound receiver and speakers that I have had for 10 years. I can't tell you about the sound quality from the on-board speakers; I have never used them.

http://reviews.cnet.com/televisions/

Click link. Begin reading. Choose accordingly :) you're welcome ;)

The important things to know:

A. A high contrast ratio is important.
B. The TVs in the store are wired/set up to not give you an accurate display. The more expensive TV will always look better when displayed at the store.

I have two Sony LED sets, a 44" in the BR and a 60" in the den. Both have great pictures and no 'burn in'. The BR set is a semi smart, the den is a smart. Honestly, I don't use the smart features. Now, what IS important is HDMI connectivity for my DVD and Blu ray players.

Also, the source is more important than the TV. Maybe it's just my local Time Warner, but the pic is just average on broadcast TV. On DVD or Blu ray, dayumn the difference is astounding.

In the past I have had less than pleasant experiences with Panasonic stuff. My last one would make a gawdawful pop noise and then the audio would quit, typically about 3/4 the way through a movie. I E36 M3canned it for Onkyo stuff (which is what I really wanted in the first place) and have been very pleased.

N Sperlo wrote: The important things to know: A. A high contrast ratio is important. B. The TVs in the store are wired/set up to not give you an accurate display. The more expensive TV will always look better when displayed at the store.

In an amazon review for my TV, someone posted the settings from his calibration. I plugged the same into my settings, and they significantly improved the color and picture quality over the delivery settings.

And to see the true benefit of a newer TV, you need to check out movies on BluRay. Way better than streaming and DVD, in my opinion.

we have a 60" lg plasma and a 42" lg LED. Super happy with both.

The plasma is frickin amazing. Awesome picture quality, and the refresh rate on plasmas is much higher than on LED and LCD tv's (600hz typically vs 60-240hz). Permanent burn in is not an issue. Occasionally you'll see ghosting of what was on screen before but it goes away. This one sees a lot of game time. Also you generally dont have viewing angle issues like some of the other types of TV's. One downside to the plasma is the screen is glossy, so if you stick it in a bright room you are going to have glare. we have ours in a dark room but if its sunny outside and shining around the closed curtains the glare can be annoying.

The LED is nice too. we get much more sunlight in the room that it is in, visibility of the TV is never an issue because it is nice and bright and the screen does not reflect the light in the room. And for some reason that lil TV has louder, better sounding speakers than the bigger plasma.

I am all about HDMI inputs, and if your computer has HDMI out its plug and play. Get as many as you can on your new TV.

Even the name brand tv's are bargains anymore. I remember when I paid $1000 for a 34" widescreen sony trinitron tube tv. I bought the same one my dad paid $3000 a couple years prior.

crutchfield.com also has lots of good advice and info for tv shopping. thats how we decided on the specific plasma we wanted.

I was watching "12 Years a Slave" on my plasma the other day, and all I could think of was "Wow, look at those blacks."

(/ducks)

LED is an LCD panel, but typically thinner and more energy efficient than one that uses fluorescent backlighting. Black levels tend to be slightly inconsistent until you get a full array backlight set.

Plasma is not a dead technology, Samsung still makes some killer sets, and has plans to continue until OLED is priced competitively. That will happen eventually, but since they have only just eclipsed the 50% panel success rate, it may be a few years yet. That's right, they junk nearly half of the OLED panels at the end of the production line...

The sound on pretty much all tvs blows dead goats, that is what happens when consumers demand thinner and thinner and thinner sets, with narrower, to the point of being nearly non-existent bezels. You end up with drivers the size of nickels or dimes either pointed down, or at the wall behind the set.

If I were buying today, I would be getting a Samsung F8500 plasma, the colours are awesome, and the contrast ratio won't be beat by an LED-LCD.

Might go take a look this week if I get time, it's kinda in the ballpark:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/46-class-45-9-10-diag--led-1080p-120hz-smart-hdtv/8350048.p?id=1218872213174&skuId=8350048&st=Samsung UN46F6300 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz Slim Smart LED HDTV&cp=1&lp=2#tab=overview

Is this OK or can I do better for the money?

Gonna be a 35 mile drive just to see this in stock at BB or Sears. Found other models comparable but were unavailable. Still gotta check out Newegg.

Haven't found a PC input on anything yet to use TV as a computer monitor. Is this the usual?