More tech expense questions...

[Firestormalpha]

In addition to a really nice laptop (which I'm not getting any time soon), I'm looking into a new flat screen TV (which I'll be getting in a few months, at most). I'm thinking a 32-37" screen. Not looking to spend more than $400. What brands should I look into/avoid, and why? Should I be looking into a plasma, or LCD screen, and what are the pros/cons of either?

And what's the difference from LCD and LED TV's? I know LCD (liquid crystal display) and LED (light emitting diode), but in terms of tv's what's the difference?

[Micah Foehammer]

http://www.pcworld.com/article/12581...reen_hdtv.html

I would recomend either the Samsung or Sony LEDs but finding something in your price range for those manufacturers will be tough.

On a screen that size (32-37"), you may be able to get by with a 60 hz refresh rate and a 720p instead of jumping to a 120 hz at 1080p.

One thing to consider is how close or far away you are going to be when viewing. Optimal distance is 2 x the diagonal screen size. For a 37" flat screen, that's just over 6 feet.

[Firestormalpha]

I see, so in a room, roughly 10ft wide, where I would be sitting within 4-5ft of the screen I should probably aim more towards a 32" or smaller screen. And I wouldn't notice any reduction in image quality from 1080p to 720p, on a screen of that size? Also, what is the idea with LED LCD's? Is it like an LED back-lighting for greater energy efficiency type of thing?

UPDATE: Scratch the resolution question. Just read the link. The 720p, could create graphical artifacts when dealing with 1080p signals. (work with an antenna signal, that may not be an issue). And while I can find smaller tvs in 1080p, I can expect a slightly hefty price boost on those sets. Considering I'm leaning towards a PS3, for blu-ray/gaming, I may have to stretch my willingness to spend more on a 1080p set. I'm not worried about internet connectivity, if I want to do netflix or something similar, I'll probably run it through the media device of my choosing.

So from what I'm reading, I may want to consider increasing my price preference, but aim for the lower half of my size range.

[Firestormalpha]

After doing a little poking about, this is what I've come up with so far:

At BestBuy. com- my search results
These two caught my attention:
1) Sumsung 32" 1080p 60Hz @ $629.99
2) Samsung 32" 1080p 120Hz @ $809.98

In other stores there were some 'no-name' brands like sceptre, westinghous, and vizio (which I think is not as much of a no-name as the others), claiming the same qualities at 1/4 - 1/3 the price. Though none of them had 120Hz, refresh rate.

and here's the results I pulled from Brandsmart

[Ziroc]

$700 for a 32 inch? Hell, if you don't mind an older 'mode' (Plasma) you can get a 46 inch for that price! But plasma is old.

My DREAM HDTV is the Samsung 8000 series LED
http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/UN55C8000XFXZA

But I'll never see it lol... broke.. Maybe one day... I'll keep an eye on some 32 inch sets for ya.. check www.newegg.com too!!!

[Ziroc]

PS *MOST* of the LED TV's are not truly 100% LED.. just the edges.. 99% of the TV is LCD.. beware of that.. they make it frakking confusing.

We still have the 51 inch PROJECTION TV (Hitachi) HDTV I got in 2002 from the Microsoft payment they gave me for backing out of the deal to sell Ironworks..
TV Still is amazing looking, but sooner or later, the 3 lamps in projection tvs dim, and the colors go green or blue... nothing like that here yet. Wish we had a nice new TV, the bloody room would feel so much larger too! hahaha

(About the Microsoft deal -- ) I'm going to post the ENTIRE story on THAT soon.. scanning in the contract and stuff..

[Ziroc]

Here is some newegg 32 inch HDTV's

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...WS&PageSize=20


(I HATE it when some of these retailers won't show a price until you add it to your cart.. I'm like, NO... FU. Show the price, or bugger off)...hehe

[Firestormalpha]

Some good looking stuff there, Z. Noticed the samsung 32" in there. basically the same that I saw at brandsmart and bestbuy, but about $180 less. Is it an extended black friday special, or do they generally carry product for less than most retail outlets?

[Micah Foehammer]

Originally Posted by Ziroc PS *MOST* of the LED TV's are not truly 100% LED.. just the edges.. .

Not true Z. Not all LEDs are edge lit. On an LCD TV the lamps at the back of the screen are fluorescent lamps, whilst on an LED TV ALL the lights at the back (and edges, if edge lit) of the screen are Light Emitting Diodes (LED). There are two types of LED methods used to provide the back lighting to the screen, Edge lighting and Full Array lighting. All LEDs are lit exclusively with light emitting diodes regardless of whether they use full array lighting or edge lighting.

http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/the-dif...d-and-led-tvs/

Generally NEWEGG will undercut most retailers like BestBuy.

Originally Posted by Ziroc My DREAM HDTV is the Samsung 8000 series LED http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/UN55C8000XFXZA

Samsung has a brand new 60 inch model, 240 hz that is awesome!

[Firestormalpha]

While a larger screen seems tempting, we have a 60" in the living room that my sister gave us when we moved in here, I'm looking for one to use in my room, necessitating a smaller size. Based on the criteria suggested in Micah's first reply, I settled on 32" for myself.

From what I read, the full array LED gives a better color than edge LED. Though I suspect that edge LED, shouldn't look worse than standard LCD, else I would not consider it worth more than standard LCD.