Suggest me A TV

[darthmunky]

I have been using a crappy 20" tube TV since 2001. The brand name is Apex and I don't think they exist anymore. Parts of the screen are turning green and it shuts off by itself sometimes... I think it's time I get a new one! My only requirements are that it must be 46" or larger and 1080p. The best deal I found so far is a 46" 1080p LCD Sony Bravia for 500$. Thoughts?

[lordofduct]

Well narrow down the technology.

do you want:

CRT projection - blargh, crap, I personally hate it

LCD projection - it's pretty good, but meh

LCD - usually expensive at the large sizes and with a high chance of dead pixels. If it isn't expensive, it's shoddily built and should just be avoided.

DLP - if you go projection, my personal fav in projection screens.

Plasma - at this size I would say out of the question. IF you find them, it'll cost you an arm and a leg. And personally I don't like plasma... refresh rates are noticeably balls.




IMO, DLP is awesome. You can get very large displays for pretty damn cheap. Try to get one with LED backlight and you'll have a long lasting display. But it IS a projection screen which takes up more space, and can not be tilted on its side no matter what (while carrying and the sort).

[darthmunky]

I have a small room. I'm thinking either LCD, Plasma, or LED (Backlit). Any of those that are cheap but still good quality is what I'm looking for.

[Bradtemple87]

I love my 50" samsung plasma , and I got it for $999

[lordofduct]

well I'd suggest the LCD without LED backlight. They have a small footprint and are pretty cheap. Plasma has come down and you can find deals sometimes (as Bradtemple87 found I can see)... but LCD tends to stay on the cheaper end.

The LED backlight on LCD will are higher in price... but it's lower power consumption and longer life, so you can save over the long run. Looking at price differences though you may consider none LED a better choice...

I personally like Samsung, they tend to be priced well and have good quality build.

But the likes of say LG or JVC can be even cheaper, and still be reasonable build quality.

[pakopako]

The best deal I found so far is a 46" 1080p LCD Sony Bravia for 500$. Thoughts?

That is astoundingly cheap for the brand and size-class.

But also take into account the little nuances of what getting a new TV entails:

• Input juggling -- make sure you have all the inputs you want, like VGA or S-Video
• Sound output -- for audiophiles, look for strong speakers or audio-out
• TV overscan -- something I just learned about; my older TV has a ridiculous 11% overscan and cuts off the outside edges of everything (the FOX logo will be partially gone, etc.)
• VGA overscan -- a recent problem I've seen; some TVs won't let you scale inputs properly

[Mendoza]

I have been using a crappy 20" tube TV since 2001. The brand name is Apex and I don't think they exist anymore. Parts of the screen are turning green and it shuts off by itself sometimes... I think it's time I get a new one! My only requirements are that it must be 46" or larger and 1080p. The best deal I found so far is a 46" 1080p LCD Sony Bravia for 500$. Thoughts?

Actually Apex is still around and they do make some LCD Tvs.

Samsung and Sony have a lot of good models in that size range.

Tell us a bit more on what you plan to use it for.

[Anapan]

I like Sony Bravia LCDs. My brother has a 36". He uses it as a TV, and a VGA Monitor for his tower computer. It has good scaling for HD consoles that don't use the full screen area, great color (reds are true red vs the others we compared) and has been working perfectly since 2007 or 2008 (it rarely gets turned off). I haven't seen any delay on input vs output like so many other brands have.
I've heard good things about the Sharp Aquos screens too. My godfather has one and the picture color are awesome, and but I can't comment on their lag or upscaling of SD picture since he only uses it for bluray and HD sports.
I'd say go for the Bravia. It's a good price, and I haven't heard any complaints about them. It's got plenty of inputs and works great.

[BoringSupreez]

I'd just get the biggest RCA or Samsung LCD HDTV you can find. Those, I find, are the two best brands, without costing a lot like Sony. Stay away from Symphonics, they wear out too quickly.

[the King]

I have a 20" apex that works great. Let me know if you want it. Shipping would suck, but if your in Ontario I could deliver and make a trade for some Gibson's and Wiser's.