What TV would you buy for around $400-$600

[dsheinem]

I am looking to get a second HDTV, and there are a lot of TVs in this price range. Something in the 40" range would be ideal (37"-44"). I will be hooking it up to a PS3 and HD Satellite receiver, the room gets some minimal glare from windows, and something with decent sound would be nice as I don't plan to hook up surround in this room. From what I've read, 1080p vs 720p doesn't make a big difference until you are closer to 50" (as the case with my other TV), so I am not currently worrying about that too much - is that the right place to start?

Have any of you recently done some comparison shopping? Thoughts?

[dsheinem]

Oh, I may keep my Wii hooked up in that room too...is there anyway to make them look good on an HD set?

[dsheinem]

50+ views and no answers?

[AppleQueso]

In terms of size vs viewing distance, this chart is ideal:


Always use the best cables you can get for whatever console you're using. It matters much more on an HDTV than it does on a CRT (not that it doesn't matter on a CRT but you get my drift.) For Wii you're going to have to make sure you the component cables for it.

[racketboy]

If you're in a room with next to no glare, you can get some nice 50-inch plasmas in that range.

I'm not really keeping up on LCDs a whole lot as it's not what I'm in the market for. My new TV is going in the basement where there won't be any windows.

[markeconrad]

I have a Panasonic tc-p42c2. Very good TV for the price.

[d123456]

I also recommend a Panasonic Plasma.
Please check for VGA inputs. You might wanna hook up a Dreamcast.
Also check for several hdmi connectors. 3 or more.
Also nice to have more than 1 component input. Think of PS2, Wii.
And if you really wanna get your retro groove on. You should look into getting a european set, since they will have 2 or 3 SCART RGB inputs, to hook up your retro consoles in RGB glory. Easier said than done offcourse. Or maybe there are tv sets in the Staes now that have RGB SCART inputs? probably not, but worth a look.

[itsmattxp]

Panasonic Viera. I bought a 42 inch plasma 2 years ago and love the TV. In fact, I was recommended by other members of racketboy to get it. Glad I did. However, back then LED was quite expensive so maybe things have changed a little...

Edit: Definitely check for VGA ports. I knew mine wasn't going to have one but I was still pretty disappointed because of that.

[Bradtemple87]

I also suggest plasma

[nickfil]

What they don't tell you with that chart is that if you hook up a pc, it is going to crop some of it off at 720. Like the toolbar. Also, at 720 you are going to be cropping some of the screen's edges off for some games. In black ops for example the edges of the radar are cropped off.

i would go 1080 if you can.

I like samsung lcd sets. Look for a high refresh rate. Worth it.