help shopping for a flat screen tv

[Blubird]

im looking at buying a flat screen tv for my room,i really dont know much about all the new stuff...its been a good 6 years since i bought a tv.i want around a 24-26",ive always bought rca or sony but theres all these new brands out there.

[TRIPOD]

I have a samsung plasma. It's a great tv, the only thing I hate about the plasma is you have to be carefull about burn in. Vizio makes a great tv for the budget minded.

[chevrolet423]

I bought a 32" samsung Flat screen and I love everything about it.. it was one of the cheaper 32"s out there!

[z28rob18]

rca and sony are nice but with these new tv's i think samsungs are awesome all the ones ive seen seem to have the best lookin picture

[SWells]

Go to the store, stand back 20' and decide which 3 tv's you like the most based on the pic quality and characteristics you like most. Then go and look at the prices and specs. At the end of the day it's what appeals to your eye that will matter.

[PipesTA]

Go to the store, stand back 20' and decide which 3 tv's you like the most based on the pic quality and characteristics you like most. Then go and look at the prices and specs. At the end of the day it's what appeals to your eye that will matter.

Be careful when shopping like that. Stores have been known to change the color setting, temps, etc when wanting to sell certain brands/overstock. Personally, I just bought a 46" Samsung LED and the picture is amazing. I spent quite some time researching and checking out various models and brands at different stores. LCD's and Plasmas are going to be a thing of the past due to LED technology. I know LG and Samsung both make 26" LED TVs. Might be worth checking out.

[Tarheel'Z']

^x2..i know which one im getting before i ever go to the store.hey pipes ta does that led of yours put out alot of heat?

[SWells]

Good point Pipes.....the sneaky bastards.

[chevrolet423]

the LED is also alot more expensive lol... if money is not a problem its definitely alot better picture quality than plasma and LCD's

[Blubird]

well price is definetly a problem! lol well i dont want to spend more than $500

[LT1Blackbird]

Samsung LN26C350D1D

Hands down one of the best flat panels under $500 that is in your size range.

If you check Best Buy's website, they will soon be releasing a 22" insignia LED LCD that is 1080p. Only $300 too.

p.s...Insignia TV's are made by LG and Samsung...

[chevrolet423]

I paid $380 at Sears for my Samsung 32" I havent looked to see the prices are lately to see if they went up or down!

[Blubird]

Yeah I'll probably get a 32" idk about all the new meaning like hdmi and the 1080p.as long as the tv lasts I don't need the best quality on the planet just something nice

[chevrolet423]

Yeah I'll probably get a 32" idk about all the new meaning like hdmi and the 1080p.as long as the tv lasts I don't need the best quality on the planet just something nice

ya i was in your boat when I bought my TV! 1080p has a better picture quality than a 720p.. I talked to the people at Sears and they said that for a 32" your really not gonna notice a difference between the 2. It really matter when you have HUGE TV's according to them. The 720p picture quality of my samsung is still great, i even got an HDMI cable to go with it and that made it even better!:D

[bluebird94]

I got a Sanyo. It was the best one at the most affordable price that I found. Sabaktes got one too. I like 'em pretty well. :D

[Blubird]

Yeah I'm not all into technology.I think regular DVDs look great to me lol I don't need blu Ray and all that jazz

[IronOutlaw]

Id say go samsung or if you want to save some money go vizio. I have a vizio Im very happy with. My friend has a dynex from bestbuy and it seem glitchy when using the menus and the volume thing stays on the screen for over a minute after you turn it up or down.

My friend has a 46 inch LED Samsung that is bad ass though. But 2000+ is a little steep for a tv in my opinion.

Get at least a 32 inch, they seem to be the best bang for the buck to vs a 26. I have a pretty small room and the 32 is awesome. Especially playing videogames.

[Blubird]

well i ended up getting a sony bravia 32" lcd,i really liked and would have loved the 40" but it was $200 more and its just not worth it to me.the sales people sucked.i didnt get a protection plan but i have 30 days to get it,not sure i will,yeah its nice to have that comfort cushion but we have a 52" sony flat screen downstairs with no problems and have had it a good year now and plus it got great reviews so hopefully ill be ok lol

[ksmyss]

Yeah I'm not all into technology.I think regular DVDs look great to me lol I don't need blu Ray and all that jazz
you say that now but it will change. You can get a blueray at walmart for $78 now.

[Blubird]

Yeah I'm starting to see bluray DVDs are actually coming down and are more affordable so maybe I just might

[IronOutlaw]

Stupid question but will blue ray convert to 720p on a 720p television?

[chevrolet423]

ya ill wait to get an LED when the prices come down like they did on the blu ray's

[TRIPOD]

Stupid question but will blue ray convert to 720p on a 720p television?

I watch blu rays on my 720. Hell, I can count the stitches on peoples shirts, blue ray is so clear.

[Blubird]

Haha that's crazy yeah a guy at work was telling me how you can see even the hair on peoples arms

[TRIPOD]

Haha that's crazy yeah a guy at work was telling me how you can see even the hair on peoples arms


Yeah, blu ray is worth its weight in gold if you like movies.

[ksmyss]

Haha that's crazy yeah a guy at work was telling me how you can see even the hair on peoples arms
My wife was pissed that I bought a blue ray a few weeks back. I got the newest ice age for my son and she walked in the room and was blown away. The colors and everything are 10x better. Make sure you get a good high deff. cable.

[captainofiron]

I have a samsung plasma and I love the thing,

I did a ton of research before I bought mine So hopefully I can help you out anybody with similar issues as the OP

First off is the LCD vs Plasma, alot of people will tell you LCD is better, but that isnt true
both have their pluses and minuses

Plasma: pluses: Better picture, deeper blacks, more accurate colors
minuses: can have picture "jagging" with lower refresh rates (only on lower models), can get picture ghosts, recommend to have a break in period, some can have glare issues

LCD: pluses: use less power, smoother picture, no possibility of burn in, no break in
minuses: less picture quality, cheaper models have very poor colors and blacks, tend to be more expensive

So the reason I got my Samsung plasma (650 series) is newegg had a great deal and free shipping, I have a relatively dark living room, I wanted a better picture quality out of my movies, and I didnt mind the break in period, or "cleaning" my screen after watching stuff with black bars.

So its really up to you to decide what you want. But good luck

Oh yea, and DONT buy from a local retailer, they are ripping you off even on "deals"

My Samsung 650 at Best buy was around 2500, at Sears it was 2100, I got mine on Newegg.com for 1300 with free shipping

I just looked and on the Sears website now, almost 2 years later has my Tv still for 1299