r2i forum

Posted: **Tue Sep 13, 2011 11:18 pm**

I am in the market for a big screen TV. What are the good ones in the market? Will prices come down during thanksgiving? I have seen that during thanksgiving some models are available at bargain prices. Is it worthwhile to buy the ones on sale irrespective of brand? Is any model good enough or particular models are better than the other?

What are the essential features we should look for in a TV (Is 3D worth it) ?

Posted: **Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:53 am**

I was planning to get a 60 inch 3D TV recently, however ended by buying a 55 inch Sony 55HX820.

The most easily visible 60 inch LED TV in costco, frys etc are the Sharp 3D LED models, but I stayed away from it even though it was cheap as I felt the brightness wasn't evenly distributed as it was just an edge lit TV. They are cheap for a reason.

Here are a few points I considered when shopping for an LED TV.

I will narrow down to just Samsung and Sony TVs.

1. 3D is good and even though you cannot watch all the time, it is interesting once in a while. But do get a 3D TV. There will be more 3D stuff coming along in the future. Active 3D is better than passive (the ones in movie theaters, the real 3D is a passive version) as Active 3D with rechargeable glasses offers higher resolution. e.g. Samsung and Sony TVs. If you are going with 3D, a 240 Hz version is better than a 120 Hz, with 240Hz each eye will get 120hz image refresh (I read somewhere) vs each eye getting only 60hz refresh in a 120hz TV. If you do not plan to watch 3D for extended period of time, my recommendation for a 60 inch TV will be: Sony KDL 60NX720. Amazon has it really cheap and they are reliable (when directly purchased from Amazon).

2. 120HZ vs 240HZ, doesn't matter except if you watch 3D for an extended time.

3. Samsung has good models. 60D8000 and 60D7000. Samsung has a QWERTY remote for entering text in various applications like netflix, youtube that come preloaded on all the TVs nowadays. I thought this was a very important feature and I was leaning towards Samsung until I realized Sony is actually cooler, even though it does not have a QWERTY remote, it lets you fully control the TV and enter text using the media app application from an iphone or ipad.

4. Samsung TVs looked too bright in the showroom and when I tried to reduce contract/brightness in the store the picture somehow didn't look right. Samsung is best when bright, however I do not like the TV to be too bright, especially big screen TVs. Sony was more pleasing even when brightness/contrast were adjusted to be low.

5. Three types of LED: Edge Lit (LEDs only along the edge, thin frame, low quality, low price, uneven brightness), Edge Lit with Dynamic Dimming (LEDs along the edge, thin frame, dynamic dimming in the middle for brightness/black levels, better quality, medium price, even brightness e.g. Sony HX820, Samsung D8000), Full Array (best quality, expensive, thick frame, LEDs arranged like a Matrix on the edges as well as middle e.g Sony XBR series, Vizio xvt554sv). I would stay with Edge Lit with Dynamic Dimming TVs for a better price quality deal. Vizio xvt554sv is a good deal at Costco, but I have read the TV turns off by itself once in a while so I stayed away.

6. For Sony TVs, this Amazon link (when you scroll down in the description section) shows all the model for 2011 and compares their differences: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-BRAVIA-KDL55HX820-55-Inch-Built/dp/B004QXFI04

7. Not a huge difference between 55" and 60", you may consider 65" if you want a large screen impact, otherwise 55" TVs are large enough to see all the details.

8. I have never had buyer's remorse when purchasing a Sony TV.

Good luck shopping! Go with the 3D, kids will enjoy it. :)

Posted: **Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:38 am**

I got a Panasonic Viera 60-inch 3D Plasma recently. It is pretty good. I wanted LED, but for some reason, we found the plasma clarity was better. Didn't go into the tech details. It is sleek enough.

As for 3D, haven't tried it yet to comment if it is worth it.

So, the sales guy sold me insurance. His logic was that we could opt to "accidentally" drop the TV in its 3rd or 4th year and get a replacement. :) I laughed, but went with insurance. The prior TV had some issues and we had to shell few hundreds to get it fixed. I don't want to rely on anything made in the east. :)

I like the wi-fi internet connection from the TV (netflix, youtube, etc.). It also links via wi-fi to the PC media server.

Now, if only we had some good sports team locally to cheer about....till then, will settle for Sabado Gigante for entertainment. :)

Posted: **Wed Sep 14, 2011 4:03 am**

boca2blr;409879I got a Panasonic Viera 60-inch 3D Plasma recently. It is pretty good. I wanted LED, but for some reason, we found the plasma clarity was better. Didn't go into the tech details. It is sleek enough.

I saw plasma TVs and specifically panasonic, I felt however that there is a fair amount of flicker noticeable when the screen displays mostly white background e.g. in commercials. Is it just me or is it to be anticipated? something like the rainbow effect on DLP TVs. LEDs don't seem to have this problem even at 60hz refresh rates. The screen door effect etc also seem to have been mostly eliminated on LED/LCD TVs. What about burn in on plasma TVs? Is that still an issue? Wi Fi, streaming, netflix, youtube, browser, hulu, facebook, media server access, twitter etc are standard stuff nowadays on all TVs. The Sony however lets you control your TV from an ipad/iphone which I found was very useful especially since I always keep my phone with me vs tossing the remote around the room and there is no way I will lose my "remote" i.e. my phone as I just have to call it to trace it. I have heard good things about panasonic plasma TVs though.

Posted: **Wed Sep 14, 2011 4:21 am**

rajram123;409883I saw plasma TVs and specifically panasonic, I felt however that there is a fair amount of flicker noticeable when the screen displays mostly white background e.g. in commercials.[/quote]
Are you trying to jinx me into noticing some flicker? :) I don't see no flicker. Can't blame it on my eyesight as I haven't heard my family notice it as well.

"rainbow effect" / "screen door effect" - you should stop reading stuff.

"What about burn in on plasma TVs? Is that still an issue?" - what is burn in? :)

"Wi Fi, streaming, netflix....standard stuff" - yeah right! My old TV didn't have it. :) So, controlling the stupid TV via iPhone is great, eh? I don't have issues with losing remote. You have iPhone, I have kids to hunt for it. :)

j/k. I didn't want to go technical and over analyze stuff for something like a TV. I went with a size and a budget in mind and bought what we as a family liked, when comparing the picture quality. Heard that Samsung is a great brand these days. But didn't find one that we could decide on.

As for price, again, didn't bother much. The sales guy did a comparison check online and found B&H had the cheapest. He offered to match and I was satisfied. Bought it at the local HHGregg (my kid says that Mr. Gregg was sneezing when someone asked him what to name his store).

Posted: **Wed Sep 14, 2011 4:39 am**

boca2blr;409885Are you trying to jinx me into noticing some flicker? :) I don't see no flicker. Can't blame it on my eyesight as I haven't heard my family notice it as well. [/quote]

I was about to say that. Forget about the flicker and my post by shaking your head vigorously :)

[quote]"What about burn in on plasma TVs? Is that still an issue?" - what is burn in? :) [/quote]
If you had been watching Cinimax late night for hours and the next day, when you change channels you still see Cinimax logo no matter what channel you change, proving what you had been doing all night, that is called "burn in". I don't watch Cinemax, so not an issue for me :)

[quote]"Wi Fi, streaming, netflix....standard stuff" - yeah right! My old TV didn't have it. :) So, controlling the stupid TV via iPhone is great, eh? I don't have issues with losing remote. You have iPhone, I have kids to hunt for it. :) [/quote]

If you have an iphone, you have to hunt for your kids as well as they often disappear with the iphone. That's why I keep my iphone with me all the time :)

[quote]j/k. I didn't want to go technical and over analyze stuff for something like a TV. I went with a size and a budget in mind and bought what we as a family liked, when comparing the picture quality. Heard that Samsung is a great brand these days. But didn't find one that we could decide on. [/quote]

I think when you are buying something like a big screen TV technical analysis is good, not so much for the cost aspect, but the fact that you have to be comfortable viewing it day after day and then this buyer's remorse you have to deal with.

[quote]Bought it at the local HHGregg (my kid says that Mr. Gregg was sneezing when someone asked him what to name his store).

That name is better than the popular "Fry's" stores in California :) It sounds like geeks on drugs :)

Posted: **Wed Sep 14, 2011 7:01 am**

layman;409803I am in the market for a big screen TV. What are the good ones in the market? Will prices come down during thanksgiving? I have seen that during thanksgiving some models are available at bargain prices. Is it worthwhile to buy the ones on sale irrespective of brand? Is any model good enough or particular models are better than the other?

What are the essential features we should look for in a TV (Is 3D worth it) ?

My advice would be to set a budget and buy the biggest size you can get for it. All TVs in a store look the same to me. People are just splitting hairs when they talk about 600hz versus 1,200 hz. Apparently, in stores, the primary reason one TV looks better than the other is because of the settings (brightness, color saturation, contrast, etc) which can be adjusted. Stores do it on purpose to push the expensive units.

TV technology is so much at par across companies that it makes no sense to pay a premium for Sony as a brand, which has dwindled considerably in the recent past when consumers have realized that they no longer hold an edge in quality the way they used to in the 70s.

Sony has lost the TV battle to Samsung and cheaper brands. Consumers have gotten savvy, buying similar quality units from rivals at a fraction of the price. Their TV business has lost money 8 years in a row, a total of $5 Billion. It is very likely that Sony may exit the TV business.

Besides being brand agnostic, look for features that you want. The key ones in my view is wi-fi connectivity for internet streaming from websites (Netflix, Pandora, YouTube, etc), and 3d if you want it.

Posted: **Wed Sep 14, 2011 8:11 am**

I agree with Chakra. Sony was a big name in CRT tv era, not any more. There is no point in paying premium $$ for the brand name. Sony and Samsung has joint venture to manufacture LCD panel. So both tv use the same panel. Koreans are beating the Japanese in consumer electronics and cars (Hyundai). In ten years Chinese brands like Haier will beat Samsung/LG.

Pick any of the Korean brand and you will be fine. Avoid the cheaper names like RCA and Vizio. Plasma is out of fashion, so stay away from Panasonic.

Posted: **Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:14 am**

Old-Spice2;409919I agree with Chakra. Sony was a big name in CRT tv era, not any more. There is no point in paying premium $$ for the brand name. Sony and Samsung has joint venture to manufacture LCD panel. So both tv use the same panel. Koreans are beating the Japanese in consumer electronics and cars (Hyundai). In ten years Chinese brands like Haier will beat Samsung/LG.

Pick any of the Korean brand and you will be fine. Avoid the cheaper names like RCA and Vizio. Plasma is out of fashion, so stay away from Panasonic.

Samsung had a price advantage until a few years back. That's how they captured the LCD/LED market. Sony has competitive pricing in this year's models, especially if you buy from Amazon. Most stores keep the contrast and brightness on Samsung TVs high so they attract more attention. Samsung TVs don't look good with medium contrast and brightness. I personally like the color tones of Sony. They have carried over the greenish tones from trinitron days.

Posted: **Wed Sep 14, 2011 11:46 am**

I'd bought 60-inch Plasma LG TV 60PZ550 few months ago before r2i and have no complaints so far... it was priced $1518 when I bought but its only $1189 @ Amazon now. This one will go easy on your wallet :)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LU1N2Y/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A3ACU7TJEUXKOF

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Good 60 inch TV

Good 60 inch TV

Good 60 inch TV

Good 60 inch TV

Good 60 inch TV

Good 60 inch TV

Good 60 inch TV

Good 60 inch TV

Good 60 inch TV

Good 60 inch TV

Good 60 inch TV