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>>> Official Black Friday TV / HDTV Discussion Thread <<<

Brad

By Brad
in 2007

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katiejack

katiejack

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We went to Sears tonight to price match the Olevia 32" that's on sale now at Circuit City for $549.99. We then went to sign up for the credit card for the extra $50 off. The associate said that they can't price match and also get the $50 off to ring up! Anybody else have this problem?!
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jj4518

jj4518

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We went to Sears tonight to price match the Olevia 32" that's on sale now at Circuit City for $549.99. We then went to sign up for the credit card for the extra $50 off. The associate said that they can't price match and also get the $50 off to ring up! Anybody else have this problem?!

No...just the opposite. The manager came over and had the clerk put in the $50 credit for the credit card 1st and then put in the price match. If the price match is put in the system 1st it won't let you get the credit card offer. My Sears found a way around the system. No problems!

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sunaipalloyd

sunaipalloyd

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ok you brilliant electronic people... here's what I think I need... does this sound right and what would be the best deal for me?

 

I have a strangely shaped room that has only one spot for the TV... right now we have a 60 inch Mitsubishi Projection TV in it and it is WAY to big (plus I hate it). The problems with the room are that 1) It's not very wide so you have to sit relatively close to the screen, which makes me think I want a 42inch TV, 50inches at the very most. 2) We have a big family and a wraparound couch, meaning that sometimes you are watching TV from an angle rather than dead on which from what I've read makes me think I would want a plasma TV vs an LCD. 3) The only spot for the TV happens to be opposite a window so there is alot of light focused on the TV and currently alot of glare. From what I've read an LCD would be better for this, but it's possible to get a plasma with an antiglare screen which might work on both my issues. 4) Finally 720P vs 1080i vs 1080P. I think people have said that this is only a huge difference on TV's larger than 42 inches so if I stick with that size it doesn't really matter so which ever I can get the best deals on. Does all of this rambling from someone who has no idea what they're talking about sound at all right? I read some reviews and the Panasonics seem to do pretty well.... what do you think of the 42inch at BB on BF or are there better deals/models out there?

If you have a lot of glare, go with an LCD. Viewing angles on a good LCD are great, so I wouldn't worry to much about that.

 

If you sit close to screen, have a 360, PS3, HD-DVD or Blu-Ray player get a 1080p set. Otherwise get a 720p set. Right now, there is only one reason to have a 1080p set if you don't have a next-gen console or next-gen DVD player, and that is, to be prepared for the future.

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katiejack

katiejack

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No...just the opposite. The manager came over and had the clerk put in the $50 credit for the credit card 1st and then put in the price match. If the price match is put in the system 1st it won't let you get the credit card offer. My Sears found a way around the system. No problems!

Thank you for explaining how to do this so that both work!

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bitWrangler

bitWrangler

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as far as brightness, which is better? 450 cd/m2 or 500 cd/m2? does it matter?

as far as contrast ratio, is it... the higher the better?

as far as response time, which is better? 6ms? 8ms? the higher, or lower the better? i've read some confusing things on this..

as far as resolution: is it necc. to get 1080p (or 1080i for that matter.) for my needs mentioned above?

 

brightness - higher is "better". However keep in mind that you will (or should) never run the tv at it's max rated brightness. LCD's use florescent backlights to provide the light, run at max brightness these backlights will quite quickly wear out (start getting dimmer and eventually fail). For the light conditions on our "watching" room, which has a large window and southern exposure, we run our LCD at about 45% brightness.

 

contrast ratio - higher is better. higher contrast means the difference between the brightest whites and darkest blacks is wider. From a practical POV, it usually means the tv will have "blacker blacks". Be warned, there is no "standard" way of measuring contrast ratio, so it's very difficult to do an apples to apples comparison based on published numbers.

 

response time - lower is better esp if you play games or watch sports. Lower response times equate to less "ghosting" effect (where a particular pixel won't turn off fast enough creating a slight ghost or streak in areas of the screen where something is moving quickly).

 

resolution - This is your call. For a TV as small as a 32", you'll likely notice no difference between 720p/1080i/1080p. 42" and above is where it CAN start to make a difference, but it really depends on the particular model at this point. Go for 1080p if you are planning on getting a larger tv and/or the price differential isn't too huge (or you just simply find a set that you love).

 

Beyond the specs, go look at the tv's in person. There are things beyond the specs that can have a much larger affect on picture quality that a 2ms difference in response time for instance. A couple of examples, chipset, all tv's today use some chipset to decode the HD signal and map it to the panels pixel array. As you might guess, different chipsets vary in the quality in which they do this. Brightness uniformity. Having a TV rated high in brightness doesn't mean much if the tv has "bright spots" (look at a completely gray screen with the tv on, ideally the brightness should be fairly uniform, with it perhaps being a bit brighter towards the top and bottom edges).

 

I'm not saying start researching chipsets, but rather that you should let your eyes be the key differentiator, not your spreadsheet.

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angelic680

angelic680

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WOW bitWrangler!! You know your stuff!!! I must hand it to you!!

 

Do you think you can tell me if the Sharp Aquos 52' $2199 in the Circuit City Flyer is worth it? I looked at it last night at it looked pretty good to me, when I asked the guy at CC how many he had he told me 5. So, now I'm a little worried that I'm not going to be able to get one...

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schwoozer

schwoozer

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I'm relieved I'm out of the BF TV rat race. I got my 50" Samsung plasma for less than $900AR from Sears F&F night, and all indications are that nothing on sale on BF is going to touch that. Every BF ad thus far has been very disappointing to me (except CC's DVDs).

 

Best of luck to everyone still looking. Maybe that Office Depot rumor will be true :)

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angelic680

angelic680

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I'm relieved I'm out of the BF TV rat race. I got my 50" Samsung plasma for less than $900AR from Sears F&F night, and all indications are that nothing on sale on BF is going to touch that. Every BF ad thus far has been very disappointing to me (except CC's DVDs).

 

Best of luck to everyone still looking. Maybe that Office Depot rumor will be true :)

Whats the Office Depot rumor???

 

As for buying on line... I really dont trust it.. I mean if something breaks what do I do pay to ship it back? It seems like a pain... I would rather just go to a store..

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neomodus

neomodus

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Well, it is if your thinking is that "pixel density" == quality. While obviously 720p does not have the same raw number of pixels as 1080i, the 1080i picture is interlaced, meaning that it draws every other scan line per pass vs every scan line per pass. In real world terms that means that if you're watching something that has a lot of fast movement, the 720p picture can actually look better than the 1080i (fewer artifacts). The "old" wisdom used to be to use 1080i in general and 720p for things like sports and video games. Lots of tv's today have chipsets with enough horsepower to do a very good job with 1080i signals to minimize this effect.

 

Another issue is native panel size. Most 720p/1080i sets on the market only support 720p natively, meaning that they'll downsample 1080i signals not matter what you do. There were a few sets last year that have 1920x1080 panels but yet didn't support 1080p signals, but they could display 1080i signals at native resolution (and frustratingly enough, they advertised themselves as being 1080p, ugh). My guess is that this is the original posters point, that it really isn't worthwhile to talk 1080i since very few tv's natively support that resolution. Most all panels today are either 720p or 1080p.

 

Either way one is usually hard pressed to tell the difference between a 1080i and 720p image (motion artifacts aside) on anything smaller than a 42" tv and a pretty good signal/source anyway.

 

Thank You. Finally someone with a brain on the argument. All I was trying to get across that a consumer that knows nothing about interlacing and progressive scan should look for 720p or 1080p.

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schwoozer

schwoozer

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Whats the Office Depot rumor???

 

As for buying on line... I really dont trust it.. I mean if something breaks what do I do pay to ship it back? It seems like a pain... I would rather just go to a store..

I did go to a store. Unless of course, your comment was to the previous poster. I do agree that online purchases for large plasmas and LCDs is more risk than I'm willing to take.

 

There have been a couple rumors about a 37" LCD at Office Depot. It's just a rumor now though, and like we saw with Sears several weeks ago, rumors can turn into nothing. But then again, maybe not :)

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lucyismycat

lucyismycat

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I'm thinking about adding a tv in my kitchen. It would probably need to be less than 25", the kitchen is on the south side of our house and has a LOT of light coming in.

 

Last year I got my Mom a 20" lcd at Meijer for $100. This year they have what looks to be the same thing for $150 (different brand, of course). The only difference I can find is that this year's says it has an "HD capable component". Is that a big deal? We have an antenna for major networks, but this one would only be hooked up to the satellite dish, so I'm assuming that the whole "digital vs. analog" thing would be a moot point for me. Anyway, is there a better deal somewhere out there? I hate to think that I'd be paying more for something a year later!

 

I guess my questions are:

Would an lcd screen work well in a room with lots of sunlight?

Is the $150 an ok buy (or does the hd capable make any difference?)

Is there a better buy? :D

 

Thanks so much!

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angelic680

angelic680

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Well I really don't see anythiny on that site that stands out as a good deal.

 

To each his own...

 

Ok guys I have been doing so much work on TV I gave myself a headache...lol

 

I think that this website www.crutchfield.com gives the best reviews and I think I'm going to wait.. after reading the reviews on the Sharp I'm going to pass...:no:

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grapico

grapico

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I'm pretty dissapointed...I'm hoping amazon or newegg will come out with some sales... as I don't think I can lug a tv back on the plane with me anyhow :P... and a big ticket item like this, might be cheaper to get one online, rather than getting one in the store after you pay all that tax on it...
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bitWrangler

bitWrangler

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i gotta question............ do those of you who have purchased tvs on black friday in the past find they got a better deal that day or would have got a better deal if they waited til tax time when most retailers lower prices on big ticket items??????????????????

The particular deal I got last BF looks like it won't even be bested by this BF :( Let alone by last April.

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bitWrangler

bitWrangler

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WOW bitWrangler!! You know your stuff!!! I must hand it to you!!

 

Do you think you can tell me if the Sharp Aquos 52' $2199 in the Circuit City Flyer is worth it? I looked at it last night at it looked pretty good to me, when I asked the guy at CC how many he had he told me 5. So, now I'm a little worried that I'm not going to be able to get one...

I'd say do your research online on the set and do direct comparisons against other tv's that are similar in size. Be sure to ask the salesman what type of signal it's being fed. You'd be amazed at how many displays are connected to plain old DVD players (and often not even upsampling ones) so a larger set like a 52" won't really shine.

 

Sorry but I usually refrain from direct advice like that unless I either own the set or have done extensive research on it myself (which in this case I haven't).

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bitWrangler

bitWrangler

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You can buy the same TV, the 52" Aquos on line for

$2135, including shipping and no tax if you buy online.

 

ValuePlasma.com

 

So far the best deals on big screen like 50" or 52" seem to be online

 

Larry

True, but remember, taking up gobs of your local salespersons time and benefiting from the fact that they have inventory in stock for you to actually look at the final product and then running off and purchasing online is not conducive to brick and mortar retailers being able to continue to provide you with those services. No one wants to save a few bucks more than me, but it's a balancing act. If you did all your research online and never stepped foot into the store, then hey, go for the online purchase. Don't suck up all your local retailers resources and stiff them in the end. And no, I don't work in retail.

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mdambrosio

mdambrosio

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Hello everybody,

I was just reading through the thread and drew some conclusions, please correct me if I'm wrong

1) 1080p may not be worth over 720p for tv or regular dvd

2) plasma seems to have some advantage over lcd in that it has blacker blacks (more contrast), however, they are about $200 more expensive for the same size

 

I also have a couple other questions for which I couldn't find answers, again, help welcome

1) how does dlp image quality compare to lcd and plasma? I do not care about wall mounting, so if image is similar, I'd buy a bigger screen for less money this way.

2) Brand and model matter, of course, but how does this relate to the price? I've been surfing a couple of review websites but some models have not been reviewed and some others don't even exist!

 

I guess the 64K question for me is which is the best hdtv 40-50" for $700-1000?

 

I see lots of people being helpful and sharing ideas, that's why I decided to ask. Thanks so much in advance.

Martin

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dcdrogers

dcdrogers

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Posted

I'm interested in purchasing a 40" or 42" LCD on Black Friday. I know for a fact that I want either a Samsung or a Sony. (I have a 32" Samsung in the bedroom that I love).

 

Right now I'm leaning towards the 40" Sony LCD that Sears is advertising for $1399 ($1999-instant 600 off). Is it worth the money? If not I will just wait until Superbowl time and hope for a good deal.

 

Everyone is talking about the Sharp so it makes me wonder if the Sony is not a good buy for the money???

 

Thanks

 

~Dee

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angelic680

angelic680

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I'm interested in purchasing a 40" or 42" LCD on Black Friday. I know for a fact that I want either a Samsung or a Sony. (I have a 32" Samsung in the bedroom that I love).

 

Right now I'm leaning towards the 40" Sony LCD that Sears is advertising for $1399 ($1999-instant 600 off). Is it worth the money? If not I will just wait until Superbowl time and hope for a good deal.

 

Everyone is talking about the Sharp so it makes me wonder if the Sony is not a good buy for the money???

 

Thanks

 

~Dee

No you are 100% right on!!! Sony and Samsung are the BEST LCD's right now!! :yelclap::yelclap:

 

I too was looking at the sharp however once I went to the store and I saw the difference and I'm hooked on the Samsung... I guess its true you get wht you pay for! Plus I dont buy a TV every year so I dont mind spending more for one that I know Im going to have for 5 +years.

 

Just a FYI ~ The LCD LG 47" TV that is on sale in the COMP USA flyer for $1999.99 is on sale at bestbuy right now for $1499.99 (see below).... so do your homework people!!

 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8278197&productCategoryId=abcat0101001&type=product&tab=1&id=1173577697871#productdetail

 

bitWrangler ~ Thanks for your help I went to the store!!

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