Buying a new TV.

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Most manufacturers no longer produce plasmas.4k tv sets seem to have overstated colors and there is no 4k media as of yet. Go to rtings.com for unbiased reviews.
 
Originally Posted By: motts
Most manufacturers no longer produce plasmas.4k tv sets seem to have overstated colors and there is no 4k media as of yet. Go to rtings.com for unbiased reviews.


Oh yea one more tip. Modern TVs have an actual "sales floor" mode otherwise know as torch mode. That is mode/setting used on a showroom floor becuse it is such a bright environment and all competitors do it. So don't judge a TV by how it looks at the store because that same setting will look horrible in your house. Also torch mode setting is the reason to never buy a "demo" or floor model TV. Running them in torch mode for long periods bakes the screen/electronics.
 
I always get whatever is on sale or closeout at Best Buy or Walmart. My last 43" plasma set from Best Buy cost me $269. I was going to get a 50" they had for $399 in an open box but it wouldn't fit in my cabinet area.
 
Originally Posted By: krismoriah72
but plasma is on its last legs.

Plasma is being phased out because it's too costly to make nowadays, but it still offers great PQ, so I would still consider it. I see some nice 60-64" Samsung plasma TVs on Amazon with excellent reviews.

We have a 5-year old 55" Samsung edge-lit LCD and it suffers from really bad flashlighting. Buying it was a mistake, alas, I seem to be the only person in the house that even notices is.
 
I bought my mother a TV for christmas based on reviews/price from walmart. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sceptre-X505BV-FMQR-50-1080p-60Hz-LED-HDTV/27678567

2500 reviews, cheap as dirt..

Two weeks after the purchase, it just went black. So I had to return it to my local walmart...and no you cannot trade it for another..its online only. I ended up buying a Sanyo 65" due to price and mom needed a TV. The TV that i bought isnt even on walmart.com...so it was blind faith.

So i could have ordered another online and left my mother a week without a TV, or just pick something out and pray.

If i go with plasma i feel i will be in the same boat. I will probably have to order online, pray it doesnt get damaged in shipping..and all the nightmares of shipping one back to amazon etc etc.

Why do the best TVs seem to be online only? Best Buy 'marketplace' or the like?

The average joe walks into walmart and gets the Vizio BXXXXX and has a bad experience..and vows never to buy another Vizio...but he could have bought the Vizio CXXXXX online and had the nicest TV ever.. makes no sense to me why they wouldnt put their best models in brick and mortar and put their lower lines online only.
 
Plasm if the room is right for it. Dumb over "Smart". In my experience the smart TV's just don't deliver. Better off with an Apple TV or Roku.

Haven't shopped in over a year, but if you can find a Panasonic plasma they are awesome. Even the most basic model in there lineup looks great and very affordable.
 
Bought a Samsung F6350 Smart TV from Costco. Got it 2 years ago and love the Netflix/Amazon prime features etc. Costco doubles the warranty to 2 years. Also if you don't like it no nightmare of how to ship to get a refund etc.

I buy a lot of stuff online, but radiators, TVs etc can be a pain to deal with.
 
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
4K looks amazing!! See it for yourself! I wouldnt say 1080P doesnt look good though.


yes it does, but i wont be using 4k programming, or 1080. 720p is about the max that my tv will see for awhile.
 
Originally Posted By: YotaTaco
Plasma has by far the best picture even better than 4k. Plasma is the best until OLED is affordable. I can't stand the sooo opera effect you get with led lcd. Get a Samsung plasma while you still can, best buy still has a few.


I have the Samsung PN64F8500 and it's stunning ! so I agree with you
wink.gif
Samsung PN64F8500
 
Originally Posted By: krismoriah72
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
4K looks amazing!! See it for yourself! I wouldnt say 1080P doesnt look good though.


yes it does, but i wont be using 4k programming, or 1080. 720p is about the max that my tv will see for awhile.


Supposedly these 4k TVs do a pretty good job at upconverting, so even if you don't play native 4k content, it still looks better on a 4k TV.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: krismoriah72
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
4K looks amazing!! See it for yourself! I wouldnt say 1080P doesnt look good though.


yes it does, but i wont be using 4k programming, or 1080. 720p is about the max that my tv will see for awhile.


Supposedly these 4k TVs do a pretty good job at upconverting, so even if you don't play native 4k content, it still looks better on a 4k TV.


I watched the Super Bowl on my sons Samsung 50" 4K.It was stunning how well it upconverted.
There was a Samsung 46" LCD in the next room and I compared the 2.
The 46" LCD looked great but the 4K was clearly better.
Heres how I see the TV market
Top Tier-Samsung-Sony
Second Tier-LG-Vizio-Sanyo-Sharp-
3rd Tier-RCA-Magnavox-Westinghouse-Element
4th Tier-Scectre-TCL
And I base the above heavily from Consumer Reports Magazine.

I could not list them all but you get it.
And I really beleive you get what you pay for with TV's.
I would never buy a TV on line unless I lived in the boonies.
If you buy a set at Best Buy in the store and you don't like it you can take it back and have a new set the same day.
I have a Sony as my main set.I also have a Westinghouse in the bedroom.
The Westinghouse looks just fine,but when compared with the Sony the Sony looks better.
The Westinghose looks good enough to be the main TV if needed.
 
I agree with what u say marine65.

I spent a few days at avsforum and those guys are like we are here on this oil forum with TVs etc.

I work hard for my money and $1500-$2000 isnt chump change when buying a TV..so i found myself hunting for "The Best".

I also picked models that I thought were "the best" and then read reviews on bestbuy, amazon etc...and its just like everything else.. one guy says "best tv ever made"...two reviews down "worst tv ive ever seen"...so its hard with so many decisions.

Everything is made in china, taiwan, or korea anyways...so i guess there is a Top Tier (like motor oils and gasoline) in tvs.

I wanna buy a plasma but my gut is telling me to go with a Samsung LED and wait for the 4K to catch up with technology.
 
I have read the Best Buy reviews also.
But you will notice a trend.
The better brand TV's get more positive reviews then negative. Maybe 80/20
The cheaper sets are more like 60/40.
Buy the Samsung LED and don't look back.
My Sony was made in Mexico !
 
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recently got a 60" vizio M series for 737$ great great tv for that price.

Has tons of innovative features such as area dimming and full backlit not edge.

exact model is m602ib3

M series is their upscale line it goes something like

D-budget,E-basic good picture,M-even better picture upscale features, P 4k-res

example the remote is double sided with full backlit keyboard.
and 32 areas for backlight area dimming vs 16 for e-series.

D-series is the equivalent of "round n black" tires

The deal was 737$ pricematch from sams club @bestbuy

I used a 5% cashback at grocery credit card and got 6% back in fuel rewards via bestbuy gift cards at grocery store.

so was an additional 11% savings.

regular price is ~1299$ usual sale price around 950-1000$
some random thoughts
4k is kinda blah right now., the newest smart tv's actually work ok as smart tv.. no lag etc... smart tv feature is probably worth 50$-70$ max

You can tune out most of the soap opera effect on led lcd tv's for example on the "240hz" vizio m series there are tons of options to minimize it.

I still love my 42" 1080p panasonic plasma but it does use 300watts in "cinema mode" or 160w in dull everyday mode.

The new 60" vizio is well under 100W.

Plasma is bad for bright room and has very bad reflections.. so its not at all good in certain rooms or lighting situations.
 
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Just something to keep in mind......The TV you buy now is just a 3-4 year stop gap until OLEDs become cheaper. OLEDs are going to be CHEAP as compared to the LEDs we have now, and pic quality will blow anything on the shelves now out of the water. I got my 60" last November and I am good to go until the next round hits.

Nothing wrong with getting a plasma before they are gone. Great for dim rooms, wonderful black levels, but the latest backlit local dimming LEDs can match the black levels. Never thought I wanted a "Smart" TV until I got one.

Buy what looks good, but don't throw a bucket of cash at something you might not use as your main TV for as long as you think you would.

And yes, the Samsung 8500 series plasmas are the holy grail now, but every seller knows it and charges accordingly.
 
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