I'm in the market to buy a television & need assistance.

[Geowhizzer]

Do you have any restrictions on the type of display due to the way the room/furniture is set up?  No, most of the furniture is straight on.  There is a sofa at about a 40 degree angle, but I'll just make the kids sit there.  My computer is at a 40-degree angle the other direction, so if I'm working (or doing game-day chats), I'd be here.

How far will you be sitting from the TV?  About 10-12 feet.

Are there any glare issues in the room?  Not really, unless the sun is directly over the skylight (why someone puts a skylight in a house in Florida, I'll never know.)

Do you already have an HD DirecTV receiver, or are you going to have to factor in the price of one into your budget?  We have to get one, but that's not really in this budget (this is pure TV money).  Since my DirecTV system is nearly 10 years old, it's probably time to get a new one anyway.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

How big is the TV you're replacing?  Is it an old-fashioned large projection TV?  You certainly don't want to go smaller, even if the picture is clearer.  Also, you're looking at $200 or so for a stand or a wall mount.  LCD's and plasmas come with small stands, but they aren't for placing directly on the floor.

It sounds like basically all kinds of TV's are in play, though - Plasma, LCD Flat Panel, LCD Projection.  Are you planning on fitting the TV into some sort of entertainment center?  Could it be mounted to the wall?

Since you're new to HD, you really don't need something that's 1080p ("Full" HD) compatible.  Keep in mind everything's moving toward LCD Flat Panel, and you should be able to get a nice 42" one inside your budget.  If you go LCD Projection, you could easily find a 46" or even 50".

[Geowhizzer]

How big is the TV you're replacing?  Is it an old-fashioned large projection TV?  You certainly don't want to go smaller, even if the picture is clearer.  Also, you're looking at $200 or so for a stand or a wall mount.  LCD's and plasmas come with small stands, but they aren't for placing directly on the floor.

It sounds like basically all kinds of TV's are in play, though - Plasma, LCD Flat Panel, LCD Projection.  Are you planning on fitting the TV into some sort of entertainment center?  Could it be mounted to the wall?

Since you're new to HD, you really don't need something that's 1080p ("Full" HD) compatible.  Keep in mind everything's moving toward LCD Flat Panel, and you should be able to get a nice 42" one inside your budget.  If you go LCD Projection, you could easily find a 46" or even 50".

My current TV is a 36" SD set I picked up right before the Eagles Super Bowl for $300.  I haven't decided about whether to put it on the wall or to buy a new stand.   Since my current entertainment center will probably go with the old TV into the family room (which will be fun as it weighs about the same as a small truck), I'll need to do something to put the new one on.

I've seen a few 1080ps in my price range (around $1500), but I'm just worried that they'll be piece of crap TVs I'll regret buying in 2 years.  Kind of like when I bought an AMD-chip computer a few years back to save a few hundred dollars (damn thing even had Windows ME, piece of crap computer).  And I've seen some 720p TVs where the picture looks better than some of the 1080p.  Since this TV will have to last at least 5-7 years, I want to make sure it's a good one.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

FYI: In order to get a 16:9 TV that is just as tall as your current 36" 4:3 TV, you would need a screen size of at least 44".  In some ways, the TV may appear smaller if you get any less than that.

Basically, I would go for either a very highly-reviewed name-brand 42" LCD flat panel or plasma, or a ~50" LCD projection TV.  Plasma is certainly on its way out, because burn-in is a real problem... but it still kicks the shtein out of LCD flat-panels for movement/sports.  Plasma's at least worth looking into as a possibility.

I'm admittedly partial to the projection models, seeing as I now have two of them, and you could get more screen size for the money.  The biggest drawback is the bulb, an expensive part that will cost you upwards of $300 to have replaced somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 viewing hours.  Also, no option ever to wall mount.

And, as I said, you might as well get a better-reviewed high-quality TV with 720p resolution than a relative piece of junk at 1080p.  Take a look at brands like Sharp and Philips.  Sony is probably pushing your price range at 42", and Samsung is overrated and overpriced on flat panels.  Panasonic is generally known as the best for plasmas.

[Geowhizzer]

Thanks.  I'm looking at either picking one up in the pre-Christmas sales, or waiting until spring.  I have an after-school gig that gives me a little off-budget money I can sock away.

[PhillyPhanInDC]

Panasonic is generally known as the best for plasmas.

This is incredibly true. I bought a 42' Panasonic TH-42PX60U on closeout at Sears for $1100 about four months ago. The model that came after it had an SD card in it so a lot of places were trying to get rid of them to make room. You almost can't go wrong with the Panasonic stuff, they are comparable to the higher end Sony's and Pioneers for a lot less money.

Nice Panasonic plasma's can be had in the 1000-1500 range. They are "only" 1080i, but I still don't think 1080p is worth the price hike.

Here is a review for the one I purchased: http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatvreviews/panasonic-th42px60u-review.html

Most of the places I read about it had it scored the same, sometimes higher, sometimes slightly less that a Pioneer that was roughly $1700 more.

[SD_Eagle5]

Anyone have a camorder or know anything about them?  I tried reading up on them but am in the dark. I wanna buy one soon and am looking for something basic and easy to use in the $300 price range.

[mussa]

looking to shoot some home-made porn are ya?

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Who doesn't?

[Geowhizzer]

Well, I finally bit today (not in time for the big game, but who cares since it wasn't the Eagles).

Costco had a Panasonic PT-61LCZ7 with a stand for a total of $1249.  61" LCD television - 1080p.  Too good a deal to pass up.

By next weekend I'll have it set up, and hopefully will be converting my DTV to HD soon afterwards.

[ice grillin you]

damn 61 inches...that is awesome

how much bigger do hd tv's come in than 61...like tv's that you can get in best buy or normal places like that

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Well, the LCD Projection ones come a bit bigger, but 65" is about the biggest you'll see.  They start to get a bit unwieldy after that, because the stand would be so damn big.

I heard a 100" flat screen was being unveiled, if it hasn't been already.

Still, nice deal for Geo.

[Seabiscuit36]

DLP's are available thru 73 inches, as FF said some LCD and Plasma's are up to around 103 inches, but they also run about 35k. 

[PhillyPhreak54]

I'm about to buy my first flat screen in about two weeks. I've pretty much settled on a Vizio or a Samsung 42". I've started researching them and a lot of that stuff is like a foreign language to me. I saw a 42" Vizio LCD 1080p at Target last night for about 800.

Do I need an HDMI cable?

Anyone else have a Vizio?

[Seabiscuit36]

my buddy has a Vizio, hasnt had any problems,  Honestly, they are cheap but do the job.  If you arent looking to put together a ridiculous setup, i'd recommend the Vizio.  If you want a little more quality, but at a higher price, then go with the standard Samsung/Pioneer