In the market for a new TV (gasp)!!!

banslug

banslug

Cathlete
OK, I can't believe I'm actually shopping around for a brand new TV. It's been a very long time since I've spent money to buy ANYTHING brand new, except for my kids.

The TV in my family/living room is on the outs. SO gave it to me last year, after his dad returned it from a 5-year lone! :) It's nowhere near being new, and it's showing. The picture is fuzzy even after it warms up (it used to clear up, at least) and the sound is started to get garbled (is that a word?). All the other TVs in my house (my room, the extra bedroom, the basement play area and my basement workout area) are all also older and hand-me-downs. So.......off I go shopping.

Here's what I'm thinking or looking for:
I figure if I'm going to buy new, I may as well do it right.
I'm actually looking to buy it with a deal like "no interest for 12-36 months, since I can't afford to outright buy it.
I'd like one of those flat screen/skinny TVs that can hang on the wall instead of sit in a cabinet.
I'm thinking at least 42".

Any deals out there? Any suggestions or recommendations???

Thanks in advance.

Gayle
 
We have 3 LCD flat panel tv's (45", 32", 19") that we bought a few years ago. DS works at Best Buy and we got huge savings with his employee discount. Unbelievable how much they mark up things! Anyhoo...at the time we were buying, Sharp Aquos was highly rated and we've been happy with them. You may want to google for reviews or visit cnet.com.

I would have liked to hang our 45" on the wall but it was impossible to hide all the cords necessary for the tv, cable box & DVD player without tearing out the wall and putting in additional electical outlets.

Happy shopping:)

JJ
 
Ninjamom,

My DS works for Best Buy too! Yes, all our appliances and electronics have come from BB:D
He's 25, began working for BB @16. He is still going to school full time and working BB full time. He started out selling Home Theatre, now he's installing it for the Geek Squad.

When he wakes up, I'll ask him his LCD recommendations. He installs them everyday.
He advised my husband and I to purchase a projection TV. We have a huge bedroom so we were able to go with a 60" screen. I think he advised us to buy a projection because we fall asleep to the TV all the time and often have it on all night..
He has a large LCD hanging on his bedroom wall.
I'm pretty sure you'll need to pick a size that fits the distance you will be sitting from. Do you know where you would hang an LCD? If so, make sure you measure the distance.

I'll get back with you after I ask him.
 
jaypea said:
We bought a Vizio 42" flatscreen at Sam's a few months ago, and we love it. Good luck.
Click to expand...

Ditto! We have a 32" Vizio in our kitchen, and 37" Vizio on the bedroom wall. We LOVE them!! We bought them at Costco and they were about $600 and $700 I believe.

Gayle, if it has been awhile since you got a new tv, you will be AMAZED at the difference in your picture!!
 
Another Vizio lover here! You will love their Tvs! Plus, they are an American made product (as far as I know...in California)

I got mine at Sams Club. Good luck!
Jenn
 
Cynthia-thanks, I'll be anxious to hear what DS says. I know exactly where I'd be hanging it, so I will measure that distance before I make a decision, for sure.

Katie-LOL! My SO said the same thing about buying something new. I laughed, because it reminded me of when I put in a new pair of contacts....pop a brand new pair in and my first thought is, "wow....so THAT's what the world is SUPPOSED to look like"! LOL (on a side note, Katie, I LOVED meeting you this past weekend. You're a cutie and I'm so happy for you, your new DH and your DS!)

Jean---ya popped in there on me. THANKS for the Made in the USA note. Very good info to know!

Gayle
 
Gayle,

He said some things to consider for a hanging television LCD vs Plasma.

Plasma tv if you are going to watch television, movies(dvd's, vhs), and sports only. They are great for fast moving images. You cannot play games on a plasma tv because the images will burn into the screen. Plasma have a glass front so they do have glare. You don't want to put a plasma in a room that has a lot of windows. If you're watching the plasma during evening hours only, this is not a problem.

LCD if it is going into a room with a lot of windows and a lot of light because it does not have glare. LCD if your kids are going to play games on it.

Size....take the distance from where you are sitting and divide it. If you are sitting 100' back, 50" screen.

HTH!
 
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Gayle - we just recently had to cave and buy a new TV. What a shocker! I was actually embarrased when the 12 year-old saleskid started explaining stuff to us and we had NO CLUE what he was talking about. I'm sure he was older than 12 ;), but definetly not old enough to be called a "salesman"!

We ended up getting a Samsung 42" LCD flat screen. It's on a pedastel (? on spelling) that swivels but you can also mount it on the wall. And we did the same thing re: no interest for 12 months. We got it at Sears a few months ago.

And ditto CollinsMom about being amazed at the picture. It took me a little while to get used to it, actually!
 
OH, EXCELLENT info, Cynthia...tell your DS thank you. I am in fact going to be putting this new TV in my main living room, with 2 huge windows, and it will be connected to the Wii and the PS2. THANK YOU for that input.

Melissa-you too! How do you like it on the pedastal? I HATE clutter, so the wall-mount seems to keep my clutter "freakiness" in check. I figure a sideboard/coffee table-type cabinet underneath for all the video game stuff.

THANK YOU!!! Now, off to shop for a good deal! I'll keep you posted!

Gayle
 
Gayle,

If you purchase @Best Buy, they have 2 year free financing. I would pay to have LCD installed with some speakers. They will put all your wiring behind the walls. Don't worry, they won't tear up your walls. It elliminates all the wire clutter. It's worth the extra money.
Also, two words....monster cables. One of the things that drives my DS insane is that people spend money on an expensive set up and then buy cheap cables. The quality of the cable does effect the performance of the television.
 
Gayle - I love the idea of hanging it on the wall, but I have a pretty large entertainment armoire that I love and I'm not willing to part with it. So the pedastal is ideal and fits in there perfectly.

My parents have a slighter larger one on the wall with a cabinet below to store all their stereo/cable boxes and such and it looks great. You can't even tell they are in there. Nice and clean looking.

Have fun shopping!!
 
Hey guys. Just a quickie update. SO and I went into a Sony store at the outlets we hit during vacation this week. Let me just say how RIGHT Katie was when she said that I'd be AMAZED at the picture. Good LORD! I walked in there and even their lowest-grade TV made my current TVs look like I was watching them without my contacts in! LOL Now, SO and I are headed to Sam's to check out the Vizio TVs. Say a little prayer for yours truly. I'm a bit afraid to buy anything brand new, but I'm desparate for a new TV. LOL

Gayle
 
Ooooh, Gayle. I just got a new TV delivered yesterday. I am a researchaholic and studied for days before I bought. Here's a link to one of the pages on CNET that might be helpful: http://reviews.cnet.com/best-hdtvs/

We bought a 32" for the bedroom, and Samsung had the most highly rated TV in that size category. We bought the 400 series, even though both the 500 and 600 series are out now. Most of the reviews, and our salesman, told us we didn't need the higher resolution on a 32" and we would never notice the difference. So we were able to save several hundred dollars that way. :)
 
We have a 37" Vizio hanging on our bedroom wall- purchased from Sam's club. The price was very nice :)

It gives great clarity, sound and the colors are super sharp.


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