Buying a new TV

lcd , led , plasma... what is the best? i will probably spend less than 500 dollars or around there.

Want to get a good TV cheap? Stay away from "smart" TVs - you don't need Wi-Fi, apps, etc. Don't worry about 4K - 1080P is fine for now, especially if you're looking for an affordable set (plus, there is hardly any 4K content and probably won't be for some time).

LCD (LED edge lit) is best, but before we delve into it further, some considerations:

How big is the room it will be in? What room of the house is it (living room, bedroom, den, etc.)?

How big do YOU want the TV to be?

Is the room it will be in bright, with lots of windows?

plasma's still the best in terms of picture quality. it uses a lot more power than lcd or led though so your electricity bill will suffer if the tv's on a lot.

  On 2/26/2014 at 9:59 PM, Joyrex said:

Want to get a good TV cheap? Stay away from "smart" TVs - you don't need Wi-Fi, apps, etc. Don't worry about 4K - 1080P is fine for now, especially if you're looking for an affordable set (plus, there is hardly any 4K content and probably won't be for some time).

 

LCD (LED edge lit) is best, but before we delve into it further, some considerations:

 

How big is the room it will be in? What room of the house is it (living room, bedroom, den, etc.)?

 

How big do YOU want the TV to be?

 

Is the room it will be in bright, with lots of windows?

oh ok, i was looking at those smart tvs...

the tv is in the living room which is dark, it's a good enough sized room. not huge but enough for a big couch etc. my current tv is 26 inch and i'm moving it into my bedroom. i think 39 inch would a good size for me.

Colour televisions are now within the grasp of even the most modest budget. Couple one of these with a VCR or Betamax to enjoy your favourite movies at home for the Ultimate Home Cinema Experience!

I got a 50 inch plasma for 1000. Works like a charm. It has some minor picture issues that have shown up after about 3 years, but im pretty certain that is due to people falling asleep with it on for hours and hours on end. The issues don't even happen much of the time either.

I'm in the pro plasma camp as well, picture qualiy/price ratio is nowhere near as good with the other technologies.

Yeah, that being said I'm pretty sure I would buy LED if I had the money. I used to have an LCD which was ok, but I think plasma is better than LCD. I don't think you'll be disappointed by anything you buy in your price range as long as it lasts.

just don't buy anything smaller than 46" unless you're sitting less than 6 feet away.

No TV

And something with a high contrast ratio. Never thought it would make a difference but seeing other people's TV with less ratio than mine you can tell the difference

Plasma, hands down. Far better (cinema-like) picture/motion and bigger size for the same money. Agreed on the non-smart-tv advice though, you can probably save 100ish just with that. I just got a 60" LG for my granny (almost blind) and it was under 900 eur.

  On 2/27/2014 at 12:30 AM, Al Hounos said:

just don't buy anything smaller than 46" unless you're sitting less than 6 feet away.

Yeah, this. We splurged on new tv for xmas and it was 54" I think. Our living room is really long so it was the main factor.

  On 2/26/2014 at 10:57 PM, Leon Sumbitches said:

Colour televisions are now within the grasp of even the most modest budget. Couple one of these with a VCR or Betamax to enjoy your favourite movies at home for the Ultimate Home Cinema Experience!

Anything but plasma. Everyday I'm a little more infuriated by the horizontal-bleeds.

I only paid £80 for it though, so I'm not aggrieved about the quality just the annoyance. But when I do buy a new one, it definitely won't be plasma.

  On 2/27/2014 at 4:47 PM, Gary C said:

Anything but plasma. Everyday I'm a little more infuriated by the horizontal-bleeds.

 

I only paid £80 for it though, so I'm not aggrieved about the quality just the annoyance. But when I do buy a new one, it definitely won't be plasma.

What do you mean bleeds?

For mine I have a slight burn in that shows up occasionally, but only is visible under specific conditions like a game loading screen.

I have LED, smart apps are thrown in w every tv now don't worry on that, hopefully find one w netflix, hulu etc. and an Ethernet port.

  On 2/27/2014 at 4:47 PM, Gary C said:

Anything but plasma. Everyday I'm a little more infuriated by the horizontal-bleeds.

 

I only paid £80 for it though, so I'm not aggrieved about the quality just the annoyance. But when I do buy a new one, it definitely won't be plasma.

Why do you think the problem you're having is in any way connected to the plasma technology?

  On 2/27/2014 at 5:06 PM, Rubin Farr said:

I have LED, smart apps are thrown in w every tv now don't worry on that, hopefully find one w netflix, hulu etc. and an Ethernet port.

The thing is, external media devices (Apple TV, ROKU, etc.) do a much better job, and can be replaced/upgraded as technology and wireless tech changes. Better to save some cash and not get a TV with those bundled in (especially if it costs more than the non-smart version). Of course, regardless of whether you use the TV's built in apps or an external device, it's ideal (if possible) to use a wired connection versus wireless, although I have used wireless and never really had any issues streaming stuff.

I was a big plasma proponent (still have a 50"LG with 3D I got for 780USD three years ago) until I started looking at the Sharp LCD LED-lit TVs - their picture quality is finally superior to plasma IMO, and doesn't carry the baggage plasma does (added weight, heat generated, temporary burn in, etc.).

The main thing to look for with LCD TVs are refresh rate (get 120Hz at least - 60Hz is not sufficient, and you will see a lot of budget TVs with only 60Hz) and how it's lit - either LED edge lit or active matrix - some people say the active matrix is better as it provides a more even overall lighting (whereas edge lit makes the edges very bright, while the middle can tend to be slightly darker.

As for what size TV to get - if you sit at least six feet from your current TV, anything from 50" or larger is fine (I personally would not get anything smaller than 50" for a living room TV)

Joyrex speaks the truth. I have a Vizio 47" 1080p LCD 120Hz and couldn't be happier. I got it in 2009 for $1000 and it still works great. I have the TV in my tiny little bedroom so it feels massive, and I love it. If you're going to play lots of videogames I would advise against plasma and for LED or LCD. Plasma tends to burn static images onto the screen. So your health bar, for example, might still be there if you start watching a movie immediately after a long session of playing a game.

There is a lot of very archaic advice in this thread.

Just look at best buy or whatever, and put your limit at 500 or whatever THEN check the reviews on Which? for the models you like.

i don't get it, why the opposition to tvs with wi-fi ? seems like an essential feature to me.

so normal lcd is better than led?

Let's ask Oscillik. He probably knows all about good tv's.

No, seriously, *I* know all about good tvs. There still isn't a LCD (LED or not, doesn't make any difference in this regard) that can match plasma's motion resolution. It could be that it's not that much of a priority for you, but if you're big into movies (and modern tv series as well, it's all 24p), the ONLY truthful reproduction is possible on plasma.

I really know what I'm talking about. LCDs, even the ridiculously expensive, bleeding-edge tech ones, aren't capable of displaying the motion like CRT and plasma are. I'm not talking about black levels here, nor contrast, nor gamut coverage, nor (god forbid) 240+ Hz nonsense. LCDs are just slow at turning pixels on and/or off and that really shows when you try watching a good old movie.