warning!
I have not bought a TV before, so this is new to me. I am looking for a good deal. Also, is there a certain time of year to get a better deal?
Answer
First decide on what you have in mind to spend. They come $200 and less and $2000 and more, and everything in between. Next decide within the realm of price, wall mount or stand mount and size for the room. Then decide on audio - through the TV, or an enhanced sound system. After you have an idea, you have Fry's in-store sales on the West Coast, and price against internet Tigerdirect, Newegg, Amazon, and try Nextag as a pricing comparison. Occassionally, Walmart and Best Buy do something special. Understand brand quality. Top brands are Samsung, Sony, LG. Then Panasonic, Sharp, Toshiba. Then other covers the rest.
Plasma TVs are generally lower priced and heavier weight. LCD TFT-CCFL are fluorescent backlight LCD and generally have brighter but less uniform pictures and are mid-thickness, and LED-LCD is thinner and more uniform picture brightness. Plasmas are great day 1, and degrade faster. 720p is lower density pixels but cheaper. 1080p is higher density pixels. In LCD, refresh rate in milliseconds or Hertz determines the smoothness of flow of motion on the screen.
Know that all TVs have been shipped from China to US warehouses so the store location is not as important as you may think. But, standard delivery is doorstep - a large box outside your door, and bring in and/or setup is extra. Also, if you have Costco or BJs maybe, sometimes they have a deal. Check internet for reviews.
Time to buy, there are black friday after Thanksgiving, and Cyber Monday around then, and Xmas, and after Xmas, and generally new models are around April, so March is typically closeouts.
You also have extra features like internet capabilities for more money, and that would include Netflix direct reception among other features.
If not doing separate audio, beware of the watts per channel audio.
That's the general. Look at some at Best Buy if there is one near you, but don't buy the day you walk in no matter what.
Basic cheap set: http://www.frys.com/product/6802766
40 inch Coby brand $300
1920 x 1080 resolution is good, but Dynamic Contrast Ratio 6000:1 is awful. It means the picture will have a bit of a greyness to it. Refresh Rate 60Hz Response Time 8 ms means that in fast moving images you may sense a choppiness.
More typical is getting a really nice set that is not top of the line
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+-+46%22+Class+/+LED+/+1080p+/+120Hz+/+HDTV/2355829.p?id=1218323423815&skuId=2355829
Toshiba 46SL417U was $819 at Best Buy, mostly sold out. $830 here in NY from a reliable seller (check bbb.org and resellerratings.com): http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/755009-REG/Toshiba_46SL417_46SL417U_46_LED_HDTV.html
Decent brand, 46" diagonal size, LED backlit, 1080p, built-in Wifi, 120Hz, 10 Watts per Channel Audio. It isn't a super-deluxe 3D, and is not a cheap set. You decide what you want to spend, and what features you want, and what size you want, and understand that everything is trade-offs at a price. New models coming out shortly, meaning this years models are starting to closeout.
First decide on what you have in mind to spend. They come $200 and less and $2000 and more, and everything in between. Next decide within the realm of price, wall mount or stand mount and size for the room. Then decide on audio - through the TV, or an enhanced sound system. After you have an idea, you have Fry's in-store sales on the West Coast, and price against internet Tigerdirect, Newegg, Amazon, and try Nextag as a pricing comparison. Occassionally, Walmart and Best Buy do something special. Understand brand quality. Top brands are Samsung, Sony, LG. Then Panasonic, Sharp, Toshiba. Then other covers the rest.
Plasma TVs are generally lower priced and heavier weight. LCD TFT-CCFL are fluorescent backlight LCD and generally have brighter but less uniform pictures and are mid-thickness, and LED-LCD is thinner and more uniform picture brightness. Plasmas are great day 1, and degrade faster. 720p is lower density pixels but cheaper. 1080p is higher density pixels. In LCD, refresh rate in milliseconds or Hertz determines the smoothness of flow of motion on the screen.
Know that all TVs have been shipped from China to US warehouses so the store location is not as important as you may think. But, standard delivery is doorstep - a large box outside your door, and bring in and/or setup is extra. Also, if you have Costco or BJs maybe, sometimes they have a deal. Check internet for reviews.
Time to buy, there are black friday after Thanksgiving, and Cyber Monday around then, and Xmas, and after Xmas, and generally new models are around April, so March is typically closeouts.
You also have extra features like internet capabilities for more money, and that would include Netflix direct reception among other features.
If not doing separate audio, beware of the watts per channel audio.
That's the general. Look at some at Best Buy if there is one near you, but don't buy the day you walk in no matter what.
Basic cheap set: http://www.frys.com/product/6802766
40 inch Coby brand $300
1920 x 1080 resolution is good, but Dynamic Contrast Ratio 6000:1 is awful. It means the picture will have a bit of a greyness to it. Refresh Rate 60Hz Response Time 8 ms means that in fast moving images you may sense a choppiness.
More typical is getting a really nice set that is not top of the line
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+-+46%22+Class+/+LED+/+1080p+/+120Hz+/+HDTV/2355829.p?id=1218323423815&skuId=2355829
Toshiba 46SL417U was $819 at Best Buy, mostly sold out. $830 here in NY from a reliable seller (check bbb.org and resellerratings.com): http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/755009-REG/Toshiba_46SL417_46SL417U_46_LED_HDTV.html
Decent brand, 46" diagonal size, LED backlit, 1080p, built-in Wifi, 120Hz, 10 Watts per Channel Audio. It isn't a super-deluxe 3D, and is not a cheap set. You decide what you want to spend, and what features you want, and what size you want, and understand that everything is trade-offs at a price. New models coming out shortly, meaning this years models are starting to closeout.
What 51 " TV would you recommend?
Heirloomwa
I'm looking around... costco,best buy, etc where else should I look?
Answer
all you really need to know:
almost any TV that is 1080P and 120hz...and you'll have your ideal television...in terms of plasma or led/lcd...the latter because it usually gives the best picture...but if you have lots of $$$ to blow, DLP will blow your mind away as it's best for movies, tv, and other taxing games...and general rule of thumb is to go with big names like sony/phillips/etc...
Explained if you are interested:
if you want value...you'll want to avoid places like best buy as their prices are at least 15% marked up if you are instore, so check out only their website for exclusive prices and deals...for the best value...you can 99.99% of the time find it online...stores like costco/walmart/amazon online will show their deals as well as reviews on televisions...so find out other people's experiences...
it really depends on what you will be using the TV for but I recommend 1080P if you watch or plan on watching bluray movies, if not, 720p is more than enough since television providers do not even broadcast in 1080p...720p is usually marginally better than 1080i (max that is broadcasted by tv providers). You'll also want to get a TV that is 120hz screen refresh, avoid 60hz, and if you are thinking about 240hz, it's really overkill since our eyes can't really follow it...but the "600hz subfield motion"( just some high tech sounding banter that really says that it is still 60hz in the end...but with a "clearer" or "sharper" image)...but above all...AVOID 3DTV AT ALL COSTS...it's a neat little perk that if you like, go for it, but in actuality, there isn't much that is 3d just yet...and besides that...if you buy it now...in a couple years it will be around half of what you paid now...(there may eventually be a neat little adapter that plugs right into your tv and plays the 3d picture for you)...although great...you'll soon grow weary of it or come to find that there isn't much you can do right now with 3dtvs...unless you are big movie people, then just go for it with the few titles there are...
you'll want to go to the stores if you'd like to get an idea of how the different TV's handle picture, don't give in to sales peoples pressure of selling you a tv you don't want...even though names can be trusted...they can also be misleading...never buy right then and there...usually you'll get the worse price
all you really need to know:
almost any TV that is 1080P and 120hz...and you'll have your ideal television...in terms of plasma or led/lcd...the latter because it usually gives the best picture...but if you have lots of $$$ to blow, DLP will blow your mind away as it's best for movies, tv, and other taxing games...and general rule of thumb is to go with big names like sony/phillips/etc...
Explained if you are interested:
if you want value...you'll want to avoid places like best buy as their prices are at least 15% marked up if you are instore, so check out only their website for exclusive prices and deals...for the best value...you can 99.99% of the time find it online...stores like costco/walmart/amazon online will show their deals as well as reviews on televisions...so find out other people's experiences...
it really depends on what you will be using the TV for but I recommend 1080P if you watch or plan on watching bluray movies, if not, 720p is more than enough since television providers do not even broadcast in 1080p...720p is usually marginally better than 1080i (max that is broadcasted by tv providers). You'll also want to get a TV that is 120hz screen refresh, avoid 60hz, and if you are thinking about 240hz, it's really overkill since our eyes can't really follow it...but the "600hz subfield motion"( just some high tech sounding banter that really says that it is still 60hz in the end...but with a "clearer" or "sharper" image)...but above all...AVOID 3DTV AT ALL COSTS...it's a neat little perk that if you like, go for it, but in actuality, there isn't much that is 3d just yet...and besides that...if you buy it now...in a couple years it will be around half of what you paid now...(there may eventually be a neat little adapter that plugs right into your tv and plays the 3d picture for you)...although great...you'll soon grow weary of it or come to find that there isn't much you can do right now with 3dtvs...unless you are big movie people, then just go for it with the few titles there are...
you'll want to go to the stores if you'd like to get an idea of how the different TV's handle picture, don't give in to sales peoples pressure of selling you a tv you don't want...even though names can be trusted...they can also be misleading...never buy right then and there...usually you'll get the worse price
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