Purchasing an LCD tv, advice?

[G-ZUS]

As the title states looking to buy an LCD TV for around ~1500, looking for at least 40".

Here's a couple i looked at:

LG 42LB5D
LG 42LC7D
Toshiba 42HL167
Samsung LNT4065F
Sony KDL40D300

What brand do you guys prefer for best picture quality? Any recommendations? It will not be used for anything special, just day-to-day watching news, movies etc. I won't be using HD or anything like that.

[copynpaste]

Stick with Samsung or Sony off that list.

[Kloubek]

The problem with these HD tv's if you don't have an HD signal is that they look like crap. Movies should look fine though - especially if you have an upscaling DVD player.

Brand doesn't dictate picture quality as much as model. Samsungs usually have a pretty good picture, but I've seen models from them that are not impressive as well.

I've heard mixed things about LG's. Sony used to have a great name in TV's, but they are just with the rest when it comes to flatscreens IMO.

Really, between the bunch, I would simply look at the image quality for the display sets, as well as inquire about any warranty differences. You may want to ensure the TV has 2 or more HD inputs. That way if you ever decide to get HD (which might be required in a few years), then you can still have your DVD *and* TV in HD.

[hoamic11]

Personally I find Samsung's pictures to be over saturated, they dont' look too natural,

I'll agree Kloubek, i have also heard mixed reviews about all brands, i mean really to each their own.

I find sony's have a great picture, they not overly generated but they look natural, toshiba's look good, and have a good price point to them, same as hitachi's, i like their pictures too, however just dont'really know many that have them.

Going back to the samsung, i like the 61-series model, b/c the contrast ratio's are huge but also b/c the picture quality looks better to me than their 65/69/71 series stuff, it really looks too saturated/over generated.

[TaiChino]

Originally posted by Kloubek
The problem with these HD tv's if you don't have an HD signal is that they look like crap. Movies should look fine though - especially if you have an upscaling DVD player.

Brand doesn't dictate picture quality as much as model. Samsungs usually have a pretty good picture, but I've seen models from them that are not impressive as well.

I've heard mixed things about LG's. Sony used to have a great name in TV's, but they are just with the rest when it comes to flatscreens IMO.

Really, between the bunch, I would simply look at the image quality for the display sets, as well as inquire about any warranty differences. You may want to ensure the TV has 2 or more HD inputs. That way if you ever decide to get HD (which might be required in a few years), then you can still have your DVD *and* TV in HD.



For the first blurb, yes it's a classic case of GIGO for new HDTV's, garbage in, garbage out.

Second bit, I agree as well. Technology in these tvs nowadays are so similar, especially when you are in the market for better name brands such as Sony, Samsung, etc. Look at picture quality in store, some may have more vibrant color, when another will have deeper blacks (some say that makes picture quality look better)

Inputs are important as well. You can make due with one HDMI input if you are using an audio receiver setup that has multiple HDMI inputs for DVD, gaming system, PVR, whatever. Then it can funnel them all into one cable. But if you are running video inputs directly into your TV, make sure there are enough to support all of your toys.