Help me Pick an HDTV

[gettym]

So for Christmas I'm getting myself an HDTV, my current TV is a 27" SDTV kinda old but a decent enough TV... I want to be blown out of the water with the new TV I get. I also don't want to spend more than $1200, I have found 3 TVs I really like and have gotten good reviews on Amazon.com

SONY Grand WEGA 46" HDTV.. $1150+Free shipping
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det...ER&v=glance

Panasonic 42" Plasma $1299+Free Shipping
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det...ER&v=glance

Samsung 50" DLP HDTV $1100+$100 Shipping
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det...FA&v=glance


I'm leaning towards the Sony, because I like the look alot... but I kind alike the Plasma cause it's flat, and obviously the Samsung is the largest. What can OOTers tell me about their HDTV experiences? Should I go for the smaller Plasma? The larger DLP? Thanks for all the help and feel free to reccomend other TV's under $1200

[Kneel B4 Zod]

don't get a plasma, they burn in.

just get a projector, they are easy to set up and will work in any room.

[Nicholasp27]

get the panasonic

i've posted the ISF calibrated settings in a few threads now...search for me and panny

plasmas don't burn in if u don't leave them paused on the same screen for awhile...and especially not after the first 100 hours

they also only lose half brightness after 20 years of 8 hours/day being on, so don't worry about longevity


projector is awesome if u can put up blackout curtains to darken room during day and wanna do that...if u don't, then plasma is best choice IMO

[pokerOpus]

Cant comment on the plasmas but I have a 61 inch samsung dlp and its awesome.

[edfurlong]

[ QUOTE ]
Cant comment on the plasmas but I have a 61 inch samsung dlp and its awesome.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have the 46 inch and love it as well. I wish it had more component hookups though.

[Ribsauce]

Those Samsung DLPs are awesome but the brand new Sony DLPs are slightly (5% maybe) better

[n.s.]

imho, you are betting off getting a TV with a better picture, instead of the largest screen you can afford, unless you have a really large space and plan to sit really far from the TV. Otherwise, you have this giant TV with a not-so-great picture, and you'll be able to see every flaw because it's right in your face.

The thing that really bugs me about rear-projection and DLP is the crappy vertical viewing angle. Both of these TVs are listed as having a 60 degree vertical angle, which basically means that the image will look like complete crap unless your head is pointed directly directly at the TV - so if you stand up for any reason (wii games?), or your couch is at the wrong height, you won't be able to see it very well.

So out of these three, I'd probably vote for the plasma. Notice, though, that it has a native resolution of 1024x768, which is not only less pixels than 720p (1280x720), but is actually 4:3, not 16:9.

[MissOt]

is the 50'' panny plasma worth another $700?

[z28dreams]

I really liked the looks of the Samsung 40" LCD (4041 or something) at best buy.

It can be had at Frys.com for around $1200 shipped.

I went in expecting to like the plasma's better, and think i'm gonna end up with this instead.

[gettym]

Thanks guys, I'm going to be using this TV for XBOX 360, and HD sports/DVDs mostly... Right now I am leaning towards the Plasma.