Look for a basic 40" flat panel TV

[Satchmo]

I know a bunch of you techies are more on top of the latest TV gear than I am, so I thought I'd see if the CP brain could come up with some good suggestions. I need a 40" max flat panel for the basement. Viewing distance will be 10' or more, and I don't need anything fancy. I found a Viore, Phillips and Panasonic for around $400. Any other suggestions? Are any of these brands better than the others? I am assuming a LCD is the better option.

 

[LilBastage]

I have a Panasonic in that size range and I love it.

I also have a larger Panasonic plasma, so I may be a bit biased as I'm very happy with both screens, especially for the price paid.

 

[Satchmo]

I have a Panasonic in that size range and I love it.

I also have a larger Panasonic plasma, so I may be a bit biased as I'm very happy with both screens, especially for the price paid.

Cool. One hoorah for Panasonic. I am not familiar with all the new flat panel brands, but I do remember Panasonic from the ol' tube days.

 

[Bsneed51]

I have a 42" Panasonic plasma that is great. I've also had a lot of good luck with Panasonic's customer service.

 

[JHolmes763]

I think brand names play less into the distinction of a product, nowadays. They likely all shared common components at some level. There's only so many LCD manufacturers out there for these guys to buy from and it's cheaper, R&D-wise, to let someone else do it.

Get the second-cheapest set you can find.

I'd watch dealnews.com, too. You get linked in to a lot of sales through there.

 

[BlindedByScience]

Not sure if you have one locally, but I'm a big fan of Costso. Good stuff, and the best customer support in the business.

My 30" Visio in the bedroom and the 60" LG plasma in the living room both came from Costco. Shop the deals, the big brands are pretty competitive and very close anymore.

 

[Gern Blansten]

Sony and Samsung make a nice lineup of 40" flatscreeens. I'd start there.

 

[b.dawgson]

My suggestion is to keep with the major name brands and you'll be just fine. Top tier being: Sony, Samsung, Sharp, Panasonic, Pioneer... Second tier being: Phillips, RCA, LG, Vizio, Zenith, Westinghouse, Toshiba, etc.


I'd stay away from store brand (like Dynex from Best Buy).


Another thing to look at, if your going to have High Definition while viewing from 10' on a 40" TV, a 720p would be just fine. For a 40" you have to be sitting like 6' or closer for the human eye to distinguish between 720 and 1080 resolution. Though, I don't even know if there are many offerings in 720 anymore and it may not be of any savings.

 

[Satchmo]

I think brand names play less into the distinction of a product, nowadays. They likely all shared common components at some level. There's only so many LCD manufacturers out there for these guys to buy from and it's cheaper, R&D-wise, to let someone else do it.

Get the second-cheapest set you can find.

I'd watch dealnews.com, too. You get linked in to a lot of sales through there.

I've been checking the online deal sites, but haven't looked at dealnews.com yet. I figure there should be a few sweet deals there.

Not sure if you have one locally, but I'm a big fan of Costso. Good stuff, and the best customer support in the business.

My 30" Visio in the bedroom and the 60" LG plasma in the living room both came from Costco. Shop the deals, the big brands are pretty competitive and very close anymore.

One of the TVs on sale at Costco was a Viore, so I assumed it was a decent product or Costco wouldn't handle it. They have great deals on higher end TVs fo sho!

My suggestion is to keep with the major name brands and you'll be just fine. Top tier being: Sony, Samsung, Sharp, Panasonic, Pioneer... Second tier being: Phillips, RCA, LG, Vizio, Zenith, Westinghouse, Toshiba, etc.


I'd stay away from store brand (like Dynex from Best Buy).

Another thing to look at, if your going to have High Definition while viewing from 10' on a 40" TV, a 720p would be just fine. For a 40" you have to be sitting like 6' or closer for the human eye to distinguish between 720 and 1080 resolution. Though, I don't even know if there are many offerings in 720 anymore and it may not be of any savings.

There are a few 720s out there, and I thought I would be just fine with one for the basement. I'm just not finding a ton of there out there, and they were only marginally cheaper.

Thanks guys!

 

[bfreebern]

Walmart online, has a 40" Vizio 1080P LCD for $419. I think they'll even ship to your local store for free, then you just pick it up.

 

[kann]

We have a Panasonic 50" plasma in the living room that replaced a 40" (might be 39", maybe) LG LCD that is now downstairs here (was in our bedroom back in the States). I like the LCD much better than the plasma, honestly. I have no complaints with either brands, though.

 

[DePasta]

I have had good luck with 3 Panasonic plasmas.

Warning on Vizio, on the cheaper models, their speakers suck. Be prepared to buy a soundbar or hook up to an A/V system.

 

[Seavita]

As an a/v junkie (especially in the TV and movie genre)I will concur with the group that 720p will be mor ethan sufficient for the casual user, and panasonice is amon teh top producer of new gen plasmas. But again as a casula user any LED/LCD/Plasma will be pleasing to you, so go to best buy and pick teh one you think looks best and then ask them for floor model and save yourself a few bucks.....makes no sens in getting extended warranty as the technology evolves so fast that it is just not worth it...plus the odds are worse than Vegas on those things as the average payout on them is 1.5-2 cents on the dollar...

 

[grateful1]

As an a/v junkie (especially in the TV and movie genre)I will concur with the group that 720p will be mor ethan sufficient for the casual user, and panasonice is amon teh top producer of new gen plasmas. But again as a casula user any LED/LCD/Plasma will be pleasing to you, so go to best buy and pick teh one you think looks best and then ask them for floor model and save yourself a few bucks.....makes no sens in getting extended warranty as the technology evolves so fast that it is just not worth it...plus the odds are worse than Vegas on those things as the average payout on them is 1.5-2 cents on the dollar...

Yea..at 10ft+ for viewing...there's not a lot of difference.

Think about getting somehting that has some extra inputs...and even Network capable - in case you want to stream to the TV.

If that's that case..while 720 is fine for the distance...you may want to think of higher if you connect blu-ray or some such things.

But I could be wrong about that last part.

 

[ironpeddler]

Whenever I've looked at the 40" category, usually because of size constraints, for an install (my two brothers and a few friends and neighbors), the Sony LCDs are hard to beat. Thin bezel, bright picture, and good side-to-side clarity. If size isn't an issue, I'd go to a 42" set.

I happen to be a plasma guy because of the clarity of all the viewing angels versus the LCDs...it's the closest to an old tube set in that area. The Costco suggestion is very good because they add an extra year to the warranty and offer a 90 return policy for an exchange/refund if you decided you didn't like it, no one else comes close to that policy that I know of.

Investing in an Internet ready TV is pretty cool...for 8 bucks a month to be able to stream NetFlix, et al is a nice option. If you have a Playstation 3 or Xbox 360, you can connect to the streaming sights (in HD too) via them and save the extra money on the TV software...but integrating it into the TV itself is a better option. Web browsing, movie streaming, streaming network TV shows, Facebook, Twitter, and all the other BS is cool if you use it...we just do movies and TV series and that alone makes it worth the investment. Just make sure you have a good wireless router (wireless N) to stream at a high rate, there by avoiding too much buffering (interruptions in the feed) during the show. It's great if you could connect the TV to your modem via a CAT 5 or CAT 6 cable...VERY FAST that way with little to no buffering!

720 vs. 1080 is another thing to consider. While everyone touts their ability to recreate 1080p, the only source to that resolution is Blueray, the TV stations are a long way off in getting there on their broadcasts...they're just about there now with 720p cameras recording/broadcasting their programming. Plus, the 1080p conversion would take up too much bandwidth to put out there on cable OR fiber optics. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you find a TV that is only 720p and it fits your budget more easily, buy it! The human eye can only translate so much clarity to our brains and 720p is PLENTY!

Pick a price point for your budget and stick to it...there will be a very nice TV out there to suit your needs. Pay attention to the number of HD inputs...not all of them have to be HDMI...Component inputs are fine if the sources are close due to the cable size. If possible, buy a TV with a input for memory cards from your digital camera...makes viewing your photos a whole new experience. If you can't find one, try to buy a TV with a USB port to connect a video card reader to it to do the same thing.

Good luck, TV shopping is fun...and remember it's a lot like smoking cigars, whatever YOU like is all that counts!

 

[ironpeddler]

As an a/v junkie (especially in the TV and movie genre)I will concur with the group that 720p will be more than sufficient for the casual user, and Panasonic is among the top producer of new gen plasmas. But again as a casual user any LED/LCD/Plasma will be pleasing to you, so go to best buy and pick the one you think looks best and then ask them for floor model and save yourself a few bucks.....makes no sens in getting extended warranty as the technology evolves so fast that it is just not worth it...plus the odds are worse than Vegas on those things as the average payout on them is 1.5-2 cents on the dollar...

If you are going the Panasonic route (I own one of them too) make sure you check the model number concerning all the buzz on the Internet about them stepping down the power supply in the set after a certain number of hours, around 1,000 to 1,200hrs. When they did that, the black ratings changed significantly, it stopped me from buying a new Panasonic set last year and made me buy a Samsung plasma instead.

Just Goggle 'Panasonic black ratings' and I'm sure you'll get plenty of info.

 

[Wolfie]

I've been happily using a 42" Panasonic plasma for about six years with no problems. I recently picked up a 42" Samsung LED-lit LCD on craigslist for $300 to replace the Panasonic as a main display simply due to the fact it was only 1" thick and could be set nearly flush against the wall. The picture and viewing angles are beautiful, but I have to admit the old Panasonic plasma still squeezes out better black levels, even after all these years.

 

[Seavita]

As an a/v junkie (especially in the TV and movie genre)I will concur with the group that 720p will be more than sufficient for the casual user, and Panasonic is among the top producer of new gen plasmas. But again as a casual user any LED/LCD/Plasma will be pleasing to you, so go to best buy and pick the one you think looks best and then ask them for floor model and save yourself a few bucks.....makes no sens in getting extended warranty as the technology evolves so fast that it is just not worth it...plus the odds are worse than Vegas on those things as the average payout on them is 1.5-2 cents on the dollar...

If you are going the Panasonic route (I own one of them too) make sure you check the model number concerning all the buzz on the Internet about them stepping down the power supply in the set after a certain number of hours, around 1,000 to 1,200hrs. When they did that, the black ratings changed significantly, it stopped me from buying a new Panasonic set last year and made me buy a Samsung plasma instead.

Just Goggle 'Panasonic black ratings' and I'm sure you'll get plenty of info.

All due respect he is looking for a secondary set and is admittedly not that concerned about resolution, so while I giggle with glee at all the options and fun stuff you wrote, I think he is looking for ease and you are speaking to a different target...lol


1200 hours and I would want a new set anyway, and at todays prices it is realistic as well....especially for those sets of which you speak as they look great even with that "endgame flaw", plus most of them were discontinued and discounted for that very cause making them cheaper......win-win me thinks..lol

 

[Satchmo]

As an a/v junkie (especially in the TV and movie genre)I will concur with the group that 720p will be more than sufficient for the casual user, and Panasonic is among the top producer of new gen plasmas. But again as a casual user any LED/LCD/Plasma will be pleasing to you, so go to best buy and pick the one you think looks best and then ask them for floor model and save yourself a few bucks.....makes no sens in getting extended warranty as the technology evolves so fast that it is just not worth it...plus the odds are worse than Vegas on those things as the average payout on them is 1.5-2 cents on the dollar...

If you are going the Panasonic route (I own one of them too) make sure you check the model number concerning all the buzz on the Internet about them stepping down the power supply in the set after a certain number of hours, around 1,000 to 1,200hrs. When they did that, the black ratings changed significantly, it stopped me from buying a new Panasonic set last year and made me buy a Samsung plasma instead.

Just Goggle 'Panasonic black ratings' and I'm sure you'll get plenty of info.

All due respect he is looking for a secondary set and is admittedly not that concerned about resolution, so while I giggle with glee at all the options and fun stuff you wrote, I think he is looking for ease and you are speaking to a different target...lol

I am looking at a basic set. Not much will be going in the rec room. It is mostly for the kiddos. I do appreciate all the feedback as there is too much info and things changing for me to keep up.

1200 hours and I would want a new set anyway, and at todays prices it is realistic as well....especially for those sets of which you speak as they look great even with that "endgame flaw", plus most of them were discontinued and discounted for that very cause making them cheaper......win-win me thinks..lol

 

[JHolmes763]

My kids are always complaining about the black levels and pixel resolution in Wii bowling...