I've been looking for an lcd tv and I thought I'd ask the advice of some of the experts on here. Shopping for a tv in 2007 is alot harder than it used to be.

First of all my needs. The primary use would be for my xbox 360 and for HD DVD movies. I'll probably add a ps3 in the future when the price drops some. I don't want a great deal of broadcast tv aside from local sports (football, baseball, basketball).

Sizewise I am probably looking at a 40" set. I don't really have room for anything bigger than that. Originally I was looking for a 37" but those seem like they're going bye-bye and there isn't much selection in that range. My budget is probably around $1500 for the set but I would pay more if I thought the cost was justified. Looking for 1080p so I can take full advantage of the high def movies. My 360 is one of the older ones so I'm either looking at using the vga cable or upgrading to a newer system. Sound isn't a huge issue to me. I don't blast the tv loud so what some people call weak sound is probably okay to me.

It seems like every set I read reviews about has someone with some kind of horror story. I read stuff about ghosting, tearing, lagging, clouding, etc. This is my first hdtv purchase so I don't even know what half that stuff is.

I started out looking at Samsung sets. I was looking at the 4061f and the 4065f but I kept hearing about people having problems with those, needing boards replaced, etc. We have a local tv dealer here that doesn't even carry Samsung tvs because of the problems so I don't think I want any part of that. So I thought I'd look at some of the Sony sets. I know they cost more but its been the top name in tvs for as long as I can remember and their colors look so rich. I was looking at the 3000v set. Anyone know how their sets are for gaming? I know they also have the 2500v and the 3000w which are same size.

Based on what I've seen from the prices, I'll probably get my set from amazon just to save money. Just looking for some advice right now. I'm sure many of you were in a similar situation that I'm in right now.

I've always heard that the Samsung 65 series (and probably the 61 as well) is actually pretty trouble free. Your dealer really doesn't carry it because of issues? What about Sharp? That's where you hear the constant complaints about quality control problems.

I'd recommend posting this in the LCD area, probably get better and more detailed responses there.

There's a Sony Bravia 40" that a buddy of mine recently purchased. He seems pretty happy with the set and it's below your budget.

I myself have a 52" 1080p Sony Bravia XBR2 LCD and am very happy with it. I find the Sonys give you very good PQ with good color and black levels and a minimum of blurring and other image problems. You will need to do some tweaking and calibrating of the image to get the best picture as the out of the box settings aren't all that good for everyday viewing.

If you're not going to go above 40" however, I'd suggest sticking with 720p and saving youself some money; unless you plan to sit about 2 feet away from the set, I really don't think you'll see much if any difference between 720p and 1080p at that size.

I myself have a 52" 1080p Sony Bravia XBR2 LCD and am very happy with it. I find the Sonys give you very good PQ with good color and black levels and a minimum of blurring and other image problems. You will need to do some tweaking and calibrating of the image to get the best picture as the out of the box settings aren't all that good for everyday viewing.

If you're not going to go above 40" however, I'd suggest sticking with 720p and saving youself some money; unless you plan to sit about 2 feet away from the set, I really don't think you'll see much if any difference between 720p and 1080p at that size.

I know people say that about 720 and 1080 but I can tell a difference. There was a sony 720p model right next to the 3000v in the store and the colors looked alot richer and more detailed on the 1080p set.

I was more concerned if anyone knew of any blurring issues on sony's sets. Unfortunately, when you go to stores to look at tvs you have no idea how games are going to look and if there are any issues with games. Thanks for the feedback.

I've always heard that the Samsung 65 series (and probably the 61 as well) is actually pretty trouble free. Your dealer really doesn't carry it because of issues? What about Sharp? That's where you hear the constant complaints about quality control problems.

He said he was hoping they would get the issues worked out and he was hopeful they would be able to sell them by the end of the year. People ask about them all the time since they're tied in with the nfl. The main brands they carry in lcd look to be sony, toshiba and mitsubishi. No sharp either. I didn't even ask about those.

If you are lucky, try to find a Sharp Friends & Family promotion code.
Go to www.sharpusa.com/friendsandfamily

Their sets are 50% off right now which would make in your budget ($1000).
I suggest the 42D64U which is their brand new "Slimline" 1080p LCD line-up.

I ordered 2x 46" of this model for $1300 each. =)


By the way, the sale ends today! So good luck finding a code. (eBay maybe?)

I know people say that about 720 and 1080 but I can tell a difference. There was a sony 720p model right next to the 3000v in the store and the colors looked alot richer and more detailed on the 1080p set.

I was more concerned if anyone knew of any blurring issues on sony's sets. Unfortunately, when you go to stores to look at tvs you have no idea how games are going to look and if there are any issues with games. Thanks for the feedback.

Was the same signal being sent, were the settings adjusted on both? If so I doubt there would be much difference. If I was back in your shoes as I do a fair amount of gaming, I would get a 120hz set but that would stretch your budget a tad.

I know people say that about 720 and 1080 but I can tell a difference. There was a sony 720p model right next to the 3000v in the store and the colors looked alot richer and more detailed on the 1080p set.

I was more concerned if anyone knew of any blurring issues on sony's sets. Unfortunately, when you go to stores to look at tvs you have no idea how games are going to look and if there are any issues with games. Thanks for the feedback.

You don't know alot about TVs do you? Resolution has absolutely no affect on a TVs color, it's a number of a pixels that allows for more detail and that is all. 720p and 1080p are probably going to indistinguishable at 40" if he is sitting at a normal distance.

Anyway here's my two cents: if you want an expensive, great looking, LCD then go for a Samsung or a Sharp Aquos (Sony Bravia's are great but overpriced). If you want to save a **** load of cash and get nearly the same quality then buy a Vizio. I almost bought a Sammy and am so glad I went with a 37" Vizio instead, the color is just as accurate as my old CRT, the black levels and shadow detail are great (better when the TV is on in a well lit room but this can be compensated for in the dark by turning the backlight way down) the only time I notice the blacks aren't that great is on an all black screen but in normal viewing it looks nice and dark. Motion blur exists but only in really fast moving content and it will be the same on the Sammy (possibly better on a Sharp) but it's really not a big deal. I've yet to notice any lag so far, it's gotta be there because it's there on all HDTVs but it's not really noticeable.

O and be wary if you buy from Amazon because in the event you get a lemon sending it back is gonna suck.

i just purchased a sony 40" kdl-S3000 for less than your price target. great experience so far. the colors really look quite amazing on this set.

good luck on your purchase.

My parents wanted an LCD for their bedroom so after some research and finding many many positive reviews, I told them to get the Toshiba Regza series...they wanted a 32" however.

CC has them on sale and the parents have AAA so they get an extra 10% of the sale price..total out the door was $780.

I'm going over there tonight to set it up...from the reviews I've read, the pictures quality is supposed to be very very nice...

Oh and it has 3 HDMI inputs vs. many sets only have 2...would be nice to have if you need to hook up several HDMI components like hi-def DVD etc.

First off I dont think there is an LCD on the market that doesnt have some kind of problem, how minor or major it is? I was like you I struggled for over a month on which one to buy..not as easy as it used to be.

After much research I went with a 52" 1080p sharp aquos, I dont think the PQ can be beaten and the TV itself has a lot of good features, upscaling through component to 1080p looks fabulous. thats just my opinion. I know sharp has a 42" 1080p for around or under what you are wanting to spend.

IMO the sony's are wayyyyyyy overpriced for what they are. When I purchased my sharp there was a sony on one side and a samsung on the other, I tweaked the tv's for hours and couldnt make them look as good as the sharp...in the end its really your decision, buy what looks good to you and dont buy a "brand" name.....

But I would try to stick with a
sharp
samsung
toshiba or sony....good luck

First off I dont think there is an LCD on the market that doesnt have some kind of problem, how minor or major it is?

Exactly... and that really goes for any type of displays