Purchasing a new TV soon. Need advice.

[SW2001GTS]

First off, I don't know much about HDtv's etc. My budget is no more than $1100 (tax included etc.). I've been looking around for some some and narrowed it down to 3 sets. Westinghouse 42" TX 1080P LCD, Samsung 50" DLP Slim Depth, or an LG 42" LCD. All of these sets are about the same price, but I'm not sure on which to get. I use my PS3 alot so I'll be playing games and blu-rays via 1080p, but I've heard the set's video processors is what matters the most.

After going to Best Buy, from looking at the displays the Samsung and LG looked more vivid and better than the Westinghouse. I even spent about 15 minutes on each set adjusting the picture to see how it fares. But one of the salesman told me they were displayed in 720p. Would 1080p jump the quality of the picture of the Westinghouse via using my PS3? I plan on keeping the set for a good while. I also heard anything below 50" for 1080p sets are hardly noticable. Thanks for the help.

[wolfgaze]

I'm not you, but if I was, I would stick with Samsung and look at LCD's among the brands you listed... Samsung is more of a reputable company in the TV market among those 3.....

However, I wouldn't get a DLP Set... This is a dying technology for rear projection sets (although still used in projectors).... The set you were looking at would use a lamp and the picture quality (brightness) would fade as the lamp life fades, you would have to replace these lamps every X amount of viewing hours. After your warranty expires, this could be a little costly...

What size TV are you looking for?

Frankly if your budget is very tight, I would just be a little patient and save up for longer until you can afford a particular unit that you have you've researched well and are confident in purchasing....

[Gary McCoy]

Buy the November issue of Home Theater magazine. It has tests of most 2007 models, 74 sets to be exact. Read the material before the chart to understand what is being measured. It is $5 well spent for an expensive purchase.

[Lenore]

Gary,

Thanks for the advice about Hometheater magazine. I will definately look into it.
My question about a new LCD is:
I have about a $3500 or less budget.
I was watching the older XBR3 from Sony and was ready to jump at a $3000 delivered price when I saw some write ups on the new W3000 series, and then looked at the newer XBR4.

I am only interested in a 46 in. (biggest size I can buy) and is the new W3000 "better" or just different from the older XBR's. The newer XBR4 is at the upper end of my spending limit, and I do not know if I am that "knowledgeable" to know and even see the difference between the older and newer XBR. The cheapest of the line is the newer W3000 (newer than the XBR3).

In your opinion, which is the best way to go, and if you have the time, why.

Lenore

[Gary McCoy]

Lenore,

The state of the art is always advancing. You could wait forever and the sets would get better the longer you wait.

I think the best way to proceed is:

1) Buy a major name brand - and Sony qualifies.

2) Audition the sets in a "brick and mortor" store like Best Buy or Circuit City if possible. Take the time to tweek the video adjustments via the remote control - many sets are adjusted incorrectly.

3) Consider not only the image quality but the quality of the remote, the ease of use, and the feature set including whether or not the number and type of inputs matches your needs.

4) The most important is how much you like the image. TVs are often demonstrated with brightness and contrast and color saturation adjusted higher than optimum. Adjust them down and pay atention to details in both shadows and brightly lit areas, and how easy it is to read text in commercials. Try both 1080i and 720p broadcasts to see how well the resolution scaling works.

Let your own preferences develop and take as long as necessary but don't get burnt out. Make your decision based on image quality and price.