Hi All,
Well, my aging Samsung 42" 720p DLP is slowly dying. I've lost another bulb, and I suspect there are some issues with the color wheel starting to go I think (flickering, etc intermittently).
Anyway, the wife is convinced we should just pay the $150-175 for a new bulb but I'm frankly tired of putting money into an aging set to replace the bulbs (this'll be the 4th).
So I think I've decided to go with an LCD over a plasma due to power consumption and burn in (from what I can tell, they are still potentially susceptible to burn in).
I'd like something bigger than what we have to make it feel like more of an upgrade - so 46" or larger is a must. Of course, going 720p to 1080p is a huge upgrade in and of itself, but the diagonal viewing size is just a psychological difference I guess
So with all that said, the most I'd like to spend is $1200, absolute maximum. I'd prefer to keep it closer to $1000, if possible, but $1200 is ok.
I've done a fair amount of research/reading on various units, and quite frankly I'm inclined to solicit opinions on folks who already have a set and can speak highly of it or against another unit. I saw a similar thread from earlier in the year, but figured this deserved a new thread since a lot changes in 6 months!
So again, constraints are:
- Budget: $1000 - $1200
- Size: 46" or larger
- Technology: LCD (though if there is a plasma that is decent power consumption wise and people can assure me it won't burn in, I'm willing to consider a plasma)
- Horizontal Viewing angle: mostly 0 degrees (straight on), or about 45 degrees (measured from the line perpendicular to the TV screen)
- Vertical Viewing angle: pretty much 0 degrees (straight on)
- Mostly will be viewing 1080i or 720p HDTV sources on FiOS, but with some PS3 bluray movies @ full 1080p
- Lighting conditions: the room is fairly bright during the day. We have blinds we can close, but there are still about 8 windows in the room and neighboring rooms
- No need to wall mount, we already have a glass entertainment stand it will rest on
I've heard mixed opinions on the 60 vs. 120 Hz thing. Most say it's better to spend the money on a larger 60 Hz screen than spend the money on a smaller 120 Hz screen. I've also heard a couple of people say the 120 Hz screens tend to look "blurrier".
So with all that said, I'd love some opinions on some TVs to check out and consider.
Thanks everyone for your invaluable opinions and information!
Well, my aging Samsung 42" 720p DLP is slowly dying. I've lost another bulb, and I suspect there are some issues with the color wheel starting to go I think (flickering, etc intermittently).
Anyway, the wife is convinced we should just pay the $150-175 for a new bulb but I'm frankly tired of putting money into an aging set to replace the bulbs (this'll be the 4th).
So I think I've decided to go with an LCD over a plasma due to power consumption and burn in (from what I can tell, they are still potentially susceptible to burn in).
I'd like something bigger than what we have to make it feel like more of an upgrade - so 46" or larger is a must. Of course, going 720p to 1080p is a huge upgrade in and of itself, but the diagonal viewing size is just a psychological difference I guess

So with all that said, the most I'd like to spend is $1200, absolute maximum. I'd prefer to keep it closer to $1000, if possible, but $1200 is ok.
I've done a fair amount of research/reading on various units, and quite frankly I'm inclined to solicit opinions on folks who already have a set and can speak highly of it or against another unit. I saw a similar thread from earlier in the year, but figured this deserved a new thread since a lot changes in 6 months!
So again, constraints are:
- Budget: $1000 - $1200
- Size: 46" or larger
- Technology: LCD (though if there is a plasma that is decent power consumption wise and people can assure me it won't burn in, I'm willing to consider a plasma)
- Horizontal Viewing angle: mostly 0 degrees (straight on), or about 45 degrees (measured from the line perpendicular to the TV screen)
- Vertical Viewing angle: pretty much 0 degrees (straight on)
- Mostly will be viewing 1080i or 720p HDTV sources on FiOS, but with some PS3 bluray movies @ full 1080p
- Lighting conditions: the room is fairly bright during the day. We have blinds we can close, but there are still about 8 windows in the room and neighboring rooms
- No need to wall mount, we already have a glass entertainment stand it will rest on
I've heard mixed opinions on the 60 vs. 120 Hz thing. Most say it's better to spend the money on a larger 60 Hz screen than spend the money on a smaller 120 Hz screen. I've also heard a couple of people say the 120 Hz screens tend to look "blurrier".
So with all that said, I'd love some opinions on some TVs to check out and consider.
Thanks everyone for your invaluable opinions and information!