Best LCD HDTV?

[Gunnar]

I'm pretty sure that a good number of people here have scoped out the LCD tv scene, so I thought it'd be a good idea to gather opinions.

I initially had my heart set on a Sharp Aquos LC-26GD4U. Seemed to have everything I wanted, HD capable, CableCard (so I don't need that damned box), HDMI and DVI, Faroudja upscaling, decent sound with a sub out.

But I went to Circuit City today, and they had them all lined up, and the sharp didn't look as impressive as the Sony...

I'm not sure about the sharp anymore, the samsung, panasonic, sony and phillips offerings are looking pretty good. While I love the feature set of the Sharp, the picture is what counts. Seems like most LCDs get 'blocky' when there is movement (you can see this in the grass in those racing HD feeds they have on). The sony seemed to cut down on this, drastically, enough to unset my impending sharp purchase.

Anyone buy one of these? Throw me a clue?

 

[Excelsior]

Might want to see the Sharp in another setting...a better one.

 

[Gunnar]

I'm probably going to look again (wait until after christmas?)

Anyone actually buy one?

 

[toekramp]

those displays that they have at Circuit City/Best Buy are never true of the actually quality you get from a pure/unsplit HD signal

 

[Nikamichi]

Originally posted by: toekramp
those displays that they have at Circuit City/Best Buy are never true of the actually quality you get from a pure/unsplit HD signal

This is true.

I, too was also looking at the Sharp AQUOS (LC-37GD4U). I still haven't made the switch to HD, and it seemed like a good choice (I fell in :heart: w/the picture quality). The only thing holding me back is the price tag; looks like I'm gonna have to wait for Santa. :gift:

 

[Chadder007]

Originally posted by: Excelsior
Might want to see the Sharp in another setting...a better one.

werd.....i looked at all of those same tvs. The samsung, sharp, and sony. The samsung looked horrible, but i found out that someone had messed up the settings on it. (they made it look very blocky). So its probably that someone messed around on the Sharp that you looked at. The Sharp looks very good when calibrated correctly

 

[Apex]

How bright is your room going to be? In general, it's difficult to compare at your local store because stores are so brightly lit. When it gets to your house, sometimes the elevated black levels bother people.

 

[toant103]

i saw this Sharp LCD that can do 1920x1080 wow, but it's like $8k for 40inch

 

[FreshPrince]

we put in 3, 37" sharp lcds at work...analog signal they look like @ss, HD signal, they look great!

 

[Koing]

Well as for the blockiness you can' really expect much from a big screen and relatively high resolution on a p!ss poor signal or one that is split 6+ ways and more.

HDTV with good compression will look stunning. Just don't expect too much from non HDTV sources.

Most people favour the Sharp compared to the Sony if £££ plays a lot. BUT even then most would go witht he Sharp then Sony. But you get a few who like the Sony image better anyway.

Just get what looks 'best' for your wallet and your eyes.

For me LCD doesn't look as good as a 42" plasma screen.

Koing

 

[Koing]

And only 26"?!!!

How big is your room and what is your budget?

Koing

 

[Gunnar]

Budget is definitely ~2000. Room is your typical NYC closet (i.e. 10x15). I could conceivably save a few bucks and buy a couch, but I think the futon is good for another couple months of duty. I freakin hate having to watch my dvds on my powerbook, not to mention that you can't have company over to watch a movie.

I wanted HDMI because I plan on buying an HDMI dvd player once I see one to my liking. Though i do plan on buying a Denon or Onkyo receiver as well as some Definitive Tech Mythos speakers.

I personally like the color saturation and brightness of LCDs a lot better than plasmas, plus I plan on hooking my powerbook in, so I don't want any of those burn in issues...

 

[vshah]

SONY GRAND WEGA III LCD RPTV end of story

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: Gunnar

Budget is definitely ~2000. Room is your typical NYC closet (i.e. 10x15). I could conceivably save a few bucks and buy a couch, but I think the futon is good for another couple months of duty. I freakin hate having to watch my dvds on my powerbook, not to mention that you can't have company over to watch a movie.

I wanted HDMI because I plan on buying an HDMI dvd player once I see one to my liking. Though i do plan on buying a Denon or Onkyo receiver as well as some Definitive Tech Mythos speakers.

I personally like the color saturation and brightness of LCDs a lot better than plasmas, plus I plan on hooking my powerbook in, so I don't want any of those burn in issues...

I see, fair enough.

26" is too small for me considering my monitor is 23"!

Can't wait until next year when father gets a 43" Pioneer

Koing

 

[purbeast0]

i just purchased my first big screen the past 2 weekends ago. i decided to go with DLP over LCD though. out of the LCD's though, I would have to say the grand wega looked the best. Sony definitely. i went to 5 different stores and saw it in 5 different environments, and as far as LCD, I would definitely say that is the best LCD out there right now, without shelling out for the extreme high end stuff.

but like i said, i went with the DLP instead due to the complaints about the blacks on the LCD displays, which I noticed when shopping. GL with your purchase.

 

[Maximus96]

I just bought the 26" Aquos from costco last night for 1799+tax. I'm loving every bit of it. xbox via component looks great, as well as my dvd player thru component. its got 5 sets of inputs so you won't have problem plugging stuff in. it also has a sensor in front where it senses ambient light and adjust the backlight accordingly if you turn the setting on in menu. however i was a bit torn this morning when i saw the dell ad that shows their 26" for 1499, and their 30" for 1999.

 

[welst10]

26" is way too small for living room, IMO

Check here: 30" LCD for $999. Deal may be dead already.

 

[Maximus96]

Originally posted by: welst10
26" is way too small for living room, IMO

that is true. but its just right for our bedroom. anybody have experiences with the 30" phillips LCD? its $1999.99 at costco.com. i might be able to work the 'whats another $200' angle on the wife if this is a good unit. I haven't been able to find any reviews on it tho.

 

[alent1234]

Originally posted by: Gunnar

Budget is definitely ~2000. Room is your typical NYC closet (i.e. 10x15). I could conceivably save a few bucks and buy a couch, but I think the futon is good for another couple months of duty. I freakin hate having to watch my dvds on my powerbook, not to mention that you can't have company over to watch a movie.

I wanted HDMI because I plan on buying an HDMI dvd player once I see one to my liking. Though i do plan on buying a Denon or Onkyo receiver as well as some Definitive Tech Mythos speakers.

I personally like the color saturation and brightness of LCDs a lot better than plasmas, plus I plan on hooking my powerbook in, so I don't want any of those burn in issues...

check out the 26" Aquos at j and r for $1699. That was the price a few weeks ago. I PM'd at circuit city because i have their credit card and got the 24 month 0%.