Picking up LCD HDTV at Costco... can't decide between the 1080P sets

[Trey22]

Here are the five 1080P panels Costco has on their website. They might have more selection in-store, will have to stop by and look.

Toshiba 40"

Sceptre 42"

Vizio 42"

Vizio 47"

Toshiba 47"

I know bigger is not necessarily better. I already own a Vizio 37" 720P, and pretty happy w/ it. The SD picture could look better, but the upconverted DVD's look great to me, as do the local HD channels.

 

[olds]

Didn't look at the specs but Toshiba has pretty good TVs.

 

[krotchy]

Sceptre is Trash, dont even try it, worst mistake I ever did was buy one, thank god for the return policy at the time.

Vizio as you already know has mediocre SD processing at best, so unless you intend to watch all HD stuff, it will get annoying, especially since better processing becomes even more necessary when you go from 37in 720p to 47in 1080p.

Toshiba has very very good processing, but the HL-167 is last years model, and there were some reports that certain models have greenish blacks. However it can be calibrated out if you goto the thread at AVSforum.com.

The Toshiba 40" RF-350 is by far the best in your list, and was a fall line refresh, it is a very nice TV IMO. Good processing, no green blacks, and a wide gamut backlight. If you are ok with going with the smallest of the bunch, for 999, that thing is a steal.

The problem with all the above models is they are 2007 models, and all the 2008's are coming out or already out and have better panels/processing from their previous generations.

Another thing you should do is go visit your local costco, and look at the Philips 1080p models they have, I cant think of the costco specific model # off hand but its 1080p and has rounded edges and clear plastic around the outside, compared to last years models which are square edged and have no clear border. This years Philips are a good mix of price/processing and features.

I currently have last years Philips, the 47PFL7422, which I got at Costco and I love the TV as it has good processing and a good picture. The blacks could be a bit better, but they certainly beat Vizio. If your costo happens to have the newer Toshibas (RV530, XV540 or XF550, grab one in a heartbeat)

 

[kenrippy]

i can only comment on the VIZIO VO47L which we've had for about 3-4 months. very happy with it, for the price ($1299) which we've already had a price adjustment from $1399. SD looks fine to me, better than the old Mitsubishi 35" monster that we used to have. we've got time warner so the HD is overly compressed on some channels - so some could look better, not the TVs fault. Blu-ray looks incredible, upconvert DVD looks awesome as well. and it's a nice looking unit, compared to some other vizios out there.

we have it running via HDMI all the way, the "handshake" is handled in a good time as well.

IMO, it's well worth the money at half the price of the sony XBR series.

edit: don't forget to use your AMEX to get an extra yr warranty (3yrs total)
you can also buy a 5yr on site warranty from vizio for $229 IIRC, which starts from the day you buy the warranty. so, if you wait 11 months to buy it, you would get almost 6yrs of warranty in total.

 

[MotionMan]

I am very happy with my Vizio 42" (and my Vizio 32" - both purchased at Costco). It is hard to beat the bang for your buck with the Vizios.

MotionMan

 

[mshan]

Just a heads up about the warranty of these off brand HDTVs: http://hdguru.com/your-new-dis...e-flat-panel-hdtv/107/

I believe Costco has amended their lifetime return warranty, but I would guess that if you had a manufacturing defect with your hdtv, it would probaby show up before the Costco return period has expired.

 

[krotchy]

BTW costco just tossed 2 new TV's on their website which are the best at their size/price right now IMO

The Toshiba 46RF350 and the 2008 Phillips 1080p 42incher for 999.

The model # is the 42TA648BX, which I think corresponds to the new Phillips 5 series from the specs and its a good TV.

 

[Googer]

Many Vizio displays die after just 18 months of use, their record of reliability is very poor and so is their picture quality.

For less than or around $1,000 you can get a 42" or 46" Panasonic Plasma with superior picture quality that's second only to Kuro. Panasonic's Direct site is a priced a bit high, internet resellers have much lower prices. Current generation Panasonic Plasma is rated for over 100,000 hours.

http://www2.panasonic.com/weba...&orderBy=msrpalternate
http://www.resellerratings.com...ision_Technologies_ITC

Panasonc 42in 720p Less than $1,000!

Panasonic 42" 1080p around $1,000!

Or a Pioneer Kuro for 1,600
http://www.google.com/products...D&btnG=Search+Products

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: krotchy
Sceptre is Trash, dont even try it, worst mistake I ever did was buy one, thank god for the return policy at the time.

Vizio as you already know has mediocre SD processing at best, so unless you intend to watch all HD stuff, it will get annoying, especially since better processing becomes even more necessary when you go from 37in 720p to 47in 1080p.

Toshiba has very very good processing, but the HL-167 is last years model, and there were some reports that certain models have greenish blacks. However it can be calibrated out if you goto the thread at AVSforum.com.

The Toshiba 40" RF-350 is by far the best in your list, and was a fall line refresh, it is a very nice TV IMO. Good processing, no green blacks, and a wide gamut backlight. If you are ok with going with the smallest of the bunch, for 999, that thing is a steal.

The problem with all the above models is they are 2007 models, and all the 2008's are coming out or already out and have better panels/processing from their previous generations.

Another thing you should do is go visit your local costco, and look at the Philips 1080p models they have, I cant think of the costco specific model # off hand but its 1080p and has rounded edges and clear plastic around the outside, compared to last years models which are square edged and have no clear border. This years Philips are a good mix of price/processing and features.

I currently have last years Philips, the 47PFL7422, which I got at Costco and I love the TV as it has good processing and a good picture. The blacks could be a bit better, but they certainly beat Vizio. If your costo happens to have the newer Toshibas (RV530, XV540 or XF550, grab one in a heartbeat)

No black issues when you go with Plasma and in some cases, it's cheaper too!

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: MotionMan
I am very happy with my Vizio 42" (and my Vizio 32" - both purchased at Costco). It is hard to beat the bang for your buck with the Vizios.

MotionMan

Real Value
Vizio's are notorious for dying young.

 

[krotchy]

Originally posted by: Googer

No black issues when you go with Plasma and in some cases, it's cheaper too!

Yeah and then you only get dim whites issues at that point for alot more power usage ... plus Costco has only 1 1080p plasma for sale, it is a sweet one admittedly, but at 3K I think its a different price range than the OP is goin for.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: krotchy

Originally posted by: Googer

No black issues when you go with Plasma and in some cases, it's cheaper too!

Yeah and then you only get dim whites issues at that point for alot more power usage ... plus Costco has only 1 1080p plasma for sale, it is a sweet one admittedly, but at 3K I think its a different price range than the OP is goin for.

Dimness and backlight burn out are also issues with LCD. Panasonic and Pioneer have a very long "half life". You won't notice it for 10-12 years watching 8 hours per day. The panel it's self is rated for 100,000 hour, thats about 30 years of 8 hours per day of use. With no expensive ($500+) back light to burn out after a few years of use, no motion blur, no faded colours, no greenish-redish blacks.


Some Current generation Plasmas use less energy than some LCDs.

 

[krotchy]

Originally posted by: Googer
Dimness and backlight burn out are also issues with LCD. Panasonic and Pioneer have a very long "half life". You won't notice it for 10-12 years watching 8 hours per day. The panel it's self is rated for 100,000 hour, thats about 30 years of 8 hours per day of use. With no expensive ($500+) back light to burn out after a few years of use, no motion blur, no faded colours, no greenish-redish blacks.


Some Current generation Plasmas use less energy than some LCDs.

I was just referring to the fact that the whiteness of whites on Plasmas depends on how much of the screen is white. When 100% of the cells are lit white the screen tends to be dimmer than when watching traditional material. The slight dimming of the cells on a 100% white screen is a virtually worthless comparison to make for any real usage though.

I was more making a tounge in cheek reference to the fact that Plasmas and LCD both have faults, so if we just state one thing, like black level, you can easily claim one is better than the other, when each have faults and strengths. I could argue for an hour on either side and make a point that the best technology is definitively LCD or Plasma depending on the points I choose.

I really dont feel like arguing right now, but I could easily contradict any of your points on why a LCD is better just by taking the other side.

 

[kenrippy]

i was told that plasmas will fade ever so slightly/gradually over time. it won't be noticed for a while because it's so gradual. LCD's will just flat out die at some point.

 

[MazerRackham]

I'm looking at 1080p TVs right now too, and was intrigued by the Phillips 42" at costco for $999. Anyone know the Phillips model number is? Checking Phillips' website, there are like 6 TVs which are 42".

I hadn't considered plasma again until I read this thread. Does all this 120Hz stuff (on higher end LCDs) matter, or are they necessary, with plasmas? What about 24p?

I need to educate myself a bit more before buying... thanks for the info--

 

[MazerRackham]

Originally posted by: krotchy
BTW costco just tossed 2 new TV's on their website which are the best at their size/price right now IMO

The Toshiba 46RF350 and the 2008 Phillips 1080p 42incher for 999.

The model # is the 42TA648BX, which I think corresponds to the new Phillips 5 series from the specs and its a good TV.

Woops, missed this! Yeah looking at the current Phillips lineup, it must be this TV. The other 42" sets with the same bezel have 24p and the highest has 24p and 120Hz.

So, I am sure this is a common questions 'round these parts, but will I miss the 24p and 120Hz if I go for the $999 Phillips? I imagine that the 24p would be the more glaring omission, because I plan on getting a blu-ray player (PS3) as well.

 

[krotchy]

Originally posted by: MazerRackham
Woops, missed this! Yeah looking at the current Phillips lineup, it must be this TV. The other 42" sets with the same bezel have 24p and the highest has 24p and 120Hz.

So, I am sure this is a common questions 'round these parts, but will I miss the 24p and 120Hz if I go for the $999 Phillips? I imagine that the 24p would be the more glaring omission, because I plan on getting a blu-ray player (PS3) as well.

While yes you will miss out on 120Hz and 24p playback the price of finding a decent 120Hz set in this price range will up the TV by 50% or more depending on the brand and quality of the 120Hz.

It all depends on what your priorities are, I personally find 120Hz really only useful when you start talking 52" screens because the upgrade to 120Hz is a much smaller % of the TV price typically. In a 42" screen depending how far away you are, the benefits of 120Hz might not even effect you.

But as always, my suggestion is goto a store and figure out what you want, I can talk for a million years but your opinion is all that should matter.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: krotchy

Originally posted by: MazerRackham
Woops, missed this! Yeah looking at the current Phillips lineup, it must be this TV. The other 42" sets with the same bezel have 24p and the highest has 24p and 120Hz.

So, I am sure this is a common questions 'round these parts, but will I miss the 24p and 120Hz if I go for the $999 Phillips? I imagine that the 24p would be the more glaring omission, because I plan on getting a blu-ray player (PS3) as well.

While yes you will miss out on 120Hz and 24p playback the price of finding a decent 120Hz set in this price range will up the TV by 50% or more depending on the brand and quality of the 120Hz.

It all depends on what your priorities are, I personally find 120Hz really only useful when you start talking 52" screens because the upgrade to 120Hz is a much smaller % of the TV price typically. In a 42" screen depending how far away you are, the benefits of 120Hz might not even effect you.

But as always, my suggestion is goto a store and figure out what you want, I can talk for a million years but your opinion is all that should matter.

120hz really doesn't do anything for me. Looked at them side by side by side once. One was a Sony Bravia XBR with 1080/24 sync on. One was a Samsung 120hz, other was a lower end samsung without the 120hz and honestly, I didn't see the difference. Maybe it's my eyes, but my father couldn't tell either. The guy demoing it said that most people won't notice it, but it's something that sells people on higher end models because they want "the best in a specific size" and they generally go for the TV with the most specs and tech features in the size TV they are looking for.