Trouble deciding which TV to get

[Shaorinor]

Trouble deciding which would be the better buy...

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.as...id=11042448&ec=BC-EC877-CatHome&pos=11 - Sceptre 37" LCD HDTV (supports 1080p)

or

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=202125395&adid=17070&dcaid=17070 -
VIZIO P42HDe - 42" Plasma HDTV - refurbished

Got a nice Christmas bonus and raise, so trying to treat myself to a new TV...any help is appreciated as I'm not much of a guru in this area.

 

[PurdueRy]

At that price I would go with the LCD, although both I would be worried with quality...

 

[DaWhim]

plasma > lcd

no tax from buy.com (at least for me).

 

[Zim Hosein]

I'd stay away from a "efurbished" plasma IMO Shaorinor

 

[Shaorinor]

Yah, was a concern for me, but the price was enough to make me think twice =P.

 

[Shaorinor]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy
At that price I would go with the LCD, although both I would be worried with quality...

Quality was a slight concern as well, but these definately get points for value. I've read that Sony WEGA's are hard to beat, but those tend to be rather expensive for comparable sizes.

 

[Zim Hosein]

Originally posted by: Shaorinor
Yah, was a concern for me, but the price was enough to make me think twice =P.

That is a gamble I would not take as they don't specifiy exactly what "Refurbished" means IMO

 

[Slammy1]

I'm sure others would have differing opinions, but amongst the lower price units I'd look at the Westinghouse 37" over the Scepter and Panasonic is the clear winner of the cheaper plasmas. What is your intended usage? What connections do you require? If you're planning to run of an HTPC there are a number of considerations, like what purpose (gaming vs playback). Even then there are considerations, as (for example) a gaming system needs a lot of power to run 1920x1080. Most people drop down AA/AF, therefore lowering the PQ (though ultimately resolution is key if you need to use it for its computer functions). I'm looking at a similar choice myself soon.

I guess, bottom line, if you're just looking for something to plug digital cable into and a progressive DVD player, probably plasma would be better at the current state of the technology for a 720p display. For computer function, I'd go with the 1080p display. I'd just go a little different route as far as brand.

 

[Shaorinor]

True true....so I guess we'll throw the Plasma out the window...anyone know of any other great buys out there?

 

[PurdueRy]

MY question for you is DO YOU NEED FLAT PANEL?

If you don't you can get a pretty nice LCDRP or DLP set/or projector that will absolutely kill those two units in reliability and in PQ.

 

[doma]

LCD > Plasma Refurb.

 

[Shaorinor]

Originally posted by: Slammy1
I'm sure others would have differing opinions, but amongst the lower price units I'd look at the Westinghouse 37" over the Scepter and Panasonic is the clear winner of the cheaper plasmas. What is your intended usage? What connections do you require? If you're planning to run of an HTPC there are a number of considerations, like what purpose (gaming vs playback). Even then there are considerations, as (for example) a gaming system needs a lot of power to run 1920x1080. Most people drop down AA/AF, therefore lowering the PQ (though ultimately resolution is key if you need to use it for its computer functions). I'm looking at a similar choice myself soon.

I guess, bottom line, if you're just looking for something to plug digital cable into and a progressive DVD player, probably plasma would be better at the current state of the technology for a 720p display. For computer function, I'd go with the 1080p display. I'd just go a little different route as far as brand.

The purpose is just for regular TV/satellite and DVD playback, as well as some XBOX360/PS3 gaming. I have other plans for a computer monitor...don't think I could handle anything bigger than 24", hehe.

 

[Shaorinor]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy
MY question for you is DO YOU NEED FLAT PANEL?

If you don't you can get a pretty nice LCDRP or DLP set/or projector that will absolutely kill those two units in reliability and in PQ.

Do I absolutely need it? No. Just a nice option to save some space, plus it's the only deal I see posted quite often on an HDTV. As far as specs go, the built in ATSC and NTSC tuners, as well as support for 1080p caught my eye.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Shaorinor

Originally posted by: PurdueRy
MY question for you is DO YOU NEED FLAT PANEL?

If you don't you can get a pretty nice LCDRP or DLP set/or projector that will absolutely kill those two units in reliability and in PQ.

Do I absolutely need it? No. Just a nice option to save some space, plus it's the only deal I see posted quite often on an HDTV. As far as specs go, the built in ATSC and NTSC tuners, as well as support for 1080p caught my eye.

http://www.compusa.com/products/product...en=froogle&cm_cat=&cm_pla=&cm_ite=feed

I really don't see 15" deep as that bad for most people.

I would highly recommend this set. ATSC tuner Built in.

Picture is very good, I would recommend decreasing sony's default brightness level, but other than that, I really don't think you would miss the flat panel after you saw what picture quality can be achieved on this set.

 

[Slammy1]

You picked a bad time, but if you watch the deal sites (a certain obese male-purse site) you'll find some deals that are better but you may need to wait until the beginning of next year. The xbox runs 720p I believe, and higher resolution just might hurt you on non-HD sources (there are work arounds and calibration). This is a great site to review displays, the favorites are obvious and, depending on your ambient lighting conditions, dlp is worth looking at as someone mentioned.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=40

A lot of people recommend that you go look at the displays, see what you like and what you can put up with as far as compromise (and every technology out there has its strengths and weaknesses). Having been to a number of places, I don't think I can recommend that strategy. They never calibrate, and w/o test patterns nor remote there's only so much you can do. Plus they tend to take a single signal and pump it to a number of units, it makes it near impossible to tell if something really looks good or if it's just earlier in the chain with better default settings.

EDIT: Sent a PM. Also, didn't buy.com just have the Sceptre 37" $300 cheaper than Costco?

 

[Shaorinor]

Well, I'm actually just researching now. I may or may not make a purchase this year, but if better deals will come out next month or so, then I can wait awhile.

 

[Slammy1]

Yeah, there's a lot to consider like size, resolution, and how they equate to viewing distance. The AVS guys are anxious to flex their knowledge, which is considerably more than my own. Check out the sites I PM'd you, they'll offer some cheaper alternatives and search for threads on AVS on the model that's on sale. That's been my strategy. I almost took the plunge when BB had the 32" Westy for $800 (no rebates), but decided to wait for a 1920x1080 display.

 

[Captante]

First while some refurbished products are fine, don't even CONSIDER a refurbished Plasma display... most arn't "refurbished" at all, but are either show demo's or returns that are cleaned up & re-sold & thus are used TV's, also the specs on that Vizio thing are less then impressive & the contrast ratio is total BS. Second although Sceptre isn't that well known a brand name, they have been around for a long time in the moniter business & make quality equipment, its brand new, has very impressive specs with high resolution & 1080p, plus if you don't like it theres a good chance Costco will let you return it with little to no hassle.

 

[Windogg]

http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=SYNLT42HVI

EDIT:
Oh, and laugh at the suckers buying Monster Cable
http://www.monoprice.com/home/index.asp