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waazel

100+ Posts
My POS Sony Grand Wega that I bought in 2004 finally crapped out for good. I had been getting the "Blue Dots" and blue haze for a couple of months. Called their tech and they played dumb; meanwhile there are a billion google hits for this same problem and Sony even extended the warranty to 12/31/08. Lamp finally gave out and when I went to change it, the housing has warped from heat, so I can't get the lamp out. Again, google results tell me that Sony will repair the "affected parts" within 30 days. But that still doesn't help with my blue dots/haze problem. Anyway, rant over. I'm throwing up my hands and getting a new set.

I'm trying to stay in the $1500 range if possible - not looking for the crazy home theater system. Primary purpose is to watch sports (key), regular tv programming, and for the kids to watch Noggin/Nickelodeon/DVD's. No gaming. No blue-ray player at this point. Regular living room environment. Don't really know the difference b/n Plasma and LCD, just want what looks best (and will last).

Please don't recommend a Sony, I'm done with their ****.

Thanks in advance for any input.
 
Well, I have a Sony so I wont recommend it. The differences between LCD and plasma that you need to be aware of are that plasma cant take a well lit room as well as a LCD model. There are glare issues with plasma. If you have a dark area of the house to put the TV, then plasma is the best bet. Plasma is better for action and sports viewing. The LCDs dont refresh the screen as well as plasma. If you get a LCD get one that has the 120hz refresh rate. It is better than the standard 60hz and makes viewing action closer to the quality of plasma. I have heard that Panasonic and Pioneer kuro are the best plasma TVs. A good all round bang for the buck manufacturer is Samsung. You may want to check out some of their models. The better places for getting a good deal on a TV are Frys, SAMs/Costco. I hear that Amazon.com is a good place too.
 
The best buy we have in the house is a LCD Vizio. Great picture for the price. I have had good luck with Sony but they are more expensive and sounds like you haven't. I have also had a mitsubishi forever which has never had a problem and is past its life expectancy, but oddly enough I have not gone with them on a flat screen.
 
I'm still in love with my 2nd gen Sammy LED DLP (61a750). At your price point you can get the 67-incher (if you can find one - they've been discontinued).

Incredible TV, no lamp to replace.
 
I have the same TV as HornGrad01, Samsung LED DLP HL61A750. You get alot of TV for the price. No lamp to replace was a main selling point for me as well. TV has worked flawlessly. The Link
 
If you are after a big bang for the buck then you might take a look at some of the rear projection stuff that people are talking about, but you will have a hard time finding them in smaller sizes.
The talk about room light not working well with plasma is somewhat inaccurate. It all depends on where the room light is coming from. If you are sitting straight on and you have windows behind you, you will see glare during dark scenes. If you are sitting to the side and you have light coming from the other side then once again you will see some glare. This is not just limited to plasma, but to some of the samsung units that are the 120hz and greater as these use a plastic sheet across the front that act worse than a plasma.
An lcd will be much sharper, and have a lot more depth of field to it. But once again the motion is not as good as a plasma and off angle viewing is not as good.
If you are using an audio system and have a cable or sat box, we are running a Pioneer monitor for 1800. If you want to take a step back we are doing the Panasonic 50G series for 1450. If you think you want an LCD then I would look at the samsung 52B550 for 1647.00
Hope this has helped out some.
 
I have a 58" Panny that's two year models old (maybe a generation prior to the one HL mentions above?) and freakin' love it. No doubt, there will be a glare issue if you've got an open window directly in front of the TV, but if the TV is on the same wall as your windows (mine is) it's no issue at all. I'll stay out of the LCD/plasma debate, but if you go plasma I can't recommend Panasonic enough for the dollar...
 
Funny, I have a 50" version of the Samsung DLP LED the other two posters were talking about. Had it almost two years now, looks great.

Got a great deal from OneCall, with no sales tax and free shipping to my door. But just visiting the site, it appears they no longer carry it, or any Samsung DLPs... did they go out of the projection business?

Anyway, I know it's nice to support local businesses, but the lack of sales tax can really add up for a purchase the size of a large TV.
 
I have had a 50 inch Panasonic plasma for the past two years that I highly recommend. It's been a magnificent set and has a great picture for sports.
 
I have a 96 inch TV, or rather a 3 LCD projector with 4000 lumens and a 96 inch screen. I would not go back to a dinky sized set like those listed here. If anything I would go with 120 inch screen.
 
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