Advice on buying a flatscreen TV?

Favorite Answer

Not true about plasma..(First answer.) A good plasma HDTV has a viewing angle of 80 degrees or better!! (Try that with an LCD or LED..) Also, consider the response time if you want no lag/blur on fast objects..LCD has a slow response time, (6 to 8 ms.) causing a noticeable blur on fast objects. The 120 cycle does not eliminate that effect, it may only lessen slightly.! A plasma has an extremely fast response time. (So fast, it is measured in nanoseconds!) Beware of LED hype. They are bright and slim, but have similar 'cons' as an LCD..and also a poor viewing angle for the bright colors if off to the side.....Show more

You should sort out your budget first. Figure out something realistic for what you want to spend. Then look to getting the best quality TV you can in that budget. Go down a size for better quality if you have to.

For a good size, it depends on the living room. Some people can rock a 32" set and really get a good experience out of that. Others move up to 37". And others will break 40" or even 50". There's no "right" answer really. That's why I say let budget decide, its easier to sort out then. But I think a 42" set is a solid size that can be reasonably affordable and still satisfy a good range of room sizes (but that's just me).

As for brands, Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony are all your friend. They are the leaders in HDTVs right now. A good set from any of them would serve you well. But also look at and consider Sharp, LG, and Toshiba. Those latter three are also strong manufacturers with good models that could serve you well.

Go to www.cnet.com and look through their HDTV buying guide. Look through their reviews. They aren't the end all final solution in HDTV buying, but they are a good starting source. They aren't biased, they give good information.

As for a store, any store is fine. Worry about brands and models, not stores. Though I would look to a store that will price match Amazon.com. Then go to Amazon.com and look up prices there. You can often find the best prices from them. Then either buy directly from them or go to that store that will price match them.

If you're looking at 37" or smaller, really all you need is a basic LCD. You don't need to get caught up in the hype over fancy features. A CCFL 720p 60Hz LCD will serve you great. If you want 1080p or 120Hz that's fine, but their advantages might not show up a lot in those sizes (so not the best bang for the buck, but they certainly won't hurt the viewing experience).

If you end up breaking 40", then you need to consider advanced features (and especially if you break 50"). You then need to think hard about going 1080p. If you go with an LCD you need to think about going with a 120Hz/240Hz refresh rate (to help with motion blur issues) and going with an LED LCD (very expensive, but makes a noticeable difference in image quality).

You also need to consider going Plasma instead of LCD. It has no motion blur problems. It delivers top of the line image quality without any expensive add-on features. It would be your best large sized option.

Plasma only suffers from myths. It no longer suffers burn-in. It works in any altitude. It does not need to be recharged (one of the weirder lies). You can get energy star certified models (so its no longer a power hog). Its not more expensive than LCD because for LCDs to match its quality you have to pay for their expensive 120Hz/240Hz refresh rates and LED back lights....Show more

If you have to decide between LCD and plasma, get LCD. LCD u can watch from a wider angle and they produce less heat.

Im not expert on brands but panasonic are probably top 5, they always the most expensive ones. Price depends on the size, features, and brands. The common size today for flatscreen are 37 inch +...Show more

Tesco or Sainsbury's. Their own brand tellys are cheap. But they are also nasty so you can expect it to develop a fault when it's just out of guarantee, or even before. That would be more upsetting than saving up for a couple of extra months and buying a decent brand. Remember that you must have your own tv licence if you own a tv set. It does not matter that you live in student accommodation or just play games on it. the authorities are wise to that. The licence is required if you own apparatus capable of receiving off-air broadcasts. If you never intend to watch tv programmes then just buy a monitor, but these are not much cheaper than tv sets....Show more

Depend your room and budget, The bigger the room the bigger tv should be the idea, you should consider get plasma tv now, price are so good and picture quality. If you do wanted go LCD, samsung is the only choice i recommend....Show more