Corey

iTrader: (1)

Very nice, I will have to read up on it some more.
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/A...m-20/ref=nosim

Toys-R-Us

i wanted higher contrast ratio and 120hz in the 6/7 series but wasn't sure if i will like the red bezels.

fustercluck

Last Christmas I bought a Samsung 46 LCD 1080 blah blah blah. Except for the fact that the kids busted me setting it up early Christmas morning (spoiling the surprise I had been patiently planning for months......D'oh!!!!!!!), it has been a truly pleasant experience. With the theatre sound system and picture size/quality it brings our DVD experience to a sensational level. I can never go back to a tube style device again.

I like how regardless of the video device we have interfaced with it, the TV automatically turns on when we power up the other unit. It also automatically seeks the proper source so I don't have to toggle between channels to find the right screen. As an electronics primate, I'd say the Samsung unit is soothingly user-friendly.

Elton

my buddy just got a sony bravia and the hd set up from directv amazing crystal clear imagine ive seen

Corey

iTrader: (1)

I got an email from Amazon again yesterday pushing this same TV.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00141AZR2/...=ATVPDKIKX0DER



I do not see the Hz listed for this one, but I realize after reading your post again it is not 120 Hz.

Are you still happy with it?
I will be getting my bonus after the Boeing strike is over, and it is time to upgrade form the old 27" TV.
Talked with Comcast already too, and I will be going with the digital box, and possibly the one with the built in DVR too.
The recording quality will be much better than what it is with the analog TV tuner cards I have in the old PC, and the digital card I have in my new PC.

More than likely too since I have a Best Buy by me and have Rewards points earned on other purchases, I will get it there.

I think Comcast told me they have the HDMI cable too, I will have to call them and check with them on it.

nees1212

I just picked up a 50" Panasonic plasma (TH50PZ800U). I went in dead set on the 46" Samsung 750 LCD. However, after talking with the sales guy, and then another customer, I switched to the plasma. With the plasma, you don't have any motion blur as you do with a LCD set. The 120 definitely helps with the LCD, but it still doesn't fix it completely. Therefore, the plasma is a better set for sports and video games. The two knocks on the plasma are the picture isn't quite a bright as an LCD, which doesn't bother me at all, and the reflective glass. However, the Samsung 750 had the reflective glass too.

Workhorse

Current model I would reccomend,

Samsung, LN40A650 40 inch, 1080P, 4ms response time, 50k:1 contrast, 120hz refresh. its a thing of beauty

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16889102208

Its a little higher than your price range atm but it will come down
Thats the TV I would buy right now if i had the $$ but well I don't so HAH!

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Nice...
40" may be better for me too, kind of a compromise between a 37" and a 42" model.

I will have to see if Best Buy carries that one too when I get around to looking at them.

Workhorse

Most of the stores should carry the 40inch, it was a good viewing size for me as I have a vision impairment and I cannot sit very far away from the TV otherwise it goes blurry.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Best Buy is to proud of the price.

I am not sure if I could get use to the red and silver intermixed on the frame though.
I would rather see it in all black like the 37" model.

aviator

So I bought my parents a surround sound system [good middle of the road sony] for christmas last year and my dad has yet to set it up [and won't let me either], says he's waiting to buy a flat panel... [unfortunately she who controls the purse strings won't let him lol]... so it sits in it's box by the tv in the basement... I guess I'll have to buy them the tv this year... so I'm looking for a good flat screen also... something in the 42" size I think though I could go to 50" if the price was right... problem comes in with our viewing position... closet seat to screen using current room layout would be about 6' away and I'm told that is too close for the larger screens...
also not sure which would be best for us plasma/lcd... my mom spends saturdays watching euro league soccor lol otherwise its a lot of those crime dramas, old b&w movies, or for modern stuff smart comedies or action flicks and of course hockey [mom again my dad & I can't stand to watch our losers play lol] ... any suggestions as to what might be the better choice to consider? cost is a factor...

X-AWDriver

If you're only 6ft away I wouldn't go bigger than 42";I have a 37" LG LCD in my bedroom and it's pretty big from my 7ft away.

aviator

That's what I was thinking myself, that 42 would be big enough...

anybody got any ideas what would be best plasma/lcd wise? we do get reflections on the tube screen now from the room lighting but where the tv would be hung that should'nt be as much of an issue in future...

X-AWDriver

I'm partial to LCDs since they don't have the refelctive screen,use less power and don't run nearly as hot as Plasma.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

I see Samsung has a new 40" out that has an all black frame, and not that red intermixed into it.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1205537712071

I see it has optical audio out too.
That is great, as my Logitech Z680 5.1 speakers have the optical option, and I have it going to my DVD player.
I wonder if I unhooked it from the DVD and put it to the TV if I would get the same results?



Nice looking TV.



Does anyone have this model?
It looks newer than the previous 40" ones I looked at.
It has some good reviews too at the above site.

trbizwiz

I cant give you advice on which brand as that is so subjective. Remember that TV stores tune the sets they want to sell and detune the ones they don't. Also big box stores just plug the sets in and so the picture is the default setting from the factory (unless one of the kids that works there played with the settings and tuned one in ).
I have bought a few from Sam's club and if you keep your receipt they are very liberal with their return policy. I bought a Vizio 3 years ago and last year it started having a problem. I called Sam's and told them what it was doing and how long I had owned it. they said bring the receipt. When I got there they gave me a full refund from over 2 years ago. I took that refund and replaced my 32 inch 720 Vizio with a 48 inch 1080P vizio for no money out of pocket. They said if you keep the receipt they will allow you to exchange it for years. I don't know why they do it, but hey works for me.
Take the money you will save buying from Sam's Club and have a pro come over and calibrate it. That will cost about $200, but you will get the best possible picture and sound that way.
Also take a look at bluejeanscable.com. I got my long run HDMI cables there and they work better than anything I have ever bought, and I have paid much more. they also ship very fast. http://bluejeanscable.com/store/hdmi-cables/index.htm I have the Belden series I bonded pair cables. The cables are made right here in the USA, the ends are made in china. All other cables are made in china. The series I are thick and heavy and hard to bend, for shorter distances in a cabinet you might want to go with the series II.
I have a plasma, and LCD and an LCD projector. All are HD. I have all my sat's and DVD players and gaming systems in one centralized location with a mono price HDMI matrix. the system works pretty well, and you don't have the clutter of a bunch of equipment all over the house. You have to have good quality long cables for this though.
Good luck. It will be an adventure.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Tom, thanks for the links to the HDMI cables.
Not sure if my current DVD player supports it, this HDMI stuff is new to me.

Looking at more reviews on that Samsung I posted.
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-t...-32957533.html

It seems to be a good set.
More than likely I will check it out this weekend.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Looking at this picture again, I am a tad confused



The very bottom row I know that is the component cable setup.
Audio, and the three colored cables.
My DVD player is hooked up that way now on my current 27 Toshiba TV.
But I play back the DVD player via optic cable.
I can do either, but the optic of course sounds way better.

Now directly above the bottom row of input in the photo is another row of the same colored inputs.
According to the webpage under the specifications tab, that row is also components.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....specifications

Now the HDMI plugs that almost look like USB ports there are two.
But to the left of them there is only one DVI In (HDMI2) ports.
Does that go with the two HDMI ports to the left, or do those USB looking HDMI ports also support audio?
HDMI is totally new to me.

For the audio out ports in the picture, I can hook both the white and red RCA outs to my Logitech Z680s control pod, and also the optical out.
That would mean not using the optical out anymore that is on the DVD player, as the Logitech control pod only has one optical in.



Back of the control pod.



On the back of the control pod for the Z680s hooked to my PC, it looks like the picture above as my soundcard is 5.1, and the cables are all used.

But for the Z680s in the living room for the TV, only the green input on the back of the control pod is used for the stereo out on the TV, then the stereo is remixed to 5.1 surround sound when I select it via the Z680s remote.
However the optical input is always 5.1 coming from the DVD player to the control pod.

Also on the side of the TV is only one set of standard RCA inputs as seen in this picture.
I will use this to connect my old PC in the spare room to the TV to play back recorded shows I recorded with a TV Tuner card.
That is the way it is currently hooked up to my present TV.

Only problem with the LCD TV here having only one set of ports like that is if I want to hook up an X-Box that my son brings over or my digital camera, I would have to unplug the cables that go to the PC in the other room for viewing the recorded shows.



Currently the DVD player I have does not have an HDMI port on it, so I guess to take advantage of the new TV I would need a new DVD player which I will get later, and it will be a BluRay.

Are ya with me so far

Corey

iTrader: (1)

It is done.
What an incredible picture, and I have hardly touched what all it can do.

Been working on setting it up most of the day, cleaning the cobwebs from behind the stand, ect.

One thing I did was take the optical cable from the DVD player and run it to the TV audio out, plus the standard RCAs out too for the audio out to the Logitech pod controller.

Using the Logitech remote to switch over to optical did not yield sound from the Z680s rear and center speakers.
Maybe a broadcast has to be in 5.1?
I do not know.
So I ended up running the optical cable again directly to the DVD player like before.

Also under the video portion of the settings via the TVS remote I see I can stretch out the top and bottom black bands to fill in the TV screen all the way?
Do most of you do this, or do you leave it where you still have the black bands top and bottom?

Switched it over to input two and my PC in the spare room was on the screen, so I will be able to play back recorded shows from my TV tuner cards.
And I have to say the Windows desktop looks much sharper and clearer on this TV than it did the 27" Toshiba tube TV.
Also I can see the whole desktop, were as before it was cut off slightly.

As I left the store and was loading it, a guy said he just bought one awhile back and installed it on his wall in the bedroom.
Most who have this are very impressed with it.

I did get the extra four year service warranty with it, and if anything goes out on it, they come to me to fix it.

He also talked me into a Monster Power Home Theatre PowerCenter.



I needed a good one anyways, and the one I have been using for years was just a standard one with no coax cable inputs, and well, it was old.

Can not wait to fire up a DVD later tonight.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Anyone looking for a nice cable to run from a laptop or a PC to their HDTV should check this out.
http://www.cablestogo.com/product.as...3430&sku=43098

VGA to VGA, much better than the Svideo cable I run now from my TV tuner cards in my old PC.
The cable above has the audio cable with it too.

The 15 pin to 15 pin is a better signal than the Svideo port that is on most modern video cards to hook to a PC.

I ordered one to use with the laptop to view its content on the new TV.