DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

My girlfriend is dead set on purchasing an HDTV, so i helped her look for some options today.

I think we have decided on a Samsung 46" LCD, model LN46A550.

What i am looking for is peoples thoughts, experiences, etc regarding this and similar televisions. This will be one of the bigger purchases she and I have ever made, so any help would be great.

We have already decided to purchase the longest extended warranty they offer, given our personal track record with electronics!

Elton

my friend has a 32'' lcd sony bravia and high def satellite picture quality is great bright and crisp

olharleyman

I been checking out lots of tv's and there was a report some where that ranked the VIZIO 46" both best visual and most adaptable for blue ray dvd video games and hd viewing and the prices are around $1100 for the 1080 set check them out may be a better deal

X-AWDriver

I've been doing research for my mom who wants a 40"+ and I checked out the same Samsung and it's hard to beat for the price and performanced and the only cons I saw pop up in reviews (professional and user) was the speakers aren't so good (but an external receiver is the fix) and the lack of a 120hz refresh rate showed some blurring during fast action but not anything that noticeable.

This is one of the TVs my mom might settle on since the sub $1500 is hard to beat.

How much did you find it for?

Corey

iTrader: (1)

I have the 40" version, and it is awesome.
I can not remember the model #, but I think it is the same 5 series.
Got it this past fall.

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

The best price we have been able to find it for is $1099 at Video only, and we are going to buy the extended warranty.

The only thing I didn't like was the 60hz refresh, but if you want 120hz you gotta step up and pay $$$. We went into best buy to compare side by side, and this TV seemed to have the best clarity and color.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

I do not see any blurring with my 60 Hz one.
Here is the model, and I paid $1K for it.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1205537712071

It has dropped $100 since I bought it, and originally is was $1.1K when I went in, but it dropped to $1K.

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

Best buy wants $1249 for the one we are looking at. Clearly not the "best buy" lol. And they also only price match within their own company, they do not price match their competitors. What is the point of that?

The main differences between the one we are looking at and yours, besides size, is contrast. 30,000:1 instead of 20,000:1. Not the biggest concern in the world though. Both are 1080p. I figured its about time to start taking advantage of that comcast HD i have been paying for lol.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, I finally went with the HD DVR set top box awhile back too.
I only record shows now on the HD channels.

Shows look amazing.
CSI Miami the colors when they show the ocean beaches and the sky scrapers looks really amazing.

I bought a Blu-Ray player also a few weeks after getting the TV.

jjrgr21

we have a samsung 40 and like it pretty good. the samsung and sanyo's by far have the best picture IMO

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

This is all very good and reassuring info guys!

And if we get it and it breaks, Im taking a trip to Coreys house

We also have the HD DVR service, I love it. Comcast has added a TON of HD channels since we first got the programming. Now everything we watch is in HD, even though all we have is a 32" Analog TV. Previous roomate had a 62" samsung plasma...it was pretty fancy

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Wait until you see some DVDs on it Josh.
I have Wall-E that cartoon, but it is not Blu-Ray.
But it looks fantastic on the LCD.

Battle Star Galactica looked great Friday night, heck most shows do.

X-AWDriver

You should really see Wall-E on Blu-ray.

We have three LGs (32" and 37" 720p in the bedrooms and a 1080p 42" in the family room) and all have been problem free and deliver a picture similar to the Samsung and coupled with the PS3's BD player and our HD DVR movies look awesome.

Got the 42" for $800 right before Christmas but now it's $400 higher.

SteveO

A couple of things to consider:

If you live at sea level, go with a Plasma, the picture is faster and better.
If you live above 5k feet, go with the LCD.

I originally purchased a Sony 46" LCD from Costco and thought it was pretty cool.
Then, a month later, Costco had the 52" 120Hz LCD. Took my 46" back and picked up the 52" 120Hz Sony Bravia LCD.

120Hz....what a difference. If you haven't picked up A LCD yet, be absolutely sure you get the 120Hz LCD, there is a big difference. When watching Blue Ray movies (PS3) on the 120Hz screen, some movies are just eye-popping.

I would highly recommend you go to a store and take a close look at the standard LCD and the 120Hz LCD. Have them put on one of the Pirates moves in Blue Ray....there is a noticeable difference.

then again, this is all just an opinion, and my two cents worth

X-AWDriver

I'm not sold on Plasma no matter what altitude I'd be living at unless I have a very dark room to watch it in,I can't stand the glass screens as they reflect everything and don't do well in a room that's lit up;Plasmas also generate alot of heat but plasma's black color is better than an LCDs.

hernameisyota

well i used to work at best buy for 2 years so any ? just ask but all i can tell you is go samsung there the best i have a 40in a650 the only thing i can say is 120hz kicks ass you cant beat these tvs if you can go for the 120hz and get the hd dish from your satellite company its like 10 more bucks a month umm other than that nice tv.

SteveO

Something I've noticed about the Plasma screens is that indeed, they do have darker dark colors, and they don't blur as much as LCD in high action scenes. Of course the down size is that each plasma bubble has some gas in it, which is affected by high elevation. Seven thousand feet is pretty much the ceiling for Plasma screens. I've got a couple of buddies that have plasma sets, and after just a couple of years, they have the all to familiar buzzing. We live at about 6700 feet.

The plasma screens are getting better with their anti-reflective coatings, but again, you need to know your elevation....no matter what the salesman tells you.

I absolutely love my 120Hz Bravia screen...the COD4 is really nice on a 52" screen.

EWAYota

we just bought a 47" Vizio, 120hz from Costco for 999.99. I love this thing to death. We thought about a Sony for a bit more but decided on the Vizio. We thought about getting the 55" Vizio for a few 100 more but decided against it. I'll tell ya, if you look at the tv's side by side, you see the differance, take it home and any set looks pretty darn good. Vizio is also releasing their new line in June, consisting of a new 47 and 55" 240hz sets.

Also with Costco, we get the 1 year warranty from Vizio plus another year from Costco and Vizio's extended warranties after that aren't badly priced at all.

SteveO

"240Hz" sets. Man those must look really sweet. At that point, there would be no need to get a plasma. With our 120Hz model, we get a little bit of pixelation in high-speed sequences, but nothing too drastic or overly noticeable.

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

So the general consensus is 120Hz? I am thinking that is the direction we may go.

We have located an LG that is only a few hundred more, and is a 120Hz set.

Btw, DON'T buy at Circuit City. Their "Going out of business" prices are MORE than most other stores normal prices!