Question for those that know about LCD/plasma screens

[oldaccount]

Im thinking about picking this up as a christmas present for my parents bedroom. I know its not a Pioneer Elite, but thats not the idea. Im just looking for a decent screen for a good price. Right now they have an old school tube tv with a convex screen, so just about anything will be step up.

Opinions and/or alternate recommendations?

Element 26" LCD HDTV:
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Eleme...oductDetail.do

[BMW F22]

those are nice but make sure to check Fry's and Costco though. Those places have cheaper prices.

[Maestro]

Gee the specs do not look too good, how much do your parents appreciate good video.

I think for a few dollars more you could get something a little better, not to spend your money.

I would stay with a name brand that is for sure, because this looks like products that did not perform at a higher level so they sold them to some no name and they put packaging around it and trying to sell it to people who have no idea what they are getting.

Remember there is only a few companies who manufacturer large LCD and everyone else buys off them. So the name brands get the best and everyone else gets what is left.

[Neurorad]

If your parents have a POS CRT, anything will be fine. Don't sweat it. It's the thought that counts.

Just offer to fix it or replace it when it breaks, next week or 10 years from now.

Walk into a brick and mortar store and try the remote first.

[oldaccount]

so any recommendations for something of a comparable size but better quality?

[phantomcoupe]

I have been and AV dealer for ten years and you absolutely cannot go wrong with Sony (assuming the budget allows).

[oldaccount]

Originally Posted by phantomcoupe

I have been and AV dealer for ten years and you absolutely cannot go wrong with Sony (assuming the budget allows).

you guys are missing the point. this is just a small part-time tv for the bedroom, not the showcase tv for the living room.

im not looking for top of the line audio/video-phile stuff here, just something that looks good and wont break.

[sinnet112]

You missed out on a good deal for an Olevia 32" for the same price. It was there last week and now I can't find it anymore. It was good since Olevia uses LG's screens, and from what I've heard they're cheap and reliable.

[oldaccount]

Originally Posted by sinnet112

You missed out on a good deal for an Olevia 32" for the same price. It was there last week and now I can't find it anymore. It was good since Olevia uses LG's screens, and from what I've heard they're cheap and reliable.

yea apparently a few months ago the TV i originally posted was on sale for $200 less than what it is now

how does this one look guys? I hear samsung is supposed to be a good brand.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Samsu...oductDetail.do

[sinnet112]

I would argue Samsung makes the best LCDs hands down. I have three in my house and they're phenomenal. You pay for aesthetics though. You could possibly get a 32" for that price.

Similarly priced, how about this one –
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...VIA-_-89022025

[oldaccount]

my little brother has a 32" lcd in his room, and I think it would be too big for how my parents would have it set up, which is why im looking in the 23-26 range for them.

thanks for the link though, ill check it out.

[TurboFan]

Find out who makes their panels. Looking at the spec's, it looks like an older design. If they want it for watching the news, comedy, non-hd, etc, sure, why not. For movies, or if they are movie buffs, or have any interest in HD/high quality video, pass.

LCD has come a long way in the last few years, but those older displays have terrible black levels. They do a great dark grey, but the cheapest displays don't get anywhere close to black. Newer displays use all kinds of tricks and do much better, but that looks like a pretty old LCD design. 800:1 contrast on a 26" LCD sucks, and indicates the panel is of a fairly old design.

[oldaccount]

thanks turbofan.

i think im going with the samsung. its contrast is 4,000:1, which i am assuming is pretty good?

[sinnet112]

Samsungs have always had extremely high contrast ratios. If you look at Sharp, their contrast ratios are usually lower contrast ratios (1200:1) but they have their fair share of people who live by their brand. Your best bet may be to go to the store yourself and check it out.

Can't go wrong with Samsung though

[TurboFan]

Originally Posted by Suareezay

thanks turbofan.

i think im going with the samsung. its contrast is 4,000:1, which i am assuming is pretty good?

That's not bad. Much better than 800:1. It's measuring the intensity of the white (which LCD does well, actually all panels do well) vs. the depth of the black.

LCD works by shining a bright white light through a liquid crystal matrix. When an electrical charge is applied to different diodes in the matrix, they change from opaque (the LCD's best attempt at black) to their color, to nearly transparent (white). White has never been a problem for LCD, and neither has color. LCD has always had (and in my mind still has) a problem with black. If you watch a lot of movies like Lord of The Ring trilogy, Batman, Spiderman, Star Wars, etc, movies that are shot with a lot of high black levels, you will see them as more of a dark gray. LCD can not do TRUE black for this reason. There are new technologies in place to help with this, and they do a good job, but I don't know what level of panel you will find them in. I know Sony does a good job with LCD, and I've liked the Samsung panels I've viewed. I don't know much about the other makers. If you want to talk plasma, I own a couple, I know more about them.

[TurboFan]

Always look at a panel in a store with skepticism. They are sooooooo screwed up on the wall - take the brightness, contrast and saturation down to no more than 50%. That's not calibrated, but it's better than what they do on the floor. If you can, at least look at the displays at a higher end store that will calibrate them, and preferably bring your own material, so you can judge the display on something you've seen before. When I bought my 58" 1080p plasma, I got them to connect a bluray player right to the panel so I could watch a movie for a few minutes and see what I thought. The sources in most stores are terrible - they're split over all the displays, so the signal is weak.

[mpimping]

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...7DKUS%26sa%3DN

[Zephyr15]

Originally Posted by sinnet112

I would argue Samsung makes the best LCDs hands down. I have three in my house and they're phenomenal. You pay for aesthetics though. You could possibly get a 32" for that price.

Similarly priced, how about this one –
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...VIA-_-89022025

Agree 100%. I got the 4665 fairly recently and it's fantastic.