I bought a 46" Sharp Aquois 120hz at Wally world for $1,300 out the door. I was not even looking for a tv when I bought it. I was looking around waiting for the wife watching the different tv's when I noticed the price and that it was a limited buy, so I grabbed one. The same tv at Best Buy and all the other big box stores were 400 clams more on sale. It has been a great tv so far.

Good luck with you decision.

 

The largest LED out right now iS A 55".

Wifey wants 60" or better for the basement "Theatre Room".

So we're holding off for a few months.

 

LED TVs - what they is and what they ain't - and why you should consider one anyway:

One would think that if a TV was listed as "LED", the picture would be created by millions of tiny LEDs (light-emitting diodes); The LCD TV's use backlighted "liquid crystal display". (Forget plasma - it's the technology of the past).

However, LED TVs ain't. What they are is LCD TVs with backlight provided by LEDs. Heretofore, the LED TVs were backlighted by CCFLs (cold cathode fluorescent lights).

So, is there a benefit to LED/LCD TVs vs. CCFL/LCD TVs? Actually, there is. The LED TVs can produce better contrast, and more importantly, are 40% more energy efficient than CCFL/LCDs. And LEDs as backlights have significantly longer service life than CCFLs.

 

I really like my 42" Vizio, 120hz refresh rate. Bought it at Sam's Club back in January for $800.00. Model # SV420XVT 1A

 

Thanks for the info. I was about to go do some research on the LED's to see what they were about

 

Me and the wife finally upgraded from our 19" Toshiba to a Sony V series.

I learned a lot about all the different options and it really comes down to what you are going to use it for and where its going to be sitting.

Plasmas are great in a dark room with no ambient lighting like windows etc. and have a great picture and to me seemed more like a movie theater tv.

The LED LCD's weren't out yet and I would have considered one if they were out, but oh well. Next time maybe.

The LCD we bought really fit what we wanted. We went to Best Buy, Sams Club and a local retailer. What was important to notice was the different settings the tv's were displayed in and what settings the tv was set up for. For example, Sams club has the usually bright halogens beaming down from the ceiling while Best Buy is nice and dark with little ambient light. This can really show how good the tv will perform throughout the hours of the day.

Then, check the tv and make sure all settings are put to stock settings and haven't been fooled with. They usually have pre-set video settings too. This can really have a drastic effect on how the tv "looks" as in how the colors jump out and the backlighting. The other thing is to note what is being shown on the tv. On one tv a blu-ray was playing and really looked great, but I still don't own any blu-rays and didn't care about that. So, put on what you would normally watch and see how you like it. I watched some cooking shows, football and a few other things. I also backed up the distance I would normally be watching the tv too. This really helps determine size. Really, I wanted a 52", but am so glad I got a 46". Its almost too big for my room as it is.

We narrowed it down and decided on the Sony due the big sales they had around Thanksgiving last year. We dropped $1300 on Saturday for a one day sale. The tv has finally hit $1300 in the last month since newer tv's are coming out. I think we did good and have been really happy with them. Oh, Best Buy can be good since they don't work on commission and usually can be pretty helpful.

Good luck in your search.

Have a good one.

 

Any flat screen at Costco looks better@ 100' than my 27" CRT Sharp does @ 5'. That's the first thing that hits you when you enter. They sell a lot of sets. When you use their AMEX card it extends the factory warranty by a year.

 

During a scene where is a lot of action or motion, the slower sets will pixilate or cascade trying to catch up with itself.

 

Whatever you do make sure you get a make and model number then check it out over here at http://www.avsforum.com/ those guys do more testing and knowledge tossing than the vast majority of people can understand

 

Thats probably a better description. I can turn the Automotion 120Hz sampling off in the menu and typically do if I am not watching an HD channel.

 

Well the wife and I got the new tube today. We got a 42" Vizio LCD tv 1080p 240hz. Set us back about $850 and it includes the 2 yr warranty. Haven't hooked it us to the satalite yet, got the Wii on it now and the picture quality of the games are alot better than they were on the tube tv we had before. Thanks for all the info everyone!

 

We currently have two Vizio LCD tvs.

We've been very happy with both.

Very good product for a good price.

 

Got a Pioneer Elite 60" Kuro plasma. It only takes a little more to go first class.

 

After reading more of these posts it seems to me a lot of you should stop talking to your local best buy salesman. Plasma is just as durable (if not more) than LCD. LCD's have a florescent light that can die, plasma's don't (I have a laptop with this problem). LCD displays still have a higher tendency of developing bad pixels during use. Both have the same total life expectancy of about 100,000 hrs, plasma has a better viewing angle but is better suited for darker rooms. Now Plasma uses more power and does put off a lot of heat and are heavy. Plasma has a glass front panel where LCD is plastic, not that this is an advantage it just makes them heavier. Mine is about 140lbs so the mounting bracket was also very expensive. My parents have LCD and the picture is awesome, but they're not watching Blu-Ray either. For most people LCD is the perfect choice but to say that Plasma is "old technology" is laughable. The reason most stores push LCD is the price. It's going to be hard to talk the average Joe just wanting a new TV into dropping $4-6k on a top of the line plasma when there's a $1200 LCD sitting beside it. Most can't tell the difference between 720 and 1080p, let alone how black the blacks are.

 

Good advice on the Vizio - - dollar for dollar they are a good buy and have good ratings. We have a sharp Aquas for the big one 55" and a Vizio in our bedroom 42". Both are 240 hz. Other than the Vizio being slightly smaller, the pictures are both extremely good.

Bob