I think the key thing is to never ever ever buy DLP...unless you want to sit dead on in front of it. The only advantage is cost. Plasma is increasing it's brightness half life, which is great, but be sure to check the specs that the one that you're getting is up to snuff in that regard. To my understanding, contrast ratios are still subjective when it comes to what exactly they measure, as there is no standard. Best bet is to walk the wall at Best Buy and see which one's brightness/darkness stands out.
I bought a 42" LG LCD with 1080i. After all I'd read it had the best reviews and looked the best in store. Great price and all that junk. Also, I was told that 1080p isn't needed for anything 42" and under, as the difference isn't noticeable. I'd definitely pay attention to the refresh rate though, as that plays a part in the clarity of any motion on the screen. Also wanna pay attention to the weight, sure most flat panels are relatively light compared to their tube counterparts, but they're still rather large and ungainly, especially if you're carrying it solo.
Inputs aren't as important if you have a decent receiver, if not, more hdmi will allow you to keep your tv longer, although you can always put a splitter in the line. I personally have a Harman Kardon AVR-247, and got it at a great price from their ebay store. It has 2 HDMI's in, one out, and upscales most analog signals to 720p via the hdmi connection. Plus it looks spiffy and was under $300.
Best of luck, and as some already said, the best one will come out a few months later, for cheaper, with more features, it's inevitable.
"Best bet is to walk the wall at Best Buy and see which one's brightness/darkness stands out."
No, no, no, no, NO. That is NOT the best bet. It's not even a good bet. C'mon man! Do we really need to go over this again? The sets at Best Buy/Circuit City etc are not a true representation of the display's abilities. Many factors contribute to this: store lighting, bad settings(contrast through the roof!), certain brands pushed over others, etc.
Your best bet is to head on over to avsforum and read. A lot.
Yeah, most are located in darker areas, and you can check the contrast settings to verify which ones are tweaked are not. More often than not, I've found them not to be tweaked. But it gives you a good starting point of which ones look the best, both picture quality-wise and aesthetically. Then from there, you can go onto any number of review websites and get some real world opinions, include that with a thorough review of the specs to ensure that the performance is up to snuff and you're good to go.
I have a 50 inch Pioneer Elite that I chose after months of research and love it. I also do like the products from LG, Samsung, Mitsubishi, and Hitachi. Please stay away from the no-name brands. You really need to look at this as a system. Source, processor, cables, display, surroundings, etc. You can have a great display and a poor source and be unhappy, and vice versa, it needs to be a balance. Regardless of the display you purchase, in order to get the most out of it it will need to be calibrated. The default settings are made to make the display stand out on the store shelf. Use the DVD "Video Essentials" which you can get from Best Buy, Circuit City, Amazon, etc to calibrate both the video and audio of the system. I have a 10 year old 35" Mitsubishi that many people have asked if it was high-def. Also realize that there are various HDMI versions for the connection to the display. The standard for HDMI has been evolving and is not final (currently V1.3a is available but 1.3b is being tested). There has been compatibility issues between products that support different versions. As far as receivers go, the list I would pick from includes Marantz, Dennon, Integra, Rotel, Onkyo, Outlaw Audio, and NAD. These manufacturers provide products that are good value. As far as speakers go I like Paradigm, PSB, B&W, and Definitive Technology. Research sources include AVguide.com and hometheatermag.com. Avoid the big box stores and find a smaller store that knows the industry and the products. The small stores can be very competitive with big box prices.
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The absolute best Home Theater System in the entire world is the one that will be released 2 months after you buy and set one up.
According to Steve Jobs, in order to have the best home theater display out there, you must buy a new one each year.
I think the key thing is to never ever ever buy DLP...unless you want to sit dead on in front of it. The only advantage is cost. Plasma is increasing it's brightness half life, which is great, but be sure to check the specs that the one that you're getting is up to snuff in that regard. To my understanding, contrast ratios are still subjective when it comes to what exactly they measure, as there is no standard. Best bet is to walk the wall at Best Buy and see which one's brightness/darkness stands out.
I bought a 42" LG LCD with 1080i. After all I'd read it had the best reviews and looked the best in store. Great price and all that junk. Also, I was told that 1080p isn't needed for anything 42" and under, as the difference isn't noticeable. I'd definitely pay attention to the refresh rate though, as that plays a part in the clarity of any motion on the screen. Also wanna pay attention to the weight, sure most flat panels are relatively light compared to their tube counterparts, but they're still rather large and ungainly, especially if you're carrying it solo.
Inputs aren't as important if you have a decent receiver, if not, more hdmi will allow you to keep your tv longer, although you can always put a splitter in the line. I personally have a Harman Kardon AVR-247, and got it at a great price from their ebay store. It has 2 HDMI's in, one out, and upscales most analog signals to 720p via the hdmi connection. Plus it looks spiffy and was under $300.
Best of luck, and as some already said, the best one will come out a few months later, for cheaper, with more features, it's inevitable.
"Best bet is to walk the wall at Best Buy and see which one's brightness/darkness stands out."
No, no, no, no, NO. That is NOT the best bet. It's not even a good bet. C'mon man! Do we really need to go over this again? The sets at Best Buy/Circuit City etc are not a true representation of the display's abilities. Many factors contribute to this: store lighting, bad settings(contrast through the roof!), certain brands pushed over others, etc.
Your best bet is to head on over to avsforum and read. A lot.
Yeah, most are located in darker areas, and you can check the contrast settings to verify which ones are tweaked are not. More often than not, I've found them not to be tweaked. But it gives you a good starting point of which ones look the best, both picture quality-wise and aesthetically. Then from there, you can go onto any number of review websites and get some real world opinions, include that with a thorough review of the specs to ensure that the performance is up to snuff and you're good to go.
@DickHardknocks:
Yours is the truest statement I've read all year.
I have a 50 inch Pioneer Elite that I chose after months of research and love it. I also do like the products from LG, Samsung, Mitsubishi, and Hitachi. Please stay away from the no-name brands. You really need to look at this as a system. Source, processor, cables, display, surroundings, etc. You can have a great display and a poor source and be unhappy, and vice versa, it needs to be a balance. Regardless of the display you purchase, in order to get the most out of it it will need to be calibrated. The default settings are made to make the display stand out on the store shelf. Use the DVD "Video Essentials" which you can get from Best Buy, Circuit City, Amazon, etc to calibrate both the video and audio of the system. I have a 10 year old 35" Mitsubishi that many people have asked if it was high-def. Also realize that there are various HDMI versions for the connection to the display. The standard for HDMI has been evolving and is not final (currently V1.3a is available but 1.3b is being tested). There has been compatibility issues between products that support different versions. As far as receivers go, the list I would pick from includes Marantz, Dennon, Integra, Rotel, Onkyo, Outlaw Audio, and NAD. These manufacturers provide products that are good value. As far as speakers go I like Paradigm, PSB, B&W, and Definitive Technology. Research sources include AVguide.com and hometheatermag.com. Avoid the big box stores and find a smaller store that knows the industry and the products. The small stores can be very competitive with big box prices.