Flat Panel Plasma/LCD Televisions

[OB3]

I am about to take the plunge into either a 37'', 40'', or 42'' Flat Panel for our new family room. I hear good and bad about each type out there, so I am trying to get as many opinions about the different types of flat panels out there.

From looking at them at BB and CC, I am tending towards Plasmas, just because of the viewing angle, and the clarity.

Panasonic, LG, and Samsung have some nice tv's out there for about $2k, which i would like to keep as my budget.

Any opinions ??

[Tupperware]

You want opinions?
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/index.php?
My opinion:
Panasonic. Buy from Costco, if possible, for their awesome, no time limit return policy.

[CMasten]

Ditto on Costco. I just bought a 37" Spectre and it died after one day... Manuf said ship it back and we will fix it (not happening) and Costco said no issue, just bring us back what you have and we will replace or refund no questions. NO ONE has that kind of service that I have experienced. BB and CC both try and do the curly shuffle when I had issues, so now its all Costco...

btw, in the 40 and under range I think you will find the LCDs to be king. You can get a killer Pana, Sony or Samsung for about 1500 or less in the 40" range that is spectatular and with HD 1080i (or now p) built in tuning. Amazing how much bang for the buck you can get at the moment. Costco has a nice selection too that is only avail online and they include free shipping on many of them, take a look before you make a decession.

[OB3]

I appreciate the posts CMasten and tupperware

I just signed up for the forum.

My wife joined Costco a couple years ago through a friends union. $20 a year. We went there last week, but they only seemed to carry no-name brands. I had no clue they had an online store. I will have to check it out !!

For my room, i am thinking 37'' might be best, its a 14 by 12 room off the kitchen. But hte 42'' are just as cheap, if not sheaper than the 37''s, weird.


keep the opinions coming !!

[5Gs]

another vote for costco, if they have the tv you're looking for. but it seems like everytime I go there, their tv selection increases. if you don't mind buying online, I've bought from onecall.com. in fact, the last two tvs (36" and 60") I bought were from them. not as convenient as costco but I've never had a problem with them.

as far as plasma vs lcd, I chose lcd because I play games once in a while. lcd tvs have no problems with games, but plasmas could have burn-in problems (but maybe current generations are much better in handling that).

[CMasten]

btw, I bought my LCD 37" POS online at Costco, their return policy is

1) you are welcome to bring it to any store and set up delivery of a replacement or get your money back, no questions

2) if its a hassle just email us and we will arrange to pick it up and get you a new one. They eat the shipping for all the inconvenience. I didnt pay for shipping the first time on the panel or the mount so this will eat deeply into their profits, but they stand behind it no matter what.

I would not ask for more, convenience of online shopping, shipping to my door and they back it up with options and no questions. I wish more vendors did this...

[Tupperware]

Originally posted by CMasten
I would not ask for more, convenience of online shopping, shipping to my door and they back it up with options and no questions. I wish more vendors did this...

The only problem is that some people abuse it. Costco has had to modify the return policy where computers were concerned and I've heard rumors that they are considering limiting returns on TV's as well.

[CMasten]

Originally posted by Tupperware

The only problem is that some people abuse it. Costco has had to modify the return policy where computers were concerned and I've heard rumors that they are considering limiting returns on TV's as well.

no doubt but for a customer like me with a unit that just died after 5 hours its awesome. I have people here at the office that abuse it, and it pisses me off, as it will totally blow excellent programs like this. Panels are just such a hassle with their size and weight when they dont work, and Costco chose to sell them only online so it should be interesting to see how long this lasts

[5Gs]

Originally posted by Tupperware

The only problem is that some people abuse it. Costco has had to modify the return policy where computers were concerned and I've heard rumors that they are considering limiting returns on TV's as well.

I know someone who use to work at the costco return desk, and I heard plenty of stories of people returning things for refunds when it's clear they're abusing the policy. a customer brought back an empty pie container, saying the pie wasn't any good. asked for a refund!

[jcantanixon]

Originally posted by 5Gs


I know someone who use to work at the costco return desk, and I heard plenty of stories of people returning things for refunds when it's clear they're abusing the policy. a customer brought back an empty pie container, saying the pie wasn't any good. asked for a refund!

Yup, last time I was returning something, there was a guy in front of returning milk. They sell it in twin 1 gallon containers, and he was only able to finish one gallon before the 2nd one expired. So he brought it back and they gave him a full refund!!

I fully support Costco as the place to buy large electronics. They have plenty of "name brand" models, at least the ones in SoCal do. I also think that LCD is better than Plasma. I own a 50" Plasma and I love it, but since the newer generation of LCDs has gone up in size and down in price, I would recommend those for 42" and below.

[Scoobs]

Originally posted by OB3
I

For my room, i am thinking 37'' might be best, its a 14 by 12 room off the kitchen. But hte 42'' are just as cheap, if not sheaper than the 37''s, weird.


keep the opinions coming !!

I have a 42" Sony LCD in a room that size and it's perfect.

[dontnomuch007]

For a 14x12, I would go with a 50". It always seem much larger at first, but then you get used to the size. If you go smaller, most likely in about 3-6 months, you'll be saying you should have gone larger.

[CMasten]

Well I just made contact with the folks at Septre for my 37" HD panel from Costco... .wow talk about clueless tech support. I wont have a choice but to return this broken unit and just buy either a Sony or a Sharp. They are both more money, but I figure well worth it at the end of the day.... its not worth the hassle factor with the size and weight of these beasts!

[OB3]

I just took a ride to Best Buy.
I was looking at 32 and 40 inch LCD's, the rep there sort of was pushing the LCD over the Plasmas. I never really took the whole 'burn in' issue to seriously, but almost every plasma on teh wall there had a vry distinctive lines that appeared on every screen.

Now i am concerned about this bc there are many times i come home and the dvd ended and the credits are up there for an extended period of time. I was told lcd's didn't have this issue.

Pro's and Cons to both i guess.

Sony and Samsung 32 or 40 inch LCD's were very impressive.

[Scoobs]

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2008038,00.asp

here's a link to an article on some advantages of LCDs, particularly in smaller screen sizes