I'm looking to replace my 5 year old Sony LCD (rear projection) set with a LCD (flat panel).

I'm going to mount it on the wall and looking in the 42-46" size range. I also want to keep the cost under $1K.

Any suggestions?

Thanks for the help!

We asked this awhile back and finally settled on the Sony Bravia W-Series KDL-4 In November. (post might even be here if you dig). I like it a lot, but it was more than $1k. Might be less now though since some time has passed.

Thanks Missy!

That Sony is on my short list. I love Sony TV's!

Do you have yours mounted on the wall?

Nope, ours is on a long bench-type tv stand. It could be mounted, but we already had the stand, so that works for now. We also don't own, so cords running down the wall aren't too appealing to me. Maybe when we have a house.

go plasma or LED

Panasonic 50 inch plasma viera tc p46u1 is awesome. it was 1099 though

I'm currently looking at getting a Samsung LED LCD.

Here's a good deal right now:
Sharp Aquos 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD TV
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp ... =39&loc=01

I've had a 42" Samsung LED for 3 years now and it rules. Blu Ray looks incredible as well as PS3. My other Samsung products have never let me down either. Tend to be a bit more but worth it imo.

LED: No screen burn in worries like plasmas.

1080p vs 720p...a lot of controversy over that. I have a 1080p but my friend has a 720p Samsung and I can't tell ANY difference. I guess only if you are watching from over 8-10 feet on a 50" screen. You can save a LOT of money by buying a 720p.

More on that here...
http://reviews.cnet.com/720p-vs-1080p-hdtv/?tag=rb_content;rb_mtx

There is of course a lot more tech stuff that you could consider before buying...but that's my 2cents.

I'm still waiting to go hi-def cause I don't watch that much tv.

Two questions:

Do regular DVDs look the same at 1080p vs 720p?

What about fast moving imagery or video games?
Does LCD or Plasma have an advantage over the other as far as keeping up?

Plasmas react much better to fast moving images/camera work - or so I've been told.
I don't have TV reception anymore - just a DVD player and a Roku player. I'd like to upgrade from our CRT, but just can't justify it at the moment. It seems like TV will be VASTLY different within 5 years than it is now.

Someone correct me if you know better, but... that "Best Buy" house brand is fuggin' cheap. As in inexpensive. These Teevee's are a commodity now, I think you could save some scrilla and still get decent quality.

Kinda like Energizer makes "walgreens brand" batteries, but no one tells you that.

happy hunting

I think you can get a 42" lcd like the LG I have in the shop for around $900.

I've looked at those and they are pretty cheap (also come with a nice 2 year warranty).

Thanks for the suggestions...still not sure?

At that size, go for a plasma. Blacks are blacker and fast moving objects look better.

Not sure how well a plasma will do in our living room. Don't they look better in a dim/darkened room?

Plasamas have made many advancements, no burn-in, no need for a dark room, but they still produce a lot of heat and use a lot of energy in comparison to LCD and definitely LED. Plasma TV weigh more too. But they produce beautiful, rich blacks, and in general, have superior color uniformity.

The Panasonic plasmas are really cheap, but really high in quality, hard to not recommend them to someone looking to spend less, but get a lot for their money. All that said, I love Sony TVs...My personal favorite TV is the Sony Bravia XBR8 series. But they are pretty expensive.

When I was thinking of buying a new TV I was really drawn to the Panasonic plasmas - they really stand out from a lot of the other TVs.

Going to go and check some out this weekend. Thanks for all the suggestions!

Oh you may also want to consider getting an up-converting DVD player-We got one for our "regular" (non blu ray) DVDs and they look a million times better than if we play them in the old player.

I can find out what we got if you need suggestions. it was cheap like $60.

^ Yeah, I have a really good upconverting dvd (it does make a HUGE difference).

Looking to maybe get a Blu ray player.

PS3 systems just dropped by $100, and they have the re-design slim look. Could be something you want to do for a BluRay player.

Keep this in mind when you buy a new TV, BD or game console.

http://www.netflix.com/NetflixReadyDevicesList

Many more devices will be available later in the year.

We cancelled our TV service and bought a Roku player - love it! We'll just watch our network shows (Lost, 24, The Office) on the internet.
I've heard that they're working on a DL for the Wii so you can watch your Netflix Instant Queue through your Wii.

I already use Netflix thru the XBOX 360 and I love it! If I do get a Blu ray player it will be one that can stream Netflix.

BTW, went to Bestbuy today to review sets and the Sony LCD that was on the top of my list didn't blow me away (none of the Sony's did). I really like the LG's and the Sharp's. It's going to be a tough choice.

I have a 46 in Panasonic Viera 46PZ85U and I know Pioneer (arguably the best plasmas) shares there technology with Panasonic. The picture is just amazing. I would definitely try and get a screen that is capable of 1080p. Quality of standard DVD really just depends on how the DVD was mastered. Some look really good...some look bad. The comment about heat/power consumption is something worth thinking about. My apt. doesn't cool very well and after an hour or so of video gaming during the warm months it gets pretty hot in a mid to small size room. I'm about to get a laptop with an LED based LCD screen so I'm really curious to see how it looks...I hear they look really nice so I'd look into a plasma or LED LCD if I were you.