Need Some TV Suggestions

[bmsmcr]

Sadly, the television in my room started showing weird splotches of color on the screen so I'll be on the hunt for a new one. I am a college student at the moment, so I can't really afford to go all-out, but I still want something that I can use for a long time and be happy with. Does anyone have any suggestions as far as a new television that would work for me?

I am looking for:
1080p display
2 HDMI ports
At least 32" would be nice, but I can settle for less if need be
Price range preferably $250 and under

Thanks, any tips would be extremely helpful!

EDIT: Is this a good TV even though it's $300?
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/vizio-m-...&skuId=8790111

[Suntory_Times]

What do you plan on using the tv for, do you generally watch in a bright environment or a dark or darkened room?

They are not 1080p (they are 720p from memory) but given your screen size it is doubtfull that 720p vs 1080p matters (unless you intend to use it as a monitor), but I would check out one of these. They should be far better then any lcd's in that price range regardless of there lower resolution.

Samsung PN43F4500BFXZA ($299)
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-...kLKIFdq5h0A5eA

Samsung PN51F4500BFXZA ($399)
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-...IDOzKdCgaFzdLg


Honestly I have a vt60 and if I could get the 43" above for $299 (I can't due to where I live) I would buy it in a heart beat for my bedroom. As for the vizio you linked I can't say as vizio is not sold in my country, if your goal is watching films though in a dark or darkened room I strongly urge considering one of the above plasmas.

Here is a thread with people discussing the above two tv's and their thoughts regarding them: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=243130

[Thomas Irwin]

Here is one for $219.99:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/sharp-32...FQaCMgod7UgA2w

I have an older Samsung 32 inch myself, though mine is 720p LCD. This one is 1080p LED. Overall, I've been extremely happy with mine. An excellent brand in my opinion. The only thing that could perhaps be slightly troublesome is the 60Hz refresh rate if you view alot of broadcasts or movies with frequent fast action - or potentially for gaming. A higher refresh rate though would likely put you out of that price range with any of the better brands.

[bmsmcr]

I generally watch in a dark room and using my blu-ray player. Most of the time I watch movies at night and I have very dark black curtains that leave my room fairly dark most of the time. I saw that Sharp, very tempting, especially at that price.

EDIT: I'll also be playing next-gen consoles on it eventually. & Thanks for the awesome thread about those two you talked about.

[Suntory_Times]

Originally Posted by bmsmcr

I generally watch in a dark room and using my blu-ray player. Most of the time I watch movies at night and I have very dark black curtains that leave my room fairly dark most of the time. I saw that Sharp, very tempting, especially at that price.

EDIT: I'll also be playing next-gen consoles on it eventually. & Thanks for the awesome thread about those two you talked about.

Based on that plasma is the way to go. In a dark or darkened room lcd simply falls behind plasma in every category. The only time I would recommend an lcd (save possibly for future fald models similar to what the sharp elite was) was if it was to be mainly used in a bright room.

IR may be a concern but from my experience the only time I have had IR on my plasma is when I have left a still image up for numerous hours (I did this once on an older plasma). As long as you don't abuse (image in vivid mode etc) your tv and are careful for the first one hundred hours you should be fine.

You are spending a little bit more, but if you want a tv you can be happy with for longer I think the better pq it should provide for is more then worth it. Just remember no matter the tech, at this price point there are going to be notable flaws.

Be aware that sharp is going to have a 3:2 pull down which combined with the inherent flaws in lcd tech is going to leave motion disappointing to say the least. If you go with plasma you don't have to worry about this (as all modern plasma's do a 1:1 pull down of 24hz content), if you go with an lcd I would recommend making sure it can do a 1:1 pulldown.

Originally Posted by Thomas Irwin

Here is one for $219.99:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/sharp-32...FQaCMgod7UgA2w

I have an older Samsung 32 inch myself, though mine is 720p LCD. This one is 1080p LED. Overall, I've been extremely happy with mine. An excellent brand in my opinion. The only thing that could perhaps be slightly troublesome is the 60Hz refresh rate if you view alot of broadcasts or movies with frequent fast action - or potentially for gaming. A higher refresh rate though would likely put you out of that price range with any of the better brands.

Console games run at 30 or 60fps (sometimes going a bit above or below that of course but the target remains the same) so a 60hz monitor is fine for gaming, your should be concerned with input lag for gaming (which isn't related to the hz of the monitor per se). It is not good for films though.