Best 50"+ LCD for under $1500

[gatorlangman]

Alright guys, my initial decision on a TV was going to be the Mitsubishi 60" DLP but my GF who is paying for the TV says she dosent want the bulkyness of the back of it. She doesnt like how its not a flat panel. It personally doesnt bother me but it bothers her. Gotta keep the misses happy.

It is her final decision on the TV.

So with that said our spending cap is $1500. It has to be an LCD and im going to be hooking up my computer to it though DVI to HDMI.

She doesnt want to settle with anything less than 50 inches. I think she wants a 52" but a 50" with better picture quality would be preferred.

So what is the best Picture quality 50+ inch LCD for under $1500?
I will be playing games on my PC (cod4, crisis, etc.) and she will be playing Wii on it.

[gatorlangman]

bump

[JasonR]

This is probably the best around $1500.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN52A5...7499378&sr=1-1

This is a comparable Sony you can probably find on sale for close to that price.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Bravia-KD...7499255&sr=1-2

[crackinhedz]

Panasonic Viera TH50PZ85U 50" 1080p

coupon code: couponcabin

$1,392 shipped.

[JasonR]

Do it!! Great deal!!

[gatorlangman]

http://www.6ave.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=PANTH50PZ85U

So that panasonic viera is the best deal?

and is that coupon going to be available around christmas time?

So out of these which one is the best and why?

http://www.6ave.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=PANTH50PZ85U
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN52A5...7499378&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Bravia-KD...7499255&sr=1-2

Are any of those 120hz and if they are not, will they still be fine for playing PC games?

I'm not a fan of samsung.. as a brand name company they have really dissapointed me. I have Dual 19" samsung LCDs for my computer and the backlight shines through on the edges really bad.. the quality isnt that great.. I have gone to bestbuy and I know they don't calibrate their TV's correctly but this seems to be a constant problem with most samsung monitors I have seen.

I am going to go to serveral stores tomorrow and I will look at all the suggest models including the samsung, but Thats my 2 cents.

[lojack1976]

If it has to be an LCD go with that Sammy 550. I don't think you can find another LCD at that price range and size that will outdo it. If plasma is an option then go with the Panny. I have one and I love it! Be warned though, I use mine for my main computer as well as my home theater, but you have to be careful with it. The chances of burn-in is much greater when using it as a computer monitor. I live alone and I don't have to worry about others doing something careless, and I'm always thinking about protecting it. Anyone who tells you burn-in is a myth is just lying. I've seen it firsthand on many occasions, though its less likely on newer tv's during normal use. Just something to consider. In all honesty I would've gone with another LCD because of my uses, but I couldn't afford what I wanted at the time. My Panny's picture is superior to the LCD I originally wanted, but the trade-off is that I have to take more care when using it. I would also say skip that Sony. Its a good tv, but its not worth the extra money over that Sammy. You won't get any better picture for your $200 in my opinion. Get THIS Sammy instead if you have the extra cash. Its much more of an upgrade and probably the best LCD under $2000.

[gatorlangman]

oh, I didnt see that that panasonic is a plasma..

with my luck I would really not want to go with a plasma.. my GF does not want a plasma either..

PLASMA is not an option...

So since that panasonic is out of the question....

What is the best LCD for under 1600.. 1600 is the absolute highest I will go.. 1600 after tax/shipping. No exceptions.

Here are some LCD's that I found...

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...915&CatId=3651

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...247&CatId=3651

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...444&CatId=3651

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...809&CatId=3651

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...808&CatId=3651

Now I don't care about name brand.. just picture quality.

[lojack1976]

The Sammy 550 that you looked at on Amazon is probably the best of the bunch...good black level, color accuracy, and sharpness. I'd say the LG is the next runner up. Black level won't be quite as good as a Samsung, but still good for an LCD. Color accuracy is pretty good and they have very sharp pictures. I actually have the 42" version of this tv in my bedroom. With a 5ms response time I've experienced no motion blur while watching sports or gaming. I've looked at those Sharps before and the banding issue just irks the hell out of me. They do have pretty good black levels though. I've checked out a few Toshibas and I just wasn't impressed with the pictures on them. The color accuracy left a lot to be desired and I didn't find the pictures to be very sharp either. They all tended towards a greenish hue. The Vizio is easily the worst of the bunch. Don't even consider it. I know you want to spend $1600 or less, but the 6 series Samsung I suggested is well worth the extra $200. It has an extremely good picture with excellent black levels and 120hz processing.

[gatorlangman]

1600 is the absolute max.


why an absolute no on the vizio? I know they are not a name brand, but when Ive been in the store Ive noticed a trend of non name brands actually looking better than some of the name brands.. I seen a Silvania TV as well as an LG that looked better than some of the samsungs.

Well I will keep in mind what you have said, and I thank you for your input.

Are there any 50"+ 120hz LCDs that are under 1600?

Also I noticed that this toshiba that I linked to has 14bit video processor.. is this good or bad? It has 4hdmi slots which Im really liking, and dynalight black light control.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...247&CatId=3651

[HDTV1080P]

Originally Posted by gatorlangman

1600 is the absolute max.
Are there any 50"+ 120hz LCDs that are under 1600?

Unless there is going to be some special sale coming soon you currently can not purchase a 50 inch or larger flat panel LCD or Plasma that supports multiplies of the original frame rate when a 1080P/24 signal is applied at the price you are looking for.

I am not a fan of LG but this mail order company is offering a true 5:5 pulldown 120HZ LG 52LG60 52 inch 1080P for only $1,948 with free shipping.
http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/basket.aspx?sku=LG52LG60&act=add&sks=LG52LG60,

Better yet a 50 inch Pioneer KURO PDP-5020FD can be purchased for only $2,431.64 with free shipping. The Pioneer is a much better quality display with a better picture quality compared to the LG, Sony, Samsung, etc.
http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-PDP-5020FD-50-Inch-1080p-Plasma/dp/B001AAPEDC?tag=blurayforum-20

If you would be willing to shrink the screen size down to 47 inches you could get the LG 47LG70 5:5 pulldown 120HZ display for only $1,383.13 with free shipping from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/LG-47LG70-47-Inch-1080p-120Hz/dp/B0019LX7XG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1227515185&sr =1-1

[lojack1976]

There are a lot of things to look at when considering a tv. First off, the signal being sent to tv's in the store are usually quite bad. You're better off using a blu-ray to test the tv out. Another thing to consider is that tv's are not calibrated nor set to optimal settings in the store. Most of the time they have the brightness and contrast cranked way up to compensate for the bright lights in the store, and you'll get an inaccurate assessment of the tv's picture. I guarantee you that once you get a Vizio home and adjust it it will not look nearly as good as you thought it did in the store. I have a friend who bought a Vizio last Christmas and its okay for a budget television, but certainly not what I would buy myself if I can do better. Like I said, I like my LG, but the black level isn't quite up to par, not bad, but not quite good enough. I'm a huge movie buff, and I was just wasn't satisfied until I got the Panny plasma, but I actually wanted a Samsung LCD. It was just way too expensive at the time. My plasma has a better picture than the Samsung I was looking at, but I wanted LCD since I have a computer hooked up to it. Now I just take more care in using it on the plasma. As for the Toshiba, its not a bad tv, but I looked at it side by side with others like Sony, Samsung, LG, and even a Panny plasma, and it was easily the worst picture. Unlike most stores, the particular Circuit City I visited actually had much dimmer lighting for optimal viewing and comparing tv's was much easier. I could adjust pictures and everything and the best picture was definitely the Panny with the Toshiba being dead last to my eyes. Even the JVC off to the side of it looked better with a much sharper picture with comparable black level. Most people on this forum will tell you that Samsung and Sony make the best LCD's right now, and the experts who review these tv's agree. As for the 120hz tv's, I don't believe that you will find a 52" much cheaper than the Samsung I suggested, and certainly not better if you do.

[gatorlangman]

all of those that you linked are above besides the bottom one are over $1600 which I clearly stated I cannot go above. The bottom one you suggested is also under 50" which I clearly stated in minimum. I don't mean to insult your suggestions by any means, its just i've been on several forums and they have all kept suggesting TVs over my price range. After searching for a while, it gets annoying. No disrespect intended.

So I repeat with this question/statement:

Also I noticed that this toshiba that I linked to has 14bit video processor.. is this good or bad? It has 4hdmi slots which Im really liking, and dynalight black light control.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...247&CatId=3651

[gatorlangman]

Originally Posted by lojack1976

As for the Toshiba, its not a bad tv, but I looked at it side by side with others like Sony, Samsung, LG, and even a Panny plasma, and it was easily the worst picture.

Thank you for your input.

Tomorrow I'm going to go to different stores and view them. I will adjust the picture and see which one I like best. I know it will look different in my house.

I'm going to look at the LG, the Sharp Aquos and the Toshiba in the stores as well. The only thing I dont like about the sharp is the fact that it only has 2 HDMI slots.. So its a toss up between the LG and the Toshiba or the samsung.

UPDATE:
After looking at the cost after shipping/tax on the TVs its a toss up between the Toshiba or the samsung. I will probably go for the samsung even though its $60 more. I have had bad luck with Samsung's backlight being too bright (leaking through) but I will look to see if anyone has had this problem with this TV.

Anyone with the samsung want to chime in and tell me what they think?

[lojack1976]

I've read something in the past about that 14-bit thing they keep touting. If I remember correctly the processor is 14-bit, but the panel is 10-bit so there is no real benefit. Its basically a marketing ploy, and again, the picture on Toshibas are not up to par with the competition. Many professional reviews agree and I'm sure a lot of other users will tell you the same thing. Toshiba tv's are not known for having good color accuracy. The Samsung 550 and the LG both meet your price point. I would personally go with the Samsung...most people agree that it has the edge in picture quality, but the LG is not a bad choice either. Like I said, I own the 42" version of that same model and its not a bad tv at all, but I've seen the Samsung in person and it is the better tv. By all means avoid the Vizio LCD...its just not up to par. Its funny, but I've read a recent review on Cnet and apparently Vizio has managed to make a very good plasma recently...with good blacks too. Of course that's not what you're looking for though, but I thought I would put that out there. If you are willing to drop down to 47" then that LG the other user suggested would be an excellent choice. Its a newer model with better black level and its 120hz. 3" is not a big difference in surface area and for less than $1400 its a steal.

[lojack1976]

Originally Posted by Mr. Rich & Smart

Gatorlingman,

Sony, Samsung, Panasonic are the best. YOU CAN DO IT!!!

LG and Toshiba are not items of quality.

THINK SUCCESS!!!!

Actually, if you look at Cnet's reviews for the newer LG plasmas they've pretty much caught up to Samsung in terms of picture quality. They are still behind Panasonic and Pioneer, but those are the best and have been for some time. There are no recent reviews on the newer LG LCD's on Cnet, but I'm sure they've improved upon those too, especially since LG has typically made better LCD's than plasmas in the past.

[gatorlangman]

Alright I will look at the samsung tomorrow and If I like it, then I will plan on purchasing it around Christmas time.. hopefully the free shipping will still be around then.

Anyone have pictures of the Samsung hooked up to a computer?

[lojack1976]

If you truly want a good tv at a low price then check THIS out. Its only $900 with free shipping, and Philips makes very good tv's for the money. Cnet even used one for a reference set for awhile because of the color accuracy and sharpness. Black levels aren't quite as good as Sony or Samsung, but very respectable, and definitely better looking than most Toshibas I've seen. Its a 47" but what a deal.

[jetydosa]

I picked up the Sammy 52" 550 this weekend at Brandsmart for $1298. Love it! Picture and color are great, and Ive seen not a hint of motion blur.

[gatorlangman]

Originally Posted by jetydosa

I picked up the Sammy 52" 550 this weekend at Brandsmart for $1298. Love it! Picture and color are great, and Ive seen not a hint of motion blur.

Can you hook up your computer to it and take a picture of the screen with a camera and post it on here so I can see the PC quality? as that is a major factor in the decision of the purchase