Ok, so thanks to this forum I found a source for my wall mount for hundreds of dollars cheaper than retail. So now I need some advice from those that are in the know.

I have been shopping around for TV's for close to 2 months now. I cant seem to make up my mind on anything. I was dead set on Samsung at first, but then after going to the store and seeing them in person I wasn't. Then I saw a Sony Bravia at Target that looked ******* mint. Now I am leaning toward the Bravia series LCD's from Sony.

I don't want anything smaller than a 40", and at the same time I couldn't fit anything larger than a 46"

My question is this;

What is overboard? I don't NEED the best TV ever, but I figure if I'm going to spend $1200, $1400 isn't much more. But then that can keep going on and on down the line as the TV models get better and better.

I will be using the TV mainly for regular TV broadcasts, movies, and most importantly Xbox 360.

These are the 3 models I have been looking at;

Sony KDL-46W4100 46" BRAVIAŽ W-Series 1080p LCD HDTV with 120Hz refresh rate at Crutchfield.com

Sony KDL-46V4100 46" BRAVIAŽ V-Series 1080p LCD HDTV at Crutchfield.com

Sony KDL-46S4100 46" BRAVIAŽ S-Series 1080p LCD HDTV at Crutchfield.com

I have read alot of reviews online about refresh rates and that 120hz is way better. I've also read that 720p is the currently the highest quality picture you can get, not including blu-ray. So this is where I'm having trouble deciding on whats "enough" and whats "too much".

All advice is greatly appreciated guys. Anyone here have personal experience with any of the above Bravia models?

 

I just got a 32xbr6 which is a bravia. Compared to the Samsungs I saw, this TV is the ****. In general I think Sonys tend to be less in your face saturated than Samsungs, and I think the picture quality is a little better. Then again, the type of lcd panel they use, and other features change depending on the size, so you can't generalize across all TVs, even in the same model line. The 40a650 Samsung looks pretty spectacular. I would go with the 120hz Samsung 46a650 or Sony 46w4100 if I was in your shoes. It's probably going to come down to personal preference. I wanted 120hz but they don't offer it in less than a 40", and that was too big for my needs. I spent a lot of time reading at AVS Forum before I made my decision.

 

Firstly, Im a Samsung fanboy, big time. I have both a Sony and Samgung, newer sets, high def, Sony is a 55'' and the Samsung is a 56''. As much of a fan of Samsung as I am, I have to say the Sony has a much better picture with standard def tv broadcasts, but I think my Samsung blows away the Sony in HD broadcasting and gaming. Granted both of my sets are DLP projection, and not LCD, but from what I have seen the same stands for the LCD and Plasmas from both brands. Not sure if thats any help, but just a little first hand input (on the wrong type of set).

 

Spend that money on your car. Your TV works fine.

 

Can't comment on the Bravia, like others, I went with Samsung.

Whatever you choose, I recommend the following

1) 1080 over 720,
2) Minimum of 25,000-1 contrast ratio (older technology is 10,000-1 or less, my Samsung is 50,000-1))
2) Whatever you choose, check amazon for pricing on the same set. They were several hundred cheaper than anything I could get locally

 

In alot of cases, you cant really let the contrast ratio sell you on a set, since there isnt really a set of rules to go by. One companies 50k may be anothers 10k. At least thats how it was last time I was looking at tv's, maybe there is a regulated way now. Anything over about 10k is hard to notice. Ive seen 10,000 sets against higher sets like yours at 50,000 and cant really see any difference.

 

Before you make your final decision check out a Panasonic Viera plasma panel. After reading the discussion on an earlier thread here it got me back into a store to look again and I changed my mind about getting a Bravia once I saw the picture on the Panny. I went with a TH-50PZ80U and I absolutely love it. To my eyes is has a better picture than my In-Laws Bravia W series or my parents Samsung LN46A750.

 

I've already spent wayy too much on the miata. The reason I actually have money to buy a new TV is cause I stopped buying parts for a car I haven't driven in almost a year.

See....from what I read about the contrast ratio there's 2 different ones. I guess an out of the box # and a # that's over time. Generally the majority of TVs develop a higher number over time. I know that's a very noobish way of putting it, but I've read that multiple times on different sites not to judge by those numbers. They more or less say its important to pay attention to 60hz VS 120hz and the MS pixel response time.

I was also trying to compare LCD's to plasmas at the store. I've heard that plasma is better for gaming, but I also read about burn in with them. And it seems both newer plasma and LCD TV's don't have the issues older ones did with screen glare.

Keep the comments coming guys, every opinion or review helps! Scuba, I'm on Amazon now checking prices, thanks for the heads up.

 

A somewhat related funny story. I actually found the best deal for my TV locally at J&R. I thought I would have no problem fitting a 32" flatscreen in the miata...wrong. Picture 2 guys in downtown Manhattan ripping a brand new TV out of a box and stuffing it in the package shelf of a miata and leaving a ******* huge box on the sidewalk. A lot of people gave us some funny looks. Luckily there were no issues with the TV or I would have been fucked.

 

 

if u have some room, look into samsung dlp's....badass imo, i love mine

 

Last time i checked XBR's landed cost is lower than the Z series, the W series will be lower also. the KDL46XBR6 landed cost was... $1587 W series was somewhere in the neighborhood of $1300ish. Too bad your in CT, could of sent you to a hhgregg with tv prices a dollar above cost that you could of bought :(. i'd stay away from the S series, they'll stick refurbish/off-brand parts that will get the ok from a sony 'inspector' then have a sony panel and slap the Bravia sticker on there, sometimes using the older Bravia Engine 1 or no Bravia engine at all lol

the 120hz makes a huge difference, if you can put out the extra cash do it.

 

I'll second the Panny plasma recommendation. The only caveats are this...is it going into a bright room? If so, you probably want to go back to a LCD. I have a Panny plasma in a 2 story great room with a full wall of windows and there are some glare issues at specific points of the day. Nevertheless, the picture is beautiful!

The only other issue with a plasma is that the "sweet" point of their pricing is from 50 inches and above. You can get a 42 or 46 inch, but the pricing is not "better" than LCDs.

You can probably tell that I'm not an LCD fan....I just don't think that their picture is as vibrant as a plasma. I have yet to see one in a buddy's house that looks better than or even as nice as my Panny.

One more tidbit...don't bother basing your judgement on how a tv looks in a store like Target or BB. They are not even feeding the sets with hdmi wiring. Try hitting a speciality store (and even then check the wiring) or just buy the sets that you are interested in and bring them home. Just check the return policy...

Good luck!

 

My satellite receiver is 1080i. My Denon DVD (not blu-ray) up converts to 1080p, and does a very nice job of it. I wouldn't buy anything short of a 120hz 1080p TV now, since the prices have dropped so much. And I personally love LCD, they are so bright I can easily watch my Sharp Aquos in full day light with no problems at all.

LCD is going to have longevity in the market place, Plasma is on the way out.

My vote would be for Sharp. Sony is going to be really hit or miss, Sony doesn't make the actual LCD panel. It could be made by one of six or seven manufacturers. Sharp makes panels for Sony, Toshiba, Pioneer and Phillips. LG and Samsung make a lot of them as well.

Bottom line, buy what you think looks good.