Kyle, there are conditions that favor LCDs over plarmas, but if you are into movies, sports, and the room is not brightly lit by outside light, I cannot recommend a plasma strongly enough. The image is much more cinematic and you don't have to worry about 'tracing' with quick motion as in sports. Panasonic is highly regarded in the plasma world (yeah, I have one) and during the Christmas season you could pick up a 46"-50" for ~$700. I would take a long look around.

 

I love my 55" Vizio LCD and have had it for over 2 years with no issues. No problems with anything. The Plasmas have a great picture but are heavy and use quite a bit of power compared to the LCD's. My daughter has a 47 inch VIZIO and no problems there either.

At the time we purchased our 55 inch Vizio we were set on a Sony and comparing features and size for the money we gave Vizio a chance and have been very happy with it. Ours was the first year that Vizio came out with the 55" and it is 120 Hz refresh rate. We purchased ours from SAMS Club. When you hook up the TV use the HDMI cable.

 

There is a 42" Vizio LCD perimeter LED back-lit at Wal-mart for $698. The comparable 40" Samsung is $798. Side by side, I liked the picture on the Samsung, but the screen was a really glossy screen which wouldn't work too well in my living room.

The store we were at tonight didn't have any LG led-lcds so I couldn't compare them. They did have a Sony along side the Vizio & Samsung led-lcds and I wasn't impressed by the Sony. It was bulkier than the other two.

My living room on the 1st floor gets A LOT of sun during the day, even on overcast days, so I'm not sure a Plasma would work too well. Now for the basement, definitely, but I'm thinking about a 1080p projector for down there at some point.

 

I've got a Philips 42" LCD with matching sound bar. Absolutely great!



Gotta say though, if I had the choice i'd have gotten the Samsung. My daughter works for Philips & about a year or so ago, they withdrew from the NZ TV market & left over stock was made available to staff at about 1/3rd the retail price.

 

dont forget about the time delay or whatever. my buddies sony is almost impossible to play guitar hero on, while my sharp is perfect

 

I have an LG LCD & it's great IMO. Had to remember to get a HD PVR cable box afterwards though lol. Like was mentioned before HDMI inputs, mine has 3 & they get used! Also have you looked online at Consumer Reports & the like? With certain lighting conditions, angles of view, where the TV etc plays a lot in which would be better for you in regards to LCD, LED & Plasma.

 

im sticking with vizio they have done me well for the past 3 years.

 

I've got a Toshiba LCD and have had it for the last 4 years with no problems(touch wood).

 

Can not believe I missed this thread...

Kyle... I troubleshoot televisions for a company as a part time job but went through their entire 2 week training course which consisted of 1.5 weeks general product (LCD,PLASMA,LED,) training and .5 week of training on their products

1. Vizio is completely hit or miss, as I believe they purchase their actually screens from other companies IIRC.

2. LED versus LCD is not that great of a different and is only a change in backlighting, do not let anyone at best buy or other store attempt to tell you otherwise, I have had MANY calls asking the difference and people freak out when it is just the back light, which allows a greater contrast ratio, and also make sure if its Dynamic Contrast versus Actual contrast and many companies do inflate their numbers on contrast ratio.

3. I personally use Samsung and have had zero issues and would recommend samsung.

4. I will pm you the brand I work for and what I have seen.

5. BUY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY, most of the times after the manufacturers warranty is up and done, the cost to repair the television will cost approx 60-90% of the original cost, and people who purchased 32-40 inch televisions 2-3 years ago can buy a new television for cheaper than current repairs (assuming its a panel problem)

EDIT

re-read your post kyle

6. If you do go towards Edge Lit LED, be sure to check the bleeding on the screen, as some models allow light in the edge of the screen so that it looks like a brighter light "ring" that bleeds onto the screen.

 

I have been in and out of probably 20 stores in the last 2 weeks. It really did come down to the two models I mentioned in my original post, the Samsung 40" & the Vizio 42" both with perimeter LED backlighting. I didn't like the picture on any of the other tv's (LG, Sony, etc) as much as these two. What finally sold me was the difference in reflections from the screens. The glossy screen on the Samsung would have been distracting in my living room. The room is open to the kitchen opposite the TV...

I finally ended up buying the Vizio a few days ago for $650. The extended warranty was only $65 so I did that as well. I am very happy with the purchase!