Suggestions for 32" LCD TV

vanity | December 19, 2008 | RayChuang88

[VOA]

Suggestions for 32" LCD TV

Check out Consumer Reports at the bookstore or library.
They had a pretty extensive ratings survey for LCDs and Plasmas.
IIRC, Vizio got praise for the value of their LCDs.
And Samsung got generally good marks although they cost a bit more.

I will mention one odd brand-name: I saw a Viewsonic (32 or 37
inch?) at Office Depot a couple of months ago. I was suprised
how good the picture was. But I've no idea how the reliability is
as IIRC Viewsonic wasn't even in the Consumer Reports review.

[VOA]

PS: I think the Consumer Reports review was in their Nov. ‘08
issue...but could be off a month.

[TexasCajun]

If you arean’t talking HD-TV, you’re not spending your money wisely.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Make sure its 1080 not 720.

Why?

1080p vs 720p (1080i). Is 1080p worth it?

[word_warrior_bob]

My advice is bigger, bigger, bigger, once you get a big one you want it a little bigger. Get the biggest you can afford and don’t let 720p scare you away, it takes a magnifying glass to tell the difference from 720p to 1080i and 1080p.

[Hot Tabasco]

I bought a counter top Vizio that I returned, I didn't like the picture.

Check out a Phillips.......

[Paleo Conservative]

If you arean’t talking HD-TV, you’re not spending your money wisely.

I don't think any manufacturers sell anything other than digital TV's in the US. I doubt any 32" or above TV available new today is anything but HDTV. Most of the smaller screen TV's are 720p rather than 1080i, but they are still HDTV.

[ripley]

get a 1080p instead of 720p (the number of lines of resolution-very clear picture)

someone once told us about the three “s”’s; sony, samsung and i forget the other.

prices have come down for the 1080p because of the 2160p that’ll be coming out soon.

you can also get a cd that allows you to tune it for about fifty dollars. (some stores include it in an installation package for about three hundred dollars.)

an expensive proposition all around.

we chickened out recently and bought a flat screen crt 28” for $165 instead of an lcd at 7 of 8 hundred dollars.

(some stores will let you put it on a credit card with no interest for six months.)

good luck and good viewing.

[LuigiBasco]

OUCH! ;-)

[Cementjungle]

We have had one of the Vizio 32” sets as well for over a year. No problems.

ditto.

[Hot Tabasco]

As a side note, if you can find a 32" HDTV in your price range, make sure it comes with "CABLE CARD" and as many HDMI ports as possible.............

Cable Card is the key! it eliminates your need for a cable converter box.........

[irishtenor]

SONY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just bought a 37” model.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Samsung or Toshiba.
Go with 1080pi instead of 720
Forget the brick-and-mortar store: Go to Tigerdirect.com or Overstock.com, very good selections with free shipping and fast delivery
Sack the 32-inch - Upgrade to a 37-inch. You get a fuller, more widescreen picture at a comparable price.

[RayChuang88]

get a 1080p instead of 720p (the number of lines of resolution-very clear picture)

If I were getting a 40" panel I would seriously look at 1080p resolution, if only at 40" panel size you can start to see the difference between 1080p and 720p. But for a 32" panel, the display is just too small to easily see the difference unless you're VERY close to the TV.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Does it matter for a 32” screen and do screens that size have a 1080? Just askin.

Yes, 32" inch screens have 1080 pi resolution.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

By the way, one more thing: should I consider getting an upscaling DVD player?

No - most DVD players already offer progressive high-scan, as well as playback in different formats. If you want the high-resolution without paying for a Blu-Ray, then there's a DVD player that plays DVDs at 1080pi resolution. Crutchfield.com has some.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

My advice is bigger, bigger, bigger, once you get a big one you want it a little bigger

Why? If you live in an apt, why spend the extra money? A 32-inch or 37-inch works wonders and it's more convenient.

[Froggie]

I have 2 vizio 32” sets in a media room and a 22” vizio in the laundry room.... the 32’s have been without problem for almost 2 years, and the 22” one had a red pixel in the middle of the screen....they replaced it without question...new one works great...for the money they can’t be beat!

[Las Vegas Dave]

Newbee to HDTV, RayChuang88, needs help selecting a TV..Please post to him.

HDTV pings!

[TC Rider]

I just wish that someone would make a 32” (diagonal) set that was about 29 5/8” wide. Then I could replace the 25” tube set in the bedroom entertainment center.

So far the skinniest sets I can find are 30”.