What kind of TV?
 

I'm really stupid when it comes to this - and there are so many options....

I'm on the housing committee for my chapter's new house, and we are wanting to get a flat screen tv for the main room. probably 40-50 inch range. We need one that's a good quality but not going to drain our wallets.

What is the difference btw plasma, lcd, and whatever other kind of options out there? If I remember correctly, plasma is a no go because images can burn into the screen where you can see it even when the tv is turned off, right? So what kind should we be looking for?

I'd definitely ask the other house corporations on what they have, and check consumer reports. It just seems SO HUGE at that size, so you may want to get a piece of butcher paper and slap it on the wall to visualize it, and also check where the wall studs are. If you plan to put it on the wall those can make a difference in placement. Don't forget to factor in cables and cords, many don't come with them,

If you can buy at Costco that's always great as their return policy is amazing, and the prices are good.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/e...vice/index.htm

Sounds good. Thanks for the tips. I'm not entirely sure of the wall situation - we may just get one that we can set on an entertainment center, just to be on the safe side and not have to deal with placing it on the wall.

I have a great LCD HDTV one that also allows me to connect my laptop to it, and a thumb drive with a special photo option, just for slide shows. This could be a nice option at an open house or recruitment, but is also great for presentations. Everyone can see the Excel spreadsheet and have copies emailed.

Oh, surge protector, a good one runs $30 or so for all the equipment you'd attach to it (DVD player, Wii, whatever), and it is worth giving an electrician a jingle in the event there is wonky wiring. If you get particular protectors and register them, it covers in addition to regular insurance if something happens. You can even get mechanisms that have cords plugged into the tv that do not allow their removal, so there will always be the right connector for a device.

While screen burn was a problem with the early plasmas, it is not so much a problem now so don't be afraid of plasma. LCD only goes up to a certain size (42 or 46 inches, I think) and anything bigger had to be plasma (at least when I was researching them).

I'll tell you my totally scientific method of picking out a flat screen TV. I went into stores constantly.. all kinds of stores, and looked at the tvs up on the wall from a distance. I picked out which one I thought had the best picture. I did this for months, in Best Buy, Walmart, Target.. any time I was in a store that had TVs. Every single time, the Samsung stood out to me. EVERY time.

^^ My parents bought a Samsung plasma TV last year and IT. IS. AWESOME.

We actually have a smaller version in the TV room of my chapter house, too! :)

I'm pretty sure my parents got a samsung as well and it's really nice.

We've got a Samsung down stairs. The only thing I don't like about it is the "singing" but apparently that's standard on all appliance because our computer screen, washer, dryer, and fridge all do it. You'd swear the ice cream man is coming when the laundry is done...

I heard that while screen burn isn't as much an issue, plasmas had a pretty short lifespan compared to LCDs. Also I'm a fan of Visio. When you go to the stores, make sure you ask if all the TVs are set to same settings. A lot of stores would set the most expensive TV to display setting or hook it up to HD and not the others.

Oooooo TV Talk!

I currently have an 42" LG plasma. Love it! But check out as many as you can before makig your purschase. There aren't many major differences between LCD and Plasmas for most people. Stuff like "blacker blacks" and "brighter whites" are really for those that live and die by picture quality.

If you can take a few of your sisters with you and see which ones they like as far as picture quality goes.

Also consider how much the TV will be used and for what. On most of the day? Used mostly to watch DVDs? Used for gaming?

Last but not least...budget :). Figure yours out and see what you can get for it. TVs drop in price quite regularly so keep an eye out for sales and the likes.

The price has come down so much now that you can pretty much get whatever you want without breaking the bank. My husband and I just went looking for exactly what you are looking for last weekend and were shocked to see how cheap they are compared to what we paid three years ago. We paid over $3000 in 2007, now you can get an LCD for under $2000. Just go to Best Buy and look around.

Beware of plasmas. You'll need to refill the gas when it runs out, and it's very pricey. I'd avoid it at all costs. I'd get an LCD or a new LED, if you can find one at a good price. My parents just got an LED and it's amazing.