Check out www.avsforum.com too - lots of good info and they sometimes have group buys on new sets.

I've had a 50" Samsung DLP for 2.5 years now, and I love it.

Also, when looking for a HDTV, make sure you don't get caught out by EDTV, which is not hi-def.

When I did my research, it came down to the following:

LCD - Sony was having problems with stuck pixels at the time, and if you had less than a certain number of stuck pixels, they wouldn't fix or exchange the set. Stuck pixels in primary colors are annoying.

Plasma - Expensive - had the advantage of being wall-mountable, if that matters to you. Disadvantage - burn-in possible with games, stock tickers, etc.

LCoS - Liquid Crystal on Silicone - Fantastic picture, but production problems caused high price and low availability at the time.

DLP - Good value for money, bulb is easy to change when it burns out (mine hasn't yet). Early sets caused some people to see rainbows on the screen, early sets also had some audio sync problems and occasional ghost images caused by reflections inside the set.

I haven't kep up with recent developments, but Samsung DLPs and Sony LCDs are still popular. I know Samsung just released the latest generation of DLP sets with higher resolution.

Happy hunting!

 

DLP, best bang for the buck. It won't burn in either (haha LCD and Plasma owners )
Picture quality is amazing. Toshiba is your best bet. They make their own light engine and it kicks ass. New HD4 chips on the market now too, 1080P which will be the format of the new HD DVD's coming.

 

All depends on your space on what TV to get

There is LCD Projection and DLP Projection style which are all going to be HD
Picture quality between the two is pretty much the same they are so close that it really doesn't matter which one you go with. Well unless you get the 1080P DLP which are amazing. Biggest Downside that I've seen with the Projection style, is that there is a bulb that needs to be replaced. The lifespan of the bulbs range between 3000-6000 hours. So you figure ever 2-4 years (Depending) you'll need to spend 250-350 for a new bulb.

LCD flat panel vs Plasma

Both TV have about a 60,000 Hour life span so you figure 15-20 years is about Half-life. The best part about the Plasma is that they have the widest viewing angles. Also the start up time on a plasma is alot faster, compaired to the projection styles. Also plasma have some of the picture quality you can get. The black level/contrast/depth of color on a plasma is alot better than compaired to an LCD.

Now with LCD it all depends on what size your looking for. If u want 42+ then get a plasma, If u want 37 or lower then LCD is going to be the more common TV. The LCD tends to run alittle bit more expensive, and repair on LCD is very expensive. If a Pixel is togo out on a LCD its very expensive to fix. It just all depends on what size you want.

EDTV - If u watch alot of regular TV but still want to have the best picture quality with Analog as well with HDTV. Look at this tv at your local Circuit City (Panasonic TH42PD50U). It has a HD Tuner built in which means, It can get a HD Signal it just downconverts it to EDTV (DVD Quality). But Look at the Plasma honestly its pretty difficult to see the difference between, this ED and the HD version of it. This ED Plasma is amazing and the price is great about $1799-1899 which is about a $1000 less than the HD version.

Rumors Plasma

Burn-In = Where a image is left on the plasma screen for a long time, causing it to burn an image into the inner glass frame which holds the plasma. The main cause of this is because with a plasma its not a projection TV. When the screen is paused that color will just burn into the screen. Now most companies have made it practally non-existant with screen burn by using, Pixel shifting Technology. Which does what it sounds like, when paused the pixel do not hold a stationary spot, They will shift around which makes screen burn not so common.

Brands

Plasma -

#1 - Panasonic (Best Black Levels, 8 Billion Color Combinations) Honestly its what I would buy hands down. They have a Pioneer Elite picture quality at a much much lower price. If u have the money look for a Panasonic Onyx Series its insane. They are also one of the view companies that actually manufactures everything on there Plasmas. Alot of companies (Sony) don't actually make all the parts in there TV, They buy alot from other companies.

#2 - Hitachi - another company that makes everything In-Home

#3 - Sony - Well sony doesn't make plasmas anymore hehe

LCD -

#1 - Sharp (Honestly Best bang for the buck) They have the picture quality of the other big brands but most of the time they are a couple hundreds dollars less.

#2 - Panasonic

#3 - Sony - There new LCD are amazing, They have a 40' XBR LCD its got a pretty good design and a nice picture.

#4 - Hitachi - Great with the seperate turners which is sweet if u want to mount on the wall.

 

holy shit more info than i anticipated. thanks a bunch, i'll surelly be doing some homework b4 i get. just wanted everyones opinion on the tv's. thanks again guys.

 

Plasma prices have come down a lot, especially the past few weeks. Tha ED plasma kw2000 talked about, Panasonic 42PD50U, can be purchased between 1700-1800 at Circuit City. Even less if you (dare) to go to online stores. I bought this ED plasma 6 months ago for 1900, which at that time was a great deal. I have not had any problems with this plasma. HDTV looks great. It has turn me into a HD snob :-), can't stand watching regular TV anymore.

 

i checked out circuit city the samsung is looking real good to me right now.

heres the link

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Samsung-30-...roductDetail.do

so what do you guys think of that one^^^

 

Its a good TV, We have it at work (since i work at circuit city) I mean picture quality next to another 30" Sony/Panasonic its quality is all the same BUT, Its mass is alot smaller there for, It does fit on most stands and in tight spaces where other 30" don't usually fit.

 

LCoS is a good technology and is the future IMO.

Plasmas and LCDs are, frankly, a nightmare to manufacture. The bigger the panel, the more defective panels had to be discarded, and thus the higher cost.

with LCDs, there are only a few companies that make them but infinite numbers that rebadge them. Samsung has probably the best LCDs in the 26-32" range. Frankly a 42" lcd is just out of reach and will likely be a long time.

plasmas biggest disadvantage is the burn in and black level, although the latter is getting better.

CRTs are still the best for picture quality hands down. Unfortunately they cap at about 36" (a sony 40" was made before) and are not "sexy". They also cost the least.

LCoS looks to be the future. Unlike LCDs and plasmas, the screen can be "printed" and are electroluminescent (I think). The production kinks are still getting worked out. The red and green dots work fine, but the blue ones have issues. Once that is all worked out, I think the 42" panel for $1000 will be a reality. I don't think that will ever be the case with LCDs or Plasmas (unless it is a chinese brand ED set on clearance).

 

I think Sony is the gold standard right now in CRT HDTVs. Samsung is the gold in LCDs, IMO.

 

Totally agree, SONY makes the BEST "tube" based TV. http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony-30-HDT...roductDetail.do
I have a Sanyo 32" HDTV I got from Walmart last year. Its cheaper about $647 but the Sony is better.