New TV + soundbar

[lmbebo]

Hey

Having a hard time deciding on a new tv.

I'm looking at the panasonic TC-P50St60 with likely a panasonic sound bar (viera link) - Likely amazon or local best buy purchase.

Alternate option is to go with a samsung this off of amazon, N46F7100 (amazon or local bb)

or from my local Sam's club, a 55" F6350 model. plus some soundbar (unchosen yet).

Our room isn't huge, unknown dimensions. There will be a good amount of light there, especially in the day time.

We will be upgrading from an old (discontinued maxent? tv, 40" plasma and a 32" syntax olivia tv - both of which are close to 6-7 years old now).

Price range is probably around $1000-1200 most likely. May hold off on the sound bar (have a cheapish one I can live off of for awhile).

Thanks

Open to other suggestions. I've always liked Sony (but always seemed really pricey).

Smallest would be 46"

Other consideration is heat production: AC in our apartment can be a little anemic at times, especially early in the evening when the tv is likely to be on.

[DJR210]

Want my opinion? 1080p is a waste of money if you are spending more than a grand. Here's what I recommend..

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7674736&SRCCODE=WEBGOOPA&cm_mmc_o=mH4CjC7BBTkwCjCV1-CjCE&gclid=COm_zdics7gCFRRk7AodXTsALg

Less than a fuckin' grand right now too. Content will start to be supported within the year. Games are gonna be ridiculous at 2160p! Seiki is a new brand, but the TV has received nothing but positive reviews, even from some of the more well known tech sites. I would at least consider it.

[ElNono]

I have this:
http://www.amazon.com/electronics/dp/B005VOL9MI

and love it. For the price you're looking to spend, I would suggest looking for a similar model in the 55"-60" range. Also, if you're going to use the SmartTV feature, I would suggest getting a unit with either built-in wifi or a ethernet plug (I had to buy a wi-fi dongle for mine). Make sure it's a 240Hz model. I bought mine about two years ago, and it's been great. It's my first Sammy LED TV, and really like the picture. Coming from a 60Hz LCD TV, the smooth movements are really noticeable.

[ElNono]

That's the other question, are you going to use that just for Cable/Satellite/OTA TV, or also consoles/bluray, etc?

[lmbebo]

Mostly cable/apple tv. Blu ray occassionaly. forgot netflix and/or amazon instant video
Not interested in a 4k just yet. Read a review about them, just don't think they are ready for prime time just yet

[DJR210]

Mostly cable/apple tv. Blu ray occassionaly. forgot netflix and/or amazon instant video
Not interested in a 4k just yet. Read a review about them, just don't think they are ready for prime time just yet

This is true. If you don't game much then it's not worth it at this point as upscaling sucks. Hopefully 4K satellite TV comes out pretty soon. Could you imagine being able to zoom in without loss in quality while watching your favorite game?

[TDMVPDPOY]

do you really need a smart tv and 3d? if not just get the biggest screen you can without those features cause its lame

what matters is image clarity/quality

soundbar as in theatre system right? 7.1 setup or go 7.2 if you need that extra subwoofer :(
(im in the process also looking at 7.1 setup for me plasma)

cant go wrong with a panasonic viera, they are good screens
as for the sammy anything series 8+ is good, dont buy that evolution kit around 200bucks for the sammy tvs, cause its lame man

[ElNono]

I don't think mainstream 4K is happening any time soon, tbh.

Even today, broadcast HDTV is either 720p or 1080i. Some satellite operators (ie: Dish) broadcast movies at 1080p24, which is the best the latest receivers (like the Hopper and Joey) can output right now.

There are bandwidth considerations too. In order to provide 4K content, they're going to have to either cut back on other HD channels or launch more satellites. And that's not happening unless there's a fairly solid 4K consumer base.

Lastly, the standard for 4K OTA tuners in the US (ATSC 3.0) is not expected to be available until 2016, and it's not backwards compatible with ATSC 2.0 (which is about to come out). So that means TV stations will need to change all their infrastructure to support 4K.

[DJR210]

I don't think mainstream 4K is happening any time soon, tbh.

Even today, broadcast HDTV is either 720p or 1080i. Some satellite operators (ie: Dish) broadcast movies at 1080p24, which is the best the latest receivers (like the Hopper and Joey) can output right now.

There are bandwidth considerations too. In order to provide 4K content, they're going to have to either cut back on other HD channels or launch more satellites. And that's not happening unless there's a fairly solid 4K consumer base.

Lastly, the standard for 4K OTA tuners in the US (ATSC 3.0) is not expected to be available until 2016, and it's not backwards compatible with ATSC 2.0 (which is about to come out). So that means TV stations will need to change all their infrastructure to support 4K.

Yeah, 1080p TV has yet to catch on, I'm not holding my breath. I just want 4K for gaming and movies.

[DJR210]

do you really need a smart tv and 3d? if not just get the biggest screen you can without those features cause its lame

what matters is image clarity/quality

soundbar as in theatre system right? 7.1 setup or go 7.2 if you need that extra subwoofer :(
(im in the process also looking at 7.1 setup for me plasma)

cant go wrong with a panasonic viera, they are good screens
as for the sammy anything series 8+ is good, dont buy that evolution kit around 200bucks for the sammy tvs, cause its lame man

I say Samsung takes the lead with LCD, and Panasonic w/ Plasma.

[TDMVPDPOY]

yeh u be lucky to get HD stream from ur FTA channels let alone cable channels

down here you be lucky to get SD quality :( lazy ass networks not upgrading infrastructure always waiting for a handout

[DPG21920]

There are so many good tv's in that price range it's silly. Especially if you are willing to go with a 2012 model (which to me is a no brainer for the features El Nono mentioned we are capable of at the moment).

For example:

http://store.vizio.com/mseries/m501da2r.html

I have seen the tv and it is really quite awesome. Amazing price for the size and features. I am not an ultra tech guy and I don't have to have the best of everything. A new tv for you will be far greater than the one you have with way more features. I get people who want really great stuff and there is definitely a difference, but to me with regards to a TV I just look for improvments and what is good enough.

[DPG21920]

Speaking of TV's: Does anyone know of a good place to sell old plasma's or does anyone on here buy them for parts? I have two 5 year old 42" plasma's that still work well overall (one Samsung, one Vizio), but I am buying new TV"s and don't know what to do with them.

[ElNono]

Speaking of TV's: Does anyone know of a good place to sell old plasma's or does anyone on here buy them for parts? I have two 5 year old 42" plasma's that still work well overall (one Samsung, one Vizio), but I am buying new TV"s and don't know what to do with them.

ebay/craiglist

or

http://www.donationtown.org/news/donate-tv.html

[LarryDavid]

I purchased a Panasonic Plasma and can't recommend them enough. Check with your employer to see if they have a program with Panasonic Direct. I was able to purchase a 50 inch GT50 with 4 year warranty for under 1200, including shipping and delivery.

[leemajors]

I got a 46" samsung LED around christmas, love it. LED is nice for power savings and less heat.

[DPG21920]

ebay/craiglist

or

http://www.donationtown.org/news/donate-tv.html

Ya, I didn't want to do craigslist just because it seems too shady for electronics. Not looking to get a ton of money, just enough to maybe upgrade to a new 32" tv by selling my two old 42" plasma's.

I might just end up donating them.

[DJR210]

yeh u be lucky to get HD stream from ur FTA channels let alone cable channels

down here you be lucky to get SD quality :( lazy ass networks not upgrading infrastructure always waiting for a handout

Does Australia get broadband internet yet???

And WTF can't you as an adult choose to play uncensored violent video games there??

[DJR210]

Speaking of TV's: Does anyone know of a good place to sell old plasma's or does anyone on here buy them for parts? I have two 5 year old 42" plasma's that still work well overall (one Samsung, one Vizio), but I am buying new TV"s and don't know what to do with them.

How much you want to sell the Samsung plasma for, roughly how much has it been used in those 5 years, does it have "pixel shift" technology, and does it have any burn in?

[DPG21920]

How much you want to sell the Samsung plasma for, roughly how much has it been used in those 5 years, does it have "pixel shift" technology, and does it have any burn in?

It has the pixel shift (if you are referring to the technology that scans the screen back and forth to clear any burn in) I believe. No burn in (at least not that I notice at all)and it works very well for a 5 year old tv. Been used a decent amount (as much as any normal living room tv), but it still works perfectly fine (I still have it in my living room). Obviously it's an older tv, but it still looks solid on HDTV. The speaker is meh (obviously due to age) and there is a small knick on the top of the frame (not the screen and not noticeable IMO) but overall I'd say it's a really good condition tv.

I was going to put it on ebay or sell to a friend for prob $200.

[lmbebo]

I'm thinking of also dumping the old olivia 32" its a pain to work with.

But we got our furniture from our east coast move today....

Sofa, Dining room set, dresser (and some other older items we just tossed) came broken.

Moving company (May f l o w e r) has told us that we must keep possession of the them for the next 9-12 months for an insurance adjustment to be made. My wife isn't willing to wait that long it, too expensive to just put in storage for a few bucks back. Not the nicest stuff in the world, but meh.

A few new items to buy now ..

Im ok with a 2012 model if they can be found a bit cheaper.

Also, how are new tvs with a tivo? I own a tivo HD (lifetime). Would remotes from the new tv control the tivo or vice versa?

[TDMVPDPOY]

Does Australia get broadband internet yet???

And WTF can't you as an adult choose to play uncensored violent video games there??

1. problem isnt the internet network infrastructure, currently govt is rolling out its fibre network 100mb connection with the possibility of 100gb speed, the problem is the tv networks who stream down content over intennas at shitty quality

2. lol hippies and yippies in govt

[TDMVPDPOY]

Speaking of TV's: Does anyone know of a good place to sell old plasma's or does anyone on here buy them for parts? I have two 5 year old 42" plasma's that still work well overall (one Samsung, one Vizio), but I am buying new TV"s and don't know what to do with them.

either hand t hem down to ur children have it hook up to a console or someshit in the garage....those stuff usually end up in dumps anyway

[TDMVPDPOY]

I'm thinking of also dumping the old olivia 32" its a pain to work with.

But we got our furniture from our east coast move today....

Sofa, Dining room set, dresser (and some other older items we just tossed) came broken.

Moving company (May f l o w e r) has told us that we must keep possession of the them for the next 9-12 months for an insurance adjustment to be made. My wife isn't willing to wait that long it, too expensive to just put in storage for a few bucks back. Not the nicest stuff in the world, but meh.

A few new items to buy now ..

Im ok with a 2012 model if they can be found a bit cheaper.

Also, how are new tvs with a tivo? I own a tivo HD (lifetime). Would remotes from the new tv control the tivo or vice versa?

for the tv, if ur not interested in smart TV/3D ...buy the biggest screen you can get...LCD for cheaper WATT consumption or plasma if you can afford the power bill about 100 bucks extra a year anyway

for a big tv you need a good stand, if you cant afford to buy new, i recommend going to ur local hardware store buy a planks of wood and put it together, or best go to a used goods or antique shop that sells old furniture, pretty sure you can find some really nice stands made from dark wood, just polish and new paint job will make it look very nice....

fck tivo, smarttvs come inbuilt with hdd that records shit and stuff

[lmbebo]

I just bought a new tv stand. Got good reviews (and wife's approval). People say it will hold up to a 55" tv. I think they list 85lbs.

I finally got around to unloading the old tv for the moment. With the room and everything, I'm not sure how anything about 50" will work.

[TDMVPDPOY]

I just bought a new tv stand. Got good reviews (and wife's approval). People say it will hold up to a 55" tv. I think they list 85lbs.

I finally got around to unloading the old tv for the moment. With the room and everything, I'm not sure how anything about 50" will work.

i think you shouldve kept the old tv man

my friend has 2 tvs in the lounge room, the big screen is only turn on when friends are over, the small one is always on <<< same here with me, since the plasma uses alot of energy and i rarely watch anything on my 60 plasma, the only time its on is when im karaoke night and the occasional movie, everything else like news and shit i watch on the small screen, or just stream whatever online on my pc or portable player....

do you have kids? couldve just put it in the kids room with pixar movies on LOOP....good way to babysit

[TDMVPDPOY]

I just bought a new tv stand. Got good reviews (and wife's approval). People say it will hold up to a 55" tv. I think they list 85lbs.

I finally got around to unloading the old tv for the moment. With the room and everything, I'm not sure how anything about 50" will work.

i think you shouldve kept the old tv man

my friend has 2 tvs in the lounge room, the big screen is only turn on when friends are over, the small one is always on <<< same here with me, since the plasma uses alot of energy and i rarely watch anything on my 60 plasma, the only time its on is when im karaoke night and the occasional movie, everything else like news and shit i watch on the small screen, or just stream whatever online on my pc or portable player....

do you have kids? couldve just put it in the kids room with pixar movies on LOOP....good way to babysit

[lmbebo]

I still have the 2 tvs. No kids. Was looking to give at least 1 to my brother and his family. Brand new house, needs some stuff. A bit house poor at the moment.

Either way, I hate our current plasma tv. Heavy, dumps out heat. Has some screen burn in issues now. Half the time it won't even turn on.

I've been wanting a new tv for the past 5 years... Kept putting it off for one reason or another (dating, educational stuff, engagement ring, honeymoon, etc). Finally somewhat settled, new job. I'm ready to finally upgrade.

[TDMVPDPOY]

I still have the 2 tvs. No kids. Was looking to give at least 1 to my brother and his family. Brand new house, needs some stuff. A bit house poor at the moment.

Either way, I hate our current plasma tv. Heavy, dumps out heat. Has some screen burn in issues now. Half the time it won't even turn on.

I've been wanting a new tv for the past 5 years... Kept putting it off for one reason or another (dating, educational stuff, engagement ring, honeymoon, etc). Finally somewhat settled, new job. I'm ready to finally upgrade.

how old is ur current plasma?

plasmas are known to overheat, but it doesnt bother me if you have a cold room...

im not worried about burning in shit

how big is ur loungeroom? could really be the difference in a home theatre system 5.1 or +7.1...i think ima settle for a 5.1 system, cbf having alot of speakers in the lounge room...

[lmbebo]

Room dimensions I dont have, didn't measure it out. Our plasma is from like 2005 I think. My wife has had since before we met 6 years ago.

Until we get a house, I don't want to deal with rear speakers. So the best I'd do is a 3.1 setup.

[ElNono]

I'm not really an audiophile, but I've heard noticeable improvements with a soundbar... just make sure you can try out the one you want to get. Some of them have pretty low volume limits, and I personally like the wireless subwoofer. IIRC, the one we got for my father in law was a Samsung, hooked up to the TV using the digital audio link.

[TDMVPDPOY]

I'm not really an audiophile, but I've heard noticeable improvements with a soundbar... just make sure you can try out the one you want to get. Some of them have pretty low volume limits, and I personally like the wireless subwoofer. IIRC, the one we got for my father in law was a Samsung, hooked up to the TV using the digital audio link.

how much is a soundbar? around 200bucks? lol extra 100 you can get urself a decent AV receiver if you already have speakers....

doesnt make sense to spend 200bucks on a soundbar

[ElNono]

how much is a soundbar? around 200bucks? lol extra 100 you can get urself a decent AV receiver if you already have speakers....

doesnt make sense to spend 200bucks on a soundbar

A good Onkyo doesn't go below $400... and I have mine gathering dust here... soundsbars are popular because people want an improvement from shitty TV speakers without having to wire a 5.1/7.1 system.

[CuckingFunt]

I'm not anywhere near enough of an audio geek to know much about soundbars, but do they help at all with balancing out action and dialog levels when watching movies? I've never considered a full surround system because I just don't like them, but I hate the fact I've invested in a nice TV and BluRay and all those bells and whistles but have to adjust the volume every five seconds whenever I watch a movie because the action/score is deafening and the dialog is impossible to hear.

[ElNono]

I'm not anywhere near enough of an audio geek to know much about soundbars, but do they help at all with balancing out action and dialog levels when watching movies? I've never considered a full surround system because I just don't like them, but I hate the fact I've invested in a nice TV and BluRay and all those bells and whistles but have to adjust the volume every five seconds whenever I watch a movie because the action/score is deafening and the dialog is impossible to hear.

Unfortunately that has a lot more to do with how they produce movie audio these days than anything, but there's indeed some soundbars (and even TVs) that have "Clear Voice" modes, besides of volume auto-leveling... that's why I was saying earlier you gotta head to a best buy, target, costco, try them out, see what features it has, etc...

[TDMVPDPOY]

Unfortunately that has a lot more to do with how they produce movie audio these days than anything, but there's indeed some soundbars (and even TVs) that have "Clear Voice" modes, besides of volume auto-leveling... that's why I was saying earlier you gotta head to a best buy, target, costco, try them out, see what features it has, etc...

the tv you get what you pay for, the manufactures dont usually built in the best speakers for tvs cause they assume you have a theatre system or some sort of setup at home that doesnt utilize tv speakers

hence not many ppl like to turn on every equipment when using the tv...

[ElNono]

the tv you get what you pay for, the manufactures dont usually built in the best speakers for tvs cause they assume you have a theatre system or some sort of setup at home that doesnt utilize tv speakers

hence not many ppl like to turn on every equipment when using the tv...

There's really no good substitute for a nice subwoofer, that's why most soundbars come with one and are a good compromise.