Can I use y'all? (TV help)

[supergirl]

So the bf is in the market for a new TV...We've been shopping, but we're absolutely clueless as to what we're doing or what we're looking for...so I come to y'all.


We're looking at:

Sharp
52" 1080P
1920 x 1080 resolution
27000:1 dynamic contrast
120 HZ frame rate
4 MS response time
Ethernet port.

Samsung
52" 1080 P 120 HZ LCD HDTV
50000:1 dynamic contrast
1920 x 1080 resolution
4 HDMI, 2 component
4 MS response time
PC INPUT, USB 2.
0
INFOLINK
Library Content.


We love both of them and enjoy the picture quality of both. We can't figure out what the differences in them really are and which one is a better choice.
He'll be using it for regular TV viewing, and some gaming. It'll be used for movies with and HD DVD player and soon a Blu-Ray.


Any input? If you could just explain what the numbers and letters all mean, that would be cool, too.

[ctiicda]

I am a big fan of Samsung!!! jsut my two cents

[Matt257]

Iv always been a big fan of Samsung as well. my 0.02

[Webmeister]

I looked at both and went with the Samsung for my home theater (actually a 62" DLP). Samsung has lower failure rates for DLP from what I was told when I was doing research. For LCD, I went with the new Toshiba for the cabin.

Looking at the specs...

Definitely want the 1080p resolution. Samsung has like twice the contrast of the Sharp. Everything in my home theater (except the old DVD player) runs on HDMI. If you have an amp/receiver that switches all the HDMI inputs for you, all you really need is one on the TV. Same for component (RGB) inputs. PC input is cool if you want to hook your laptop up to the TV. For gaming, the lower response time, the better.

Try and compare both models models side-by-side (which picture is more vivid, better contrast, brighter, sharper). One thing to look for is brilliant true whites (not ivory, beige, or off-white), and deep, dark blacks (not nearly or kinda-sorta, maybe a really dark grey black) - pitch black. Another thing would be to look at technologies included in the device like upscaling (makes standard DVD's look a lot sharper on a big screen).

My 2 cents... good luck!

[tx_tuff]

Hell get both! LOL I know a lot of help from me!

I would just buy the cheaper one if I liked both.

[Cigary]

Just had some work done on 1 of my 3 TV's and am in the market for a new one so I asked the repair guy in his opinion, what is the best TV repair wise to purchase? He said without hesitation that Sharp is number one and then Samsung after that so it appears you are on the right track. He also told me that the newer TV's do not have the quality as in years past and the repair parts for the newer ones have gone up even more and the other problem is being able to get parts. His advice to me was purchase your new TV from either of the Big Clubs ( Costco, Sams, BJ's, etc. ) because they will guarantee your purchase price from 1-3 years with no hassle or extra cost. Best Buy, Circuit City, et al will advise you to buy their extra warranty for protection that you won't be able to use if they can't get parts. He said buy the warranty from the actual manufacturer because they will guarantee parts and service whereas the other stores might have you waiting weeks before they can get the part if your TV goes out.

He also said to ensure that the TV you buy has a fan that will cool down the 'innards' as heat buildup is the worst enemy of TV parts. His advice continued further for LCD TV's as the best purchase for the money and never to clean the screen until it has cooled down and is not warm to the touch. The lamps for LCD TV's are very expensive and they tend to burn out over 2000 hours ( equivalent of a years watching ) and most new brand name LCD sets will let you call in and get a new lamp as long as it is under the years warranty period. He told me to call the warranty number and get the free lamp because you will be needing it at some point and you might as well get it for free ( which I did ) and ended up saving myself about $350 for a new lamp.

[smh0768]

personally, i am a huge fan of the dlp technology vs the other hdtv formats. i have a 1080p mitsu 62" dlp that (knock on wood) has been brilliant and flawless.

do listen to webmeister's points on the whites and blacks. don't trust the view you're getting in typical setups at the stores, as they typically have dimmed lighting (if any) around their hdtv's to enhance how brilliant the whites look and how darks the blacks look. ask them if there's any way they can crank on full lights where you are viewing the tv's. in the rest of his post, i think webmeister makes very valid points as well and was basically the same things i looked into when i went to buy mine. very helpful stuff to look for and ask about.

[slowburn]

both are good ones..

[kenstogie-cl]

I really don't know $h!# about tv's but a girl that smokes cigars and is attractive I just might be in love. just kidding, heres what they mean....
Sharp
52" (diagonal size) 1080P (lines and Progressive or Interlaced, P=progressive and its better than I
1920 x 1080 resolution (how many pixels (little dots that display) there are
27000:1 dynamic contrast (difference between the darks and lights a bigger # is better)
120 HZ frame rate (measures how a video source can feed an entire frame of new data to a display.)
4 MS response time (A faster response time is better--it indicates how quickly the screen can refresh a video image)
Ethernet port. (for hooking up to a data line like High speed internet connection. Not sure why they need this)

Samsung
52" 1080 P 120 HZ LCD HDTV
50000:1 dynamic contrast
1920 x 1080 resolution
4 HDMI, 2 component HDMI is the newest digital connection sends audio and video digitally
4 MS response time
PC INPUT (you can hook up your computer to your lap top or desktop and see the internet or family photos on a huge screen) , USB 2 (probably used to hook up thumb drive to display pics or could be to update the Operating system, yes tv's have OS's probably linux)
0
INFOLINK
Library Content. (no idea probably a proprietary thing)

Want to know more...
http://www.pcworld.com/article/12857...questions.html

[WarHorse-cl]

Wish I could help but when it comes to all those technical specs I'm lost like a fart in a whirlwind! I have a Samsung. It's got a really clear picture. That's as technical as I can get. Good luck with the selection and, by the way, it's good to see you back on the board. Haven't seen you around much.

[TravelingJ-cl]

Samsung is the brand my AV guy always has me buy.

If you guys ever look into one of those programmable remotes, Samsung uses discreet codes that will give you a lot more options on the remote side!

[eggyellow]

we just got a samsung 46" ln46a550 and love it, its awesome. samsung makes great tv's, my previous tv (a 30" widescreen tube hdtv which weighed about 250 lbs but had great picture) was a samsung, nothing wrong with it just wanted an upgrade.

you are probably looking at the 650 line of tvs, with the 50000:1 contrast, that will give you brighter colors the lower response time will be great for sports and action movies. the 4 hdmi inputs is really nice also, you can hook up your dvd/blu ray, a ps3 or xbox and still have extra inputs. looks like the main difference b/w the two is the contrast ratio. if thats the deciding factor, i'd go with the higher all other things being equal
and like web said, samsungs do have a low repair rate.

good luck

[dartfrog]

I would go with the Samsung.
FWIW do not get sucked in by high priced HDMI Monster cables or other brands at the video store your shopping at.
The mark up is HUGE on them and the average human cannot spot any visual difference.
Cruise e-bay and get the best valued ones.

[eggyellow]

i agree about the monster cables. i've read on numerous sites that if the cable is less than 10ft, any hdmi cable will do. i bought some JHIU (just hook it up) cables from circuit city with my tv, when i opened them they said MONSTER on the cable and on the instruction pamphlet, and they cost about half the price.

[supergirl]

Thanks so much for all of your help and input. I knew y'all would be a big help.
I think we're going with the Samsung.

I'm excited!