Need advise, looking to buy 46" hdtv

[TJS]

Just looking for some advise on what is the best with 1080p and 120hz for under $800.

[spearchucker]

I'm partial to Samsung, but you are going to get lots of differing opinions on this like a Ford vs Chevy thing. Best advice is to go look at them in a store to find what you like and then shop for the best price on that model. If you can get it from Amazon or something like that you can save yourself the sales tax and they usually have free shipping.

[nofishfisherman]

I just bought my first HDTV right before Christmas. I was looking for the same thing as you are and at the same price. I did a good amount of research and read alot of reviews and stood in front of the TV wall at Best Buy for a long time.

I had my phone with me at Best Buy so I could read reviews while I was in the store and I could also compare prices on Amazon. Some tv's were cheaper at Amazon, some where not.

In my opinion the best TV's are the Samsung LED's, they are crystal clear, with bright whites and really dark blacks. They are also energy efficient, lighter weight and super thin (under 2 inches deep) which makes them ideal for wall hanging.

The problem is they are also the most expensive of the TV's in the 40-46 size range. The pre-Christmas sales brought the 40" models under $800 but the 46" was still around $879-899 I think.

You can get the LCD version for $100-200 less though and I did consider that option. Still a very nice picture but I just liked the LED version better. I ended up sacrificing size for quality and ended up with a 40" Samsung LED, 1080p, 120hz, SmartTV. I got it for $780 after tax. However I think they are back to regular price now ($1099) although Amazon may still have them in the $800 range.

One thing I found and you may want to keep in mind is that in the mid range TV's companies start to skimp in some particular areas in order to cut costs. You may see a great picture on the TV that is $100-200 less but it may only have 2 HDMI inputs or it may have terrible internal speakers. These may not be areas of concern for you but they are something to think about. If you don't have a surround sound system you plan to plug the TV into then you will rely on the interal speakers, if they aren't up to par then you may find yourself needing to buy external speakers to compensate, now you've just eaten through your savings.

[delcecchi]

One thing to keep in mind is that the internet streaming functions can also be gotten via a blue ray player or a cheap roku box which includes the wireless function. So if a tv is downfeatured without the internet stuff, add a roku and you are good to go. Many tvs claim internet stuff but you have to buy a dongle for like 80 bucks to get wireless.

[nofishfisherman]

That is also a good point. Internet functionality can be had many different ways so I wouldn't put much value on it. The TV I bought jsut had everything else I was looking for at the best price and it just happened to have the SmartTv option. I will need the dongle thing if i wanted it to go wireless but I don't plan on buying it.

I have a Wii hooked up so I can use that for Netflix and thats all I really need. If I need more than a Wii can do I'll get a blue ray player which I'll want anyways and just go that route.

It certainly can be maddening to consider all of the different features and all the different configurations TV's can have now days and then you start adding in all of the accesories and other hardware you can plug into them. My wife looked at Tv's with me for about 3 minutes and then walked away and told me to pick out whatever I like and that she'll be fine with it. She just couldn't handle all the options.

[CJH]

Buy a Samsung or Panasonic. Both are reliable and have good pictures, just depends on what you can get in your budget.

[bucketmouth64]

Check out pawn shops. I've seen 46" (120hz) Sony's for much less than what you want to spend, and they still looked new.

[TJS]

Thanks for all the the info, and yes this is a ford or chevy kinda thing just was looking for some of the top models out there. Went out last night and was very impressed with the Samsungs picture, even their 720p had better pictures than the others 1080s. Right now I am still in the looking stage but I have to say if I decided to buy now it ould be the Samsung. Again thanks.

[nofishfisherman]

Yeah when looking at a bunch of TV's side by side the samsungs really jump out at you as being much nicer. If you go with a Samsung I think you'll end up with a nice TV regardless of what model fits your needs.

[mamohr686]

46" Toshiba cinespeed led model 46SL412U is a 120htz TV with 1080P picture. I found it on sale at buydig dot com with free shipping. I have bought 2 flatscreens from buydig and it has been a positive experience both times. This one is on sale for $750. Most retailers are selling them for $450 more. I have both a samsung plasma and toshiba LCD and I like the toshiba much better except for sound quality (but I have a surround sound system now).

[PurpleFloyd]

We bought a 52 inch Samsung and it was a very good TV right up to the time that the capacitors in the power supply went bad. At first we figured it was terminal and repair shops that we talked to gave us costs to repair that we felt were higher than it was worth. So with that one down I bought a Sharp Aquos 52" LED TV.

Then before we recycled the Samsung we discovered we could buy a power supply for 150 dollars and repair ourselves so now that one went in the bedroom.

We have a lot of Samsung products in the house and they have been reliable except for the TV issue and that one is pretty wide spread from what we found on the internet.

I am not discouraging you from buying any TV but would suggest doing a "TV brand and number X problems" in google just to make sure there are no major problems cropping up.

[SFC]

Whatever brand you get dont just check out the picture, check out the sound also, most led have very poor sound quality.

[simple1]

Don't just compare the picture in the stores. There are so many factors that can affect the picture quality that's it's not even funny. Also if you are willing to look at plasma you can get a great tv for your price range. I have seen 46" panasonic for 750.00

Simple1

[hydro]

Check out CNET (Google them) for reviews, specs, and pricing as well. It's a great tool when looking into big dollar electronics.

[Esox_Magnum]

We just got a 47 3d smart tv for under a grand, with less bells and wistles they had others there in your price range but we were set on 3d and extremely happy with it...With Blue Ray or Netflix the picture is amazing but regular tv is only as good as your cable or dish....Also agree sound quality is poor at best but with the addition of a sound bar and sub it's like being in the theater.... We ended up with a Toshiba 47", wanted the 55" Samsung on display as the picture was almost real life but was also $1500 more....

[delcecchi]

1500? That's only about 50 musky baits. What's the problem?

[Esox_Magnum]

True Del but also need my outboard fixed by spring

[amateurfishing]

all i buy is vizio, best bang for your buck anywhere when u compare refresh rates, size, style, lcd, etc. i do admit i like led's view better but not worth it on price yet & slightly unproven in tv life yet

[Kyhl]

Check the screen finish. When I was shopping two years ago. Jeez, it's been that long? Anyway, I was down to Samsung or Sony at the time. They each had very different cover glass. Samsungs was clear, Sony's was slightly diffused and that ended up being the deciding factor for me.

The difference is very noticable when there is another light source in the room (lamp, window, etc). The Sony's diffusion made light reflections less noticable.

Don't always trust the picture quality in a store. I don't trust them at all. Unless the sets are calibrated there is no way to compare them side by side. The sets are shipped from the factory with the color, contrast, sharpness, gamma, and backlight set high to make them pop in the store. They should not be set that way for normal viewing.

Most likely you will turn down all of those settings when you get it home.

Which brings me to my biggest pet peeve when seeing other peoples tv's. Turn off the stupid sharpness. It was a feature for 80's 480i tv only. It has no place in HD tvs other than to blur lines.

If you want to go farther, get a good setup disc and watch the tutorial. They will explain why more expensive tvs are more expensive.

[LwnmwnMan2]

I will add this. My top of the line 46" Samsung I purchased 2.3 years ago was just under $2,000.

I was at BB the other day and saw roughly the same TV for $699.

I still wouldn't give it up for the new "top of the line" models that are out there now.

It was (is) one of the first ones that's less than an inch thick.

Also, if you're going to mount it on the wall, or for cables, there are cheap places on the internet that will sell you the same mounts and wiring you can get locally for 1/15 the price.

[TJS]

Just want to say thanks for all the input, it all helps. I'm still looking and kind of waiting to see if prices drop as new models roll into the stores. i'm still looking at the LG and the Samsung so I have it down to 2, for now.

[Rip_Some_Lip]

I bought a 46" Samsung LED TV about a little over a year ago for $1000 and love it. No problems whatsoever. I agree about the cable thing, I would buy them online instead of BB next time. I cant believe what they want for them.