New Television

[Scarhead]

Thanks everyone for the input and suggestions. To answer some of the questions: The television will be in a room approximately 20 feet wide with a depth (from where the television will be to the back wall) of 25 feet. This is an approximate measurement.

To answer Shlomo's query: the lighting is relative as it can be controlled with a dimmer switch and the blinds on the windows. So, it can be very bright with the lights on/blinds open or very dark with lights off/blinds closed. I have an "L" shaped sofa in the room which allows either straight-on or 45 degree seating.

As far as what we will be using the television for I think it would be most accurate to say the majority of viewing will be "Regular programming." By that I mean the occasional movies, sports, but mostly television programs. We don't have any gaming consoles hooked up now and I don't anticipate any in the future.

A colleague suggested to definitely go with 1080p and LED. I've also heard recommendations on the Samsung being a great product, but also the Sony Bravia is a great product.

Now that I've answered some of the questions what would the suggestions be? Thanks again and Happy Thanksgiving!

[Guest robustog]

Hope this link is OK to post.

I would suggest going here to read up on the different models and types. There is a wealth of information on this site. There are pros and cons to both type and even more within brand and models.

AVS Forums

Greg

[ashen]

The viewing distance is pretty important, but you already have criteria that the tv must fit into the stand. I currently have a Sharp 52" LCD 1080p tv and sit about 10' away from the tv. I think the tv is just slightly too small for the viewing distance, but others have said it is a little too big, so it can be quite subjective.

I would suggest going with the LCD with LED back-lighting (LED tv is a misnomer as it still is LCD, but with a non-CCFL backlighting) so that you have the option of watching during bright daylight without having the tv become washed-out. LED back-lighting also uses maybe 1/3 the power of plasma (VERY rough estimate).

If you are going to do critical viewing, I would go plasma, or with a high end LED back-lit tv with at least 240Hz. Some manufacturers use back-lighting manipulation to pull off high Hz rates, so I would probably avoid paying extra for those.

One thing that I look for when buying LCD or LED is if I'm able to read text in a panning scene. Plasmas don't have that blur issue from what I've seen. Plasma side-angle viewing is also better, but many people can't tell the difference (unless they look for it), especially on the sets out in the last few years.

[Dbone]

Hope this link is OK to post.

I would suggest going here to read up on the different models and types. There is a wealth of information on this site. There are pros and cons to both type and even more within brand and models.

AVS Forums

Greg

AVS is a great community for learning on this particular topic. I'm also going to drop a quick link within the AV Forum (UK), this is an editors trip to Panasonic

http://www.avforums.com/forums/forum-news-notices/1422675-report-panasonic-japanese-factory-tours-2011-tv-tech-conference.html

I did a lot of homework, I would suggest you do too. But ultimately I decided on Plasma, the image quality and color quality are just unmatched by other technology... in my opinion. Earlier this year I purchased a 55" Panasonic VT30 Plasma and my gwad what an amazing television.

Read, read more, and do a lot of "window shopping". Good luck and have fun with the new TV

[Scarhead]

Because of the space I have in the entertainment center I will put the television in I am limited to 46" as the max size. I have narrowed it down to a Samsung UN46D7000. What are the thoughts and reviews you have on this TV?

[kcheek]

I went with LCD over plasma because of the glare/light reflection problem plasmas gloss screens have. We have had our 52" HD LCD Vizio for 3 years now and we still love it. We have two Vizios currently and I'm very happy with both of them.

[Scarhead]

Thank you to everyone who has helped with my quest for a new telly. I have visited all of the links that were posted in this thread and consulted the thread itself many times during my research. I'm happy to say that it is a wrap as far as the research goes and I have purchased a new set.

I went with a Samsung 46" (actual model is UN46D7000). It is an LED, 3D television that is a step below Samsung's 8000 series. It seems to have everything I need and nothing I don't. The bezel on the television is amazingly thin and the whole set is basically screen. While I was shopping at the stores I was surprised to see how many TVs have a large frame that takes up a decent amount of the screen. I got a few extras with the purchase such as 3D glasses and a blu-ray player.

Again, thank you for the assistance. The replies to my original post show what an amazing community FOH is. After setting it up I will take photos and post them.

Cheers and Happy Holidays!