I searched to see if there were any posts out there about HDTV opinions. I am in need of some insight about HDTV sets. And since the collective wisdom of this goup seems to be pretty darn good I thought I would ask.

I am looking to get a 32 inch and 46 inch HDTV sets. Have been looking at Sony and Vizio the most.

Any advice is appreciated.

 

out of the two i would get a sony that is 1080i or p. has a high contrast ratio and a good black point.

 

The Vizio plasma has an outstanding picture. So does the Sony LCD. Circuit City filed for bankruptcy. I bet they have some great deals right now.

 

my true opinion would be go to a store and look at all of the options and see which ones really looks best. I have seen tvs that are side by side and hundreds of dollars difference, but yet the cheaper one looks better.

Anyways though, to get some opinions, i would say list what your requirements are:

-price
-720 or 1080
-size of the unit itself (you pay for thin)
-going to hook it up to a home theatre, or dependent on the speakers in the tv
-where is it going to be
-how much will you use it
-pretty much anything about you setup and situation since those all factor in.

I have a 26" insignia in our bedroom. it doesn't get a ton of use, so i went with a lower cost one. It works great and looks great. I probably wouldn't put it in the living room though. My brother in law has the 37" insignia, and it's pretty good, but still woudln't use it for my primary tv.

 

Go with Sony. Vizio is ok, but the Bravio line by Sony are much better. Make sure that it is 1080 I or P. The higher the refresh rate, the better. This will help avoid seeing any pixelation. Sony has some that are up to 120 MHZ

 

We currently have a Panasonic 42" 1080i Plasma that we bought right when these televisions became available. It has been a great set. However, when we upgrade we will be going to a 46" 1080p all the way

Check to see how many HDMI inputs the T.V. has. Another thing to check on is the Contrast Ratio. The higher the better. Some of the newer sets also have an additional processor (120 Hz technology) that helps motion during high action scenes. The final thing to ponder is Plasma or LCD. Plasma has wide viewing angles with deeper blacks and better color saturation. LCD has slight image fade from extreme angles but are much lighter than plasma.

Depending what you will be using the 32" for you might want to consider a 720. There are not as many models this small that are 1080 so you will pay a premium to get it.

 

Viewing distance and budget will net you the best answer.
I just bought a Sony 52" XBR6, and the 120hz can be amazing or really weird (soap opera like), depending on what you're viewing. Check AVSforum.com for opinions on particular models. Samsung actually is making killer sets now, and they were#2 on my list if I didn't get the deal I wanted.
When dealing with contrast, be sure you know the difference between native contrast and dynamic contrast, as "dynamic" can be pushed in the marketing scheme due to settings. And after trial and error, do not bother with upconvert dvd players. Go right into a Blu-Ray, it does amazing upconvert on standard dvd's plus better audio output and the industry is moving that way anyways. 1080i will still offer you and awesome picture if you're on a tight budget even with Blu-Ray, but get at least 3 HDMI inputs on your new set. As Dayton said, on smaller sets you will not see the benefits (as much) of more pixels as you would on as on 42"-60" set.

 

Exactly Also, you cannot compare contrast ratios from one brand to another as you don't know how each manufacturer measures those numbers.

 

I just bought a 50" Panasonic Plasma. I second the idea to visit avsforums.com Find a lot of useful info there regarding HDTV more so than here. I have a Sony progressive DVD player and think it gives a great picture even though it is not an upconverter model. Good luck




Goose

 

I have a 61" Samsung LED DLP hooked up with home theater and Blu-Ray, and after speding nearly a year comparing all the TV's out there, i feel that a DLP with the LED light engine is one of the very best. I got a larger Samsung for 1000 less than a 58 inch Sony, i think you are just buying the name with sony. We use 47 inch Vizio's here at my work for reader boards and they do look good.