Looking for a big screen TV (I know nothing)


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Hey guys,

I'm looking to buy my first big screen TV in the next few weeks/month. I need advice because I don't know what to look for.

 

I'm looking to get between 50-60in (Upper 50's most preferred).

Budget is less than $1000. The lower the better. Can I get a good TV in this range?

I will use this TV for Netflix and watching movies from my PC. No bluray or cable.

I think I'm looking for a 1080p, LED, 120Hz. (Please correct me if I'm wrong)

I don't need smart TV functions but I'm not against them either

 

Please tell me anything I should know and keep a mind of. 

What brands are good? What brands are bad?

 

Thanks!

 

How about this TV?

As 55in or 60in

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lg-55-class-54-5-8-diag--led-1080p-hdtv-silver/6053009.p?id=1219184625084&skuId=6053009&st=6053009&cp=1&lp=1

 

OR

 

Maybe this?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-55-class-54-5-8-diag--led-1080p-120hz-hdtv/1310136199.p?id=mp1310136199&skuId=1310136199

 

OR this

 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lg-60-class-59-1-2-diag--led-1080p-hdtv-black/7525069.p?id=1218849838837&skuId=7525069

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I'd go with the Samsung out of the 3 you selected. Basically all of them are budget/mid range models that will be just fine if this your first TV purchase.

Why the Samsung? Are they known to be better than LG?

**ALSO**

When I've been in Target I've seen TVs that ghost (?) It's like the image trails behind where it currently is. I really do not want that. If anyone of those TVs have that effect, please let me know :)

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Also, do LEDs suffer from image burn?

 

Yes, most TVs do... such as plasma, LED, etc.

 

As long as you don't leave the still image on the screen too long, you will be fine. Such as network logo (ABC, CBS, etc.) something like that.

 

Read the manual that comes with the TV..  so you will know what to do.

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Yes, most TVs do... such as plasma, LED, etc.

 

As long as you don't leave the still image on the screen too long, you will be fine. Such as network logo (ABC, CBS, etc.) something like that.

 

Read the manual that comes with the TV..  so you will know what to do.

Ug dang :(

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Why the Samsung? Are they known to be better than LG?

**ALSO**

When I've been in Target I've seen TVs that ghost (?) It's like the image trails behind where it currently is. I really do not want that. If anyone of those TVs have that effect, please let me know :)

Samsung is just a quality brand that has been in the TV market a long time. Lg is newer but makes good TVs. My advice is to do your homework and check out the TVs in person at bestbuy and pick which looks best.
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Yes, most TVs do... such as plasma, LED, etc.

As long as you don't leave the still image on the screen too long, you will be fine. Such as network logo (ABC, CBS, etc.) something like that.

Read the manual that comes with the TV.. so you will know what to do.

This is very rare, burn in was a problem with crts and older plasmas. LCD/led burn in is very unlikely. Most TVs have a pixel orbiter setting to prevent this from happening.
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Samsung is just a quality brand that has been in the TV market a long time. Lg is newer but makes good TVs. My advice is to do your homework and check out the TVs in person at bestbuy and pick which looks best.

Thanks :)

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This is very rare, burn in was a problem with crts and older plasmas. LCD/led burn in is very unlikely. Most TVs have a pixel orbiter setting to prevent this from happening.

 

I said do not leave still image on the screen too long..   if you did, you will have burn-in image.   

 

I know some TVs have anti-burn feature... but trust me, it will happen if you leave the still image on it too long ... let's say 1 hour or so, you will see it.

 

My old roommate has LED TV ... he got image burn on the screen because he left TV on all day and the pop-up message saying "hard drive is full" ... he came home and noticed the image burn ... he was really upset about it.

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Each manufacturer has good and OK, and bad models.  Samsung is a safe bet - unless you just go get the cheapest POS you can find... chances are you will get a decent TV.

There are a ton of review sites that give good recommendations on models.  Dont go off of a review from a normal individual as reviews can be subjective - and that person may not know what the F they are talking about -- more often than not - they wont know what the F they are talking about.

Samsung makes some great TVs

And FWIW - dont waste money on 3D or paying a premium for the curved stuff.

Also, your better 4K TVs are ready to go out of the box - not much need for tweaking.

However, not all - and you might want to invest on an optimization whether its by a pro or the ones you run from a Blu-Ray


Just saw your budget...  better not look @ 4K.

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I have LG for TVs and love em. There are some nice 1080p ones but try to fond ones with more connectivity options if you need that. 2 hdmi ports are low IMO.

In either case, Samsung or LG makes good stuff.

I was gonna get your 55" option but decided on a 4K version instead.

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...

And FWIW - dont waste money on 3D or paying a premium for the curved stuff.

...

 

 

Why?

 

There are good 3D TVs out there... My brother has a 3D TV. Looking great!  Movies look great on it. No problem so far.

 

Curved TV is meh...   3D TV is awesome!

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Why?

 

There are good 3D TVs out there... My brother has a 3D TV. Looking great!  Movies look great on it. No problem so far.

 

Curved TV is meh...   3D TV is awesome!

I have always thought of it as a novelty.  Also, I constantly hear that it never really took hold and is being phased out - then again - I hear that about the curved thing too...

That being said, the TV is just bought about 2 months ago is 3D, I have never used it though, havent even put that batteries in the glasses - or maybe they are rechargeable - I dunno :/

 

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I would recommend this LG model, it has all the features you're looking for plus additional options that are well worth the few extra bucks and it is still with-in your budget.  The reason I recommend this one is that it has an IPS panel which is great for color viewing at wider angles than others.  I'm considering purchasing this one for my home office for viewing sports/movies.

 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lg-55-class-54-5-8-diag--led-1080p-smart-hdtv-silver/3800027.p?id=1219093907243&skuId=3800027

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Can't go wrong with Samsung, I have 3 Samsung LED's 52" 46" & 32" and no LED's don't suffer from image burn only Plasma TV's do. avoid Plasma's.

Heavy & use a lot of electricity. 1 of my TV's is a Smart TV, I rarely use it as I have a pc & a Roku connected to it and they both respond faster than the Smart TV 

as well the apps are limited compared to what Roku or a computer can get. .

 

Best advice is to look at the picture quality of TV's with in your price range and size, If you have a Costco membership they have some decent TV's

at good prices.

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First your budget range is for low end big screen tvs.  Mid range is 100-2000, you can guess where the high range is, then there is super high end.

 

Anyway.  You can get a ok to decent tv in that range, I wouldn't say good, but it will probably be good enough for you being that is the range you are looking in.

 

3d is neat, but passive 3d is where you want to be....active is really yesterdays tech and requires the glasses to be powered (need to put batteries in).  It is more of a novelty.  I have used my 3d maybe 3 times in the past 2 years of owning it, great when it is on but I need glasses for all those that want to view it (only have 4 pairs).

 

On to the tv's. Most samsung tvs get very good reviews, based on that many people say to get samsung tv's as it is hard to find a bad one (just keep looking at the reviews and pick any that have good reviews on average (4+ stars is good).

 

Most led tvs in that range are going to have low quality lcd screens and low quality lighting.  You will get a bit of light bleed after a while, so in a dark room you will see something like this (many times the bleed is worse in the corners)

bleed.jpg

 

I would go with the bottom two if those are your choices.  Samsung or 60 inch LG. 

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LG seems just as good of bang for your buck and they make really high quality TVs. If a Samsung TV is way more expensive than an LG TV with same specs id go with an LG. That's what I did. Been happy with it. Samsung just wanted way to much oney because it has the Samsung name for the same specs and screen quality as the LG. LG is a highly trusted brand name that makes many things from fridge to tablets just like Samsung does with high quality.

 

 

If their is a Costco near you if you are American or Canadian and I think Australia might have Costco ive had friends return them that have kept the box even when they have died out past warranty of a defect.

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Best advice I can give is to speak to the sales rep in the store, or an independant rep elsewhere, the in house rep's primary function is to make a sale, but they also know that if they sell you something you don't want, you'll be back to get a refund and will likely not use their store again.

And personally, don't go for the latest model, I bought my 50 inch 600 htz plasma from the older range and got an extended warranty, not only did I get a bargain, the warranty means if it breaks, they have to replace it with a new model from the current range if my specific model is no longer available.

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3d is neat, but passive 3d is where you want to be....active is really yesterdays tech and requires the glasses to be powered (need to put batteries in).

 

Actually active 3D is "newer", but more importantly it's higher quality.

 

Active 3D pros: full resolution 3D, no artifacts on mid range to high newer models

Active 3D Cons:  older models and cheap low frequency models will show flickering on bright images and can have crosstalk, though this is rare now. 

 

Passive 3D Pros: Never any cross talk.never issue with flickering

Passive 3D Cons: noticeable interlacing., effectively half vertical resolution, exaggerated by the fact each eye sees different parts of the picture. 

 

The only situation where passive 3D is higher quality than active is with multi projector systems(2,4,6 or 8 projectors, where half is horizontal and half is vertical polarized). as you then get full resolution, and both images at the same time on both eyes in the same place. But it's also very expensive. 

 

 

in any case, you'll get 3D on any set you buy today and you won't use it a lot. 

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I have always thought of it as a novelty.  Also, I constantly hear that it never really took hold and is being phased out - then again - I hear that about the curved thing too...

That being said, the TV is just bought about 2 months ago is 3D, I have never used it though, havent even put that batteries in the glasses - or maybe they are rechargeable - I dunno :/

 

My brother's 3D glasses are rechargeable. Which you can charge the glasses via USB in back of the TV or on the side.. depends where the USB ports are located based on the TV brand. He charges them at night before going to the bed... you can see the battery level on the TV screen when you get it connected and paired.  I think battery lasts a week or so depends on usage.

 

If you have kids, you can charge your glasses elsewhere via USB or USB adapter, that way you won't have to worry about the kids damage your glasses when they are in the room near the TV. 

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As already mentioned, 3D isn't worth paying for. I have a 3D set but just never use that functionality. Curved displays, on the otherhand, I've been very impressed with - I've seen quite a few in electronics stores and I do prefer them, same with OLED and 4K. Certainly I would avoid using a projector, as they just don't offer the same quality.

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Samsung.

Wait until the one you want  comes in if it is out of stock.  Been trusting Samsung screens for a long time. Apple retina screens are made by Samsung.  The LG screen might also but that is a guess on my part. 

I have two LCD screens over 40 inches that work as good as the day I bought them. If you get Samsung Blu ray players or the theater components made by Samsung it integrates well.

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