I don’t have a clue what the best technology, brand, or type of TV is the best to get. Or, the best bang for the buck. A buddy of mine asked me to hook him up with a shopping list for a complete TV and audio set up.

Axiom speakers will fill the audio part, but I don’t know which TV he should get.

He wants a flat screen to mount on his wall because it’s going in a living room area that’s not very large and he wants to save some floor space. I think for his seating distance, size should be kept under 60”.

He’s seen my HD set up so it has to have HDMI and 1080P, preferably 1080P/24. The room has windows everywhere, so ambient light will be an issue.

I’ve got $6000 to work with, so figure a budget of $2500 for the TV.

So what TV’s should we be looking at??

This 46" Samsung is what I would recommend. $2500 is not enough to get you a decent 60".

Mike, this is Consumer reports highest rated over 50" Plasma Panasonic TH-58PX600U 58’’ Plasma TV It can be found on several online stores. Does not have 1080p, but for the price it may be worth it.

That Panny looks great on paper. Just make sure it looks great in real life too. I wasn't impressed with plasma when I was in the market but that was also 9 months ago. Also, make sure he doesn't buy one that is too big. My buddy took back his 42" and bought a 32" because he could see the pixels.

What about LCD? Are they any good?

Mike, I certainly wouldn't disagree with either the Panasonic plasma or Samsung LCD which have been suggested, but also consider the Olevia 747i reviewed by Al Griffin which has been drawing attention lately because of its HQV video processing, and which is available at your budget number.

The best advice I can give your friend is to down-select to a few sets, buy them and try them out at home. I had seven sets in my basement and after tuning them, it took me all of about 10 seconds to select a Samsung. It was very good of FutureShop to knowingly let me do this.

Mike, I have a Toshiba Plasma and an Olevia LCD, as far as LCD's and Plasma go in the past year they have both improved so much that it is difficult to tell them apart, comparing mine that are both almost two years old the Plasma has a slightly sharper picture and better color when viewing certain shows, also large LCD's tend to be more expensive than large Plasma's.

When deciding on LCD or plasma find out how much ambient light will be in the room. Plasma is the way to go if there is much ambient light in the room IMHO.

Thanks for the tips guys. That olivia looks look a dandy. So does the Samsung.....hell all of them do. I'm thinking 46" would be big enough. He has a 42" now, and it's big enough for his area.

This is the Consumer Reports top rated 46" LCD Sharp LC-46D62U LCD TV

Mike we have a 42" Panasonic plasma that replaced a Sony plasma for the bedroom and we are very happy with it, much better PQ (by far) than our first generation Sony.

46" in the bedroom? Boy I could have fun with that one, but I'll leave you two alone.

If you have too many windows, the plasma will not be a good fit. There are some good prices on LCD's, try a certain audio video science forum for more in depth reviews.

We have both a Panasonic LCD and a Panasonic plasma and find that the LCD looks better during the daylight in strong light but he plasma is fantastic in the darker room.

I have to second the recommendation for the Sharp Aquos 1080P. I have the 42inch and am very happy with it both during the day and in the evening. I went to the AVS Forums to get some basic settings and then took it from there.