I have no idea what's going on in the world of TVs, so I'm hoping some of you are still up-to-date. My dad is in the market for a TV, or at least he thinks so. He's looking for something around 36", and he was hoping he wouldn't have to pay more than $700-$800, but he says in his brief searching he couldn't find anything promising. I figured in that price range his options would be limited, modest screen size or not. He says he can wait to buy a good one. Given his desired screen size, and never minding price, what models out there are worth looking into? Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks for the help.

I think in that price range there should be some decent TVs out there. My choice would be this. Samsung 37" LCD

I like the DLP 1080P sets, their refresh rates are much faster than LCD or Plasma. I picked up a 65" Toshiba 1080P DLP for about $1100 from Circuit City. The sale price was $1399 but right after Super Bowl there were a bunch of open box returns. Go know.

I wandered down the Circuit City DLP gallery and saw a Mitsubishi 73" 1080P DLP for about $1500. Holy Samolies!!!

The bottom has dropped out from under DLP pricing. IMHO opinion, you get a superior picture, no blurring, for peanuts with DLP.

Anyway, don't know if your friend is looking for a 36" because of price pressure or limited space, but if space isn't an issue, why not get a giant DLP HD TV for the same price as a mini LCD?

I am inclined to agree with 2x6. My dad picked up a 32" LCD for around that price earlier this year (sharp) and I must say that I am underwhelmed by its performance. During Obama's speach the other night he was being cheered by thousands of pixel blocks. Yuck!!

If your dad really wants flat, go to a 42" plasma.

Such a TV may be the preferred method of watching this week's event.

Only if it pixelates the politicos on stage!

I'll second the plasma. I have both plasma and LCD, and the plasma picture is noticeably better. LCD is a good choice for brighter rooms because it doesn't have the reflections that plasma does, and LCD uses less power so it's cheaper to run.

A really good 42" Panasonic can be had for less than $800

Many of the new Plasmas now have anti-reflective screens so there is not any real reason to opt away from Plasma other than in the smaller sizes Plasma's appear to cost more than LCD's.

I appreciate the replies. I'll refer my dad to this thread.

This TV is going to be for his bedroom, apparently, as he plans to have a projector for his living room later on. He doesn't really want a bigger screen for the bedroom, but for me, I'm looking forward to having my 60" as my bedroom TV when I go to a projector. Ha ha.

Charles, I'll second Michael's suggestion of the Samsung 37/450 for that use in that price range. You or your father might find it worthwhile to study the review summaries at Consumer Search .

We have a Vizio 37" in our bedroom, and I can't complain about it. I actually haven't run any HD on it (dang apartment doesn't have a cable hookup in the bedroom) but for DVDs and the occasional movie played on my macbook I find it to be a great addition to our room. The newer ones look much cooler as well!

Yeah, I want a 65-70" 1080p fr the living room, and then move my 50" 720p into the bedroom

I read a few really bad reviews for the 73" mits. dlp. (Geomety and color issues) THe 73" samsung dlp wass reccomended over that one.

I would really like to go with a big screen dlp for the living room to save some cash, but I keep leaning to a flat panel lcd of the same size (which is unfortunately 3-4 times the cost)

as far as smaller tv's go I really can't say. I have a 19" magnavox that is like 12 years old in the spare bedroom... I wouldn't reccomend that one

My family just picked-up a 32" Sony Bravia KDL-32L400 at a local big-box furniture store for just under $600 ("Aniversary" sale at $300 off) and we're very pleased with it. It's 720p, but at 32" it still looks great. It's in our bedroom being fed by a Bell 6100 HD STB and an upconverting LG DVD player.

That would be a nice deal. I don't think there's any benefit to be had from 1080p at 32" (or even 50" for that matter). Good find!

I find 50" and lower not much benefit to 1080P unless sitting VERY close.

50" at 7 ft works. At least according to all the charts out there. I had no trouble sitting 6 feet from my 50". Makes the screen seem much bigger.

At 6ft away I think I would be bug eyed.

Spend a little extra and you get 50% more value.

DLP tv $1350 after tax.

I have a 65" and its the best TV I have ever had. I have friends with Plasma's ex. LG, Pioneer, LCD's ex. LG, Samsung, Vizio's and all love my TV better than theres because its so smooth in HD. I would get a Sony DLP or a mitsubishi DLP the only thing better than both is a $10,000 Pioneer Elite 50" Plasma which is the Best of the Best.

I was quite surprised that 6 feet (well, maybe 6.5) was fine. Any closer and I couldn't take in the whole picture without moving my head around.

Best Buy had a 50" Samsung DLP for $899 last week. This week it's back to the normal price of $999, but that one is probably worth keeping in mind and is very close to his price range. It is hard to beat price/size ratio on DLP's.

The original poster said the TV is for the bedroom and that is why they were considering 37".

Its true that you have to sit incredibly close to a 37" 1080P set (if you can find one) to realize the benefit of 1080P. Projection TV's (such as DLP, LCDRP, LCOS) are great for larger rooms, but tough to fit in a bedroom.

Also, Sony doesnt make DLP. They made LCD rear projection and that was superceded by their SXRD sets (which are LCOS based)and they discontinued the SXRD last year due to class action suits based on defects with the optical block of the set. (Green blobs and purple haze with Sony SXRD).

I own a 61" rear projection set and love it, but from what the poster is asking a flat panel LCD or Plasma would be perfect. Plasma's normally have a faster response time than LCD which would reduce blurring in fast moving scenes.....so if your dad wants to watch sports a lot, plasma might be a better choice. Good luck.

BTW, the previous suggestions of the A450 Samsung's or the Panasonic Viera's are both great choices for flat panels.

I'm a Panny fan, but my buddy just got a 50A450 samsung and it looks great from 8-10 ft....even the standard def looked good.

My dad's not into sports at all. Neither is my mom. I bet they mainly watch sitcoms on their bedroom TV, and the occasional movie. My dad would rather watch movies on his living room system or visit mine.

But you know, I probably would go DLP for a bedroom TV. His room isn't THAT cramped for space. Anyway, thank you all for this thread full of replies. I'm sure he appreciates it.

I think the Toshiba 65" DLP has a 300 Hz refresh rate. 60 for most plasmas, 120 for the new LCDs.

I have a 65" in the office (Toshiba) and another 65" in the bedroom (Mits Diamond). Big is good.

Projection(DLP-LCOS-LCD), Plasma normally have a 4ms response time, while LCD panels have longer in the 6,8ms or higher, but for your family viewing habits...it really doesnt matter.

If you go for DLP(or any set for that matter), make sure you goto some stores and watch some programming on them and research the models.

A couple years ago, I was all set to buy the Toshiba HM84 or HMX85 series, until I found out they were blowing a lot of bulbs early, then I waited for their 195 series and the alleged 1080P pic was filled with video noise. The Samsungs at the time changed their light engine and the picture looked soft.

Hitachi and Sony made nice LCD projection sets, but I couldnt get past the gridlines of the pixels against a uniform picture like a golf green or hockey game. That is when I turned to LCOS (liquid crystal on Silicon) technology. It offers the smooth pic of DLP without the moving parts of a colour wheel.

I actually was going to buy a Sony SXRD, but backed out because it didnt look good with Standard Def programming....and they discontinued that line less than 2 years later. I am completely happy with my projection TV, but that isnt important as I'm not here to tell you to buy what I have, because we all have different viewing requirements.

Just make sure you google some reviews and go see in store the TV's you are considering, preferably with the same programming to compare. Your eyes should be the final judge.

Well, my dad bought his TV today. I'll have to check it out tomorrow and help him set it up. It's a 40" Sony Bravia. He wanted to buy from a store that he has a history with, and that seemed to be the best model from his choices. He wants a Blu-ray player, too. I told him I'd still go with a PS3 at this point, but I'll talk to him more tomorrow.

Which model did he get?

I'll let you know tomorrow after I'm able to check it out. I know it wasn't the 120Hz, since that was $300 or so more.

No, I need to find out now. Go over there.

I'll wait.

You'll wait until tomorrow? Don't be impatient in one paragraph and then patient in the next. It defeats your point.

I meant to write, "I'll wait a parsec."

Wait a kessel.

I talked to him. It's the KDL-40V4150. I still need to check it out.

Doing a search online, it seems to be in the "For Business" part of Sony's store. I wonder why the place my dad bought from had that one and not the 4100.

Oh, the warranty is a little longer. That's nice.

Congrats to your dad. Sounds like a good size and should serve his viewing habits nicely.

Personally, I am not a $ony fan as I often find you pay a bit of a premium for their product, which isnt any better than a Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, etc.

But I remind myself that everybody is different and SONY says quality to a lot of people. Congratulations on the decision and enjoy.

I've got the KDL-40V2500 and found it to be one of the best price/performance TVs for me. Yes, it was a bit more expensive than other similar sized/spec'd TVs, but I liked the picture best on the Sony. I spent a lot of time staring and tweaking store displays before I picked the KDL series.

CV, I'm sure your dad will enjoy his new TV set!