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Lewis Ehrhardt
05-01-2009, 1:53 PM
I need some advice on which flat screen to buy.
37 inch is all I can accomodate.
My price range is $600.00 to $750.00.
We don't watch a lot of tv, movies occasionally, just want a basic, reliable television.
Note: had looked at a 37-inch Vizio at WM, but the reviews didn't seem that good for it.

Thanks for any help you can give. L

Robert Parrish
05-01-2009, 2:00 PM
Take a look at the Sharp Aquos and the Sony Bravia, I have one of each and they are both very good. The Sony has a sharper picture and more inputs. Also check the reviews on Amazon.

Cliff Rohrabacher
05-01-2009, 2:20 PM
I'm liking Sony Bravia.
I was looking at Panasonic but Sony is hard to ignore.

Unfortunately the Sony isn't as big as I'd like but hey~!! we are all supposed to be getting on with less so we can pay more for lesser-er still.

Eric Roberge
05-01-2009, 3:06 PM
I'm a Samsung fan myself. Have always had a good experience.

+1 for shopping at Amazon. I ordered mine from them and had no problems.

Burt Alcantara
05-01-2009, 3:23 PM
When my little Zenith died, I took it in for repair. Because of its small size, all of the electronics were on a single board. To replace the board, it would cost about the same as buying it new. The tech told me to dump it.

I asked what brands did he NOT see in his shop. He said Sony, Sharp and another which escapes me. He strongly recommended against Visio as they are the most frequently repaired TV. Also, stay away from off brands that are sold at deep discounts.

We bought a 32" Sharp and have been somewhat happy. I wanted bigger buy wife put the hammer down. Otherwise, it's a great TV. Clear, good color, good sound, good blacks.

If we had to do it over, I'd insist on a 50" even if I had to pay for it myself (we share all expenses).

Michael Poller
05-01-2009, 3:45 PM
I have the Panasonic Viera line of plasmas. Amazing TV and my model came in with a close tie to the class leading Pioneer Kuro line.

Look up reviews and you'll see it ranks high on a regular basis. The 42" models (if you can swing the extra few inches) are regularly on sale at great prices.

mark page
05-01-2009, 3:56 PM
I also have a 42" Panasonic Viera and love it. It came in a close tie with Samsung though.

Mitchell Andrus
05-01-2009, 7:57 PM
Skimp on size if you're space-constrained, don't skimp on features.

Aquos 52" is amazing.
.

Art Mulder
05-01-2009, 8:44 PM
If we had to do it over, I'd insist on a 50" even if I had to pay for it myself (we share all expenses).

... only if you've got the room for it. I've heard from several folks who've bought great big TVs and regretted it, since their room really wasn't big enough for the set.

Neal Clayton
05-03-2009, 3:49 AM
that's a legitimate concern.

my stepbrother wound up with a 63" plasma by accident. the store delivered the wrong one, he was supposed to get the 50" he paid for. during the occasion the store's installer fell through his ceiling while running a wire. the store told him to keep the 63" in exchange for not being terribly upset about having to patch the ceiling up.

well that's all fine and good except for the fact that he sits about 8 feet from the TV, so you get seasick watching it, lol.

from my experience, to have a 50, you need to be about 10 feet away from the TV. to have greater than 60, you need to be 15 feet or more away.

my 50 at ~9.5 feet from the sofa looks fine to me.

Peter Stahl
05-03-2009, 8:12 AM
I asked a TV repairman what flat screen to buy and said most major brands are fixable. TV's like Vizio you should get the warrenty.

Mark Versprille
05-03-2009, 10:23 AM
Go to a TV show room and look at all the ones in your price range and down. They should all be displaying the same video. Make sure they have the connection capabilities you foresee a need for. Pick the one that has the picture you like the most. I don't worry about brands in home electronics. Heck three quarters of them are made in the same factories. And bells and whistles have come to mean nothing to me.

Pat Germain
05-03-2009, 1:01 PM
My Panasonic 52" Plasma is 2.5 years old. It's a great TV. I was also looking at a Samsung when I bought it. The Samsung wasn't high alititude rated. (Since I live at 6,700 feet above sea level, that's an important factor.)

Panasonic equipment is very solid and reasonably priced. It doesn't get much hype, so you don't hear about it much. It also has a lower markup than other brands. This means the stores don't push it. When I was buying my Pani, a salesman twisted my arm to buy an LG instead. It had a built-in DVR. I caved in and put one on order. I went home and did some research. I found very few positives about that LG TV; and many more positives for the Pani. I went back, cancelled the LG order and drove home with the Pani.

Just last week a coworker told me he has that same LG TV with the built-in DVR. It came with the house he bought. He said it's a lousy TV and the DVR has never worked correctly. So, I'm glad I went with the Pani. (Although, I've heard good reports about other LG products.)

I'm surprised to hear about people saying their TV is too big. Everyone I talk to says they wish they had gone bigger. When I think how big an IMAX screen is compared to the theater, I'm thinking it's very hard to go too big. But hey, if you get seasick watching, that would be a problem.

Going Sony is a no-brainer as long it's in your budget.