LG 55LD650 55-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LCD HDTV

Excellent TV!

Purchased from Amazon. White glove delivery was seamless. They unpacked the set attached the swivel stand placed it on the media console and hooked it up to the cablebox. All I had to do was supervise. Now let's talk about the 55LD650 itself.



Picture Quality. Considering there are no reviews out yet I considered it somewhat of a gamble to purchase this new LG model (which according to the sticker was built in February of this year). But after watching HD programing for a few hours my concerns evaporated. The picture quality is impressive. This is my first LCD. I've always been a plasma guy and have two Pannys so I had my concerns. Howver after watching Monsters vs Aliens I definitely have no complaints about the PQ. The images on the 55 inch screen popped beautifully. So much so that my kids even asked if it was in 3D!



Off-Angle Viewing. Viewing the TV from various angles (even extreme ones) I can confirm that this set did not have any noticeable degradation in picture quality from off-angle viewing(unlike some Sonys I looked at). Very impressive.



Glare. This was the main reason I sought out an LCD set since the TV resides in a very bright room with two sides of floor-to-ceiling windows. This eliminated the plasma option (though we first tried a Sammy plasma and aside from the mirror-like glare we couldn't handle the loud buzzing noise it made). While there's some glare on this TV when it's not on there was nothing noticeable on the matte sceen when watching programs.



All in all I'm very pleased with 55ld650 thus far.More detail ...

VIZIO VL260M 26-Inch Full HD 1080p LCD HDTV

Great value

Just picked this new Vizio up and love it! I was looking for a new TV for the bedroom and this fits the bill perfectly. The case comes in a new color Java which I was a little worried about initially. After having seen it in person before purchasing it and now having it in the house I feel its a great color. It matches my dark merlot furniture very well. Setup was a breeze and I was watching TV in just a few minutes after getting it out of the box.



In the busy market of small TV's the personal reasons I went for the Vizio are:



1. One of the few 26" 1080p TV's (even though I understand most programming isn't offered in 1080)



2. Price point. Vizio is the best bargain out there for quality LCD TV's. I had considered the Samsung 22" that got great reviews but for only a few dollars more I got this TV that is 4" larger and is 1080p. Plus I have known folks to have issues with Samsung.



3. Style. I like the way the TV looks. Very sleek looking. Java is a neat color that isn't offered by anyone else. I'm sure other brands will start offering new colors now.





Overall the picture is amazing. I thought buying a Vizio meant compromising on picture quality to get a better price but with this TV I didn't have to. Watching this TV right next to its competitors in the store really showed that Vizio offers a top notch product. Again the price can't be beat!More detail ...

Panasonic TC-L32X2 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV with iPod Dock

Sharp picture quality build with iPod. SD card and PC inputs

I bought three new 32-inch LCD TVs in one week and returned the first two because of faulty video inputs. The third TV I bought is this high-quality Panasonic TC-L32X2 TV which was just released in February 2010. My experience enabled me to compare three similar TVs giving me good insight to write this review.



I initially bought two other 32-inch LCD TVs; a Vizio VO320E and a Sony BRAVIA BX 300 Series (model KDL-32BX300). I returned both of them because of identical video input problems. I connected two different brands of DVD players to each TV and when I played DVDs there were alternating horizontal stripes of discoloration on the screen indicating a problem with the video inputs on the TVs. I returned both TVs to the retailer because both of these DVD players worked perfectly on two other TVs in my house including a one-year-old Panasonic plasma.



Then I bought the Panasonic TC-L32X2 TV listed here. After the initial setup the first thing I tested was the video output from a DVD player and was relieved to find that the video was crisp and clear with no stripes of discoloration like on the other two TVs. Then I flipped through the channels from a direct cable TV input (no cable box) and the TV output was excellent as well and definitely better than the other two TVs that I had to return. Also the build of the TV was noticeably of higher quality than the other two TVs. The remote has plenty of features and is not cheap (like the ones that came with other two TVs).



This Panasonic TC-L32X2 TV comes with one cable TV input one set of component video inputs (red/blue/green video and red/white audio) two sets of composite video inputs (red/white/yellow) three HDMI inputs a PC input an iPod dock with connector cable and rear input an SD camera card input and a Dolby digital audio output.More detail ...

Samsung UN55B8000 55-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LED HDTV

Startling clarity detail and color

Had my Samsung UN55B8000 TV a couple of weeks now. It has more than lived up to the hype. Hooked it up and put on a blu-ray disk. Even the delivery guy's jaw dropped and he's delivered/set up hundreds of TVs.



TV is only inch and half thick and only weighs 60 pounds or so.



In fact it is sometimes almost too good. When viewing people on HD you can see every little mole scar wrinkle stray hair makeup five o'clock shadow makeup line etc. I'm sitting here watching the news and I can clearly see tiny pieces of lint on the guy's black suit. I'm guessing the talking heads of tomorrow are all going to have to have much better complexions.



If you like to tweak your TV this one provides a lot of different controls. There are already some websites that will give you what they consider good tweaks to maximize the pic. You can also look for the B7000 tweaks. Looks pretty darn fantastic right out of the box so if you aren't a techie don't worry about it.



Sounds..not particularly good or bad but I don't want TV speakers taking up space anyway. If you are going to spend this kind of money for a TV you should be using your stereo system.



Some reviewers were complaining about the number of inputs. Again how many is enough. I run my PS3 XBOX360 IPOD and the Dish box through my Denon and so I only use one HDMI.



You can plug it into the internet. No set-up just plug it in. First thing it did was download 12 updates to itself. Have no idea what they did but ...didn't cause any problems. It automatically loads up some of Yahoo's widgets. Fun to try but...not something I have really gone back and used much. Also has some built in content...recipes artwork etc. that I haven't bothered to look at.



You can plug in USB drives and view content directly off the drive.



I long ago got rid of my roof antenna. I bought a little Turk indoor antenna and plugged that in so I can pop over into over-the-air signals and watch TV. It will automatically search and find the on-air channels. It even downloads some kind of TV guide from the internet for the channels it finds.



I also wanted to see if there was any signal degradation from Dish. I haven't noticed the HD degradation with Dish that I had with Comcast. The way Comcast packed the HD signals you could see a real difference between OTA and the packed pics.



Samsung also provides software which allows you to use your PC as a server. Then you can display your pics music etc on the TV. Took a little playing around but was easy compared to some of the others I've tried to use.



I've played games with both my PS3 and the XBOX360. No problems. No pixelating. Did not bother to change TV over to game mode. I haven't fooled around with the 240Hz function. I just leave it on standard.



I'm sure there are other features I haven't tried. With the ability to update itself over the internet I have no doubt they will teach it even more amazing tricks.



I've set up my Harmony 880 Pro to control all my devices including the IPOD. IPOD menu/info will display (through my Denon) on the TV.



All of the above features are great but the main thing is... the picture is just absolutely mind-blowing wonderful.



So fantastic TV. I am VERY happy with it. Obviously I highly recommend it.



((Now I'm watching Wall-E in HD and it is pretty amazing.))





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Samsung PN42C430 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV (Black)

So far so good!

After researching HD plasmas for about a month I was all set on an LG model from a different website because it was the least expensive 42 incher with the best reviews I could find but then I came across this model on Amazon for a hundred and fifty dollars cheaper (This was onsale for under $500 then..I dont think it is anymore). This is the least expensive 42 incher I've been come across and I'm very satisfied with the quality. After watching a lot of movies with dark scenes I was concerned because if I increased the brightness the colors seemed to wash out - well after selecting the 'dynamic' picture setting instead of 'standard' that has been resolved - the colors are crisp and dark scenes are sharp and more visible.



I was concerned that this tv might have the ugly red stripe on the base of the tv like some pictures of other samsungs I've seen but thankfully it does not. The tv frame and base are a sexy piano black. My opinion on why it's inexpensive is because it has the fewwest inputs on it. It only has 2 hdmi inputs. Perfect for an hd cable box and a ps3. This tv also has 2 sets of component inputs which are ideal for a vcr or other video game system that isnt in hd (like a wii).



I don't have digital cable just a plain old basic cable service and the QAM tuner picked up all the digital channels but they're not in hd so I'm still thinking of getting a comcast hd box even though I despise the significant compression comcast utilizes with its signal. Compare comcast hdtv to a blu ray and you'll notice how compressed the comcast video signal is (tiling and pixelating and motion blur is evident from the comcast signal).



All in all at this price point this can't be beat.



Anyway feel free to ask any questions on this new model via the comments section and I'll be happy to respond.More detail ...

Samsung UN55C8000 55-Inch 1080p 240 Hz 3D LED HDTV

WOW. Amazing LED set!!

First off I want to be clear about the kind of review this is intended to be. I am not a profession TV rater. I am not a videophile. I am a regular Joe and I am reviewing this for the regular Joe who is thinking about spending more than usual on a good quality television. During the next few months I'm sure you can find a more professional review from the usual places... But for now this is my impressions.



CORNER LIGHT: After reading many reviews on last years B8000 and this year's C7000 I was worried about the light that emits from the corners. I've seen displays of last year's B8000 and this year's C7000 and have VERY easily seen what people are talking about. I took a big gamble in purchasing this TV before I read if people were having issues with this C8000. So let me say... After watching this TV for about 5 hours per day for 3 days... I have NOT seen the light coming from the edges as seen on other sets. And believe me I've been looking. I tried to find it watching the HD feed on Time Warner Cable Blu-ray's from the PS3 Blu-Ray's from the Samsung 3D Blu-Ray player watching at night during the day... Nothing. I just do not see it!



LOOKS: This TV looks just amazing. It has a VERY dark black screen. It looks as beautiful turned off as it does on. I was nervous about the brush metal look but it actually looks very nice and compliments the new chromed four-legged stand.



PICTURE: The picture clarity looks incredible. It's as if I'm discovering HD for the first time. This set replaces a Samsung DLP set so of course this is a vast improvement. Having said that I have a newer plasma in the bedroom and this set looks much better than that. As with all new LED sets with 240 Hz there is a bit of the Spanish Soap Opera/Home Video look to it. Some people really like this some people don't. I really like it. For those of you that don't you can always turn this feature down or off. To me this makes the picture look very clear and it makes it stand out from the other sets.



3D: Along with this TV I purchased the Samsung 3D Bluray player so I can get the 3D startup kit for free. Turning the 3D feature on and connecting the glasses was easy. The intro to Monsters v. Aliens was very cool. The opening scene in outer space looked incredible. The ball tied to a paddle part was funny and kinda made me jump a little. I haven't spent too much time with 3D but I did notice that there were some scenes in the movie that had a double image while wearing the glasses. It doesn't happen a lot but it is noticeable. You can see this right away during the church scene at the beginning of the movie. It was a little annoying. I'm hoping that this is the kind of stuff that gets ironed out with a firmwear update or as more content is released they learn to fix it.



OnlineTV: This is also a very new area for me. I never understood the need for me to want apps on my TV... But its actually kina cool. I've tried a few apps but my favorite by far is the Pandora app. I'm a big fan of Pandora and this app I actually like better on my TV than online or the iPhone. The only thing I hate is that Samsung did not have Wifi built in. I think pricing this set at the $3000+ mark should be enough to include it with the set and not require me to drop another $80 for the USB adapter. I just hardwired it but that's another wire I don't like dealing with.



USB: I wanted to mention that this set allows you to connect a USB external hard drive and play music photo's and movies directly from the HDD. I have a Western Digital 320GB Passport filled with movies and music and I was able to navigate the files structure in the drive using the remote quite easily. And it played all the files formats I threw at it.





Pros:

No corner light!!!

Very dark screen.

Very clear picture

Pandora Samsung App

3D was surprisingly fun

USB external HDD capable

and... NO CORNER LIGHT!



Cons:

Slight double images on 3D.

Wifi requires an $80 USB adaptor.



Overall I am very satisfied with the UN55C8000. Even with the few CONS this set to this average Joe is a definite 5 star! As I spend more time with the set I'll be sure to update this review if I find something worth mentioning.



Please feel free to ask me questions and I'll try my best to answer them. I know how nerve wrecking buying a big ticket item such as this is... So I would be glad to help as much as I can.

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