Hi Everyone, I need to upgrade my current 15 year old model. I'm looking at sizes between 37-42". I'm not sure what all to look for, but I have selected a few that look like pretty decent deals. They range from $1099-$1199 some are 1080 and some are 720. I'm just not sure what are the better names and what are some features that each TV must have. I will be using this to watch a lot of standard DVD's, not blue ray. It will also be hooked up to regular cable until I can get HD service in a few months. So I don't need one that is crystal clear, but I want one that does look very sharp. Toshiba - REGZA 42" 1080p Flat-Panel LCD HDTV $1199 Sharp 37" 720p LCD AQUOS® HDTV with 7500:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio $1099 Sony 40" 720p LCD BRAVIA® HDTV Widescreen with 2 HDMI™ Inputs and PC Connectivity $1199 Samsung 37" 720p LCD HDTV with 3 HDMI™ Inputs and 10,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio $1099 OR $1199 40"
I would suggest you to go in for Sony 40". Sony products are always known for their quality although a little bit higher priced. Go for Sony. Dairyman
Go to a shop where you can actually view them.. some screens look good on paper when you read the details, but look like crap in reality.. not every manufacturer calculates contrast and the other numbers the same way btw.. also keep in mind on an analog signal all flatscreens will look worse than your old tv.. some will improve the signal themselves, but you don't know how good they do this until you see it.. to see something decent, you need a digital signal only if you will pay for hd channels, it's worth buying a 1080p screen don't go for an 1080i (interlaced) as that's again worse in quality.. also check what output the hd-digital box has that you will get.. probably hdmi, but if you als have an x-box or something else you probably want a tv with 2 hdmi connections, maybe more..
bravia is the best. go for a 1080p as th screen dimension u mentioned is quite large. do consider plasma it has technological advantage over lcd's. & remember bluerays will be a standard media soon