I have a 42" Panasonic plasma. Will soon be replacing it and have been looking at the LED TVs. We like the smart TV technology. 3D is not a huge deal for us.

Have been looking at Samsung, but since I haven't looked at TVs since we got the Panny, I am not really up to speed on whether or not I should be looking at other sets as well. We're trying to stay at or below around $1500 and in the 55" (max) size. Depending on bezel width, a 55 is about the biggest we can fit into our entertainment center. So a 50 would be ok too, and I'm kinda leaning toward that as a 55 would look "stuffed" into the space.

I'm not even sure what brands I should be looking at. LG, Vizio, Samsung, Panasonic.... some brands that used to be sneered at are apparently now getting decent reviews. Like I said, been out of this a while and not feeling like I know what I'm looking at.

Separate the "smart" from the TV by replacing an aging CD/DVD changer with a BD? Getting hard (it seems) to find a nice non-smart TV. *shrug*

Help and opinions appreciated

Sony and Samsung. Panasonic may still have good plasma sets, but I haven't checked them out, since most of my clients prefer the LED TVs. LG and Vizio do not produce as good of a picture.

Also, I don't bother with the "smart" features on the TV. Typically, I suggest blu-ray players with those features. It's a better way to achieve the same thing.



Damon

Panasonic Plasma's have by far the best picture but with a $1500 budget for a 55" it's not really going to matter what you buy.

Samsung LED 7100 or Panasonic ST/VT/ZT 60 is also a great choice. The Panny is much closer to your budget. The Samsung is nice but not really $1500.

You could do the UN55F6400 for 1300 +/- and a new BD and still hit budget. The 6400 level gives you Micro Dimming, Smart Hub and 3D, even though you probably just want the better picture more than anything.

I just upgraded an older Sammy 40" to the 46f6400 and it's fantastic for a daily driver.

+ 1

Panny plasma, hands down--Get one while u can.

Sales coming up. Wait a week.

Not really considering another plasma unless they've made some great leaps in lowering power consumption and making them much less bulky. The Panasonic we have now won't get pitched or anything. It's still working fine. We just want to swap it out for something a bit bigger, with a very thin bezel, that uses less power :)

And I hear ya on the sales. We're not jumping into anything right now. I just need some direction. I don't want to waste time with ... for example ... a Vizio advertised at an amazingly low price, if they are junk.

One of my sons bought a Samsung LED set when the big thing was the 120GHz and he's a gamer so.... that was a big deal for him. Now I'm seeing 240GHz. Big improvement or gimmickry. Micro dimming... desirable or talking point? Stuff like that.

I'm listening, so please keep 'em coming. :)

were in the same boat, Either going with the 7100 series samsung or the sony sony KDL60R550 just cant dricide...can careless about 3D and it is my understanding that the 240hz is required for better 3D

We were going todo the VT/ZT series plasma but they are getting hard to find and not sure about getting something when panasonic is getting out of the plasma business.

3Pedal just said it, and keep it in mind...it is a 600hz machine.  When Panny stop plasma production, you won't see another 600hz machine on market anytime soon.

Agreed....I have a smart TV and couldn't even tell you what the interface looks like.

If you can get a Sony or Samsung with blacklit LED, rather than sidelit, you will get a better picture.



Damon

80% of our sales are KDLXXR550. They are the best value out there. The "best" TV is a Samsung 8000 series but I do not like them. The best cheapos are the basic LG models. Just my .02.

BTW...we display all of these and most people choose the Sony after they consider the price vs performance. Your mileage may vary.

I thought I already commented on the "Smart TV" thing, but I don't see it.

Installers don't like to use the Smart TV "features" because a goal of the average and better home theater system design is to use the TV as a monitor and supply video to it from other sources... then control all of this from one remote control system. It's not too hard to always use the TV as a display, then reach into the menu system of the DVD player to get Smart features. But it's complicated to have the TV need to go outside its normal system setup and fetch things off the internet and become a source of audio.

If you're watching a TV and you've got your stuff plugged into it, and you use the TV speakers, then I suppose the TV's smart features are not hard to use.