2OLD2PLAY
Search

Looking for User Experience with LCD TVs

S
SoupNazzi

I'm looking to buy a LCD Flatscreen in the next few weeks/months.

I'm pretty well-versed in the pros and cons of the majority of the LCDs out there, however, I like hearing it from the horse's mouth.

Who is better? Sony, Sharp, Samsung?

I'm looking for a true 1080p TV around 46" big with under an 8ms response time. I prefer a higher contrast ratio, but LCDs can't match a plasma's contrast, nor a plasma's black levels. (However, plasmas are rarely a true 1080p, especially if they are under 50". In fact, I'm not sure a true 1080p Plasma is currently available, unless it is upsampling the signal).

Here's a few things I have found / know:

1. Sharp Aquos LC-46D62U.
Pros: My first preference in quality and price. 4-6ms refresh rate. 2,000:1 Native contrast ratio (10,000:1 Dynamic). True 1080p. Brightness at 450 cd/m2. Overall better efficient power usage then a plasma. Up to 25% better.

A gorgeous TV with a gorgeous picture. However...

Cons: Banding. Not sure how to explain this, other then to say it makes for a bad picture and seems to be the major complaint with Sharp's LCD pictures.

2. Sony Bravia KDL-46XBR2.
Pros: Another TV with a gorgeous picture. 1300:1 Native contrast (7000:1 Dynamic). Ture 1080p. 18 months no payments, no interest through Sony.

Cons: I cannot find what the refresh rate for this TV is. Not even on Sony's own website. Nor can I find its brightness measurement. Finally, price. Sony is notorious for controlling their prices and keeping them fairly uniform across the board.

Where I can find the Sharp 46" for appx. $2000 on the internet ($2700 retail), the Sony runs about $2800 on the internet ($3700 retail).

And the big one: Clouding. Again, not sure how to explain it, other then people see "clouds" on their screens. Like Sharp, this seems to be limited to Sonys.

3. Samsung - I'll have to do more research into Samsung LCDs. I tend to avoid Samsung since my TV repair man has on more then one occasion, said they are the worst TVs ever. That's coming from someone who makes house calls to repair 6-8 TVs a day, so I'm inclined to believe him.

Comments (7)

M
mrsleestak·
Soup-I purchased a 46\" LCD rear projection Sony Grand Wega for $1200 and it looks awesome and the price is right. I cannot believe how good the 360 looks on it. No, it is not 1080P but it depends on what your budget is. A comprable LCD unit was near $2600. I really wanted the Sharp but with my wife going back to school I had to compromise.\r \r Xenadrine (in my clan) is our resident Samsung expert and he swears by them.\r \r good luck!
T
TANK·
Sony you pay for name, no question. But their advances in video quality have gone down over the years while others have caught up. So if you buy a Sony you aren't necessarily getting a better TV these days like you were 5 years ago. Also look at Panasonic. I'm not sure if they're mostly behind plasma or not but if they make an LCD .. don't over look them.
D
d0od·
I have a 60\" Sony Sony KDS-R60XBR1 SXRD rear projection LCoS(kinda like LCD) I Love it. It isnt 1080p but the new version is. If you want any more info feel free to send me a PM.
H
Hawk7365·
when i was in texas we had like 4 bravia's and i loved them and miss them....
D
Duderlock·
I work at costco and we sell a brand called Vizio. They have a 47\" LCD 1080p and its under 2000 bucks. Here is a link to the specs- http://www.vizio.com/products/detail.aspx?pid=20. Its probably the cheapest 1080p you'll find.
N
Neks0ne·
Samsung..\r \r You obviously kknow what your looking at just from your blog.\r \r It comes down to your viewing, and after that how the company deals with its customers....So in my opinion sony is never a factor.
B
budman24·
My friend has the Sony your talking about and it's awesome. I just bought a samsung LCD and I looked around but the reason I bought it was because I was basially going to be playing games on it and if xbox uses them for their displays as well as nintendo they have to be doing something right