I need to buy a new TV. I need a little help. What to look for, what to avoid, LCD or Plasma, etc.

[A HERETIC I AM]

The last time I bought a brand new Television was 1992! So, needless to say, much of the new technology has passed me by. I understand what a Liquid Crystal Display is (in a very basic way) but I have no idea if a Plasma screen is superior or not...and, it seems HDTV is coming whether I want to ride that train or not.

So.... since you Loungers are indeed an incredible font of knowledge, can ya helps an old fart out a little?

It looks like I am going to have to spend around $500 or so, based on the looking I did today and over the last few weeks. A 32" at Best Buy was on sale for $499 but I honestly have no idea if I was looking at a piece of shit or something worth the money. Even the smaller 22" ones were almost $400. I figured I might as well spend another hundred for a bit larger screen. I don't need, can't afford nor do I have the room for a giant one, (those are all $1500 and up anyway) so a 22" to 32" will do it.

Any suggestions? LCD or Plasma? Specific brand name or are they all basically the same inside? (like a toaster, for instance) What particular features do I need to look for?

I hate the idea that I might spend money on something that is going to be selling for 1/2 the price in 12 months, but the TV I have is going south fast.

Thanks in advance.

[NMDemDist2]

1. run, don't walk, from the LCD projection tvs!

I contacted a lawyer today in fact about my Sony LCD

spend the extra bucks and get an LED flat panel, or spend the extra bucks in two years to replace the LCD

that's my experience anyway

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=402x69

[Redstone]

2. Plasma TVs use a LOT of electricity. As much as 1000 watts. We got a Hitachi

37-inch LCD unit that only uses 110 watts when running, and a meager one-half-watt on standby.

And the picture quality is pretty damn good.

Redstone

[A HERETIC I AM]

3. OK..well, thanks you two. I appreciate it. n/t

[nytemare]

4. Check out the reviews on the TV's first.

Plasma may be out of the price range for you, and those are usually pretty large screen.

I have an Olevia, they price is good, and the picture on them is great. I hear LG has poor customer service.

For the lower price ranges, Olevia and Viewsonic are pretty good.

Newegg and Tigerdirect have many products, and lots of reviews. Here is a link with the basics on LCD tv's.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/CategoryIntelligenceArticle.aspx?articleId=242

[hellbound-liberal]

5. Another old fart here, we bought two Samsung LCDs in the past year and a half

and we are pretty happy with them. We got ours at Circuit City, they have a much better selection of Samsungs then our local Best Buy. I did a lot of research before buying including a lot of "nonpartisan" reviewers via the Internet. From my research, plasma TVs are generally better when you get 40" TVs and up. We have a 26" and a 40", both LCDs. They are both quite good. The 26" cost us about $700. Do your research ahead of time so you are prepared for whatever the salesman throws at you!

[greenbriar]

6. 50 inch Dell Plasma

love it