It's been years since I've purchased a set, but it's finally time to upgrade I think. My current set is a 27"/720p Vizio, so almost anything will be a pretty major upgrade.
I'd like GAF's collective expertise in deciding, since I don't really have a great idea of how all the various low-end and mid-range brands perform. I'm hoping people here can tell me more about what to look out for. My priorities in order of importance are:
1. Reliability - won't break
2. Responsiveness - need low latency for gaming
3. Image quality - I'm really not a stickler about this stuff, the other two rank higher
Here are all the interesting deals that I have come across:
$299 Seiki 39" Ultra HD 3840x2160 120hz LED HDTV - Tiger Direct ($50-100 in savings I think)
$119 Element 40" 120hz LED - Target - ($220 in savings)
$235 Westinghouse 48" 60hz LED - Target ($249 in savings)
$200 Panasonic 50" 60hz LED - Best Buy ($350 in savings)
$180 Insignia 40" 60hz LED - Best Buy ($100 in savings)
$300 Samsung 40" 60hz LED - Best Buy AVAILABLE NOW ($130 in savings)
$218 Mystery Brand 50" LED HDTV - Wal-Mart (unknown savings) -GUARANTEED to customers within the first hour
$328 Samsung 40" SMART 60hz HDTV - Wal-Mart ($120 in savings)
$288 Haier 48" 60hz LED HDTV - h.h. gregg ($162 in savings)
$299 Samsung 39" 60hz LED HDTV - Sears ($100 in savings)
$229 Westinghouse 39" 120hz LED HDTV - K-Mart ($60 in savings)
$299 RCA 46" 60hz LED HDTV - K-Mart ($150 in savings)
The main debate here is obviously whether to go with a cheap brand at 50", a higher-end brand at 40", or a cheap brand at 40" (for prices well under $200).
Obviously Best Buy's $200 50" Panasonic deal has been the darling of all the Black Friday sites, but I don't think I have the fortitude to go after it. Quantities are limited and people will probably start lining up before sunrise on Thanksgiving Day. I'm also told that the quality of Panasonic is now no better than any other cheap Chinese manufacturer -- is this for certain?
At the moment, I am leaning towards the 48" Westinghouse at Target. It's not a mega in-demand doorbuster, but it has 3 HDMI ports and seems like a pretty good deal. I'm really not sure about Westinghouse as the brand. Haven't heard anything about them.
The 50" Mystery Brand at Wal-Mart is also tempting, if only because it's guaranteed and I won't have to worry about missing out on it. Of course who knows what the hell brand I will get and what its reliability will be.
How important is 120hz? Will it help with latency or response time that much? The $119 Element and $229 Westinghouse are both 120Hz sets, so they hold a little bit of interest for me. The Element is particularly tempting just because it's mega-cheap.
The Seiki ULTRA HD 4K set is also a weird outlier. I don't know much about the brand at all. Is 4K even going to matter on a 39" display, if I'm sitting 8-10 feet away?
If anyone else has come across any other nice sales please post and I will add them to the OP. I've tried to exclude regional retailers for the most part (I'm not sure if TigerDirect will offer the Seiki on their website or not).
I'd like GAF's collective expertise in deciding, since I don't really have a great idea of how all the various low-end and mid-range brands perform. I'm hoping people here can tell me more about what to look out for. My priorities in order of importance are:
1. Reliability - won't break
2. Responsiveness - need low latency for gaming
3. Image quality - I'm really not a stickler about this stuff, the other two rank higher
Here are all the interesting deals that I have come across:
$299 Seiki 39" Ultra HD 3840x2160 120hz LED HDTV - Tiger Direct ($50-100 in savings I think)
$119 Element 40" 120hz LED - Target - ($220 in savings)
$235 Westinghouse 48" 60hz LED - Target ($249 in savings)
$200 Panasonic 50" 60hz LED - Best Buy ($350 in savings)
$180 Insignia 40" 60hz LED - Best Buy ($100 in savings)
$300 Samsung 40" 60hz LED - Best Buy AVAILABLE NOW ($130 in savings)
$218 Mystery Brand 50" LED HDTV - Wal-Mart (unknown savings) -GUARANTEED to customers within the first hour
$328 Samsung 40" SMART 60hz HDTV - Wal-Mart ($120 in savings)
$288 Haier 48" 60hz LED HDTV - h.h. gregg ($162 in savings)
$299 Samsung 39" 60hz LED HDTV - Sears ($100 in savings)
$229 Westinghouse 39" 120hz LED HDTV - K-Mart ($60 in savings)
$299 RCA 46" 60hz LED HDTV - K-Mart ($150 in savings)
The main debate here is obviously whether to go with a cheap brand at 50", a higher-end brand at 40", or a cheap brand at 40" (for prices well under $200).
Obviously Best Buy's $200 50" Panasonic deal has been the darling of all the Black Friday sites, but I don't think I have the fortitude to go after it. Quantities are limited and people will probably start lining up before sunrise on Thanksgiving Day. I'm also told that the quality of Panasonic is now no better than any other cheap Chinese manufacturer -- is this for certain?
At the moment, I am leaning towards the 48" Westinghouse at Target. It's not a mega in-demand doorbuster, but it has 3 HDMI ports and seems like a pretty good deal. I'm really not sure about Westinghouse as the brand. Haven't heard anything about them.
The 50" Mystery Brand at Wal-Mart is also tempting, if only because it's guaranteed and I won't have to worry about missing out on it. Of course who knows what the hell brand I will get and what its reliability will be.
How important is 120hz? Will it help with latency or response time that much? The $119 Element and $229 Westinghouse are both 120Hz sets, so they hold a little bit of interest for me. The Element is particularly tempting just because it's mega-cheap.
The Seiki ULTRA HD 4K set is also a weird outlier. I don't know much about the brand at all. Is 4K even going to matter on a 39" display, if I'm sitting 8-10 feet away?
If anyone else has come across any other nice sales please post and I will add them to the OP. I've tried to exclude regional retailers for the most part (I'm not sure if TigerDirect will offer the Seiki on their website or not).