Help with HDTV purchase

[doughboy63]

Background.

Currently we have a 29" run of the mill tube TV. Just got a offer in the mail from Directv for a free HD DVR and the Superfan add on to Sunday ticket for free too, which gives you the sunday ticket in HD as well. We live in an 80 y.o. house with a fairly small living room. I would like to get a 32" LCD to replace this tv and take advantage of the deal. I am fine with 720p and am looking to get an inexpensive unit to start off with.

I have found two tv's that are in the price point I am looking at but not sure which is better, and I am looking for suggestions.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/VIZIO-32-LCD-HDTV-VU32LHDTV10A/sem/rpsm/oid/209895/catOid/-12867/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

http://www.hhgregg.com/ProductDetail.asp?SID=n&ProductID=21136&BrandStore=All#page

My gut tells me the toshiba is probably better, but I have heard goods things about vizio. so I am looking for opinions on which is better, or if anyone can point me towards a better tv in at the same price point, that would be good too. a 37" would also be nice but I don't think I can get it in for the same price.

[Germanvirgins]

shiba....only because i see too many returned vizio's at my local sams club

[2_hotty]

I love Toshiba displays. That would be my pick of those two.

[doughboy63]

Well I actually went out yesterday and Bestbuy had this guy on sale

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8849268&type=product&id=1209165527449

I went with the Sharp, but I dont know if I should have gone for the Toshiba or not. I don't have a HD signal yet and I cannot get the colors where I want them. I also could not find a store with that Toshiba and Sharp to compare side by side. I have 30 days on the Sharp any opinions between these two? I will wait for my HD feed to really decide.

[Happy Hazard]

Sharp and Toshiba are both very good brands, you should be happy with either.

[IgotDANUTZ]

I have a 37 inch vizio for wahts its worth, and I love it

[Rewind]

For the brief stint when I was working at Circuit City, there is a problem when you try to compare TVs side by side - they don't have an HD signal running to every TV. The store I was at was brand new and out of the 40+ TVs on the wall, only 2 or 3 had an HD signal. I think it sucks beacuse you can't see exactly how each TV compares.

I'm going to start looking around this Christmas. I want to get a TV / computer monitor combo but up until recently the resolution on the computer side hasn't been high enough for me.

[wyatt880]

Doughboy,

I just purchased that 32" Vizio this past weekend. Hung it up on the bedroom wall, haven't had much chance to watch it yet. From the little bit I had it on while moving things around, it looked good. Wife and kid watched a movie Sunday, I didn't hear any complaints. I haven't watched it from the bed yet, but I'll post and let you know how it is.

[wyatt880]

Oh, and the tv was listed for $100 more at the store than online. I said something to the salesguy, who looked it up and said "you're right, and we'll match the online price".

[Magic Rat]

I've got my eye on this Sharp Aquos. Sears will match the price, plus take off 2% and ship it to my crib for free. Gonna pull the trigger on it tommorrow.


http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11297170&whse=BC&Ne=5000001+4000000&eCat=BC|79|2341&N=4001374%204294967118&Mo=5&No=0&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=

http://content.costco.com/Images/Content/Product/318394.jpg

[wyatt880]

Update: Had a chance to watch the game last night on the Vizio - everything looked good, except for the game itself. Commercials, even when they cut to the announcers, looked fine. The game was slightly fuzzy. Changed channels, other channels looked fine. Don't know if it has something to do with DirecTv or ESPN. Am going to do some reading of the manual...

[Charlutz]

1. Take a good look at the store's return policy.
2. Make sure you can return them if need be.
3. Buy them both.
4. See which one you like better.
5. Return the other one.
6. Done.

[doughboy63]

Update. I bought the Sharp that I have linked in pg1. Hooked it up to Directv HD and think it looks great. I am still playing with getting the colors right but overall very pleased.

[timsta007]

IMO Sharp has the best quality picture of the low to medium end flat panel TV's. Sony Bravia looks better to me, but its about 50-60% more expensive.

For best value on the low end cost side, the Vizio TV's are great for two reasons. They are cheap and look good, and if you have any problems, you can return it at Costo (which is the only place I will ever buy a TV for the return accessability).

[StrangeMan]

I have a 37 inch vizio for wahts its worth, and I love it

x2