Choose my TV! Vote Today Only! Which is the best deal??

[gtexan]

After much deliberation on the AVS Forum website, I've narrowed my search to 3 TVs. Here they are:

1. Panasonic Viera TC-P42X1. Price = $539
42", 720p, 600Hz Plasma HDTV
Consumer Reports "Best Buy"
Very well reviewed.
1 year warranty + 30 day refund.

2. Insignia NS-L42Q-10A. Price = $599
42", 1080p, 60Hz LCD HDTV
Consumer Reports "Best Buy"
Received highest score for HD picture quality and SD picture quality
Very well reviewed.
Comes with full 2 year warranty from Best Buy + 30 day refund.

3. Samsung LN40B530. Price = $649
40", 1080p, 60Hz LCD HDTV
Very well reviewed.
Open Box Item on discount. Returned because first owner did not like the size. Still comes with standard 1 year warranty and 30 day refund.


Which would you pick? Which is the best deal? Are these good prices? Thanks!

[Talyssa]

does the 1080p vs 720 thing matter to you? (go to a store where they're playing the same content on both and see if you can tell the difference -- if they have a computer generated cartoon like bolt or walle on that doesn't count as those look good on anything, find someplace with humans).

did you actually look at any of these TVs in person? I was shopping fora tv this size (I ended up with the sony bravia equivalent of your option 3, because at the time it was 50 dollars cheaper -- that is a good price for that samsung TV, by the way) and i read all the reviews, but when I saw them in person some tvs that had been reviewed well just didn't look as good to me. I think in particular 'budget' tvs sometimes get rated on a performance to price basis, like "well for 100 dollars less itsa great tv".


anyway any TV you get you'll be happy with, i assure you. But if you want to pay LESS and don't mind the 720, you might as well get choice 1. Otherwise i'd probably pay the extra 50 bucks and go for choice 3. the size difference between a 40 and a 42 isn't that drastic.

[vas25tl]

I personally don't think there should even be a discussion. 720p looks like crap compared to a 1080 and a Samsung is a Samsung. I have one, I absolutely love it. For an extra $50, going with a good brand counts.

[gtexan]

+3 rep to both of you! Thanks!

[damnyou]

+3 rep to both of you! Thanks!

are you going to get any 1080p content for the TV?

Does the open box item comes with store warranty or manufacturer's warranty?

[bzhayes]

I wouldn't get a plasma.. they suck up electricity like crazy and pump out heat equally as fast (hmmm... 1st law of thermo...)

Since you said the insignia is well reviewed I threw my thumb up on that one, but I'm not "in the know" on tv brands.

If you had a 720p lcd option I probably would have voted for that... but I don't even have 720p content at home much less 1080p... so I'm probably biased against it.

[TheThriftyOne]

no question about it, the Panny plasma

[pschoultz]

Comes down to a plasma vs. LCD argument. The fact that you are on here and AVS I assume you know the difference between the two. Goota figure out what you are going to use it for. I personally have that exact Samsung and love it FWIW. Pick 1 or 3 depending on your prefs, I don't think you can go wrong with either a Panny plasma or a Sammy LCD.