BJ's has this tv I am interested in-but I've not heard much about the brand. It is a Vizio GV42L 42" HD and they've got it for $1,299. I am just going to watch DVD's mostly (upconvert player using HDMI) Any feedback?


http://www.vinc.com/products/detail.aspx?pid=10

11/21/2006 10:06:15 PM

What kind of car are you putting this in again?

11/21/2006 10:08:53 PM

I guess he could fit it into the back of a truck... maybe for a show car...

11/21/2006 10:11:02 PM

I've been looking into buying this tv from costco for a while. according to avsforums, its a pretty good tv, however, there are some issues that some units have had such as popping noises when power the tv on.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=701542

11/21/2006 10:19:49 PM

I think I read somewhere that Vizios are made by Samsung

11/21/2006 10:21:10 PM

PANASONIC PLASMA

11/23/2006 9:54:04 AM

I would recommend Pioneer Industrial plasma, preferably with a Key Digital input card/processor - much better performance than a comparable Fujitsu or Pioneer Elite, without the jacked up cost. A 42" with the right processor will set you back about $2500 from a reputable retailer, probably only $35 from an online retailer, but it's not the most "user-friendly" panel on the market, like most of the junk sold at Best Buy, Circuit City, Tweeter, Wal-Mart, Costco, Sam's, BJ's, etc...

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/v3/pg/product/details/0,,2076_310069955_297789596,00.html

http://www.keydigital.com/IW_Products.m4p.pvx?;MULTI_ITEM_SUBMIT

Just my $0.02 - take it for what it's worth. Costco, Sam's and BJ's are known for selling items that are "brand new", but made with outdated technology...

-Mark

http://customwiredonline.com

11/26/2006 11:53:14 PM

pretty decent read on lcd and plasma - http://www.beststuff.com/articles/7987/

my only advice would be that if you don't have an extremely small room...there won't be much difference in how a $1300 hdtv plasma or lcd and a $4000 one look from 7+ feet away. the discerning audio/videophile will probably notice the difference, but an average person won't.

disclaimer: i'm not an expert on tvs like some of the guys on tww, but i read up on tons of tvs and comparisons before buying a 50" toshiba plasma on black friday. if you get plasma, use the break-in dvd that Quinn linked me too (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=583089) even though most of the newer plasmas are supposedly much less susceptible to burn-in.

Plasma info

Quote :

"Now to address a few concerns about plasma: First of all, today's plasma TVs don't have the same problems with premature image aging (burn-in, burn-out) that plagued older plasma monitors and TVs. That's because the mix of gases used in the panels have been changed to improve longevity. You'll hear the figure '60,000 hours' thrown around; be conservative and figure half that, which is 30,000 hours. 30,000 hours is the equivalent of watching eight hours a day of television, seven days a week for 10 years. I don't watch that much television, but perhaps you do. Assuming you operate your plasma TV in the 'Normal' or 'Cinema' picture modes and don't play video games on it too often, you should be in fine shape for quite some time."

LCD info

Quote :

"LCD TVs don't suffer from 'burn-in' or 'burn-out' like plasma panels do. They can, however, have 'stuck' or dead pixels. The leading manufacturers have higher standards for defective pixels, so you can usually purchase from those companies with confidence that you won't see white, black, red, green, or blue dots on your TV programs that won't go away (and if you do, your warranty offers some protection). Although plasma TVs can generate extremely bright images, they have an automatic brightness governing system to keep them from doing so with high luminance program material so as to avoid burn-in and premature phosphor aging. LCD TVs have no such braking system and will usually make a much brighter image on the showroom floor and in your home. Because plasma TVs employ phosphors for imaging, they are susceptible to glare from indoor and outdoor light. LCD TVs don't have this problem; they create images by shuttering light through tiny color filters and generally handle annoying reflections from open windows or nearby lights with no difficulty. What LCD TVs don't have is deep, rich black levels. On average, the level of 'black' measured on the best LCD TVs is about 10 times as high as that measured on the best plasma TVs. Also, colors on LCD TVs don't appear to be as rich (or even accurate) as a plasma TV. As a result, you will probably find that LCD TVs seem to look better under normal room lighting, but plasma TVs excel when the lights are turned down. LCD TVs are expected to last between 50,000 to 60,000 hours, and that's usually the time it takes for the backlight to burn out. However, you should read the fine print in your owner's manual: Those life expectancy numbers are not for full brightness, but only 50% or even 25% of full panel brightness. (Tests have been done to confirm this.) The upside is that LCD TVs are available in so many sizes that you can put them just about anywhere you'd wish in your house. I've used 15-inch and 17-inch sizes as HDTV displays in my downstairs bathroom each year during the Super Bowl! LCD TVs, as a general rule, use less power than plasma (25% on average) and also weigh less in equivalent screen sizes (about 20% on average). And they are slightly thinner, too, although when you are talking about TVs that measure only 3" to 5" in thickness, who really wants to split hairs?"

[Edited on November 27, 2006 at 12:27 AM. Reason : links]

11/27/2006 12:24:51 AM