Best TV for approx. 300? 25"-"27


I need a new TV for the bedroom, I do not need bells and whistles, picture would be first of importance.

I am not fixed at 25"-27", I could consider smaller. (Actually, my wife would prefer a smaller TV, but you know us guys, we want to go for the bigger version!)

I went to Circuit City last night planning to purchase a Panasonic, I have heard good things on their longevity. I was specifically going there for the CT-27G6, $289. I left with a JVC AV-27D302, $349. The JVC showed much more detail IMO and all the Panasonics I looked at seemed dark, the JVC simply seemed to have the better picture, except it was a bit grainy. I thought, maybe foolishly, it was just a store issue.

The one I brought home seems to be a bit grainy as well. There seems to be a flaw in the picture, so I am planning on returning it, but I am not ruling out exchanging it for the same TV.

I was just seeking the collective wisdom of this forum.

Thanks
brianmgrarcom

Showing 2 responses by psychicanimal

I used to work at a high end video store--my advice is to find a salesman you can trust and choose TV size considering the distance you will be from the set. The general rule of thumb is 4 times diagonal picture, so (4 x 27" = 108"); 108"/12 = 9 feet. That's your recommended viewing distance.

I would not buy Panasonic over Sony WEGA...

I bought my first TV set ever back in October--a 27" WEGA. I called the owner of the store I used to work at and told me I made the right choice of TV. He gave me the proper order to fine tune a TV (I had forgotten--I'm an audiophile!).

Here it is:

1) Color OFF
2) Brightness
3) Contrast
4) Sharpness

Get the best B&W picture you can.

5)Color ON
6)Tint
7 Drop brightness
8)Work on high resolution settings

This is a no-brainer if you follow it step by step and take your time. Steve Blumenthal of Gallager TV is a master at this. My TV was fine tuned in just a few minutes with no need for any 'special' DVD. Back in those days we didn't have any DVDs or LDs to tune the TVs!

After setting my TV I rented Water World and played it through my JVC XV-S45 DVD player and those water scenes (both above and under) were just stunning!
1. Sony 27SF13....5 Stars....$600

That's my Sony! Plain Vanilla 27" WEGA--and a Swans M1 and RPG Pro Foam panel to either side...you can get it for much less and interest free for a year.