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Help buying a television

My girlfriend and I will be moving to a new house, and the room for the TV is much larger than in our current setup. She loves football (yes, some guys do get lucky), so the NFL via DirecTV will be the primary focus. We'll be about 12 feet from the screen. From what I've been reading a 50- or 55-inch screen would be about right for that distance. Also, I've read that plasma is still thought of as best for sports.
Do these bits of information seem correct? Anything else we should consider? Recommendations -- including brands -- would be greatly appreciated.
FYI: I posted this under "Home Theater" because that made the most sense. That said, this will be a set on the wall, not a real home theater.
Thanks so much for your help.

-- Howard
hodu
rossman
74 posts
 
50-58" is fine for your purposes and the Samsung Plasmas & LED models are incredible for the price & hard to beat by any company.
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
Congrats on the house and the gf. My wife is also a big sports fan and its great not to have that as a source of friction. At 12' I'd get 60"if you can afford it but would go for a better set rather than a bigger screen if you need to make a trade-off. Check out AVS Forum to get the best technical info on PQ. Any satellite system can be a problem if you live in an area w heavy snow or rain. I'd say that plasma is still the best bet for PQ on sports, but I've never seen LED. LCD is (to my eyes) not acceptable for sports and black levels still not up to plasma's standard. If you can swing it, and if you can still find any around, the Pioneer Elite 60" Kuro is probably your best bet. Just my $0.02.
lapierre
547 posts
 
I agree with the Swampwalker. I would get a Pioneer Elite.

LED/LCD screens are cheaper and that means cheaper parts. Get a warranty.
sogood51
2,157 posts
 
After looking at my sisters Samsung LCD, and my mothers panasonic plasma.....I went with a panasonic plasma.

They both looked very nice compared to my old RPTV, but I thought the plasma had the edge in picture quality for tv viewing, and DVD viewing.

Dave
philjolet's avatar
philjolet
2,305 posts
 
I sit about 9' from my 50" plasma and often wish it were bigger, but then I am greedy...

fwiw
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