Help me pick a large TV

[mekender]

Ok, so I am looking at getting a new TV...

I really want a smart TV, having Netflix is a must. Having the ability to stream video to it from my server would be nice. The new Samsung TVs have Skype built in along with a camera that is a pretty good camera so that would be nice too.

3D is optional IMO...

I have looked at the Samsung 8000 series and I like them but I am not super crazy about Samsung as a company for TVs. I am a bit old school and really like Sony TVs but I am also open to just about any brand that is good.

I know we had a thread about TVs on here a while back but I figure that by now it is dated a bit.

[blackeagle603]

I've got a Samsung Smart TV. Hmmm, not sure I recommend. A bit slow, and updates come at odd times/sometimes moderately inconvenient. Still pretty pleased overall.

Might just save on a Samsung w/out Smart TV/built in wi-fi I saw at Costco and use a different wireless box. Not sure Smart TV is so much better than just using the Roku box on my other TV. Or get a Blu-ray with wifi built in.

[bubblewhip]

Is buying an Xbox360/AppleTV/Roku an option? It would only be $100-$200 and I think ultimately you get something a lot more usable than the smart TV software stuff they cram into the TV. It's probably more flexible too since software and app support is way better on a 3rd party system like an Xbox360.

Still I recommend going to ConsumerSearch, go click their full report and they'll give you a breakdown on what all the reviewers think.

[Denis]

We have a big new Samsung with Smart TV (which we never use).

I'm very happy with it - too much so even, as it shows up the deficiencies in our older, though high-end, up-scaling DVD player. I could check the Samsung model number when I get home.

[mekender]

Is buying an Xbox360/AppleTV/Roku an option? It would only be $100-$200 and I think ultimately you get something a lot more usable than the smart TV software stuff they cram into the TV. It's probably more flexible too since software and app support is way better on a 3rd party system like an Xbox360.

Still I recommend going to ConsumerSearch, go click their full report and they'll give you a breakdown on what all the reviewers think.

I already have both an XBOX 360 and a Roku... The Roku is problematic as there are no parental controls so I cant block content from my kids... The XBOX is problematic because in order for them to be able to access the online streams, they have to log into my XBOX live which has resulted in me buying more than one downloadable game. I have a 6 year old that likes to wake up in the middle of the night and come down stairs and play games or watch TV.

I dont know that a TV will be all that much better in those two aspects either.

But then there is the need to interact with so many devices that is a real pain the ass.

[Dub_James]

Just bought a 50 inch Sony recently. I think if you want a meaningful surfing experience, build a HTPC instead of relying on the TVs capability.

[Yogimus]

NO EMERSON.

I own an emerson, and it is a bitter cunt of a tely. It powers down if I go from Non-Hd to HD channels, changing channels also adjusts the volume (but only if I change channels right after adjusting volume) and it can take MINUTES to turn on.

/We are a perfect fit for each other

[Greg]

Sony hasn't been anything special since tube tv's went out. Their claim to fame was the Trinitron tube (and Mistsubishi's claim to fame was their knock-off of the Trinitron called the Diamondtron).

The best panel makers seem to be Samsung and Sharp these days, so those would seem to be the brands to look for in LCD tv's. Though Sharp is teetering right on the edge of bankruptcy, so if you're worried about your warranty you might want to play it safe and buy a Samsung.

I have a 6 series Samsung I bought fairly recently, it has some built-in apps including the ability to stream Netflix. I never use it. My Tivo streams Netflix, my Blu-Ray player streams Netflix, I could always buy a (cheap!) Roku box to stream Netflix... I wouldn't spend extra on a tv just for it to have abilities that are already (or could be very cheaply) duplicated elsewhere. But that's just me.

[toad]

I finally got the right software loaded to run the Amazon streaming video on my AMD64 linux mint 14 system. Had to
"sudo apt-get install libhal1 hal" before I went over to the Adobe site and downloaded the Adobe Flash Player for Linux 64 bit and restart. What kills me is that I didn't save, bookmark, or print out the whole process after I finished it. I'll be sc####d if I ever have to start from scratch again.
In the future I'd like to be able to hook a TV tuner up to my monitor by an external device. While the external tuners don't cost a lot they don't seem to rate very high on reliability or features. My ancient HP computer is somewhat underpowered so I really hesitate to add a tuner card and hassle with finding the right linux driver for it. Any suggestions?
:jacked:

[Odahi]

I bought a Samsung 6000 series 55" non-smart tv right before the Super Bowl, as I had read somewhere that THAT is the best time to get a good price, even better than Black Friday. I don't know about that, but I'm very happy with the price I paid, and the tv that I got. It's our third Samsung tv, and I also have a Samsung monitor on the new computer. I don't watch much in the way of movies, but if I decide to watch something, my pc has a blu-ray drive as well as HDMI out to the tv. The pc also has an internal dual tuner, so I can use it as a dvr as well. I wholeheartedly recommend the Samsung tv's. I can see no reason for paying the extra money for a smart tv, my computer is smarter than any tv, and will probably stay that way for quite some time.