Best 42'' LCD under $800?

FalconSS

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jul 2, 2004
Messages
1,293
Hey Everyone!
I'm Looking for the Best buy for the money of an LCD in the 42" Range. Lower is better. No more than $800. Here are some of the choices at my local Wal-mart. ( don't hit me, just some quick pricing and comparions !!) I will be using this Mainly for BluRay/DVD movies and games (360/PS3/ and Wii, including a little PC gaming)

Stats I really would like:

1080p (at Least) woudn't mind a lower dot pitch though
42"
good contrast Ratio
great color out of the box ( do not have calibration hardware/software)


Current Choices:

Samsung LN40B530 $798.00 (I love but its not 42 and gf would like a 42")
Vizio VL420M $897.00 ( a little on the steep side but my gf really likes it)
Vizio VO420E $697.00 ( more in my price range)

I tend to like the samsungs picture quality in all the sets i've seen through the past few years.
 
I have a little bit older version of what you are looking it; the Samsung LN40A500 (530 w/ less HDMI ports). Works great and works for me using it as my primary monitor for my PC.

I would go with the Samsung of that bunch because of Vizio's sterling reputation.
 
I'm also interested in the OP's post; I'm in the market for a good LCD TV, 1080p, 42" under $800.

Call me ignorant, but what exactly is wrong with Vizio as a brand other than its perception of being "mid-tier"? :confused:
 
I'm also interested in the OP's post; I'm in the market for a good LCD TV, 1080p, 42" under $800.

Call me ignorant, but what exactly is wrong with Vizio as a brand other than its perception of being "mid-tier"? :confused:

Due to my personal experience of dealing with people who have been pissed about broken sets. I don't work retail, but I have seen many a person disappointed later on. You may be fine for 6 months or a year, or even for many happy years, but I have seen more premature failures with them than other brands; and the experience of dealing with the company when the product failed wasn't very good.

I had a Samsung monitor fail a few years back, and Samsung made things right. Every time I have dealt with them or helped someone else deal with them it has been pleasant. It's not just the product or that it might fail, but to how that failure is addressed.
 
I have a Samsung LN40A550 that I use for xbox, PC, HD use and it's been great.

Would definitely recommend it.

I really doubt the 2" difference is that big to not choose the LN40B530 if there's a huge price diff vs quality for the 42" sets. I'm sure if you unboxed it and told your gf it's a 42", she wouldn't notice :D
 
The Toshiba 40XV645U is pretty sweet. It is only 40" but its 120hz. I've had mine for a couple weeks and I really like it. Not sure on the pricing in the states but I picked one up for 999.99CAD.

I'm really impressed with the color and black levels vs my 2008 46" Samsung A550.
 
So is your girlfriend considered to be a factor in what you guys are both choosing as well? Then the first option for Samsung is out.
 
Hitachi and Toshiba also offer 42" models at that price range. If you check out your local Costco or Sam's Club, you can check them out in person yourself. Compare the images and pick the one that's most pleasing to your eye.

For some reason the HItachi model stood out for me when I was watching at the local Sams. But then I noticed that the other display models, samsung, toshiba, etc. seemed to be overscanning and not displaying the whole picture. That may have been why the Hitachi's image stood out as being sharper. It was displaying the picture properly at 1080 resolution without cutting off any of the image.
 
Hey Everyone!
I'm Looking for the Best buy for the money of an LCD in the 42" Range. Lower is better. No more than $800. Here are some of the choices at my local Wal-mart. ( don't hit me, just some quick pricing and comparions !!) I will be using this Mainly for BluRay/DVD movies and games (360/PS3/ and Wii, including a little PC gaming)

Stats I really would like:

1080p (at Least) woudn't mind a lower dot pitch though
42"
good contrast Ratio
great color out of the box ( do not have calibration hardware/software)


Current Choices:

Samsung LN40B530 $798.00 (I love but its not 42 and gf would like a 42")
Vizio VL420M $897.00 ( a little on the steep side but my gf really likes it)
Vizio VO420E $697.00 ( more in my price range)

I tend to like the samsungs picture quality in all the sets i've seen through the past few years.

Most Walmart HDTVs are pretty bad...with the exception of the Vizios. But even the Vizios in Costco and Sams can be higher quality(for the same price).

LCDs generally do not come in 42". 40" or 46" is more common but a few 42" do exist.


Why do you want an LCD? Given your budget, a plasma will give you much deeper darker blacks and a better picture imo. Consider a Panasonic, they're rather cheap and their picture is killer. They're not a budget brand like Vizio and they're more reliable than a korean HDTV like Samsung.

People will spout things like burn in and bad for gaming...well, those are worries of the past. I've had many 12+ hour gaming sessions without any burn in issues and imo...plasmas are some of the best for gaming with their low response times and low blurring(compared to LCDs).


However...if you have $800 and insist on an LCD...I'ld choose from these:
42" Panasonic U12
40" Sony S5100
40" Sharp AQUOS 67U
40" Toshiba
 
Last edited:
Compare the images and pick the one that's most pleasing to your eye.

While that may sound like good advice, it's actually not. In store, almost all HDTVs are horribly inaccurate. I can make that $600 Insignia look better than that $2000 Sony just by playing with the settings...and who know how many have played with the settings before you demoed the HDTV.

You definitely should demo an HDTV in store before you buy it, but whatever conclusions you make about its picture quality should be taken with a large grain of salt. After a basic calibration, which anyone who at all cares about their picture quality should do, an HDTV looks drastically different. Especially things like colors, black levels, white levels, etc...the things we most easily take notice of change the most.


No, simply comparing HDTVs in store is not enough. You need to do research and find comparisons where both HDTVs were calibrated to even the playing field.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
*Please note* I've bought and tested this TV for input lag and it fails miserably. Check my post on the 2nd page for testing video and data. Do not buy this TV if you are a gamer. It is terrible. I will be returning this display to Costco as soon as I can for a Samsung model that has a game mode.

If you are interested in an HDTV for console gaming there is one important factor to consider in before you select a brand / model. Input Lag. I have been doing countless hours of research to try and find my ideal HDTV and I finally narrowed it down and have selected the model which fits my budget, gaming needs, size and specs.

For me the number one aspect of an HDTV is performance, by performance I mean input lag or frame delay. Basically the time it takes for your television to display that you've just tried to throw a grenade, dodge that rocket or hit that note.. When playing rhythm games and fighting games you definitely want the best performance out of your TV or your not going to have an enjoyable experience.

A wealth of information about input lag and what causes it:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=558125

Another discussion on the subject at SRK:
http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=174085

A tool used to test input lag using a millisecond stop watch:
http://www.flatpanelshd.com/focus.php?subaction=showfull&id=1229335064

Reponse Time utility:
http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/response_time.php#response_time_gif

A free utility to help configure your HDTV:
http://www.tvblink.com/i_down.html

Another source of info about HDTV's:
http://www.ultimateavmag.com/

Snipet from an article about input lag on Joystiq:
"Some basic tips the article suggests to combat lag: Make sure games are playing at the native resolution, turn on the "game mode" if the TV has one and turn off any additional video processing options on the TV if possible."

Some dudes blog with a bunch of examples of testing and results:
http://blog.arogan.com/2008/09/lcd-hdtv-input-lag-tests.html

So with all of this information in mind the television I've chosen to go with is the Vizio VL420M which is at Costco right now for $849 ($50 below the msrp). My main reasoning for this is that the gaming specs are there on this television.

- Full HDTV meaning native resolution of 1080p
- 120hz refresh rate or 120 frames displayed per second.
- Game mode
- Contrast Ratio: 50,000:1

I believe something between like 15ms and 30ms is bearable for timing on fast pace games, from what I can recall off hand 15ms is roughly 1 frame so you want to keep this number as small as low as possible. I'll probably be posting my test results after I purchase the TV in this thread if you are interested in my results. I'm hoping that with these specs I won't have any or not much input lag on this tv. Although with Costco I've got 90 days no questions ask return and MFG warranty extended to 2 years. So if there is too much lag I can just return it. I mostly play fighting games so I've got to have the performance aspect.

Another solution I've heard to get around the input lag is running your console into the VGA port but I will need to run tests on that method as well.

I hope this info will help you decide on what you need and good luck hunting for that perfect set.

Correction to my previous post:

The Vizio VL420M is now down to $799 at my Costco. I went and checked the price this afternoon.
 
Last edited:
Hey Everyone!
I'm Looking for the Best buy for the money of an LCD in the 42" Range. Lower is better. No more than $800. Here are some of the choices at my local Wal-mart. ( don't hit me, just some quick pricing and comparions !!) I will be using this Mainly for BluRay/DVD movies and games (360/PS3/ and Wii, including a little PC gaming)

Stats I really would like:

1080p (at Least) woudn't mind a lower dot pitch though
42"
good contrast Ratio
great color out of the box ( do not have calibration hardware/software)


Current Choices:

Samsung LN40B530 $798.00 (I love but its not 42 and gf would like a 42")
Vizio VL420M $897.00 ( a little on the steep side but my gf really likes it)
Vizio VO420E $697.00 ( more in my price range)

I tend to like the samsungs picture quality in all the sets i've seen through the past few years.

1. Aim for the 40" and make sure it's VA bsed
2. Completely avoid the current Sharp models (due to the odd pixel structure)
3. Manual calibration is necessary for all displays

I highly recommend the Samsung B550, but if you can't afford that, go for the B530.

You should also take this year's Toshiba sets into account
 
WOW DW, where have you been?

Most Walmart HDTVs are pretty bad...with the exception of the Vizios. But even the Vizios in Costco and Sams can be higher quality(for the same price).

LCDs generally do not come in 42". 40" or 44" is more common but a few 42" do exist.

There are plenty of 42" LCD available and it gets a little complicated when it comes to 40" (due to internal contracts).


Why do you want an LCD? Given your budget, a plasma will give you much deeper darker blacks and a better picture imo. Consider a Panasonic, they're rather cheap and their picture is killer. They're not a budget brand like Vizio and they're more reliable than a korean HDTV like Samsung.

Panasonic Neo-PDP will be the ideal choice if PC was completely removed out of the equation
 
Thanks everyone for the replies!
This has me interested in a few options. It seems many of you like the samsungs which I have really liked as well.

Yes I know that the store's play with the settings/cables/video formats, so I don't make my decisions on the actual picture quality as I do on stats (120hz, 1080p, ect. ) though I don't look too closely at the sets that give a "dynamic contrast".

Are the manual tuning DVD's worth it?

To the plasma's, I have always liked them do to Picture Quality and deep blacks but what I don't like about most of the ones (that I know of) in my price range are :

-Only 720p
-worried about recharging down the road.
I checked out the 42" Neo-PDP but it seems it is slightly out of my price range.

Also who do you guys trust to ship? I would rather buy locally because I generally don't trust the carriers and I don't want to pay crazy shipping. I do have a best buy in my area.

Thanks for bearing with me and answering all my questions, I am generally a noob at modern displays and any help/understand is appreciated.
 
WOW DW, where have you been?

There are plenty of 42" LCD available and it gets a little complicated when it comes to 40" (due to internal contracts).

Panasonic Neo-PDP will be the ideal choice if PC was completely removed out of the equation

Holy crap, what's up? You still on the MS forums? I haven't been there this year.


There are 42" LCDs, just not many. On Best Buy's site for example, they carry 12 42" LCDs and more than double the number of 40".

I think a neoPDP would be just fine for light computer use. Just setup a screensaver for when you're afk and you shouldn't have any burn in issues.



Thanks everyone for the replies!
This has me interested in a few options. It seems many of you like the samsungs which I have really liked as well.

Yes I know that the store's play with the settings/cables/video formats, so I don't make my decisions on the actual picture quality as I do on stats (120hz, 1080p, ect. ) though I don't look too closely at the sets that give a "dynamic contrast".

Are the manual tuning DVD's worth it?

To the plasma's, I have always liked them do to Picture Quality and deep blacks but what I don't like about most of the ones (that I know of) in my price range are :

-Only 720p
-worried about recharging down the road.
I checked out the 42" Neo-PDP but it seems it is slightly out of my price range.

Also who do you guys trust to ship? I would rather buy locally because I generally don't trust the carriers and I don't want to pay crazy shipping. I do have a best buy in my area.

Thanks for bearing with me and answering all my questions, I am generally a noob at modern displays and any help/understand is appreciated.

I don't like buying HDTVs online. It's an okay option, but shipping issues can arise and being able to return a big ticket item to a store is a very nice option for if something goes wrong. As you said, shipping carriers cannot always be trusted.



While you don't necessarily need 1080p, you can get this 1080p 42" Panasonic Plasma for $850 in store. It would be definitely worth the extra few dollars to have those deeper richer blacks.


Panasonic plasmas have a 100,000 hour lifespan. I'm not sure what you mean by recharging as once a plasma's gas has reached its halflife, it's more or less dead.

Samsung doesn't list the lifespan of thier LCDs anymore it seems, but typically an LCD's backlight is rated around 60,000 hours. So actually, the Panasonic plasmas that have been made over the last year or so last longer than non LED LCDs...although most people won't get anywhere close to using up an HDTV's entire lifespan.



Yes calibration discs are worth it. For less than $20, you can calibrate all your HDTVs(and SDTVs too). It'll help you make your image more accurate to NTSC standards, which almost all material in the USA is created to be viewed at. I've used it on some HDTVs and couldn't believe the difference. Try calibrating a quality CRT, their picture today is still amazing. Those deep rich blacks truly make such a huge difference.



Edit: About input lag, Samsungs are some of the worst. The issue was so bad, they had to make a game mode that actually did something other than change settings. Most other HDTVs don't need a game mode to have little to no input lag. They definitely have gotten better of the years to help appeal to gamers, but not all of their models are close to lag free.
 
DW, which Samsungs are known for being low on input lag?

I am thinking of picking up another HTDV for my wife's computer (she also games).
 
Holy crap, what's up? You still on the MS forums? I haven't been there this year.

Nothing much, and yes, I'm still there ^-^.


There are 42" LCDs, just not many. On Best Buy's site for example, they carry 12 42" LCDs and more than double the number of 40".

That's strange. 40" used to be primarily manufactured by Samsung, but they have been contracting 40" panels from AUO and CMO to compensate for high demand.

I wasn't aware CMO and AUO are supplying 40" panels to other than Toshiba, Samsung and Sony. Maybe BestBuy sells more Samsung and Sony models.

BTW, vast quantities of LGD, AUO, Sharp and CMO's panels are 42".



I think a neoPDP would be just fine for light computer use. Just setup a screensaver for when you're afk and you shouldn't have any burn in issues.

It's bloody hard to burn-in a Neo-PDP. I was actually referring to low-level flicker and PWM noise, which might annoy some people.







While you don't necessarily need 1080p, you can get this 1080p 42" Panasonic Plasma for $850 in store. It would be definitely worth the extra few dollars to have those deeper richer blacks.

I'm not so sure about that. It's a non-Neo-PDP panel (5L tech) so the blacks could be comparable to today's VA LCDs.

Most of 2009 VA panels from AUO and Samsung can reach low as 0.07cmd2. With a little of backlight dimming, it can go low as 0.04cmd2 without affecting APL too much.



Samsung doesn't list the lifespan of thier LCDs anymore it seems, but typically an LCD's backlight is rated around 60,000 hours. So actually, the Panasonic plasmas that have been made over the last year or so last longer than non LED LCDs...although most people won't get anywhere close to using up an HDTV's entire lifespan.

I don't know what manufactures even bother to state that tbh. The most realistic option would be to state the component with the lowest lifespan (including the temp).





Edit: About input lag, Samsungs are some of the worst. The issue was so bad, they had to make a game mode that actually did something other than change settings. Most other HDTVs don't need a game mode to have little to no input lag. They definitely have gotten better of the years to help appeal to gamers, but not all of their models are close to lag free.

All HDTVs have some form of input lag and it's far worse this year compared all the previous years combined.

Sony has also fallen under the 50ms+ lag.

I've spoken to the senior R&D of Samsung image processing, he said it will be addressed next year (fingers crossed).

PS: Samsung is improving their LCDs tremendously every year and I love their grayscale calibration option (which isnt exclusive to mid or high end models).
 
I'm not sure of the input lag of the B640, but in PC mode, it should be enough for simulation and RTS.

What you have to be careful of is the panel lottery. Samsung's S-PVA panels are excellent, but some are known to suffer drom serious overdrive errors. So the best best is to get one with AUO's A-MVA panel.

PS: In the past, CMO's S-MVA used to be pretty poor, but I don't know if they managed to improve it.
 
You know LG and Samsung are practically sister companies. They help each other often. So don't feel too bad about cheating on LG with a Samsung...
 
They're not that different at all. They share a lot of their technologies and support each other significantly. Of course they're not the same company.
 
Samsung is completely independent of LG, but they do share technologies similar to all other companies (e.g. Matsushita, Hitachi, Pioneer etc...). But that doesn't make them partners (or anything remotely close to sister companies).

PS: A lot has changed in the recent years. LG and Samsung aren't what they used to be. In fact, I would rather buy a Samsung B450 instead of a similar Sony model. You should also checkout the new LG models. They are absolutely beautiful.

http://www.avforums.com/forums/lcd-televisions/1048790-awesome-new-lg-sl80-sl90-slim-thins.html
 
Samsung is completely independent of LG, but they do share technologies similar to all other companies (e.g. Matsushita, Hitachi, Pioneer etc...). But that doesn't make them partners (or anything remotely close to sister companies).

PS: A lot has changed in the recent years. LG and Samsung aren't what they used to be. In fact, I would rather buy a Samsung B450 instead of a similar Sony model. You should also checkout the new LG models. They are absolutely beautiful.

http://www.avforums.com/forums/lcd-televisions/1048790-awesome-new-lg-sl80-sl90-slim-thins.html

Before I got my LG I compared it to the Samsung and Sony offerings quite extensively...I think the people at Best Buy began to hate me. The screen on the LG (both 32 and 37) was superior to what I saw on the Samsung and Sony models and it was quite a bit cheaper, IIRC.

Looking at the panels from the side showed the color/brightess (sorry, new to HDTV lingo) change in the Samsung, while the LG panel/s looked the same as the did head-on. The IPS display of the LG was really showing it's quality. I had the chance to see the LG 32LH40 tonight and was really impressed with it, so much so I almost just bought that too. One thing I REALLY like about my LG are the number of options the user has in the menus. There are quite a few things you can mess with to get the panel looking to suit your taste. Did I also mention the price?

Heck, I may even go buy that 32" LH40 for myself tomorrow to go with the 37". LOL My only concern with that one would be the 120hz effect on PC Gamig, though I imagine you can just shut that off.
 
I am a big fan of IPS monitors, but not TVs due to the poor black levels. But at the end of the day, it all depends on the user's requirements. I mean, deep blacks isn't going to favor an avid gamer when all he/she care about is smear free motion.

PS: I am seriously in love with the new SL80 and SL90 series. I may buy the 42SL80 just for the excellent design.

http://www.lge.com/us/tv-audio-video/televisions/LG-lcd-tv-42SL80.jsp
 
I can't decide between these two.
Panasonic - VIERA / 42" Class / 1080p / 60Hz / LCD HDTV

Samsung - 40" Class / 1080p / 60Hz / LCD HDTV


Any help? I'll be using mostly for blu-ray, SD cable, and moderate gaming (wii, ps3).

From your list of uses, I agree with DW and I also recommenced a Panasonic PDP (preferably Neo-PDP)

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9317287&type=product&id=1218084032650

However, out the two option you've provided, I would choose the Samsung over Panasonic due to deep blacks.
 
Any reason you're not considering a Panasonic plasma?
\

Too much reflection/glare of the screen.

I'm also considering the Samsung 120hz. How much of a difference does it make for movies (when the AMP that makes it look like a soap opera is off) when compared to 60hz? I played around with it at bestbuy but the video feed is coming through an analog source and isn't good, so I couldn't tell much of a difference. Basically is the even 5:5 pulldown vs the 3:2 uneven pulldown of a 60 Hz screen worth the extra $200-$250? I might use the auto motion feature for sports/nature shows though, and I heard it looks good for games.
 
Last edited:
yeah, I appreciate the thread jack :eek:

So i'm looking at the 40" Samsung LN40B530 ( original Post )
and the Panasonic TX-P42G10B
What are the + and -'s of these 2 Displays? and is this the correct neo PDP you guys are talking about?
 
yeah, I appreciate the thread jack :eek:

So i'm looking at the 40" Samsung LN40B530 ( original Post )
and the Panasonic TX-P42G10B
What are the + and -'s of these 2 Displays? and is this the correct neo PDP you guys are talking about?

There's no comparison. The Panasonic G10's THX mode will give you a very very accurate picture out of the box with no calibration needed.

Plus...deep dark blacks that are hard to beat(better would be a 9g Kuro), nearly perfect motion resolution(no blur), antiglare filter, 2,000,000:1 contrast(dynamic...but still that's impressive vs the B530's listed 60,000:1 dynamic contrast), the list goes on. It's one of the nicer lines too so you're not stuck with a mediocre video processor you tend to find in lower end models(the B530 line is a lower end Samsung line).

Of course you can't really go wrong either way...but it would be quite a feat for a $900 LCD to beat a plasma. Generally, you have to spend more on an LCD to really compete with a quality plasma.

Too much reflection/glare of the screen.

I'm also considering the Samsung 120hz. How much of a difference does it make for movies (when the AMP that makes it look like a soap opera is off) when compared to 60hz? I played around with it at bestbuy but the video feed is coming through an analog source and isn't good, so I couldn't tell much of a difference. Basically is the even 5:5 pulldown vs the 3:2 uneven pulldown of a 60 Hz screen worth the extra $200-$250? I might use the auto motion feature for sports/nature shows though, and I heard it looks good for games.

Have you viewed one in a house? The antiglare filter really does a great job. Plasmas today don't have the glare of plasmas two years ago.

120Hz helps raise an LCD's motion resolution and lower blur...but then it adds other issues as well. Some like it, some don't. I don't worry about it as plasmas don't need anything higher than 60Hz, although the new Pannys are 600Hz which I think Panasonic chose to do largely for marketing reasons.
 
Cross posted from the VL420M thread over at avsforum.com.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1157276&page=3

Okay so after about an hour worth of input lag testing last night I found the following results with the Vizio VL420M display. I turned off as many of the post processing and display improvement options that I could find on the display during these tests.

HDMI @ 1080p
Low - 60ms delay
High - 80-85ms delay

HDMI @ 720p
Low - 95ms delay
High - 100ms delay (terrible, seriously bad)

VGA @ 1600 x 1200
Low - 20ms delay
High - 30ms delay

I'm afraid that I am going to have to return this display to Costco unless someone can post up some suggestions that may improve these tests. I was thinking about going with the Mayflash PS3 to VGA cable or the HD extreme but that is extra money spent that could be used to buy a better TV.

I've posted up a quick YouTube video with the results of my test. Please check it out and let me know if you have any suggestions, questions, comments, requests for further tests with this set before I return it to Costco to get a different model.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiXsM1hSr7E

I was really hoping this set would be the one for me but the input lag @ 720p (Street Fighter 4's default resolution) is just horrendously bad.

Anyone have a suggestion as far as a low input delay set that I may want to start researching or point me in the direction of? Thanks.
 
Looks like whatever the HDMI signal runs through is causing the problem. Did you check that enhancements were off when using both HDMI and VGA?

Have you tried Component? HDMI, VGA and Component will all give you the same picture quality
 
Looks like whatever the HDMI signal runs through is causing the problem. Did you check that enhancements were off when using both HDMI and VGA?

Have you tried Component? HDMI, VGA and Component will all give you the same picture quality

I didn't check the enhancements on VGA but I was mostly looking at the frame delay issue and wasn't concerned about the color at all. I am going to try hooking my ps3 up to the display using component cables when I get the chance and test the frame delay again. I'll update with the results but I've pretty much lost faith in this TV and will most likely be returning it to Costco to try and exchange it for a Samsung or cash back if possible.
 
Back
Top