Best 46-47"ers for PC use

F

facesnorth

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 5, 2007
Messages
240
I am in the market for a 46-47" HDTV. I don't care if it has tuners, but most of them do, so I'll call it a TV. It must be 1080p. I will be using it for:

HD-DVD/DVD 1080p
DirecTV HR20 720p/1080i
Xbox 360 1080p
PC 1920x1080
Laptop 1920x1080 (if possible)

Preferably it has a VGA jack that allows 1920x1080 for my laptop, and so I don't have to buy a new Xbox 360.

I'm asking here on Hardforum (despite another recent thread about 47" HDTV's) because I specifically want to know which models looks best for PC use. Both gaming AND regular web browsing. I can sit anywhere, but most likely about 6-9 feet back.

The ones's I have been considering:

Olevia 747i
Sharp LC-46D64U
JVC 47X688, 47X788
Philips 47PFL7432D
Samsung 4661, 4665, 4666
Toshiba 47RF350

That will also give you more or less an idea of my price range. Please offer opinions on these, and of course suggest others if you know better. Thanks.
 
The olevia's pretty good, but somewhat rare, making it expensive for its generation, its also heavy due having actual glass on the front (versus say a glossy or matte)

the Sharp (matte) is good, but you missed the CC BF deal from a couple weeks when it went for 1300. Also, according to the specs, the VGA is only capable of up to 1280x1024, though some users have got 1080p to work.

The Samsung 4661 or 4665 I would think are you best choices since their VGA inputs natively support 1080p without any fooling around, and due to being more common makes it easier to get price match, and generally a lower price. The 65f has some of the best black levels for an LCD.

The 61f is matte and the 65f is glossy, so pick one based on your preference of that.

I can't tell you much about the other three brands but check out avsforum.com for threads on each of those.
 
I can actually get the Olevia 747i brand new for a good price (around $1420 shipped). The Sharp D64U I can get for $1145 (a friend BF'er has extras). The Sammy 4665 the best price I've seen is $1499 but that's driving to a mom and pop in Philly. Otherwise the best I've seen is more like $1799. I do like the pic on the Sammy 65 but I'm not sure it's worth the extra dough. What's the difference between the 65 and the 66 model do you know?

Thanks
 
there is no 66f model in the 46" range. The 66f series is exclusive to best buy as a 40" model, the 4066f.

the 4066f, which I have, is essentially a 4065, in a 4053H body. So panel wise, the 65f and 66f are identical.

Given your options, I'd go with the sharp 64u, especially for the price and thinness of the panel. Black levels are about as good or better (according to cnet) than the matte samsungs also. There may be banding still present, though so run a few tests before you take it off his hands.
 
I tend to agree based on the price and overall quality. But my concern is with the VGA port doing 1920x1080. I understand you can get the Xbox 360 to work at 1080p over VGA. However, there has not been much success getting a laptop or any PC to get 1080p over VGA. For my desktop this wouldn't be much of a concern as I'd do DVI-HDMI, but I really want to be able to plug my laptop in as well. I hate that Sharp crippled the VGA port on it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top