Best Antiglare 46" Panel

[rulery]

My sister wants a new larger tv to replace her old 37" LCD Sharp. The max size is 46". She likes a bright room and has plans to make it even brighter. What panel would you recommend in a middle price model? Sony or Samsung? Any help would be greatly appreciated. She wants to make the purchase now to take advantage of the sales.

Richard

[hostchecker]

Sony is good for anything... I recommend it.

[rex]

Indeed Sony and Samsung are the industry leaders in LCD TV's. The latest innovation in LCD technology is locally dimmable LED backlighting in order to overcome the biggest drawback of LCDs -- poor grey/black levels. Though rather expensive, Samsung's latest 950 series has received excellent reviews:
http://ultimateavmag.com/flatpaneldi...55a950_lcd_tv/
http://www.hometheatermag.com/lcds/s...a950_lcd_hdtv/
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-t...?tag=mncol;lst

If price is no object, you might consider Sony's even more expensive LED backlit XBR8 series:
http://ultimateavmag.com/flatpaneldi...55xbr8_lcd_tv/
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-t...-33060615.html

Though I have not compared them myself, these latest generation LCDs are said to rival plasmas in black levels, though there are some side-effects such as haloing. (All LCDs still suffer to some degree from motion blur and poorer viewing angles when compared to plasmas.) Even if you decide to go with a lower-end model, you can't go wrong with either Sony or Samsung in LCDs. (For a plasma, however, I would recommend Panasonic as your best value.)

[rulery]

Price is a concern. If it wasn't the XBR8 would be the choice. The problem is there are many middle models. The 650 or 750 Samsungs or W or Z series from Sony. Are they all about the same? Or is one preferred? Thanks.

Richard

[rex]

In that case, I would go with a 5 series (LN46A550) for the best value. The main advantage of the 6 series is 120Hz refresh rates; so you might also consider one of these if you can find a good deal. The 7 and 8 series just have more bells and whistles which don't really justify the extra price, IMHO. Sonys tend to be a bit overpriced.

[rulery]

Thanks for all the suggestions. The choice is down to the 650 or XBR4.

Richard