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Gadget comparison and shopping site Retrevo recently launched a new feature that enables mere mortals to decipher television model numbers. Their HDTV Decoder, found here and linked from individual product pages, breaks down the rather arcane manufacturer labels and product codes – conceivably assisting folks as they prepare for a potentially significant purchase. Additionally, when relevant, Retrevo is also identifying equivalent Costco model numbers. If only they did the same for mattresses… (which go by differing names at each and every retail outlet).
As for me, the sooner we decommission our temporary Vizio bedroom TV, the better. It’s small, with poor sound, and is prone to random reboots. The original plan had been to move our very fine 42″ Panasonic plasma into the bedroom and pick up a 50-52″ replacement for the living room. However, after noticing a slight buzz when the volume is low, as it often would be in a bedroom, I’m reconsidering our strategy. Yet I’m not quite ready to make a move, as we’ve got more pressing home improvement needs.
Well, if you decide to go for another LCD, I picked up a Samsung 46″ LED backlit LCD TV at Costco maybe a year ago to replace a previous 32″ LCD. Model UN46C6400RF. I think its great. Pristine picture quality, tolerable sound, very thin. 4 HDMI inputs. We’ve got it wall mounted. It actually has an acceptable app selection (Netflix, Vudu, Amazon) though honestly we never use any of it. As you’d expect its just a monitor for the Tivo and Apple TV we have in the bedroom. As you say though, since you just moved, you’ve probably got other things to spend your money on right now.
After resisting 3D as a “dumb fad” for years, I recently spent two minutes with a display in a store, said “wow, pretty cool”, and immediately donated my old Vizio 32″ to church, opening up my bedroom for a long needed (coughWANTEDcough) upgrade. Bought a 42″ Vizio 3D TV for $699 at Sam’s, came with two pairs of glasses, and it’s using a passive 3D technology – no active, $150 shutter glasses required, the glasses are polarized, and cost about $20 each, or you can just neglect to return a pair from any Real3D equipped theater.
I have to admit, it works real nice, although it’s a crime that there are only 3 HDMI inputs (the big downer for me). It’s Yahoo-enabled, so Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, etc are on board, which has let me so far not hook up my Roku, which is a good thing since I was missing an HDMI input.
I see it’s $667 at Amazon now, really a pretty darn good deal, and I’ve been quite impressed so far, even comes with a nice remote with a full qwerty keyboard on the back.