Best 32 inch LED TV recommendation.
July 5, 2011 6:00 PM Subscribe
I would like to buy a 32 inch LED TV. What brand do you recommend?
There are no LED televisions, at least not on the consumer market. I think what you mean is LED backlit television, which is still just an LCD television.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 6:14 PM on July 5, 2011
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 6:14 PM on July 5, 2011
What are your priorities--good value, best picture, attractive case, UI, type of inputs/outputs, compatibility with existing equipment, something else?
What kind of source material will you be watching on it, what kind of equipment will you be connecting to it, what kind of room will you use it in?
There are probably more good questions to ask you, but that's a start.
posted by box at 6:16 PM on July 5, 2011
What kind of source material will you be watching on it, what kind of equipment will you be connecting to it, what kind of room will you use it in?
There are probably more good questions to ask you, but that's a start.
posted by box at 6:16 PM on July 5, 2011
The LG brand often has a swivel on the base, which surprisingly comes in handy quite frequently.
posted by fantasticninety at 6:34 PM on July 5, 2011
posted by fantasticninety at 6:34 PM on July 5, 2011
I've had a Samsung and an LG and both of them have served me well. My advice is honestly go to a store and see which one looks best. The LG we have now just popped off the wall when you looked at it, bright colors and really good refresh rate. I've also had a couple LG monitors that look great, so think highly of the brand.
And if you get the model number from Best Buy or wherever, you may be able to order the same TV online from sites like Amazon or NewEgg and save a bundle.
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 6:46 PM on July 5, 2011
And if you get the model number from Best Buy or wherever, you may be able to order the same TV online from sites like Amazon or NewEgg and save a bundle.
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 6:46 PM on July 5, 2011
LCD TVs (all TVs, really) look just terrible at their out-of-the-box settings. They're set with the brightness over-cranked and the colors pumped all in an effort to "pop off the wall" of a big-box store that's lit like a warehouse, not to reproduce accurate images in your living room. If picture quality is important to you, looking at them in a store is going to do you no good whatsoever. You'll need to look at reviews on the Internet or hear from somebody who Knows Their Stuff.
If picture quality is not of primary importance then yes, check the screens out in a store. Look at the form factor, check out the build quality, figure out what kind of stand it sits on and how that fits with the space available, see if the screen is too glossy or not glossy enough for your liking. Also, take them all with a grain of salt always, but I've found that reviews at online retailers like Amazon and Best Buy and New Egg can be very helpful if you can filter out the cranks and the kooks. At they very least, they can alert you to issues with features (or the lack thereof) that wouldn't necessarily occur to you in the shopping phase.
Good luck!
posted by Joey Bagels at 7:07 PM on July 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
If picture quality is not of primary importance then yes, check the screens out in a store. Look at the form factor, check out the build quality, figure out what kind of stand it sits on and how that fits with the space available, see if the screen is too glossy or not glossy enough for your liking. Also, take them all with a grain of salt always, but I've found that reviews at online retailers like Amazon and Best Buy and New Egg can be very helpful if you can filter out the cranks and the kooks. At they very least, they can alert you to issues with features (or the lack thereof) that wouldn't necessarily occur to you in the shopping phase.
Good luck!
posted by Joey Bagels at 7:07 PM on July 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
We bought an LED/LCD TV the other day and decided to get a Sharp Quattron (although a different size) because it had a 3-year warranty when most of the other brands just had 1. No doubt this is clever marketing, but it suggests that the company has at least a bit of faith in the reliability of its products.
I think this varies by country, though, so it might not be relevant to you.
posted by A Thousand Baited Hooks at 7:21 PM on July 5, 2011
I think this varies by country, though, so it might not be relevant to you.
posted by A Thousand Baited Hooks at 7:21 PM on July 5, 2011
For what it is worth, Consumer Reports rated the Samsung LN32D550 the highest for a 32" LCD, followed by the Samsung LN32C530 and Sony Bravia KDL-32BX320.
posted by procrastination at 7:27 PM on July 5, 2011
posted by procrastination at 7:27 PM on July 5, 2011
We just bought the aforementioned Sony Bravia KDL-32BX320 and it looks great.
posted by emily37 at 7:39 PM on July 5, 2011
posted by emily37 at 7:39 PM on July 5, 2011
Yeah, you can't really tell picture quality too well in a store, but you can check out how it looks and how the onscreen menus are. I prefer the LG lately.
posted by demiurge at 7:52 PM on July 5, 2011
posted by demiurge at 7:52 PM on July 5, 2011
It's not LED, just LCD, but I just (tonight) bought the Samsung LN32D450. My roommate, who is incredibly picky about picture quality, came with me and even he was standing there saying 'If it looks this impresive in the store on just component cable, it will be amazing on hdmi.... I think you need to buy two, because I need this TV in my life now.' Heh. Set up was easy, and the form factor is just... It's all smooth, so instead of buttons, there are touch sensitive parts of the lower front panel. The sound is kinda 'meh' on the standard setting, but incredible on the movie setting. I havent tried out all the options yet, but I am definitely very much loving it already.
posted by Zarya at 9:56 PM on July 5, 2011
posted by Zarya at 9:56 PM on July 5, 2011
Buy the first tv that size that you wouldn't mind replacing if it blew up three years from now. If you buy it, and it breaks immediately, you will be covered by warranty. If it breaks at the two year mark, never buy that brand again. If it breaks afterward, you've planned for it, and have the opportunity to upgrade.
Seriously.
Features are minimally important to you if you are getting a 32" tv. Otherwise you would be looking for a web-enabled or 3D tv with all the bells and whistles. Get a set of HDMI cables and a content upgrade (HD service, netflix box, movie package, etc) instead of spending the money on the box.
posted by Nanukthedog at 3:32 AM on July 6, 2011
Seriously.
Features are minimally important to you if you are getting a 32" tv. Otherwise you would be looking for a web-enabled or 3D tv with all the bells and whistles. Get a set of HDMI cables and a content upgrade (HD service, netflix box, movie package, etc) instead of spending the money on the box.
posted by Nanukthedog at 3:32 AM on July 6, 2011
I bought a 32" TV in the last 6 months and narrowed it down to a Samsung (LE32C450, although probably no use to you as it's a UK version) and a Sony. Both looked good and had the features I wanted, but the Samsung was about half of the price of the Sony.
In fact, looking at all the Sony televisions, I couldn't find anything which justified paying almost double over the Samsung. I'm extremely happy with my Samsung and would recommend it to anyone.
posted by mr_silver at 4:39 AM on July 6, 2011
In fact, looking at all the Sony televisions, I couldn't find anything which justified paying almost double over the Samsung. I'm extremely happy with my Samsung and would recommend it to anyone.
posted by mr_silver at 4:39 AM on July 6, 2011
There are no LED televisions, at least not on the consumer market.
Can someone elaborate on this? Are the televisions currently being sold as LED televisions mislabeled, or are retailers using a different definition of LED than the people in this thread? Because there are certainly televisions being sold as LED, and being categorized seperately from LCD televisions.
I'm gonna be looking for another tv soon, and would like to know what the heck I'm talking about when I start looking.
If this is a derail, please ignore, but I think the OP could use this info as well.
posted by joelhunt at 6:09 AM on July 6, 2011
Can someone elaborate on this? Are the televisions currently being sold as LED televisions mislabeled, or are retailers using a different definition of LED than the people in this thread? Because there are certainly televisions being sold as LED, and being categorized seperately from LCD televisions.
I'm gonna be looking for another tv soon, and would like to know what the heck I'm talking about when I start looking.
If this is a derail, please ignore, but I think the OP could use this info as well.
posted by joelhunt at 6:09 AM on July 6, 2011
joelhunt: Those TV's are really LED-backlit LCDs (sometimes referred to as LED-LCD or inaccurately as LED TVs) as someone pointed out earlier. It looks like the Canadian version of Best Buy's site does a really poor job at expressing that. The US-version is a bit more accurate.
Here are a couple links that you might find helpful.
posted by Tu13es at 1:14 PM on July 6, 2011
Here are a couple links that you might find helpful.
posted by Tu13es at 1:14 PM on July 6, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 6:12 PM on July 5, 2011