Hjudge49

St. Augustine, Fl.

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Joined: 08/15/2007

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Unless you go to a Sony, I doubt the brand name makes much difference. I just had to have a repair to a Vizio 42' HD Plasma set on my porch. When they opened the back, almost every "board" was made by a different manufacturer. One was LG, one Samsung another a third make. The technichian cost $100 just to come look and diagnose the problem. Of course, he didn't have the part to fix it. I was quoted another $200 to retun and replace the part. I found it on-line for about $40.00 and replaced it myself. These new sets are almost all "plug-and-play" with modular control board wired together with quick connect fasteners. Get one with a good picture and price and enjoy it. Caution, don't get plasma. the picture is great, but they are much heavier than LED or LCD sets.
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rudypop

Lockport, New York, USA

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Joined: 01/14/2003

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Do pay attention to the audio.........make sure the speakers on the TV are positioned on the front of the TV...............Speakers facing down or facing the back will give you a sound quality issue. Of course this will not matter if if you have a home theater or sorround sound set up.
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MSHappyCampers

Columbus, MS

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Joined: 04/22/2001

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I would go with an LED set with 120Hz refresh rate and 1080P resolution just to be prepared for the future. At today's prices you won't spend a lot more. I don't have HD in the RV now, but probably will in the future. I have a 55" Sony in the stick house with DirectTV HD, and I'm spoiled! I am continually amazed at the HD programs, especially on NatGeo.
Viewing angle is extremely important! Do whatever you have to do to be able to view the TV directly in front!
If you are going to use the speakers in the TV, then that becomes very important too! We put a 26" Vizeo in the RV and the sound from the built-in speakers is HORRIBLE! Fortunately I was able to use an audio output from the set to connect to the sound system that was already in the RV, so now it sounds good!
We are thinking of going to a Class A and plan to move a couch out a few inches and mount a 40" set on a motorized verticle lift behind the couch.
Good luck & God bless!
Joe & Annette
2002 Monaco Windsor 40PST
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Dale.Traveling

Newport News, VA

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Joined: 12/16/2010

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Here's my before

and after.

Sam's Club 32" Vizio. 1080P, 120Hz refresh with internet applications such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and such. Connect via my smart phone while on the road. Was the part of the Bose speaker display so I got it at 1/2 price. 1080 is Blu-Ray while 720 is DVD. 480 is VHS. The refresh rate comes into play most noticeable with sporting events. Less blur from movement. Non HD will also not fill the screen and leave empty space on each side (see my after image).
With your installation take careful consideration concerning controls/switches and location of the speakers. My installation had the new TV outside of the wood frame the old TV was in so I still had direct access to the on/off switch, additional HDMI inputs and such. Also the Vizio had bottom mounted front facing speakers which was a requirement.
During install I lined the framing edges where the new TV touches with black foam insulation and the bottom is also resting on foam. Keeps and rattle noise down when on the road. Took me a day which included fabrication of the mounting frame.
2006 Hurricane 32D aka 'Moby' the Whale
FCC(SW) US Navy Retired 1980-2003
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zman-az

Northern AZ

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Joined: 03/06/2006

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If your vision is not the best or you are ok with the old tv's I would not worry about resolution. All the new TV's are pretty darn good. Some things to consider on your purchase. If you boondock, the bigger the TV, the more power it consumes. Plasma TV's are real power hogs. LED's have the best power consumption. If power consumption is not a concern but space is, look for a TV that has little to no border around it. Also listen to the speakers, some TV's are terrible. If you hook into a audio system, do you need a variable audio output? I think these are bigger factors than screen resolution.
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Jim@HiTek

Gresham, OR, USA

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Joined: 07/17/2004

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One thing that hasn't been mentioned. Sometimes it seems that the manufacturers go insane or get stupid and change something that isn't broken. For instance. Older TVs, including LCD, use to immediately come up with sound and picture when you pressed change channel on the remote. Now, if you check out a Visio, you'll notice that the channel doesn't change instantly but rather goes to a blue screen first, then after a second the picture shows up, a second after that, the sound comes on. What were they thinking????
This is not a function of the input but rather the TV itself. All channels are available on the incoming wire.
Visio isn't the only brand that has decided to use insanely difficult user functions...Samsung springs to mind. And I'm not the only viewer that's noticed this seeming lack of intelligence on the part of manufacturers, one poster on this board mentioned that after he'd installed his Visio and discovered all the weird user unfriendly quirks, he removed it, and returned it to the store.
So, my advice is to have the store set it up and let you play with the remote and menu controls to see if it's something you can live with. Right now, it seems to me that LG has the most USER FRIENDLY design.
Jim@HiTek
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J-Rooster

Port Orchard, Wa. / Lake Havasu City, Az.

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Joined: 11/14/2004

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Go with 1080P and LED 1st choice and plasma 2nd choice. Less than 1080P your screen may be a little grainy! I don't know about buying a Sony? Just read the other day where they have a new CEO in Japan, Old CEO was fired due to lack of TV sales worldwide because of there bulkyness and weight according to the article I read. Samsung and Pioneer and Bose Speakers are what I have at home with no troubles! I do have one of those big bulky Sony TV's in my Winnebago.
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Peg Leg

Anderson, IN

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Joined: 06/20/2004

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I have 3 and the LG brand has the best pic and tuner. My antenna gets a better quality pic than DirectTV-HD by far.
2012 Chevy 3500HD Dually 4X4
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