Flat-Screen TV recommendations?

So my boy and I are seriously considering buying a decent flat-screen TV to put on the wall. We have no idea what to look for, other than walking around electronics stores and saying "hmm, this one seems to have a decent picture" -- but they're all hooked up to the in-store programs that are designed to make them look awesome.

We don't have cable, we won't be getting cable any time soon. We use our current TV for netflix movies (we hook a Mac up to the TV as a DVD player) and Xbox or Playstation games.

We'd probably be better off currently with a large LCD monitor, but we may want to get cable one of these days.

Any suggestions/recommendations/links to guides for what to look for in a flatscreen TV would be helpful. Bonus points if the recommended model is available at Best Buy, who just offered me insanely low monthly payments on flatscreens and no finance charges until 2009 (by which time we'd have the thing paid off)!

Guess what, you happen to know a Home Theater Product Specialist who works for Best Buy.

The in-store feed is actually just a high definition feed. Anyways, one thing you want to make sure to get is a television with the ATSC tuner. That way you'd actually be able to get yer local HD channels for free using an over the air antenna.

For size recommendation: you want to be 2.5 times the height of the screen away from the television. As far as brands, keep away from the Westinghouse. It's a low end brand. The Sony's are alright, and the Sharps have nice pictures too. The Samsungs are a pretty good buy. And LG is usually well priced and stand out with the nicest quality picture.

Keep in mind, they're all on the same feed, so when comparing one to another, it's a fair comparison. But mess with the settings a bit too.

If you decide to go towards a Plasma (which aren't as scary as people make them out to be), then go with a Pioneer if you can afford it, otherwise the Samsungs and LGs are good again.

The main reason to go with an LCD over a Plasma is because of the afford-ability of 1080p, and anti-glare screens. To be honest, 1080p is useless on anything less than 50", unless you'll double it as a monitor. Most Plasmas keep up better with action (like sports and such). Some LCDs, like the Sharps, are getting faster. If yer lookin' for something that doesn't glare, but want it to keep up with fast pictures, check out the LG plasmas. They have some nice features (such as brighter whites, less glare, better side-angled viewing) that can only be found in the Pioneer (but for almost half the price).

Cnet has some pretty good reviews and information for you. The financing is usually pretty good at Best Buy. If you're looking to get a sound system too, check out the financing on Klipsch systems (that ends the 30th). 36 months no interest. Klipsch makes some excellent speaker systems too. I prefer them over Bose actually. Of course paired with a nice Yamaha or Harmon Kardon receiver.

If you have any other questions feel free to let me know. I love the Home Theater stuff. Which is why I work in the department. The guys at Best Buy better get you set with what you need too. Haha. Just don't let them be pushy... they're not on commission.

It's a shame I can't be there to take you through the whole journey.

He's just trying to sell you.

Originally Posted by uh...ok

He's just trying to sell you.

Yep, by letting Shal know about even better financing options. I've done the same for friends. I'm not trying to "sell" Shal. Just throwin' options out there.

You know how many people come back ticked off that they weren't told about this deal or that deal. "If I would have known about that Klipsch financing, I would have gotten an audio system with it too." It's courtesy, not sales.

If having fun with technology and having fun while interacting with someone new while playing with all the toys at Best Buy is sales, then I guess I'm a sales person.