have you recently purchased a television? and if so, what did you purchase and why? and is it a good time to buy a flat-panel TV or are prices about to drop drastically? who knows anything about tele

High-def TVs spoil you for DVDs, though. After watching high-def movies on Comcast, I don't feel like renting DVDs anymore. They LITERALLY (hee hee) look like shit.

guys, i need a new TV. under 500. no 3D. need recommendations. what you have/like?

Figure out what you need to connect to it (consoles, DVD, PVR etc.), and what size screen is going to fit into the space you have for it. Buy a recognised brand, like Samsung, Hitachi, etc.. The no-name brands are cheaper, but their picture quality is usually terrible.

For some reason I initially read this thread as "have you recently punched a television?" and I thought 'God, how stressed/unhappy with the programming would you have to be to do something like that?'

The LG 47" I bought last summer has been good so far, but it's the only big-screen I've owned, so I'm not able to compare it to anything else. I think I paid $600 for the model that was one year behind--that's in Toronto, so it'd be cheaper in the States.

40-42 preferably, two HDMI input, a couple of AV/analog inputs. I like LG, Samsung. Explain to me what refresh rate means on an LCD?

also, does anybody have any of the 120 Hz interpolation stuff? Is it as horrible as it looks?

Every recent Samsung I've helped set up has looked like shit. Black levels are weak, it's hard to kill their 'motion plus' technology (the Hz stuff that makes everything look like a video feed) and so on.

there's weird strobing/sitcom effect on a lot of the sets i've seen. i haaate the motionplus/motionmax crap.

I don't know if this is a plus, but you can apparently hack some LGs to run all sorts of apps. (other than the built-in netflix etc...)

I won't say much, but I will say this: wide format tvs look larger in the store than they do in your home.

(Unless you get something ridiculous like a 72" model, which is just too large for any place.)

I like my Sony Bravia a lot - the 40" model is under $500 in the US, i think.

Funnily enough I've just bought a new TV, this beast http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/currys-sharp-lc60le636e-full-hd-60-led-tv-949-1260043?ppp=60 My 50" LG Plasma was on the fritz and out of warranty so had to get something. We hadn't originally planned to get something so big but it was reduced and Currys cocked up and allowed a 20% discount code to be applied and honoured to the sale price. Regular 720p HD is excellent and Bluray is just insanely good, my wife said it's almost too realistic.