Any suggestions...

Well considering I just went through this same situation just a couple of months ago I will be glad to help you out. I went with the LG 42LB5D but from what you are saying you should go with the 37LB5D. I had an LG monitor that I loved so that is why I went with the LG TV. But you can't go wrong with a Sony at all but they do tend to be a bit more expensive.

Things to look for:

# of HDMI inputs - this is the ONLY way to get 1080P resolution. Component at best will get you 1080i but then you also have to run another cable for audio where the HDMI carries audio as well. *note* HDMI has different revision of it's technology where 1.3a is the newest at this time. I will get more info for you on that later.

HD Ready not HD Capable - HD ready means you have an intergrated HD tuner in the TV which the LG above does have. Capable means you have to have another box to decode the HD signal for you. On my TV I can pick up my local channels that are broadcast in HD over "Rabbit Ears" and supposedly it's a better picture than what my cable company broadcasts in HD. Have yet to test it but it makes sense because HD is "Open Air" broadcast and with cable the signal is degraded because of the number of hops it makes to get to your house.

Contrast Ratios - This is kind of misleading since the testing is somewhat a farse. Alot of these tests are done on a single square inch of space on the screen when it is bright white as compared to when it is off. Realistically you will never achieve the numbers they have spec'd. Trust your eyes on what the quality of the picture is to you on this.

Response Time - This is the same as with LCD monitors, the lower the number the better. But how much of a difference will your naked eye see between 6ms and 5ms or 8ms..not sure so don't let this be too much of a major factor.

Why LCD and not Plasma - Maintenance Maintenance Maintenance...they both have the same approx. 60,000 hour life cycle which means this...it takes the tv 60,000 hours of use to lose half of it's brightness. Plus a plasma has a lamp you have to replace once ever year or two depending on usage. LCDs are backlit and require absolutely no maintenance at all. Plasmas while a lot better than they used to be still have a small chance of burn in as well.

Plasmas have a better color depth and contrast than LCDs simply because the Liquid Crystals in a LCD have a tendency to "leak" some of the light causing bleeds between the crystals. But again let your eyes be the judge as to me it was not such a vast major improvement to worry about.

Where to buy is up to you. Service was the driving factor for me. I want to know that I can get it serviced if I need to. I also bought an extended warranty on mine to cover it for 3 years. Spent too much money not to protect that investment.

Well that is just about it for now. I am sure you will have more questions and there may be some more stuff that I will think of to post. You will need one of two things to connect your DVI video card to your TV. Either a DVI to HDMI converter or a DVI to HDMI cable. The only PC inputs you will see are the VGA or RGB as the TV calls it. In order to get a digital HD picture you must connect it to an HDMI port on the TV.

If you want to talk to me on the phone just PM me your number and I will be glad to talk some more about my experience in this purchase. Otherwise just post away and I will respond as quick as I can.

 

Ivan, why are you wasting your money on a new TV when you could be buying my sculptures!! !!!!!

~

 

Also Ivan if you see something that talks about 120 Hz...that is referring to how it will smooth the image when scrolling..say in the case of watching Nascar for example, as the cars are flying by the camera they tend to get blurred images...the 120Hz thing is supposed to smooth that out. Most TVs run at 60Hz in this regards. It's not the same as a refresh rate but it is kind of an expensive option. My logic on this was if I am watching the Bulldogs playing the last thing I will be doing will be watching to see how smooth the screen is panning or scrolling as the camera moves...I will be too busy chewing out Richt for calling a draw play down by ten with 5 minutes to play in the 4th quarter. LoL.

 

My 42LB5D looks fine to me. You also have to understand it's only on actual tv or movies you will notice. In PC Mode you only get 60Hz anyways.

 

Anytime Ivan. Holler if you need anything else.

 

My bro is a pole climber too Ivan....man that just sounds bad.