Buy a Television

March 26, 2009 5:43 PM

Did I ever tell you about the time that we bought a television? What a day! Actually it took two days. One for research and another to find a store. I evaluated LCDs and plasmas, and I figured I might as well post the results here.

Here's the criteria I used:


  • Brand Reliability

  • Picture Quality

  • Screen Size

  • Viewing angle

  • # of component inputs

  • # of HDMI inputs

  • # of DVI inputs

  • Ease of Use

I scored each TV from 1-100 based on how they met each of the criteria. It was a weighted score, so for example the brand reliability was weighted more heavily than the number of DVI inputs.

Here's how the plasmas stacked up:

  1. Panasonic TH-42PZ700U : 68
  2. Panasonic TH-42PX77U : 65.1
  3. Samsung HP-T426 : 63.4
  4. Panasonic TH-50PX75U : 62
  5. Samsung HP-T5064 : 59.3
  6. Hitachi UltraVision P42T501 : 57.6
  7. Samsung HP-T4254 : 56.3
  8. Hitachi P50H401 : 55.4
  9. LG 42PC5D : 54.9
  10. LG 50PC5D : 53.9
  11. Vizio JV50P : 52.4
  12. Sanyo DP50747 : 52.2
  13. Vizio P50HDTV : 48.8
  14. Norcent PT-5045HD : 46.8
  15. Vizio Maximvs VM60PHDTV10A : 37.3
  16. Maxent MX-58HPT51 : 37.3


And here's how the LCDs stacked up. We wound up getting the Sony at the top, I think.


  1. Sony Bravia KDL-40V3000 : 83.6

  2. Samsung LN-T4661F : 83.4

  3. Samsung LN-T3242H : 82.6

  4. Sony Bravia KDL-32XBR4 : 81.3

  5. Sony Bravia KDL-40S3000 : 78.7

  6. Samsung LN-T4671F : 78.3

  7. Toshiba Cinema Series REGZA 52LX177 : 75.5

  8. Toshiba REGZA 32HL67 : 75.5

  9. Sony Bravia KDL-46XBR5 : 73.2

  10. Panasonic TC-32LX700 : 72.9

  11. LG 37LB5D : 71.7

  12. Samsung LN-T4061F : 70.6

  13. Sharp Aquos LC-52D64U : 69.8

  14. Sony Bravia KDL-46W3000 : 69.6

  15. Samsung LN-T4053H : 69.4

  16. Sony Bravia KDL-32S3000 : 68.9

  17. JVC LT-47X788 : 68.5

  18. Toshiba REGZA 47HL167 : 68.1

  19. Sharp Aquos LC-52D82U : 67

  20. LG 52LB5D : 66.6

  21. LG 42LB5D : 66.6

  22. Vizio Gallevia GV47LF : 65.3

  23. LG 47LB5D : 65.1

  24. Toshiba REGZA 42HL6 : 64.8

  25. JVC LT-32E478 : 64.8

  26. JVC LT-37E478 : 64.3

  27. Sony Bravia KDL-46S3000 : 63.6

  28. Samsung LN-T5265F : 63.4

  29. JVC LT-42X688 : 63.4

  30. Toshiba REGZA 42HL167 : 62.6

  31. Vizio VU42LF : 62.1

  32. Vizio Gallevia GV52L : 61.1

  33. Mitsubishi LT-46133 : 60.9

  34. Vizio VW37LHDTV : 59.8

  35. Westinghouse TX-47F430S : 57.9

  36. Insignia NS-LCD37 : 57.8

  37. JVC LT-42E488 : 57.4

  38. Sanyo DP37647 : 56.8

  39. Mitsubishi LT-40134 : 56.6

  40. Olevia 537H : 56

  41. Westinghouse TX-42F430S : 55.5

  42. ViewSonic N3735w : 55.3

  43. Sharp Aquos LC-37D43U : 55

  44. Sharp Aquos LC-42D43U : 53.4

  45. Olevia 542i : 52.8

  46. Polaroid TLA-04641C : 51.9

  47. Sanyo DP42647 : 51.3

  48. Olevia 747i : 49.4

  49. RCA L42WD22 : 48.9

Comments: 0

Every which contact

March 26, 2009 2:05 PM
I just updated my iPhone syncing settings so that it talks to my Google contacts. Weirdly, that's had the effect of totally re-arranging the order in which Google tries to autocomplete email addresses. I used to type "James" and get my James at the very top; now he's five names down in the list, and at the top is a guy whose last name is James. If I'm not careful, I'll send a flirty message to the managing director of the Courage Campaign.
Comments: 0

Jesus Christ, This American Life

March 24, 2009 8:34 PM
Thanks for totally bumming out the whole world <a href="http://thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=209">this week</a>.
Comments: 0

Must...stop...thinking about it...

March 24, 2009 6:56 PM
One of the people we live with has started receiving "Internatually," a nudist magazine. I had always wondered why he, a relatively placid and undemonstrative person, went to Burning Man, and now I have the unpleasant answer.
Comments: 0

Anthony's Cat

March 21, 2009 11:23 PM
I don't normally do the reblogging thing, but I am powerless to resist this beautiful photo of what I am told is Anthony Perkins and a visiting friend. anthonyperkins.jpg

Comments: 0

Call and Response Fail

March 19, 2009 10:41 PM
As I was puttering about the bedroom this evening, folding laundry and setting alarms, James was already in that nebulous state of mind that kicks in about 5 minutes before you're sound asleep.
"I love you," I told him.
"Walrus," he replied.
Comments: 0
Hooray! I am such a real reporter, like Rosalind Russel in His Girl Friday. I will rip your telephone cable right out of the wall and then do up an interview on a type writer, clackety-clack.
Comments: 0
 

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