The Simplest Question: Best HDTV for under $1000?

[dstrauss]

Okay, so the family and I are moving to a new house in a couple weeks. I've had a Philips 37" 720p HDTV for a few years and have been pretty happy with it. Never got around to buying a BluRay player, always figured I'd just wait until I got a larger tv.

Well, the new owners of our old home offered to buy some of our furniture and offered to give me a few bucks for the TV. I was going to turn down the money for the tv but my wife said "Use it as a start to buy yourself a new TV, you know you want one."

So, my budget is $1000. And no more.

1. I have DirecTV and plan on keeping it when we move to the new home. Their moving deal is pretty cool, plus I've been happy with them.

2. The old TV was 720, I want a 1080. Was hoping for 50 inches or more.

3. I don't care about 3D. Don't really want it, and would prefer not to pay more for a TV that has it.

4. Would prefer to buy it from a physical place like Best Buy or HH Gregg, although I'm not opposed to buying from Amazon or someone else reputable online if shipping is free.

5. I do watch a decent amount of sports (baseball, hockey, etc) if that makes a difference.

6. I have no intimate knowledge of the current state of quality re: plasma vs LCD vs LED etc. (Do the Panasonic 50" plasmas still produce the best bang for buck?)

7. I'm not opposed to all those smart apps, but honestly, I don't care if my TV has Pandora or YouTube. That's what my computer is for. Don't want to pay extra for it.

8. Would like 4 HDMI connections. Already have 2 DirecTV receivers and a Media Center PC, would like to add a BluRay player in the future as well. Not a dealbreaker since I do have a Monoprice HDMI switcher, but would prefer to remove that from the system and lose one remote.

So, DVD Talk knowledge wizards, recommendations? And please remember my $1000 budget.

Thanks!!

[Spiky]

Hey, what's your budget? J/K.

I would say, Yes, the Panny plasmas still offer the best bang for your buck. But only one of the 50" is under $1000 on Amazon. And it only has 2 HDMI. Getting a top quality pic at 50" is really in the $1500 range and up.

Deftones just had a thread where he tried a decent late-model LED and still had motion blur. It's just not even a factor with plasma. One of the reasons so many around here like them.

But it's not like lesser TVs are horrible. This (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0074YRGIY) might be a great compromise. 4 HDMI. Definitely would be an upgrade from a 37" Philips.

[dstrauss]

How about this one?

Panasonic VIERA TC-P50U50 50-Inch 1080p Full HD Plasma (http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIERA-TC-P50U50-50-Inch-Plasma/dp/B00752VLRC/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1342325340&sr=1-1&keywords=panasonic+tc-p50u50) TV

Only $739 right now.

No wifi or apps, only 2 HDMI but like I said I can just use my switchbox. Worth it to save $160, methinks. And is it still true that Panasonic makes the best Plasma TVs?

[gcribbs]

Sounds like a great TV. I am very happy with my Plasma Tv from Panasonic.

[Spiky]

No wifi or apps, only 2 HDMI but like I said I can just use my switchbox. Worth it to save $160, methinks. And is it still true that Panasonic makes the best Plasma TVs?
That's subjective. But I'd say yes.

You could invest in a universal remote to ease the switching issues. That would still be in your budget. Harmony 700 handles 6 devices:
TV
HDMI switch
DirecTV
DirecTV
Bluray
possibly HTPC

[Spy021]

Glad I decided to check the forum before posting... As of 10pm tonight, I'm likely in need of a new TV myself and have exactly the same requirements as dstrauss (hope you don't mind me piggybacking on your thread).

Guess the new season of Breaking Bad was too much for my old Panny to handle. After a good number of years, my Panasonic TH-42PX60U 42" Plasma went limp on the right side (about a 3" vertical strip is now black).

The LG 50PM6700 50-Inch that Spiky mentioned seems like a decent option, although I'm not up to date on their picture quality.

[Ranger]

Yep, another vote for Panasonic.
How about this one?

Panasonic VIERA TC-P50U50 50-Inch 1080p Full HD Plasma (http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIERA-TC-P50U50-50-Inch-Plasma/dp/B00752VLRC/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1342325340&sr=1-1&keywords=panasonic+tc-p50u50) TV

Only $739 right now.

No wifi or apps, only 2 HDMI but like I said I can just use my switchbox. Worth it to save $160, methinks. And is it still true that Panasonic makes the best Plasma TVs?
I'd get that one.

[dstrauss]

Thanks, folks. Gonna order the Panasonic from Amazon as soon as I get the funds.