ivelostr2

So the main TV in our house has been the RCA F38310 38-Inch CRT HDTV since we purchased it ~10 years ago (I have an HD projector that i watch movies and game on in my man cave). It has been a great TV and to be honest, for a few years I thought it had a better picture than most of the flat screens I have seen family and friends buy...but we are starting to notice purplish lines on the TV when the screen is dark and with a toddler, we could use the extra room from getting rid of the TV and the cabinet it is on. So I ave been looking at TVs, but have been having trouble justifying a new one but today i saw one clearanced at Target, so I would get another 5% off of it with my target card and I wanted to see what you guys thought since i haven't really been in the market for a while now.

So this was $499.99 - $25 at Target

http://m.usa.philips.com/c/televisio...specifications

Then after looking at SAMS Club they had this for $499.99 and I would get a 3 year extended service plan for free.

http://m.usa.philips.com/c/televisio...specifications


I get that one is a smart TV and the other isnt, but the video specs seem different too. Smart TV isnt a big deal, we have a PS3 hooked up and amazon prime and Netflix already, so that isnt a deal breaker...

...but the 3707 says:

"Digital Crystal Clear, Dynamic contrast enhancement, Active Control + Light sensor, 3D Combfilter, Digital Noise Reduction, Progressive scan, 3/2 - 2/2 motion pull down"

...and the 3807 says:

"Pixel precise HD, 3/2 - 2/2 motion pull down, 3D Combfilter, Digital Noise Reduction, Dynamic contrast enhancement, Progressive scan, Active Control + Light sensor, Black stretch, MPEG artifact reduction"

and i honestly have no idea what the difference is.

any help is appreciated

RichC2

Honestly with TVs I ignore all their selling features and judge the image on my own if possible. The 3807 should obviously be the superior one, but neither is all that impressive from a purely specs perspective (60 hz / 4000:1 CR).

But, I haven't used a Philips TV since the CRT Flat Tube days.

Also, while it's YMMV - The 3707 is $398 at Walmart.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Philips-50...er=lw9MynSeamY

You can check inventory using this: http://checkinvt2.appspot.com/
Sku: 20746259

ivelostr2

Okay, so i just read an article about 60 vs 120 hz and the jist of it was that 120 can make it look smoother, but unnatural. Is that correct?

does your comment mean a TV in this price range should have an option for 120hz?

RichC2

Actually I'm revising what I said, 120hz @ 50" isn't terribly common at $500. It just struck me as slightly unusual. 120hz is fine, it's turning on a feature called Motion Interpolation (on by default) that causes it to look bad, especially in movies shot @ 24 fps.

Still, if you can get the TV for $398 from Walmart, it's a great deal. $500 is when you start hitting that threshold between budget TV and mid-tier TV.

Jay G.

120hz is actually very, very nice for 24fps film material, provided that the motion interpolation options RichC2 mentioned are turned off. 24fps converts to 120hz easily (the TV simply shows each film frame 5 times, 5 * 24 = 120). In contrast, the older 60hz refresh rate doesn't allow 24fps to fit in it easily, resulting in the 3:2 pulldown (half the frames are shown 3 times, while the other half are shown 2 times, 12 * 3 + 12 * 2 = 60), which causes a slight "judder" to the motion.

120hz 50" TVs can be found in that price range, if on sale. Sears has the Panasonic 50'' Class 1080p 120Hz LED HDTV - TC-L50EM60 for $549:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_05729401000P

ivelostr2

what about this guy?

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/50-60hz...navAction=push

I go back to SAMS club, because my mom has some premium membership that gives you a free service plan.

RichC2

Well that will take care of the Contrast Ratio issue for sure, bonus being that it's thinner (2" vs 4.53") than the Philips TV which will be nice if you mount it. In general, I would go with that one over the Philips.

Just my $0.02. I also agree with the post after this one, see it in person if you can.

4KRG

You have to look at it in real life

Do not buy a TV these days based off the spec sheet, you can't tell shit about the picture quality from the spec sheet.

mythmaker18

I thought I read an article last year stating that Philips were getting out of the TV business? At any rate, you might want to check some reviews of Philips online. I saw some that totally scared me away from them (especially in regards to dealing with their customer service team if your breaks down). I was perfectly fine with their sub-$50 region-free DVD players, but the feedback I'd seen on some of the TVs made me eliminate them from the pool I eventually chose from.

If you put your new TV on a credit card, your CC company most likely will double the manufacturer's warranty (call them to confirm). I also agree that you should field test some TVs yourself, live in the store.

Also, don't rule out other stores besides Target (no, I don't mean Kmart and Walmart). You'll find a better selection at places like HHGregg and Best Buy, for example. I'd rather have a better TV than simply saving 5% off one that might not be all that great. Those store also frequently have open-box or clearance models, too, and (at least at HHGregg) there is usually a little wiggle-room to haggle on price.

ivelostr2

Thanks everyone for the feedback, I ended up deciding to wait for a bit and shop around.

Initially I saw the price and thought it might be a good deal, but after some feedback, and considering that it really isn't absolutely necessary at the moment, I decided to wait...I figure Black Friday deals aren't that far away.