# HDTV for college bound son



## paw (Aug 17, 2009)

I'm looking for recommendation for an HDTV. My son is headed off to college this fall. :yikes: He's living on campus his 1st year. The rooms are 9x12 or 10x14. Not sure of the layout. So the viewing distance could range from 7' to 12'. That's assuming 2' seating distance off of the wall.

Here's our requirements.
under $500
1080p
largest screen possible
moving friendly. Dorm the 1st year, home or apartment the next years.
decent sound from TV speakers
PC input 
reliable
low lag time. I KNOW he'll be playing his XBOX


Not needed
3D
Wifi. Will use his XBox 
Smart TV apps

I think I'd avoid a plasma. There's probably nothing in that price range. I'd think they would be a little more delicate.

I'm leaning toward something from Costco and buying their 3 extra year warranty. That would give 4 - 5 years of warranty. That, HOPEFULLY, will take him all the way through college.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

paw said:


> I'm looking for recommendation for an HDTV. My son is headed off to college this fall. :yikes: He's living on campus his 1st year. The rooms are 9x12 or 10x14. Not sure of the layout. So the viewing distance could range from 7' to 12'. That's assuming 2' seating distance off of the wall.
> 
> Here's our requirements.
> under $500
> ...


Paw,
Welcome to HTS and my sincerest apologies for the delay in our response to your Thread. We really try hard to answer all new threads. Especially from a 1st time Poster and I honestly feel terrible about this.

This 40" Samsung is currently $100 off and meets your criteria:http://deals.bestbuy.com/home+theater/product/4833565/samsung++40quot+class++lcd++1080p++60hz++hdtv
And this RCA is currently $200 off and is a 46":http://deals.bestbuy.com/home+theater2/product/1831054/rca++46quot+class++lcd++1080p++60hz++hdtv

I personally feel more comfortable with the Samsung over RCA, but Panels tend to be quite reliable on the whole. Both of these deals are only good until end of business Saturday, but I am sure there will be other deals like this in next week's Best Buy Weekly Flier.
Cheers,
JJ


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

At that price point you will be hit or miss when it comes to Manufacturers. I have a 32" Hannspree which has performed very well for it's purpose. It's not a brand name and it doesn't really calibrate all that well but if it fits the bill you can get decent deals on non-brand name sets. If you want the most bang for your buck, get the RCA. :T

Welcome to HTS and I apologize that I missed this as well. :hide:


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## phillihp23 (Mar 14, 2012)

And to think I remember when 720P TV's first came out and I paid almost $2000 for a 32" :scratch:
I am :T for Samsung. Just my opinion, I own 3 of them.


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## hjones4841 (Jan 21, 2009)

LED will be lighter and more moving friendly than LCD, but it will cost more. Moving it around might make me lean toward a name brand, thinking it might be put together a little better.

Wow, when I headed off to college, I had a 17" B&W with rabbit ears


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## paw (Aug 17, 2009)

Thanks guys!

I lean toward Samsung also. The sales clerk at Costco was steering me away from Westinghouse and a little bit from Magnavox.

For moving friendly, I was more concerned about reliability and damage resistance than weight. I need to pull out my Consumer Reports to check out their reliability ratings.


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

Those ratings can mean little for most brands. Many change suppliers like the wind changes. They are most useful for the primary suppliers or the companies with stable manufacturing partners. Not common these days.


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