Alrighty, my fine tech-savvy friends. I needs your help. I am wanting to upgrade our TV but I have NO idea on what is “good”. I know that Mister Man wants it to be LCD and 1080. Beyond that, I am sort of at a loss. I found this:
This full-HD model offers 1920 x 1080p resolution for a top-quality picture from high-definition sources. Three HDMI ports and a variety of other connections make it the heart of your audio/video system. Intuilight light sensor detects ambient room light to automatically adjust screen contrast.
* Screen measures 41.9 inches diagonally
* EN-V video processing
* Dynamic contrast enhancement
* 60Hz refresh rate
* 6.5-millisecond response time (gray to gray)
* 500 cd/m2 brightness
* 20,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
* Progressive scan
* 3D Y/C comb filter
* 3D video noise reduction
* Reverse 3/2 pull-down
* Viewing angle of 178 degrees vertically and horizontally
* ATSC/QAM/NTSC tuner
* Adjustable color temperature
* Dynamic backlight
* Three HDMI inputs
* Two HD component video inputs
* Composite and S-video inputs
* RGB and DVI inputs
* Two built-in speakers
* 8 watts RMS per channel of audio power
* SRS TruSurround XT
* Dolby audio processing
* Audio equalizer
* Coaxial digital audio output
* Clock with sleep timer
* Tabletop stand
* Remote control
* Energy Star compliant: Version 3.0
for $600. Is that a good deal?
Help Obi Wan Kenerd-y. You’re my only hope.
The Process 
What is your current television set, what devices do you have connected to it, and how are they connected?
You’ll want to know that to know how easily you can connect your older devices to your newer television. Nothing like getting a new TV only to find out that you can’t connect everything to it like you had before.
It is a 15 year old 27″ something or other. Currently has stereo system, TiVO, Wii, DVD player and Xbox connected to it.
They are all connected directly to the TV.
Reposted to correct a terminology error
Based on the age of your set I’m going to assume you don’t have anything connected using the newer methods of DVI, S-Video, RGB or HDMI.
Do you know what sorts of plugs are used to connect everything? I’m not too worried about the stereo system, since that’s strictly audio and shouldn’t interfere with the rest.
Coaxial = the same sort of cable used to connect cable tv or an antenna to the television.
Composite = three plugs which are red, white and yellow. The red and white transmit the right and left audio channels, and the yellow transmits the video.
Are they all connected individually to the television?
Also, do any of them (and most should) have alternative cables that can be used to connect to the television? Do you have said cables?
It’s good to know this stuff in advance, that way if you do have to buy any additional accessories you can get them at the same time, rather than making any extra trips. This was the problem I encountered just going from an older CRT television to a newer CRT one I bought at a pawn shop.
An original Xbox (a huge black boxy thing, first sold in 2001) or an Xbox 360 (more sleek looking, usually white but occasionally black, first sold in 2005)? And are the TiVO and DVD player particular new or fancy and/or have HD-specific features?
I’m guessing that NONE of the devices you mention have an HDMI output at all. The Wii certainly doesn’t, the original Xbox didn’t, and even Xbox 360’s made before about mid-2007 don’t either.
That means, if you’re not considering upgrading any of these devices anytime soon, that all 4 of them are going to have component video outputs*. Your potential TV there only has 2 component video inputs. Something to consider.
* They all CAN output composite or S-Video, probably, but that’s significantly lower quality…and frankly, your old 720×480 devices there are going to need all the help they can get on a big HDTV (remember when CD’s first came out and they started having to put disclaimers on them: “The clarity of this digital medium may expose flaws in the original master recordings” or something like that? This is like that.) OOTH, if you’re not using component video for them now, you may have to go buy new cables anyway.
Samsung, consumer reports consistently gives them top marks.
You are going to spend a couple hundred in HDMI cables to your devices, its worth it for the picture.
Sean
Even if HDMI is an option for (which it probably isn’t, at the moment, see above comment), a “couple hundred” is way, WAY too much to be paying for a set of HDMI cables. Vastly overpricing HDMI cables is a very common scam, sadly.
Even if you get modestly priced ones, if you end up with 4 or 5 devices its going to creep up close to 100 dollars in HDMI cables.
S
$10 at Fry’s for gold plated ones. Works fine for me.
I personally can vouch for the quality and reliabilty of LG systems, between us and my mother-in-law we have something like 8 lg panels of various sizes, ages and resolutions and they are alll FABULOUS! i believe that LG is one of the biggest manufacturers of the actual panels and wholesales a lot to other 3rd party manufacturers. we have had our oldest panel over 2 years now and it still looks as vibrant and vivid as it did the day we bought it. lemme know if you wanna see 3 different models including a computer lcd in person and i’ll have you over one evening. I ahve a 22″ lg lcd, a 23″ 720p lcd tv and a 47″ 120hz lg lcd in the living room wiht a nice 7.1 surround system.
Price is right. 40 inch is the sweet spot for TV’s right now.
Specs look good.
Don’t worry about what Stevie said about the HDMI inputs, I’ve seen your components. You’ll hook your XBox and possibly DVD to the Component inputs. The Wii and Tivo to the Composite/S-Video. Neither the Wii nor the Tivo will do HD.
And Component Switchers are *MUCH* cheaper than HDMI switchers. More HDMI inputs really future proofs the set. Most of the new boxes you buy will have it.
all other things being equal, I would still recommend using the best available outputs for any device, HD or no. So I would (and do, on the rare occasion when I actually hook up my Wii) use component video for the Wii, and would get a switcher for my component video devices if I had too many of them. But then I’m pretty OCD when it comes to stuff like this.