Looking for something in the 37"-40" range to put in the spare bedroom, wife is buying an elliptical (which I'll use when the weather is crummy).
Needs WIFI and Netflix built-in. Figure it will be easier to deal with if I can watch Top Gear re-runs, etc, instead of just staring at the wall.
Any suggestions?
Wait until 1-10 days after the Superbowl.
Given the state of what is available on TV, watch the wall. 
I agree with looking for SB returns, that is a good idea.
Buying at Coscto is also a good idea. You don't get the latest models (not that you would care) but they have good prices and a very good return policy. They are showing the size you are looking for at under $400 (three models to choose from)
There are plenty of Smart TVs with Apps. The thing is what brand. My personal opinion is Samsung. I feel they have the best bang for the buck and being in the Cable Business, they are the brand that has given me the least problems. LG would be 2nd place.
Also, since you want the apps. Make sure with whatever brand you go with, the remote has a Qwerty Keyboard. It makes life much more simple when you can actually type stuff out.
I've had good luck with Samsung as well.
z31maniac wrote: Needs WIFI and Netflix built-in. Figure it will be easier to deal with if I can watch Top Gear re-runs, etc, instead of just staring at the wall.
get a normal TV, and grab a Roku. that is what I did (I use it with amazon prime, and networked from my home PC mostly) but it does all that, is cheap, and can go from TV to TV. (so if you TV blows up, you still have it for the next one, or you can also watch in another room)
I am rocking a 42" with networking and amazon prime (and it could do netflix if i subscribed) for a total of 350 bucks (I got the 42" for cheap, because I don't LIKE anything higher than 60hz.. it messes with my eyes). none the less adding a roku XD, or XS is cheaper than buying a Tv with it built in.
i bought a projector used and i enjoy 110 inch screen in my room
just be sure to research the bulb cost they will go out sometime, but they can be had for under 200 mostly (mine) and are good for 4000 hours, which is really a long time!
On a semi-related note, I'm shopping for a new fridge. When I built my house, I bought all my appliances form a great local shop. I just checked his website for fridge prices and I see that he now has free shipping to 33 states if it's over $999 and no tax if you are outside Connecticut. If you're buying something expensive, it may be worth checking out.
No affiliation.
Edited to remove link
target.
SAMSUNG FOR THE WIN. I use their sets at home and for professional displays. Support kinda sucks, but you never need it.
I purchased a few from B&H Photo and even local dealers couldn't match the price. I also got some from http://www.vanns.com/. Excellent prices. Tell them you are cross-shopping at WalMart and you can get it for even less.
Wait till after the Superbowl and instead of paying the couple hundred extra for wifi and netflix get a ROKU.
They are flat awesome. You won't look at TV the same way again.
Denounce fashion and get a projector for ultimate enjoyment. The best non-projector tech is LED-backlit LCDs, don't buy the power-guzzling, burn-in-prone old plasmas that are being sold off at low low prices. And I imagine waiting until after the superbowl will help.
Oh and getting a TV that does things other than display input video is a terrible idea. TVs can be good for decades, but having even a 5-year-old computer stuck in it will be a laughable waste.
Bah, Plasmas still have the best picture.
For the video, I supplement with a Logitech Revue. Its a little stand-alone Android box that does everything you could wish, comes with a real keyboard and limitless apps.
Since it hasn't been mentioned, Apple TV is also an option. I have one, and it does stuff, but it is easier to rent movies on Fios so I rarely use it.
+1 on the Roku + cheap TV.
Check out woot.com for some cheap deals on TV's
I have a Samsung that I love. I have an Insignia that I dislike. I have a Westinghouse that was cheap and its friggin beautiful. Only complaint is that there is very little high-frequency audio.
The Insignia is an edge-lit LED. Nice and thin, but the contrast sucks, and when going from a dark shot to a light shot (or vice versa) the backlight precedes the video by a split second. Dark scenes are way too dark and bright scenes are greyed out.
I prefer Toshiba. That is all I have to add. 
in-laws have a Insignia LCD and i'm not sure whats up with it but it just looks bad...
we've got a 42" VIZIO LCD and for the price its a great TV.
I've got a 32" older 720p RCA LCD that was given to me when it died (polyfuse died on it) a bit of time with google, a multimeter, some solder and a soldering iron gives me a great TV for the bedroom... it's big and the colors aren't great but it doesn't get much use.
as mentioned... add a roku and save the extra cost of the built in crap to the TV... I got mine for under $50.. its an older version and layout is a little clunky, hulu layout really sucks but netflix is pretty good and it has pandora...
another option... if you have an old computer (or laptop) to retire you could use that fairly easily... I'm planning on retiring my windows7 laptop to HTPC duty when I get another laptop.
Meijer has a 60" Samsung plasma I've considered......after gaming on projection, DLP, plasma, LCD, and led.....I'll buy plasma from now on. The picture just seems real and idk if its just me, but plasma is the only one with a refresh rate fast enough I cannot see it blur the picture.
In reply to yamaha:
The newer TV's with 240hz refresh rate would likely solve that problem:
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-33199_7-57524894-221/what-is-refresh-rate/
I like LCD and LED. I never go plasma. A high refresh rate is good unless you want to play Duck Hunt. I look for the highest contrast available.
In reply to turboswede:
the LED tv I used to play on had 240hz.....it still wasn't fast enough. The only thing I've seen that wasnt a plasma was a 3d LED tv that didn't have 3d turned on. My friend said something along the lines of with it off it doubled the refresh rate. IDK the validity of that though.
i have an LG 47" edge-lit LCD 120hz with the netflix youtube pandora etc built in. i love it, great picture and no problems in 2 years of use. it's going to get moved to the basement for the kids Wii and i'm hanging a 55" plasma in its place.
You'll need to log in to post.
