Ok, I know it's been done a bit recently, but I want opinions on what new TV to buy (God knows why I ask you people these things).

Budget: $1-1.5k
Size: bigger is better (>50"?)
Watching: free-to-air, sport (buying for the Australian Open, but also cricket, football, etc), movies

Doesn't need to be smart (have all the extra bits and pieces).

--> What is the difference between plasma and LCD/LED, which is better, and WHY!

We actually just bought a new tv, but Dad did it without me, and ended up with a 32" panasonic from Harvey Normans, for far more than he should have paid. Silly parents.

I know people have preferences for brands (mine is probably Samsung), but are there any particular brands to avoid (and why)?

Also, which brands are better for plasma or lcd?

Finally, I was going to check out JB and maybe WoW and GoodGuys - anywhere else I should be looking?

Cheers!

My bro just bought a Sonique 55" LCD from JB for something like $650. Even though it's not your most popular brand It's a lot of TV for the money.

ahh damn i was hoping this was gonna be TV shows

I probably wouldn't pass up an LG or Hisense despite Samsung/Panasonic being a preference brand wise. I really don't think you'll find a difference in the screen quality or warranty but they may have a couple of less video and audio ports which might not be worth the extra money.

You can get a 60" LG Plasma for $1500 which is just nuts and if it's the same one I saw a few months ago then the picture on it looks pretty damn good.

it's mind boggling how cheap TV's are these days. I remember back in the day a sony bravia 46" would cost $6k.

I've read on other forums that panasonic plasma TV's are the ducks nuts.

you can buy 3D TV's that have a refresh rate of like 200mhz or something crazy like that, whilst this is good for 3D, does it make the play back of 2D content a lot more smoother?

it's mind boggling how cheap TV's are these days. I remember back in the day a sony bravia 46" would cost $6k.

Mate I remember back in the day where we'd borrow a Sony JumboTron (6x8m) for spectators. It's not far off that I'm going to be able to walk in to JB Hi-Fi and buy the modern equivalent. That is, if I can somehow fit it in to the back of my little Lancer. That could be an issue. Maybe I'll pay for delivery on that one.

Avoid 3D