HDTV Help For The Technology Challenged *DECISION MADE*

[tazbigdog]

You should check on Amazon website when you have narrowed your choices. Good selection, best prices.

Ordered a 60" LCD HDTV Flat Screen (Sony) from them. Still after 3 years can't find a lower price.

Good luck!

 

[cvm4]

My friend just got an olevia 37" LCD from target and the picture looks like crap because he doesn't have HD or atleast digital cable yet. I don't think it'd be worth it unless you have that or plan on upgrading to it.

 

[eyetek]

My friend just got an olevia 37" LCD from target and the picture looks like crap because he doesn't have HD or atleast digital cable yet. I don't think it'd be worth it unless you have that or plan on upgrading to it.

Very true, to even begin to see any difference you must have the ability to receive HD programming, that includes your Local channels...ABC CBS NBC FOX, check into it before you begin, it may save you allot of money in the long run.

The other thing is that these things do not come preset with the best settings programmed into them, you can pay to have them digitally fine tuned with the optimal settings to increase there viewing pleasure....it does make a big difference!

I bought a Panasonic TH-42PX600U last year....and love it, problem is so does everyone else, so I have to pull rank on the kids when they come over and want to play their Xbox 360 on the HD, it does look awsome hooked up on HDMI.


Here are a couple of sites that I used to do some research.

http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/

http://www.dlptvreview.com/

http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/


Bigger is not always better, make sure you buy the correct size TV for the room that it is going in, there is info out there to help you decide on that aspect of the buy also.

Bottom line is there is allot to think about when trying to decide on what to by, good and bad for all options out there...you just have to decide on how you use your TV and what you watch most.


eyetek

 

[djs134]

I was recently listening to a podcast where they were talking about HD TVs and mentioned, that since not all signals have to be HD for several years, it's a good idea to find a TV that shows quality standard signal as well. You can request that the store show you what a non HD signal looks like on the set you are thinking about.......

 

[Volusianator]

I was recently listening to a podcast where they were talking about HD TVs and mentioned, that since not all signals have to be HD for several years, it's a good idea to find a TV that shows quality standard signal as well. You can request that the store show you what a non HD signal looks like on the set you are thinking about.......

Great point.

 

[Volusianator]

The HDTV fund is at $1200 and counting. I've been saving my checks from the lounge, tips, cigarnament money, change in my pockets, change in the couch, money I can steal out of Linda's purse. One way or another, I'm gettin' a good one.

 

[cvm4]

Man you're well on your way Wade :thumbsup: How big you going now? You can definitely get a good 42" LCD.

 

[Jwrussell]

The HDTV fund is at $1200 and counting. I've been saving my checks from the lounge, tips, cigarnament money, change in my pockets, change in the couch, money I can steal out of Linda's purse. One way or another, I'm gettin' a good one.

Wade, I've gotten two +40" HDTV flat screens recently. I assume you are talking flatscreen. Non flat screen would be much closer to your original dollar price point. Considering where you are with your money, take a long hard look at Sharp. I recently got a smoking deal on a 42" Sharp LCD TV for the bedroom (wife's bday present from her parents, I just did the research) and the TV absolutely rocks. I have a 50" Plasma in the living room and The Sharp LCD blows it away. Of course the Plasma is 720P while the LCD is 1080P, but honestly I don't think that has much to do with it. The Sharp Aquos just has a phenominal "Stretch" mode for standard def television signals that takes the standard def and stretches it to 16:9. Trust me, there is nothing worse than getting a nice big flat screen and not being able to watch things in 16:9 because the wife "thinks it looks wierd". No such complaints with the Sharp.

As to pricing and when to buy, I have to disagree with some of what has been said. I got my 50" Plasma right before the SuperBowl and I absolutely did not see better deals after the SuperBowl. Hell, I even had trouble finding better deals during this year's Black Friday sales (of course everything is 1080P now and the Plasma was right before they switched).

Good luck!

 

[Volusianator]

Well we just got back from the store doing a little shopping, looks like about $2600 will do it. (*&^%$#@! Oh well, I'll make more.

HDTV
Blue Ray DVD Player
Surround Sound
And a bunch of other shit that I need.

 

[cvm4]

You can just get an upconverting DVD player if you want to wait for the format wars (HD-DVD or BluRay) to be over.

 

[Electric Sheep]

I agree....forget the BluRay for the time being and just get a $99 upconverting DVD player (with HDMI); I was absolutely SHOCKED at how good of a job the upconverting player does!

It will definitely hold you over until the format war is done.

 

[Volusianator]

You can just get an upconverting DVD player if you want to wait for the format wars (HD-DVD or BluRay) to be over.

Hmmm, never even heard of that. I guess it's simple, when looking for information, just ask here as it seems you guys are way more knowledgeable than the high school kid at Best Buy!

 

[BradMc]

Remember when u do buy the TV and if u get a sound system also, the
HDMI Cable doesn't come with it, When I was looking, I didn't want a sound system with it, Now I'm so glade that the lil lady talked me into it, The sound is sooooooooo unbeleavable along with the HD picture....Good luck Wade...

 

[tuffy]

If you're going to wall mount the new set don't pay for the overpriced mounts found at the stores.

Monoprice has the best pricing on wall mounts and I can vouch for the quality. They are every bit as strong as anything you can buy in the store. Here is the link on their website to the mounts.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=109&cp_id=10828

I have my 47" LCD hanging on the product ID# 3004 and a couple of my other tv's on the product ID# 3003. Yes the prices are a fraction of what you would pay for one in the stores, but the quality is top notch (just make sure you mount them into studs). I would recommend picking one of these up right now. They are in stock and it might not last long. Last year they sold out at Christmas and didn't get anymore in for several weeks.

Also, don't be fooled into paying a ton of money for an HDMI cable (sounds like you will need one if you are getting a blue-ray player). HDMI cables transmit a digital signal, not an analog one. What used to hold true for signal degradation with analog signals won't affect your digital signal. Again, Monoprice has amazing prices on HDMI cables.

I have three LCD HDTV's in my house, a 47" Vizio, a 32" Olevia, and a 27" Olevia. I chose LCD because of the location of my TV's, I didn't want any glare from windows to affect my tv watching. There were several other things that factored into my decision to purchase LCD, but this was a big one.

I researched the hell out of TV's last year and can probably answer a lot of the questions you may have. Plasma's, LCD's, and DLP's all have their pros and cons. Ultimately, you will need to evaluate your situation and decide what works best for you and within your budget. Some of the brothers here have provided some great links to start some of the research. I recommend you decide on the type you want (LCD, plasma, or DLP) and then start looking into the various models.

Let me know if you have any questions that are stumping you about these various technologies, I will do my best to answer them.

 

[cvm4]

Hmmm, never even heard of that. I guess it's simple, when looking for information, just ask here as it seems you guys are way more knowledgeable than the high school kid at Best Buy!

Yup, they're pretty cheap. Just make sure it upconverts to whatever the highest resolution on your TV is (720p, 1080p, 1080i, etc).

 

[Jwrussell]

Well we just got back from the store doing a little shopping, looks like about $2600 will do it. (*&^%$#@! Oh well, I'll make more.

HDTV
Blue Ray DVD Player
Surround Sound
And a bunch of other shit that I need.

If you are going to consider Blu-Ray, make sure you consider the PS3 if you are into gaming at all. It's the same price as a Blu-Ray player and obviously it's also a PS. Further, it's the first gaming system that IMHO looks great when mixed in with other A/V components.

Keep your eye on the deals coming up before the Super Bowl. When I got my 50" last year I got it with a home theater surround sound package with installation, all for less than the price of the TV itself. Watch Circuit City as they tend to package these types of deals.

Also, keep in mind, if you don't care about having the latest and greatest, be sure to shop around for those 720p screens that are still out there here and there. They should be pretty darn cheap.

If you decide to spend the money, the Sharp 42" I mentioned is the LC-42D64U and is currently $1,499 at Circuit City. That's a substantial savings as it runs around $1,800 typically (see BestBuy for instance). CC also has a bundle deal that adds a mount and HDMI cable for $70. This is a web only deal and that's not bad pricing for a mountand HDMI cable. Throw in one of their multiple Home Theater systems with a built in up-converting DVD player for under $300 and you are at right around $1900. Throw in the Blu-Ray or PS3 you want and you are still under the total you mention above.

 

[Jwrussell]

It will definitely hold you over until the format war is done.

For what it's worth, I don't know that we'll every see that day. By the time it happens I'm guessing most of the movie content will be downloadable instead of sold on disks.

 

[Electric Sheep]

I dunno about that...the format war could end in a couple of years (or sooner, if consumer demand pushes one format to the front). Unfortunately, there are a LOT of puzzle pieces that would have to fall into place in just the right way to have downloadable movies available in 1080p. I mean that's a LOT of bandwidth, and not everyone has a high-speed internet connection.

I think physical formats will dominate for quite a bit longer--certainly long enough that this format war still matters.

 

[cvm4]

I think you'll see dual formats on one player before it's all said and done.

 

[Jwrussell]

Already (somewhat) available through LG, Cliff. I haven't seen any recently, but they were incredibly expensive. I also know there were some bugs with the initial release, but they are on their way.