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Okay, so I'm buying a house (we close 2 weeks, ahh)I am super stoked, I'll save all the details for another thread.
Now for the important stuff, what's a new house without a new hdtv? So I'm trying to find the best tv for a price that I won't kill me?
I'm throwing this out there for some help. Pretty much I'm still trying to figure out all the numbers and which ones are important. While 1080p with a 10,000:1 contrast ratio seems to be the best, it hurts in the wallet. I like progressive scan better than interlaced, and I think I like plasma better than lcd.
Thoughts?
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picked up the Olevia 242t (i think it's the t anyway) from mwave.com. It's a 42 inch HDTV. Got a really sweet deal, $850, including shipping. I don't see that deal anymore tho
Well I just got my first HDTV a 42" Samsung Plasma, 720p 10,000:1 contrast, 2 HDMI, 2 Compenent, PC input.
this one:
http://www.samsung.com/Products/TV/PlasmaTV/HPS4253XXAA.asp
The price was hot.
wow that's a sweet contrast ratio! how does it look? sounds like it'd be amazing
where'd you get it?
It looks great in HD, the wii looks good and soo do dvds. programs that aren't HD leave a little to be disired, some noise, and a little clay effect on faces. Liam doesn't really notice it, so I might be over-critical.
We got it at Best Buy, it was on clearance!
I have been doing a lot of research on HDTV with LCD & Plasma lately. Since we will be moving into our house again, a year after the fire, our previous CRT TV was melted away, all that was left was a metal frame, when I got into the house with my brother we were like, what is that and than we realized it was the remaining part of our old TV. But with all things that are burned, you get money through insurance to replace it. Now when it comes to choose between Plasma & LCD there are many deciding factors, such as the Burn-in factor on Plasma and the viewing angles on LCD, but as technology continues to improve these two factors seemed to be corrected also. Here are the TV's that I have purchased:
Family Room:
Panasonic TH-50PX600U 50 in. HDTV Plasma Television
- The ratings on this TV got very High Reviews, even though it doesnt display 1080p it only display 1080i. Really not TV will display true 1080p unless their display resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixels. Unfourtunately most HDTV's have a display resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. The bold number represents the true amount of pixels, hence why you will never truly be able to see the 1080p on a resolution with 768. The HDTV's that do come with 1080 pixels range from $7,500+ and for right now thats a bit pricy. The reviews on this TV also mentioned that the Burnin factor on this Plasma has been corrected by Panasonic, now if that's true or not seems to be seen...
Wet Bar:
Samsung LN-S2651D 26 in. LCD Television
- What impressed me the most with this TV was the 4000:1 Dynamic Contrast, along with a display resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels and it has not one but TWO HDMI inputs... The picture quality reviews on the TV seem favorable, so I will have to later comment on it, but for a secondary TV its not a bad deal. It also displays up to 1080i (for the same reason as specified on the previous TV).
My Bedroom:
Toshiba 37HL66 37 in. HDTV LCD Television
- This was by far my hardest choice. This is the TV I will be using most often, so no wonder this one was decided with a lot of research. What caught my eye first was that this HDTV was rated one of the best by Consumer Reports and after looking at, I must say hundreds of customer reviews that averaged 9 out of 10 stars, I decided to look further into this model. Now the Contrast Ratio dosent seem to be as good as the Samsung (only 1000:1) but is higher than most in its class (800:1). It will also be doubling up as my computer monitor, and the reviews on that were very good also. Pretty much when deciding between Plasma and LCD, the factor came down to that this TV has a PC Monitor Input (VGA 15 Pin D-Sub) whereas the Hitachi Plasma HDTV that I looked into didn't. It also has a display resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, only 1 HDMI input and also displays HD up to 1080i.
I hope this helps a bit. Once I get to using these HDTV's more often, I could give a better review on each of them.
that's a lot of HDTVs
Yeah, I figured if your going to get new TV's why not get them in HDTV's? I didnt realize all the research that went into picking out the right ones...
What're you Daddy Warbucks? Geez...
If anyone cares I think I decided on this one: http://tinyurl.com/yf8ev3
it is $600 off on black friday, making this 42" 720p with 2 HDMI inputs and a slew of other inputs, under $1000.
looks good. great price too.
Yeah, it was a great price, too bad 2,000 other people thought so too. We got to best buy around 3 am and we were about 300 people back in line. So didn't get the tv :-(
D'OH!
FWIW: I switched this year from a 1080i 36"CRT to a 720p 40" LCD and Luv it!
(KV36XBR450 to KDLV40XBR1)
*Although.. if somebody wanted my new box I'd be all over the KDL40XBR2 for the 1080p
the laser tv's are coming the laser tv's are coming!
I found this article and it was super-helpful
HDTV Shopping, 5 usefull tips:
http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/34579/273701.html
here's a helpful thread on this very topic! http://www.shacknews.com/ja.zz?id=13249154
Sharp Aquos and Sony Bravias are great sets. But I think those are LCDs...
I could be talked into an lcd, its just in general it appears to me that plasmas create a crisper picture.
Sometimes lcds look like i'm watching a computer screen, almost pixelated. Maybe it's my imagination.
What happened to regular TV sets...geez...
they've gone the way of the dinosaur.. along with most of the music you listen to. ohhhhhhhhh
HAHAHAHA
Laugh it up fuzzball...
I age like fine wine.
And my music, like Dick Clark. Old, but still lively.
you forgot ailing. he's ailing.
wow dude, i can't believe this thread, it hurts my head just to read it
i think i've been enjoying bit torrent + divx on my 17 inch flat panel for too long
i was actually thinking about cancelling our cable tv - i think lauren would be mad though
this is new: http://thepiratebay.org/tv
but subscribing to shows with RSS is much better http://www.tvrss.net/ + http://www.getdemocracy.com/
oh, and sweet! www.uTorrent.com supports RSS as well.. CTRL-R
CNET HDTV guide
http://www.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-5102926-1.html
Ok here's some opinions and facts. Terrible spelling and grammer, in no order, random brain dump:
Right now you won't see much digital cable in 1080p AFAIK. And until you spend the bucks for an HD-DVD player you won't see much different in DVD from 720p to 1080p. Sure, the upconverter looks great on it, but is it worth all that extra money when you could get a game console, great audio system (upgrade whatever), games, dvds, etc. Just my opinion.
Consider your room setup, and size. Being close to a fairly big sized LCD you will see the screen door effect, it's like looking through a screen door. Plasma technology is great for it's compact size but the life span is short compared to others (lcd, tube, dlp).
Tube HD is ALWAYS the best technology, but is heavy, if you don't plan on moving, a great option.
I personally have a samsung DLP 720p. I have seen the 'rainbow effect' people talk about only once in my whole year of viewing. You have to replace the bulb which is exactly like changing a household light bulb (on the samsung anyway). DLP form factor is much smaller than regular rear projection and can sit on a tv stand. If the mirror (dlp tech) is messed up, replace it. A big pro over LCD and plasma, where if you've got a couple dead pixels you're pretty much out of fortunateness (luck :p)
I notice that when you look for HD, you end up looking close at every single artifact on screen, instead of enjoying the HD in general. For example, I notice the slight sheen of my screen on vibrant whites, but I notice it only when I'm being way to critical.
Progressive: screen draws every refresh
Interlaced: the screen every other line of a screen first, then the others the second pass
Interlaced Pro: Better resolution/ image quality
Interlaced Con: Fast moving images (esp games) you will see a slight blur / flicker effect.
i love the commercials for DLP with the girl in the flower field and she whispers "it's the mirrors"
"taste the rainbow"
I've seen a rainbow once with DLP so far.
i have never seen "the rainbow" i don't think it exists
I was just saying that cuz that commercial reminds me of the skittles commercial
Plasma's prone to burn-in in video games.
Here are a few good articles.
Plasma especially, but even a lot of older rear projection tv's still have a problem.
But most have really worked out this issue.
Really? I'm still leery because if you get burn in, you're screwed. There's no way to fix it, right?
Yeah pretty much, you have to really research the model that you have, it can vary.
But the burn in happens because the avatars/icons/HUD are exposed in one location for a very long time. Look at a Wawa or 7-11 register display, or an old ATM display. BURN IN
How long does that take though, an hour, 3 hours, 7 hours? doesn't it take a real extended time, like days?
This will vary depending on brand, model, screen types. It's just a lot less an issue for newer systems
Without admitting exactly how long I can (and have) played Morrowind, I'll venture to say even a newer plasma isn't a chance I would take. :P We're happy with our huge, 150 lb tube right now.