TVCH FORUMS HOME . JOIN . FAN CLUBS . ABOUT US . CONTACT . CHAT  
Bomis   Quick Links   TOPICS . TREE-VIEW . SEARCH . HELP! . NEWS . PROFILE
HDTV (Plasma, LCD, etc)

The TVClubHouse: General Discussion ARCHIVES: 2006 Mar. ~ 2006 May: HDTV (Plasma, LCD, etc) users admin

Author Message
Max
Moderator

08-12-2000

Monday, April 10, 2006 - 7:16 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Max a private message Print Post    
Okay, I got a small inheritance check today and on the list of things I've been wanting to get is a big-screen TV, preferably one that can be mounted on the wall, so a plasma or LCD is probably what I'll get.

I've read a bunch about them, but I'm still confused enough that I'll probably be a salesman's dream if I set foot in a store (which is not good).

Anyone have some guidance for me? :-)

Wendo
Member

08-07-2000

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 9:44 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wendo a private message Print Post    
Are you a big sports fan? Are you looking for a huge screen? Do you watch a lot of action movies where there's a lot going on?

If so, then you would be best going with a plasma screen over an LCD. Plasma screens handle motion better and suffer less from the streaking LCD's suffer from.

However, LCD tv's continue to make strides in this regard (screen refresh etc.); they're just not quite there yet.

If, though, the above aren't important, then I would go LCD (the Sony Bravia and Sharp Aquos lines are quite nice.)

Max
Moderator

08-12-2000

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 9:54 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Max a private message Print Post    
That's a perspective I hadn't considered! :-)

No, I don't watch sports much. I do have a lot of action movies in my collection, but mostly I watch TV (recorded on my DVR).

I've seen the plasma TVs and have been REALLY impressed with the picture. I've seen some of the LCDs, but not the big ones yet, and have read about the issues of screen refresh, but you gave me a new perspective on how to evaluate that.

I do want something that's about a 42" to 50" screen. That's about as big as my living room can handle, though.

Since I'm also in the market for a new refrigerator, I'm hoping I can work some kind of deal at a store that sells both.

Cndeariso
Member

06-28-2004

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 10:07 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Cndeariso a private message Print Post    
hey, max, aren't we related?

Max
Moderator

08-12-2000

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 10:30 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Max a private message Print Post    
Don't know, Cnd, but you're welcome to come watch movies any time! :-)

Cndeariso
Member

06-28-2004

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 10:36 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Cndeariso a private message Print Post    
i can give you my bank account number if you need somewhere to deposit that check. i don't mind helping you spend it.

Max
Moderator

08-12-2000

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 11:07 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Max a private message Print Post    
Well, after I get finished having the exterior of the house painted, getting hardwood floors installed, replacing the carpet in the bathrooms (wall-to-wall decided by some stupid decorator who apparently had no sense whatsoever) with tile, getting a new refrigerator, getting the furnace repaired so it doesn't sound like a plane is landing every time it comes on, and getting a nice big-screen TV, then. . . :-)

I decided that I'd invest in my house instead of just putting it in an investment account. :-)

Cndeariso
Member

06-28-2004

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 11:10 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Cndeariso a private message Print Post    
well, i need a new garage, the kitchen remodeled, the bath remodeled and a custom made storm door at my house just for starters. i'm sure we can work out some kind of deal.

my hd feels that lcd tv is the way to do as it doesn't fade over time like plasma. me? i haven't a clue.

Rabbit
Animoderator

08-12-2001

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 11:14 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Rabbit a private message Print Post    
I have a smaller LCD TV in my den. A 27" widescreen. (I would buy the 32" now as the price dropped to what I paid in the last year. I use it as a secondary XVGA monitor (I had to find a 10" monitor cable to stretch across the room.) I use it as an extended pc desktop (additional workspace, not a mirror of what shows on my laptop). The model I bought will split the screen in half, so half of it shows TV while the other half I have an internet window open and then keep work applications open on the laptop screen. It is too cool!

As to the 42-50" ones Wendo gave you great advice. I still have a really good Sony bigscreen HDTV in the great room, but Mrs Rabbit wants to someday go to a 50" flat screen attached to the wall as soon as I start looking at the Sony with that hmmm this think is getting obsoltete look.

If you aren't going to attach to the wall though (there are lots of wiring considerations in doing that right.) The narrow footprint (18") DLP LCD projection TVs have terrific picture quality per dollar spent.

Note sometimes your flat screen isnt savng you any space even if you attach it to the wall, as you often have to have a case at least 18" inches deep for your home theater DVD, your DVR and Sat receiver. So often the superior picture DLP LCD projection units and stand give you a better picture with the same floor footprint for less money.

Bonzacat
Member

07-08-2003

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 11:19 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Bonzacat a private message Print Post    
Here is a very good comparison of plasma vs. lcd technology

Wendo
Member

08-07-2000

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 11:25 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wendo a private message Print Post    
My mom went with a DLP projection tv (against my advice) and while she likes it, I found the quality inferior. She was raving about the picture, but when I finally saw it over Thanksgiving, I was unimpressed. (It is a huge screen though, so I think she likes that.) While it's thinner than traditional CRT, the new thin CRT tv's coming out are comparable.

One thing I wanted to add, make sure anything you buy is HDTV (not HDTV ready.) I wouldn't buy a new tv today that isn't HDTV.

Rabbit
Animoderator

08-12-2001

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 11:34 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Rabbit a private message Print Post    
Oh and beware of EDTV too. Sometimes they try to pass off the inferior EDTV as HDTV, by saying Digital (true) and Higher Definition (Higher not high).

Wendo makes a great point too about HDTV vs HDTV ready. The ready ones require an additional receiver box that often costs much more than getting the same unit that has an HDTV built in. And who needs another reciever box anyway to figure out what to do with.

Sadiesmom
Member

03-13-2002

Wednesday, May 03, 2006 - 5:00 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sadiesmom a private message Print Post    
I shopped and shopped to get a TV and now tht I own an HDTV, I know what I want in the next set.

First let me say that due to financial reasons, I really did not want to invest a lot of money in a new TV just yet, with HDTV on the verge of replacing all other sets, yet I did not want to spend money on a set that would be obsolete next year when HDTV is the standard.

I now know that any HDTV I purchase in the future would have the "card slot" option and would include an HDTV tuner.

My compromise was to get a light weight CRT HDTV (27 inches) for a little over $400. Now the prices fluctuate, so I watched the prices until this was on sale. It was being discontinued because everyone wants LCD, but that would have cost me twice as much and I can lift 80 pounds (for a little while), so it seemed like a great deal.

Complaint section about cable service -
Then I went to connect it to Cable - now I had talked to the representatives twice before buying this TV. They told me I would need a connector and would have to pay $5 a month for it. Well, they did not exactly represent it correctly. You need a tuner - so now I have to sit with two remotes to watch TV (hate that) and I cannot use the TV program to skip channels and there is no programming of the tuner to allow that, so I have a 100 or so channels that I don't want to look at, that I have to click through, or I have to remember the changed numbers of all the channels. Plus, after getting the $5 a month tuner, ther e is a second $5 a month charge to use the "software of the tuner". I have filed a complaint with the state about that, since it is not represented anywhere thier website or on the periodic list of charges that they mail me. None of the customer service people mentioned the additional charge either. If I had a TV with the card slot, the cable company would only charge $1.50 per month and I could just use the TV remote.
---end of complaint

The picture is fantastic even with regular stations, but the few (very few, not $10 a months worth) of stations that broadcast in HDTV are amazing and the sound is great. The TV was worth every cent, but I think I will disconnect the HDTV tuner until more shows are broadcast in that format. It is a Toshiba and was and may still be on sale at Best Buy. The menu screen is not the best, but how often do you use it. The video is still stunning.

I was very lucky as this TV sqeaked into the same entertainment center by 1/4 of an inch even though it is a wide screen set. I did measure before I bought it.

Now who knows about a good DVD player?