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Shopping My First HDTV

Reality TVClubHouse Discussions: General Discussions ARCHIVES: Jan ~ Apr 2009: Buyers Banter: Shopping My First HDTV users admin

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Naja
Member

06-28-2003

Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - 5:26 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Naja a private message Print Post    
My old 46 inch projection TV finally petered out :-( I got it 11 years ago as a wedding gift, so I think it had a good run.

Anyway, I will need another big TV for the rec room to replace it, and I am finally going HD.

Of course I am not made of money, so I found what I "think" is a good deal. Is it?

Circuit City is open for 6 hours tomorrow and this 50" DLP Projection HDTV will be $799.

TV Link

Does it look ok?

Boberg
Member

10-04-2002

Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - 6:22 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Boberg a private message Print Post    
Naja,

I can't tell you if it is a great TV but Amazon.com has it for $1042 with free shipping. You can check out the reviews there also. They rate it very high, 4 1/2 stars out of 5. Probably a pretty good TV, especially for the price.

I did read recently that if being able to view the TV from various angles is important then you want to go with a plasma screen instead of LCD. The picture is not suppose to be distorted when looking at it from the side or an angle with the plasm....but I am definetly no expert, just sharing what I read.

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - 6:40 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
Naja, you're in the Chicago area too? I'm usually not much of a shopper. I plan on getting an HDTV sometime in the latter part of next year if not sooner. I think I want an LCD screen. My current TV is a 27" Sony Trinitron I bought in 2000 (when I won my first DVD player). I don't have cable or satellite. Don't want another "box" when TV signals go all digital in February 2009. Pretty sure I'll be buying from Abt Electronics.

Question: Can HDTVs also read / accept analog signals? What happens before the date in Feb. 2009? Or have I heard that until then some / all stations will be broadcasting in both analog and digital? Help!

Kstme
Member

08-14-2000

Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - 7:01 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kstme a private message Print Post    
I have owned my two Sony LCD HDTV's for over a year now. You are able to watch them from the sides or front on. Not a problem, at all. One tv is 40" and the other is 46". I LOVE them!

The reason I chose LCD over Plasma, had to do with the glare factor. LCD's have very little glare and Plasma's are notorious for their glare.

Plasma is gas and LCD is pixel. It truly comes down to a matter of personal choice. Both have improved so much over the last few years. You really need to see them both, side by side.

Naja
Member

06-28-2003

Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - 7:04 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Naja a private message Print Post    
Color, I am from the Chicago area, but moved to the KC area when I got married. All my family is still in the Chicago area.

I truly have no idea if HDTV's can grab digital signals from the air :-( All I know is if you want to grab HD signals through air, you need a special antenna from the roof that isn't cheap. I am sure a pro will be here soon to enlighten us. I'll be getting my HD channels through my cable company (Comcast).

Thanks for pointing to the Amazon reviews, Boberg. Seems like this model has many happy customers, AND it shows me this $799 price is really a deal. I see some people payed over $1500 for it just 6 months ago.

Naja
Member

06-28-2003

Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - 7:06 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Naja a private message Print Post    
Well, the plasma/lcd thing is so much more expensive for the size of TV I need for that room, that's why I am going for projection.

Naja
Member

06-28-2003

Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - 7:12 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Naja a private message Print Post    
Speaking of projection, you guys should see what my brother has for his kids in his rec room. He has an actual HDTV projector that projects tv and dvd movies onto a whole wall that he has painted white. It's like being at the drive-in.

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - 7:34 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
Can someone explain the whole HDTV thing? Though I don't have cable or satellite, I do have a TiVo DVR. If I understand something I just read, my current TiVo which I got in May '04 will not work with HD / digital signals?

HELP!

Naja
Member

06-28-2003

Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - 7:47 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Naja a private message Print Post    
Your old tivo will work with an HDTV. You will have two ways to watch what you capture on an old tivo. You can watch it normally 3:2, and your HDTV picture will have two black areas on each side of the screen. OR, you can stretch it to fit the whole screen and the people will look a little fatter. I have had TiVo for about 7 years, so I found that question out fast. Next year I may get an HD Tivo.

ETA: Your old TiVo will still have to record from the analog or digital channels.

Naja
Member

06-28-2003

Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - 8:00 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Naja a private message Print Post    
My brother, the technical wizard, FINALLY called me back! He said "No, I wouldn't get that TV".

I asked him "Why?"

He said "Because it's not 1080dpi."

I said "Why do I need 1080dpi?"

He said "So you can see the star's nose hairs."

Then he said he was joking, and the TV looks ok to him.

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - 9:23 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
LOL, Naja. Your brother has a sense of humor?

Naja
Member

06-28-2003

Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - 10:11 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Naja a private message Print Post    
Yeah, he's a butt-wipe (have called him that since 5th grade)

Egbok
Member

07-13-2000

Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - 10:57 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Egbok a private message Print Post    
LOL Naja, that's what my nephews call each other (brothers that are 5 years apart).

DH & I went to Best Buy this evening to look at HDTV's. I liked the LCD 1080dpi over the Plasma 1080dpi because of the glare factor and because I could see the nose hairs as your brother described. DH is thinking about trying to get one on Black Friday, either 42 or 46 inch. I told him he would have to line up at midnight for when the store opens at 5am...

Good luck with your new TV...sounds like a great buy!


Naja
Member

06-28-2003

Friday, November 23, 2007 - 5:24 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Naja a private message Print Post    
Well, that was all for naught :-( The few TV's that the 3 stores in our area had were gone even before 5 AM when the stores opened due to online purchasing for delivery/pick-up. Well, I learned my lesson. Maybe next week there will be another similar to it and I'll jump on it online, too.

Naja
Member

06-28-2003

Saturday, November 24, 2007 - 3:17 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Naja a private message Print Post    
Well, tomorrow Nebraska Furniture Mart will be delivering me a TV almost exactly like the other one I wanted from CC :-)

I should have waited 1 week and gone out there to pick it up, because 1 week from today they are holding the Big Brother 9 auditions there. It would have been cool to watch.

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Saturday, March 01, 2008 - 3:59 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
All I know is if you want to grab HD signals through air, you need a special antenna from the roof that isn't cheap.

That is not true. No change in rooftop antenna needed. If you're picking up the signals from rabbit ears on top of your TV, that may not work so well.

Racsan
Member

04-09-2004

Sunday, March 02, 2008 - 8:32 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Racsan a private message Print Post    
when the cable goes out, a cheap $7 pair of rabbit ears bought at walmart is all we need to pick up over the air hdtv channels on our 60" DLP LCD HDTV and it looks pretty durn good.

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Monday, March 10, 2008 - 3:20 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
Depends on your location whether rabbit ears work or not.

I got my first HD TV just last Friday. I got a Sony Bravia 40" 1080 dpi LCD flatscreen HD TV. Never had cable or satellite and don't want it. I've had TiVo Series 2 DVR for four years and love it. Never had a problem. Series 2 does not work with HD. I miss it. (It is still hooked up for analog reception though.) So . . . I'm thinking of HD TiVo Series 3. I've been asking questions about it on a TiVo message board. I am totally technologically challenged. Seems as if you want to hook HD TiVo up with cable, that can be big problems / headaches. I am strictly OTA. In the past number of years, have had trouble receiving analog signals, but techie person on TiVo message board said digital signal reception is either excellent / very good or bad -- not much middle ground. For the past four days -- excellent.

Jeep
Member

10-17-2001

Tuesday, October 28, 2008 - 10:38 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jeep a private message Print Post    
I am shopping for my first HDTV. Any tips about models and LCD or Plasma? They all look good!

Supergranny
Member

02-03-2005

Tuesday, October 28, 2008 - 10:46 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Supergranny a private message Print Post    
LCD's seem to be the best. The difference between plasma and lcd used to be you could see plasma from the side better but the new lcds have a bigger viewing range. We just got a small lcd and love it. Have the large dpl and it needs a new light after just 4 years to look as good as it first was. DD got one of the huge projection screens when they first came out and the picture is so lousy that it is now in rec room for kids to play games on.

Jagger
Member

08-07-2002

Tuesday, October 28, 2008 - 12:29 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jagger a private message Print Post    
I personally would go LCD, they seem to last longer, from what I heard the plasma TVs tend to burn out quicker.
I like Sony and Mitsubeshi(sp?) best.
I still have my Mitts projection TV from about 15 years ago and the picture is still great.

Jeep
Member

10-17-2001

Tuesday, October 28, 2008 - 12:52 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jeep a private message Print Post    
Thanks SG and Jagger. With so many models and features it's hard to pick one. I'll let you know what I end up with. DirecTV comes Friday to put in new dish and repace receiver.

Serate
Member

08-21-2001

Tuesday, October 28, 2008 - 8:08 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Serate a private message Print Post    
Jeep if you're getting an HD receiver it's worth the $5 a month for the protection plan. We replaced 3 receivers before finally getting one that worked and stayed working.

If you have the protection plan there is no ifs, ands, or buts, you will get a new receiver. We didn't get the protection plan until after the 2nd receiver, and the guy who brought it out told us to sign up because the one we got was going to go kaputt too. It was refurbished. We signed up and sure enough w/i a month it went kaputt. This time, since we had the protection plan, we called a different number and told them what we had been through and they said enough is enough and made sure we got the newest version HD DVR.



Jeep
Member

10-17-2001

Wednesday, October 29, 2008 - 5:39 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jeep a private message Print Post    
Thanks Serate. I didn't think about that. In fact, I wasn't asked to buy any type of protection plan but I will be asking about it for sure!

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Wednesday, October 29, 2008 - 2:02 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
There's virtually no glare with LCD screens -- there is with plasma. Pictures burn into plasma much faster / more easily than LCD. I heard this some place -- if you watch a lot of TV with crawler strips, the strip can burn into the plasma screen.

Csnog
Member

07-18-2002

Wednesday, October 29, 2008 - 7:50 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Csnog a private message Print Post    
I have the first Sharp LCD that they made. Not sure how old, maybe 2001 it's a 9" screen and has a transformer. It has been used a lot over the years both indoors and out and works beautifully.