I need advice on making a big purchase, please
TV ClubHouse: Archive: I need advice on making a big purchase, please
Fabnsab | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 01:42 am     Hi everyone. Let me preface by saying that I am not electronically savvy. I am buying my husband his dream for our anniversary- a big screen television. I am nervous because I don't know anything about them and personally, I don't like them and this is a large purchase to be screwing up. I don't want to be taken by some gimmick or a salesperson. I was that salesperson once.lol Can anyone out there give me some things to look for or hints on what not to get? Oh yeah, my budget is between 1000-2000G. I hope thats not tacky to say because I don't know how else you could help if you didnt know what range I should look in. For instance, plasma screens are obviously out of my range. Thank you in advance! |
Riviere | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 02:25 am     Easy for me to answer this one.. I have always chosen RCA products. Bigscreen tv, vcr, video camcorder, and I'm not even a stockholder! Got my current tv sets in 1993 (are they that old?) a 45" and a 31" for the kids, today they still both work like brand new. Before that I owned an RCA 25" console color tv, my first ever adult credit purchase! I dragged it from CA to MI to OH to WI to Alaska to MO between 1978 and 1993, where I finally sold it for $50 when buying the 2 new tv sets.. For price and longetivity I prefer RCA, have had family & friends switch to RCA after their (unnamed brands) let them down. Hope you look around and check some RCA models. My next tv will be an RCA and I won't even need one for years, but my 45" cost $1500 and that's roughly what a bigger newer digital model costs today. Happy shopping! |
Crossfire | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 03:01 am     Personally... I'd try to find some way to let him pick it out himself. |
Resortgirl | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 06:14 am     I did months of research on bigscreen tv's about 2 years ago. At that time we chose a Sony. The picture was superior to Toshiba and RCA. We haven't had any problems whatsoever with it. I have to say that we had an extremely helpful sales person that I made 25 phone calls to and umpteen visits to the store (Sears). We actually started talking about our kids and her upcoming wedding.. LOL! I would say, do some research, visit a TV center and look at the resolution, ect. I know they have come out with the High definition TV's and I know nothing about them. Good Luck! |
Ryn | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 06:54 am     Fab, get him a lil one for like $60 - keep it in a box (save the receipt) and give it to him, when he is diaapointed tell him he will have to return it and get a bigger one and then tell him his real present. Speaking as a guy, if he is anything like me he would enjoy the process of figguring out what to get (ever seen the Circuit City commercials? lol). There are soooooo many options, Wide Screen - Not Wide Screen - hdtv ready? not? etc etc etc etc (yes - I have been drooling over them myself lately). I just find that, no matter how good my wife's, or moms, or mother in-law intentions, if they buy a tool or electronic gadget for me, there is always something not quite satisfying about it, and part of that is because I didn't get to look at the options. hope that makes sense |
Webkitty | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 07:10 am     I agree with Ryn. Get him a decoy so he has something to upwrap. But let him pick out his own bigscreen. Guys are funny that way  |
Gail | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 07:50 am     Get him a gift card from either Circuit City or Best Buy or whichever store and wrap it in with a small nice present. I am with Ryn on this one. About 2 months ago, I wanted a CD walkman and I was totally anal about what features it had. IT had to have a car adaptor and it HAD to play mp3's. It took me forever to find just what I wanted. There were dozens on the shelves but none had all the things I wanted. It is much more fun to pick it out in the case of something like this. You could get something that will go with a big screen tv - like a new dvd player or even just get a really favorite DVD that would be fantastic on a big screen tv and wrap a gift card in with that. |
Twiggyish | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 08:06 am     Yup, sounds like my husband. He can spend hours on the computer, on the phone or at the store shopping around for the best gadget, at the best price. (On a side note, this same man will not go to the mall and shop for clothes.. I don't see the difference!!) |
Mystery | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 08:12 am     Fab, great gift! He'll love it (and you will, too!) I agree with the people who say to let him shop. If you go to bestbuy.com you'll see the range of choices you have, and I bet he might have some ideas already. When we bought our TV there recently, a woman was walking her husband into the store blindfolded and she just stood him in front of the big-screen TVs, took the blindfold off and said "Happy Birthday!" It was kind of fun (don't know if your husband would go for that, though!) You could always wrap a picture of one up as the present. Good luck! |
Faerygdds | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 09:06 am     Oh GOd... what is wrong with me... I like to pick out all the options and gadgets and my hubby doesn't care... a picture is a picture... does that mean that I'm a guy????  |
Jkm | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 09:16 am     I would find the biggest box - put a smaller box inside it - fill it with the Newspaper adds of the big screen tv's, print some stuff off of the websites - like bestbuy circuit city sears or even some place like consumer reports. (as much research or fun as you like) Seal it up. Then break out the construction paper to decorate the outside of the small box to look like a small tv. Place inside the biggest box and wrap. Enclose a card with a homemade gift certificate that says something like Permission to purchase (1) big screen TV with in the limits of 1000-2000 dollars. (too many years with scouts......) |
Draheid | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 09:30 am     Ok, here's one site I go to when I'm looking for something 'big' ($$$) mostly for reference. EPinions.com I find the research usually pays off. Personally, I prefer Sony products although they are usually considerably more expensive than others. And to be honest, I currently own a Phillips/Magnavox set in my entertainment center and love it. Here is the section Epinions specific to your request: Epinions Televisions in the $1200-$2000 Range that might help. FYI: The FCC has established a number of guidelines for 'Digital Television' rollout over the next few years. For more information, FCC DTV Information is a good read to help understand the intent of digital rollout over the next few years. The bottom line, considering the near future of television and the investment you are considering, research is crucial. The idea of providing a 'decoy' gift and allowing the recepient the opportunity to make the final decision is an excellent idea. I hope this helps a little.  |
Nimtu | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 09:37 am     Fun present!! Good advice you're getting. The only thing that I might add is to check with a few of your local electronic repair shops. Those techs know which brands and models they see come in over and over and which ones are reliable (better than a salesperson). |
Max | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 10:06 am     Well, Consumer Reports last updated their info in November, 2001, but here's their bottom line (prices are likely to be much different now and I'm sure there are newer models, too, but this will give you one point of view): "Three HD-capable models topped the Ratings. The 53-inch Hitachi UltraVision Digital 53UDX10B, $2,500, was among the best. Movie buffs should check out two wide-screen models: the 53-inch Pioneer SD-533HD5, $3,300, or the 50-inch Toshiba TheaterWide HD 50H81, $2,500. The Pioneer matches the Hitachi's picture quality, but it lacks auto convergence. The Toshiba's picture quality was a bit lower but fine, and it has auto convergence. The 57-inch, 16:9 Sony Hi-Scan Series KP-57HW40, $3,200, had the best HD images. A few sets, detailed in Recommendations & Notes in the Ratings, came close. If you want to spend less, consider a standard set. Two fine choices: the Hitachi UltraVision 53SBX10B and the Sony V-Series KP-53V90, each $2,000. Both are 53-inch sets with a 4:3 format and automatic convergence, a useful feature. Still, you may get more for your money if you can wait. Prices on rear-projection, as well as front-projection, TVs are likely to drop in price by year's end." I agree with the idea of boxes within boxes and then a note or something at the end saying he gets to pick it out. I did that one year for my ex-husband in regard to a pair of skis. He had to unwrap five different boxes, then the final, smallest one had a little wind-up toy in it (a golf-ball skier figure) with a note on it that said it was good for his choice of skiis. He loved that and I didn't have to stress trying to pick what he'd like best. |
Cinnamongirl | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 10:34 am     Thats the exact tv we have Max, the Hitachi 53" UltraVision Digital/HDTV Ready. Its awesome! very, very happy.. I spent months reading up on things and another few weeks talking to reps from the different stores and finally picked the Hitachi. Survivor never looked better.... |
Fabnsab | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 11:18 am     Thanks so much, EVERYONE, for your posts and research!! Well, I won an ebay auction for numerous amount of $50 Best Buy gift cards. I emailed some people who won this persons auctions and they all said he was legit. I figure I will put one in an envelope with his anniversary card and let him think it is to use for an xbox game or something, then I'll hide the others like a scavenger hunt with the last envelope being a picture of a big tv from Best Buy. If all goes well, we can take the cards to Best Buy and he can go at it himself. I hope this works. I agree with all of you. I should let him pick it out. I'll print this thread out for the consumer info too so he can have some tools to work with because I know he could use the help too. Thanks again! |
Rabbit | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 11:30 am     Mrs Rabbit !!! You are posting on the board as Twiggyish?!? OMG ... where to hide? ..... hop .. hop ... hop ....... |
Twiggyish | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 11:49 am     LOL Rabbit! |
Dahli | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 01:39 pm     My girlfriend did the exact same thing for her husband, but she borrowed my husband (who also wants a big screen TV) to help her.... since he has/had done a lot of research and is good friends with the first hubby, she knew my DH would know what to get. They avoided RCA like the plague, you can get a honkin' big RCA tv for very little money, but wouldn't dream of it, sorry Riviere but they make so much crap. Anyway they did go with Sony and had the entire surround sound and TV installed while he was out golfing with my hubby. He was totally shocked surprised and thrilled - so in this case it worked having it purchased ahead of time. This setup was a little over 5K (Cdn) but worth every cent apparantly. If I didn't have someone I trusted to help with this then I agree the gift cert idea is excellent indeed.... |
Riviere | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 02:15 pm     That's hilarious Dahli, I avoid Sony products like the plague! Overpriced, their so called superior features tend to be buggy, one of the several (unnamed brands) my post refers to that a few folks I know would never dream of buying again. The 'crap' you refer to by RCA is news to me, though I know an Asian manufacturer who uses parent RCA logo and makes a much cheaper line of electronics, a la the offbrand Pioneer stereo models many years ago.. I'm very picky about good electronics and have the $ to be choosy and make sure I get true RCA top of the line gear with the features I want. Projection tv has had improvements but I'd still never want one, there are so many superior bigscreens with better res made by many companies. I've had wonderful RCA products for over 20 years and not 1 repair ever needed, and I do recommend giving RCA a look when shopping around, as I said. I don't trust men to shop, heheh, my hubby would be gaga over all the unnecessary bells & whistles and swept away with too much visual stimulation and end up coming back with something overpriced based on salesman opinion. I do my homework before I shop and I don't deal with salespeople at all, I go out and buy what I've chosen at the best price and save myself a lot of angst. My original computers 1990-1999 were built by me with carefully hand selected components and superior to any name brand system up until Gateway offered a package with parts I wanted at a package deal price. |
Halfunit | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 02:23 pm     You could also buy that "All In One" remote from a chain discount store with a note that says it's up to him to pick out the tv to go with it... |
Juju2bigdog | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 02:29 pm     Wait a minute, Fabnsab! Are you SURE, absolutely SURE about those Best Buy gift cards from ebay?? Can you check it out some more before you commit your money? Maybe you should call Best Buy and ask them about it? Ask to speak to somebody in security. It may be perfectly legit, but it is raising the fur on the back of my neck, which is not a good sign. Rabbit, wouldn't it be far better if Mrs. Rabbit were posting on the board as Fabnsab? Post Edited to add: Fabnsab, I just went and checked on ebay for some recent auctions of Best Buy gift cards. I don't like it, I don't like it at all. I'll e-mail you if you have an e-mail listed. If not, please e-mail me at juju2bigdog@yahoo.com, and I'll then e-mail you. |
Grooch | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 02:32 pm     Digital TV Switch Pushed Congress: In draft bill, lawmakers propose steps to speed transition. It would make most analog TVs obsolete by 2007. By EDMUND SANDERS TIMES STAFF WRITER Posted September 20 2002 WASHINGTON -- Hoping to speed the nation's transition to digital television, key lawmakers are circulating a draft of a bill that would render most TVs obsolete by 2007 and require millions of Americans to spend hundreds of dollars on new sets or special equipment. The proposal, which would force broadcasters to stop sending conventional analog television signals by Dec. 31, 2006, immediately sparked a firestorm of criticism from broadcasters and consumer groups, who predicted such a requirement would face substantial opposition in Congress. The draft, circulated by Reps. W.J. "Billy" Tauzin (R-La.) and John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is intended to light a fire under broadcasters, cable operators and equipment manufacturers to accelerate the roll-out of digital TV. Digital TV promises to dramatically improve picture quality, through such technologies as high-definition TV, and provide viewers with CD-quality audio, more channels and interactivity. In 1996, Congress set a 2006 target date for most TV broadcasters to end analog broadcasts and send only digital signals. But the switch has been slow. The Tauzin-Dingell proposal would fix a final deadline that could not be extended. Consumer demand for digital TV has been weak, in part because of the high cost of digital TVs, the incompatibility of set-top boxes and the scarcity of innovative programming being broadcast. Only about 3 million digital TV sets--which can cost thousands of dollars--have been sold, and fewer than one-third of broadcast TV stations are transmitting digitally. Under current law, TV stations may continue using airwaves earmarked for analog signals until 85% of households in their market have digital TV sets. Based on the slow sales of digital TVs, few markets were expected to meet the 85% threshold by 2006. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael K. Powell also has adopted digital TV as a pet cause. Last month, the FCC ordered TV manufacturers to install digital tuners in most sets by 2007. Congressional staffers stressed that the Tauzin-Dingell draft is only a "starting point" and said the final bill is not expected to be introduced for several months. A hearing is scheduled for next week. "This is classic Tauzin and Dingell strategy," said Seth Greenstein, an attorney representing several consumer electronics makers. "You give some candy to all the major players, but you make them take their medicine as well." Government leaders are motivated to switch to digital TV largely by economics. The sooner broadcasters switch to digital signals, the sooner they will be required to return billions of dollars' worth of analog TV spectrum, which the government plans to auction off for other uses, probably wireless services. Some critics say the government is pushing a technology that consumers don't really want. If the draft legislation becomes law, consumers with traditional analog TV sets in 2007 would be unable to view over-the-air digital TV signals unless they purchase digital sets or special converter boxes. Cable or satellite TV customers would be less affected because most set-top boxes already are capable of converting digital signals to analog. The proposal also requires the FCC to settle a spat between entertainment companies and technology firms to implement a copy-protection technology, known as a broadcast flag, designed to protect over-the-air digital shows from being copied and redistributed over the Internet. The draft requires the technology to be installed in all digital devices by Jan. 1, 2006. Hollywood has lobbied hard for a government mandate on the broadcast flag. But the Tauzin-Dingell proposal would be a setback for broadcasters that must upgrade their transmission facilities with expensive new equipment. A spokesman for the National Assn. of Broadcasters declined to comment Thursday. Some electronics firms worry that the technology mandated by the draft will not work and predict that consumers will reject it. One technology group, Digitalconsumer.org, called the draft "clumsy and dangerous" and warned that its proposals would make millions of existing VCRs inoperable. In a statement, Tauzin said, "While we prefer marketplace solutions, clearly it is time for us to provide leadership in this area. By doing so, we hope to ensure that consumers benefit in a meaningful way from this exciting transition." A vote is not likely until next year, but lobbying from various industries and consumer groups has been underway since June, when Tauzin abandoned efforts to mediate a private-sector settlement. |
Rabbit | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 02:51 pm     Mrs. Rabbit?!? Are you posting as Fabnsab? No Juju, as a matter of fact, when the sale on our old house closes, Mrs Rabbit has instructed me to "buy one of those new TV's, you know, the kind shaped like a movie screen, I think it would look better in the great room than that old one. You can move the old big screen into the bedroom." To which I answered, "Yes Dear, if that is what you want I will take care of it for you." My men friends all hate me now, and my brothers want to know what I am feeding her? |
Dahli | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 03:26 pm     LOL Riviere! Exact opposite here, research up the wazoo brought us to Sony... along with two TV's with never a problem - one almost 20 years old. But more importantly our RCA has never worked properly when in our home, hard to say what it does at the repair shop... it's second home! ;-)) |
Juju2bigdog | Friday, September 20, 2002 - 06:04 pm     Hare, did she make that decision before or after you painted the outside rim of the old big screen TV red? I mean aubergine. |
Jkm | Monday, October 07, 2002 - 08:32 am     So? What happened?????? |
Curiouscat | Monday, October 07, 2002 - 01:19 pm     I know this is probably too late for Fabnsab but another good online place to check out is: http://www.activebuyersguide.com/ This site and Consumer Reports were really helpful with researching my DVD player purchase, and also for a "less than 20 inch screen" TV for my Mom. P.S. - The site isn't just about A/V equipment either, but on many, many items. |
Juju2bigdog | Wednesday, October 09, 2002 - 06:11 pm     Remind me to come back and post in here later about a probable Best Buy gift certificate scam on Ebay, NOT, repeat not, the ones Fabnsab was buying. But, it is the one I was warning her about, thinking it was hers. <races off to "watch" Amazing Race in chat> |
Fabnsab | Thursday, October 10, 2002 - 02:50 am     Well, I did get the Best Buy gift certificates on ebay. I was worried but after deliberating and emailing the guy a million times, I sent him his money via paypal. The certificates were, indeed, legit. I got lucky. I will never do something so huge on ebay again. I thought I was going to have a heartattack. My husband is a strange bird. He got the gift, loved the idea but opted to buy a 36" television with a great home theatre system and a gorgeous entertainment center to put it all in, not to mention some new dvds and games to play on his surround sound. He was actually a savvy shopper and I am proud of him. Thanks again for all the advice guys. BTW, if anyone is shopping for a big screen tv here is something good to know. The hdtv's have the same picture as the projection tv's, the difference is, they're hooked up to a $700 optional digital converter that makes it look so great in the stores. We were fooled at first until we got a really honest guy at Best Buy. Juju, you are so great to have put the time and energy into making sure I didn't get ripped off and I am so grateful. |
Juju2bigdog | Thursday, October 10, 2002 - 08:59 am     Here is a partial excerpt from the e-mail I sent Fabnsab when she was about to make her purchase. Turns out the one below was not her seller. Her seller was legit, and the seller below probably copied Fabnsab's seller's ad trying to make his phony one look legitimate. Juju wrote: "Okay, Fabnsab, let me see how quickly I can get this put down in words for you. I am composing offline from memory, so I don't have all the references right in front of me. "First thing was you mentioned buying a large quantity of Best Buy gift cards at ebay. This just seemed like an unusual thing to sell on ebay to me. If you had such a thing, which is practically the same thing as cash, why wouldn't you just use them yourself? Best Buy has good stuff. People on ebay are computer savvy, electronically savvy probably. "So I went over to ebay and went to the tab that says Search, not the search box, the tab at the top. Pull that down and then select Completed Items. I was trying to find your auction, looking for a sale of a large dollar amount of Best Buy gift certificates. I searched on the phrase Best Buy gift certificates and came up with a seller called xxx something out of yyy, who appears to have sold quite a few batches of $1500 worth of Best Buy gift certificates in the past couple weeks. He claims to have $4500 worth, but if you look at the completed auctions, he has now sold more than $4500 worth. He said he won them in a contest at work. xxx has no customer feedback, so could be new to ebay. No Paypal, no whatever else is the "safe" way you can pay at ebay. Wants cash type payment and wants it quick. Wants you to wire it to an account "at work." In other words, he wants to make sure he has the money before you get to see exactly what it is you bought. (and sometimes you can't blame a person for that) But he is also in yyy. I investigated fraud in yyy for 8 years. It is the fraud capital of the world. If you send your money down there and it is a scam, there is NO WAY you will ever get it back because it is also one of the drug capitals of the world. Law enforcement is too overrun trying to cope with the drugs to care about fraud." Yesterday I was wondering about those Best Buy gift cards, and I went back to Ebay and did another search. I saw that Fabnsab's auction had been successfully completed and everybody was happy. On xxx's auction, however, people are now leaving negative feedback that they never received their purchased item. I guess this goes to show, I may be retired, but I can still "smell" it when I see it. LOL. Fabnsab, so glad yours worked out and that you took extra precautions. |
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