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High Definition TV
tralev
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
First, I swear I spent 10 minutes trying to use the Search feature to find one of the many threads like this that I know already exist.
I'm looking to buy a high def tv, 38-42". I'm willing to pay more for quality, but I don't want to get skunked just paying for a brand name.
Costco has some nice options, I was going to put in a link but I can't figure out to put a short link name so I HScroll to death.
Is 1080i ok for a tv that size? Is 1080p even an option for it? What questions do I not even know to ask?
Thanks in advance.
I'm looking to buy a high def tv, 38-42". I'm willing to pay more for quality, but I don't want to get skunked just paying for a brand name.
Costco has some nice options, I was going to put in a link but I can't figure out to put a short link name so I HScroll to death.
Is 1080i ok for a tv that size? Is 1080p even an option for it? What questions do I not even know to ask?
Thanks in advance.
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EDIT: Also, anyone know about the Vizio brand Costco offers?
I bought a 42" Vizio LCD (GV42L) from Costco last August. It's been pretty good so far.
Good: handles SD content well for an LCD; versatile - has a bunch of inputs and optical out for OTA surround sound. Cheap price, plus Costco warranty at the time.
Bad: black levels - some roof scenes in Batman Begins just looked all black; has a weird remote that accesses each input directly, making it hard to program onto universal remotes. The TV speakers sucked but were detachable.
The set's in a sun-lit living room used throughout the day, facing windows. Time Warner HD box through DVI-HDMI, Xbox and Wii through component, 360 through VGA, OTA antenna through coax.
I'm only going to be watching content from either a HD cable box or my living room Mac Mini, so lack of a built-in TV decoder doesn't bother me. I saw the 47" and 37" models in the same line at Best Buy, and the picture was fairly good. I realize that it's not a very good judge, as they're not usually calibrated correctly, but this is my first HDTV purchase and I think I'll be satisfied with it, especially because it's not too expensive (online around $1200 for the 42").
Edit: The only reservation I have about this unit is, I can't find many sources that review how well it does with SD material. Can anybody share any experiences or point me in the right direction?
or Brawl. 4854.6102.3895 Name: NU..
Westinghouse LVM37-w3 here. It's a 1080p LCD monitor (37inch) like what you're talking about. It does a fine job with my NES and SNES, but the PS2 looks pretty bad most of the time. All the nastiness that is usually dulled by the round pixels in a SDTV are blindingly obvious on this screen.
Some say 1000:1 or better.. but I think they're color blind.
If the contrast ratio is too low the picture will look dark or light images will look washed out.
The lower the response time the better, 8ms or less is best.
I wouldn't worry too much about native resolution. 720p looks pretty damn good(1080i too). Unless you're going to get a giant screen 46"+ then 1080p might be a necessity.
(a) The best thing about costco is being able to go there and look at all the TVs side by side. If something looks good to you, then it looks good to you. Don't sweat the stats too much.
(b) to see how to make a long url into a short link, hit the quote button and see the bbcode: some HDTV on costco's site
Also, I want to buy a semi-decent 42" LCD. I don't want to pay much more than $1,00, and 720p is fine for me. Can I do this, or am I living in a pipe dream?
You can probably get Wal-Mart's brand 42" for no more than 1,000. I hear they're okay. I don't believe Olevia is at Best Buy or Wal-Mart, though. They do carry them at Target, however. Great TV's, those.
Although, the contrast ratio for my 37" Olevia is 1600:1. It looks great, but people keep saying you should get something with at least 4000:1. I saw a plasma with around 4000:1 to contrast ratio right next to my Olevia, and they both looked really sharp. I don't know if I'd say either one looked better than the other, they just looked slightly different. The plasma was, however, more expensive.
1000:1 is shit. 3000:1 is the very lowest I would consider, which is why I avoid most LCDs. Hell, a lot of LCDs I've seen are like 500:1. That's crazy-ugly.
Also consider that the contrast ratio on a CRT is effectively infinite, so if you want to see what the theoretical best contrast is, look at a CRT in a dimly lit room.
Is the rumor of plasma tv's not lasting more than a few years because they burn out (or something more techy) true?
Wii Code: 1040-1320-0724-3613 :!!:
Properly calibrated CRT front projectors are truly God's gift to home theater.
Oooooh, Target. Completely forgot about that. Thanks!
I haven't looked yet, but I'm not too worried about contrast ratio... then again, I'm a non-picky guy that can't really get excited about 1080p for (relatively) smaller sets.
Contrast ratio is the spec I trust the least, thanks to everyone fudging their numbers with "dynamic" contrast. You really have to see it in person.
Low contrast is what's kept me away from LCD for so long. I'm truly spoiled by my CRT HDTV.
(However price is what's kept me away from the newer high contrast LCDs.)
Woo, thanks for the feedback. Is the SD performance going to bother me if it's my first HDTV? I'll be hooking up the HD cable box via component, so I figure it couldn't be toooo bad.
or Brawl. 4854.6102.3895 Name: NU..
You know, I really don't care too much about the TV being a flat panel one - maybe a DLP is the way to go. What about this guy? Sony 46" WEGA HD
What CRT HDTV do you have? That's what I'm most interested in-I don't need a huge TV, just something that approximates a 27' 4:3 TV, and as I understand it, CRT is better in quality and in price, with only the weight and formfactor being the downsides.
...
Guess it helped I worked for Best Buy (at the time) and got a $1,300 discount on it.
That TV looks to be the current iteration of the TV I have, and assuming they didn't fuck anything up in the intervening years, it's a really great set. Sony's Grand Wegas are of high quality and have great fit and finish, as well as excellent feel and control. They also look sexy.
Coincidentally enough, I have a 27' 4:3 HDTV. :P It's an Advent (this one). but I have no idea where to find one at retail these days.
It's served me well, has a 16:9 mode where it compresses the scanlines... there's never any upscaling, so it's great for gaming, but the digital comb filter can be really rough on composite video. The thing cost me about $400 about a year and a half ago. The sound sucks, but you can pick up either a legitimate audio receiver or hook up a boom-box through the headphone output on the front. Also, only 2 component video inputs, no HDMI or DVI, so be prepared to pick up a component video switcher.
Sony Grand WEGA
Or
Samsung
I was looking at the Westinghouse earlier in the thread, and I recently (and completely out of nowhere) ended up with a 37" Toshiba Regza, model 37HL67. I've had it for about a week now and I'm extremely happy with it. It only does up to 1080i (although it accepts 1080p signals), but after staring at a lot of different brands, I didn't think I'd really miss it and I don't. In my opinion, you don't need 1080p for anything under about 45". 720p works fantastically up until there.
I'm incredibly pleased so far, but I do have one question. Currently, I have my HD-DVR cable box hooked up via the component cables it came with, but it also has support for HDMI. It looks great (it's the standard Optimum HD box, 1080i), but due to a slip up at Monoprice, I've ended up with a spare HDMI cable. My sound isn't going through my TV, so is there any reason to use HDMI instead of component?
or Brawl. 4854.6102.3895 Name: NU..
The AVS forum is also a good place to browse, lots of info but take it with a grain of salt, here's the thread for the TX series: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=851860
Got a 42" refurbished vizio GV42L LCD from pcmall.com for $800 (now $700 I believe, and I think a cousin is available new at Walmart for $900, Bestbuy $1000). Picture had no dead pixels and compared reasonably well to anything I'd seen on a store floor.
However, the stand had a small crack in it that caused the TV to lead about 10 degrees forward, and it took them 5 fucking weeks (and about 10 phone calls) to send me a new stand. God forbid I had to return the actual TV.
I would have sex with it if I could. Also, if you know someone who works at Best Buy their discount is wicked good on these TVs.
3DS: 1650-8480-6786
Switch: SW-0653-8208-4705
I'd get the Samsung. Better quality, and a 3 year warranty.
azumanga daioh :^:
Samsung is my favorite overall as the new LCDs contrast ratios are 7000 and 8000 to 1 (on the 32" sets). Toshiba is almost as good and generally cost less. LG makes a nice set as well. Sony's LCDs have a great picture but they charge quite a bit more than the others.
One other thing I haven't seen mentioned is that the refresh rates on the lower end manufacturers aren't up to snuff even if the rate is said to be the standard 8ms or so.
Also, since contrast ratio isn't standardized one company's 8000:1 isn't the same as anothers. Best to find a place where you can see many sets for yourself to decide.
Costco and Sam's frequently purchase old models to keep the price down. Not always a big deal but in the case of HDTVs the technology is getting better fast enough (contrast, refresh, hdmi inputs, etc) that the most current models are the way to go imo.
One of my problems among many though is cabling; it seems like with the TV right against the wall hooking up three consoles and an AV receiver into it would be a small nightmare. How does the cabling for these sorts of TVs typically work? All underneath/sides/top or something, or would I have to make holes in the wall to get it behind the TV or something?
For the cabling on my new setup (which I'm tempted to take pictures of and post, even though I've never done so before), I bought one of these and 50 of these. For the Ikea unit, I left the back off so I could easily run the cables, but you can always just put the back on and cut wholes in it as needed.
The TV goes on the top (obviously) with my Mac Mini on one side of it and my Wii (horizontally) on the other. Inside goes receiver, cable box, center speaker (I know, I know, I can't hang it yet) and wireless keyboard/mouse/Wiimotes. The shelves are adjustable to fit your stuff and it looks really awesome. I didn't use all 50 of the cable ties, but I did go a little overboard.
Personally, I think the cables are hidden enough that I don't particularly need to hang the TV to get it much cleaner. I also happen to like how my TV's stand looks, so YMMV.
or Brawl. 4854.6102.3895 Name: NU..
Sony 50" SXRD
if 50 is too big go for 46
46 Bravia LCD
for a few hundred more I think you can nab the XBR.
Once again, I am very pleased with my 40" XBR2 and recommend getting either it or its 46" cousin.
I'm such a shill.
3DS: 1650-8480-6786
Switch: SW-0653-8208-4705
OMG WANT.
I have a 26" CRT 1080i HDTV, and while it gives a decent HD picture its nothing close to what thing would get me.
I can't afford it, even so cheap, so I have a perhaps unrelated question to anyone that would be so kind as to answer.
My CRT is in need of some major adjustments, the picture tube is a little off in every direction and it makes the HD signal fuzzy and the colors bleed a little. Should I get a professional to come out and tune it (and if so, how much does it usually cost?) or should I invest in some sort of DVD software and calibrate it myself by going into the advanced menus? (this scares me)