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What TV should I get: Read OP before asking questions
That_Guy
I don't wanna be that guyRegistered User regular
I don't wanna be that guyRegistered User regular
Due to the large number of TV advice threads here, I though it might be a good idea to condense them into one place.
What options do I have?
There are 5 main types of TVs to choose from these days. Links to Wikipedia for detailed descriptions.
That one is going to greatly depend on budget. There are 2 mail categories of TVs to choose from these days. HD and Non-HD. Though both have their advantages there are a few things to keep in mind when choosing.
Most of the "Big Box" retailers have a nice selection of TVs and most of them should have knowledgeable staff that can answer all of your questions. If you have a question about the TVs they can not answer, look elsewhere. Amazon NewEgg have a great selection at fair prices.
The Deals
If you are in the market for a new TV, keep an eye out on SlickDeals and TechBargains. They tend to catch the best deals for the TV you are looking for.
Brands
For the price, Viewsonc tends to be a great choice for all your HDTV needs. The price/performance ratio is sick. For best picture quality, look at Sony.
Resolution-Distance Chart
Lets try to keep all questions to this thread.
What options do I have?
There are 5 main types of TVs to choose from these days. Links to Wikipedia for detailed descriptions.
CRT- Usually up to 32in
Rear Projection- Up to 70in
DLP- Up to 120in
Plasma- Up to 150in
LCD- Up to 108in
What TV is right for me?Rear Projection- Up to 70in
DLP- Up to 120in
Plasma- Up to 150in
LCD- Up to 108in
That one is going to greatly depend on budget. There are 2 mail categories of TVs to choose from these days. HD and Non-HD. Though both have their advantages there are a few things to keep in mind when choosing.
Cost
Keep in mind HD TVs are going to be pricey at best. You can sometimes find good deals, but the general rule of thumb is the bigger and flatter it is, the more it will cost.
Size
This will depend entirely on how much space you have. You do not want to get a 42in Rear Projection if you are living in a shoe-box of an apartment. CRTs will generally be quite large per square inch of screen size. Same goes for rear projection. DLP will be smaller, but still not good for a smaller place. LCD and Plasma tend to be the best choice for size. They tend to be flat, and take up the least amount of space.
Performance
It is really going to be a trade off here. All of the high end models have good performance, but there is going to be higher cost associated with said performance. Strictly speaking CRT is going to have the blackest blacks and the whitest whites. Higher end DLPs, LCDs, and Plasmas will look as good, though, especially at HD resolutions.
Resolution
It will all depend on budget here. You have 3 major resolutions to choose from. Wikipedia has a great comparison of the resolutions. Keep in mind the higher the resolution the more the cost.
Where can I shop?Keep in mind HD TVs are going to be pricey at best. You can sometimes find good deals, but the general rule of thumb is the bigger and flatter it is, the more it will cost.
Size
This will depend entirely on how much space you have. You do not want to get a 42in Rear Projection if you are living in a shoe-box of an apartment. CRTs will generally be quite large per square inch of screen size. Same goes for rear projection. DLP will be smaller, but still not good for a smaller place. LCD and Plasma tend to be the best choice for size. They tend to be flat, and take up the least amount of space.
Performance
It is really going to be a trade off here. All of the high end models have good performance, but there is going to be higher cost associated with said performance. Strictly speaking CRT is going to have the blackest blacks and the whitest whites. Higher end DLPs, LCDs, and Plasmas will look as good, though, especially at HD resolutions.
Resolution
It will all depend on budget here. You have 3 major resolutions to choose from. Wikipedia has a great comparison of the resolutions. Keep in mind the higher the resolution the more the cost.
Most of the "Big Box" retailers have a nice selection of TVs and most of them should have knowledgeable staff that can answer all of your questions. If you have a question about the TVs they can not answer, look elsewhere. Amazon NewEgg have a great selection at fair prices.
The Deals
If you are in the market for a new TV, keep an eye out on SlickDeals and TechBargains. They tend to catch the best deals for the TV you are looking for.
Brands
For the price, Viewsonc tends to be a great choice for all your HDTV needs. The price/performance ratio is sick. For best picture quality, look at Sony.
Resolution-Distance Chart
Lets try to keep all questions to this thread.
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I'm not saying Sony doesn't make some great TVs, but it's not really a rule that Sony TVs have the best picture quality.
It's a shame nobody really makes them anymore, though.
It's our first HDTV. So far I'm happy- that size and resolution are hard to catch for under 1g.
However I am having some minor issues which may be the TV, me being a noob at handling the settings, or something else.
When watching DVD's through the PS2, the outermost 2-3" on each side are stretched funhouse mirror style... so if people enter the frame from the left or right they are sortof chubby for a second, then normalize as they approach the center and leave the outer few inches.
Also, there is an inch or so at the top & bottom of black space when watching DVD's through the PS2.
These issues persists no matter the PS2 setting (4:3, 16:9, FULL). Is this a PS2, TV, or settings issue? What can I do? Is there something specific I should be looking to change?
In case it matters I'm using the standard red.white.yellow AV cables from PS2 to TV.
Thanks much in advance
Like so?
Thanks for the help
Any other advice also appreciated as I'm a noob, even if the cable swap will clean up my issues.
edit-
OO i forgot. We don't have cable, so we roll bunny ears. I'd like to replace our current bunny ears with something good, in terms of both aesthetic and performance. I assume most people have cable, but any recommendations there would be appreciated.
I mean, I don't know if it will solve the PS2's problem, as the PS2 is a substandard DVD player anyway, but it certainly can't hurt.
Instead, buy them online. There are multiple sites that offer them on the cheap, but I've used Monoprice myself.
Pioneers are generally recognized as having absolutely excellent PQ. Panasonic and Samsung also have decent PQ and are much cheaper than the Pioneers.
Also, keep in mind that judging picture quality in a store is a terrible way to go about things. Generally the better picture quality to price ratio is for a TV, the more likely it is that you'll have to make significant tweaks to the default picture settings to get the best image. CNET often has calibrated settings in their reviews that are a great start, and of course there are discs to pop into DVD players as well.
Regarding TVs from manufacturers who fall into the "who the heck are these guys?" and "these guys make tvs now?" category. Summary: the 2nd/3rd tier tv manufacturers are able to deliver at a lower price probably because they service models differently than the 1st tier tv manufacturers, this should figure into your tv purchasing calculations.
Regarding projection-type tv's vs flat-panels: flat panels appear to be significantly more reliable. Now the consumer reports study is flawed in that it includes data from rptvs that had extended warranties, but bulb replacement was only the cause for about 1/4 of service calls, so even factoring that the defect rate on rptvs was like 4 or more times higher than on flat panel.
Also the industry being relatively new there's only a few years of data. So you can't really fairly compare these results say to CRT tube set defect rate.
Also I have friends who are quite happy with their Westy and Vizio flat panels.
Edit: Or this?
I'd love it if you guys could give me a "more expensive" and a "less expensive" option, but tend towards the higher end. If it helps, I'm going to be using it almost entirely for watching TV/Movies. Not much game playing, I use my monitor for that.
I am considering the 46" Samsung 655F .. because at current price points.. I can get a 1080p 40" for a VERY close price to a 46" .. or a sony 40" with 120mhz screens.. ... I am going to sit in a best buy today and watch tv for a while.
Who wouldn't buy a 46" for <$150 more then a 40" ?
Librarians harbor a terrible secret. Find it.
> turn on light
Good start to the day. Pity it's going to be the worst one of your life. The light is now on.
VGA can go to the same resolution, but would still be prone to analog distortion, although it is unlikely you would notice it. HDMI, being purely digital, is not prone to signal distortion via the cable.
For some reason, both my Mac laptop and my janky makeshift HTPC (from the quiet PC thread) have rather strange behavior when hooked up via DVI>HDMI at 1080p. With the PC it goes into interlaced mode for some reason, and with the Mac, some sort of catastrophic video buffer thing happens with all sorts of corruption everywhere.
And yet everything is fine at the same res over VGA. My guess is that this is a problem with older videocards, though, and that if you're using a fairly recent one in the PC that will be connected to the TV, you'll probably be fine going all-digital.
PSN:RevDrGalactus/NN:RevDrGalactus/Steam
> turn on light
Good start to the day. Pity it's going to be the worst one of your life. The light is now on.
We've got two couches at a right angle, the closest spot on the first one being near enough to touch the TV with the Finglonger, the other couch, facing TV head-on, is about 12ft. away. I'm trying to decide between a 42 or a 46".
I thought I *must* have a 46" due to the distance I *might* be viewing at... close vs computerdesk across the room.
I could see the 40" inch very well from 25' away... but I still want a 46"
Librarians harbor a terrible secret. Find it.
I don't think you can go wrong with Sammy. Their DLP sets are very affordable and look good.
The Samsung 4671F set is basically the 'perfect' tv for me now.. i just want the price to come down to something reasonable... although I'll wait until i get my sofas in to see if 40" covers me.
120mhz screens are really stunning in what they show. The only topper would be the advent of HDR sets due out this year(maybe?)
Librarians harbor a terrible secret. Find it.
From doing a little browsing, it seems like a good set. A couple people at AVSForums like it. Is that the one with ambioticlight?
Is it only 1000:1 Contrast? I know we've established those numbers are garbage, but that seems low.
My TV was stolen, as were many of my other possessions. I have insurance, and insurance is purchasing a new TV for me. My settlement is for $2896.43 (and another 355 for the stand)
I had a 62" Toshiba DLP. I think I was the only one that ever noticed the silkscreen effect on the TV, but I did see it. It was a great TV, but it was 720p native, and didn't have a PC input.
I see this as a great opportunity to get a big upgrade to 1080p, a PC input, PIP, hdmi 1.3, an all around better set, at the same screen size. But I might also be talked into other display tech, like Plasma.
Frankly, I think I might miss the extra size, but could you provide some TVs that you recommend that (most importantly) fit into the price criteria?
I was looking at this one., or it's more feature-rich cousin, the 89S (with PIP, better HDMI, and USB 2)
I highly recommend a 120hz set, as I think they are stunning .. LCD will have a much better picture then DLP for the same res... and its not as god awful huge.
They really walked off with a 62" dlp set ?!
Librarians harbor a terrible secret. Find it.
Yes, they sure did. And all of my games, systems, and computers too. Oh, and my neighbors "didn't see anything." Of course, we moved out that day... Housing market is too good to be in an apartment anyway.
The set that I linked is a DLP that has VGA and allows for HDMI/DVI connections as well (you get a DVI to HDMI connector, and then it supports HD resolutions @ 60hz). So, you could put a computer at 1920x1080 on the thing, and reports are that it runs really well.
"Huge" and "god awful" shouldn't be in the same sentence. Remember, we're trying to recreate a theater experience here. Or at least, I am - and on a budget. I can't go projection because I won't have good control over all of the ambient light. RP is my other option for big...
Can you show me some examples of TVs you consider reasonable, with the 120htz etc etc?
EDIT - I'm seeing some Samsung LCDs at 52" at about my price... But I guess I need to look at more, eh?
Not sure if there is a 52" with 120hz yet ... but you can expect to pay $300-$700 more for this feature then those without. Its my first HDTV, so I might as well go with the newest tech.
Personally.. pure screen size isn't the only factor.. i would love a large screen... but judging by the DLP sets I have seen, even though its HD res, the picture quality isn't on par with plasma & lcd . I'm not a HD expert by any means... but if you had a set before that you liked.. by all means stick with it.
Librarians harbor a terrible secret. Find it.
The newer LCDs with 120Htz and 1080p BLOW OTHER TVs OUT OF THE WATER. That said, the highest quality items in the 52" size that I saw are:
Samsung LNT5271F 52" 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV
Sony Bravia XBR KDL-52XBR4 52" 1080p LCD HDTV
These two TVs are SO FAR BEYOND anything else that I saw, by a country mile, that it changed how I look at HDTVs. I don't think I could get another rear projection set as a result, and I'm a bit upset by their price, because one look really spoiled me.
They were that good.
The Samsung you mention is in the same series, and I saw that one tonight as well. It's awesome, but you may want to consider the XBR4 as an alternative. The Samsung is a bit more reflective (it's a coating they use to increase contrast, apparently).
the '81 series has the LED backlight.. and has a ton of contrast.. but reports say unless you are watching tv in a brightly lit operating room... its not needed..
The sony's are nice.. but I would rather not pay the price premium for the sony.. the samsung sets are very very good. Plus, the floating glass around the sony units annoys me.
120hz / 1080p really is great viewing. Watch a blue ray source in a slightly darker room, and you would swear that you are looking out a window... this is why I crave this tv. The 46 samsung has dipped below 2k pre superbowl... and it can be had from fry's for 2049 now... I am ready to get that... but I would rather wait to order from a different place.
Not sure how fry's online is about delivering large tvs and handling returns. plus I'm waiting for sofas.. so i have some time.
Librarians harbor a terrible secret. Find it.
The 120htz really immproves it that much? I've been "allowed" (ahh, marriage!) to spend no more than $2000, but if it's that much better, I may be able to go a little over.
40" 120hz samungs are 1600-1800
46" "" are 2050 --> 3100 (stupid best buy)
non 120hz drops to 1400-1800 for 40 & 46 respectively.
prices are going to drop in march when the new samsungs hit.. and they really offer nothing different then current models.
Sony and samsung use many of the same suppliers.. sony has *great* quality.. so does samsung... i personally hated the floating glass on the sony models... and I don't want to pay the price premium for the sony name...
The less you spend now.. the better you will feel when the NEXT awesome thing comes out... my buddy spent $3200 on a 40" 720p set 2 years ago... for that price you get 52" 1080P and a blue ray player now.
Librarians harbor a terrible secret. Find it.
So, I had two questions:
1. WHAT? Prices are going to be low on the new models? Or this year's models will go on closeout? This price thing is a VERY important point, and VERY timely / time sensitive. Must. Know. More. Your best guesses are fine here, I just don't want to be locked out of a decision / price point because of bad timing.
2. Which online retailers would you trust in delivering one of these TVs? I'm seeing prices that are WAY cheaper on Amazon.com, Electronics Express and others... but aside from the little ratings that Amazon allows for, I don't know much about them.
EDIT-
The 81 series is $5K on Amazon for the 52", and the 71 series is 2.5K. Fuck LED backlighting for 2,500 extra goddamed dollars.
The 69 series seems to top out at 46". Is that accurate?
Amazon has fluctuated $900 in price in the last 2 weeks. They are reportedly awesome with shipping & returns. Circuit city is hella expensive now, but they pricematch well and they have coupons for 10% off , etc buyable on ebay.
Frys (www.frys.com) is reportedly awesome locally i have no idea how they are online. But the returns policy seems ok, and they have the 52" for 2499 + ship.
March Speculation:
Supposedly in march / April the models we all say at CES will hit retailers. There are some improvements to the panels & hardware (faster?) but nothing major... so i read. So, the prices of current models drop, while the new ones hit current price points.
I also notice to get a tv today from amazon... you get crutchfield ($$$) but if you play with the other options to buy, you can order it from a cheaper vendor with a lead time of a couple weeks.
LED backlight:
LED gives the best contrast ratio.. apparently someone on the avsforum has the 71 / 81 together.. and said the extra contrast is nice.. but not $1500 nice. My intended location isn't bright at all , so i am comfortable with the glossy screen. But from what I saw first hand, direct sunlight wasn't a problem.
I can wait a month for a tv... especially since i want furniture in first. if you need a TV asap.. well, i suggest buying at a place that can price match itself in case things go way down (amazon does so does cc). Or at least have a 30 day return policy so you can bring it back.
This is why B&M stores are awesome.. but the prices suck at Best buy / tweeter / Circuit city. My current price point is as soon as I see < $2k out the door, im doing it. YMMV
Librarians harbor a terrible secret. Find it.
Fry's is indeed awesome locally but the website is related to the B&M store in name only. They basically bought Outpost.com and slapped their name on it to have some kind of presence on the web.
Also, I'm looking to replace my 24" wide CRT (Sony FW900) and 19" SD TV that currently occupy the desk in my room with one display. I'm going to be using it as a PC monitor and television, would be great if it could do picture-in-picture. Looking to spend less than $800. Right now it looks like the only choice I have is the Westinghouse LVM-37W3SE (seen here). I've heard some dodgy things about it's black levels though. I guess I'm kind of fucked in that dept. for this price range though.
Suggestions?
edit: Also I'm pretty sure I shouldn't waste my time with anything other than 1080p, unless someone can convince me otherwise. Also, at least one HDMI connection for the 360.
Would you say someone is stupid for ordering from Fry's online? The return policy, etc looks sound.
Librarians harbor a terrible secret. Find it.
Thanks for the info. I will need this next chrismas time. Hopefully 120hz LCD's will be better priced then.
Oh, they will be, but you won't want one. By December, they'll be 400hz LCDs; "It doesn't do anything, but it's a higher number=better!"
I think I'm goign to pass on the 120 for now too. Probably get the 4661 and when we move out of this condo, I'll look again.
It's also with a mindset of not minding price when it comes to features. There are good / great sets out there for less...
But again, I think those 120Hz sets represent the best picture quality right now.
But at some point you just have to bite the bullet. I thought about dawdling over my purchase and waiting, but I needed a new TV. So I got the absolute best deal I could on a great TV (Panasonic 1080p 50" plasma for $2000). Sure, I'll feel those pangs of envy when the next gen comes out, but hell, that's impossible to avoid. I spent good money to get a really nice TV, and the great picture and the TV's suitability to my needs isn't going to be reduced by new models.
> turn on light
Good start to the day. Pity it's going to be the worst one of your life. The light is now on.