In the market for an HDTV

Bwah?

Since my sdtv crapped out on me I decided it was time to upgrade to HD.

I need something for general tv watching, 360 gaming, hd-dvd..oh wait..I guess future blu-ray viewing?
It needs to be reasonably priced (500-600) and I would like it to be around 32"? I'm not sure- from what I remember 32" seems fair. As of now I am looking at the "Dynex® - 32" Flat-Panel LCD HDTV
Model: DX-LCD32"

I know it's an off brand but the reviews on cnet and bb are good.

Any ideas/suggestions/reviews? Thanks!

Edit: would search but search function isn't working for me.
REedit: thanks for the input- I will be paying on a deferment plan so ..if there's something a little pricey but its the difference between light and day please note!

Hensler

I bought the Vizio 32" two days ago, which was $20 than the Dynex you mentioned at Wal-Mart. I can't say much about the technical aspects of it, but my X-Box 360 looks great on it, as does HD cable and HD movies from the 360. I've used it A LOT over the past couple of days, and havn't found anything about it that I don't like.

Romero Zombie

I also have heard a lot of good things about Vizio - they have a 42' 720P out right now for just under $1000 if you want to stretch your funds a little bit.

AngelHedgie

I'll third Vizio - I love my 37" model, which you can get for about $750.

Precursor

I just recently bought a HDTV. I was in the market for a 32" for use with my 360 and computer. TV was not a priority for me at all. It was suppose to be a temp living room TV eventually to be moved to my room. I chose a Samsung LNT 3253h. $799 at FS.


You said you're using the TV for cable tv watching. Is that an SDTV signal or an HDTV signal? HDTV's will do HD pretty good unless you have hawk eyes, but it seems like their SDTV quality will vary quite a bit. A set that is amazing in HDTV might be absolute crap in SDTV. So if you're big on TV and you're going to be using an SDTV signal for the foreseeable future, then you might want to chose the TV based on it's SDTV picture quality rather than it's HDTV picture quality.

You're price point is on the low side, but you're coming up on a good time for buying. New models are being released in March/April so retailers want to get rid of the old models. Vizio seems to be the budget brand of choice, but there's also Westinghouse.

Consider the size. 32" is small for a living room. A 37" would do better and the price difference isn't that big. If it's a small space you should be okay though.

MushroomStick

Another vote for Vizio.

A friend of mine bought a 42" Westinghouse lcd a few months ago and I hate the thing. The fine picture adjustments are nonexistant, you could only pic from factory default, movie, news, etc. Also the vga in would not take the a signal with the tv's native resolution - it would only take an 800x600 signal which it scaled up, poorly. I even broke down and read the manual in hopes that I was just not seeing a menu or something. The saddest part was that a considerably nicer Vizio even would've been cheaper.

Bwah?

So the consensus is vizio so far.


I am assumingthe cable I'm getting now is SDTV. I doubt the university I'm at would decide to give everyone HDTV haha. As for the switch to HDTV In Feb09- I wonder how that will play out with universities? I read somewhere HDTVs have capabilities to catch wireless HD channels..smoke up my ass?

But as for TV usage- I would say 360 gaming/eventually blu-ray/ SDTV for now (unless i pick up HD channels) / and then eventually in about 1.5-2 years probably digital channels? I would hate to have good SDTV and bad HD, since the whole premise of buying an HD was to uprgrade to HD now so I don't have to later. (Eventually I will again but not until I get my degree )

Nitsuj82

It's not a switch to HDTV, it's a switch to digital as opposed to analog signals.

Bwah?

Well regardless, I'd still like some more suggestions.

Thanks for the helps so far guys.

Precursor

Bwah? wrote: »

I read somewhere HDTVs have capabilities to catch wireless HD channels..smoke up my ass?

You're looking for a HDTV with a QAM Tuner then. That's one that will catch over the air (OTA) signals without any more equipment. However, you will have a ATSC Tuner on your HDTV cause that's what let's you picking HDTV signals from your cable wire. So what you can do is buy a OTA reciever that will hook up to your ATSC Tuner so if the TV you want doesn't have QAM, no biggie.

You should definitely check if your area is broadcasting HD signals over the air. I know Toronto has some channels, but Calgary has none. Varies city to city.

Note: you don't actually need a ATSC Tuner if you're getting an HDTV cable box.

I would hate to have good SDTV and bad HD, since the whole premise of buying an HD was to uprgrade to HD now so I don't have to later. (Eventually I will again but not until I get my degree )

Like I said most HDTVs will do HD pretty good. So even if you have a HDTV that has "bad" HD picture quality according to reviews, it will still be pretty good. See for yourself in store.

RocketSauce

AngelHedgie wrote: »

I'll third Vizio - I love my 37" model, which you can get for about $750.

I have one as well and it's great for TV, DVD, and HD watching. However, for gaming it's not the best. It's got a significant amount of lag, which can cause problems for online multiplayer.

Bwah?

I was looking towards a vizio but after hearing there's some "ghosting" in games that scares me. I can put around $540 down and pay some on the deferment plan (100-250?) So I guess a new total of ~790?

Sorry to bump this so much guys but I have to make the purchase this Saturday or it's a no go.

RocketSauce

Bwah? wrote: »

I was looking towards a vizio but after hearing there's some "ghosting" in games that scares me. I can put around $540 down and pay some on the deferment plan (100-250?) So I guess a new total of ~790?

Sorry to bump this so much guys but I have to make the purchase this Saturday or it's a no go.

I've never had any ghosting while playing games, and I have a 360. Games look amazing on it, actually. No image problems what-so-ever. Only issue is the lag, which is more pronounced on games like Guitar Hero/Rock Band.

AngelHedgie

RocketSauce wrote: »

Bwah? wrote: »

I was looking towards a vizio but after hearing there's some "ghosting" in games that scares me. I can put around $540 down and pay some on the deferment plan (100-250?) So I guess a new total of ~790?

Sorry to bump this so much guys but I have to make the purchase this Saturday or it's a no go.

I've never had any ghosting while playing games, and I have a 360. Games look amazing on it, actually. No image problems what-so-ever. Only issue is the lag, which is more pronounced on games like Guitar Hero/Rock Band.

To be honest, I've never had any problems with lag at all. Games like BioShock look absolutely beautiful on it. I also use it as a monitor when I work at home (it's nice to code on a 37" screen.)

Bwah?

Great guys - thanks. I'm glad there's a overall good rating of vizio. I was worried because it was an "off" brand- but it seems that isn't an issue.


EDIT: So did you guys get your sets from Circuit city or another place? Can't seem to find anything at BB

said link:http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/oid/185075/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do#prodspecs

MushroomStick

Costco, Sam's Club, and I believe Walmart usually all carry Vizio stuff.

Bwah?

Once again I hate to bump but I find PA advice very credible and a very valuable resource.

I found a good looking vizio via walmart, but noticed the contrast ratio was only 700:1. Most of the TV's thus far that I have looked at have been atleast 1000:1 or 1500:1. Am I going to notice the difference? It seems like I would be cheated out of better blacks and more true colors if I get a 700:1

Nitsuj82

Also, you should look into the refresh rate. Less than 8ms is suitable for gaming, but the TV I'm looking at is 4ms.

MushroomStick

Did they have a running display model in the store? If so, mess with it and see if you can get a picture you like. If you spring for a tv with a billion to 1 contrast ratio and yu think it looks like shit, all the stats in the world aren't gonna mean anything.

To all the people that said their lcds lag with video games, look through all your setup menus and see if there's a setting for "game mode" or something. My understanding is that it bypasses some image processing so the picture can get to the screen faster.

Precursor

Bwah? wrote: »

I found a good looking vizio via walmart, but noticed the contrast ratio was only 700:1. Most of the TV's thus far that I have looked at have been atleast 1000:1 or 1500:1. Am I going to notice the difference? It seems like I would be cheated out of better blacks and more true colors if I get a 700:1

Mushroom is right. Check out the tv, if you like it compared to other tvs then buy it.

Contrast ratio (CR) isn't a standardized measurement across all TV companies. Each company assigns their TVs a CR so it's not accurate to compare the CRs of different companies. Chances are, TVs with 700 CR and 1000 CR have no difference in terms of that measurement. It's once you start comparing 700 CR to 6,000 CR that you start to see a difference.

SoonerMan

They won't give everyone free HDTV, no, but to take advantage of the feature I'm sure you can call the cable company and ask them to stream HD to your room for a reasonable price.

Bwah?

Update: Proud new owner of a "Toshiba 32" Regza LCD HDTV Model #: TOP 32HL67U"
Got it for ~$740

Picture is great, qam tuner is also great. So far I am very happy with the purchase- I haven't had a chance to play my 360 yet due to RROD, so I don't know how the 8ms will respond.