HDTV advice

[brewcrew00]

I am in the market for my first HDTV this week, and was really hoping to get a little advice before I purchase. Not that I don't trust the guys as Best Buy, I would also just like to get a little first hand opinion. I am looking to stay around 700 dollars, in the 32 inch range (small studio apartment). I have looked at a few, and really liked one at Sears that was made by Sylvania. I am wide open though, and just was hoping for some input/advice. Thanks in advance, I look forward to reading!

[danzig6767]

If you want some reviews of certain TV's,this is a great site

 

reviews.cnet.com/Televisi...tag=img.tv

[brewcrew00]

Yea, I was on Cnet for the past few weeks, but was hoping to get some firsthand advice. I appreciate the thought though!

[mothershipconnection]

I can't help with a TV in that price range, but in general, I'll tell you that you must immediately buy an upconverting DVD player and HDTV (UHF) antenna.

[blatzlight]

I have a Panasonic 42" plasma I am in love with. I got it around the holidays for just under $1,200 at Circuit City.

 

A buddy of mine got a good deal on a 32" Samsung LCD at Wal-Mart for a very good price. Surprisingly Wal-Mart has a great selection of TV's.

[brewcrew00]

I wouldn't still need the hd antenna if i have the HD channels for Time Warner would I?

[blatzlight]

no you wouldnt. also, most tv's now have built in tuners if you live in the metro area. now if you live in the remote parts of the area (like waterford) you will - if you do not pay for the hd.

 

i would contact time warner asap as i know they had a shortage of hd dvr boxes a while back. and yes, get the dvr right away, you will love it.

[brwrsfan]

I'm also looking to buy a big screen tv for the frist time. I'm looking at 46 inch LCD's though. Anybody have any experience here? Best Buy told me to go with LCD over Plasma based on what I'm using it for (video games and sports). Think this is the case? They also said I need to get a tv with 1080p rather than 720p because most HD networks are moving in this direction. Also, I've noticed a brand called Westinghouse that is significant cheaper. I've read on cnet and other sites that these tv's are definitely comparable...any thoughts on any of this?

 

What should I look for? What do I need? Thanks.

[blatzlight]

first off best buy has a bunch of morons working there.

 

for sports plasma is actually better right now as it does better with fast action than LCD. but, you need a slightly darker room than with an lcd. so if you have a huge southern exposure window, you might want to go with lcd.

 

as for 1080p, the only thing that is broadcast in that right now is BluRay. and networks won't be broadcasting in it for about 5-7 when you will most likely be looking for a new tv anyway. i mean all channels are not even broadcast in HD yet, let alone a need for 1080p.

 

also, many channels broadcast sports in 1080i which using interlacing.

 

i would say do not skimp, but you do not need to kill yourself. if you go plasma the two top brands are Pioneer Elite or Panasonic. I went with Panasonic since it did just as well as the Pioneer Elite in screen performance but didn't have as many inputs.

 

The other thing to realize is that sound with HD has as much to with your experience as the picture. I upgraded my receiver this year so it can do all of my switching for me so i don't have to worry about changing my TV inputs. The receiver also will upconvert my DVD's to help get them a stronger picture. I would say go to Flanner's and talk to the people. They are really helpful. I went to Circuit City and found the people there to be more knowledgeable than Best Buy.

 

Also check out this forum for some good local HD talk

 

www.milwaukeehdtv.org/

[DSFastball55]

Vizio is also a very good lesser-priced brand. I have a 50" Vizio plasma and love it. They are available at Sam's Club and I think Costco.

[Tailgat0r76]

www.bestbuy.com/site/olsp...9512290376

 

I own this TV and absolutely love it.

 

I bought it back when it was higher priced (got it on sale for 699.99) and now it's onnly 579.99. I highly reccommend it

[brewcrew00]

Tailgator,

 

I was looking at that one tonight at the store, i felt like th picture was pretty dark, is that adjustable? Given it was next to a Samsung, how clear is the picture, and are there pretty high levels of contrast?

[logan82]

Isn't 1080p only really useful when you get into 40" and bigger sets? I remember hearing somewhere you can't tell the difference between 1080p and 720p untill you get to the larger sets sizes.

[danzig6767]

I bought my sisters 6 month old 37' Westingnhouse LCD after she filed for bankruptcy,i got a sweet deal on it from the company that was going to repo it a little over a month ago.

 

As with most HDTV's,the standard channels have a decent picture depending on the feed of the station,the HD picture is amazing.The bad part once you watch stuff in HD is it makes the standard channel picture seem so much lesser.

 

If anyone is interested,i might be selling the TV pretty soon for 500 dollars.Looks brand new,not a scratch on it and wasn't used much because my sister doesn't watch much TV.I had a 36' Trinitron that took a dump on me right around when my sister filed bankruptcy,i bought her LCD since i got a bargain.I was intending to buy a 50' plasma though and now that Netteller is finally releasing 2000 dollars of past poker winnings,i'm gonna use it to buy my big plasma.A buddy of mine has first dibs on the TV,but if he can't come up with the cash soon,i'll sell it elsewhere if anyone is interested.This is the TV and i'm in the Milwaukee area.

 

www.jr.com/JRProductPage....tTabPhotos

[berniebrewer4life]

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Also, I've noticed a brand called Westinghouse that is significant cheaper. I've read on cnet and other sites that these tv's are definitely comparable...any thoughts on any of this?

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My Parents have a 37 inch Westinghouse LCD. They love it. It has yet to have any problems(around a year old) and i think it looks great. Cheaper than many other brands, and seems to hold up very well. I recommend it.

[mothershipconnection]

I wouldn't still need the hd antenna if i have the HD channels for Time Warner would I?

 

No, but cable providers charge more for HD channels, while you can get em free with an antenna, Now, if you want more than just the local channels in HD, then you have to get your provider's HD package.

[blatzlight]

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Isn't 1080p only really useful when you get into 40" and bigger sets? I remember hearing somewhere you can't tell the difference between 1080p and 720p untill you get to the larger sets sizes.

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Only if you are sitting about two feet from the screen. If you sit an average distance of about 9' from a 42" screen there will be very little difference. Also, unless you are getting BluRay, there are no 1080p advantages since TV will not be broadcasting in it for a long while. I mean not all regular TV is broadcast in HD yet.

[endaround]

HD is free from Time Warner (well close to it, its $1 more a month in equipmental rental). That gets you all local stations in HD (including 18 and 24), TNT, ESPN, ESPN2, Discovery, PBS, and FSN.

[Menotti80]

my 50" Samsung DLP has worked out great for me. I would never buy LCD, seeing as sport watching and occasional video games represent most of my TV use...

[Diskono]

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They also said I need to get a tv with 1080p rather than 720p because most HD networks are moving in this direction.

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As far as I can tell, this is a bunch of crap (though, what do you expect from a Best Buy salesman?). No networks are currently broadcasting in 1080p, or plan to do so any time in the near future. There are some HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs encoded at 1080p, but that's about it. As others have said, and based on everything I've heard, its pretty difficult to tell the difference on a TV under 50" unless you sit a couple feet away.

 

If the price difference isn't that much, I don't see any problem with getting a 1080p TV, but its probably not necessary at this point.

[mothershipconnection]

HD is free from Time Warner (well close to it, its $1 more a month in equipmental rental). That gets you all local stations in HD (including 18 and 24), TNT, ESPN, ESPN2, Discovery, PBS, and FSN.

 

Wow, yeah, don't get an antenna when you can get it that cheap. That makes me more upset that my area switched from TW to Comcast a while back. Comcast charges $7 a month for local channels plus Fox Sports and Discovery. Additional channels (ESPN, etc) cost another $5 on top of that.

 

In my case, the local channels would be $84 a year, while the antenna was $26 shipped.

[blatzlight]

pay the money for the sports channels. it is worth it. i mean why else get hd unless you want to get all of the channels? that is just me i guess.

[mothershipconnection]

pay the money for the sports channels. it is worth it. i mean why else get hd unless you want to get all of the channels?

 

Yeah, the problem is that in my case, my cable bill would go from like $105 to $117 and I'd still only get Twins and Vikings games. Now, if I got Brewers and Packers games in HD, I'd gladly part with the 12 bucks. Of course, the only Packers games I'll get (aside from Sunday night), will be available with my antenna.

 

Another piece of advice I can give as a recent Plasma buyer is don't listen to salesman and get duped into $125 cables, especially HDMI. Just buy the cheap ones and look around and you'll be fine. I got THX Monster component video cables for $12 shipped through amazon, while those would be like $80 at Best Buy. My tech nerd friends explained that with HDMI, you have an all-or-nothing signal, so if it works, it works as well as the $130 model.

[blatzlight]

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Another piece of advice I can give as a recent Plasma buyer is don't listen to salesman and get duped into $125 cables, especially HDMI. Just buy the cheap ones and look around and you'll be fine. I got THX Monster component video cables for $12 shipped through amazon, while those would be like $80 at Best Buy. My tech nerd friends explained that with HDMI, you have an all-or-nothing signal, so if it works, it works as well as the $130 model.

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Or just to this website and get the cables for $20.

 

monoprice.com/home/index.asp

 

I did it. They are just no name cables but work just the same.

[FVBrewerFan]

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HD is free from Time Warner

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Does that include Fox? In the Fox Valley/Green Bay market Time Warner does not offer Fox in HD. So I did have to buy an antenna, solely for the purpose of viewing Fox in HD.

 

(If you ask why bother, you don't have an HDTV yet ; )