Completely Off-Topic Electronic Question?????
BigRedMachine
Posts: 2,563 ✭✭✭
Okay, this is way off topic, but was hoping some of you hi-tech guys can help me out.
In celebration of the Colts Super Bowl trip, I think it's time I ditch the old 35" TV and treat myself to a new one. But I don't know what to get. I don't really get the difference between LCD and Plasma, what I might need to do with my cable company to be able to get HDTV channels, what products are on their way in, which are on their way out, the importance of extended warranties, etc., etc.
I'm currently eyeing a 50" plasma that I will wall mount from a Best Buy that's about $2200, but don't want to spend that kind of dough on a turd.
Anyone have any suggestions as to what I need to check out, what you have, what you like, what you wouldn't get to help me out??????? It's for the Super Bowl!!! (There, not totally off topic and somewhat sports related
)
Thanks guys
shawn
In celebration of the Colts Super Bowl trip, I think it's time I ditch the old 35" TV and treat myself to a new one. But I don't know what to get. I don't really get the difference between LCD and Plasma, what I might need to do with my cable company to be able to get HDTV channels, what products are on their way in, which are on their way out, the importance of extended warranties, etc., etc.
I'm currently eyeing a 50" plasma that I will wall mount from a Best Buy that's about $2200, but don't want to spend that kind of dough on a turd.
Anyone have any suggestions as to what I need to check out, what you have, what you like, what you wouldn't get to help me out??????? It's for the Super Bowl!!! (There, not totally off topic and somewhat sports related
)Thanks guys
shawn
0
Comments
I ended up getting the digital signal with TIVO, along with my HDTV stations and love it. Bought a Bose sound systems to go with the TV
I ended up buying a 46" LCD TV, since it doesn't produce any glare.
Once I was all hooked up, I watched/listen to my new systems for 2 weeks staright with my mouth hanging on the floor.........its was better than good!!
"If I ever decided to do a book, I've already got the title-The Bases Were Loaded and So Was I"-Jim Fregosi
ask about the HD status, and any pending changes.
Sears, Circuit City, BestBuy are all safe places to buy,
and the sales agents are informed about the products.
All have a decent return policy, but Sears is the best
of the three on that issue.
Buy the extended warranty. BUT, ask the salesman if
you can buy that policy AFTER the sale of the TV. Some
places - sometimes - will allow you to buy the policy
up to 1-year AFTER the original sale. If you cannot do
this, just BUY THE POLICY at the time of sale.
No matter how smart you think you are, DO NOT agree
to install/set-up the new system yourself. Pay the extra
money to have the expert do it for you. This is especially
true with the wall-mount kits that you will buy; there are
more horror stories about wall-mount failures than you
can begin to imagine. If you do it yourself, and there is
failure/damage, you are out of luck.
IF you can find a SONY that is in your price-comfort zone,
buy it. Buy the one with the most features. DO NOT buy
a non-BOSE speaker system from the TV-salesman.
Be price conscious, BUT ONLY a little bit. In general, the
more expensive system you buy, the happier you will be
with its performance.
Watch the thing in the store for about an hour. Play with
the controls, and make sure you like how they work.
Be prepared to make lighting adjustments to the room that
you are planning to do the installation in. Non-glare is an
interesting concept that works best in rooms where the
light source is artificial and professionally balanced.
Patrick
return program in case something does happen or go wrong along
with very competitive pricing."
///////////////////////
COSTCO is a great place to buy something that does not
require installation help. Also, COSTCO is great if you can
hire installation help from a third-party. Their return policy
is the most liberal. They also, of course, sell the extended
warranty.
The advantage of the specialty spots is that there is some
level of after-sale service, AND they line up the installation
guys for you. Saving a couple-hundred (or more) should
probably not be the prime consideration in selecting a
vendor.
1. If it's a wall-mount, I'd opt for a LCD instead due to the weight differences. LCDs are far, far lighter than plasmas.
2. Consider the intended room. If it's in the living room and you have a lot of Windows with outside light, the LCD will have less glare. In an enclosed family room, where glare is not an issue, the plasma might be a better option as you may notice the slightly better picture quality and color (although LCDs are pretty close).
3. Heat. Plasma run way hotter than LCDs. Might not be an issue for you, but I don't sure as hell don't like it.
4. HDMI inputs, regardless of the which you pick, get a model with with more than one HDMI input. That way, you can run your standard DVDs with 1080I upconversion if you have a DVD player that supports this. You'll need it anyway if you plan on buying a DVD player supporting either Blu-Ray or HD-DVD in the future, although I'd wait until the dust clears between the two warring formats before settling on one over the other.
5. Built-in tuner versus Cable-box. If you intend on using the HD cable box that your cable company is going to provide, I'd save a few bucks and get a LCD/plasma without the built-in tuner. The built-in tuner allows you to do away with the cable box, but there are limitations and caveats 'cause the tuner may not be completely compatible with the way your cable company broadcases HD feeds.
I just called my cable company, and it turns out I would have an additional $15.00 per month charge to my cable/internet bill to get HD. I guess it doesn't do you any good to upgrade to a fancy t.v. without it?? So they said I would need a digital cable box.
I was planning on going with a plasma wall mount and now really don't know what I want. I actually have installed a wall mount before for a customer I built a house for, and after two years, it hasn't fallen off the wall yet.
Anyone know the expected life spans of these tv's??
Best Buy has a current buy now, no interest until 2010
Prices for TVs are plummetting and will only go lower. I came this | | close to buying a flatscreen last year until I read a couple of articles about it.
Look for TVs (flat screen, plasma, etc) to be 1/2 of what they were last year.
Edited to add link
Falling prices
Prices for flat-screen, digital, HD-ready TVs have declined by roughly 40 percent over the past year and could fall another 30 percent in 2007, Pratt said. A primary cause for the decline is a decision by manufacturers to seek market share over profit margins, Pratt and Baldwin said.
Consumer Reports places the average price drop for flat-screen TVs over the past two years at about 50 percent. It provides these averages, citing DisplaySearch as its source:
• $1,360, down from $2,350, for a 37-inch LCD (liquid crystal display) set.
• $1,880, down from $2,610, for a 42-inch plasma TV.
Pratt has little doubt that the digital sets will soon reach comparable price with the non-digital. At that point, HD-ready TV becomes a fairly obvious choice, she said.
Plasma loses it's intensity over the years also if a LCD goes bad you can usually change
out the bulb in them for a reasonable price.
I like plasma better for one reason - if ya sitting right in front of an LCD screen - it looks great - but if ya sitting oblique to the screen, it looks washed out.
Ya don't get that with a plasma screen.
mike
Plasma is reputed to be best for watching sports. DLP has a great picture and it is a great value relative to the other options. LCD is top of the line and usually more expensive by the inch if you get any TV over 50". Under 50", plasma and LCD are very close. Both plasma and LCD would be considerable more expensive than DLP. Keep in mind too that for a TV 50" or bigger, assuming you get 1080p which is a must, the plasma's and DLPs have more choices and are far cheaper. It is very expensive to get an LCD 50" or larger that has 1080p resolution. But, they're catching up.
Mounting is a big issue. You really need to figure out where you will mount the puppy. If you can use a floor stand, then you don't need professional installation help. If you need to mount it, then get help. If you don't need speakers or a sound system, then you could easily set this up yourself. If you add 5.1 or higher, then you'll need a receiver and the installation gets more complicated if you have DVD players, Satellite Radio, Ipod's etc. to attach to your receiver.
Best Buy (i.e. Magnolia) and Costco are great choices. Costco is a cash and carry store so you need to do everything yourself including transporting the unit home. And, they don't always have the top of the line models for the respective name brands. They also carry some Taiwanese brands which are in some cases the same as the name brands. The screens are all built by the same companies in Korea, Japan and Taiwan for the most part. But, if you want something that is relatively inexpensive and you don't need installation help, definitely check out Costco.
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My PSA Registry Sets
34 Goudey, 75 Topps Mini, Hall of Fame Complete Set, 1985 Topps Tiffany, Hall of Fame Players Complete Set
I have heard that you can get HDTV over the "air" for the local channels and that it is better than cable because it does not have to be compressed.. On buying a TV, it is always cheaper to buy after an important TV event, ie Super Bowl, because most people want a new tv for the game. So to get the most for your money wait a month then buy..
Go Phillies
<< <i>Only one point - and this is my opinion.
I like plasma better for one reason - if ya sitting right in front of an LCD screen - it looks great - but if ya sitting oblique to the screen, it looks washed out.
Ya don't get that with a plasma screen.
mike >>
This is true for older LCDs, but the newer ones are MUCH, MUCH better. Specifically from Sony and Westinghouse, but the other ones may have caught up already. Best thing to do is to view the display model at an angle to see if the image quality is acceptable to you. I've found that the glare on the plasmas is far more distracting than the fade on the LCDs.
I'm trying to talk myself out of spending the dough, but with the Colts playing in the Super Bowl for the first time in my lifetime, and more importantly an okay from the wife, it's not looking good.
I'll let you know how it turns out.
shawn
It's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is for permission
<< <i>Okay guys, thanks again for all your help (as usual)
I'm trying to talk myself out of spending the dough, but with the Colts playing in the Super Bowl for the first time in my lifetime, and more importantly an okay from the wife, it's not looking good.
I'll let you know how it turns out.
shawn >>
IMO, save the money today and use it around X-Mas time. You can then spend the leftover cash on a '55 TAA
It's your call and whatever you decide to do, good luck
I'm studying away on this $hit, and I've got one more question....
It doesn't seem like I can get a wall mount TV in 1080i in my price range.
All the wallmounts in the $2000-$2500 range come in 720, or I can get a non wall mount at 1080. It seems most stuff is broadcast in 720 anyway, how important is the 1080???
All the other stuff you guys mentioned (HDMI, getting HD receiver, etc.) are good.
1957 Topps 99% 7.40 GPA
Hank Aaron Basic PSA 7-8(75%)
You may want to save some bucks with 1080i rather than 1080p. 1080i is SO STUNNING that 1080p (which isn't used yet) can't be that much better.
I wouldn't go wall mount - you still need a rack for your other equipment.
My preference - LCD. Buy a stand you like (hopefully one that matches the TV) and spend the money you saved on 1080i to buy your sound system and a PS3.
If you buy an extended warranty be sure to see if they'll negotiate on the price. Best Buy may not but most other electronics stores will.
"Molon Labe"
HDTV rabbit Ears
Go Phillies