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Buying a New TV?
Bob Bitchen asks: "I have had the current TV set for 10+ years and really haven't put any thought into a new one. The current set is having some problems and I'm thinking of getting a new larger set or possibly a projector, with a budget of $1000. What's the best thing to get these days? HDTV ready might be nice but it's not mandatory. I don't know enough about the projector technology to feel comfortable about buying them but I might be convinced, if I hear from enough converts. Do the projectors perform as well as conventional displays? If I do go with a conventional display TV, what models are preferred and why? I am also looking for some good sites for comparing and learning more about the current state-of-the-art in televisions. I found a good site for projectors but haven't found a similar site for TVs."
HDTV standards are stabilized. HDTV is awesome. All stations in my area broadcast digital SDTV or better. I'd recommend an HDTV tuner card in an HTPC, with a projector. It'll be a little bit more than $1000, but the improved screen size and picture detail over a conventional TV are definitely worth it.
If you're buying a TV now, unless your room is very small, it's definitely worth going for a projector or an HDTV capable set, if it's within your budget. Generally, if you do the ceiling mount and screen yourself (which even the most well-monied individuals can enjoy doing as a refreshing change), a mid-range projector will cost less than HDTV tubes, plasmas, and RPTV's. I personally use an XGA DLP projector, and while the rainbows (it's an older DLP model; newer ones are much better) were mildly annoying at first, I'm very satisfied with the purchase.
A solution to the problem with music today
The research I've been doing is in the $4000 range and I've decided on DLP.
There is no "burn-in" and the consoles are significantly thinner (not plasma thin, but thinner than traditional rear projection units.) The picture is pretty awesome at all angles and the technology is really cool.
Info on DLP concept.
A vendor (Pricey, but informative.)
Rumors are around that sub-$1000 DLP systems will be out by the end of the year.
Do you just watch regular broadcast TV? Are there enough HDTV broadcasts in your area that you're interested in to even bother with an HDTV set? Do you watch a lot of DVDs? The answers to these questions will help you narrow down your list.
If you watch a lot of DVDs, you'll probably want a widescreen set. That'll shoot up the price.
If you want to watch a lot of HDTV broadcasts, same thing, but with a further question: what HDTV spec (there are several) are the broadcasters in your area broadcasting in? Broadcasters are kind of split on whether to broadcast in 720p or 1080i. I'd rather watch 720p over 1080i, but too many people don't understand the difference between progressive and interlaced, and just assume the higher number means it's better. Feh.
How big a screen are you thinking about? There's a world of difference in price between a really good 27" set and a 36" flat-tube screen. Even between a 32" and a 36" can be a big price difference, depending on other features.
What I find annoying is that noone seems to be making intermediate TVs. I want a widescreen flat-tube 36" TV that goes up to 480p. No speakers. PIP (picture in picture) would be nice, too. But the thing is, there seems to be a plateau at a regular NTSC TV, and then it steps up to HDTV specs, with the attendant price increase. I just want to watch good DTV broadcasts and DVDs in full 480p mode (that's the max that DVDs can do - they don't even match low-end HDTV specs, sad to say). And what's with all the high-end tv with speakers? People who buy high-end TVs don't use the crappy built-in speakers - they're hooked up to a decent sound system.
TV manufacturers are downright _weird_ about some things.
- Don't buy it over the Internet. If you do and it dies, you'll waste months fighting with the support people for TiVo and for whatever label you bought it under. Instead, go to a local merchant and make sure there's an understanding that you can get a replacement unit right away if the first one dies.
- Get an extended warrantee. I usually consider this a ripoff (if your gadget is reliable, an EW is a bad value, and if it isn't, why are you buying it?), but for a Tivo this actually makes sense.
Also, note that a Tivo's price doesn't include a subscription, even though the device is pretty useless without one. A lifetime subscription is a better value (it costs less than 2 years of the monthly subscription) but there *are* those hardware issues...If you're lucky, nothing will go wrong and your enjoyment of TV will go up drastically. (Tivos aren't just convenient, they're wonderful for digging up shows you always meant to watch, or would want to watch if you'd ever heard of them.) If you're not lucky, the damn thing will go psychotic. Which is survivable, if you're prepared for it.
The ATSC standard may be stabilized but the receivers are still a work in progress. Most of them have problems with sensitivity, multipath and software bugs. Receiver designs are still in flux. The biggest problem is how to cope with dynamic multipath. There are locations that receive strong ATSC signals where no commercially available receiver can successfully decode the signal.
Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
I played Colin McRae rally on a 3" screen
I was at a holiday home out in the bush - the TV only had a co-ax input, and the co-ax cable to go from the VCR to the TV was missing. Thus the only thing I could watch it on was the tiny weeny beeny LCD screen on my video camera. It was late when we arrived, and that's all we had.
The next day we called a friend who was on his way there to stop in town and get the co-ax cable.
Could have been worse, I suppose. Could have been a smaller LCD, or none at all. I don't think I would have even tried to play by watching in the viewfinder. OK, I probably would.
Ho! Haha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Ha! Thrust!
The first thing I thought when reading the OP was "Don't buy Philips, don't buy Sony". And of course the first post recommends a Sony. I don't have any first hand experience of Sonys because I avoid buying them due to the high number of people complaining about their poor quality. I think their TVs may be a little better than the usual products, but I still avoid them. Based on the Sonys I've seen on display in shops I also dislike their picture quality. Although the source signal usually stinks and the settings are probably way off, it's still an indication of quality. Go check out some TVs in a few stores before you buy anything. bring your own DVD and have them hook it up so you know what it's supposed to look like.
Instead I would recommend a Panasonic. Mine is almost 10 years old but has not never shown any signs of old age and the image quality is still excellent. It also does both NTSC and PAL which is great for overseas DVDs. The only downside is that it's only got 2 scart connectors and only one of them handles RGB. Make sure you have enough connectors on the device you buy.
Before buying anything play around with the remote in the store. This is the UI of the TV and you should be able to use it comfortably with one hand without looking at it. I've seen some astonishingly assinine remote control desings. This is one of the reasons that I will never buy anything made by Philips. The other is that their VCRs are legendary for breaking down. Usually very soon after the warranty expires.
This post is free (as in cheese in a mousetrap).
HDTV is amazing, but you obviously have to have enough HD programming/signal to justify its cost.
Pre-9/11, we were able to receive Over-the-air broadcast of local network station from the WTC. After those broadcast facilities were destroyed Local HD dropped off. You can get several channels from Satellite: DirecTV offers HBO, Showtime, Discovery, HDNet, ESPN. Cable providers have varied service. We now have TWCNYC, which carries HBO, Showtime, PBS plus CBS, NBC, ABC.
In anycase, with a $1,000 budget HDTV is probably out of your range. I know a lot of people who have raved about their Sony WEGA's. I've also had pretty good luck with Samsungs. LCD's (Sharp Acquos) are nice, but too expensive as well (unless you want a little tv for the kitchen).
Check to make sure that you're in an area with decent HD coverage.
This is pretty much any major metropolitan area except for NYC (Due to 9/11 knocking out all but one of the HD transmitters there.)
If you have a signal, HD is well worth it. Note: Even without an HD signal, an "HD-ready" TV with composite inputs can make for an AMAZING PC monitor for gaming, etc. In my case, I don't have an actual HDTV, I just feed my 18" LCD on my desktop using an HDTV tuner card in my PC. Sadly, I live in the NYC area which means only CBS and Fox for the time being.
The picture quality is worth it, even if you only use a PCI HDTV card and a good PC monitor. If you like CSI, think SERIOUSLY about getting HD, you don't know what you're missing out on until you've watched CSI in 1080i HD.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
My highly scientific *cough* research doesn't support this. There are a lot of internet postings indicating people with no problems, but many people seem to have phosphor burn problems as well. (You also gotta wonder why RPTV manuals have dire warnings about phosphor burn if it's not a big deal. One manual I read in PDF, maybe Toshiba, had the warning every half dozen pages or so.)
Logos (aka bugs) on things like Discovery Channel and new channel crawl bands seem particularly problematic. Proper configuration (primarily reducing brightness and contrast to sane levels) may have a significant impact.
I've got no problems with my Samsung HDTV (reasonable price, looks good, shallowest cabinet out there, a bit over budget for OP), but its only been a couple months.
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