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HDTV Checklist / Recommendations

h0e0h said:
you thought any more about your new addition???
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After attending the CES in Vegas last week, I had plenty to drool over, including that stupidly large 104" plasma screen, or whatever it was. 😱 😉 All the talk was about 1080p, SXRD and DLP, so it was cool to see some of these great sets in person, in action. Sony was running a cool Blu Ray demo off a Playstation 3 on a nice 1080p set as well... 😎

As for my purchase though, we have just started the process of moving into our house, and I think that I won't be making my purchase for a few months yet, probably sometime in the spring. Gotta figure out the best spot for the TV as well, and the location/viewing distance will obviously will affect the size and type of set I get as well. As I mentioned before though, I'll definitely let you know when I'm ready to buy, since you have a wealth of knowledge on this subject. 🙂 😎
 
~Shard~ said:
After attending the CES in Vegas last week, I had plenty to drool over, including that stupidly large 104" plasma screen, or whatever it was. 😱 😉 All the talk was about 1080p, SXRD and DLP, so it was cool to see some of these great sets in person, in action. Sony was running a cool Blu Ray demo off a Playstation 3 on a nice 1080p set as well... 😎
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Did you get to see the new Sharp 65" flat-panel LCD, or JVC's new up-scaling 1080p DLPs? My store's Mitsubishi rep is coming to town on the 19th, maybe he will have something interesting to tell us about for the upcoming product line. I realize its a ways off, but if you can put off with picking up a TV until October, that's when the market is regularly updated... Sony and Mitsu and Toshiba all came out with new models in October, or thats when they were able to release them to retail stores. As for the pics of my new 42A10, I will post them to the setup page with my new xbox360 when my new Rebel XT arrives around the middle of the week.
 
h0e0h said:
Did you get to see the new Sharp 65" flat-panel LCD, or JVC's new up-scaling 1080p DLPs? My store's Mitsubishi rep is coming to town on the 19th, maybe he will have something interesting to tell us about for the upcoming product line. I realize its a ways off, but if you can put off with picking up a TV until October, that's when the market is regularly updated... Sony and Mitsu and Toshiba all came out with new models in October, or thats when they were able to release them to retail stores. As for the pics of my new 42A10, I will post them to the setup page with my new xbox360 when my new Rebel XT arrives around the middle of the week.
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Cool, thanks for the head's up. And in fact, October may not be too late. When it comes to a major purchase such as a new TV, I want to ensure I get the best bang for my buck, and take full advantage of the technology and future-proofing (as much as you can do in this industry at least!) It's sort of like waiting for the next major Mac update, it's best to give timing some thought. 😉 Plus, if I do indeed want to go the 1080p route, the costs will have come down (relatively) by then, and other features such as HDMI, etc. will be more commonplace in sets by then.

So, I plan on doing some more in-depth research and actually going to the stores in the spring, but who knows, maybe I will wait until the fall, we'll just have to see - that is a fair ways a way though... 😉 I do still have to decide if I want to go all out in future-proofing and spend a lot of money in doing so, or if at the end of the day, a cheaper set will do me fine for the next few years for my needs - tough decisions...
 
thirdkind said:
SXRD sets are full 1080p, have excellent color gamut, good contrast, no visible pixel structure from normal viewing distances, and use no color wheel gimickry. Sony's latest projector utilizing SXRD, the VW100, also known as the Ruby, is selling like mad and getting rave reviews from pretty much anyone who can get their hands on it. If I were buying a rear projection TV, I'd choose one of Sony's SXRDs in a heartbeat.
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I've been holding off on a major HDTV purchase for what seems like forever, until I saw a Sony 60" WEGA SXRD set. I plan to get one of those babies sometime in 2006. I already have a home theatre set-up with a projector and that stuff, but this baby looks like it'll go nicely in my bedroom.
Here's to the Crazy Ones ​
 
Lacero said:
I've been holding off on a major HDTV purchase for what seems like forever, until I saw a Sony 60" WEGA SXRD set. I plan to get one of those babies sometime in 2006. I already have a home theatre set-up with a projector and that stuff, but this baby looks like it'll go nicely in my bedroom.
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Yeah, those SXRD sets are pretty sweet. The DLP ones I've seen are nice too, it's tough to make a decision! Ah well, that's what I'll be doing my research for in the spring... 😎
 
h0e0h said:
no problem man, that's my work and i love it, so it takes no inconvenience for me to talk about it. My company offers internet sales, but i don't want to mass list my website/phone number because i'm not the only salesman and i work on commission... hope you guys understand. I'd be more than happy to communicate with you one-on-one. Please email me, anyone reading this, if you're interested. Basic12@gmail.com
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h0e0h, what store do you work for? I'm looking for a nice HD tv, and I'm in West Monroe. PM me if you don't want to discuss it out in the open.
 
Lacero said:
I've been holding off on a major HDTV purchase for what seems like forever, until I saw a Sony 60" WEGA SXRD set. I plan to get one of those babies sometime in 2006. I already have a home theatre set-up with a projector and that stuff, but this baby looks like it'll go nicely in my bedroom.
Here's to the Crazy Ones ​
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email me (basic12@gmail.com) before you buy one and I may be able to hook you up with an exceptional price. I would also need your zip code for a quote.
 
Mike Teezie said:
h0e0h, what store do you work for? I'm looking for a nice HD tv, and I'm in West Monroe. PM me if you don't want to discuss it out in the open.
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PM Sent
 
h0e0h said:
email me (basic12@gmail.com) before you buy one and I may be able to hook you up with an exceptional price. I would also need your zip code for a quote.
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Lacero lives here in Canada like me, the West Coast to be specific, just so you know. We'd both have to figure in the exchange rate and international shipping if we decided to get something through you, but hey, in my case at least, I always keep my options open, so we'll see. 🙂
 
Hey, I'm a student so my budget's pretty limited and It's time to get a new tv. I've got a small apartment so I don't need a very big screen (less than 32" is fine). What I'm interested in getting is an HD flat pannel (LCD I guess) that'll show off the Xbox 360's HD goodness. Also, if Apple releases a new Intel-mini + DVR I'd love to hook it up to that so I can basically have it all from my couch. So what I'm asking is what's the best bang/buck LCD flat pannel out there for my needs? I tried searching for this stuff myself but I've just been overwealmed by all of the different standards/technologies out there (oh, and by budget I definetly don't want to spend more than $1000, hopefully in the $500-700 range).
 
Kdf-e42a10

Well, here she is... I will be updating my "setup" page when iLife arrives Friday, so until then, i'll post a pic here. The TV is very asthetically (sp?) pleasing and it fits perfectly on a Bell'o AVS-422T stand. It's tilted so i can sit in my computer chair, the angle from which this pic is taken, and see it perfectly while i'm laying in bed where i watch a majority of TV and play Xbox...

it looks a little rough with wires and clothes and things, but i'm still in college so gimme a break, school just started back and frankly you people are the only ones that see my dwelling place to be honest, we don't entertain that much because by the time i'm home from school then go to work, its 11 and no one wants to be out just hangin around someones house when they have 9:00 AM classes and an 8 hour shift ahead of them...
 
h0e0h said:
Well, here she is... I will be updating my "setup" page when iLife arrives Friday, so until then, i'll post a pic here. The TV is very asthetically (sp?) pleasing and it fits perfectly on a Bell'o AVS-422T stand. It's tilted so i can sit in my computer chair, the angle from which this pic is taken, and see it perfectly while i'm laying in bed where i watch a majority of TV and play Xbox...

it looks a little rough with wires and clothes and things, but i'm still in college so gimme a break, school just started back and frankly you people are the only ones that see my dwelling place to be honest, we don't entertain that much because by the time i'm home from school then go to work, its 11 and no one wants to be out just hangin around someones house when they have 9:00 AM classes and an 8 hour shift ahead of them...
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Very nice h0e0h! Thanks for the pic, and for contributing as much as you have so far to this discussion. As I've said before, when I'm ready to do some serious research and purchase a nice new set later this year, I'll definitely be consulting you. 🙂 😎
 
I'm glad to see there's some good, honest information in this thread! I work in the entertainment department at Circuit City and sell TV's too.

I just have to chime in and give my 2c about the Sony SXRD's as well. They're very much worth the extra cash that is asked for. We currently have a contest going on right now where Corporate/Sony has given us a quota to meet, and we can earn gift cards based upon this. Some stores have had no problem meeting their 13-15 units for the month. We've sold 9 already, and we're a REALLY small store. If anyone has the room for as lcd rear projection, check them out. I had the fortune of no customers last night, so I watched some High-Def hockey, and DiscoveryHD on the Sony 60" SXRD. Life is good! 😎
 
Jschultz said:
I'm glad to see there's some good, honest information in this thread! I work in the entertainment department at Circuit City and sell TV's too.

I just have to chime in and give my 2c about the Sony SXRD's as well. They're very much worth the extra cash that is asked for. We currently have a contest going on right now where Corporate/Sony has given us a quota to meet, and we can earn gift cards based upon this. Some stores have had no problem meeting their 13-15 units for the month. We've sold 9 already, and we're a REALLY small store. If anyone has the room for as lcd rear projection, check them out. I had the fortune of no customers last night, so I watched some High-Def hockey, and DiscoveryHD on the Sony 60" SXRD. Life is good! 😎
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I think that this time of the year, well except for super bowl sunday in 2 days, is generally slow because a majority of customers who would be buying TVs with their income tax returns haven't received them yet, and we've been getting a lot of rain... so I too got to watch some SXRD maddness the past couple of days. Jschultz, you should really check out the bikini chicks on HDNet (assuming that you're on DirectTV in that store). You'd be surprised how many older men come in and ask if we'll "throw that blonde in for free" if he buys a set. We have DirectTV at my store and its really odd pitching a TV and a CircuitCity commercial come on, fortunately for us though, the closest store is about 2 hours away. Good luck this spring and come back to offer more than 2cents to the discussion when you get the chance...
 
As far as burn in goes (and this applies to CRT as well as Plasma...so I won't judge technology here 🙂), one thing to consider...even if you think you only watch TV, so there's no static images, (like if it had been used like a PC monitor)...the station's call numbers at the bottom right of the screen can cause some real problems as far as burn in. Just some food for thought. Most people don't care enough, but it doesn't hurt to consider it.
 
mmmcheese said:
As far as burn in goes (and this applies to CRT as well as Plasma...so I won't judge technology here 🙂), one thing to consider...even if you think you only watch TV, so there's no static images, (like if it had been used like a PC monitor)...the station's call numbers at the bottom right of the screen can cause some real problems as far as burn in. Just some food for thought. Most people don't care enough, but it doesn't hurt to consider it.
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Or the "ticker bars" on CNN and the like.
 
h0e0h said:
Shard, did you think anymore about the models that we discussed recently?
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Yes I have h0e0h, thanks for asking. I've done a fair bit of research in the past week actually, and perhaps you can clarify a few things for me. I was going to e-mail you these questions, but might as well post them here for everyone's benefit instead. 😉 🙂

One site I visited indicated that Panasonic and Toshiba use the same panels in their displays, making the differences between the two essentially neglible in that respect. Do you know if this is actually the case?

Also, I forget the model #, but there is a new Panasonic out I saw which claims to be (currently) the only 9th generation plasma on the market. A 42" runs for about $3400 CAD retail I believe, but I could be wrong...

Lastly, I read a review stating that HP actually makes a damn good HD set. I never gave them a second thought, since they are new to the market, not an established brand when it comes to TVs, etc., however I have heard their sets are actually top quality at lower prices than their competitors. What do you know about these?

Thanks in advance! 😎
 
You should look on

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=40

I bought a Panasonic ED plasma last year on the advice I read there and I still think that most of the advice applies.

Plasmas and LCDs both have their advantages and disadvantages,, and I have read that LCDs caught up with plasma this year on picture quality but I still think that Plasmas hold the lead on black levels and most importantly price.

The reason why I chose an ED last year is that HDDVD and Blueray are still out of my price range and I really don't feel the need to pay an extra $10 per month to get 10 discovery HDs. When the content is available at better prices I will sell my ED panel or retire it to the bedroom and get an HD. Until then, I will enjoy regular DVDs in perfect quality. I read alot about future proofing your TV experience, but the truth is, that by the time the future gets here in 3 to 5 years and you can use all of the features you payed for, they will be yesterdays news, much cheaper, and something else will be better.

I really think that if online movie rentals or purchasing via the iTMS or some other source would catch on then Blueray and HDDVD might never take off. Convenience trumps quality if .mp3s are any indication. But quality of online videos would have to be at least as good as todays DVDs. Also, if Apple doesn't hurry up with online feature content then services like Verizon's Fios will have the lead.

If you are getting an HD plasma I think HDCP is really important so if HDMI is the only interface that has it then I guess you must have it. I'm pretty sure all HDMI is, is a DVI cable with digital audio built in. My DVD player and receiver only have DVI ports on the back but you can get cables with HDMI on one end and DVI on the other to take care of this.
 
h0e0h said:
first of all, i sell TVs for a living... so i like to think that i know what i'm talking about.
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awesome post -- thanks for the info

Edit: haha, oops, didnt realize this thread was 5 months old
 
Regarding burn in, it is my understanding that the latest generations of plamsa sets have addressed this probelm and it is no longer an issue. The contrast ratios have been upped to 10000:1, the power consumption has dropped from 1000W to ~400W-600W, depending on the size, etc., and the longevity has been increased to 60,000 hours. To me, plasmas have overcome essentially all of their initial major drawbacks and are a very attractive choice these days, especially since prices are coming down.

A friend of mine was recommending LCoS/Sony's SXRD or a DLP set instead of plasma, due to bigger screens, better resolutions and lower prices (for the DLPs at least). For me though, a plasma is thinner and more aesthetically pleasing in that respect. And, more importantly, with DLPs, LCoS, etc., my understanding is that every 5-7 years you will probably need to replace your bulb setup, which will run you about $500, whereas a plasma will not fade or burn out for 60,000 hours, or roughly 15 years of use depending on your viewing habits. Yes, if something goes wrong with a plasma you'd need to replace the whole set, but in my mind that's why you buy a reputable brand name, and not an Akai or something you see at Costco. 😉 Those types of companies just pick up the panels which didn't pass the high quality requirements of the reputable brands (Panasonic, Toshiba, etc.) and sell them for cheap.

Anyway, just some thoughts. Feel free to share some feedback, especially you h0e0h, as I value your experience, knowledge and opinion. 😎
 
ddrueckhammer said:
If you are getting an HD plasma I think HDCP is really important so if HDMI is the only interface that has it then I guess you must have it. I'm pretty sure all HDMI is, is a DVI cable with digital audio built in. My DVD player and receiver only have DVI ports on the back but you can get cables with HDMI on one end and DVI on the other to take care of this.
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HDMI is merely a transmission. HDMI is an interface that carries both uncompressed, digital audio and video, where as DVI still carries a slightly compressed, video-only transmission.
 
~Shard~ said:
Regarding burn in, it is my understanding that the latest generations of plamsa sets have addressed this probelm and it is no longer an issue. The contrast ratios have been upped to 10000:1, the power consumption has dropped from 1000W to ~400W-600W, depending on the size, etc., and the longevity has been increased to 60,000 hours. To me, plasmas have overcome essentially all of their initial major drawbacks and are a very attractive choice these days, especially since prices are coming down.

A friend of mine was recommending LCoS/Sony's SXRD or a DLP set instead of plasma, due to bigger screens, better resolutions and lower prices (for the DLPs at least). For me though, a plasma is thinner and more aesthetically pleasing in that respect. And, more importantly, with DLPs, LCoS, etc., my understanding is that every 5-7 years you will probably need to replace your bulb setup, which will run you about $500, whereas a plasma will not fade or burn out for 60,000 hours, or roughly 15 years of use depending on your viewing habits. Yes, if something goes wrong with a plasma you'd need to replace the whole set, but in my mind that's why you buy a reputable brand name, and not an Akai or something you see at Costco. 😉 Those types of companies just pick up the panels which didn't pass the high quality requirements of the reputable brands (Panasonic, Toshiba, etc.) and sell them for cheap.

Anyway, just some thoughts. Feel free to share some feedback, especially you h0e0h, as I value your experience, knowledge and opinion. 😎
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Shard, don't rip the DLP/LCoS, I wouldn't lead you wrong man. Yes, you do have to replace the bulb approximately 10000 hours into it, BUT the cost is a mere $150US. Burn-in, though, is still a major issue. Yes, it has been SIGNIFICANTLY reduced... but its still very prevalent. I'm talkin 10 hours of CNN and you may notice it a bit. Anyway, I'm here, let me know what i can do for you.
 
savar said:
awesome post -- thanks for the info

Edit: haha, oops, didnt realize this thread was 5 months old
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its cool, models are fixin to change so i may through up some reviews when i get my hands on some new stuff.
 
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