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HDTV Checklist / Recommendations

After reading through this thread countless times, I've concluded that, despite my defense for Plasmas, I'm going after a LCD TV. I'm really into resolution so I'm looking at the Westinghouse 1080p's. My only problem is I don't know where I should start shopping for this LCDTV; Best Buy? Circuit City? I don't like resorting to online stores without reviewing in person first so I just need to know that.

Also, I'm not sure which is a better investment: A Mac Mini or a DirectTV DVR? This is, of course, for recording purposes. With EyeTV, I was hoping to record some of my favorite television shows and sporting events. I'm not sure, but can EyeTV do HD? I'm looking at a duo core mini, or the stock DVR.

Furthermore, I am hoping that anyone could tell their experiences with wireless surround sound, 5.1+. Maybe a good brand? I don't care too much for pricing, as long as the experience is true SURROUND sound. Thanks all.
 
Philberttheduck said:
Also, I'm not sure which is a better investment: A Mac Mini or a DirectTV DVR? This is, of course, for recording purposes.
Click to expand...
IMHO get the HDirecTivo, Costco has'em for $349 now. The cheapest current mini is 2x the bucs and doesn't support HD out of the box. You could always hack it to enable extraction of the HD stream onto whatever platform you want. (I haven't done this to any of mine, but am glad to know it can be done.)

B
 
Philberttheduck said:
After reading through this thread countless times, I've concluded that, despite my defense for Plasmas, I'm going after a LCD TV. I'm really into resolution so I'm looking at the Westinghouse 1080p's. My only problem is I don't know where I should start shopping for this LCDTV; Best Buy? Circuit City? I don't like resorting to online stores without reviewing in person first so I just need to know that.

Also, I'm not sure which is a better investment: A Mac Mini or a DirectTV DVR? This is, of course, for recording purposes. With EyeTV, I was hoping to record some of my favorite television shows and sporting events. I'm not sure, but can EyeTV do HD? I'm looking at a duo core mini, or the stock DVR.

Furthermore, I am hoping that anyone could tell their experiences with wireless surround sound, 5.1+. Maybe a good brand? I don't care too much for pricing, as long as the experience is true SURROUND sound. Thanks all.
Click to expand...


Best Buy carries the Westinghouse 1080p, and i'm not sure about it, i haven't heard many comments about it. As far as wireless surround, sony is the only one that i've ever seen be reliable and their current model is the DAV-FX900W. Unfortunately, there are wires that connect the front left, front right, center, subwoofer, and transmitter to the receiver and wires that connect the rear left and rear right to a base that the speakers sit on. There are, however, no wires from front to rear. It is a true Dolby 5.1 systems that sound amazing, also including a 5-disk HD-Upscale to 1080i DVD player that reads SA-CD and MP3. hope that helps.
 
Thanks for the feedback balamw and h0e0h

I was looking at a costco-type package for my HD, so I'm glad someone else thinks it's good. I'll check out Best Buy for the Westinghouses. where would I be able to test/check out these Sony's? Sounds intriguing.

Thanks much guys :).
 
the sony is a popular brand and SHOULD be availible at best buy/circuit city. Currently, its not listed at any of the websites (Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears, CostCO) but you can see it at sonystyle.com. Personally, i'm glad there's not a costco in my area... i probably wouldn't shop there... something about companies that sell caskets kinda give me a wierd vibe.
 
I was looking at the Samsungs again on a recent trip to Fry's and noticed that they claimed an iPod input port. Sure enough there's a cable that will connect your iPod to recent model Samsung LCDs and allow you to control the iPod from the TV's remote.

Anyone actually tried this?

B
 
FWIW I took delivery of my shiny new Samsung 40" LCD HDTV LN-S4051D today. Hooked the iMac to its VGA port, and it works out of the box at the display's native 1360x768. I haven't moved the HD DirecTivo to it yet, so all I've watched on it is DVDs or displays from the Mac. So far so good. Lots of ports...

Only minor annoyance is that it doesn't seem smart enough to figure out 4:3 vs 16:9 for DVDs, though that might be in part the DVD player's fault...

B
 
Philberttheduck said:
After reading through this thread countless times, I've concluded that, despite my defense for Plasmas, I'm going after a LCD TV. I'm really into resolution so I'm looking at the Westinghouse 1080p's. My only problem is I don't know where I should start shopping for this LCDTV; Best Buy? Circuit City? I don't like resorting to online stores without reviewing in person first so I just need to know that.

Also, I'm not sure which is a better investment: A Mac Mini or a DirectTV DVR? This is, of course, for recording purposes. With EyeTV, I was hoping to record some of my favorite television shows and sporting events. I'm not sure, but can EyeTV do HD? I'm looking at a duo core mini, or the stock DVR.

Furthermore, I am hoping that anyone could tell their experiences with wireless surround sound, 5.1+. Maybe a good brand? I don't care too much for pricing, as long as the experience is true SURROUND sound. Thanks all.
Click to expand...

Best Buy does sell the westy. My friend bought one. It was very nice, expecially considering the price. However, it blew up after 6 months. I don't know how representative that is of quality, but it was enough to convince me to not purchase one. Besides, there are now plenty of reasonably priced high quality hdtvs available.

Get the dvr. If your using Directv, afaik there is no way to record hdtv on a mac. There are a few hd capable recording solutiuons, but none that support satellite. In fact, the solutions typically only support ota hdtv recording.

As for wireless surround... it's a bit of a holy grail. I don't know a whole lot about it, other than in general, the audio quality is poor and the solutions out there are weak. Every now and then, a product comes out and gets a poor review. The problem is this: you need to have some sort of amplification. Which means there will probably be a power cord for the speaker. So, no matter what, your going to have a cord coming out of the speaker. Unless it is running on batteries, which would be awful.

Basically, I wouldn't even bother with wireless speakers.
 
h0e0h said:
Best Buy carries the Westinghouse 1080p, and i'm not sure about it, i haven't heard many comments about it. As far as wireless surround, sony is the only one that i've ever seen be reliable and their current model is the DAV-FX900W. Unfortunately, there are wires that connect the front left, front right, center, subwoofer, and transmitter to the receiver and wires that connect the rear left and rear right to a base that the speakers sit on. There are, however, no wires from front to rear. It is a true Dolby 5.1 systems that sound amazing, also including a 5-disk HD-Upscale to 1080i DVD player that reads SA-CD and MP3. hope that helps.
Click to expand...

Other than disc players and a few televisions, Sony is an awful brand. Their speakers are particularly bad. Look nice, sound bad.
 
~Shard~ said:
I heard that DLPs sets burn out or at least dim after about 5 years, resulting in having to replace the bulb assembly which costs $500 or more. Is this true? If so, this should be taken into consideration when making a purchase, as the newest plasmas have lives of 60,000 hours with no costly replacements required. If this is true, it is something that should be factored into the overall cost of the set by the consumer.
Click to expand...


They don't dim. Or at least they shouldn't. But yes, the bulb will need to be replaced, and they cost a few hundred. On the plus side it's something you can do yourself. On the bad side, when it goes out, it generally goes out without warning, making your set useless.

It depends on the set, but from what I can tell, most bulbs cost $200-400.

And the life of a bulb is usually about 5 years or so of regular watching.

And while plasmas have no bulb, the picture degrades over time.
 
macidiot said:
They don't dim. Or at least they shouldn't. But yes, the bulb will need to be replaced, and they cost a few hundred. On the plus side it's something you can do yourself. On the bad side, when it goes out, it generally goes out without warning, making your set useless.

It depends on the set, but from what I can tell, most bulbs cost $200-400.

And the life of a bulb is usually about 5 years or so of regular watching.

And while plasmas have no bulb, the picture degrades over time.
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks for the info. Still not sure what I'll end up buying, but I have a few months to decide as I won't be buying one until the fall/winter.

Does anyone know about the 1080p sets made by HP? When I initially heard about them I dismissed them because I didn't think they would make a quality set, however I have read and heard nothing but good reviews regarding them. Any thoughts?
 
Philberttheduck said:
With refuted reports of "wireless surround" I was hoping to ask for anyone's input on "Virtual Surround". Specifically Soundmasters MainstageHD and the Yamaha YSP-800 Digital Sound Projector.

I'm still looking at a "bang for your buck" (even if it approaches $1000) surround sound system. The "wireless-ready" sets, Panasonic SC-HT940 intrigue me. 1200W sounds amazing. Any input?

Thanks all
Click to expand...

If you take the time to properly set it up, the yamaha sound projector is pretty cool, but the only problem is it takes an intricuit calibration process.
 
Alright Shard, my family and I just went through this whole ordeal. Don't drink the HD tuner Coolaid! http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-6305617-1.html

My Father was looking into HDTVs not three weeks ago. So basically I read some stuff on the internet and came up with teh conclusion. Plasma, though very high quality will not last as long because the gas burns up and you are stuck with a dimmer picture after three years of regular usage.

LCD is very nice, and will last you long. Just the prices of LCD are coming down, DLP is a little cheaper alternative.

THe issue with DLP is you will need to replace the backlit bulb after about 3 years of usage. No problem, just go on the company's web and order one. Then TV has the same picture quality as new.

After looking at the types, we wanted to know do we want a tuner built in? or not. Tuners that are built in tend to be more expensive. Most of hte time you don't really need it either. Unless you get your HDTV signals from a cable box or a HD DVD player (Blu Ray too) or what have you, (Xbox/ps3..) You don't need an HD tuner built into your tv. Read article up above. THe only reason you will need that built in tuner is if you pick up the broadcast stations over an antenna.

I have to say, it is a MUST to have HDMI ports in the back. Preferably two of them. As an owner of an HDTV the picture quality of having the HDMI cable between the cable box and TV is FAR SUPERIOR THAN ANYTHING ELSE. The future of HDTV is HDMI. THe new ps3 will come with one, ,xbox360 i dont know. Blu Ray dvd players have them, hd dvd players shoudl too. HDMI gives you the best resolutions. Allows you to view 1920x1080p resolution :) :) :) without dumbing down the picture.

Lots of HDTV sales people will try to sell you tvs that are "HDTV" but don't support all the resolutions. 1080p is true high def. The problem is that most broadcast stations only broadcast in standard def, only primetime and a few select digital cable/satelite channels are in high ddef. Discovery HD Theatre broadcasts in HDTV 24hr/365days. So when buying a TV, you gota think this is an investment for the future. Because from here on out, more stations will broadcast in better quality than standard definition.

So we got a Samsung 50" DLP TV with 2 HDMI (So very worth it, my eyes bleed with joy at the quality) full 1080p resolution (not eveyr station broadcasts in 1080p, but when they do you wil be able to enjoy the fullest hdtv quality) The reason for DLP is because it was significantly cheaper, and we didn't notice any real differfneces when comparing the brightness and picture quality. The only downside is we have to pay for a little bulb every three years. But that doesn't bother us. Whats more imnportant is watching football every sunday!!! woo hooo! :cool:

I hope through my rambling i helped some what. Please feel free to PM me or w/e if i haven't been specific enough. of if im wrong?
 
Not sure if it was mentioned but DLPs cause headaches and eye fatigue. My wife and I both get headaches when trying to view a DLP for more than 10 minutes. Some only get eye fatigue, some headaches, some don't get bothered at all. That was enough for me to frown on a $3K tv that would give me, my children, friends and family possible headaches? No thanks.

Plasma will offer the best pic, but is pricey and a power consuming monster. It's a myth about longevity. Plasmas will last 20 years.

LCD will provide excellent pic in the daylight but will look faded in the blacks in a dark room. Replaceable bulb.

LCoS is about the same as LCD but without the screen door effect, smoother picture. Replaceable bulb.

It comes down to price and connections, at least 1 HDMI is best.

1080p is like vaporware as there is no content for it yet. Anticipating there will be and buying a TV for only that feature is near sided.
 
Philberttheduck said:
With refuted reports of "wireless surround" I was hoping to ask for anyone's input on "Virtual Surround". Specifically Soundmasters MainstageHD and the Yamaha YSP-800 Digital Sound Projector.

I'm still looking at a "bang for your buck" (even if it approaches $1000) surround sound system. The "wireless-ready" sets, Panasonic SC-HT940 intrigue me. 1200W sounds amazing. Any input?

Thanks all
Click to expand...

I have to say that I'm a little biased here, but I think all those home theater in a box systems are at best, mediocre. Your going to make a major compromise somewhere.

However, if your set on it, I believe KEF, NAD, and Linn all make quality solutions. These are very high quality audio companies.

In general, speakers from Japanese companies are junk. Yamaha is one of the few exceptions. However, only their small bookshelves are well-regarded. And Panasonic, Sony, JVC, whatever... those big Japanese outfits make junk when it comes to speakers. In fact, other than tv/monitors and extreme high end disc players, all their stuff is mediocre at best.

My advice for a ~$1000 surround system (which by the way is barely entry level for decent sound), would be:

Denon or Yamaha receiver ~$300
DVD player(any brand, it doesn't really matter) ~$100
Speakers ~700-800

As for speakers, it's really difficult to recommend a system. You really have to go listen to them. Every speaker sounds different and everyone's hearing is different. What sounds good to one person might sound bad to another. And do it at a dedicated specialty store. NOT Best Buy/Circuit City. Those places will, if your lucky, just steer you towards a craptacular bose system. A specialty store has a decent chance of employing someone that will explain why speakers sound the way they do, how to set them up, and give you plenty of time to direct compare/listen to them. And have a decent environment to listen. Good big chains would be Tweeter or Magnolia. They carry high quality equipment and generally offer good advice. Also, Magnolia offers a 30 day, no questions asked, return policy. Which is awesome for speakers since it allows you to set them up and listen in your own home.

But a few brands(and there are plenty more) that make high quality, well regarded, reasonably priced speakers would be:

PSB
Energy
Paradigm
Revel
Ascend
Mirage
Monitor Audio
B & W

Note that at this price, your mostly getting the tiny satellites and absolutely need a subwoofer. And obviously, at this price your going to have trade-offs. Some of the speakers above will have higher quality components but ugly-ish enclosures. Others will have nice enclosures (notably Monitor Audio) but use smaller drivers. And almost all will be lacking a full range sound.

Frankly, if I were you, I'd try to stretch my budget and jump to $1500-1750. Keep the receiver and dvd, but put the extra money into speakers. The extra few hundred will get you a huge jump in quality.

FYI, in case this helps, my personal system consists of:

Samsung DLP set
Denon 3802 receiver
Some Sony DVD player ;) (it was cheap and did decent progressive scan)
Monitor Audio silver rs6 mains and rs lcr center
Mirage omnisat v2 rears
Rocket subwoofer

I bought the system over time and it would be considered a mid-range/high low-range system. Speakers were ~$2600.

Oh and I agonized over the speakers, which I recently upgraded. I listened to at least 10 different speakers. But I am thrilled with the Monitors.
 
Thanks very much macidiot. I'm going to check out a Ken Cranes for the quality of those listed brandnames and see if they can help me out.
 
If you want to spend about 1500... here's what I got... and this is the best system i've ever heard in my home...

Yamaha RX-V459 Receiver (soon to sell to my old man and pick up an RX-V1600)
Sony DVPNS90V (I think that's the model) upscale dvd player w/ SA-CD (again, to be sold to old man for Yamaha DVC950 changer w/ SA-CD and DVD Audio)
Klipsch RSX3 (Cinema 6 series) front, center, and surrounds
Klipsch RW10 (sub)

Perfectly calibrated and tuned with KDF-E42A10... keep in mind this is a bed room, that's why the speakers are only the 3s and not towers.

I second anything made by Paradigm or Klipsch... though i prefer my Klipsch... you can't go wrong with them... best speakers i've ever owned.


Oh, and Kid Red, BTW, I've seen plasmas go out... they will not last 20 years, maybe some of the new ones, but definitely not the older versions
 
now some pictures

Posted in setup thread... you have to excuse the mess, I'm getting ready to move and didn't bother hiding wire... just hook it up to go with it... its kind of a cluster f**k

A/V:

Sony KDF-E42A10
Samsung LNS2641D (monitor hooked up to 12" PB)
Yamaha RX-V45
Sony DVPNS90V DVD Player
Xbox 360
Klipsch RSX3 speakers (Cinema 6 Series)
Klipsch RW-10 Subwoofer
17" MacBook Pro
12" PowerBook
G4 Mac Mini


tvfj1.jpg

audiosk0.jpg

pbsc1.jpg

klipschmx1.jpg

cfzg3.jpg
 
DLP tv never gave us any eye fatigue or headaches? wtf? u viewing a bad tv?

my bro stairs at it for hours and hours and he doesn't have any problems
 
KingYaba said:
DLP tv never gave us any eye fatigue or headaches? wtf? u viewing a bad tv?

my bro stairs at it for hours and hours and he doesn't have any problems
Click to expand...

I think it might be one of those things that only affects certain people. It's probably along the lines of the "rainbow effect", where some people see a rainbow while watching a DLP set, while others don't...
 
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