Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

gc15

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 23, 2012
181
2
Hello everyone, I gotta get a new tv because my tv's cable input is broke so i currently have no tv unless i get a new tv. The problem is i do not know anything about tv's and since I'm on college budget i can not spend anything crazy; however, I'm willing to spend a little bit. I'm looking to get a 32 inch tv that is also good for gaming. Can anybody help me out?
 

gsander

macrumors newbie
Apr 17, 2008
13
0
May be simple

This could be simple. Do you directly connect the cable to the TV or is there a converter box? Many converter boxes have multiple outputs. Do you have another input on the current TV that can be used with an alternate connection to the cable box?
 

dapetrun

macrumors regular
Feb 18, 2006
123
0
Western Pennsylvania
Hello everyone, I gotta get a new tv because my tv's cable input is broke so i currently have no tv unless i get a new tv. The problem is i do not know anything about tv's and since I'm on college budget i can not spend anything crazy; however, I'm willing to spend a little bit. I'm looking to get a 32 inch tv that is also good for gaming. Can anybody help me out?

Model 42LB6300 also comes in a 47" for $100 more.

I just bought my daughter a LG 42" Smart TV for around $600 + tax. It has a voice command remote control to change channels and it is like a Wii with a mouse pointer on screen. Beautiful picture and I see the price was just lowered so I will make use of their 30 day lowest price guarantee. Bought mine at hhgreg:

http://www.hhgregg.com/lg-42-1080p-120hz-led-webos-smart-hdtv/item/42LB6300
 

hallux

macrumors 68040
Apr 25, 2012
3,439
1,005
Model 42LB6300 also comes in a 47" for $100 more.

I just bought my daughter a LG 42" Smart TV for around $600 + tax. It has a voice command remote control to change channels and it is like a Wii with a mouse pointer on screen. Beautiful picture and I see the price was just lowered so I will make use of their 30 day lowest price guarantee. Bought mine at hhgreg:

http://www.hhgregg.com/lg-42-1080p-120hz-led-webos-smart-hdtv/item/42LB6300

I have the 42 and have been happy with it overall. I think in the OP's case a non-smart TV might be a better option to keep it in budget. OP - check Walmart's offerings.
 

JackieInCo

Suspended
Jul 18, 2013
5,178
1,601
Colorado
I bought a 40" Hisense TV at Walmart a few weeks back. Compared to the other 40" TVs next to it, the Hisense actually had the best picture. All the other sets on display seemed to have uneven lighting on corners and about a 3" strip on each side where there was uneven lighting as well. Only the Hisense didn't.

I plan on going back soon and getting a bigger size of this same brand for another room. It is a smart TV and mine was only $299.

The reviews on Amazon from what I read are good as well. I LOVE this TV.
 

gc15

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 23, 2012
181
2
This could be simple. Do you directly connect the cable to the TV or is there a converter box? Many converter boxes have multiple outputs. Do you have another input on the current TV that can be used with an alternate connection to the cable box?

i directly connect the cable to the tv, i thought i could use my xbox one as the converter through the hdmi; however, that did not work as well. Unless there is a converter box that plugs the cable antenna from the wall into a hdmi, i don't think i have another option but getting a new tv.
 

tjwilliams25

macrumors 6502
Aug 10, 2014
316
60
Montana
i directly connect the cable to the tv, i thought i could use my xbox one as the converter through the hdmi; however, that did not work as well. Unless there is a converter box that plugs the cable antenna from the wall into a hdmi, i don't think i have another option but getting a new tv.

If you're looking for a great college dorm TV that won't break the bank, Samsung makes a great 32 inch one: the UN32EH4003. I have two of them; one for the office and one in the bedroom, and they're awesome while being cheap. And, right now Target (check the link) has them on sale for $219, 5% less if you have a Redcard. I use the one in the bedroom with the PS3 and gaming on it is amazing. It's only 60 Hz, but most games aren't even 60 fps, so it wouldn't really matter.
 

HobeSoundDarryl

macrumors G5
i directly connect the cable to the tv, i thought i could use my xbox one as the converter through the hdmi; however, that did not work as well. Unless there is a converter box that plugs the cable antenna from the wall into a hdmi, i don't think i have another option but getting a new tv.

gsander is on the right track if your existing TV is OK other than a broken input. Typically a cable company is going to have what they'll call a digital tier or similar. This requires a cable box which basically descrambles this tier of channels (often good, popular channels in HD).

If your TV is fine, upping your cable subscription to a digital tier gets you the box, and the box will allow a connection via HDMI or similar (using other, probably-working jacks on your TV).

If you've been connecting your cable directly to your TV, the best you are getting is some free (unscrambled) analog and maybe local HD channels. This is usually the very bottom tier made up of generally less-popular channels except the HD locals. So probably one notch up on the cable subscription will get you a cable box with an HDMI connection. That will get you probably many more channels than you had before.

If you want a new TV, just go to stores like Walmart, Best Buy, etc and there are tons of them to be had for relatively cheap. Another option is pawn shops or even garage sales where you can often find some good used HDTVs at cheap prices too. If you only replicate your setup of hooking the cable directly to the TV, odds are high that the channels you'll be getting are non-HD analog except for maybe the local networks. So any old HDTV should be good enough for that.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.