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Need help picking out a TV

SidewaysTakumi

SidewaysTakumi

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 5, 2010
793
133
Texas
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So this will be my first new TV purchase in about 10 years...yea. I kept getting hand me downs so no need.

Well the wife just bought me a roku for my birthday and it made me realize how ****** the tv in our bedroom is. And since I have some money saved up, I'm thinking this may be the time.

Requirements:
I'm thinking 32"
Flat panel
HDTV
At or around $400
At least one set of RCA Inputs if not more

I'd love 1080p and what like 120htz? Not sure on that. This tv will need to last a while as you can see. No gaming will be done on this tv as I have a large projection hooked up to games in living room.

Also I need something that is good with various viewing angles if possible. Just because of how our bedroom is set up.

Any help is appreciated!!
Thank you guys and gals!!
 
I have the Sony EX500 and it's by far one of the best purchases I have made. I have the 46" version but I do believe it comes in smaller sizes that you are looking for. It's 120 hz and has a great contrast ratio. Many people say the black levels are close to plasma's and it has a great value. Check it out.
 
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Cool I'll check that out. Another quick question... If I get 1080p, will my standard def stuff look horrible?

I just noticed the roku I have is only 720p so I wonder if I should just save money and get a 720 model?
 
SidewaysTakumi said:
Cool I'll check that out. Another quick question... If I get 1080p, will my standard def stuff look horrible?

I just noticed the roku I have is only 720p so I wonder if I should just save money and get a 720 model?
Click to expand...

Standard def stuff will look like standard def - no better or worse than it looks on a standard def TV.

As far as the resolution, 720p is a good resolution for 32". It'll look great. My Apple TV is 720p, I use it on a 47" TV and it looks fantastic.
 
Tomorrow said:
Standard def stuff will look like standard def - no better or worse than it looks on a standard def TV.

As far as the resolution, 720p is a good resolution for 32". It'll look great. My Apple TV is 720p, I use it on a 47" TV and it looks fantastic.
Click to expand...


Great Thanks!

I found a 32" LG LCD HDTV in 720p for $309...good deal?

Any other suggestions?
 
Amazon has some good deals on 2010 model TVs.

I wouldn't worry about 1080p on a 32" TV. I doubt you will be able to notice the difference between 720 and 1080 on a TV that small.
 
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while I'll agree that 720p is probably fine for 32" in tv it isn't the smart purchase for your tv lasting a long time. I would look for 1080p and pay a little extra for it. This will ensure your TV is up to date for a lot longer and you'll be able to take full advantage of other upgrades like blu ray as they become cheaper as well. I upgraded to a 55" Samsung LED 120Hz and a blu ray player about a year ago and didn't realize what I was missing. Save yourself a headache and just get the full upgrade now. See these...

http://www.amazon.com/LG-32LE5300-3...ref=sr_du_2_map?ie=UTF8&qid=1299514857&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-BRAVIA-K...NM9C/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1299514976&sr=8-8
 
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I've been looking at Amazon...

Checking out those deals.

I'm just wondering if 469 for the 1080p is worth it over the 309 I could get with 720?
 
In your original post you stated that the TV needs to last for awhile. In my opinion if you want something to last awhile you shouldn't buy an older version of the technology. As with anything related to technology the moment you buy it's outdated but I still couldn't let myself buy 720p and expect it to last awhile. I only looked for a couple minutes on amazon and found those two. Can you post a link to the one you found? That way we could compare full stats versus just 720p against 1080p. Then I could show you other reasons the 1080p ones cost more.
 
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SidewaysTakumi said:
Here's the link...like I said, I'm open to ideas...

http://www.amazon.com/LG-32LD350-32...NGNY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299520342&sr=8-1

I have $400 but can probably scrounge up some more if it's worth it...but only $500 total MAX.

I'm on a budget and just can't help that.

How does that tv compare to this one...

http://www.amazon.com/LG-32LE5300-3...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1299520406&sr=1-1
Click to expand...

TV 1
Price 309
720P
60 Hz
50,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio
LCD Display
Inputs: 2 HDMI, 1 Component, 1 Composite, 1 RF, 1 PC*

TV2
Price 469
1080P
120 Hz
3,000,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio
LED Display
Inputs: 4 HDMI, 2 Component, 2 Composite, 1 RF, 1 PC, 1 USB*

Note* Not sure if you know or not so I'll point out, Component is RGB color and has extra sound cords. Composite is Red, White, and Yellow (Old School). RF is standard Cable Coax Cord.

I also want to point out that TV one is about 5 inches deep and while it could be mounted on a wall would look ridiculous. TV two is about an inch deep and would look perfect mounted on a wall.

To me all the benefits and forwards compatibility of TV 2 far out weigh the savings of TV 1. The contrast ratio will lead to better blacks and color definition. THe 120 Hz refresh rate will cause less motion blur and help improve your experience. The LED backlighting has a more even brightness to it and will use less power than the standard LCD in TV 1.

Questions?
 
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eternlgladiator said:
Questions?
Click to expand...

Wow...you laid it all out and looking at those specs, I think it's obvious what I should be getting. I may need to wait til I get paid.

Anyone want to find a better price than $469?
Haha...

Thank you thank you thank you!!

The extra ports will also help and yeah I want to have this for a while, so as technology progresses, I think the better stuff will last longer.
 
That appears to be a darn good deal. You could pay samsung almost twice that for similar specs. I'd buy it when you're ready. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Glad to help. I made a poor decision with my first big TV purchase and regretted it the whole way til I got my Samsung. It was worth every penny to upgrade.
 
Unfortunately there aren't a list of specs that every TV manufacturer uses so it can make comparing across brands somewhat difficult. I would consider Samsung/Sony similar to apple. A lot of similar components that you'll pay more for because of the name and great styling. There are some things that set them apart. Here's a good example.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN32D...4EMC/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1299522609&sr=8-7

You can't see the price until final checkout but its probably around 800-825 for this TV. You are getting some extra bells and whistles with it like the internet connected TV with the ability to use Netflix built in, play some lame games, browse youtube, and few other things.

A popular brand is relative to the person you're speaking with but I would put Samsung and Sony near the top of the main pack leaders. LG is probably in that second group with people like Sharp and Panasonic. There are others like Pioneer that make professional lines of TV that are amazing but outside the price range of most people.

Based on your price range I would have no second thoughts about that TV and if I were to upgrade my bedroom TV I would give it a strong look.
 
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Wow you are just a wealth of knowledge.

Thank you for your help.

Yup, this is the bedroom TV...

I'm waiting for my 46" projection to die in the living room--when it dies I will buy a huge hdtv. (the projection was a hand me down--as were 3 other tvs in our house)

Thank you...I called some of my local stores and none of them had the LED LG for cheaper than Amazon (and I'd have to pay tax) so I'm probably going to Amazon it.
 
SidewaysTakumi said:
Hey one more question...

My Roku HD says it transmits in 720p.

Would that look horrible on a 1080p tv?
Click to expand...

Nope. It'll look llke 720p. It'll still look great it just won't be 1080p. Just for comparison sake.

480p is standard def television assuming you have a regular cable box or sat dish and non hd channels. 720 is the lower side of HD. 1080i is comparable to 720p in some ways but still is more clear. 1080p is the high end of HD. A stand HD cable channel will be 1080i. Blu ray, xbox 360, and PS3 are a few consoles that will take advantage of 1080p. Netflix will stream 1080p as well. They all refer to the number of lines on the screen. 1080 is larger than 720 is larger than 480. However the i's and p's refer to how often each line is refreshed if at all. I may be getting past my expertise here so if any other members want to pipe up with comments feel free. Bottom line is you'll notice a different in 720p vs standard def(480p). Make sense? It was a little scattered.
 
I understand...but the picture won't look any worse right? The tv will just adjust and only show it at that definition?

Am I thinking right?

Meaning...if you have a 1080p tv, it can show 480, 720 and 1080 whereas a 720 could only show up to 720.

But SD and 720 content will look as good as it can (meaning of it's own definition) on a 1080 tv, right?

It (SD or 720 content) won't look any worse on a 1080p than it would on a 720p correct?
 
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SidewaysTakumi said:
I understand...but the picture won't look any worse right? The tv will just adjust and only show it at that definition?

Am I thinking right?

Meaning...if you have a 1080p tv, it can show 480, 720 and 1080 whereas a 720 could only show up to 720.

But SD and 720 content will look as good as it can (meaning of it's own definition) on a 1080 tv, right?
Click to expand...

I think you're thinking of this in terms that it is more variable than is actually the case. If your roku is set to output 720p and your tv has the ability it will display it. If your roku is set to output 720p and tv does not have the ability it cannot display it and will probably auto revert the setting back to 480p since you won't be able to see anything. I have an HD cable box that tells me the output I'm getting on my tv. For standard channel it outputs 480p even though my tv is expecting 1080p. It'll just display since it is backwards compatible. When I switch to an HD channel it automatically accepts the 1080i that the cable box sends to the TV since it's still expecting 1080p. When I go to blu ray I get full 1080p and my TV is happy :)

Standard def on a 720p will still be stand def. It will be using the tv's extra pixels but because there are only 480 lines in standard def you'll just get a "bloated" version so to speak. It'll still look better because your tv has more lines so it ca make a better picture but its a lot like stretching an image in photoshop. You can only go so far with a crappy image. That's why the inputs are just as important as the TV.

By the way don't get caught up in an upconvert dvd player that will magically make your old dvd's look amazing. The same principle applies. Save your money and go blu ray eventually. It'll be worth it and you'll smile the whole time you're watching those movies. If you haven't seen it yet find a friend that has it and you'll understand.

Did that all make sense?
 
Basically I want to make sure that SD or 720 content won't look like crap on a 1080p...especially since I don't currently have anything that will output to 1080p.

I may in the future, but right now I just have over the air tv and the most frequently used, Netflix. I have the money now, want to upgrade and am hoping to future proof a bit.

Does that make sense?

I am hoping that by the end of this year, I also have an XBox 360...and so that will be one HD input other than the Roku
 
SidewaysTakumi said:
Basically I want to make sure that SD or 720 content won't look like crap on a 1080p...especially since I don't currently have anything that will output to 1080p.

I may in the future, but right now I just have over the air tv and the most frequently used, Netflix. I have the money now, want to upgrade and am hoping to future proof a bit.

Does that make sense?
Click to expand...

I have a 1080 LG, and 720p looks great on it. Honestly, the difference between 720 and 1080 is pretty small on anything smaller than a 37-40" model. I'd go with the 1080p model anyhow, as it makes a big difference if you hook a computer up to it.

One thing to note is that SD doesn't look the best from a cable or antenna signal on an LCD of any model or brand. DVDs look fine though.
 
alust2013 said:
I have a 1080 LG, and 720p looks great on it. Honestly, the difference between 720 and 1080 is pretty small on anything smaller than a 37-40" model. I'd go with the 1080p model anyhow, as it makes a big difference if you hook a computer up to it.

One thing to note is that SD doesn't look the best from a cable or antenna signal on an LCD of any model or brand. DVDs look fine though.
Click to expand...

Thank you...

Yeah, the majority of our bedroom SD content is I <3 Lucy in the morning and the News at night...other than that, Netflix.
 
SidewaysTakumi said:
Basically I want to make sure that SD or 720 content won't look like crap on a 1080p...especially since I don't currently have anything that will output to 1080p.

I may in the future, but right now I just have over the air tv and the most frequently used, Netflix. I have the money now, want to upgrade and am hoping to future proof a bit.

Does that make sense?

I am hoping that by the end of this year, I also have an XBox 360...and so that will be one HD input other than the Roku
Click to expand...

Based on everything you just said that's just more ammo for the 1080p. You'll be happy with it.
 
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