HDTVs

[Andrew]

I'm looking at getting one soon, and know very little about them. Does anyone know of a good site that compares features between brands and models? There seem to be quite a few TVs out there, and I'm trying to figure out which are the best value.

Once I do buy one I'll be moving to Bell Expressvu - as RDS HD is a big reason for wanting to go with HD, and Shaw have yet to pick it up out West.

[clear observer]

Dec 26, 2008 20:57:21 GMT -5 Andrew said:

I'm looking at getting one soon, and know very little about them. Does anyone know of a good site that compares features between brands and models? There seem to be quite a few TVs out there, and I'm trying to figure out which are the best value.

Once I do buy one I'll be moving to Bell Expressvu - as RDS HD is a big reason for wanting to go with HD, and Shaw have yet to pick it up out West.

reviews.cnet.com/televisions/

[franko]

ya beat me to the cnet recommend . . . I check out just about everything I can there first . . . have not been disappointed.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

I've got a plasma, Franko Andrew. Right now I don't intend on going full HD mainly because of the picture quality I already have. I may in the future, but not so sure.

Good luck with your decision.

Cheers.

Edit: Darn skimming!

[franko]

Dec 27, 2008 0:09:30 GMT -5 Disgruntled70sHab said:

I've got a plasma, Franko.

I wish, Dis . . .that was Andrew.

fwiw, my son bought himself a small LCD and regrets it -- wants something bigger. For his bedroom, for crying out loud!

And my daughter's boyfriend bought her one for Christmas.

And me? Still . . .



Remote control: me yelling at one of the kids to come change the channel from one to another ;D

[cigarviper]

It all comes down to budget, like everything else. Besides, don't be swayed by brand names and advertising. With the lower priced tvs you don't get the wall behind the tv lit up in nice colours and they aren't viewable hanging upside down at a 68 degree angle. When Costco started carrying LCD HD TVs for around $1000 years ago, I bought 3 of them even though I could easily have spent $3000 on just one. We still have all three and two of them double as monitors for my son's computers, so they get alot of use. So I guess my advice would be to not be dazzled by the sizzle, but go for the best steak.

[CrocRob]

There are plenty of deals around right now. Though brand isn't a real issue, I've heard of a few people who get dead pixels pretty quick. I got mine from the Sony Store (it's a Sony! Who'da guessed!) mostly because I got a free (at the time) 5 year warantee on it.

Just find what you think is good value. You can get a heck of a TV right now for $1000 or even less. My only true suggestion is decide what size is going to fit into the room you have. 42 inches sounds really nice, but my brother-in-law has one in his smallish living room and it's a bit of an albatross and an eyesore when it's off.

[Andrew]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I'm learning a lot from that CNET site, and it's good to hear what's worked for others.

[Tankdriver]

I guess it all depends on your viewing pleasure....Plasma has more of a true black and is recomended for movies and darker rooms. Also has beter viewing angles.

I have a 50" LG Plasma (had for a year now) Had no problems and prodices a nice picture and wasn't too costly. My Dad bought a Sony LCD 37" Full HD and paid the same amount and I don't notice any difference. This time for the basement he bought a 42" LG Plasma over Panasonic..it was $300 cheaper and so far he likes it. I think there is little to no difference out there except with regards to price.....its more wether Plasma or LCD....either way buy HD programming and you won't regret it.

[Cranky]

I bought a Sharp Aquos and I am very happy with it. One thin you MUST make sure you have if you buy an LCD. Get the 120 mhz models if you want to watch sports with it.

BTW, FutureShop has a 65 Sharp Aquos for less the 3 grand.

[Deleted]

Brand DOES matter...sometimes.

If you have money to blow, don't buy a Sony. Ever. You'll get the same picture from a Panasonic for a fraction of the price.

I was unimpressed with Samsung and LG, at least in comparison to a Panasonic and a Sharp. Mind you, if you just want any kind of TV, it probably isn't going to matter. But trust me, when you plug in that HD box, or Blu-ray player, it matters.

How to judge for yourself? Just go into a store and compare the image from all the TVs that are lined up. Don't just glance at them, actually move in to a close enough distance where you'll notice any grainy imagery or anything else that takes away from the picture.

720p or 1080p? The only time 1080p comes into play is if you plug in a Blu-ray player. Have no intentions of getting Blu-ray? Go for 720.

[jkr]

My Dad bought a 37" Toshiba LCD about a year ago. At first it sounded a little small for HD but as Red said, you have to consider the surroundings.

It is great for sports. When I'm over there I find myself watching stuff I don't watch at home. like baseball ( ), because it looks so good.

[halihab]

Hi Andrew,

I have a 42" Panasonic Plasma in my basement. I bought it 2 years ago and I still don't have HD programming. I have a digital box for RDS but the standard picture is very good.

I will eventually get HD programming and a Blue-ray like everyone else. You can't go wrong with Panasonic.

CostCo has a 37" HD LCD Samsung on sale for $ 479.00.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

Dec 28, 2008 10:56:59 GMT -5 halihab said:

Hi Andrew,

I have a 42" Panasonic Plasma in my basement. I bought it 2 years ago and I still don't have HD programming. I have a digital box for RDS but the standard picture is very good.

I will eventually get HD programming and a Blue-ray like everyone else. You can't go wrong with Panasonic.

CostCo has a 37" HD LCD Samsung on sale for $ 479.00.

Can't go wrong purchasing from CostCo. We took out the AMEX card they have and any electronics we purchase with it comes with an in-store 2-year warranty.

CostCo is also very good on returns as well. No questions asked if they identify it as one of their product line.

As far as HD goes, it's cheap but I never followed up on it. It's the best picture I've ever had anyway. I might break down eventually but not now.

Cheers.

[24in93]

IMO buying an HDTV whether it be an LCD or plasma, if you don't get HD programming it's like buying a sports car in automatic. It might still be fun but nowhere near as fun as it could be.

[HabSolute]

Dec 28, 2008 15:24:54 GMT -5 24in93 said:

IMO buying an HDTV whether it be an LCD or plasma, if you don't get HD programming it's like buying a sports car in automatic. It might still be fun but nowhere near as fun as it could be.

I fully agree with you 24.

Once you have seen what an good HD feed can do on a good HDTV, you never, ever want to go back. I cancelled ALL my Rogers services (cable, internet, home phone & wireless) just so I could get RDSHD from Bell (my wife thinks I am crazy). When you watch over 70 Habs games a year, it's worth it. And they are about the same price. It's just a big pain to change all of it.

I bought a 42" Panasonic Plasma 3 years ago and loved it. It is now on the wall of our bedroom.

I replaced it in the family room with a 50" Pioneer. Pioneer really is the Mercedes of all Plasma TV. They are more expensive but the colors and the blacks are fantastic. If you don't plan on getting a Blue Ray or a Playstation 3, then there is no need to go Full HD ( or 1080P), it's more expensive for no reasons. Nothing else than BlueRAY and Playstation 3 right now can generate 1080P. Certainly not television feed (and we are far from that).

I also have a Panasonic HD projector in my basement (PTAE700). It projects on a 120" screen painted on the wall with a special paint (called Goo Paint). The screen is about 5 feet high by 9 feet wide. That's where I watch most of the games. It is simply fantastic. With a good sound system, you feel you are at the game. For anyone that has a finish basement, love to watch HD sports and movies, and can make the room fairly dark, I HIGHLY recommend a projector. It will blow you away. There is no word to describe it. The expression on people's face when they come to visit the first time is priceless. And it's not as expensive as people think. But on this size, it requires an HD feed.

Buying a new TV depends greatly on your needs and how much you like enjoy using it. There is no limits, yet at the same time you can get something very good between $1,000 and $2,000. Make sure you read before you go see a commission salesman. Once you have picked one, shop around, it's very competitive out there and retailers are hungry.

But my only recommendation, you HAVE to get the HD box. A cheaper TV with the HD feed will be A LOT nicer than a much better TV without the HD BOX. Let us know what you picked......

[seventeen]

I rely on Consumer Reports for many of my appliance/electronics decision (and for reliability with cars, but mostly just reliability). Three years ago they had the Panasonic 42 inch plasma as the best viewing around and I bought one. Can't argue with the results. Panasonic has been good for quite a long time. Sony's Bravias score well, too, but more recently, the Samsung LCD models have performed very well. I think there's a 40 inch model going for $999 in many stores and it not only performs well, it's a good value too.

[jkr]

Thanks for the info on 1080p guys. I didn't know that it it was only important with blu-ray. It gets pushed a lot in the ads as if it was an essential feature.

[Andrew]

Dec 28, 2008 22:59:18 GMT -5 HabSolute said:

If you don't plan on getting a Blue Ray or a Playstation 3, then there is no need to go Full HD ( or 1080P), it's more expensive for no reasons. Nothing else than BlueRAY and Playstation 3 right now can generate 1080P. Certainly not television feed (and we are far from that).

On that topic, isn't BlueRay the future standard for HD movies? Every time I visit a video store or retailer, their selection of BlueRay is bigger. Would it not make sense to accommodate this technology?

[MC Habber]

Dec 29, 2008 15:33:44 GMT -5 Andrew said:

Dec 28, 2008 22:59:18 GMT -5 HabSolute said:

If you don't plan on getting a Blue Ray or a Playstation 3, then there is no need to go Full HD ( or 1080P), it's more expensive for no reasons. Nothing else than BlueRAY and Playstation 3 right now can generate 1080P. Certainly not television feed (and we are far from that).

On that topic, isn't BlueRay the future standard for HD movies? Every time I visit a video store or retailer, their selection of BlueRay is bigger. Would it not make sense to accommodate this technology?

To some extent. I don't know how long blu-ray will remain the standard though. The next generation of higher definition video is already in the works, but I can't predict whether it will actually displace 1080p. Another possibility is that high dynamic range imaging will make it into consumer video, but I would think that's a long way off, if it ever happens. A third factor is that the use of actual disks may be reduced if video on demand or it's internet-based equivalents really take off -- I don't know whether that will have an impact on video standards.

My uninformed guess is that 1080p will have about 10 years before it gets replaced, unless either a prolonged economic downturn makes people less willing to move to a new format, or people are just satisfied with 1080p and don't feel they need any higher quality. But OTOH, DVD has been in widespread use for about 10 years and it's beginning to be replaced by blu-ray, and technological progress seems to be advancing at an ever increasing rate, so the next thing could come sooner. Wikipedia says that Japan hopes to begin broadcasting ultra HD video in 2015.

Basically it's a risk either way IMO. If you spend money on 1080p, you could find it doesn't last you as long as you hoped, but if you wait to see where the technology is going, you may end up waiting for nothing and then have to spend money again on a new tv. So it depends on how much you value HD video for watching movies. I guess it comes down to the price difference and how soon you see yourself getting a blu-ray player.

[The New Guy]

Dec 29, 2008 9:25:49 GMT -5 jkr said:

Thanks for the info on 1080p guys. I didn't know that it it was only important with blu-ray. It gets pushed a lot in the ads as if it was an essential feature.

Just further to that - if you considering buying a T.V. you should take a look at this guide:
www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/11/how_to_buy_an_hdtv_tomorrow_or_any_day-2.html

It's a half decent guide that hits all the bases. The only other advice I can offer (that hasn't been offered already) is (a) decline the extended warranty (most LCD and Plasma TV's that are going to fail are going to fail in the first few months, while they're still under mfg. warranty. Why cough up $200 for something you're probably not going to use?); (b) always check the TV's in multiple shops (different shops = different lighting + different settings + different signal quality = you'll know exactly how the T.V. is going to perform when you get it home); (c) fiddle with the settings (especially on the ones the store is not trying to sell you - with a little work you can usually get the low-end ones looking as good as the mid-range sets by playing with the settings); and finally (d) get a HD box (if only to watch hockey games on - you can usually get a deal on them with the purchase of a new TV, and frankly watching hockey in HD is unreal)..

[Cranky]

Dec 30, 2008 9:10:51 GMT -5 The New Guy said:

(c) fiddle with the settings (especially on the ones the store is not trying to sell you - with a little work you can usually get the low-end ones looking as good as the mid-range sets by playing with the settings);

For twenty bucks, there are dvd's available that will help one set up the tv's color. Even expensive sets need a bit of tweaking.

I use to have a Sony tv with 4 different programable color settings. I loved that feature because at a push of ONE button, I could change the color. I even had a hockey setting to take away the white harshness of the ice.

[Habs_fan_in_LA]

The most important factors are:

1. What's on sale?

and

2. Content

I have a 57" rear projection 1080p connected to a Direct TV hd box and a 42" lcd 1080p connected to a non-HD direct tv box in the bedroom. Both were purchased on sale and both are excellent. The smaller tv tends to be sharper even though it doesn't receive true HD from the dish. A lot depends on the camera. Some ads look terrible and some games from certain cities look much worse than others no matter which tv. A bad feed looks worse on the bigger tv. Prices have dropped and sizes have gone up.
Content?
I'd rather see the Habs win on analogue than lose in HD.

[jkr]

Dec 30, 2008 9:10:51 GMT -5 The New Guy said:

Dec 29, 2008 9:25:49 GMT -5 jkr said:

Thanks for the info on 1080p guys. I didn't know that it it was only important with blu-ray. It gets pushed a lot in the ads as if it was an essential feature.

Just further to that - if you considering buying a T.V. you should take a look at this guide:
www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/11/how_to_buy_an_hdtv_tomorrow_or_any_day-2.html

It's a half decent guide that hits all the bases. The only other advice I can offer (that hasn't been offered already) is (a) decline the extended warranty (most LCD and Plasma TV's that are going to fail are going to fail in the first few months, while they're still under mfg. warranty. Why cough up $200 for something you're probably not going to use?); (b) always check the TV's in multiple shops (different shops = different lighting + different settings + different signal quality = you'll know exactly how the T.V. is going to perform when you get it home); (c) fiddle with the settings (especially on the ones the store is not trying to sell you - with a little work you can usually get the low-end ones looking as good as the mid-range sets by playing with the settings); and finally (d) get a HD box (if only to watch hockey games on - you can usually get a deal on them with the purchase of a new TV, and frankly watching hockey in HD is unreal)..

Thnaks TNG. It's a very informative piece & a fun read. I like the author's style.