HDTV

PonyPlayer · Post by **PonyPlayer** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 12:18 pm

Hi all,

I am considering a High Definition TV for the holidays. There is a 25% chace that I will buy one but most likely will wait for the warmer weather and prices to drop.

I'd like to hear from anyone that has an HDTV setup, What model do you have and what are your thoughts. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Patrick

BD1970 · Post by **BD1970** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:01 pm

I have a Toshiba 55 inch (I think!!!) that I love. We have HD cable subscription, an HD box, & HD TV & that's hard to beat for clarity except maybe for a plasma. It has the wide screen, normal, & zoom functions & a built in surround sound but no PIP. Pretty neat though.

We got a deal on ours. A friend of my wife's owns an electronics store, so we got it at cost.

Post by **Sam** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:12 pm

I got some 35 inch Sony tube model. It is 2 years old this January. The salesman told me that tubes still have the best picture, and all-angle viewing and I was not worried about the depth of the set. It is one heavy sucker. Got it for like $800.00, and it is a Trinitron. Sure, Id like a plasma but for the price, this could not be beat. Seeing a sporting event or movie on HDTV is like night and day. Have to use the tuner from Comcast to use HDTV

Sam

SteveL · Post by **SteveL** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:23 pm

I just bought the top of the line Panasonic 50" plasma last month. I love it.

A great place to research all audio video topics is here http://www.avsforum.com/

IMHO, you can't beat plasmain terms of picture quality.

msandoval858 · Post by **msandoval858** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:36 pm

I have the Sony 50” LCD Projection HDTV KDF-50E2000. It has a lot shorter depth than other projections and a lot cheaper than plasma. As far as picture quality it's been top notch. I have Dish Network HD service and the HD channels are beautiful. Looks great with DVD's as well. I'm currently using component cable connection which looks flawless. TV has HDMI interface but at the time the cable was 4x as much.

rustyblade · Post by **rustyblade** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:41 pm

Personally, I'm going to wait until LCD/Plasma technology gets better and cheaper. I'm still not 100% happy with what I see. That and HDTV subscription is too expensive. The number one thing that is holding me back....most TV is rubbish anyway and my 27" Tube does an efficient job of bringing this rubbish to my eyes in 4:3 format.

James P · Post by **James P** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:54 pm

My biggest issue with HDTV is that I use TiVo, and the benefits of HD are totally lost on it. We can use the TV without the TiVo, but what's the point? TiVo rocks!

SteveL · Post by **SteveL** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 2:02 pm

I have Comcast and their HD-DVR (essentially Tivo). The HD programming only cost $5 a month more and the DVR is $10 a month, but in reality it replaces an extra box which cost $5 a month so it really only costs me about $5 more.

I love HD and I love the DVR.

Also, if you look at that site I linked to you will see some great choices for any of the technologies you choose.

That board has some real experts. When researching surround sound systems I saw that they have people posting that worked on the THX and Dolby standards. These guys are top notch and know their sh*t. Poke around and I'm sure you'll find your answers. To me it's not just about size but also about quality.

jww · Post by **jww** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 2:11 pm

rustyblade wrote:Personally, I'm going to wait until LCD/Plasma technology gets better and cheaper. I'm still not 100% happy with what I see. That and HDTV subscription is too expensive. The number one thing that is holding me back....most TV is rubbish anyway and my 27" Tube does an efficient job of bringing this rubbish to my eyes in 4:3 format.

Ditto.

For the most part. we only watch some sports and selected television shows (of the British ilk - so it's usually PBS, A&E, BBC Canada or TVO). The rest is DVD. I almost pulled the trigger on a new LCD widescreen and an up-converting DVD player recently, until I learned that the black levels and contrast aren't as good in LCD panels as they still are in older tube televisions. So I started to check out some plasmas - but the cost, IMO is still prohibitive.

Post by **Sam** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 2:14 pm

Wendell, you are being told what I was being told. I jumped on the tube tv so I could see the Super Bowl two years ago in HDTV. Our bedroom has a sitting room with fire place and that is where it is, so 35 inch tv is a big one. THe price was right and when the prices on Plasmas and LCD tvs come down to that level, Ill get one for each room. I did get a 17 inch flat panel tv for our kitchen for $100 and got one for the daughter to take to her new apartment next month

Sam

McNutt · Post by **McNutt** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 2:21 pm

I ordered my 42" Sony LCD rear projection set from a company in New York a year and a half ago. I did some pricing and even with the $300 shipping the TV was almost $700 cheaper than at the local Best Buy.

I'd go LCD or DLP projector and only consider LCD flat-panel or plasma if you're going to mount it on a wall. The LCD/DLP projectors are small enough that the difference is almost negligible. If you do go DLP you might want to see if you can take a look at the set first. Some models have a really bad rainbow effect that you might notice. I have a very hard time not seeing the rainbow and my friend's Toshiba DLP gives me motion sickness after an hour of viewing. He doesn't feel it at all, but I can't watch his TV, which is a shame as his picture is great.

rustyblade · Post by **rustyblade** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 2:43 pm

jww wrote:
rustyblade wrote:Personally, I'm going to wait until LCD/Plasma technology gets better and cheaper. I'm still not 100% happy with what I see. That and HDTV subscription is too expensive. The number one thing that is holding me back....most TV is rubbish anyway and my 27" Tube does an efficient job of bringing this rubbish to my eyes in 4:3 format.
Ditto.

For the most part. we only watch some sports and selected television shows (of the British ilk - so it's usually PBS, A&E, BBC Canada or TVO). The rest is DVD. I almost pulled the trigger on a new LCD widescreen and an up-converting DVD player recently, until I learned that the black levels and contrast aren't as good in LCD panels as they still are in older tube televisions. So I started to check out some plasmas - but the cost, IMO is still prohibitive.

Yes, most of what we watch is not in HD format too. We watch a lot of classic British stuff. Also, what was mentioned above about a PVR (tivo), not only would I have to pay for an HDTV subscription, I would have to pay more for an HDTV PVR. Nearly everything we watch is pre-recorded on that thing, that way we can filter all the junk. If my TV broke tommorrow, then I would go the HDTV route, but for now I am holding off.

Post by **ichabod** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 2:58 pm

I was at a friend's house drinking over the weekend. He has a HD projection thing, that creates an enormous "screen" on a wall, probably 6' by 11' or more. My wallet is pleased to tell you I couldn't tell the difference that HD made.
Would I be able to tell the difference if I saw a LD TV in that size? Or whatever the opposite of HD is...

One drawback of the projection system:
you see naked women, life size or larger
you run to them
they disappear because you're in the way of the projector

ScottS · Post by **ScottS** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 3:17 pm

Perhaps I should start thinking about replacing my 20 year old 13" Sony Trinitron in the bedroom

woofwie · Post by **woofwie** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 4:11 pm

Like SteveL, I also have a 50 in. Panasonic Plasma - model TH-50PHD8UK. (This model has recently been replaced by an updated model.) I researched tv's for a while before committing to the Panasonic. I have tons of other Panasonic electronics, and I have never been disappointed with them, as compared to multiple Sony let downs.

The model I got is also the "industrial model" and saved me about $2k off the consumer model. The differences were no speakers, no stand, and no digital input (i.e. no HDMI, though it has component). The speakers and stand were not an issue, since I have the Plasma hooked up to my stereo system and mounted on the wall. Actually, I prefer the no speaker look, much cleaner as compared to a Plasma with them mounted below or off to the sides of the screen. And I would never use the TV mounted speakers anyways. As for the no HDMI, I bought a $150 HMDI blade that I was able to insert into one of the bays in the TV.

After a year of use, I am unbelievably happy with the Panasonic Plasma. Compared to other HD tvs I have watched, it is top notch and I have yet to see an DH tv surpass it's quality. I have seen equal picture quality, but I also know that my family and friends spent much more money than me. And beware, there are some bad HD tvs out there, so research and read reviews as much as possible before buying.

jallen013 · Post by **jallen013** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 5:14 pm

don't forget, there's quite a bit of HD programs on local network programming. a well placed rooftop antenna brings in nearly all of the "prime time" network programming in high def.

... plus it's free channels.

Sue · Post by **Sue** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 6:52 pm

I have a Panasonic 60 or 61 " LCD. The picture is perfect, it's slim to the wall. Along with it, a Harmon Kardon home theater makes for a great movie at home.
Sue

joshtpa · Post by **joshtpa** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 5:34 am

99% of all primetime network programming is done in either 720p or 1080i HDTV. If your local stations do not carry that, that will change in the next 2 years. Congress has set the cutoff date as a firm Jan 2009 as the last time analog TV will be broadcasted. I was a consultant for many of these companies for a few years, so know a lot about this stuff.
As for someone that says, that they cannot see a difference. I would recommend getting their eyes checked. I do not mean that as an insult at all. But the facts remain that regular TV has 480 lines of resolution. While HDTV has either 720 or 1080. And if it is 720, it is progressively scanned which means woven together to form a sharper picture.
Either way (720 or 1080) you are receiving double the lines of resolution vs 480i. Even a DVD (which most think look amazing) is only 480p.
As for the person that said he saw the HDTV projector and could not tell the difference. Front projectors are a different animal all together. Because natively they are able to show any definition. SD or HD. However just because they will put an HD signal up on a screen or wall, does not mean the image you are viewing is HDTV. Most of the time it is strictly 480p for the cost conscious people buying projectors. I hope this helps.

DaveInPhilly · Post by **DaveInPhilly** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 2:08 pm

I don't know if this will be of any help to you, as I have been out of the loop for a while now. Currently I have a projector and a 80" wide screen setup in a dedicated theater room down in our basement. All the research I did regarding that setup will be of little use to you as that technology changes so quickly, but if you want a high quality image, that is huge, and you have good light control, you may want to consider a digital front projector and a good screen.

I rarely have time to watch anything downstairs anymore, so we end up watch what little TV we do watch up in the living room, which right now only has a 27" first generation Sony Vega. Its still a great picture, just a little small. I am looking to replace it with a flat panel (it sits over our fire place so even the new digital RPTVs don't have enough of a vertical viewing angle for my tastes).

I am looking to spend less than $1500 - which puts me right in the 50" 720p Plasma, or 42" 1080p LCD market. I hear that there is a 50" 1080p LCD coming soon that will be <$2, but I'm not sure how far off it is. While the LCD's have the higher resolution, apparently the plasmas have better refresh rates, which may be more appealing to some viewers as with such hi rez its easier to distinguish between the refresh rates than the number of pixels.

Though I think if you want larger than 50" and don't have light control (or just don't want to turn your living room into a movie theater), DLP RPTV's are supposed to be awsome for the money.

joshtpa · Post by **joshtpa** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 3:57 pm

keep in mind that most people will NOT be able to see the difference between 1080i and 1080p from normal viewing distance. But I would recommend a high quality brand plasma or dvd. Panasonic and Pioneer Elite are known to make the best plasmas in the 1080i range. (pic quality test only). Sharp is known to make the best LCDs but cost a little more. In the end, once you have it in your home and are not comparing it to other models that are side by side, you will love it.