Am I crazy?

sgs89

sgs89

CAGiversary!
So, I've more or less decided to take the HD plunge (I know, some people are definitely not first adopters). I have always had Sony sets in the past, and I am strongly considering maintaining that position. To wit, I am seriously considering purchasing the 46" XBR4 LCD from Amazon at the shocking price of $2500:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=320448901&pf_rd_i=507846

Now, I would like anyone interested to chime in with (serious) reaction to this impending decision. First, though, let me give you some important information:

* I have DirecTV, so I will also need to get a new receiver, satellite, etc.

* My TV room is very well-lit during the day because of streaming sunlight (I've heard that the Samsung LCDs have glare problems with the sun).

* I want to game on the new set so I am concerned about plasma burn-in (is that still an issue)?

Any and all reaction would be welcomed. Should I buy something else? Am I getting ripped off? Is Amazon not the best place to buy?

Thanks
 
[quote name='sgs89']So, I've more or less decided to take the HD plunge (I know, some people are definitely not first adopters). I have always had Sony sets in the past, and I am strongly considering maintaining that position. To wit, I am seriously considering purchasing the 46" XBR4 LCD from Amazon at the shocking price of $2500:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UN8MKM/ref=s9_asin_image_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-4&pf_rd_r=1K3VZM1A17JCD6QGYCSN&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=320448901&pf_rd_i=507846

Now, I would like anyone interested to chime in with (serious) reaction to this impending decision. First, though, let me give you some important information:

* I have DirecTV, so I will also need to get a new receiver, satellite, etc.

* My TV room is very well-lit during the day because of streaming sunlight (I've heard that the Samsung LCDs have glare problems with the sun).

* I want to game on the new set so I am concerned about plasma burn-in (is that still an issue)?

Any and all reaction would be welcomed. Should I buy something else? Am I getting ripped off? Is Amazon not the best place to buy?

Thanks[/quote]

I am not going to lie to you, it's a heck of a nice TV. Would I spend $2500 on it? Probably not, but that's just me.

I would say you need to ask yourself what your needs are versus your wants. Do you need that large of a screen? How many inputs do you need? Do you have a space to fit it and will you need other equipment to hang it, etc? After you figure those types of questions out, then you'll know what you really need from an HDTV set. Things like 1080p resolution are great, but aren't needed. Why? HDTV from your cable or sat dish is 720p native. You have an Xbox 360 or PS3? 1080i output if your lucky. Most games run at 720p. Got a Wii? That's 480p on good cables. The only thing that can run true 1080p (or so I've heard) is Blue-Ray movies and the difference between 1080i and 1080p resolutions are so small that you need 60''+ screens to see the difference.

Like I said, find your needs, and when you find the TV you need, go for the wants afterwards. If this TV (above) fits your needs (which I kinda doubt because there are not many people who need all of those extras) then go for it.

Check other websites too. I keep saying this, but newegg.com and tigerdirect.com have really good prices on really good TV's. I got my 37'' LCD HDTV for $799 last year from newegg.com and it's fantastic.

Good luck man and remember to do your homework on stuff like this. It's a big purchase and big decision.
 
[quote name='sgs89']So, I've more or less decided to take the HD plunge (I know, some people are definitely not first adopters). I have always had Sony sets in the past, and I am strongly considering maintaining that position. To wit, I am seriously considering purchasing the 46" XBR4 LCD from Amazon at the shocking price of $2500:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UN8MKM/ref=s9_asin_image_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-4&pf_rd_r=1K3VZM1A17JCD6QGYCSN&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=320448901&pf_rd_i=507846

Now, I would like anyone interested to chime in with (serious) reaction to this impending decision. First, though, let me give you some important information:

* I have DirecTV, so I will also need to get a new receiver, satellite, etc.

* My TV room is very well-lit during the day because of streaming sunlight (I've heard that the Samsung LCDs have glare problems with the sun).

* I want to game on the new set so I am concerned about plasma burn-in (is that still an issue)?

Any and all reaction would be welcomed. Should I buy something else? Am I getting ripped off? Is Amazon not the best place to buy?

Thanks[/quote]

First of all, brand loyalty can be a dangerous and expensive habit my friend ;). Personally I feel that there are better TVs out there for the money and if you stick with known brands and read customer reviews you could probably save some green. However as mentioned above a new TV is a huge investment and if you feel much more comfortable with a Sony and don't wish to branch out, that is fine.

As far as burn in goes, it really is not much of a problem with newer sets. While I wouldn't recommend leaving a still image on your screen for extended periods of time, most LCD TVs are designed with gaming in mind.

Anyways good luck!
 
Burn in has only ever been a problem with plasma tvs (although those problems have pretty much been remedied by now). This is an LCD set so it pretty much CANT have burn in.
 
*shrugs* I work at Costco and they have a 46' 1080P Sony Bravia for $1699.99 right now. Can't remember the exact stats, but consider that first before dropping an extra $800.

btw, not a costco shill, just trying to help out a fellow cheap-ass.
 
both LCDs and plasmas can still have burn in although it can be remedied by playing a couple hours of video non stop....

sony is overpriced on ALL their tv's IMO..

i have a Samsung HLS5687W 56" DLP..i went that route because it was the cheapest 1080p DLP i could fine a year and a half ago..

i chose DLP because burn in is impossible and LCDs can get stuck pixels and i was afraid my toddler would push on the screen and damage crystals (the dlp's screen is literally just a screen you can push in a little which i think is more resiliant than lcd crystals)...you also have to worry about ghosting on lcds if the response time isnt fast enough...some people can see the rainbow effect on dlps but luckily i dont...

plasmas are just stupid expensive for no good reason

basically it is a lot of personal preference - especially on brand and technology type
 
my opinion, Sony makes a GREAT TV... but you pay a hefty premium for the sony name.

Panasonic, JVC, Samsung and LG are all GREAT TV's as well, and you'll pay a good deal less for them. I'd check out some comparable models of those brands first before you buy the sony just based on brand.

Its also VERY tough to do this in a store (say best buy or circuit city) because they almost always crank the brightness and contrast on the higher end TV's to make them POP better than the lower end TV's (to entice you to buy that one over the lower priced brand, when in reality, propery calibrated they are most likely similiar, or the lower brand MAY even be better)

I'd check out the AVS forums (www.avsforum.com) before buying and see what the experts over there have to say. Also check CNet for reviews on the models your looking at.

The TV I use all the time is a Vizio 37" LCD and I love it, was rated pretty highly on the AVS forum. I ahve no complaints at all (for the 500 I paid for it, I shouldn't either!)

my mom has a 42" Panasonic Plasma in the living room and that looks great (probably the best picture quality of all the TV's in the house)

My father basically lives in the home theater we built a few years ago, has a projector with a 110" screen, its great for entertaining (super bowl parties for example) and playing video games (Wii tennis with 4 people on that is amazing!) but the picture quality isn't as good as the panasonic plasma, in my opinion.

I'm sure you'll be happy with whatever you go with, I'd just say do a bit of research and ask experts who arn't bias before plunking down your hard earned money. As far as where to buy a TV, I got mine form Macmall.com (I know! they actually sell TV's? I was as suprised as you are) once you figure the model your looking for, go to www.froogle.com (aka google product search) and plug in the model number, they will give you a range of prices and ratings on most dealers. if newegg.com or tigerdirect.com carry the TV you want, I'd suggest buying from them, both are great companies to deal with.
 
The XBR sets are amazing. I have a 70" XBR2 and a 32" XBR4 and both have incredible pictures. Had problems with my 60" XBR1 but I got full credit for it when I bought the 70" XBR2.
 
Dude nice TV but that's a lot of dough yo! We are CAG for a reason, no? Anyway you can still get a 1080p TV for a lot cheaper, check your Fry's ad particularly on a day like today (Friday). Sony is great, but other brands are good as well: Samsung, Sharp (Aquos), and even the never Vizio Gallevia stuff. I, like you too went searching high and low for a HD tv for my room and was tempted by all the high-end stuff. But in the end I'm a CAG and felt wasting more than 2k on a TV was too much.

We ended up in San Diego one weekend this past August for Sea World and my gfs brother took us to this one liquidator store called GTM. The place takes in various out of season items and open box items from different places, and takes a ton of stuff in from Costco. They happened to have a big sale on electronics that weekend and their HD TVs were an extra 30% off. Just my luck, all the nice TVs were already marked with 'Sold' signs. I ask the guy at the counter if they have any TVs left in stock for the sale. He was like, yah, and showed me this 37' Samsung LCD HD tv sitting in the corner. He was wondering to himself why it hadn't sold yet because all the other TVs around it did. Then he realized, he left all the 'Sold' signs on the TV box!!!! The box didn't looked opened and it still had the Costco warranty sticker on it and was in great condition.

I had to ask the worker if the box was ever opened. He said most of their stuff was opened because a lot of them were returns, but this particular one arrived unopened for some reason. I asked him if we could please open the box to review the contents. He said 'Sure, no big deal'. So we go to open it, and everything is still factory wrapped! The TV still has it's sticker on it as well as all it's wrapping, and the control, batteries, and instruction booklet are all still sealed as well! Now I was excited. The worker was pretty surprised too. The Samsung TV was still brand-spankin'-new! Even the smell!

I've seen this TV before at Costco and it retails there for $1299. Original retail was around $1499. This box was marked at $1039. After doing some calculations, the worker said the TV would be $727 before tax. Sweet $727! I couldn't for the life of me resist. I took that beautiful 37' Samsung LCD TV home for $780 after taxes. Over $500 off! Totally happy, even though the ride home was a bit rough (good thing we have a Taurus station wagon so we could haul it home). Even better news when I unboxed it, I looked at the manufacturing date...and it was July of 2007! After registering the TV online, I found out it was made on July 31st, 2007! The TV was less than a month old when I bought it!

I've been happy with the purchase ever since. I have my Xbox 360 and the HD DVD player hooked up to it and movies are definitely 100 times better. I was hoping for a 42' HD TV in the room but somehow this TV fit a lot better even though it's smaller. The picture is just amazing. Somehow I think the TV was meant for me to find :D

So sorry if I took over your forum for a bit, didn't mean to. The point is, you don't have to spend so much money to be happy with a TV. Maybe the right TV will find you like mine did. You'll be happy you did, and thank me later for it. Save that extra money for some cheap ass games!
 
I bought the Microcenter "Winbook" LCD 46 incher. It was about a grand (a sale, price may be a little higher now)

Sure, the other tvs looked better in the store, but once I lugged it home it worked just great and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

My 2¢
 
sony had great TVs back when trinitron was their exclusively -- their patent has since expired (1996 to be exact).

however these days i do not consider their plasma or LCD technology to be any better than other's.

I know names like LG, Westinghouse, etc sound scary --but they actually make pretty high quality items.

However that TV looks pretty nice, but I know I personally would never drop that kind of cash for a brand name.
 
Thanks for all the great replies. I really appreciate it.

I agree that other brands -- Samsung, Vizio, etc. -- are cheaper and may approach Sony in quality. In general, I am willing to pay a bit more for a brand that I trust and know. I must say that I've never had a bad experience with a Sony TV. I will look at other models, too, though.

As for 1080p, while I may not NEED it, I do want to future-proof the TV.

I will check out froogle to see if any other reputable dealers are offering it for cheaper.

Thanks again.
 
Not all LCD TVs have bad contrast ratios, my Samsung 37" LCD has 8000:1 contrast ratio, and is actually made for next gen gaming systems such as the Xbox 360 and PS3. Halo 3 is beautiful on the thing especially after using that calibration disc. But hey, I have a 50" Sony LCD in my living room as well so no way I'm dissing on them.

Dude, if you have the money go ahead and get the TV you really want. In the end you will be the one enjoying it and paying for it as well. All the rest of us are just giving our 2 cents and trying to save you some bills. In fact if you check the Fry's ad today (maybe you have one near where you live) there is a 1080P Sony 46" TV on sale for like $1200. Not sure on all the specs though. Good luck and happy hunting!
 
[quote name='rexflexall']Not all LCD TVs have bad contrast ratios, my Samsung 37" LCD has 8000:1 contrast ratio, [/QUOTE]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that no, it doesn't. Or it can't because LCDs just can't do it (yet- soon they will supposedly).

You probably mistook the dynamic CR as the real CR. My Sharp has a dynamic CR of 6000:1 but CR is only 1200:1. I've seen LCDs with 2000:1 but nothing higher.
 
[quote name='Vinny']I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that no, it doesn't. Or it can't because LCDs just can't do it (yet- soon they will supposedly).

You probably mistook the dynamic CR as the real CR. My Sharp has a dynamic CR of 6000:1 but CR is only 1200:1. I've seen LCDs with 2000:1 but nothing higher.[/quote]


I went through my TV specs and you are totally right, the Dynamic Contrast Ratio is 8000:1. But I'm not sure how high Contrast Ratio goes, if 2000:1 is the highest. So what's the difference anyway then between the 2?

Still like my TV though. The only big debate I have with LCD and plasma is that plasma sets usually use twice the amount of electricity to run than an LCD TV, especially in sets 42" and up. It could be expensive if that plasma the OP is buying is going to be a daily viewer and used for hours on end to play games. But then again, the pic on a plasma should be superior to that of an LCD (even though LCD is catching up). Especially in the black color areas. Since I wear glasses it's hard for me to tell though.
 
I have the new Sharp 52", and bought it for $2200, which was $1000 than the Sony, and I love it. I'd go Sharp(it's great for gaming).
 
[quote name='Vinny']I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that no, it doesn't. Or it can't because LCDs just can't do it (yet- soon they will supposedly).

You probably mistook the dynamic CR as the real CR. My Sharp has a dynamic CR of 6000:1 but CR is only 1200:1. I've seen LCDs with 2000:1 but nothing higher.[/quote]

QFT

my DLP has 10000:1 CR
 
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