HDTV question

I don't know anything about that specific TV but I'm not a fan of projection screens in general. I prefer the picture on LCD or DLP. Plasma is nice but way to expensive for a shorter lifespan.

One other thing to consider is how many HD channels are available in your area. I'm still on cable and I only get ABC, CBS, FOX and HBO in HD. There are some other packages available but they're mostly sports channels which I'm not interested in. My point is just be careful. There are lots of HD packages that will quickly run up the cable bill.
 
[quote name='the3rdkey']Looks like it doesn't support 720 and it doesn't have HDMI support.[/QUOTE]

Ehh, looking at specs, you're right, it doesn't have 720p.. only 480i/p, 1080i.. and no HDMI, and at the expense of possibly looking indiotic, what is HDMI?

Is there anything in this price range that would get me into 720p and/or HDMI, while staying around the 50-55" size?

As far as DLP, LCD or Plasma.. I'm not looking at putting that sort of money into the extra rec-room TV.

edit - Ok, I looked at HDMI (actually did know what it was, just forgot that I did).. anyways, unless I'm missing something about the "future of home video".. I don't see myself as having any need for HDMI support right now... however the lack of 720p is pretty blah, so again, if anyone has a recommendation on a TV, I'd love to see them.
 
Onecall has the Sony KP51WS520 51" for $1233.64.

http://ww3.onecall.com/PID_25155.htm

I ordered my set from them last fall, and highly recommend them. It has HDMI input , but no 720p.

Oh, about HDMI:

HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) is a new interface standard for digital transmission of video and audio signals. With HDMI, the signals are not compressed. Transmission is direct and "pure" - free of the degradation and noise that occur with analog signal transmission. This new interface supports image resolution all the way up to 1125p.

HDMI is particularly well suited for images that will be viewed on plasma display panels, LCDs, and other equipment that uses all-digital image processing. In terms of sound, HDMI is ideal for DVD-Audio and other high-quality digital formats. It accurately transmits even the most delicate signal components contained in high-quality audio signals. The result is a superb sound, whether the source is two-channel or multi-channel. HDMI is simple to use too, requiring connection of a single cable. With all of these advantages, HDMI is the ideal interface for today's age of steadily advancing digital A/V equipment and media.
Click to expand...

I honestly don't think you're going to find a decent set that size that will do 720p. But I don't really think you'll miss it. But you could probably find a dlp projector that could do 720p for that price, if you wanted to go that route.
 
The TV in the original link is also HD-Ready, and does not include an HD turner. Keep that in mind as you will need to buy (or rent) an HDTV tuner to pick up the signal. I currently rent Comcast's HD-DVR box for $5 a month, which is much better than spending the 120-500 on a tuner/dvr.
 
720p is the least popular 'widespread' resolution.
If your tv supports 480i, 480p, and 1080i, that'll get you the vast majority of content.
My tv only does those, I have my cable box set to only output on 1080i; 1080i content looks incredible, and other content ranges in quality based on the source material and how much bandwidth they're using to transfer it. And current dvd's are at most 480p.
I think some Xbox games are 720, but most of them are probably either 480p or 1080i. You can hdtvarcade.com for some listings.
There technically are something like 16 different resolution formats, but 480, 720, and 1080i are the most widespread.

And if you're interested in HD television broadcasts, generally cable is definitely the cheapest way to go; second best would be buying an OTA box and antenna, but if you've got cable, just let them do it in the same box.
I've got the HDDVR from TWC, and the HD box is the same price as the regular box, with an additional 6/mo or so charge for the DVR service. Well worth it, imho.
 
[quote name='Cornfedwb']Ehh, looking at specs, you're right, it doesn't have 720p.. only 480i/p, 1080i.. and no HDMI, and at the expense of possibly looking indiotic, what is HDMI?

Is there anything in this price range that would get me into 720p and/or HDMI, while staying around the 50-55" size?

As far as DLP, LCD or Plasma.. I'm not looking at putting that sort of money into the extra rec-room TV.

edit - Ok, I looked at HDMI (actually did know what it was, just forgot that I did).. anyways, unless I'm missing something about the "future of home video".. I don't see myself as having any need for HDMI support right now... however the lack of 720p is pretty blah, so again, if anyone has a recommendation on a TV, I'd love to see them.[/QUOTE]

If it is just a TV for a rec room, that may be a good choice if you are looking for a big screen. You will definitely be getting the best bang for your buck with a traditional rear projection TV. Mitsu RP TVs are pretty well received from the limited reading I have done about them.

One thing you need to think about is that this thing is going to weigh a lot (215 lbs for this model) and since it comes in a big, closed cabinet, there is no room for component storage at the TV itself. Any game systems, DVD players, etc,. will have to go somewhere else. Unless of course you have an entertainment system that accomodates this style of TV.

Another thing you may want to be wary of is the viewing angle on a RP set. They have gotten much better, but some still have issues with viewing from the side and also issues with certain lighting conditions in the room. Some of these things may not be as apparent in a showrooom as they are in your house.

I also wouldn't worry about it not having 720p. To get HD, you are going to have to subscribe to cable, satellite, or buy an OTA tuner and antenna. The HD set top boxes that you get are going to upconvert the 720p signal to 1080i. Believe me, you won't know the difference.

As someone else said, I would find out what HD options you have, and how many HD channels you get, before you take the plunge. In my area, Cox cable only carries CBS for HD network TV. That is pretty pathetic. I'm not springing for a big screen HD set until they expand their HD lineup. I have an HD ready set right now, but it is just a 32" Sony 4:3 tube TV.
 
I have a Toshiba 57H83. I have had it for about 19 months and couldn't be happier. It supports 480i/p, 720p, and 1080i. I get my HDTV signal using Comcast cable. 720p does not quite fill the screen left to right, small bars are on each end. Some HD shows are in 720p, some are in 1080i. Watching anything in 480i/p I can change the display format, but 720p and 1080i do not allow that.
 
You're all looking at CRT-based rear projections. They're a bit more pricey for the same size, but going with a microdisplay (LCD, DLP, or LCoS) will benefit you in the long run as they are about 100lbs lighter and take up a lot less space.

The cabinets for CRT projection HDTVs are HUGE and very heavy. Another $800 or $900 and you can pick up a solid DLP RPTV that does 720p and 1080i.

Optoma makes an excellent DLP at a pretty decent price, if I'm not mistaken.
 
Of course, "another 900" when the first figure is "about 1200" is almost doubling the expenditure. I'll admit, you can get a much smaller unit, but you have to balance that cost/benefit thing. We went with CRT RPTV because I didn't want to spend double the money to save 75 pounds or whatever. Plus the RPTV is standalone, I didn't want to have to buy another 'entertainment center' or pay for someone to install it on the wall [I would not feel confident hanging a 2k+ tv on the wall.]
We actually moved my RPTV, it was delivered to our old house before we moved. We left it in the box, and yes, the box was pretty friggin big, but with a couple of people and a handtruck, it wasn't that bad to move. Moving into the new house was not a big deal either--we opened the box on the porch, and rolled it in like that [they are on wheels]. Besides, how often do you move a tv? At the time [and still, right now] I'd rather save that extra 800-1000 and have it take up a couple extra feet of floor space.
So there are definitely lots of issues, lots of questions you have to answer, and the only real answers have to come from you.
 
[quote name='WildWop']You're all looking at CRT-based rear projections. They're a bit more pricey for the same size, but going with a microdisplay (LCD, DLP, or LCoS) will benefit you in the long run as they are about 100lbs lighter and take up a lot less space.

The cabinets for CRT projection HDTVs are HUGE and very heavy. Another $800 or $900 and you can pick up a solid DLP RPTV that does 720p and 1080i.

Optoma makes an excellent DLP at a pretty decent price, if I'm not mistaken.[/QUOTE]

The basement rec room is 852 square feet give or take a few unsquare corners. I'm not too worried about the few extra square feet of floor space the CRT will take up. And like dtcarson said, I'd rather not spend the extra money to get a stand/wall mount, I'd rather have it stand alone.

And last I checked, the floor could handle a few hundred pounds, so why would I nearly double my price to get a smaller, lighter unit I don't need?
 
On that HDMI input- what do you need that for? It carries the video and audio signal correct? Well if you have that nice of a T.V. wouldn't you probably have a reciever and use the optical input for the dolby digital sound. I am using a component video and optical cable hook up now and fail to see the advantage of HDMI.
 
I think the big push of HDMI/DVI is from the manufacturers/content producers, because HDMI allows them to add in a "broadcast flag" which can limit the way you use the content [ie, recording onto a DVR, DVD-burner, transferring, etc.] Component cables don't allow you to do that. So this is not a pro-consumer feature at all.
I'm not worried abotu HDMI/DVI yet; my tv and cable box both have DVI, but they say DVI doesn't have a standard yet, and the output isn't even active on my cablebox yet. Although I believe by 2006 or so cable co.s will have to turn it on, iirc.
Anyone who knows more details, feel free to correct me and edify us.
And like Purk says, my 'surround sound' goes into my receiver, if I'm just watching regular tv, the basic stereo sound is good enough for me.
 
[quote name='Cornfedwb']The basement rec room is 852 square feet give or take a few unsquare corners. I'm not too worried about the few extra square feet of floor space the CRT will take up. And like dtcarson said, I'd rather not spend the extra money to get a stand/wall mount, I'd rather have it stand alone.

And last I checked, the floor could handle a few hundred pounds, so why would I nearly double my price to get a smaller, lighter unit I don't need?[/QUOTE]

Do you have some sort of direct access (i.e. not stairs) to your basement? Getting a TV up and down the stairs while adding considerable bulk for the CRT is something you should be thinking about. Plus, if you consider the TV as a long term investment you may want to think about the eventuality of getting it back out of the basement.

Also, if you bothered to click the second link I provided, the cost was $400 more for the DLP.
 
[quote name='dtcarson']I think the big push of HDMI/DVI is from the manufacturers/content producers, because HDMI allows them to add in a "broadcast flag" which can limit the way you use the content [ie, recording onto a DVR, DVD-burner, transferring, etc.] Component cables don't allow you to do that. So this is not a pro-consumer feature at all.
I'm not worried abotu HDMI/DVI yet; my tv and cable box both have DVI, but they say DVI doesn't have a standard yet, and the output isn't even active on my cablebox yet. Although I believe by 2006 or so cable co.s will have to turn it on, iirc.
Anyone who knows more details, feel free to correct me and edify us.
And like Purk says, my 'surround sound' goes into my receiver, if I'm just watching regular tv, the basic stereo sound is good enough for me.[/QUOTE]

If I'm not mistaken they axed the Broadcast Flag initiative.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top