30 in Widescreen HDTV - $320-$388 shipped, Philips Outlet

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http://www.outlet.philips.com/b2c_r.../41907ABB9A6F008D00000000828BD472&shop=OUTLET
http://www.electronicsnation.com/en/products/show_product/category/2131

Electronics Nation will pricematch the Philips Outlet (they're an affiliate, or an authorized reseller, or something, and are reputable), and they offer extended warranties for extra cash.

Before you make a major purchase on an HDTV, do your research at:
http://www.avsforum.com/

Here are the pros and cons on the 3 major models usually found at Philips Outlet:

30PW850H: $359
0003784993574_215X215.jpg

Pros:
Fewer problems overall, more likely to get a working unit without any problems
2 component inputs
Has both the 3D comb filter and 'eye fidelity' (480i to 480p upscaling)

Cons:
No HDMI
Can not adjust aspect ratio except on 480i, non widescreen will be stretched.

Avsforum thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=366742&page=1&pp=30


30PW8420: $388
43361EBF325F00D700000000828BD472.jpg

Pros:
HDMI port
3D comb filter

Cons:
Somewhat more prone to certain issues, minor hum, geometry, and broken units
Only 1 component input
No 'eye fidelity' (480i to 480p upscaling)


30PW8402: $320-$350
118246-2212p147-4b.jpg

Pros:
HDMI port
2 component inputs
'Eye fidelity'

Cons:
Least reliable, most prone to problems, such as speaker interference with the screen, geometry, and DOA
No 3D comb filter

Other models:
30PW8520 - Picture in picture, 2 component inputs, no HDMI. Not often available
30PW9xxxD - Built in OTA tuner, but analog signals look like crap, often more expensive.


Don't take my word for it, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH BEFORE YOU BUY! I will not be responsible if you are unhappy with your purchase, and neither will Philips Outlet. Their return policy on refurbs is 30 days, on site repair, shipping back to them at their expense if required, but no refunds, exchange for identical item only. They will only refund your money if they no longer have your model in stock.
 
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[quote name='Pratt75']Is this to cheap even for CAG?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=14965&item=5765012026&rd=1[/QUOTE]

I'm sure it'll work just fine....some people are anal about cables, but most just carry a signal. While I'm sure "better" cables may be good, this should be fine....it's not like you are losing much if it totally sucks. Just be sure the 3' is long enough....it has to go from the HD pack to the receiver.
 
Hey fellow CAGers! I bought this at retail from BB about two years ago for $699 plus I'm a Reward Zone member. It's a pretty decent set. I've got an Xbox and the games look great. I've since upgraded to a bigger set, a 51" Sony WEGA and now use the Philips in our master bedroom. Picture quality for this was great(HDTV built in). The only problem I've ever had was when I played the first Splinter Cell, the upper corners would kind of dent in. I don't have that problem with our Sony. Also the set looks pretty nice(though it is pretty heavy). For the price it is now, it's worth it.
 
My family is looking to getting a new TV mainly for watching (although I'll probably hook up a game system :)). Is this a good TV for basic viewing, as an upgrade to old school non hi def TV? i.e. should I try and convince my dad to buy it :).
 
[quote name='LinkinPrime']Is this a good price for the Pelican HD system selector:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=41015&item=8182229921&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

I was looking for a way to use one optical cable for all systems but this doesnt seem to support it, any other options out there?[/QUOTE]
It's about what you'd pay at GameStop, with shipping and all. http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=801888

As for other options, Pelican makes (or at least they used to) another System Selector like this one, it had 7 inputs, I believe, and it could do digital audio as well as Component and Ethernet. It's a bit pricey if you can find it, around $80 if I remember right, but worth it if you need the digital audio switching.

[quote name='Pratt75']I bought a surround sound system about 6 months ago. I think(I sure dam hope so) I remember seeing a spot on the reciver for digital output. I will have to double check when I get home.[/QUOTE]
You have to be careful. There are 2 kinds of digital outputs. There's Optical, the ones with the Toslink ends, like you've been looking at. However, there's also Digital Coax cables. These look like your standard RCA/Component cables pretty much. Make sure your reciever has the right output before you buy a cable. A friend of mine bought an Optical cable for his Father as a gift, only to find out his DVD player only has Coax outputs. So, you know, just be sure. :razz:
 
Thanks for the info Modium, eventually i might have to buy the system selector pro, $80 is too pricy but its nice that it has the optical cable option.
 
First, thanks for the info modium. Much appreciated.

Dam, I just noticed on the back of my surround sound system it appears there is not a spot for a opticall cable. There is an s video out and component video out on the back.

So what does this mean for my home setup? No 5.1 surround? Someone in the know please explain the ramifications of this for me please?

Thank you!!
 
[quote name='Pratt75']First, thanks for the info modium. Much appreciated.

Dam, I just noticed on the back of my surround sound system it appears there is not a spot for a opticall cable. There is an s video out and component video out on the back.

So what does this mean for my home setup? No 5.1 surround? Someone in the know please explain the ramifications of this for me please?

Thank you!![/QUOTE]

can you post up a picture of the back panel? or tell us the model number of your surround sound system?
 
[quote name='LinkinPrime']Thanks for the info Modium, eventually i might have to buy the system selector pro, $80 is too pricy but its nice that it has the optical cable option.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I got the GameStop one for that price, because we here at CAG thought it'd be the expensive model on clearance or something. It wasn't, but I ended up keeping it. Now when my TV comes, I get a chance to use it!

[quote name='Pratt75']First, thanks for the info modium. Much appreciated.

Dam, I just noticed on the back of my surround sound system it appears there is not a spot for a opticall cable. There is an s video out and component video out on the back.

So what does this mean for my home setup? No 5.1 surround? Someone in the know please explain the ramifications of this for me please?

Thank you!![/QUOTE]
Well, if it's one of those Home-Theater-in-a-box systems, where the DVD player and reciever are in one unit, then it may not have an input. I know my Mom has one of those, and she's got no digital audio inputs on hers. In which case, there's really no way to get digital surround from it, I'm afraid. :whistle2:? If you've got RCA audio inputs (red and white) on your reciever, you might be able to run PS2, Xbox or Cubey in Pro Logic, which is pseudo-surround, but it's far from discrete. You should take another look at the back of your reciever and see if maybe you missed a digital audio input or something. Which make and model is it?
 
It is a home theater in a box deal. Its a panasonic SA-HT700. I think I may be screwed.

Home theater in a box. AM/FM Dolby Digital 6 Channel 500W Receiver, With Built-in 5 CD/DVD Changer. 6 Speaker Package with Subwoofer, CD-R/CD-RW/MP3/DVD Audio Playback, Universal Remote Control, Progressive Scan, Component Video Output. Slim profile.

Technical Specs:

Disc capacity: 5
Progressive scan: Yes
Playback formats: DVD-Video (NTSC), DVD-Audio, VCD, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, red book CD, CD-R, CD-RW, MP3 CD, WMA CD, JPEG CD
Integrated receiver: Yes
Jog/shuttle dial on unit: Yes
Dialogue enhancer: Yes
Parental controls: Yes
Slow motion: Yes
Virtual surround sound: Yes
AM-FM tuner: Yes
Dolby Digital decoder: Yes
DTS decoder: Yes
Dolby Pro Logic decoder: Yes
DSP sound fields: 1 (Panasonic's Multi-Channel Sound Field)
5.1 channel input: Yes
Subwoofer power (RMS): 170 watts (45 to 120 Hz, 4 ohms, 1 percent THD)
Audio digital-to-analog converter: 192 kHz/24-bit
MP3 decoding: Yes (and WMA)
Stereo wattage per channel: 45 watts (120 to 20,000 Hz, 6 ohms, 1 percent THD)
Video shielded: Yes
 
Hm..I looked it up on Cnet, and didn't see any digital inputs listed in the specs. Also, a few of the people that reviewed it bemoaned its lack of digital audio inputs..so I'd say not, unfortunately. If you're that dead-set on getting surround from your consoles, you'd have to get a new system, sorry to say. On a good note, a lot of people seem to be praising the speakers on this Philips TV, so, if you decided to use the TV's speakers, at least they're supposedly decent.
 
mmmm, I thought I might be screwed. Thank you very much for your input modium. So if I still use my home theater it psuedo surround and not true surround sound right??
 
Well, it depends. Does it have any stereo inputs on the back, the red and white RCA inputs for left and right channels? If it does, then you'd be able to get stereo sound from the Home Theater's speakers. To get the pseudo-surround, your reciever would have to be capable of Pro Logic. Cnet seems to say that your model can do Pro Logic, but it's been known to be wrong from time to time. What Pro Logic would do is try to take a regular 2-channel stereo signal and try to intelligently spread it around all 6 speakers. It would try to put dialogue in the center, music and stuff in the surrounds, and so on. If you've watched any DVDs in stereo, you may already know what I'm talking about, as most sets do it automatically.

I'm sure some people here know Pro Logic and these things much better than I do, so somebody else might come along and explain things better :razz:
 
Ah, Philips sent me an email saying mine shipped. Weird, there was no text, just an Adobe Reader file with the shippinf info on it. It says it shipped on the 5th, but I see no info saying when it's expected to be delivered. Either way, I'm glad it finally shipped. Progressive Scan, here I come!
 
I got the same e-mail. And after going out to the shipper's web site, I couldn't get ANY of the numbers in the e-mail to provide tracking information. So I'm pretty confused...

Meanwhile, has anyone else decided on a stand? I'm still clueless as to what I should get. :(
 
this is a great deal and i have been looking to get into hdtv. On the site they also have 42' plasma tv's and for some they have enhanced definition and high definition. Can anyone explain the difference between the two? Is one better to watch movies and play games on then the other or are they pretty much the same?
 
[quote name='modium']Well, it depends. Does it have any stereo inputs on the back, the red and white RCA inputs for left and right channels? If it does, then you'd be able to get stereo sound from the Home Theater's speakers. To get the pseudo-surround, your reciever would have to be capable of Pro Logic. Cnet seems to say that your model can do Pro Logic, but it's been known to be wrong from time to time. What Pro Logic would do is try to take a regular 2-channel stereo signal and try to intelligently spread it around all 6 speakers. It would try to put dialogue in the center, music and stuff in the surrounds, and so on. If you've watched any DVDs in stereo, you may already know what I'm talking about, as most sets do it automatically.

Thanks again for the knowledge!! It does do Pro Logic, so its not to bad at all. I was just wondering what true 5.1 would be like. I guess it will have to wait. At least I'm upgrading to HD. YES!!

I also got the adobe file shipping email yesterday. Hopefully its arrives by the weekend but I doubt it. I can't wait to play Doom 3 on this bad boy.
 
That's a great point. Need to remember to go to Fry's on the way home and pick up a copy of Doom 3 - Xbox for $36.99. Then I'll have a fps shooter I can play co-op with friends online!!! ;)
 
Merkman, I just purchased doom 3 CE sealed from KowHunta in the trading forum for $42 shipped priority mail. I just received today and its new and sealed. This is a $60 item for $42 shipped priority with DC. I highly recommend it. Its a great deal if you haven't bought it yet.
 
Already picked up the regular, which is fine IMHO... since I really don't see myself playing Doom 1 and 2 anyway. Now if it was Quake and Quake II... ;)

Went to Fry's and Macy's Furniture tonight looking for a stand or Entertainment Center for the TV. Still no joy. :(

Definately getting frustrated trying to find *something* I like to put this TV on or in.
 
Hmm, a few developments on this situation you guys shopping around for accessories should be aware of. According to a poster on Fatwallet who called Philips about the TVs, apparently they massively oversold them and marked many of them as shipped before the warehouse could tell them that they were out. Now here's where it gets confusing. The poster suggested that if you didn't get a tracking number that you are SOL for the TV, however, myself being one that didn't get a tracking number, called up the shipper, Eagle, and inquired if they had shipped anything under my name/address, and they confirmed that they had, and according to them it should be delivered tomorrow! I ordered on the 4th, so before any of you go buying ANYTHING make sure you are actually getting a TV and Philips didn't screw you over.

Call Eagle Global Logistics here: 1-800-888-4949
Now to hope for the best....




EDIT: Oops, meant to say that it SHIPPED on the 4th, I ordered it on the first.
 
Wow, Russ, just wow.

I ordered on the 1st, got a confirmation on the 5th, but no tracking number. I just called up Eagle and they had no record of it, under my name and address. I'm going to call up Philips and see what comes of it. Hopefully we all won't get screwed on this one.
 
The Plot Thickens!

So, I gave Philips a call, just to inquire about my order. The woman told me that it did, in fact, ship, and she gave me an 8 digit tracking number to use at Eagle Logistics. Plugged it in, and it worked!...I think. See, I live in RI, and their destination is listed as Boston. Now, this could just mean that that's where it's being transported to, like a hub, and then it'll be delivered here, to RI. Actual weight is 133 lbs. and it shipped the 5th, with the arrival estimated for the 12th. And, in case anybody is wondering, it's coming from Columbus. Now, I'm still a bit paranoid, since we CAG's tend to get the shaft once in a while, but I mean, I gave her the order number and she gave me a working tracking number, so I can't see where they could have screwed up, But, the fact that the destination is Boston, and the fact that the people at Eagle had nothing listed for delivery under my name and address has me a little leary. Alas, only time will tell.
 
Sigh of relief comes over me.... I just spoke with someone at 1 305 863-2400 and he told me where it was at the moment(Columbus, OH) and I should be getting a call by monday as to setup a shipping time.

Yes!!
 
[quote name='Pratt75']What site did you use to check your tracking number?[/QUOTE]
http://www.eaglegl.com/ on the lower-right corner of the main page. I tried a bunch of the numbers on that pdf Philips sent me, but none worked. However, the 8-digit number they gave me on the phone today did the trick.

Glad to hear the good news about your set. Hope everything else works out for us, as well.
 
This thread is becoming dramatic... Truely I'm also looking to buy one... but I'm being cautious... See... my evil plan was.. I was gonna see if it worked for someone else, then I would try. I know.. totally unethical.. I apologize.. anyway, let me know when you guys get yours :cool:
 
Thats funny man. I'm sure we were all wondering or thinking the same thing as you. Nobody wants to get screwed over and a few of us including myself just couldn't wait or pass on the deal and had to order it asap. I have to admit though that after reading some recent posts I was getting a little worried. Then I made a phone call, got a tracking number and everything seems great now about the deal. Hopefully the shippers aren't trying to use the package as a basketball if you know what I mean. Thats the only worry now, but that goes for whenever you have something shipped.

I can't wait to till early next week when I receive this set to game it up in HD.
 
I got a call from philips to pick a date for delivery. Its arriving today, i'll check it out and report back
 
When some of you guys called Phillips how long did it take? I tried calling and was on hold for 8min, I'm at work so I couldnt hold any longer. I received my .pdf confirmation but just wanted to see if I could get a tracking number.
 
That one doesn't say it was a flatscreen anywhere, the one we ordered did. So I just got the TV and unpacked it downstairs to do some tests before I go through the effort of getting people to help lift it upstairs. The TV is in perfect physical condition, like opening up a new one. It comes with the remote + batteries, a REALLY through remote guide and a REALLY simple TV guide. The TV, after using with my DVD player and my Xbox works perfectly, except for one quirk that may be a mistake on my part, but I'm not sure. It seems like the TV tends to default to the "superwide" display setting which looks all wrong because the picture lifts upwards so nearly 1/4th of the screen is black, so I'm not sure if that's just not a good default setting to use or what. You can switch it to a specific screen mode (4:3, zoomy stuff, widescreen, superwide, etc) and in normal widescreen mode everything pretty much looks right, although on my DVD in widescreen (I changed the setting on the player as well) there are still small black bars on the top and bottom, although the picture seems right to me, I wonder if that's normal for DVD players? My xbox in widescreen, on the other hand, used the entirety of the screen, though I seriously need to go pick up that HD pack because composite cables seem to be making my Splinter Cell CT look way too jaggy. So all in all I'm satisfied.....but I'm still not sure about the whole superwide thing, it's like when it's in that mode the picture is projected too high....but it's a non issue in widescreen mode...
 
I placed it on April 1st, shipped on the 4th, and came at about 1 PM today, I live in Maryland.

EDIT: Turning off closed captions helped some of my issues, there's still small bars in widescreen....but I'm starting to think those should be there, since when I use super wide and it stretches the picture to the width of the TV in full it seems outta proportion, I'm pretty sure this is just normal, picture looks great either way.
 
That's all GREAT to hear, Russ! That FW post got me worried about it coming DOA, with a crappy manual and such, but I guess they're treating us CAGs right :p As for the superwide thing, maybe it's the DVD you put in? Not sure if you're aware, and I apologize if you are, but most modern movies are filmed in a ratio wider than widescreen TVs are, so viewing a movie in 2.35:1 on a widescreen TV would still result in black bars on the top and bottom. Not sure if it's happening to you or not, which movie are you trying? Even most 'normal' widescreen films are in 1.85:1, while widescreen TVs are 1.78:1, which would still result in tiny bars on the top and bottom. Well, either way, I'm sure you'll figure it out, or we'll all pitch in to fix the problem, or something. I've got confidence now.

Now I can't wait to set this baby up and get my Progressive Scan on!
 
Yeah, that's pretty much what I figured, after popping in Matrix Reloaded, Gladiator, and Dawn of the Dead. It all makes sense then, I was just thinking that WS TVs used the whole screen even for movies, guess that makes this TV a rousing SUCCESS. Now to hope that it stays that way.
 
some movies still have black bars because they are even wider than 16:9 ratio will allow for, i was confused about this also but theres nothing wrong with your tv, it just depends on the movie.
 
[quote name='russtophiles']Yeah, that's pretty much what I figured, after popping in Matrix Reloaded, Gladiator, and Dawn of the Dead. It all makes sense then, I was just thinking that WS TVs used the whole screen even for movies, guess that makes this TV a rousing SUCCESS. Now to hope that it stays that way.[/QUOTE]
Yup, those are all 2.35:1 films. Here's a good link to follow - http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/anamorphic/aspectratios/widescreenorama.html Sounds awesome though now, even more excited, if that's possible. Go rock that new TV for all of us! :cool:
 
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