A Newb's Guide to Buying the Right HDTV

[quote name='guyver2077']that looks real nice... how has it done review wise? $1500 is not bad at all....What worries me in all these modern tv's is lamp life.. and ive seen people complain about that 1000:1 ratio[/QUOTE]

for 1500 it is excellent. It was a sale at BB and usually is 2000 which is already an excellent price to begin with. There was a lockup problem where the remote would stop responding but that was fixed in all the new firmwares. The set's PQ is spectacular. Granted you will never get as good blacks as a CRT (none of the other tech does) but there aren't any 42" CRTs in the market, and if there were they would be huugeeeee. One major reason why I made the switch was because of the varience of inputs. This baby has 1 HDMI port and 2 DVI ports as well as 2 component. the Digital inputs all support 1080p.

Currently there are only 2 issues with this TV that I have heard of. Some users say there's some uneven backlighting (which is not so bad in my opinion) and it shows up during bright scenes with uniform background color (Like soccer games' green fields). Second there have been reports of some issues with the HDMI with the first Samsung blu ray players. The best part about it seems that the engineers are taking an effort to actually fix the problems people report ( like the lockup problem). I actually have the Service menu codes if anyone would like them who already own the set. With some simple RGB Adjusting the colors are great.

As for contrast ratios I wouldn't put too much faith in them. I owned a 42: plasma with a 5000:1 contrast ratio and honestly it was not even remotely 5x better than even the sceptre.
 
I'll be needing to refering to this thread in a month or so... I really don't care for HD ATM, but realize I'm going to have to do it sooner or later... plus I'm getting tired of playing my games on my Commador 64 screen.
 
[quote name='mcroa7']Generally speaking a 1080i resoultion will be better for fast moving shows,sports or movies. 720p will generally be better for movies especially computer generated movies such as finding nemo or chicken little.[/QUOTE]is this completely accurate? i'm definitely not an expert on this stuff, but i thought that the easy way of explaining this was that 720p is best for content with a lot of motion (like sports, action movies, most videogames) and 1080i is best for imagery that tends to be a little more still (cnn, simple dramas, etc). maybe i'm completely wrong, but that's how i had it explained to me before.
 
[quote name='Zoglog']for 1500 it is excellent. It was a sale at BB and usually is 2000 which is already an excellent price to begin with. There was a lockup problem where the remote would stop responding but that was fixed in all the new firmwares. The set's PQ is spectacular. Granted you will never get as good blacks as a CRT (none of the other tech does) but there aren't any 42" CRTs in the market, and if there were they would be huugeeeee. One major reason why I made the switch was because of the varience of inputs. This baby has 1 HDMI port and 2 DVI ports as well as 2 component. the Digital inputs all support 1080p.

Currently there are only 2 issues with this TV that I have heard of. Some users say there's some uneven backlighting (which is not so bad in my opinion) and it shows up during bright scenes with uniform background color (Like soccer games' green fields). Second there have been reports of some issues with the HDMI with the first Samsung blu ray players. The best part about it seems that the engineers are taking an effort to actually fix the problems people report ( like the lockup problem). I actually have the Service menu codes if anyone would like them who already own the set. With some simple RGB Adjusting the colors are great.

As for contrast ratios I wouldn't put too much faith in them. I owned a 42: plasma with a 5000:1 contrast ratio and honestly it was not even remotely 5x better than even the sceptre.[/quote]

Post pics when you get it.
 
[quote name='Zoglog']well my TV came in on friday but my mom had a stroke thursday nite so I didn't really get a chance to mess with it till today.

Here are the pics of my set in diff use (PC, PC Vid playback, DVD xbox360, motorola HD Cable, PS2)

http://zoglog.clearlyseen.net/photos/westinghouse/

Also for comparison here was my sceptre

http://zoglog.clearlyseen.net/photos/sceptretv/[/QUOTE]

Sorry to hear about your mom zog, hope she's doing okay.

Quick quesiton, the first pic from the Westinghouse (the blur pic) looks like some pretty bad ghosting. Is that a big recurring problem on this set or did it just have something to do with the settings (or is it not ghosting at all)?
 
[quote name='mmn']Yeah, but mine does 1080i. I know for sure it does it through the DVI connection, because my cable box is spitting out a 1920x1080 image right now on the HD channels. I thought it was also giving me 1080i through the component cables, but maybe I was wrong and it can only do 720p through component and VGA inputs.

Edit : Here's my TV - http://www.viewsonic.com/support/tventertainment/lcdtv/n2750w/index.htm[/QUOTE]

"Optimum Resolution 1366x768"

That means your screen has 768 vertical pixels. No matter how many pixels' data is being sent to your screen, it cannot display more than 768. Your set accepts a 1080i signal, as most HD sets do, but does not display it as 1080i, it will be scaled to 768.

[quote name='trent82']is this completely accurate? i'm definitely not an expert on this stuff, but i thought that the easy way of explaining this was that 720p is best for content with a lot of motion (like sports, action movies, most videogames) and 1080i is best for imagery that tends to be a little more still (cnn, simple dramas, etc). maybe i'm completely wrong, but that's how i had it explained to me before.[/QUOTE]

You're right. Progressive scan gives a smoother image, while the extra resolution of 1080 gives a sharper, more detailed image. Some people prefer 720p for everything, others prefer 1080i for everything, but generally 720p is considered superior for high-motion while 1080i is considered superior when an accurate 60 frames per second isn't required.
 
I'm pretty satisfied with it so far. For some reason the cable HD looks a bit too red to mee so I might adjust it. Strangely I don't have that problem in DVDs so I think it just might be the broadcast.

As for the blur pic, i'm pretty sure that's just my camera being unable to focus due to the fast movement. Why I kept it? who knows. Probably for future reference.

Overall it's definetly better than my sceptre. And honestly at the price it wipes the competition away. If you wanted to get a similar TV from Sony or sharp it'd cost you twice as much or more. And the funny thing is they all use just about the same panels. With the westy I feel you get very great quality for the price. However if you buy from BB i'd highly recommend you get the warranty since the return policy is only 30 days. That's the main advantage from buying Costco (besides supporting a great company that cares about it's employees). Costco's return policy is the best and it's too bad they don't sell this set =(.

And as far as monitors go, 42" is about the max limit I can take from that desk distance. It sometimes feels a bit too large when watching movies up close, but that's what my couch is for :D
 
[quote name='Zoglog']I'm pretty satisfied with it so far. For some reason the cable HD looks a bit too red to mee so I might adjust it. Strangely I don't have that problem in DVDs so I think it just might be the broadcast.

As for the blur pic, i'm pretty sure that's just my camera being unable to focus due to the fast movement. Why I kept it? who knows. Probably for future reference.

Overall it's definetly better than my sceptre. And honestly at the price it wipes the competition away. If you wanted to get a similar TV from Sony or sharp it'd cost you twice as much or more. And the funny thing is they all use just about the same panels. With the westy I feel you get very great quality for the price. However if you buy from BB i'd highly recommend you get the warranty since the return policy is only 30 days. That's the main advantage from buying Costco (besides supporting a great company that cares about it's employees). Costco's return policy is the best and it's too bad they don't sell this set =(.

And as far as monitors go, 42" is about the max limit I can take from that desk distance. It sometimes feels a bit too large when watching movies up close, but that's what my couch is for :D[/quote]

Glad to hear that you like it. I checked store availability in my area, and no stores have any in stock. I've been reading through the thread at AVS and it does seem that the particular model is being discontinued. Hopefully the new units will have the updated firmware and will eliminate any minor problems the set has. I wouldn't have purchased it until I could get it for around the price you did, so I don't mind waiting. Hopefully the new 42" model comes out soon, though.
 
http://shopper.cnet.com/Syntax_Olevia_LT37HVS_LCD_TV_37/4014-6482_9-31517700.html

I just bought this 37" Syntax Olevia today for $1,088 with free shipping and handling from buydig.com. It's has received great reviews all around the board, and is cheap as hell for its size.

It has:
1 HDMI input
ATSC Tuner
NTSC Tuner
2 Component inputs
2 Composite inputs
1 DVI/HDCP input
1 VGA input
8 Audio inputs
3 S-Video inputs
1 Headphone jack
1 Audio output
1 Subwoofer output
1200:1 contrast ratio
8 ms pixel response
800 cd/m2 brightness
2:2 and 3:2 pull-down conversion
PIP
Color Temperature Control
& a few other things

It's virtually future-proof for the next 8-10 years and is at a great value for all of the extra features.
 
HDMI and DVI are the next-gen all-format and computer hookups (respectively). An ATSC tuner guarantees that I'll still be able to view cable once the mandatory switch to digital occurs in 2009. All those audio inputs will be great for a kickass sound system too.
 
[quote name='Koggit']Just curious - how so?[/QUOTE]

Assuming the TV doesn't fail. Syntax hasn't had the best quality or the best customer support. In fact in our office we had a few and they ended up breaking after a few months. I hope you bought an extended warranty with that o_O.....
http://www.pricegrabber.com/pur_dis...type=masterid/masterid=11789811/pur_id=283611

Also there is no DVI input on that set and it will have to be HDMI --> DVI which can have issues so be warned.

http://secure.syntaxgroups.com/products/specs.jsp?pid=LT37HVS
http://secure.syntaxgroups.com/products/images/tv/HDMI_VGA_connecters.jpg


And I think he means covered for Over the Air HDTV which should remain 720p/1080i maxed for awhile. I'm pretty sure they won't be switching to 1080p for awhile
 
I'm not insulting the set, it's just that it's fairly average, when even top of the line wouldn't deserve being called future proof. It needs 1080i/p and HDMI 1.3 to even be up to date.

It's a good set, just not future-proof... although I wouldn't call any set future proof even with HDMI 1.3 and 1080i/p.
 
[quote name='Dude_202']What do you guys think of this 30'' HDTV? It's only $526.

http://tinyurl.com/js4d9[/QUOTE]

I havent heard that great of things about philips. If you wanna take a chance on a refurb you can prolly get like $150 or more off that set at the philips outlet store... outlet.philips.com

On a side-note I got my 26inch Olevia from compusa today for $499.99 after $50 mailin rebate and $150 instant rebate and am VERY satisfied it looks great... The only bad reviews I have seen about it are on the remote which is fine... get a nice logitech harmony if remotes bother you that much. The blue LED is annoying but it can be adjusted to a very dim settings. Also the speakers have been rated as subpar. They are a huge improvment over my 10year old Panasonic TV they sound great to me. I will eventually get a surround sound system going but I am very happy with my purchase. The X360 simply looks amazing. A previous poster mentioned getting a warrenty on the set... that can be true with any TV. Syntax is trying hard to make a name for them self and they offer great quality and at a great price. They offer a great free warranty. If ANYthing goes on the tv they have free on-site repair for 1 year. Thats damn good.... Just my 2 cents
 
Just a reminder folks. CRTs (though mostly bulky) still provide the best picture quality for TV with the best blacks. If you're only planning on going to 30" and don't plan on wallmounting a crt is a great option.
 
I bought this one on the Fourth of July.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-Q32X6SaYAdn/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?search=xbr&i=158KD40XBR

I was originally thinking about waiting until the next generation XBRs come out (1080p native, 3 HDMI, 2 Component inputs) but the MSRP is going to be $4000 which is a little steep for me. So far I love it. I haven't really tried it out extensively but it looks great playing back a DVD and all the HD stuff I've watched looks fantastic and surprisingly standard defition TV looks pretty great too. My 360 games look amazing. They looked good on my monitor using the VGA cable but I think the color is more acurate on the XBR. The best news is that my mom loves the picture so much she's already offered to buy it from me when I want to upgrade, so as soon as the new XBRs come down to about $3K, that's what I'll do.
 
[quote name='nevposey']does the Sony SXRD have true 1080p...that's the one I have been eyeing to replace my 34inch XBR[/QUOTE]

I would stick with the XBR until SED comes out. That will cover the bases that your CRT covers in picture quality as well as being flat and bigger. Any other flat screen technology is crap in PQ. All SED is is a flat screen CRT so the only drawback is burn-in.
 
Sony tvs are a ripoff in my opinion. You can get better quality at half the price with other brands. If you're going to spend that much money i'd recommend Sharp since they make the best panels.
 
[quote name='Zoglog']Sony tvs are a ripoff in my opinion. You can get better quality at half the price with other brands. If you're going to spend that much money i'd recommend Sharp since they make the best panels.[/quote]

They are usually but I technically got my 40" XBR for $2200.
 
So hey... I kinda want to upgrade my TV, but I really know nothing about HDTV's.

What's a good set I can buy at Best Buy / Circuit City for around 400 - 500? I need a 29", I'm not looking to get a $4000 66" television or anything grand like that, just something that's HD that'll make my 360 look awesome (When I get one).
 
I've been looking for something in the same range. CCity has 2 different Samsungs I thought looked nice, one is a 27 inch HD 'slimfit' thats 500-600 and also a 30 HD Widescreen thats 700-800....those caught my eye.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']So hey... I kinda want to upgrade my TV, but I really know nothing about HDTV's.

What's a good set I can buy at Best Buy / Circuit City for around 400 - 500? I need a 29", I'm not looking to get a $4000 66" television or anything grand like that, just something that's HD that'll make my 360 look awesome (When I get one).[/QUOTE]

In same position for same exact reasons.
 
This webpage helped me figure out what size 16:9 to get to replace my old 4:3 television and not lose any viewing area when watching sd t.v.

http://www.cavecreations.com/tv2.cgi

'cause when I was shopping for an HDTV I was surprised that a 32 widescreen television yields a smaller 4:3 viewing area than a 27 inch standard television.
Which is common sense but eluded me at the time.
 
[quote name='RelentlessRolento']can anyone really verify this?

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3152324[/QUOTE]

Sure, just look in any consumer electronics store. If you ask a salsman (and he's honest) he'll tell you that there's no doubt prices have dropped. And they'll probably go lower as newer tech comes out and more and more companies flood the HDTV market, especially comanies looking to break into the market, the current HD tech will go down in price.
 
LCD prices have been dropping rapidly for a long time....

Either way more reason NOT to finance TVs... God whenever somone finances an HDTV I feel like smacking them.

And it doesn't matter if the 16:9 counterparts yield a slightly lower viewing area. Content from now on is going to be mostly if Not all 16:9. Best prepare for the future unless you want black bars on top and bottom for the next few years.
 
This thread should be a sticky.

Also, have you guys heard about a video game lag between HDTVs and consoles? Some TVs have a small delay when you are press buttons on your controller. I saw an article about this on IGN awhile back.
 
[quote name='Xevious']This thread should be a sticky.

Also, have you guys heard about a video game lag between HDTVs and consoles? Some TVs have a small delay when you are press buttons on your controller. I saw an article about this on IGN awhile back.[/QUOTE]

Yes it is a problem in many TVs that have automatic image processing and scaling. Put simply the "lag" comes from a TV taking in a signal outside it's native resolution (like 480i (SDTV) console on HDTV) and then trying to scale that image to its native resolution. The same can be said for TVs with image processing/enhancing functions. The time it takes varies but on occasion the processing/scaling of a signal outside the native resolution can cause a slightly noticable delay or "lag" with applications you have to execute actions via a controller or a remote or the like. At least that's the issue as I understood it.
 
[quote name='Xevious']This thread should be a sticky.

Also, have you guys heard about a video game lag between HDTVs and consoles? Some TVs have a small delay when you are press buttons on your controller. I saw an article about this on IGN awhile back.[/QUOTE]

IGN just had an update on this issue a few days ago.
http://gear.ign.com/articles/720/720303p1.html

Page 2 of the article has a list of user reported hdtv sets with and without lag.
 
[quote name='road3283']IGN just had an update on this issue a few days ago.
http://gear.ign.com/articles/720/720303p1.html

Page 2 of the article has a list of user reported hdtv sets with and without lag.[/QUOTE]

I call BS on some of that list, even some of Sony's most pricey HD models have very noticable lag. We've had a gaming nite in the store before and used just about every big screen TV out on the floor at some point, Sony is certainly not among "commonly lag free" group IMO, especially their projections. The people who reported the Samsung LN-S4051D LCD must be seeing somehting I'm not as well, seemed to run soul Calibur 3 with hardly any delay in Game mode for me, it's actually one of the best looking TVs when we played the 360 on it too.
 
Can the Samsung TXR2678WH display 720p natively? I'm so sick of CRT's converting all signals to 1080i. >_
 
I have a couple of options and I want some help. Should I go with:

Mitsubishi 62" - lcd projection, 2 hdmi ports, 1080i, 720p, 480p
Sony Grand Wega 50" - lcd projection, 2 hdmi ports, 1080p/i, 720p, 480p
Samsung 42" - plasma, 2 hdmi ports, 1080i, 720p, 480p
Toshiba 42" - lcd, 2 hdmi ports, 1080p/i, 720p, 480p

With some of your guy's knowledge, which would be best for 360 gaming and eventually ps3? Plus, I was hoping to future proof. What do you guys think is best?
 
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