Best deal on Widescreen HD-ready TV

just to let you know, that Panasonic does not have 720p. I guess it's just preference. That might be something you want to look out for if you have an Xbox 360. Can someone tell me if 1080i or 720p is better in any way? I'm a little confused, i've heard that some TVs look crappy on 720p, but look great on 1080i or visa-versa.

When I try to add the Panasonic to my cart, there is no place to enter a coupon. Can I enter a coupon if I want to pick it up instore or what?
 
[quote name='Technique']just to let you know, that Panasonic does not have 720p. I guess it's just preference. That might be something you want to look out for if you have an Xbox 360. Can someone tell me if 1080i or 720p is better in any way? I'm a little confused, i've heard that some TVs look crappy on 720p, but look great on 1080i or visa-versa.[/QUOTE]


No CRT (tube) is 720P native. I have a Samsung 26" that I paid $585.99 for about 4 months ago and its a great TV. The main difference between it and the Panasonic is mine is an HDTV while the Panny is HD Ready. Most tube TV's will accept all signals but upconverts them to 1080I. You won't find a tube that will display in 720P. For $400 you can't go wrong though.
 
720P is more for fast moving things while 1080I is better for slower things. I have heard gaming is a little better on 720P but I have never had a problem with my TV playing my Xbox in 720.... it has always looked really good.
 
[quote name='Staind204']No CRT (tube) is 720P native. I have a Samsung 26" that I paid $585.99 for about 4 months ago and its a great TV. The main difference between it and the Panasonic is mine is an HDTV while the Panny is HD Ready. Most tube TV's will accept all signals but upconverts them to 1080I. You won't find a tube that will display in 720P. For $400 you can't go wrong though.[/QUOTE]

it says the Panasonic is a HDTV monitor, though.
 
Yeah.. the TV I have has the OTA tuner built in (so I can receive digital broadcasts from local channels such as CBS, NBC, etc). The Panasonic does not have this, if you want HD programming you will need to buy a HD box from your cable or satellite provider. HD Ready means you will get HD if you plug an HD source into it (such as an Xbox or HD Cable/Sat box).
 
I have a few questions:

1. Will games look bad running in 1080i? I understand 720p looks better but does it still look good in 1080i? Does it at least look better than my standard 4:3 ratio TV?

2. What's the difference between HDTV and HD-Ready?
 
[quote name='mobster011']I have a few questions:

1. Will games look bad running in 1080i? I understand 720p looks better but does it still look good in 1080i? Does it at least look better than my standard 4:3 ratio TV?

2. What's the difference between HDTV and HD-Ready?[/QUOTE]



1.) Yes they look VERY good.. actually some people perfer 1080I, it really depends on who you ask. I had 20/20 vision and can't tell much of a difference in 1080 and 720.. they both look tons better than a standard TV. It will be like night and day difference between an HD and your regular analog tv.

2) HDTV has the over the air tuner built in to receive locals (see my above post) while HD Ready means you will need a cable or sat box to receive HD programming.
 
I need a TV too (I don't have one). Anyone have a coupon for a Circuit City, Best Buy, ... that I can use in store they would be willing to give? I hear there is a 10% off one for Circuit City, but ebay is only place I know to get it.

Regarding the OP and 720P. No tube TV that i know natively displays 720P. All the TVs still accept 720P, but they just convert it to 1080i. No big deal really. It will still be HD and look gorgeous!
 
[quote name='slimpip']If you can spare the extra cash I bought this TV for my parents and it is very very nice...

Samsung 47" $999.77[/QUOTE]
Does that have the HD tuner built in or would I need a cable box for the Samsung?

Also, how does a widescreen TV play full screen DVD's? Does it stretch the image or will it have black bars on the sides or what?
 
[quote name='mobster011']Does that have the HD tuner built in or would I need a cable box for the Samsung?[/QUOTE]

It has the HD Tuner built in, but I don't know too much about how to configure it.

Regarding the full screen DVDs....I'm not sure what it does. I've never played a full screen DVD on a widescreen. Sorry :/
 
[quote name='mobster011']Does that have the HD tuner built in or would I need a cable box for the Samsung?

Also, how does a widescreen TV play full screen DVD's? Does it stretch the image or will it have black bars on the sides or what?[/QUOTE]

It has an HD Tuner. The tuners built into TVs (ATSC) do not do cable (for the most part). You will still need a set top box from you cable company unless the TV has a cable card slot (this one does not).

You can choose which mode. Usually something like zoom, stretch, native. Look at the manual on Samsung's website, it will state everything you need to know.
 
[quote name='b3b0p']It has an HD Tuner. The tuners built into TVs (ATSC) do not do cable (for the most part). You will still need a set top box from you cable company unless the TV has a cable card slot (this one does not).[/QUOTE]
Does this mean that it won't be able to play regular cable television and that I will need to get a digital cable box in order to watch cable tv? Also, is this type of TV one that may fall victim to the image burning or no?

Sorry if some of my questions are dumb as I am not educated with HDTV's.
 
[quote name='mobster011']Does that have the HD tuner built in or would I need a cable box for the Samsung?

Also, how does a widescreen TV play full screen DVD's? Does it stretch the image or will it have black bars on the sides or what?[/QUOTE]
with widescreens, it gives you the option on how you want to view it. with a full screen dvd, you can stretch it or view it as you normally would with black bars on the right and left side.
 
[quote name='mobster011']Does this mean that it won't be able to play regular cable television and that I will need to get a digital cable box in order to watch cable tv? Also, is this type of TV one that may fall victim to the image burning or no?

Sorry if some of my questions are dumb as I am not educated with HDTV's.[/QUOTE]

Yes, this is the type of TV that can get image burn in. Don't leave static images on it with high contrast and you will be fine.

It will tune analog cable fine. It will not tune your digital cable unless they (your cable company) use open standard nonencrypted QAM (not likely except for your local free stations which you can get with rabbit ears anyway).

You can't get HD from analog cable. You can only get it from OTA (over/off-the-air) via antenna (any cheap rabbit ears from radio shack will work) or from your cable/satellite company (you'll have to ask them about what HD stations you can get).

Not every channel is magically in HD when you get an HD set. Also, DVD is not HD (you'd be surprised how many people think this).


Hope that helps.
 
[quote name='megashock5']Not showing up now :([/QUOTE]

It's probably still in the store. I was just there and they had it. You can see this TV online and get more info about it from Samsung's website (http://samsungusa.com).
 
[quote name='b3b0p']Yes, this is the type of TV that can get image burn in. Don't leave static images on it with high contrast and you will be fine.

It will tune analog cable fine. It will not tune your digital cable unless they (your cable company) use open standard nonencrypted QAM (not likely except for your local free stations which you can get with rabbit ears anyway).

You can't get HD from analog cable. You can only get it from OTA (over/off-the-air) via antenna (any cheap rabbit ears from radio shack will work) or from your cable/satellite company (you'll have to ask them about what HD stations you can get).

Not every channel is magically in HD when you get an HD set. Also, DVD is not HD (you'd be surprised how many people think this).


Hope that helps.[/QUOTE]high contrast? is that an option that you can customize by turning it down?
 
[quote name='mobster011']high contrast? is that an option that you can customize by turning it down?[/QUOTE]

Yes, keep it below 50% when watching normally.

Turn it down to about 1/3 when playing games (or anything with lots of bright static images). You should be fine. As long as you don't put the contrast too high your Rear Projection CRT TV will last along time.

If the thought of burn in scares the crap out of you, just remember it is faint transparent like image. It is really just the area on the CRT(s) that is wearing faster then the rest. It is not burned on the screen. There is nothing you can do about the wear. At any moment when your TV is on the CRT is wearing. With higher contrast it just wears faster. See CRT Tube Condition

If that still scares you look at a digital display: DLP, LCD, Plasma. If you get rear projection LCD or DLP you'll have to consider bulb prices ($200+ each) and how long they will last you.

Plasma has no bulbs and the newer panels are nealy resistant to burn in, but they do cost more in some cases (check out Wal-Mart, Costco, and Sam's for rebadged Panasonic or LG Plasmas on the cheap - Maxent, Vizio, there are others).

Also, because of Costco's and Sam's liberal return policy, you should not need an extended warranty on a Plasma or CRT if you buy it there.
 
I have been wondering if this TV is worth $800.

Link

My room is quite small, and I need a TV somewhere in the 23"-30" area so having a big TV isn't an issue for me. My main focus is on a TV that will look good while playing games and DVDs, but I also want something that is cost efficient. Any suggestions?
 
I can't belive people waste their monet on crappy Panasonic TV's. Sharp Agous is where it is at....get it for the best gaming.
 
[quote name='Chi_Cubs05']Here is the tv that im looking at

27" SlimFit Samsung HDTV
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp;jsessionid=ISYTPKZSRHJNXKC4D3KFAGI?skuId=7345688&type=product&productCategoryId=cat03003&id=1122652695847

i saw somewhere on here were it said that there was a 10% discount code for samsung hdtv's and just a 10% code for everything. where can i get these cupons at?

also anybody have any opinions on this tv or know where i can get it cheaper? thanks alot[/QUOTE]
I think common wisdom is to stay away from SlimFits for the time being. They had pretty bad geometry problems and I haven't heard that they've been corrected yet. Check out a floor model on CNN or some similar channel with a straight ticker at the bottom. If it bows up too much for your liking, maybe pick something else.
 
[quote name='simpsonps121']I don't know anything about HDTV's, but here is one from Best Buy.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7045477&type=product&id=1099396991085

It is 27 inch, and there is a 10% off coupon from Best Buy you can use.

Matthew[/QUOTE]

This TV looks pretty good, especially if you use a 10% coupon. It doesn't have HDMI though, which is meaningless for the 360 right now, but who knows. Also, the 26" Panasonic mentioned earlier is pretty good, but it will not upconvert a 720p signal like many tube TVs will. You will get garbled mess if you tell your 360 to output at 720p. Just set your 360 to output at 1080i and you'll be happy. And always check AVSForum.com for these things. Lots of tech-savvy people there to help you.

MjC
 
so Xbox 360 games have 720p AND 1080i? I know it converts 480p Xbox games to 1080i and it looks awesome(I have the 26" Panasonic). So are the 360 games just 480p converted to 1080i or actually 1080i is basically what I want to know. Thanks.
 
Do Plasma, Projections, Tube, and LCD TV's cause the burn in?

Is the burn in visible when the TV is on and in use or only when it's off is it noticeable?
 
I'm hoping to find a 17" HD-ready LCD around the Superbowl for $200 or less but I don't think I'll see that substantial of a drop by that time.
 
[quote name='mobster011']Do Plasma, Projections, Tube, and LCD TV's cause the burn in?

Is the burn in visible when the TV is on and in use or only when it's off is it noticeable?[/QUOTE]
Don't worry about burn in on CRT's (tubes) and LCD's. It's only a serious issue with projection TV's and plasma's.

Burn in should be visible when on and off, more notably when it's off.
 
well here is the cheapest i've ever seen Widescreen Hdtv's. I've been saving up my money to buy one, thought this might be usefully for anyone looking in to get one.

http://www.outlet.philips.com/b2c_r.../41907ABB9A6F008D00000000828BD472&shop=OUTLET

enter coupon code: HOLIDAY2005, for 10% off.

i've done quite a bit of research and for the money the 30PW8420/37B tv is the best buy.
i signed up with this site to specifically see what people had to say about it. http://www.hdtvoice.com/voice/forumdisplay.php?f=16

also shipping is free and you don't have to pay taxes. this tv w/coupon would come out to about $350. the tv has hdmi and cvi, with 480p and 1080i. if looking to play on xbox 360, the 360 will automatically upscale 720p to 1080i. for a starter hdtv, $350 for a 30" widescreen hdtv is not bad if ask me. however, these tv's are not brand new, they are factory refurbished.
 
[quote name='chaarlieee']Don't worry about burn in on CRT's (tubes) and LCD's. It's only a serious issue with projection TV's and plasma's.

Burn in should be visible when on and off, more notably when it's off.[/QUOTE]

Be more specific. Only CRT Rear Projection televisions should you worry about burn in (if at all).

Don't worry about it with Plasma. The newer panels are nearly resistent and have a rated half life much longer then CRT.
 
[quote name='b3b0p']Rear Projection LCD/LCOS/DiLA/SXRD and Rear Projection DLP do not exhibit any type of screen burn in. Only Rear Projection CRT will exhibit a screen burn in.[/QUOTE]
Rear projection and plasma.
 
And yes, newer plasmas have reduced burn in problems, but it's still something that should be addressed, depending on what plasma you get.
 
You are being to general. Not all Rear Projection televisions are susceptible to burn in. Only CRT Rear Projection.
 
[quote name='b3b0p']You are being to general. Not all Rear Projection televisions are susceptible to burn in. Only CRT Rear Projection.[/QUOTE]
I know that. I have no idea why I keep leaving that out. I stressed so much when I was first learning about HDTV's that I was wondering if my tube would have burn in problems (obviously not because it's only susceptible in rear projection CRT's). :lol:
 
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