So... which giant TV should I buy?
- Thread starter Javery
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Amazon wouldn't let me buy at the old price either - I tried. They also don't price match some place called Abe's of Maine who is selling the 65" VT60 for $2,449 right now. I suppose I could buy it from there but I think I'm going to continue to wait for it to drop again on Amazon.
shrike4242
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I've ordered there for some stuff needed at my work. They're OK to order from in my book.
n8rockerasu
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Ha, that's the same place I tried to get Amazon to match the price on my 60" LG. When you do the price match after the purchase, there's an actual form with a list of who they consider "competitors". It just seems really outdated. They've got places like Circuit City, Comp USA, TigerDirect, etc. on there. And then some stores that are really pretty small. They wouldn't match Abe's for me either. But with Amazon's 24 month interest free financing, paying $70 more wasn't so bad.
I'd buy from Abe's but I am hoping to take advantage of the 24 month no interest financing. It's like $115 per month at the low price which is totally worth it, IMO. I wish amazon would update their price match list!
They did drop the price to $3000 but it's still $465 higher than it was. Maybe I'll start looking at LEDs again since I've been fixated on this set for a few weeks now.
They did drop the price to $3000 but it's still $465 higher than it was. Maybe I'll start looking at LEDs again since I've been fixated on this set for a few weeks now.
It's down to $2800 on Amazon right now. It works out to about $125/month for 24 months. I can live with that. I'm going to buy it so now how do I go about it? I know BB will price match and they offer installation services. If I get it from Amazon I'll have to hire someone to hang it. Any thoughts on this? I'm excited - it will make football awesome this year!
n8rockerasu
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Not very handy around the house, I take it? lol. I know Amazon delivery (which was through CEVA for me) will set the TV up for you...at least on a stand. They even plug it in and connect it to your cable to make sure it's working properly. I have no idea what their policy is for hanging it though. Not sure if it's the kind of thing you could offer them an extra $20 for...or if they'd just refuse due to liability issues. Might be worth contacting Amazon to ask though.
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shrike4242
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I had the same issue with my 55" LG that needed to be mounted on the mount that came with my entertainment center. I could have done it myself though I'd be pissed and out a TV if I dropped it/broke it.
Best Buy charged me $150 to come out, put the mount on it and put it up into the entertainment center mount. Took less than an hour, wasn't an issue at all.
I would suggest calling your local BB and ask them how much they'd charge to install it. Normally if you buy the TV there, they're usually amenable to decrease the cost of the install or make it free.
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I'm actually really handy (that's what I tell myself anyway) but for something like this I'd rather not take the risk... I think. I also don't have a place for a TV stand!
The room is brand new (drywall is still bare) so there is no furniture yet. Also, now I just realized I need a wall bracket which is probably expensive.So Best Buy will install a TV that isn't purchased there? That is good to know. I may buy the TV from them anyway as much as I hate going there and arguing for a price match. The key will be whether they are willing to give me the 24-months no interest financing because that would be a deal-breaker.
Done. I'm a little annoyed that they can't install the TV until September 14 (after opening day) but whatever. It is done. I do need to figure out if the TV comes with 3D glasses or not - I forgot all about that until my wife asked. The Amazon listing mentioned the glasses. BB price matched with the 24 months no interest financing. Installation was $220 with a "free" wall mount.
Edit: LOL - just found out that the "price match" was $0.98.
Edit: LOL - just found out that the "price match" was $0.98.
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Well... here is the "before" shot. The blue tape is obviously where the new TV will go. The piece of furniture is temporary. To put it in perspective, the TV in the pic is a 32".Do post pictures once everything is setup.
TV just got hung. I totally forgot to order cables... ugh. Now I have to lift the TV off the bracket and run the wires once they arrive. I'm not sure how I feel about the TV yet. It is big so that's good but the picture doesn't seem to look as nice as my old 42" - the Xbox looks downright blurry (I'm using component though so maybe that is the problem). I haven't calibrated anything either. I'm sure once I play around with the settings I'll get it working right. I also have really good eyesight so I can make out the pixels pretty easily.
I was expecting to be blown away I guess since I spent so much so it's probably all in my head.
I was expecting to be blown away I guess since I spent so much so it's probably all in my head.
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RogueSplinterCell
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70" ? Lol
n8rockerasu
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You're definitely going to notice a difference between component and HDMI, especially on a screen that big. HDMI is much more crisp and vivid.
I hope so - the cables should be here by the middle of next week so I'll probably hook everything up next weekend (I need help lifting the TV off of the wall).
Too small, right? Once my basement is finished I'll be going up to about 130". LOL.
I'm thinking about getting it calibrated by a professional - I have the CNET recommended settings which I'm going to try first though. My PS3 isn't hooked up at the moment (no HDMI cable!) so no blu-ray. I can't wait for that.
yeah... I read that too. I'm looking into getting a slide show for the USB slot. Honestly, after 2 days the picture looks noticeably better. My HDMI cables should arrive this week and I still haven't played around with the picture settings yet. Football was amazing yesterday - 65" is a really nice size!
They have some sort of disc that you can buy that will speed up the process and by-passing those 100 hours. You still have to leave your tv on but it's safe against burn ins.
Here is a link talking about what I posted above.
http://www.plasmasaver.com/
Here is a link talking about what I posted above.
http://www.plasmasaver.com/
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Adjusting picture settings will help a ton too as all the default pre-settings on TV's suck.
And no need for a disc for that, plenty of places (search AVS forums for links) where you can download slides and just stick in the TV's USB or SD card slots and save the wear and tear on a DVD/BR player.
And no need for a disc for that, plenty of places (search AVS forums for links) where you can download slides and just stick in the TV's USB or SD card slots and save the wear and tear on a DVD/BR player.
willardhaven
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Honestly I don't think you should "age" your TV 100 hours. Just watch full screen content and stick to a variety of programming. Tone down the contrast too.
n8rockerasu
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I agree. I think the idea is for people who don't want to "suffer" through 100 hours of an unoptimized screen. But to me, it's like breaking in a new baseball glove. You can trust that the end result will be worth the time you put in at the beginning.
I bought a new plasma in June and it actually has an "energy saver" setting that turns down the brightness and contrast a good bit. So, I ended up just using that for the first 100 hours, and it worked fine.
Yeah, that's all it is. Just a way to get through the 100 hours faster so you can get the screen optimized and have more time to decide if you like it before the return window is up. As well as just getting to the point of not having to worry about sticking to full screen content, lower contrast etc.
I did it the two times I tried plasma since I leave the TV on ESPN for hours and hours, play games with HUDs in long sessions, watch lots of movies with black bars etc. and I'd read that plasma's were more susceptible to image retention (IR) the first 100 hours.
For my uses, it didn't help and I still had stubborn IR issues (went away, but took hours/days) so--as I discussed in more detail earlier in the thread--I ended up returning them for that (and buzzing that I'm sensitive to hearing) and going with LCD both times. I won't try again as plasmas just don't fit my usages since I don't watch much full screen content without bright static logos/huds, and the buzzing just drives me crazy. Even some LCDs bug me with buzzing.
I'm not a videophile at all and don't really give that much of a shit about black levels, motion blur etc. anyway so I've learned to just stay away from sites like AVS etc. as I just don't need to be that anal as I'm fine with any LCD from a decent brand and care more about screen size than picture quality.
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n8rockerasu
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Lol.
I can see that sounding contradictory. But seeing the ESPN logo on other content for hours and hearing buzzing over audio in bright scenes doesn't require being anal, as those were things that annoyed me in regular viewing. Not going and actively looking for flaws like people on AVS do.
D
Plasma just doesn't fit my extreme static image heavy viewing habits or hearing that's sensitive to electronic buzzing. Especially since I don't really care about the pq benefits.
I can see that sounding contradictory. But seeing the ESPN logo on other content for hours and hearing buzzing over audio in bright scenes doesn't require being anal, as those were things that annoyed me in regular viewing. Not going and actively looking for flaws like people on AVS do.
DPlasma just doesn't fit my extreme static image heavy viewing habits or hearing that's sensitive to electronic buzzing. Especially since I don't really care about the pq benefits.
I haven't noticed any buzzing but I'm probably going deaf due to excessive headphone use over the last 20 years. The PQ is really good and I haven't even made any adjustments yet or used HDMI for the Xbox. The cables arrived from Amazon yesterday so I'll be playing around with the settings and getting everything hooked up this weekend. I'm kind of excited to watch my first 3D movie at home. One small complaint is that on a TV this large, the poor signal and compression/artifacts that I get through my cable box is a little more noticeable. It might be me though - I noticed it on my 32" TV as well.
So which specific model did you go with again? I kinda lost track.
Also, if you can, sit a bit further back to make the compression artifacts a little less noticeable. I have Verizon FiOS and their PQ is pretty good. Sitting about 5ft away from my 40" TV and don't notice much in the way of artifacts.
Also, if you can, sit a bit further back to make the compression artifacts a little less noticeable. I have Verizon FiOS and their PQ is pretty good. Sitting about 5ft away from my 40" TV and don't notice much in the way of artifacts.
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I went with the 65" Panasonic plasma (TC-P65VT60). I also have FiOS and don't notice it as much unless I'm looking for it... which I kind of have been since I bought the TV. Once a show starts and I forget I don't notice at all. I sit about 9 ft. away from the TV.
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Do you have an A/V receiver? If so, try running the cable feed through the receiver. This should help clean up the signal.
I have FIOS as well and last years model of your TV (VT50). My setup is Cable Box to Receiver via HDMI then Receiver to TV. The receiver does an amazing job eliminating compression artifacts.
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bread's done