advice on an HDTV...

[destrekor]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp...2%22+lcd&type=product&id=1158319080440

this model is supposed to be $480 at BestBuy on Black Friday...
is it any good, for the price.. can I find something, say.. an HDTV CRT set?
and 720p is going to be better than 1080i, correct, in terms of sharpness and overall IQ? there is an insignia set that is supposed to be under $300:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp...ia+27%22&type=product&id=1130981881933

I have a 27" SDTV CRT right now, and its a rather sharp picture (it's a $300 Philips set).
I am looking at this from a movie and gaming perspective, would the jump to 720p or 1080i on a 27" set improve the picture THAT much to justify the picture upgrade? I mean, I want to use Blu-ray too, and not to mention enjoy high-def gaming on PS3 and X360.

 

[Slammy1]

From my understanding, that is an X-Mas model with somewhat lower ratings than the LVM32-W6. I'd probably hold off on it until they can get a professional review of the model.

 

[destrekor]

any ideas, suggestions, comments... etc etc?

 

[mastertech01]

If you arent against a CRT HDTV the Sony Wega is a great one. I recently picked up a 34 inch widescreen 970 and its the bomb. It also weighs 200 pounds so you need a 39 inch wide area to place it and a heavy duty stand. They can be had on sale for 800.00. HD programs are stunning. Worth every penny to me.

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: mastertech01
If you arent against a CRT HDTV the Sony Wega is a great one. I recently picked up a 34 inch widescreen 970 and its the bomb. It also weighs 200 pounds so you need a 39 inch wide area to place it and a heavy duty stand. They can be had on sale for 800.00. HD programs are stunning. Worth every penny to me.

yes it would be something I'd want, but no it's not something I am willing to pay for

 

[destrekor]

...anyone?

 

[destrekor]

does anyone not follow HDTV's or have a unit that's cheap? this seems hard to believe on AT.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

I think if you go HD you should go larger than 27" too.

What's your seating distance like?
http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html

I would have to sit about 3 feet from a 27" tv to get about the same viewing angle I'm using.

If you haven't been to AVSforum, that might be a good place to look. Generally that's more of the expensive stuff, but you could probably find some good info on LCDs in this range.

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
I think if you go HD you should go larger than 27" too.

What's your seating distance like?
http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html

I would have to sit about 3 feet from a 27" tv to get about the same viewing angle I'm using.

If you haven't been to AVSforum, that might be a good place to look. Generally that's more of the expensive stuff, but you could probably find some good info on LCDs in this range.

in our dorm the distance is about 5-6' depending on activity.. watching tv, yea, 6', playing a game, 4-5' because we sit forward on the couch.
max on a 32" widescreen for THX is 5', which for videogames would be appropriate, for movie viewing.. on no we're maybe 1' away from that mark... nothing else is THX anyway so not that that would matter.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

That's just kind of a general guideline. If you're going to be 4-6 feet away a 32" is a pretty good size.

 

[Sentry2]

If you can get that Westy for $480 then I would say go for it. I'm sure you'd be more than happy with it if you're coming from a 27" SD tv. I just bought a Westy 37w3 and I couldn't be happier. That Westy your looking at doesn't have DVI if that matters to you. It's got an HDMI and 2 component HD inputs though. Again, I'd jump on it for that price.

 

[mastertech01]

That calculator simply sucks. It is obviously a tool to sell big screen TV. It recommends a seated distance of 11 feet for viewing THX on the latest 103" diagonal flat panel. LOL

It recommends placing my 34 inch wide screen on my coffee table in front of me for THX. Get real.

I watch mine from 20 feet and it is just fine for me.

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: mastertech01
That calculator simply sucks. It is obviously a tool to sell big screen TV. It recommends a seated distance of 11 feet for viewing THX on the latest 103" diagonal flat panel. LOL

It recommends placing my 34 inch wide screen on my coffee table in front of me for THX. Get real.

I watch mine from 20 feet and it is just fine for me.

just fine for you MAY not be THX certified viewing, ever think of that?
im not sure if the calculator is following posted specs, and if there are even THX specs for viewing distances, but that'd make sense, considering movies are, for pure THX, meant to be big.

either way, im really leaning towards the Olevia 232V... no pro reviews that I can find but loved by consumers it seams, plus its a S-IPS panel, whereas the Westinghouse is not.

 

[mastertech01]

Certified or not, its hogwash. Every individual needs to view and decide what is best for them, and not be led on like sheep on what they should buy.

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: mastertech01
Certified or not, its hogwash. Every individual needs to view and decide what is best for them, and not be led on like sheep on what they should buy.

welcome to the world of certifications...
and besides, the easy solution is to buy a projector, because 103" flat panels have ****** picture.
i wouldn't normally buy an LCD or Plasma but since that LCD is cheap, might as well..
i'd much rather a projector, and make a picture larger than one of those 103" screens, and probably look better too.

 

[Slammy1]

The calculator is based on the idea that you'll need to look around the screen to see the action, it's an immersion thing. Like in a movie theater, size to distance as it was filmed to be viewed, but OTOH some people like to sit in the front, some in the back. There are a lot of meaningless standards that go into THX certification, some of it does seem to be they're buying the logo to sell their product. George Lucas greedy, that's crazy talk. Although I'm concerned about the model newness, at that price it's worth a risk but it'll be a much sought-after deal (just not a lot of great BF HDTV deals, and a lot of people taking the plunge this year looking for a bargain).The DVI-> HDMI conversion might be a concern for HDCP, at least the other waty it can be but I'm not sure about DVI-> HDMI. Generally, the people I've talked to prefer that connectivity. Plan on getting there 5-12 hours before they open, it's going to be a mad rush.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: mastertech01
That calculator simply sucks. It is obviously a tool to sell big screen TV. It recommends a seated distance of 11 feet for viewing THX on the latest 103" diagonal flat panel. LOL

It recommends placing my 34 inch wide screen on my coffee table in front of me for THX. Get real.

I watch mine from 20 feet and it is just fine for me.

This is a tool to give you an idea of how close you would sit to the screen to get the same kind of viewing angles they would use in a theater.

I've been moving my room around a little due to working on making my border and masking system.
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/spmclaughlin/web/7%20DIY%20Screen/

I'm about 10 feet away from my screen and get around a 40 degree angle. You should come over here and watch a movie before saying the calculator sucks

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

I hope I'm not coming off as a THX guy either, I've just tried various screen sizes and distances and the THX figure seems very good for me.

https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/spmclaughlin/web/Random/AVP7THX.JPG

So anyway, just to get an idea of what the THX spec size is, I've found that at least for myself I can kind of gauge it by extending my arms towards the screen and then with both hands I make a line from pinky to thumb to thumb to pinky stretched out and that's about the viewing angle I like.

Ok... I don't know if that made any sense...

Since I couldn't really manage to take a picture with both my hands out there, here's half of what I'm talking about.
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/spmclaughlin/web/Random/Viewing_Angle.JPG

It's really a great theatrical experience to have a screen this size and after using a couple different projectors, I would find it very hard to go back to a more conventional set unless I was sitting a lot closer to it.