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HDTV in the $500 to $600 range?

pontifex

pontifex

Lifer
What are some good recommendations for an HDTV in the $500-600 range?

I currently own a Philips 30" CRT 1080i HDTV (refurbed) and it works great, when it works. I've had a problem with from the time I got it (and why I will never buy refurbed again). It won't turn on some times. The power light comes on for a bit but then turns off and the screen never comes on. Sometimes if I move or wiggle the TV, it will come on.

I spent about $350 for it and tried to get it repaired shortly after I got it, but Philips fucked around and ended going past the warranty period to get it fixed, so it would cost me at least $200 to get it fixed out of warranty. I said screw it and dealt with it but now it seems to be getting more and more difficult to get it to turn on.

So I guess I'm looking for best bang for the buck for $500-600. Any suggestions?
 
Dell has the vizio voj320 for $549, which is 1080p, or the vw32l for $399. For $699, you can get the voj370 for $699. It is 37" and 1080p.
 
Originally posted by: Muadib
Dell has the vizio voj320 for $549, which is 1080p, or the vw32l for $399. For $699, you can get the voj370 for $699. It is 37" and 1080p.
Click to expand...

ok, i'm looking at either the vizio voj320 or the voj370. both look good and have good reviews. just have to decide if i want to spend $700 vs. $550. I'm also not sure I have enough room for the 37". I'd have to do some measuring before i decide.
 
Originally posted by: kalrith
Originally posted by: swbsam
http://www.walmart.com/catalog...d=09776880020400789558
Click to expand...

That looks pretty good for the price. At this low of a price, you probably won't notice a huge difference in picture quality between sets, but you'll most definintely notice the 72% size increase of a 42" over a 32". You can compare different size screens easilyt at http://tvcalculator.com/.
Click to expand...

Definitely go for as big as possible. I've upgraded twice since getting what I thought would be the right size - 32" was was too tiny for a living room, (remember there's still letterboxing on DVDs/blurays and SD stuff has black bars on the side). 42" was a nice compromise but I wasn't really happy until 50."

42" is the sweet spot - do it, you won't regret it.
 
Originally posted by: swbsam
Originally posted by: kalrith
Originally posted by: swbsam
http://www.walmart.com/catalog...d=09776880020400789558
Click to expand...

That looks pretty good for the price. At this low of a price, you probably won't notice a huge difference in picture quality between sets, but you'll most definintely notice the 72% size increase of a 42" over a 32". You can compare different size screens easilyt at http://tvcalculator.com/.
Click to expand...

Definitely go for as big as possible. I've upgraded twice since getting what I thought would be the right size - 32" was was too tiny for a living room, (remember there's still letterboxing on DVDs/blurays and SD stuff has black bars on the side). 42" was a nice compromise but I wasn't really happy until 50."

42" is the sweet spot - do it, you won't regret it.
Click to expand...

When I started my HDTV search, I was looking at a 32". I kept looking and looking and took a long time to decide what I wanted. In the end I upgraded from a 27" CRT to a 50" plasma. I'm VERY pleased with the size. It was a huge increase at first, but once I got used to it, I wouldn't have wanted a smaller size. I sit 9 feet from it.

I think many people look at the sizes 32" and 42" and think that the extra 10" should be about a 30% size increase; however, the size increase is exponential, and a 42" is actually 72% larger than a 32". When I watch movies on my friend's 32" TV, it's like we're watching the movie from the other room because the screen's so small.
 
Originally posted by: swbsam
Originally posted by: kalrith
Originally posted by: swbsam
http://www.walmart.com/catalog...d=09776880020400789558
Click to expand...

That looks pretty good for the price. At this low of a price, you probably won't notice a huge difference in picture quality between sets, but you'll most definintely notice the 72% size increase of a 42" over a 32". You can compare different size screens easilyt at http://tvcalculator.com/.
Click to expand...

Definitely go for as big as possible. I've upgraded twice since getting what I thought would be the right size - 32" was was too tiny for a living room, (remember there's still letterboxing on DVDs/blurays and SD stuff has black bars on the side). 42" was a nice compromise but I wasn't really happy until 50."

42" is the sweet spot - do it, you won't regret it.
Click to expand...

My 30" seems fine for me. 42" would be nice but not sure I have the room for it. I'm not even sure the 37" would fit. I'd have to measure.
 
Originally posted by: pontifex
Originally posted by: swbsam
Originally posted by: kalrith
Originally posted by: swbsam
http://www.walmart.com/catalog...d=09776880020400789558
Click to expand...

That looks pretty good for the price. At this low of a price, you probably won't notice a huge difference in picture quality between sets, but you'll most definintely notice the 72% size increase of a 42" over a 32". You can compare different size screens easilyt at http://tvcalculator.com/.
Click to expand...

Definitely go for as big as possible. I've upgraded twice since getting what I thought would be the right size - 32" was was too tiny for a living room, (remember there's still letterboxing on DVDs/blurays and SD stuff has black bars on the side). 42" was a nice compromise but I wasn't really happy until 50."

42" is the sweet spot - do it, you won't regret it.
Click to expand...

My 30" seems fine for me. 42" would be nice but not sure I have the room for it. I'm not even sure the 37" would fit. I'd have to measure.
Click to expand...

You're going from a crt to a lcd, you'll have room. If you don't , make room! It's worth it in the end, I assure you.
 
Originally posted by: swbsam
Originally posted by: pontifex
Originally posted by: swbsam
Originally posted by: kalrith
Originally posted by: swbsam
http://www.walmart.com/catalog...d=09776880020400789558
Click to expand...

That looks pretty good for the price. At this low of a price, you probably won't notice a huge difference in picture quality between sets, but you'll most definintely notice the 72% size increase of a 42" over a 32". You can compare different size screens easilyt at http://tvcalculator.com/.
Click to expand...

Definitely go for as big as possible. I've upgraded twice since getting what I thought would be the right size - 32" was was too tiny for a living room, (remember there's still letterboxing on DVDs/blurays and SD stuff has black bars on the side). 42" was a nice compromise but I wasn't really happy until 50."

42" is the sweet spot - do it, you won't regret it.
Click to expand...

My 30" seems fine for me. 42" would be nice but not sure I have the room for it. I'm not even sure the 37" would fit. I'd have to measure.
Click to expand...

You're going from a crt to a lcd, you'll have room. If you don't , make room! It's worth it in the end, I assure you.
Click to expand...

front to back, yes. i'm not sure about side to side.
 
got the TV today and I really like it! It's nice and big! Great picture and sound too. Unfortunately I only have an upconverting DVD player atm, but stuff still looks amazing! I didn't even have to set anything up, the TV looked great out of the box.

I watched part of Quantum of Solace on it (only part because I watched it the other night) and I had Prince Caspian from Netflix so I watched that. One thing I noticed in Prince Caspian was that every once in a while, I would see like some sort of "aura" around some of the characters. I was wondering if that had to do with using the green screens?

So far I would highly recommend this TV!
 
And what do you mean by aura, and do you see it all of the time, or was it during a particular scene? I have Prince Caspian, but it's on Blu-ray.
 
Originally posted by: Muadib
And what do you mean by aura, and do you see it all of the time, or was it during a particular scene? I have Prince Caspian, but it's on Blu-ray.
Click to expand...

like graphical corruption just around the characters. It only happened in a few scenes and maybe like 1 or 2 characters
 
Originally posted by: pontifex
Originally posted by: Muadib
And what do you mean by aura, and do you see it all of the time, or was it during a particular scene? I have Prince Caspian, but it's on Blu-ray.
Click to expand...

like graphical corruption just around the characters. It only happened in a few scenes and maybe like 1 or 2 characters
Click to expand...

Can you take a pic of what you mean? Did you try playing it with the 120Hz turned off to see if you see it?
 
Originally posted by: Muadib
Originally posted by: pontifex
Originally posted by: Muadib
And what do you mean by aura, and do you see it all of the time, or was it during a particular scene? I have Prince Caspian, but it's on Blu-ray.
Click to expand...

like graphical corruption just around the characters. It only happened in a few scenes and maybe like 1 or 2 characters
Click to expand...

Can you take a pic of what you mean? Did you try playing it with the 120Hz turned off to see if you see it?
Click to expand...

i already sent the movie back so i can't play through again to take pics.
I've watched The Wrestler and Life After People and didn't see any of that in either movies, so maybe it was just Prince Caspian.
 
i threw in Wanted to see if it did it with that movie and it did a few times, but when I paused it, it disappeared. not sure how i would take a pic of it.

tried searching on google but didn't find anything
 
I just watched Australia and it happened there too. It only seems to happen when things are moving, like people walking or horses running, but it doesn't happen every time, just once in a while. i'll have to look through the manual to see if i can turn off the 120hz.
 
Hmm, are you using HDMI or component? Is the problem just with dvds or also with cable?

Sounds like something fishy with the source, can you play with the scaling settings on your dvd player and tv?
 
Originally posted by: swbsam
Hmm, are you using HDMI or component? Is the problem just with dvds or also with cable?

Sounds like something fishy with the source, can you play with the scaling settings on your dvd player and tv?
Click to expand...

HDMI. Just with DVDs so far. I don't have cable, satellite, or regular OTA hooked up to it. Will have regular OTA once I get a cable run from the antenna to my room though.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by the scaling settings.

It doesn't happen very often so it's not really a big deal, just curious what it might be.
 
Originally posted by: Muadib
Turn off the 120Hz, and then see if you see it.
Click to expand...

My guess is that this is the most likely solution. Motion interpolation from the 120Hz setting can often cause strange things to occur on the screen. If you can replicate the issue in certain scenes, then you should be able to test it with the 120Hz off to see if it goes away.
 
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