Help me decide on a new TV

[daveman]

I've got $700 - $900 to spend on a new TV. I've been looking at the 36" Sony Wega for $899. Does anyone know the performance of this TV or have any better suggestions.
Thanks,
David

 

[Zysoclaplem]

Infocus X1
We have one and it is awesome.

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: Zysoclaplem
Infocus X1
We have one and it is awesome.

Don't buy Sony.

The Infocus is a good idea though.

Here's a pic from my Infocus SP4805.

 

[daveman]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog

Originally posted by: Zysoclaplem
Infocus X1
We have one and it is awesome.

Don't buy Sony.

The Infocus is a good idea though.

Here's a pic from my Infocus SP4805.

Thats pretty cool. How far away does the projector need to be.

 

[Koing]

The Sony is a fine choice. What 'exact' model is it though?

I've had plenty of Sony tv's and they have been great.

This guy wants to use it as a 'tv' and not for 'movies only'. Most projectors do not cut it as a TV due to the need to control the ambient lighting. If you can stand to watch tv in some sort of darkness then a projector is the way to go. How much is a bulb replacement and how long does the Infocus X1 last for me?

It is a decent projector (from the reviews) but not for a Tv imo. Best option is to have a room where you can control the lighting and have it only for movies and such

Koing

 

[desy]

notice the picture is in complete darkness, if you want to watch TV under normal light conditions your gonna need a traditional TV
Damn Koing, got me while typing

 

[daveman]

Originally posted by: Koing
The Sony is a fine choice. What 'exact' model is it though?

I've had plenty of Sony tv's and they have been great.

This guy wants to use it as a 'tv' and not for 'movies only'. Most projectors do not cut it as a TV due to the need to control the ambient lighting. If you can stand to watch tv in some sort of darkness then a projector is the way to go. How much is a bulb replacement and how long does the Infocus X1 last for me?

It is a decent projector (from the reviews) but not for a Tv imo. Best option is to have a room where you can control the lighting and have it only for movies and such

Koing

Good points. The living room will be pretty lighted during the day.
The model on the Sony tv is KV36FS120

Thanks

 

[daveman]

Originally posted by: desy
notice the picture is in complete darkness, if you want to watch TV under normal light conditions your gonna need a traditional TV
Damn Koing, got me while typing

Yep, this would be great though when I finish my basement.

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: desy
notice the picture is in complete darkness, if you want to watch TV under normal light conditions your gonna need a traditional TV
Damn Koing, got me while typing

Yeah so OP get it.

Any chance for you to go and look at it in a store? Remember if it looks 'good' to your eyes then it is good en ough imo. Some people like different colours so you make your own choice as you will be the one watching it.

Just make sure you set the colours, brigtness and contrast to what you WANT in store if possible. Remember it will look different in a store where the lighting is bright or very little if it is a more upmarket electronics place = nicer dedicated tv/ hifi setups.

Yeah go with the projector in the basement if you can . Nothing beats it for the 'big' screen experience for movies.

Koing

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: daveman

Originally posted by: Doggiedog

Originally posted by: Zysoclaplem
Infocus X1
We have one and it is awesome.

Don't buy Sony.

The Infocus is a good idea though.

Here's a pic from my Infocus SP4805.

Thats pretty cool. How far away does the projector need to be.

The PJ is a 12' away. The screen size is 100". Its a little bit big for the distance but I don't mind. I have a zoom which can shrink it to about 70". The distance to the screen should be 1.5-2x the size of the screen.

To get the best picture, PJs should be used in dark environments but that doesn't mean you can't use them in lighted environments. The only picture I happen to have was at night. I use my PJ all the time with the lights on. Some of the newer PJs like the AE700 work very well in lit environments.

I had a terrible experience with Sony with my 36XBR400 and I vow to never buy from them again. Their CS is the absolute worst. If you go on AVS forums you will see many complaints on Sony. They are not the same company they were even 5 years ago. I was an all Sony guy (2 21" G500 monitors, DVD players, stereo, CD player, phones, minDV camcorder, walkman, etc.) and have had problems with everything I've bought from them in recent years.

 

[saltedeggman]

save up and get a LCD TV

hehe

 

[desy]

I like the DLP's better 1000-1 contrast ratio, won't burn out like plasma.
Soooo much money
Cmon everybody! start buying to drive the price down so I can afford one

 

[daveman]

Got another question. I was looking at the 32" Sony HDTV for $999. The picture was much better than the Sony 36". Does Bestbuy and other places feed HD signals into the HDTV's to make them look better so they can sell you on the HDTV? Just wondering because I hear analog signals dont look very good on HDTV's. I doubt I will be viewing any programs with HD signals anytime soon.
Thanks

 

[mrrman]

I have the Infocus X2 and it works fine in ambient light to....it doesnt need to be used in total darkness....love it

 

[royaldank]

Originally posted by: daveman
Got another question. I was looking at the 32" Sony HDTV for $999. The picture was much better than the Sony 36". Does Bestbuy and other places feed HD signals into the HDTV's to make them look better so they can sell you on the HDTV? Just wondering because I hear analog signals dont look very good on HDTV's. I doubt I will be viewing any programs with HD signals anytime soon.
Thanks

Yes. Why wouldn't they put HD signals on the HD sets? How often you see rabbit ears on TVs at best buy? They put cable into the regular tvs so they look their best. Same with HD TVs, unless they are showing a DVD or something like that.