Help me out: Trying to pick out a TV...

[CrazyHelloDeli]

Ive been researching getting a new TV for about a month now, off and on. There are a few models I have been looking at including the Sony KV36FV300 and the Samsung TXM3298HF. The price cant go above $1299 at this point so Im limited that way. I just cant decide which one to buy! I have some questions hopfully some of you guys could answer.

Progressive DVD: I just cant seem to get this strait. Do I have to have an HDTV in order to watch DVD's in progressive? The Sony is just a big kick a$$ analog TV with 3D Comb Filter and Componet Inputs. The Samsung is HD and Component inputs also, but if 4 Inches smaller. My understanding is that Component Video is progressive. If I get the sony am I stuck in Interlaced DVD?

Analog NTSC Cable: Digital cable in my area sucks like a horribly, with bad compression artifacts and slow channel changing, and Im not ready to go satellite yet. So, for the time being im stuck with plain ol analog cable from Adelphia. I keep hearing(well, reading I should say) that HDTV's suck bad with Analog Signals. Ive never been able to find a place that can show me what an HDTV displays regular cable like. Does anyone have experiance with an HDTV and Analog Cable?

Playstation 2 S-Video: Another thing I cant seem to get strait. In order for me to get a less blurry picture from my Playstation, I hear S-Video is the way to go. But in order for me to see any benifit over my Standard RCA hookup will I need an HDTV? Will my Playstation look any better on an HDTV set versus a Standard Analog If I use the same hookups?

Its increadably hard to get correct information from salesmen from the standard Big-Time retailers. I hear different things from every person. Any clarrification in these issues, or other tips and recommendations would be greatly appriciated.

 

[LordMaul]

I could have sworn this title said, "Trying to pimp out a TV..."

That would've been cool.

 

[bubbadu]

Originally posted by: HelloDeli
Ive been researching getting a new TV for about a month now, off and on. There are a few models I have been looking at including the Sony KV36FV300 and the Samsung TXM3298HF. The price cant go above $1299 at this point so Im limited that way. I just cant decide which one to buy! I have some questions hopfully some of you guys could answer.

Progressive DVD: I just cant seem to get this strait. Do I have to have an HDTV in order to watch DVD's in progressive? The Sony is just a big kick a$$ analog TV with 3D Comb Filter and Componet Inputs. The Samsung is HD and Component inputs also, but if 4 Inches smaller. My understanding is that Component Video is progressive. If I get the sony am I stuck in Interlaced DVD?

Analog NTSC Cable: Digital cable in my area sucks like a horribly, with bad compression artifacts and slow channel changing, and Im not ready to go satellite yet. So, for the time being im stuck with plain ol analog cable from Adelphia. I keep hearing(well, reading I should say) that HDTV's suck bad with Analog Signals. Ive never been able to find a place that can show me what an HDTV displays regular cable like. Does anyone have experiance with an HDTV and Analog Cable?

Playstation 2 S-Video: Another thing I cant seem to get strait. In order for me to get a less blurry picture from my Playstation, I hear S-Video is the way to go. But in order for me to see any benifit over my Standard RCA hookup will I need an HDTV? Will my Playstation look any better on an HDTV set versus a Standard Analog If I use the same hookups?

Its increadably hard to get correct information from salesmen from the standard Big-Time retailers. I hear different things from every person. Any clarrification in these issues, or other tips and recommendations would be greatly appriciated.

Progressive: You can get progressive output on your dvd player, which will give you the best output.. I would pair that with a Compentent output to the tv for best results.. hdtv really has nothing to do with it

PS2 S-Video: I would use S-Video or even better Compent video output from the PS2.. your new tv must have this also..

Basically I would try and get a nice HDTV set if you decide you want it in the near future, but also make sure that the TV has compent and s-video inputs to get the best quality from your dvd and ps2.

-Bubbadu

 

[arod]

Progressive: You can get progressive output on your dvd player, which will give you the best output.. I would pair that with a Compentent output to the tv for best results.. hdtv really has nothing to do with it

You cant unless your TV will accept 480p or higher. If you have a HDTV your guaranteed that it will actually do progressive. Just because your TV has component inputs doesnt mean it will do progressive scan.

 

[Digobick]

Progressive: You can get progressive output on your dvd player, which will give you the best output.. I would pair that with a Compentent output to the tv for best results.. hdtv really has nothing to do with it

Not quite. If your TV doesn't support 480p than a progressive scan DVD player would be pointless.

 

[CrazyHelloDeli]

So how can I tell if the Sony can do 480p?

 

[arod]

The sony doesnt have enough info to tell you anything of value but if I was you I would look at this one... seems to be a very good price for a widescreen HDTV.

http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=11211528&m=1&cat=24&scat=26

 

[Doggiedog]

If I were to get a 36" TV, I would definitely get one with a line doubler. I have a Sony 36XBR400 and have looked at alot of the cheaper Sony's without line doublers and just cannot stand seeing the scan lines on the screen. At 36", it is definitely noticeable. And like others have said, progressive scan is a useless feature unless you have a 480p capable TV.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

I do n't know if its been answered but at my home we have 2 big screens and two other televisions and two tv cards for computers. Anyway, one of the big screens is High Definition, I think that the analong cable signal we get looks better on that than our projection screen TV. So, don't worry about it looking blurry or anything.

 

[vi edit]

Have you considered big screen/wide screen projection TV's?

You can get anywhere from 42" up to 53" HDTV widescreen TV's for your price range.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: arod
The sony doesnt have enough info to tell you anything of value but if I was you I would look at this one... seems to be a very good price for a widescreen HDTV.

http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=11211528&m=1&cat=24&scat=26

I'm thinking about getting that model, or one of the similar Samsung 30" 16:9's (there are like 3) in the next few months. Anyone have any input on them? They seem to be an incredible deal... HelloDeli, any reason you aren't considering a 16:9 television?

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: bubbadu


Progressive: You can get progressive output on your dvd player, which will give you the best output.. I would pair that with a Compentent output to the tv for best results.. hdtv really has nothing to do with it

Please ignore this, he doesn't know what he's talking about. You need an HDTV (or a monitor that can display 480P or higher... as it stands, all those are HDTVs) to view progressive scan sources as they were meant to be seen.

That said, most HDTVs have built in line doublers that are as good as any entry level progressive scan DVD player at de-interlacing material. So unless you buy a midrange or higher DVD player, a progressive scan DVD player is not completely necessary for a good picture all late model HDTV monitors.

I would also strongly suggest you get a 16:9 TV rather than a 4:3.

In your price range, I would suggest this:

http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=11211528&m=1&cat=24&scat=1470

 

[Wag]

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=255917
Try that. 30" 16:9 HD CRT w/NTSC tuner. The best CRT you're going to find in that price range, can resolve 1080i/720p. Real HDTV. This is a deal- I'd jump on it if I didn't already have a HDTV.