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I'm stuck on a remote island...help me pick my first HDTV.

HeXploiT

HeXploiT

Diamond Member
So I'm finally making the jump from grandpas old boob-tube analog tv to a nice widescreen hdtv. I live on an island in Alaska so I don't have the luxury of going to the store and testing it myself. Not really sure what to look for but here are my current requirements.

First off I'm fairly certain that 37" is the right size for me.
I want to spend less than $700(MAX)
I don't want plasma(since I'm in an isolated location and repairs aren't possible).
Good color quality is important to me.
Quality sound is less important but would be nice.
Monitor will be for full entertainment system including wii, htpc and digital tv & netflix machine .
Would like to have some sort of svm feature if possible(volume leveling).

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated as I don't really know what to look for in a tv and Since I live on an island, shipping costs are generally a killer so I'd like to get this right the first time around. Also I've seen many of my friends bigscreen hdtvs that have absolutely horrid picture and color quality and I don't want to make that same mistake.

Any and all guidance is appreciated.
 
As long as you're not limited by an entertainment center, the preferred size is generally determine by your viewing distance. If you look at this chart, you'll see that 37" is recommended for a viewing distance of 6.5 feet for 720p and 5 feet for 1080p. Most people can move closer than this without seeing any picture degredation. Please post your viewing distance(s).

You're under the incorrect impression that plasma TVs require more repairs than LCD TVs. This is not the case. What I would recommend is buying a good name brand TV like Panasonic or Samsung.

You'll probably get better sound from a projection TV, but that would mean getting a much larger TV. They're a great bang for your buck, especially if you get one that doesn't require replacing the bulbs.

I would get a 1080p TV for your HTPC. The higher resolution will be helpful, and many 720p TVs do not accept their native resolution from a PC (they accept 1360x768 instead of 1366x768).

I can't help you with the svm feature.

Your friends might have awesome TVs that are still in the "torch" mode that all manufacturers set their TVs to by default. "Torch" mode is very high brightness and contrast (at the expense of color accuracy and contrast ratio) in order to compete in the bright lights of a big-box store. Studies also show that when comparing TVs side by side, people typically view the brightest TV as the one with the best picture quality (but this is not the case once you get the TV home).
 
Projection would be nice, but they are a bit more high-maintenance.

If you think you want 37", you probably really need 50". Admittedly, that's hard with your budget. So is good color, etc.
 
Originally posted by: s44
If you think you want 37", you probably really need 50".
Click to expand...
He's probably right. Most people get their thinking of TV sizes from old SD CRTs and from visiting friends who sit 10 feet from their 32" HDTV. If you don't sit close enough to an HDTV, then you miss a ton of resolution and can't fully appreciate the improved picture quality. I originally planned on getting a 32" TV and wound up with a 50". I wanted a 60", but both the wife and the budget said no 🙂. I have a 9-foot viewing distance BTW.
 
A friend of mine has a 52" and it is WAAAY to big!😀
Our viewing distance will be about 8-10feet but we're currently using a 24" crt so as far as I'm concerned 37" will be more than enough.
I suppose I'm misinformed about the plasma. I always heard they had to be refilled every now and then with a gas.😕
I just want to be sure about what I'm getting.
I might consider getting a 42" but really we're not big tv watchers and I don't want my tv to look stupid-big and drown out everything else in my livingroom. 😀
 
You sound just like I did two years ago. I was coming from a 27" CRT and wanted to "upgrade" to a 32-37" TV. My father-in-law had a 50" TV, which I thought was ridiculously big. However, being a tech-buff myself, I looked into the technology behind HDTV, the intended viewing angles of THX certifications, the inability for the human eye to perceive HD resolutions beyond a certain point, etc. This led me to change my shopping to a 42" and then a 50" (and eventually a 60", which was way beyond my budget and WAF). Trust me, shrinkage will most definitely occur after you get your TV. A 50" would look MASSIVE at first, but after a few weeks/months, it will look perfect. In other words, if the TV looks perfect the day you get it, then it will look too small after a few weeks/months.

If your budget is $700 max, then you'll be hard-pressed to find anything larger than a 42-46"; however, I would HIGHLY recommend not going smaller than a 42". If you need any convincing, just read this thread.

How large is your livingroom? I had a 50" TV in a 12.5' x 12.5' livingroom. I will admit that it looked a bit large in there, but the new entertainment center and plasma (pic) looked much better and more streamlined than the old crappy entertainment center and CRT (pic). I will say that it looks much better on a 17-foot wall at the new house than it did on the 12.5-foot wall at the old one (pic).

Do you watch movies? A lot of widescreen movies will still have black bars at the top and bottom of an HDTV, which makes the picture smaller. Also, movies benefit more from a larger screen than does TV. Watching letterboxed movies is the main time I wish that a 60" were sitting in my livingroom; however, I'm VERY pleased with my setup and don't plan to replace it for many years (unless I get a dedicated media room and can install a 10-foot projector screen 🙂).
 
It's kind of funny how most of the replies here are encouraging the OP to buy a bigger TV, even though he's quite firm about the size he wants.

I have a Samsung LN52A550. LCD. I love it. Except for the sound. The speakers point downward, and without fiddling with a lot of controls, sound "hollow."

I'm not sure how my model stacks up against the 530's.

You can find many many many opinions at AVS forum There are also suggestions for calibrating TV's there.

Official Samsung LNxxB530 Owners Thread

Don't forget the Blu-Ray player! :evil:
 
Originally posted by: tk149
It's kind of funny how most of the replies here are encouraging the OP to buy a bigger TV, even though he's quite firm about the size he wants.
Click to expand...

Originally posted by: HeXploiT
First off I'm fairly certain that 37" is the right size for me.
Click to expand...

"Fairly certain" != "quite firm"

Many of us speak from the experience of thinking we want a small TV at first and then ultimately deciding to get a larger TV and being much happier with it. The thread I linked in my previous post is from a person who bought a 42" to view from 10 feet and is bummed that BD looks very similar to DVD. He then complained that people in his original what-TV-to-buy thread didn't ask him what his viewing distance was and didn't recommend TV sizes based on that.

If the OP ultimately decides to get a 37", that's fine. However, I want to make sure to recommend that he thinks through that size choice and takes his viewing distance into account.
 
I purchased my Samsung 58" Plasma last July from BB & absolutely love it. We watch BR, HD-DVD, Comcast HD, play the PS3 & 360 on it & it takes whatever we throw at it with ease & looks amazing. I did 6 months worth of research before I pulled the trigger & I'm glad I took the time to make the right choice. No disappointments here.

The 40" you pointed out at WM is a good choice. Make sure you take your time in finalizing your decision. Check out the unit at several stores to see how the different lighting affects the screen colors & contrast. You'd be amazed at how different the same unit will look in different environments.

For me, the most realistic environment was in a dark room because I watch most of my movies at night. That's what did the trick for me. Take your time, as this is one decision you want to get right on the first try.
 
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