Need a TV suggestion

[dabuddha]

Well I just came back from Circuit City and returned my Hitachi POS tv. This was my 4th hitachi lcd tv and all 4 were defective in one way or another. I need some suggestions for a TV.

The max amount I can spend is around $2300. This price has to include the TV and stand if needed.

I've been looking at the Samsung 50" DLP tv but it's just right above my price range ($2250 + stand cost) Worse comes to worse, I might just get it but I'd like to spend less if possible (wife's orders! )


TIA


EDIT:
My viewing "distance" is slightly less than 10 feet. I measured the front of my current tv to the front of my sofa. So I guess it'd be around 10 feet. Is a 50" too big for this distance?



EDIT 2:

Well I bit the bullet and got the Samsung 50" HL-R5067W for $1599.99. Now I just need to find a good stand for it. I'm not a fan of the matching stand.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I'd also check out Toshiba and Panasonic. They make good TVs and usually cost in the range as Samsung.

You may want to do some comparison shopping at Onecall
A couple of years back I bought a 61inch Toshiba rear projection TV for $1700 from them. (I got free freight and no sales taxes too)

They have some 50+ inch DLPs that are within your budget, but you may have to deal with mail in rebates, etc.

 

[acemcmac]

I've been experimenting with projectors for the last week between finals and for the money, I don't think you can do any better than a high end projector. There's something cool about watching TopGear on a 10 foot tall screen.

 

[Doggiedog]

I've had to fix my Panasonic 50" LCD RPTV 4 times. At least they've been supporting it even though its out of warranty. I would avoid Sony like the plague though. They have the worst customer service.

 

[TUKIN18S]

I reccommend Toshiba too!! Damn good quality for the money.

 

[NutBucket]

I still say Mitsu Diamond 65" for about 2k.

 

[purbeast0]

I'd go w/the 50" Samsung, I love mine

Seriously, you will NOT be disappointed with it ... best $3K I have ever spend (got it last Thanksgiving, was $3K after tax and service plan).

I got my stand at Sears. It was $200, matches perfect. The "matching" one was $400 elsewhere, and I personally didn't like it as much as this one.

 

[dabuddha]

Originally posted by: acemcmac
I've been experimenting with projectors for the last week between finals and for the money, I don't think you can do any better than a high end projector. There's something cool about watching TopGear on a 10 foot tall screen.

I thought bout that myself but I'm living in an apartment for at least a few years so my living room isn't that big. Plus I can't really control the lighting in my living room.

 

[Kwaipie]

At that price range, I'd get

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.a...nu=true&Sort=highBrand&Page=1&id=28434

 

[dabuddha]

Originally posted by: purbeast0
I'd go w/the 50" Samsung, I love mine

Seriously, you will NOT be disappointed with it ... best $3K I have ever spend (got it last Thanksgiving, was $3K after tax and service plan).

I got my stand at Sears. It was $200, matches perfect. The "matching" one was $400 elsewhere, and I personally didn't like it as much as this one.

Sure looks good One thing that's confusing me is that I thought HD was 1080. Circuit City's website says the samsung 50" DLP is only 720p.

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: dabuddha

Originally posted by: purbeast0
I'd go w/the 50" Samsung, I love mine

Seriously, you will NOT be disappointed with it ... best $3K I have ever spend (got it last Thanksgiving, was $3K after tax and service plan).

I got my stand at Sears. It was $200, matches perfect. The "matching" one was $400 elsewhere, and I personally didn't like it as much as this one.

Sure looks good One thing that's confusing me is that I thought HD was 1080. Circuit City's website says the samsung 50" DLP is only 720p.

HD is 720p and 1080i.

the samsung can input 1080i, but converts it to 720p. 720p is the native resolution on the samsung.

 

[dabuddha]

Originally posted by: purbeast0

Originally posted by: dabuddha

Originally posted by: purbeast0
I'd go w/the 50" Samsung, I love mine

Seriously, you will NOT be disappointed with it ... best $3K I have ever spend (got it last Thanksgiving, was $3K after tax and service plan).

I got my stand at Sears. It was $200, matches perfect. The "matching" one was $400 elsewhere, and I personally didn't like it as much as this one.

Sure looks good One thing that's confusing me is that I thought HD was 1080. Circuit City's website says the samsung 50" DLP is only 720p.

HD is 720p and 1080i.

the samsung can input 1080i, but converts it to 720p. 720p is the native resolution on the samsung.

Ahhhh ok. So if I decide to hook up my PC to the samsung, what resolution will I be able to use?

Here's what I'm getting from onecall.com

#27204

Samsung HLR5067W
50 Inch 16:9 DLP Rear Projection HDTV
Availability: In Stock Ships Only by:

$1,878.14

remove


$1,878.14


#27710

Samsung TR46X3
Adjustable DLP TV Stand for HL-R4667W, 5067W, 5667W and 5668W
Availability: In Stock Ships Only by:

$249.00

remove


$249.00


#18878

NSI VOT2H48
4 Year Coverage LCD, DLP and HD Int. Projection TVs $1,500 to $3000
Availability: In Stock Includes Free:

$269.00

remove


$269.00

Merchandise Subtotal: $2,396.14
$272.58

Order Total: $2,668.72

I can probably handle this. Is there a better stand someone might recommend?

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: dabuddha

I can probably handle this. Is there a better stand someone might recommend?

That sounds good! That's a better model than I have. Honestly though, I did research, and people really did not like that TV stand. That was the one I was looking at at first, and I believe it was $400 retail price when I was looking but I found it for a little less than that as well.

People said how it looked/felt kind of cheap because its adjustable, and that pictures of it make it look a lot more "matching" than it really is.

I got mine at sears B&M store for $200, just went in and picked it up. Took like 45 mins to build.

 

[DaveSimmons]

A 720p set is 1280x720 and accepts a 1080i signal (1920x1080) then downsamples.

For your PC you might or might not need one of the custom resolution tweak programs depending on how recent your video card and drivers are.

Stands: DLPs are really light, under 80 pounds for a 50", so most any stand or AV rack that is wide and deep enough will work.

Samsung has technical drawing PDFs on the website so you can see the actual dimensions of the base of the TV. I used them to see that the 1080p version of the 50" (-8 series) will just barely fit on the glass/steel AV rack I bought to go with my old JVC 32" CRT (which weighs 115 LBs).

 

[frankgomez75]

Look at my sig...
I have a 50" RCA Scenium DLP with an HD2+ Light Chip from TI
This thing has amazing picture quality.

I have it hooked up to my Home Theater PC to watch Divx, AVI, DVD's, the works!

720P gives you a resolution of 1280 x 720
Most HD programming on Discovery HD, PBS HD, FoxHD, etc.... use 720P for the most part and then 1080i

I would stay away from the Sony and go for a 46" Sammy DLP or a Mitsubishi DLP.

46"- 50" is good for your viewing distance (7.5 - 12 ft) for HD Programming.

HDTV Viewin Calculator

 

[Slammy1]

What sort of inputs do you require? Running through my PC for DVD and TV, I'm happy w/ my Westy 37" at 1080p so far. It has a couple of minor issues, but it is exceptional for the price.

 

[dabuddha]

I need at least 2 sets of component inputs.

One for the cable box
One for the xbox
HDMI for my dvd player
That's about it really.


EDIT Also Dual HDMI or HDMI and a DVI connection would be great because I want to hook up my dvd player and my HTPC to it.

 

[dabuddha]

I guess dual HDMI is too expensive. It's like $3500 for the 50" Samsung!

 

[dabuddha]

OH BABY! They dropped the price another $300 bucks on the Samsung 50" DLP! I'm ordering it as we speak

 

[Slammy1]

Congrats! I'm sorry I missed your thread bump. I like the Sammy, though I'd avoid the units with DNIe (too dark for dark movies). I think it's only on the LCDs. Which model are you buying, the HLR5078W? This should help you to set up the unit.
Samsung DLP Thread

EDIT: No, it appears DNIe is active on the DLP as well. There is a way to turn it off, I believe, but iirc it's in the service menu and it resets when the unit is turned off. The other option is to input into the non-active ports. You'll figure it out, I'm sure. Shame you have to go through the VGA port for PC.

 

[EngenZerO]

i love my sony kdf-e50a10...

 

[dabuddha]

Originally posted by: Slammy1
Congrats! I'm sorry I missed your thread bump. I like the Sammy, though I'd avoid the units with DNIe (too dark for dark movies). I think it's only on the LCDs. Which model are you buying, the HLR5078W? This should help you to set up the unit.
Samsung DLP Thread

EDIT: No, it appears DNIe is active on the DLP as well. There is a way to turn it off, I believe, but iirc it's in the service menu and it resets when the unit is turned off. The other option is to input into the non-active ports. You'll figure it out, I'm sure. Shame you have to go through the VGA port for PC.

I can't use the HDMI port for PC? They make DVI -> HDMI cables.

 

[Slammy1]

Take a look at the thread I linked. I think the issue is the DNIe problem, but I didn't read too far along. It's just what they recommended there, it's a huge thread on customization. I'm by no means an expert, the types of guys that post there are the ones that write the reviews for these panels.

 

[TallBill]

Spend $1000 on a tv, and the other $1000 on a penis pump.

 

[Slammy1]

Originally posted by: TallBill
Spend $1000 on a tv, and the other $1000 on a penis pump.

Well, for you the obvious advantage is 1080p porn on the big screen. (j/k)