Recommend a ~30-32" TV

[EvanAdams]

Originally posted by: beggerking

Originally posted by: Slickone


CRT HD won't be as good as LCD or DLP or plasma when displaying HD, but it shouldn't be bad either.. did you try Frys? they still sell tons of CRTs.

Uh no. I think a HD CRT should do just as good if not better than the other option in image quality. Now the sex factor of skinny or big is a different manner. Your not going to find a 50" crt.

 

[Slickone]

Originally posted by: Fox5

walmart has them for ~$400 the last time I was there..

I think its a sanyo brand...which is pretty good.

does HDTV too. 4x3

I think I know the TV, and I'm pretty sure it's widescreen (if you're talking about the HDTV one that runs about $480). Very hard to find a 4:3 hdtv these days. Walmart should have a philips tv for a bit more ($50 to $100 more) that should be noticably better in quality. (even if it still can't touch a sony)

Note that you quoted my name but that wasn't my post. But as I later posted, the $417 4x3 Sanyo is SD, the $478 HD one is in fact widescreen.

So are you referring to this Philips 30" Widescreen HDTV CRT for $526, saying it would be better than the Sanyo for $478?

So what if we increased the price we could pay, to get a widescreen (any type) HD larger than 32"? Any suggestions?

If you're going that big, I'd get an LCD or plasma and not a CRT. CRTs get really really heavy and large and unwieldy at those larger sizes.

Actually after looking at the room size, we're now looking at no bigger than 32".
Is there a good deal on an LCD you'd recommend?

BTW, Walmart also has this Philips 26" Widescreen LCD HDTV for $824.00, if that's better than the Sanyo 32" for $900.

Do all SDTV's have a fuzzy picture when fed an HD signal?

Are you sure it's an HD signal? Plus it's split between all the TVs in the store so it's weaker.

I assume so, because, like you say, it's split between all the TVs, which most are HD. So I'd say it's the same HD signal going to all. And it looks crystal clear on the HD models.

Also I also noticed of all the 20" LCD's, the Emerson was much more clear than the 3 better names next to it, Sanyo, Philips, and Samsung(?). Aren't Emerson products supposed to be crap? All were widescreen except the Philips.

I'd focus more on price and underlying technology (LCD, CRT, plasma) than the brand. If you get something that's cheap, it will be crap, regardless of the brand.

These were all LCD. So I still have the same question. I was curious since I'm also looking for a 20" LCD TV.

Thanks for the answers.

 

[Slickone]

Originally posted by: EvanAdams

Originally posted by: beggerking

Originally posted by: Slickone


CRT HD won't be as good as LCD or DLP or plasma when displaying HD, but it shouldn't be bad either.. did you try Frys? they still sell tons of CRTs.

Uh no. I think a HD CRT should do just as good if not better than the other option in image quality. Now the sex factor of skinny or big is a different manner. Your not going to find a 50" crt.

Broken quotes. I didn't say that.

 

[Markbnj]

Originally posted by: Avalon

Originally posted by: wizboy11
The Sceptre 37in. One of the greatest monitors ever.

The only Sceptre 37" I can find is an LCD.

Yeah, the OP said CRT. But since you mentioned the Sceptre, thought I would mention that I have one of these, and we're thrilled with it. The image is superb, especially when watching something like Discovery HD theatre in 1920 x 1080i. Given that the Sceptre can be had for ~$1500 there is no way I would drop the bucks for a widescreen CRT.

 

[Fox5]

Originally posted by: Slickone

Originally posted by: Fox5

...

Ok, trimmed that up.
Yep, that's the philips I was referring to. The picture is a bit sharper than the Sanyo, and Philips is actually a big brand name, even if it's on the lower end of the big-brands. (though LG Philips stuff isn't bad, perhaps the Philips name is becoming their low-end while LG Philips is their high end?) The Philips also has a good HD OTA tuner, and generally less problems than the Sanyo, though like I said, it's still not one of the best. Sony has the best CRTs, all the other manufactuers are pretty much left-overs at this point and are cutting costs severely compared to the hey-day of CRTs.

Not sure about good LCDs. I'd strongly recommend seeing LCDs in person. While CRTs are matured enough technology that you can be fairly certain you'll be getting a good picture no matter the set (as long as the tuner and scaling capabilities are fairly good), LCDs vary much more in quality. Even some fairly expensive LCD sets can have LCD motion blur that has been mostly eliminated on PC displays, and they need very good scalers not to have major artifacts related to the image scaling. LCDs are much more pratical though, as is cable over antennas, a good antenna for HD OTA broadcasts will take up a lot of space and be ugly.

BTW, Walmart also has this Philips 26" Widescreen LCD HDTV for $824.00, if that's better than the Sanyo 30" for $900.

I assume they're both LCDs? The philips will almost certainly have much better image quality, but it is 4" smaller. I would check out reviews though. If you're willing to pay a premium, you generally can't go wrong with a Sony TV (especially LCD) for image quality. It doesn't necessarily mean it's the best or worth the extra, but they're about the only ones I could blindly recommend and be fairly certain the person would be satisfied with the quality. I'd also look at plasmas, they're generally fairly cheap for the size, and I think tend to have better contrast ratios than LCDs.

I assume so, because, like you say, it's split between all the TVs, which most are HD. So I'd say it's the same HD signal going to all. And it looks crystal clear on the HD models.

Ah yeah, if it looks good on the HDs and bad on the SDs, then it likely was an HD signal. However, it could have also been digital versus analog, or just better scalers on the HD sets. True HD broadcasts look much much better than SD, there's a ton more detail visible and colors are much sharper. To compare, with an SD signal I could see that newscasters had eyes, on an HD signal I could clearly see their pupils and eye color.

 

[Slickone]

^
Yes both LCD's. BTW, I included all the links to the TV's I was talking about above. See for yourself. BTW, I made a typo (now fixed), Sanyo LCD is a 32" not a 30".


Yeah I was also thinking it's the scaler quality as to why the picture looked so bad on the SD sets. As I was implying, I know the difference in HD and SD pictures, and this was definately not just that difference. The SD sets didn't handle the HD signal well.


"a good antenna for HD OTA broadcasts will take up a lot of space and be ugly."
Really? How much space/how ugly?
And that wouldn't include an external HD tuner if the TV doesnt have one?

 

[Slickone]

Unless we can find a better deal, we're probably going to get the Sanyo 32" LCD for $900. link
Going with LCD because of the weight. After I told my father how much it, and the 32" CRT weighed.
Going with 32" because it's widescreen. The 26" LCD is just too short (see below).
But too bad it doesn't have a built in HD tuner.
Seems like a shame to spend $900 on a TV and not be using it for HD.

Is there a better deal on an LCD around 30-32" somewhere?
How are Polaroid or Magnavox LCD's? Circuit City

Polaroid 32? LCD w/ built in HD $900.
One review says "Now, with normal cable installed the picture be a little blurry, but keep in mind that this is a High Def Tv.", which makes me think we shouldn't be buying HD/LCD.
One review says the panel is by Sharp.
This is $200 off right now. Seems like a good deal. I think this price ends today? They've having a 3 day sale through today but not sure if that is what this price is. Please advise!

Magnavox 32" LCD w/ built in HD $1000


BTW, I found this posted over on FW about widescreen. It's what I have been trying to explain before about widescreen being smaller (shorter) than 4x3, but no one ever seems to say anthing about:
" the thing is that you want at least a 30" and really a 37" period if you're going to use it as your main tv. 4:3 content on a 32" 16:9 tv will be a little smaller than it is on a 27" 4:3 tv... so if you watch regular tv a lot expect to squint."

 

[Fox5]

Originally posted by: Slickone
^
Yes both LCD's. BTW, I included all the links to the TV's I was talking about above. See for yourself. BTW, I made a typo (now fixed), Sanyo LCD is a 32" not a 30".


Yeah I was also thinking it's the scaler quality as to why the picture looked so bad on the SD sets. As I was simplying, I know the difference in HD and SD pictures, and this was definately not just that difference. The SD sets didn't handle the HD signal well.


"a good antenna for HD OTA broadcasts will take up a lot of space and be ugly."
Really? How much space/how ugly?
And that wouldn't include an external HD tuner if the TV doesnt have one?

The SD sets may have also had poor tuners in addition to or instead of poor scalers.

Oh, and the kind of antenna you'll need depends on how far you are from the signal souce. (wasn't including the tuner, though the tuner is likely just a box that looks like a dvd player)
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx
Go here and check what kind of antenna you'll need. Ideally, you'd want an outdoor antenna, an indoor one will have much more interference but can work. I currently have a medium powered antenna (which the site was pretty accurate about being what I need to pick up a decent signal at my locations) and the thing is ugly. Has two rabbit ears that stick up like 4 feet high, plus a directional antenna that sticks out the front with tons of arms about a foot, the whole apparatus looks like you're trying to track aircraft rather than pick up tv signals. It's not horrible, but you most likely won't be able to get away with a small antenna with one or two 2 foot poles sticking up.

One review says "Now, with normal cable installed the picture be a little blurry, but keep in mind that this is a High Def Tv.", which makes me think we shouldn't be buying HD/LCD.
One review says the panel is by Sharp.
This is $200 off right now. Seems like a good deal. I think this price ends today? They've having a 3 day sale through today but not sure if that is what this price is. Please advise!

If you won't be watching anything HD, I'd say you're better off getting a higher quality SD TV. Many times Panasonic and Sony SDTVs displaying an HD signal have been said to look better than cheap HDTVs.

BTW, I found this posted over on FW about widescreen. It's what I have been trying to explain before about widescreen being smaller (shorter) than 4x3, but no one ever seems to says anthing about:
" the thing is that you want at least a 30" and really a 37" period if you're going to use it as your main tv. 4:3 content on a 32" 16:9 tv will be a little smaller than it is on a 27" 4:3 tv... so if you watch regular tv a lot expect to squint."

It really depends on what content you want to view. Most HD sources and digital broadcasts are widescreen. Most SD sources are not widescreen, so you either border it, zoom in, or stretch it. If this is really just a TV to be used for watching TV, I'd go for a good SDTV with a digital tuner to future proof it. And a 4:3 screen bordered for widescreen loses less size than a widescreen image bordered for 4:3. What's the common case for you, and do you care about the premium quality?

 

[Slickone]

Many times Panasonic and Sony SDTVs displaying an HD signal have been said to look better than cheap HDTVs.

Oddly even the no name HD's that I've seen in stores look good.

And a 4:3 screen bordered for widescreen loses less size than a widescreen image bordered for 4:3.

Did you mean to say a 4:3 image?

Where can I see a picture of these antennas?

 

[bendixG15]

Here's a few "reviews" on the Sony Wega
http://www.pricegrabber.com/rating_getprodrev.php/product_id=4544446/id_type=M

Good Luck..I"m in the same boat...searching for TV

 

[Fox5]

Originally posted by: Slickone

Many times Panasonic and Sony SDTVs displaying an HD signal have been said to look better than cheap HDTVs.

Oddly even the no name HD's that I've seen in stores look good.

And a 4:3 screen bordered for widescreen loses less size than a widescreen image bordered for 4:3.

Did you mean to say a 4:3 image?

Where can I see a picture of these antennas?

http://www.audiooutfitter.com/images/items/45364-tertv36.jpg
Here's an outdoor antenna.

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/750885119
This is the indoor antenna I have. Note the rabbit ears aren't extended yet, but they stick up about 4 feet and that little front protruding thing sticks out about a foot.

 

[Slickone]

Does anyone know if that Polaroid I linked above is any good? Or the Magnavox?
The Polaroid is even $50 cheaper today ($850) than it was yesterday when they had their so called 3 day sale.

 

[beggerking]

Text
new egg tatung for $649.99 after $50 rebate.. no HD tuner though.