What TV should I get?

[Entity]

I've got some bonus money earned from playing poker over the last few months, and I'm thinking about upgrading my 27" TV. Probably 40-50".

New TV has to fit on top of this entertainment stand.

Trying to keep the price reasonable, and I'd prefer to buy from Costco if possible, unless there are much greater deals to be had elsewhere.

Anyone got recommendations? DLP? LCD projection? Plasma seems too pricey for HDTV still, and I don't want to spend more than $2k if possible.

Rob

 

[Raincity]

I would get the new Panny 42 ED Plasma.

 

[Viper GTS]

I would be looking at 34-36" direct view CRT's, but that's just me. You'll end up saving yourself some money ($1200-$1500) and end up with a better picture.

If you want plasma there are a few (all ED I believe, but still very nice displays) in the $2K price range.

If you insist on 40-50" then you're pretty much looking at rear projection LCD. DLP is nicer, but pricier.

If you have control over the ambient lighting (ie dedicated room) a projector + screen is cheaper & a hell of a lot more fun.

Viper GTS

 

[KLin]

A friend of mine told me he saw a 60" LCD panasonic at Costco for 2700 bucks. that was a few weeks ago though.


EDIT: well it definitely wouldn't fit on that entertainment stand

 

[Kishan]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
I would be looking at 34-36" direct view CRT's, but that's just me.

If you want plasma there are a few (all ED I believe, but still very nice displays) in the $2K price range.

If you insist on 40-50" then you're pretty much looking at rear projection LCD. DLP is nicer, but pricier.

If you have control over the ambient lighting (ie dedicated room) a projector + screen is cheaper & a hell of a lot more fun.

Viper GTS

all dead on-go for the projector

 

[Entity]

I'm not sure about the weight on CRT's. I'm not dead set on 40-50" if I can get a good deal on a CRT, but I'm not sure if my entertainment stand (max load: 220lb) will hold up.

Rob

 

[Entity]

I wish projectors were possible, but this is in an area that is usually fairly bright, so no go there.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: Entity
I'm not sure about the weight on CRT's. I'm not dead set on 40-50" if I can get a good deal on a CRT, but I'm not sure if my entertainment stand (max load: 220lb) will hold up.

Rob

You'd likely be fine, the 36" 16:9 Wega is only 235 lbs. Wegas are heavy biatches, so I doubt you'll find anything over that. The 34" is under 200 lbs. For comparison, Daewoo's 34" is 20 lbs lighter than the Sony.

Besides, with the money you save you could always buy another stand (migrate your current to the bedroom, or wherever you want it next).

One thing to keep in mind is that just like a computer LCD all fixed pixel HD displays (LCD, DLP, Plasma) look their best at their native resolution. If you have a variety of incoming signals (HD in 1080i/720P, DVD in 480P) you may appreciate the flexibility afforded by a CRT based display.

Viper GTS

 

[Frew]

Comes with a VCR too.

 

[Entity]

Any knowledge on this model, Gregg?

Panasonic Tau 36"

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: Entity
Any knowledge on this model, Gregg?

Panasonic Tau 36"

One look tells me it's not 16:9.

That's all I would need to know.

Besides that? The Tau series are very nice, probably second best to Sony's Wega line at a much nicer price. That set is not, however, capable of 720P. If you're prepared to drop $2K on a TV 720P would be nice.

Unless you watch a lot of regular TV I would seriously look at a widescreen TV. Regular TV still looks fine (they aren't stretched llnearly, so it's not as noticeable since the middle is relatively normal), & of course movies & proper HD broadcasts are wonderful.

Viper GTS

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: LeadFrog
Comes with a VCR too.

lol

 

[Entity]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS

Originally posted by: Entity
Any knowledge on this model, Gregg?

Panasonic Tau 36"

One look tells me it's not 16:9.

That's all I would need to know.

Besides that? The Tau series are very nice, probably second best to Sony's Wega line at a much nicer price. That set is not, however, capable of 720P. If you're prepared to drop $2K on a TV 720P would be nice.

Unless you watch a lot of regular TV I would seriously look at a widescreen TV. Regular TV still looks fine (they aren't stretched llnearly, so it's not as noticeable since the middle is relatively normal), & of course movies & proper HD broadcasts are wonderful.

Viper GTS

I have much to learn.

We watch a fair bit of cable (non HDTV), so the TV would hopefully be able to stretch 4:3 and make it look decent/good. 16:9 would definitely be nice, though, for DVDs (which we also watch pretty frequently).

Wonder how much I'm looking at for this kind of setup. Hmm....

Rob

 

[Entity]

If the ratio of TV to DVD/HD is around 80/20, 4:3 isn't necessarily a terrible thing, is it?

Went to Costco the other day; there were quite a few options. I'd prefer to buy from them because of their liberal return policy, but still...

Rob

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

4:3 will be standard for a while I suppose, but when watching 16:9 content I don't want to lose a lot of real estate to black bars.

Perhaps the best bang for the buck right now is the Panasonic X54 series. 47" or 53", and under $1500 for the 53".

Only real downside is that there is no 720p, which is only a problem if you play the 10 or so X-Box games which use it. Otherwise your set top box will take care of you.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
I would be looking at 34-36" direct view CRT's, but that's just me. You'll end up saving yourself some money ($1200-$1500) and end up with a better picture.

If you want plasma there are a few (all ED I believe, but still very nice displays) in the $2K price range.

If you insist on 40-50" then you're pretty much looking at rear projection LCD. DLP is nicer, but pricier.

If you have control over the ambient lighting (ie dedicated room) a projector + screen is cheaper & a hell of a lot more fun.

Viper GTS

Viper, you know how crappy direct view TVs are. I'm ashamed of you.

2K will get you a nice TV. But stay away from direct view.

 

[Apex]

Panny TH-42PWD7UY.

 

[Merlyn3D]

We got the 30" Philips widescreen HDTV from costco back when they had a $100 off coupon making it $600. Been very satisfied. Colors are so vibrant, and the HTPC plays dvds on it at 1080i. I also tried HD cable and it is just awesome. Plus, you have the costco warranty!

 

[mrrman]

got an DLP...will never buy a TV again

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
I would be looking at 34-36" direct view CRT's, but that's just me. You'll end up saving yourself some money ($1200-$1500) and end up with a better picture.

If you want plasma there are a few (all ED I believe, but still very nice displays) in the $2K price range.

If you insist on 40-50" then you're pretty much looking at rear projection LCD. DLP is nicer, but pricier.

If you have control over the ambient lighting (ie dedicated room) a projector + screen is cheaper & a hell of a lot more fun.

Viper GTS

Viper, you know how crappy direct view TVs are. I'm ashamed of you.

2K will get you a nice TV. But stay away from direct view.

Why are they crappy?

 

[Entity]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
I would be looking at 34-36" direct view CRT's, but that's just me. You'll end up saving yourself some money ($1200-$1500) and end up with a better picture.

If you want plasma there are a few (all ED I believe, but still very nice displays) in the $2K price range.

If you insist on 40-50" then you're pretty much looking at rear projection LCD. DLP is nicer, but pricier.

If you have control over the ambient lighting (ie dedicated room) a projector + screen is cheaper & a hell of a lot more fun.

Viper GTS

Viper, you know how crappy direct view TVs are. I'm ashamed of you.

2K will get you a nice TV. But stay away from direct view.

What's wrong with direct view? I'm leaning toward a 36" 4:3 or a 34" widescreen -- both at Costco, going back there to check them out today. TV is only 8' from viewing area, so most DLPs are out of the question.

Rob

 

[RossMAN]

Rob,

If you take a look at the CostCo BF ad they have the following on special:

Valid only at CostCo.com between November 22 - 29, 2004
Item 837635
$200 off Maxent 42" 16:9 EDTV Plasma TV

PM me your mailing address and I can mail the actual ads to you if you'd like.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
I would be looking at 34-36" direct view CRT's, but that's just me. You'll end up saving yourself some money ($1200-$1500) and end up with a better picture.

If you want plasma there are a few (all ED I believe, but still very nice displays) in the $2K price range.

If you insist on 40-50" then you're pretty much looking at rear projection LCD. DLP is nicer, but pricier.

If you have control over the ambient lighting (ie dedicated room) a projector + screen is cheaper & a hell of a lot more fun.

Viper GTS

Viper, you know how crappy direct view TVs are. I'm ashamed of you.

2K will get you a nice TV. But stay away from direct view.

A good CRT is still the de facto standard in image quality, the only real drawback is their size & weight. Nobody wants to lug a 500 lb TV up the stairs.

It will be interesting to see what Samsung does with their slim CRT's, if they can pull it off without geometry issues they could be a very real competition to the LCD/DLP RP market.

Entity

You may find this helpful in making the choice between widescreen & standard. Yes, you can do the math yourself but this is much nicer.

In your case the 16:9 image will be virtually the same, with the 36" having a much larger 4:3 image. The real drawback of going with the 4:3 will be the 25% loss in vertical resolution when viewing 16:9 material (unless the TV supports vertical scan compression).

Viper GTS

 

[aphex]

I picked up a Panasonic 30" 30WX54 Widescreen HDTV this weekend and the PQ is AMAZING.

 

[RossMAN]

Josh, what price did you pay and did you get the ext warranty?