YA-HDTV-T I need help picking out a big TV

[edmicman]

I know this has been asked before, but the old threads didn't seem to offer me much direction, and avsforums frankly I think sucks unless you know exactly what you're looking for. Where is their noob guide or generic FAQ? Anyway, I was hoping y'all could give some insight or advice...

My fiancee just graduated and wants to treat herself to a nice bigscreen TV. She wants to keep it under $2k, and we've seen some in the 1300-1500 range that are nice. The size of the room and setup seems to make the 36 to 40-something inch the best size that we're looking for. Some things she's concerned about:

viewing angle: does it still look alright when viewed from the side?
size and weight: is it a royal PITA to move if we need to? I think big tube TVs are out on this
brightness: its going to be in a room with a big window - probably somewhat next to it. how will this affect things?

Now, I'm not all that familiar yet with all the different technologies, etc that are out there, but I've been doing some reading. I'm pretty sure a plasma is out of the range, and I'm not sure from what I read that the quality would be that great anyway. I don't think the LCD TVs are the best bang for the buck, and if they're like PC LCDs, then I don't think the viewing angle would be the greatest for those. Like I mentioned above, I don't think we want a tube TV because it would be HUGE.

I'm thinking we should go with a DLP projection TV, one of those that are not as deep as a regular projection CRT but it sounds like they have a good quality, too. What else do I need to consider? Can we get something thats actually "HDTV", too? Would we be able to get over the air broadcasts, or is that something we'd have to sign up for or buy separately, etc.? What else have I missed? Any brands to recommend or look out for? Thanks for any help!!

 

[K1052]

Samsung DLP in 46 inch.

The HLPxx63 series sets are likely poised for a big price drop in the next month or two.

 

[tfinch2]

If you have Time Warner, Comcast cable, or someone that offers HD programming, don't waste money on a TV with a built in tuner because you can rent that equipment from your cable provider.

As far as TV recommendations, you can't go wrong with a Samsung DLP.

 

[royaldank]

If I was buying a DLP set, I would get one with a HD2+ chip. Personally I think they look much better than the HD3 chips. However, getting a DLP with HD2+ chip under $2K is not going to be easy.

DLPs have terrific side to side viewing angles. They are much more sensative to vertical angles and loose color and definition when you get too much above or below the set.

 

[edmicman]

So you agree that a DLP sounds like the best bang for the buck for what we're looking for? Thanks, I'll have to check out BB's site for the Samsung stuff...

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: edmicman
So you agree that a DLP sounds like the best bang for the buck for what we're looking for? Thanks, I'll have to check out BB's site for the Samsung stuff...

Give onecall.com a look as well. You can usually find whatever BB offers for less and I have had only good experiences ordering from them.

 

[royaldank]

DLPs are great sets. Getting a top quality one under $2K is going to be somewhat tough after taxes and cables. A little ambient lighting is good for bringing out a DLP's picture. One thing that you might not like is that the screen on these sets are highly reflective. It might reflect your window that's nearby a little more than you want. They are light weight and most all are under 100lbs.

I recommend checking ALL the tv stores in your area multiple times to decide what looks best to you. Maybe check out avsforum.com when you see some you like to find out additional info from owners. Might want to research HD2+ chips and HD3 chips if you're looking at DLPs. Also, many people suspect that when 1080p sets start shipping this summer, current 720p sets are going to start dropping in price quite a bit.

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: royaldank
DLPs are great sets. Getting a top quality one under $2K is going to be somewhat tough after taxes and cables. A little ambient lighting is good for bringing out a DLP's picture. One thing that you might not like is that the screen on these sets are highly reflective. It might reflect your window that's nearby a little more than you want. They are light weight and most all are under 100lbs.

I recommend checking ALL the tv stores in your area multiple times to decide what looks best to you. Maybe check out avsforum.com when you see some you like to find out additional info from owners. Might want to research HD2+ chips and HD3 chips if you're looking at DLPs. Also, many people suspect that when 1080p sets start shipping this summer, current 720p sets are going to start dropping in price quite a bit.

AFAIK, all the HD2+ sets are substantially above his price range at the present.

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: royaldank
DLPs are great sets. Getting a top quality one under $2K is going to be somewhat tough after taxes and cables. A little ambient lighting is good for bringing out a DLP's picture. One thing that you might not like is that the screen on these sets are highly reflective. It might reflect your window that's nearby a little more than you want. They are light weight and most all are under 100lbs.

I recommend checking ALL the tv stores in your area multiple times to decide what looks best to you. Maybe check out avsforum.com when you see some you like to find out additional info from owners. Might want to research HD2+ chips and HD3 chips if you're looking at DLPs. Also, many people suspect that when 1080p sets start shipping this summer, current 720p sets are going to start dropping in price quite a bit.

I don't know which DLP you have looked at, but my samsung doesn't reflect much at all. the screen is not very shiny to convey a lot of reflectivity.

Here is my 50" Samsung.

I didn't have enough $$$ at the time to spend the extra $$$ to get the HD2+ series, so this one is the HLP series w/the HD3 chip in it. But to the average user, the difference between the 2 chips won't even be noticeable. You could find hte 46" TV for about $2000, possibly cheaper somewhere.

trust me, you WILL NOT be disappointed w/the samsung

EDIT: and oh yea, the 50" samsung is 77lbs. the 46" one is probably around 65lbs i would guess.

 

[cliftonite]

Originally posted by: edmicman
I know this has been asked before, but the old threads didn't seem to offer me much direction, and avsforums frankly I think sucks unless you know exactly what you're looking for. Where is their noob guide or generic FAQ? Anyway, I was hoping y'all could give some insight or advice...

My fiancee just graduated and wants to treat herself to a nice bigscreen TV. She wants to keep it under $2k, and we've seen some in the 1300-1500 range that are nice. The size of the room and setup seems to make the 36 to 40-something inch the best size that we're looking for. Some things she's concerned about:

viewing angle: does it still look alright when viewed from the side?
size and weight: is it a royal PITA to move if we need to? I think big tube TVs are out on this
brightness: its going to be in a room with a big window - probably somewhat next to it. how will this affect things?

Now, I'm not all that familiar yet with all the different technologies, etc that are out there, but I've been doing some reading. I'm pretty sure a plasma is out of the range, and I'm not sure from what I read that the quality would be that great anyway. I don't think the LCD TVs are the best bang for the buck, and if they're like PC LCDs, then I don't think the viewing angle would be the greatest for those. Like I mentioned above, I don't think we want a tube TV because it would be HUGE.

I'm thinking we should go with a DLP projection TV, one of those that are not as deep as a regular projection CRT but it sounds like they have a good quality, too. What else do I need to consider? Can we get something thats actually "HDTV", too? Would we be able to get over the air broadcasts, or is that something we'd have to sign up for or buy separately, etc.? What else have I missed? Any brands to recommend or look out for? Thanks for any help!!

In the 36 to 40" range Id probably get an LCD. The new Westinghouse 1080ps should come out soon and their MSRP is 2k.

 

[royaldank]

Not all screens are refective, but some are. Just something to consider and that might come up.

I completely agree that most any DLP set will make a man happy. They are beautiful.

 

[TCPpacket]

The Samsung HLP5063W (50 inch DLP) is $1999 at Costco if you have one around you. I picked mine up this past weekend.

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: TCPpacket
The Samsung HLP5063W (50 inch DLP) is $1999 at Costco if you have one around you. I picked mine up this past weekend.

i got mine last november and i think i have exactly $2000 left to pay on the thing .

 

[Qwest]

what's the viewing distance?

 

[edmicman]

Originally posted by: Qwest
what's the viewing distance?

Probably around 6ft or so.....not super close, but its not a very large room, either...

 

[Sphexi]

Originally posted by: K1052
Samsung DLP in 46 inch.

The HLPxx63 series sets are likely poised for a big price drop in the next month or two.

Confirmed, the Samsung DLPs are fantastic looking. Best on the market.

 

[edmicman]

Bump! So we went to Best Buy and Circuit City yesterday just to take a first hand look at things and to get a better idea of what the specs we were reading about actually looked like. Sooooo, one of the most important things to her turns out to be how well you can see it from the side, since our new apt setup has one of the couches sort of to the side of the tv. We saw one of the Sammy DLP's at CC, but the price was ~1800 and she was impressed with the picture for sure, but was disappointed in the side viewing of it. Aaaaand, unfortunately at BB there were a couple of EDTV plasmas for ~1500 or so (Maxent? ESA?) that she COULD see clearly from the side, and she said the picture was good enough. Nooooooo! I'm trying to explain why those aren't good, and I think the "this brand is a third of the price of the rest of the plasmas, there must be something wrong with it" thing is working, but its tough. I really think a 42/46 DLP is the way to go, but I was surprised their side viewing wasn't as good as the reading made it sound. Especially compared to the plasmas.

As an aside, whats a good cheap *wooden* stand for widescreen tv's, with shelves and doors to put the components and some movies in? They had this goofy glass and metal pipe stand for 700 bucks (!?!?!) at CC, and apparently she wants to try and keep the WHOLE thing under 2k. I don't think a TV stand should cost more than a couple hundred, unless its really nice, so if we could find one for 1200-1600 or so that should be great.

Guess I'll keep looking around the 'net. I thought I saw a Sony somewhere, thought it was CC but maybe it was onecalls site or something. Who knows.....bah, buying a TV shouldn't be this much of a pain in the butt!

 

[edmicman]

bump for the furniture question?