YAMTIDT: Help me find a new TV!

[Orsorum]

Yet Another My TV Is Dying Thread...

Anyways, I noticed this afternoon that my 27" RCA television has a discoloration, about 8" long by 4" high in the upper right corner. I've had this television for about seven years, maybe, but never noticed anything like what I'm seeing now.

If my television is repairable, I'm fine paying less than $100 to fix it... but if it will cost more than that, I might as well pay the money for a new set.

So, my question is... first off, am I screwed, or is this a problem that is fixable for a reasonable price?

If so, thanks!

If not, when, where and what new tv should I look for? I'm a college student with at most $600 in my bank account, with uncertain job prospects for the summer. So, I'm looking for something high quality enough to last me for at least another 7 or 8 years, but not something so expensive it drains my finances. I'd settle for a 27", but I'd love to upgrade to a 32" while I have the opportunity.

Thoughts?

 

[KahunaHube]

$600 should be able to get you last year's 32 inch WEGAs... but if i was you id get a small tv, save your money and wait til you can afford a HDTV

 

[Zugzwang152]

yeah HDTV is the way to go. why drop 600 bucks now and have to buy another one in a few years to conform to HDTV standards?

 

[Orsorum]

Originally posted by: KahunaHube
$600 should be able to get you last year's 32 inch WEGAs... but if i was you id get a small tv, save your money and wait til you can afford a HDTV

Where would I look for one? I've checked out Best Buy online, but I'm always a little leery. Anyone know if Sears offers any sort of hot deals?

 

[conjur]

If you watch a lot of DVDs, try this guy

Otherwise, this one

 

[Amused]

I'd save a little and get This TV

It's only a couple hundred over your limit, and it's future proof.

 

[Orsorum]

Originally posted by: conjur
If you watch a lot of DVDs, try this guy

Otherwise, this one

Thank you!

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: Amused
I'd save a little and get This TV

It's only a couple hundred over your limit, and it's future proof.

Sweet price! Hmmm...just may have to get one of them bad boys this summer.

 

[dman]

You placed any (unshielded) speakers near the tv lately? Perhaps it just needs to be degaussed?

 

[Orsorum]

Originally posted by: dman
You placed any (unshielded) speakers near the tv lately? Perhaps it just needs to be degaussed?

Not to my knowledge...

 

[Chess]

I saw a Phillips 27 inch i think it was at Target it had composite video, s-video, a/v outputs and inputs, nice screen, for 429. it may be cheaper, but my girl picked one up, and i cant complain at all about it!

 

[DanJ]

Look at Toshiba; specifically their 32's. HD's still too expensive right now.

 

[BMdoobieW]

Just get a 27" TV for ~$230 and turn off the lights in the room when you watch a DVD so there is no glare. Problem solved. Now you can buy more DVD's with the money you saved.

 

[Orsorum]

Originally posted by: DanJ
Look at Toshiba; specifically their 32's. HD's still too expensive right now.

That's what I'm leaning towards at the moment. I can get a decent tv for $300 or so, and still have money left over to buy food with.

 

[JCobra14]

Originally posted by: BMdoobieW
Just get a 27" TV for ~$230 and turn off the lights in the room when you watch a DVD so there is no glare. Problem solved. Now you can buy more DVD's with the money you saved.

My shop regularly repairs problems like this in the $20-$75 range, how he is saving money by spending $230? :beer:


Zakath, in all likelyhood your set needs to be degaussed. RCA tv sets use permanently bonded deflection coils, the only thing than can cause this is magnetization of the CRT.

The TV has an automatic degausser within the set, either the degausser has failed or the magnetic field is too strong for the internal circuit to handle. In which case the TV needs to be manually degaussed.

Have your set looked at, get an estimate. At worst you'll be out the shops minimum fee, in my case this is $20.

Unplug the set and leave it cold for about 2 hours, then try to run the set again. As someone mentioned keep speakers and other sources of magnetic fields away from the set!

If the set does need repair its likely to only be the internal degaussing circuit, which is a minor repair... $35-$75.

 

[SyahM]

I strongly suggest you buying an HDTV now, of course you cant go big since 30" and above will cost you about $850+. Samsung HDTV monitor is pretty cheap like this one, Samsung 32" Flat-screen HDTV monitor for $949.99. One of my friend just bought it, It's a sweet TV, good quality and good price too. Another HDTV monitor that is popular is this 27" flat, Zenith HDTV monitor for 664.99 . Go with HDTV since it's picture quality is at least 10x better to your eyes than an analog. I'm myself is looking for an HDTV, most likely a Sony 36" flat-screen KV36HS500, but if i have extra $600 i'd buy KV34XBR800 widescreen since it's has new DRC control.

 

[MrBond]

If you've only got $600 in the bank with no job prospects in sight, spending all of it on a television seems a little extreme. If you spend $600 on a TV, then all of a sudden, your car needs a $200 repair otherwise you won't be able to drive it to school, you certainly can't drive your new TV to class.

Get a cheap 20" TV, then once you get a job buy something top of the line and move the 20" TV to your bedroom. If you've already got a TV in your bedroom, use two, that way you can watch TV if you're laying on your left side or your right side

Those of you reccomending HDTV's, whatever happened to that copy protection circuit that the movie companies were pushing? I read a couple articles saying it'd make all current HDTV's obsolite, and the movie companies didnt want it in a set top box, because you could then intercept the signal from the set top box and capture the pure digital stream. Did that just never pan out, or are the new TVs being built with it?

 

[busmaster11]

TVs are among the most marked up things at BB, so if you can get one for cost or thereabouts you're saving buttloads...

Find a buddy or a gullible rep at BB and tell him you'd like a TV, and if he can help you get the employee discount you'll split the savings with him. It saved me 2-300 on a 32in wega and the service plan (in home, good to have on a 200 pound TV) was only like 30 bucks (usually 200 or so).

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: MrBond
If you've only got $600 in the bank with no job prospects in sight, spending all of it on a television seems a little extreme. If you spend $600 on a TV, then all of a sudden, your car needs a $200 repair otherwise you won't be able to drive it to school, you certainly can't drive your new TV to class.

Get a cheap 20" TV, then once you get a job buy something top of the line and move the 20" TV to your bedroom. If you've already got a TV in your bedroom, use two, that way you can watch TV if you're laying on your left side or your right side

Those of you reccomending HDTV's, whatever happened to that copy protection circuit that the movie companies were pushing? I read a couple articles saying it'd make all current HDTV's obsolite, and the movie companies didnt want it in a set top box, because you could then intercept the signal from the set top box and capture the pure digital stream. Did that just never pan out, or are the new TVs being built with it?

It never panned out. It was hype.

 

[busmaster11]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: MrBond
If you've only got $600 in the bank with no job prospects in sight, spending all of it on a television seems a little extreme. If you spend $600 on a TV, then all of a sudden, your car needs a $200 repair otherwise you won't be able to drive it to school, you certainly can't drive your new TV to class.

Get a cheap 20" TV, then once you get a job buy something top of the line and move the 20" TV to your bedroom. If you've already got a TV in your bedroom, use two, that way you can watch TV if you're laying on your left side or your right side

Those of you reccomending HDTV's, whatever happened to that copy protection circuit that the movie companies were pushing? I read a couple articles saying it'd make all current HDTV's obsolite, and the movie companies didnt want it in a set top box, because you could then intercept the signal from the set top box and capture the pure digital stream. Did that just never pan out, or are the new TVs being built with it?

It never panned out. It was hype.

For the most part. But if you want high quaility DVD with component in/out and progressive scan, you almost invariably need an HDTV.

 

[DanJ]

I'd really stray from HDTV right now..you're paying the premium to offset R&D that you're not paying on today's perfected analog sets (like the 32" Toshibas, Sony's, etc..)

Plus the size is smaller for greater price..when you could wait a few years for them to drop in price (as always happens) and pick up a nice one (larger for less price); plus there'll be more HD material by then.

Just my thoughts.