What options should I look for in a HDTV? Plasma
 

or is picture quality is only consideration when buying a plasma tv?

What options should I look for in a HDTV? Plasma
 

lbbss wrote:
or is picture quality is only consideration when buying a plasma tv?

Two suggestions:

Decide if a variable audio output from the TV is important to you.
Doesn't matter to me (Panasonic 42" plasma) but a friend bought the same
TV and couldn't stand the TV volume not controlling the volume on his
sound system so he returned his.

Secondly, less a feature than performance, if you watch a lot of SD, see
what the TV actually looks like with an SD source, this is very
important to me. Since I have a lot of stuff on tape, I had the store I
bought from bring a standard VHS VCR (not even SVHS) from the back and
plug it in and watched some material on tape. It looked very good, as do
my own tapes. Turner Classic Movie shows look absolutely beautiful on my
TV, but other HDTVs may not do as good a job on SD.

Of course, HDTV looks fantastic, it is amazing what is worth watching on
Discovery HD partly because of the picture quality.

What options should I look for in a HDTV? Plasma
 

Lots of inputs. At least two digital (HDMI and/or DVI) and two
component. You'll probably soon wish you had more. One for VGA is
handy if you want to connect a computer (and why wouldn't you?). One
composite/S-Video input is enough; NTSC switchboxes are cheap and
you'll use NTSC only for legacy stuff anyway.

If the TV has tuners for both OTA (ATSC) and cable (QAM) it's a big
convenience to have separate RF inputs for them. But watch out: I saw
one that had separate inputs for analog and digital. That's worse
than useless. A CableCARD slot might or might not be worthwhile to
you.

I see little value in having any tuners in a permanently-mounted
large-screen display; I'd rather add tuners and other video sources
externally (hence the need for multiple inputs). but for a small,
semi-portable secondary TV I'd want ATSC/QAM tuners built in for
convenience.

Del Mibbler

What options should I look for in a HDTV? Plasma
 

lbbss wrote:
or is picture quality is only consideration when buying a plasma tv?


Plasma or LCD or what ever, the things to look for are the
things you believe are important.
Such as:
- NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuner:
You do not know what your location or
needs will be 2-5 years from now. Basic cable service will and
is providing local channels in HD, no cable box...

- audio output to external equipment: fixed or variable.
One remote or two?

- picture-in-pictu if you must have it, expect to pay a great
deal more for your TV.

- how many video inputs and type must you have AND what ones can be
used at the same time. That may be an issue if you
need to connect a DVD and VCR that both have S-Video/Video.

- a remote that does it all: Like allow you to program the
remote operation to follow the input selection. So that when you select
SAT Direct-TV input, the remote also change to a Direct-TV remote control.

- connect a computer or game to it: it this required and what input
type or types. VGA, XGA, USB, ethernet

- how many watts of power are you willing to pay for?

Steve

What options should I look for in a HDTV? Plasma
 

Steve Sherman ) wrote:


: lbbss wrote:
: or is picture quality is only consideration when buying a plasma tv?
:

: Plasma or LCD or what ever, the things to look for are the
: things you believe are important.
: Such as:
: - NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuner:
: You do not know what your location or
: needs will be 2-5 years from now. Basic cable service will and
: is providing local channels in HD, no cable box...

: - audio output to external equipment: fixed or variable.
: One remote or two?

: - picture-in-pictu if you must have it, expect to pay a great
: deal more for your TV.

I paid $800 for the 37" Vizio and it has all those features.
Cass