First time HDTV buyer confused and needs help

Hi All,

I thought I knew what I wanted. Now I am not so sure.

Currently I have a 27" Magnovox as my main TV(It seems big enough for
my wife's and my needs), but since we got a Wii and prices have
started coming down I am becoming more interested in purchasing an
HDTV.

I have $1000 to spend(maybe a little more).

Here are my questions

Should I go with plasma(saw a panasonic 40" for $900), or LCD?
I definitely know I don't know 1080p
and finally 37" vs 40". Having a 27", 37" will probably seem like a
huge upgrade and it's far less expensive. But, if 40" is that much
more I wouldn't mind spending a $100 on that.

Thanks

On Fri, 8 Feb 2008 08:12:22 -0800 (PST), wrote:

Hi All,

I thought I knew what I wanted. Now I am not so sure.

Currently I have a 27" Magnovox as my main TV(It seems big enough for
my wife's and my needs), but since we got a Wii and prices have
started coming down I am becoming more interested in purchasing an
HDTV.

I have $1000 to spend(maybe a little more).

Here are my questions

Should I go with plasma(saw a panasonic 40" for $900), or LCD?
I definitely know I don't know 1080p
and finally 37" vs 40". Having a 27", 37" will probably seem like a
huge upgrade and it's far less expensive. But, if 40" is that much
more I wouldn't mind spending a $100 on that.

Thanks

Subjective picture "quality" varies between individuals. With HDTV, I
ten to think bigger is usually better (but more expensive). What the
trade-offs are depend again on you. Just look at different ones on
display, or look at friends sets, and go with what you like.
Generally, DLP gives a great picture at a reasonable cost.... LCDs are
coming down in price and up in quality. My opinion is that Plasma is
more expensive than it's quality warrants, but that's again very
subjective.

--
Charlie Hoffpauir
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/

wrote in message
...
Hi All,

I thought I knew what I wanted. Now I am not so sure.

Currently I have a 27" Magnovox as my main TV(It seems big enough for
my wife's and my needs), but since we got a Wii and prices have
started coming down I am becoming more interested in purchasing an
HDTV.

I have $1000 to spend(maybe a little more).

Here are my questions

Should I go with plasma(saw a panasonic 40" for $900), or LCD?
I definitely know I don't know 1080p
and finally 37" vs 40". Having a 27", 37" will probably seem like a
huge upgrade and it's far less expensive. But, if 40" is that much
more I wouldn't mind spending a $100 on that.

Thanks

CRT is still the best for speed and color and image quality.
Plasma and DLP-Projector is second best for speed and color and image
quality.
LCD is the worst for color and speed and image quality.
Don't buy Sony TV's

On Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:01:10 GMT, "newshead" wrote:

LCD is the worst for color and speed and image quality.
Don't buy Sony TV's

You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

A_C

wrote in message
...
Hi All,

I thought I knew what I wanted. Now I am not so sure.

Currently I have a 27" Magnovox as my main TV(It seems big enough for
my wife's and my needs), but since we got a Wii and prices have
started coming down I am becoming more interested in purchasing an
HDTV.

I have $1000 to spend(maybe a little more).

Here are my questions

Should I go with plasma(saw a panasonic 40" for $900), or LCD?
I definitely know I don't know 1080p
and finally 37" vs 40". Having a 27", 37" will probably seem like a
huge upgrade and it's far less expensive. But, if 40" is that much
more I wouldn't mind spending a $100 on that.

Thanks

First off, keep in mind that to have an image on an HD set that is the same
height as your 27 inch SD set, the HD set needs to have a screen size of
slightly more than 32 inches. I would go with a 37 inch LCD. CRT is not an
option, and the vast majority of plasma sets in your price range will not be
real HD with their 1024 x 768 displays. I vote for a brand name 37 as
opposed to a throwaway brand 40.

Tam

On Feb 8, 10:59�am, "Tam" wrote:
wrote in message

...





Hi All,

I thought I knew what I wanted. �Now I am not so sure.

Currently I have a 27" Magnovox as my main TV(It seems big enough for
my wife's and my needs), but since we got a Wii and prices have
started coming down I am becoming more interested in purchasing an
HDTV.

I have $1000 to spend(maybe a little more).

Here are my questions

Should I go with plasma(saw a panasonic 40" for $900), or LCD?
I definitely know I don't know 1080p
and finally 37" vs 40". �Having a 27", 37" will probably seem like a
huge upgrade and it's far less expensive. �But, if 40" is that much
more I wouldn't mind spending a $100 on that.

Thanks

First off, keep in mind that to have an image on an HD set that is the same
height as your 27 inch SD set, the HD set needs to have a screen size of
slightly more than 32 inches. I would go with a 37 inch LCD. CRT is not an
option, and the vast majority of plasma sets in your price range will not be
real HD with their 1024 x 768 displays. I vote for a brand name 37 as
opposed to a throwaway brand 40.

Tam- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Good news! You can afford a 42"!

http://reviews.pricegrabber.com/plas...ceptre%252042/

Sharper than plasma and no burn-in! Lower current draw.

On Fri, 08 Feb 2008 08:12:22 -0800, Johndagolfer wrote:

Here are my questions

Should I go with plasma(saw a panasonic 40" for $900), or LCD? I
definitely know I don't know 1080p
and finally 37" vs 40". Having a 27", 37" will probably seem like a
huge upgrade and it's far less expensive. But, if 40" is that much more
I wouldn't mind spending a $100 on that.

To have the same SD size picture on an HDTV, multiply the SD set size by
1.22. That means you need a 33" HDTv to have the same size SD picture
that you have now. a 37" HDTV is about the same as a 30.x" SDTV. I bought
a 37" to replace my wifes 32" SDTV and she is more than happy with the
size. Even though the SD picture is a little smaller, it appears bigger
because of the shape of the TV and the clarity of the picture. Besides,
most of the shows shw watches are in HD anyway. I found the Envision 37"
on sale at Staples for $599.99 just before Christmas and got it.
Excellent tuner that supports ATSC/NTSC/QAM and the picture is perfect.
It also has a VGA input, which was a must for me since all my TV's are
behind PC's running MythTV. I used both the VGA and HDMI inputs to test
both and they both worked well. FWIW, Envision is the TV division of AOC
and their parent company. They've been making video displays and TV's for
more than 20 years. This is it,and it looks like it's now $599 retail.

http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/st...3:CG4:CL142471


--
Want the ultimate in free OTA SD/HDTV Recorder? http://mythtv.org
My Tivo Experience http://wesnewell.no-ip.com/tivo.htm
Tivo HD/S3 compared http://wesnewell.no-ip.com/mythtivo.htm
AMD cpu help http://wesnewell.no-ip.com/cpu.php

"newshead" wrote in message
news:[email protected]

wrote in message
...
Hi All,

I thought I knew what I wanted. Now I am not so sure.

Currently I have a 27" Magnovox as my main TV(It seems big enough for
my wife's and my needs), but since we got a Wii and prices have
started coming down I am becoming more interested in purchasing an
HDTV.

I have $1000 to spend(maybe a little more).

Here are my questions

Should I go with plasma(saw a panasonic 40" for $900), or LCD?
I definitely know I don't know 1080p
and finally 37" vs 40". Having a 27", 37" will probably seem like a
huge upgrade and it's far less expensive. But, if 40" is that much
more I wouldn't mind spending a $100 on that.

Thanks

CRT is still the best for speed and color and image quality.
Plasma and DLP-Projector is second best for speed and color and image
quality.
LCD is the worst for color and speed and image quality.
Don't buy Sony TV's


Obviously, you must not think much of Consumer Reports, since they rated
Sony as number one in 52" and 46-47" LCDs, number one and two in 32" LCDS,
and number two in 40-42" LCD TVs. Only one make of TV that has a lower
repair rate than Sony (Panasonic has a repair rate of 2% vs Sony's 3%). In
addition, Consumer Reports has ratings on eight of Sony's models. All eight
Sonys received excellent ratings for both HD and SD picture quality, and
seven of the eight models received an excellent rating for DVD picture
quality (KDL-46s3000 only received a very good rating). Finally, in regard
to your statement that "LCD is the worst for color and speed and image
quality," even the lowest rated Sony (of the 8 Sony models listed) received
a higher overall score than 16 of the 29 Plasma TVs that were tested in the
March 08 issue of Consumer Reports.

So, your disdain for Sony is not shared by Consumer Reports, an organization
that has been objectively testing and reporting on consumer products since
1936.

"newshead" wrote in message
news:[email protected]

wrote in message
...
Hi All,

I thought I knew what I wanted. Now I am not so sure.

Currently I have a 27" Magnovox as my main TV(It seems big enough for
my wife's and my needs), but since we got a Wii and prices have
started coming down I am becoming more interested in purchasing an
HDTV.

I have $1000 to spend(maybe a little more).

Here are my questions

Should I go with plasma(saw a panasonic 40" for $900), or LCD?
I definitely know I don't know 1080p
and finally 37" vs 40". Having a 27", 37" will probably seem like a
huge upgrade and it's far less expensive. But, if 40" is that much
more I wouldn't mind spending a $100 on that.

Thanks

CRT is still the best for speed and color and image quality.
Plasma and DLP-Projector is second best for speed and color and image
quality.
LCD is the worst for color and speed and image quality.
Don't buy Sony TV's


Ummm.. Let's see...
My 1986 XBR25 still going strong
My 2005 SFP XS955 HDTV still blows away either Plasma or LCD for PQ in terms
of black value and motion quality


--
All the Best,
Richard Harison

wrote:
Hi All,

I thought I knew what I wanted. Now I am not so sure.

Currently I have a 27" Magnovox as my main TV(It seems big enough for
my wife's and my needs), but since we got a Wii and prices have
started coming down I am becoming more interested in purchasing an
HDTV.

I have $1000 to spend(maybe a little more).

Here are my questions

Should I go with plasma(saw a panasonic 40" for $900), or LCD?
I definitely know I don't know 1080p
and finally 37" vs 40". Having a 27", 37" will probably seem like a
huge upgrade and it's far less expensive. But, if 40" is that much
more I wouldn't mind spending a $100 on that.

Thanks

I personally would consider 37" as the minimum size for the main
family/rec room widescreen TV. HD and DVDs hold up very well for bigger
screens so you will likely find that a 37" screen will get smaller on
you over time. I have a 42" Panasonic HD plasma and have been thinking
about getting a 50" plasma for several years now. Will probably step up
to 50" later this year.

At 37" to 42" screen size at typical sitting distances, you don't
really need a 1080p screen. People may knock the 42" plasmas with their
1024x768 resolution, but try it at 8 feet, it is hard to see the
difference in detail between it and a 1080p 42" plasma or LCD. You have
to get bigger than 50" before a true 1080p (1920x1080) resolution screen
really offers much benefit.

A $1K budget limit at current prices will limit you to a 37" or 40"
LCD, but not the best brands. I personally prefer plasmas (Panasonic or
Pioneer) and I see the 42" Panasonic and Samsung plasmas at Best Buy are
close to your $1k limit. Hmm. LCD TVs have improved a lot the past
several years. I would stick with Sharp, Sony, Samsung, but a 37" Sharp
or Sony would go above a $1K budget for a 37" screen, unless you can get
one at a good sale price. I can't recommend the off-brand or in store
brands, because they lag the better brands in picture and build quality
by too much for now.

Before getting a HD TV, you need to look into what at your HD source
options. Too many people buy an HD TV and then don't get the HD STB or
tier from their cable company or satellite provider. You need to look
into what it costs. You have 4 basic options for HD: cable, satellite,
free Over The Air (OTA), or a Blu-Ray/HD-DVD player. (DVDs will look
better on a HD TV, BTW). With cable, to get most HD channels, you will
need a HD STB or DVR or a cable card setup. Satellite may require a dish
and box upgrade.

The TV will come with an ATSC digital tuner for digital broadcast
stations. Most full power stations across the US are broadcasting a
digital channel simultaneously to the analog channel. ABC, CBS, NBC,
Fox, CW, PBS, and My Network all provide a HD feed to their affiliates
and most affiliates now have a HD broadcast channel. Antennaweb.org is a
starting point to check your digital reception options or post your zip
code here so we can provide some advice on antenna and reception options.

Alan F