HDTV Audio and Anti-Glare

My wife and I will be purchasing a new HDTV set soon. A true "Home Theater
Experience" is not our goal. We have the following priorities (in no
particular order).

1) Minimum "muss/fuss" setup. We will be using Time-Warner cable as our
primary source.

2) Our TV room is pretty bright (lots of windows, although they do all face
north -but still pretty bright). We have to use a glare filter to be able to
use our conventional CRT-technology TV in the afternoons.

3) My wife abhors the sound of any kind of 'home theater sound system'. She
is somewhat hard of hearing and has some trouble with conventional TV
speakers and hearing conversations in all cases. So a TV with a good,
built-in sound system is a priority (even though there are FAR better
solutions IMHO - she just isn't receptive to them)

4) Our viewing distance is 8-12'. But we are willing to put up with a 37"
HDTV set simply because it would fit into our existing TV cabinet (see #1
above)

My fundamental questions a

1) I am assuming that, given a very bright room, LCD is the obvious choice
(over plasma, etc). Is that right? If there is a priority in the above
requirements, this is it.

2) Are there any differences in the base TV audio among the manufacturers. I
am guessing no, since Home Theater is the direction here. But there are
various "sound level controls" that deals with differences in show vs.
commercial volume levels, LG has their "Clear Voice" technology, which (in
theory) would be helpful in hearing voice-range frequencies when the 'other
frequencies' were all over the map, etc. And maybe some speakers are better
than others. It is tough to judge these things in a showroom with tons of
ambient noise and no control over what show you are hearing.

3) "LED sets" typically seem to "be LED" in the technology that provides the
LCD a backlight. In principle you might get a better "true black" in these
cases as you could dim the LED's in that area (assuming a 'large area of
black'). But really true blacks is not a priority for us. However the
lifetime of the backlight source might well be an issue for us. Is LED
backlight lifetimes better than whatever "not LED" LCD sets use?

Any comments would be appreciated - thanks.

dave

"Dave Lee" wrote in message
m...
| My wife and I will be purchasing a new HDTV set soon. A true "Home Theater
| Experience" is not our goal. We have the following priorities (in no
| particular order).
|
| 1) Minimum "muss/fuss" setup. We will be using Time-Warner cable as our
| primary source.
|
| 2) Our TV room is pretty bright (lots of windows, although they do all
face
| north -but still pretty bright). We have to use a glare filter to be able
to
| use our conventional CRT-technology TV in the afternoons.
|
| 3) My wife abhors the sound of any kind of 'home theater sound system'.
She
| is somewhat hard of hearing and has some trouble with conventional TV
| speakers and hearing conversations in all cases. So a TV with a good,
| built-in sound system is a priority (even though there are FAR better
| solutions IMHO - she just isn't receptive to them)
|
| 4) Our viewing distance is 8-12'. But we are willing to put up with a 37"
| HDTV set simply because it would fit into our existing TV cabinet (see #1
| above)
|
| My fundamental questions a
|
| 1) I am assuming that, given a very bright room, LCD is the obvious choice
| (over plasma, etc). Is that right? If there is a priority in the above
| requirements, this is it.
|
| 2) Are there any differences in the base TV audio among the manufacturers.
I
| am guessing no, since Home Theater is the direction here. But there are
| various "sound level controls" that deals with differences in show vs.
| commercial volume levels, LG has their "Clear Voice" technology, which (in
| theory) would be helpful in hearing voice-range frequencies when the
'other
| frequencies' were all over the map, etc. And maybe some speakers are
better
| than others. It is tough to judge these things in a showroom with tons of
| ambient noise and no control over what show you are hearing.
|
| 3) "LED sets" typically seem to "be LED" in the technology that provides
the
| LCD a backlight. In principle you might get a better "true black" in these
| cases as you could dim the LED's in that area (assuming a 'large area of
| black'). But really true blacks is not a priority for us. However the
| lifetime of the backlight source might well be an issue for us. Is LED
| backlight lifetimes better than whatever "not LED" LCD sets use?
|
| Any comments would be appreciated - thanks.
|
| dave
|
LCDs are still best for bright rooms. 37" is kinda small for your viewing
distance IMHO. It might be worth your while to peruse the Consumer Reports
for August and October 2009 at your library for detailed comparisons. They
have some info at their website but most is by subscription. As for sound,
none are rated "excellent" and the few that are "very good" seem to fall
down in some other category.

"iws" wrote in message
...
"Dave Lee" wrote in message
m...
| My wife and I will be purchasing a new HDTV set soon. A true "Home
Theater
| Experience" is not our goal. We have the following priorities (in no
| particular order).
|
| 1) Minimum "muss/fuss" setup. We will be using Time-Warner cable as our
| primary source.
|
| 2) Our TV room is pretty bright (lots of windows, although they do all
face
| north -but still pretty bright). We have to use a glare filter to be
able
to
| use our conventional CRT-technology TV in the afternoons.
|
| 3) My wife abhors the sound of any kind of 'home theater sound system'.
She
| is somewhat hard of hearing and has some trouble with conventional TV
| speakers and hearing conversations in all cases. So a TV with a good,
| built-in sound system is a priority (even though there are FAR better
| solutions IMHO - she just isn't receptive to them)
|
| 4) Our viewing distance is 8-12'. But we are willing to put up with a
37"
| HDTV set simply because it would fit into our existing TV cabinet (see
#1
| above)
|
| My fundamental questions a
|
| 1) I am assuming that, given a very bright room, LCD is the obvious
choice
| (over plasma, etc). Is that right? If there is a priority in the above
| requirements, this is it.
|
| 2) Are there any differences in the base TV audio among the
manufacturers.
I
| am guessing no, since Home Theater is the direction here. But there are
| various "sound level controls" that deals with differences in show vs.
| commercial volume levels, LG has their "Clear Voice" technology, which
(in
| theory) would be helpful in hearing voice-range frequencies when the
'other
| frequencies' were all over the map, etc. And maybe some speakers are
better
| than others. It is tough to judge these things in a showroom with tons
of
| ambient noise and no control over what show you are hearing.
|
| 3) "LED sets" typically seem to "be LED" in the technology that provides
the
| LCD a backlight. In principle you might get a better "true black" in
these
| cases as you could dim the LED's in that area (assuming a 'large area of
| black'). But really true blacks is not a priority for us. However the
| lifetime of the backlight source might well be an issue for us. Is LED
| backlight lifetimes better than whatever "not LED" LCD sets use?
|
| Any comments would be appreciated - thanks.
|
| dave
|
LCDs are still best for bright rooms. 37" is kinda small for your viewing
distance IMHO. It might be worth your while to peruse the Consumer Reports
for August and October 2009 at your library for detailed comparisons. They
have some info at their website but most is by subscription. As for sound,
none are rated "excellent" and the few that are "very good" seem to fall
down in some other category.


The LG ClearVoice works very well by boosting mid range, but not much bass.
Very popular among the older crowd. If you find a LCD with analog audio out
(good luck!) the sound can be improved greatly by adding a set of 2.1
(w/subwoofer) computer speakers.

D

"iws" wrote in message
...
"Dave Lee" wrote in message
m...
| My wife and I will be purchasing a new HDTV set soon. A true "Home
Theater
| Experience" is not our goal. We have the following priorities (in no
| particular order).
|
| 1) Minimum "muss/fuss" setup. We will be using Time-Warner cable as our
| primary source.
|
| 2) Our TV room is pretty bright (lots of windows, although they do all
face
| north -but still pretty bright). We have to use a glare filter to be
able
to
| use our conventional CRT-technology TV in the afternoons.
|
| 3) My wife abhors the sound of any kind of 'home theater sound system'.
She
| is somewhat hard of hearing and has some trouble with conventional TV
| speakers and hearing conversations in all cases. So a TV with a good,
| built-in sound system is a priority (even though there are FAR better
| solutions IMHO - she just isn't receptive to them)
|
| 4) Our viewing distance is 8-12'. But we are willing to put up with a
37"
| HDTV set simply because it would fit into our existing TV cabinet (see
#1
| above)
|
| My fundamental questions a
|
| 1) I am assuming that, given a very bright room, LCD is the obvious
choice
| (over plasma, etc). Is that right? If there is a priority in the above
| requirements, this is it.
|
| 2) Are there any differences in the base TV audio among the
manufacturers.
I
| am guessing no, since Home Theater is the direction here. But there are
| various "sound level controls" that deals with differences in show vs.
| commercial volume levels, LG has their "Clear Voice" technology, which
(in
| theory) would be helpful in hearing voice-range frequencies when the
'other
| frequencies' were all over the map, etc. And maybe some speakers are
better
| than others. It is tough to judge these things in a showroom with tons
of
| ambient noise and no control over what show you are hearing.
|
| 3) "LED sets" typically seem to "be LED" in the technology that provides
the
| LCD a backlight. In principle you might get a better "true black" in
these
| cases as you could dim the LED's in that area (assuming a 'large area of
| black'). But really true blacks is not a priority for us. However the
| lifetime of the backlight source might well be an issue for us. Is LED
| backlight lifetimes better than whatever "not LED" LCD sets use?
|
| Any comments would be appreciated - thanks.
|
| dave
|
LCDs are still best for bright rooms. 37" is kinda small for your viewing
distance IMHO. It might be worth your while to peruse the Consumer Reports
for August and October 2009 at your library for detailed comparisons. They
have some info at their website but most is by subscription. As for sound,
none are rated "excellent" and the few that are "very good" seem to fall
down in some other category.


Thanks for the feedback.

dave

"Deke" wrote in message
news

"iws" wrote in message
...
"Dave Lee" wrote in message
m...
| My wife and I will be purchasing a new HDTV set soon. A true "Home
Theater
| Experience" is not our goal. We have the following priorities (in no
| particular order).
|
| 1) Minimum "muss/fuss" setup. We will be using Time-Warner cable as our
| primary source.
|
| 2) Our TV room is pretty bright (lots of windows, although they do all
face
| north -but still pretty bright). We have to use a glare filter to be
able
to
| use our conventional CRT-technology TV in the afternoons.
|
| 3) My wife abhors the sound of any kind of 'home theater sound system'.
She
| is somewhat hard of hearing and has some trouble with conventional TV
| speakers and hearing conversations in all cases. So a TV with a good,
| built-in sound system is a priority (even though there are FAR better
| solutions IMHO - she just isn't receptive to them)
|
| 4) Our viewing distance is 8-12'. But we are willing to put up with a
37"
| HDTV set simply because it would fit into our existing TV cabinet (see
#1
| above)
|
| My fundamental questions a
|
| 1) I am assuming that, given a very bright room, LCD is the obvious
choice
| (over plasma, etc). Is that right? If there is a priority in the above
| requirements, this is it.
|
| 2) Are there any differences in the base TV audio among the
manufacturers.
I
| am guessing no, since Home Theater is the direction here. But there are
| various "sound level controls" that deals with differences in show vs.
| commercial volume levels, LG has their "Clear Voice" technology, which
(in
| theory) would be helpful in hearing voice-range frequencies when the
'other
| frequencies' were all over the map, etc. And maybe some speakers are
better
| than others. It is tough to judge these things in a showroom with tons
of
| ambient noise and no control over what show you are hearing.
|
| 3) "LED sets" typically seem to "be LED" in the technology that
provides
the
| LCD a backlight. In principle you might get a better "true black" in
these
| cases as you could dim the LED's in that area (assuming a 'large area
of
| black'). But really true blacks is not a priority for us. However the
| lifetime of the backlight source might well be an issue for us. Is LED
| backlight lifetimes better than whatever "not LED" LCD sets use?
|
| Any comments would be appreciated - thanks.
|
| dave
|
LCDs are still best for bright rooms. 37" is kinda small for your viewing
distance IMHO. It might be worth your while to peruse the Consumer
Reports
for August and October 2009 at your library for detailed comparisons.
They
have some info at their website but most is by subscription. As for
sound,
none are rated "excellent" and the few that are "very good" seem to fall
down in some other category.


The LG ClearVoice works very well by boosting mid range, but not much
bass. Very popular among the older crowd. If you find a LCD with analog
audio out (good luck!) the sound can be improved greatly by adding a set
of 2.1 (w/subwoofer) computer speakers.

D

I assume that the 'analog out' requirement is to get the actual "TV sound"
(from the ClearVoice technology) sent to the external speakers. Or is there
another subtlety that I have missed here.

Thanks.

dave

On Wed, 7 Oct 2009 18:21:03 -0400, "Dave Lee"
wrote:

3) My wife abhors the sound of any kind of 'home theater sound system'. She
is somewhat hard of hearing and has some trouble with conventional TV
speakers and hearing conversations in all cases. So a TV with a good,
built-in sound system is a priority (even though there are FAR better
solutions IMHO - she just isn't receptive to them)

4) Our viewing distance is 8-12'. But we are willing to put up with a 37"
HDTV set simply because it would fit into our existing TV cabinet (see #1
above)

With the requirement for a good but, apparently, unobtrusive audio
setup, you might consider getting a powered sound-bar. Not one of the
ones that tries to simulate multichannel but just an array of decently
sized and directly aimed speakers. This can be mounted directly below
the TV and can appear to be a part of it.

Kal

On Wed, 7 Oct 2009 18:21:03 -0400, "Dave Lee"
wrote:

1) Minimum "muss/fuss" setup. We will be using Time-Warner cable as our
primary source.

This is the variable that seems hardest to resolve. I want my TV to
automatically pick the optimal display - which means true color and
best resolution with absolutely no stretching of the picture.

I have Comcast, so YMMV. Maybe you can ask questions based upon my
experience.

My Cable Box has Comcast's HDTV stations in the channel 400 range. The
old versions of the channels are down in single digits. This sucks.

My wife's TV doesn't use a cable box. But it still uses Cable. She
has to remember to change from channel 7 to 7-1 and from 13 to 30-1.
Worse, she watches The Food Channel 95% of the time, and we haven't
been able to find the HDTV version of that without using a cable box.

But she can watch picture-in-picture if she chooses. I have set up
the main TV so we can switch to cable only (like hers), which would
enable us to do picture-in-picture as well. But the premium channels
are not available in HD without using the cable box.

--
"In no part of the constitution is more wisdom to be found,
than in the clause which confides the question of war or peace
to the legislature, and not to the executive department."

- James Madison

"Dave Lee" wrote

3) My wife abhors the sound of any kind of 'home theater sound system'.
She is somewhat hard of hearing and has some trouble with conventional TV
speakers and hearing conversations in all cases. So a TV with a good,
built-in sound system is a priority (even though there are FAR better
solutions IMHO - she just isn't receptive to them)

Do you ever use closed-captioning? Indispensible, sometimes.

In article ,
says...

My wife and I will be purchasing a new HDTV set soon. A true "Home Theater
Experience" is not our goal. We have the following priorities (in no
particular order).

1) Minimum "muss/fuss" setup. We will be using Time-Warner cable as our
primary source.

For setup, ease of use and most channels, you'll want a HD box, cablecard or
DVR. A cablecard may be just as easy as a box without a DVR, normally
cheaper and you won't need space for the box. You may have trouble getting
the cablecard installed. If you're serious about the card and know your
provider will rent you one, get a set that supports it.

You'll pay more for a box, DVR or cablecard than hooking the cable directly
to the TV and scanning for the analog SD stations and any clear QAM digital
stations you can get. Most systems will at least carry the local broadcast
HD stations in clear QAM. Clear QAM can require you to get used to weird
channel numbers and having to rescan channels fairly often, as the cable
companies tend to move the channels around.

2) Our TV room is pretty bright (lots of windows, although they do all face
north -but still pretty bright). We have to use a glare filter to be able to
use our conventional CRT-technology TV in the afternoons.

LCD is what you want.

3) My wife abhors the sound of any kind of 'home theater sound system'. She
is somewhat hard of hearing and has some trouble with conventional TV
speakers and hearing conversations in all cases. So a TV with a good,
built-in sound system is a priority (even though there are FAR better
solutions IMHO - she just isn't receptive to them)

4) Our viewing distance is 8-12'. But we are willing to put up with a 37"
HDTV set simply because it would fit into our existing TV cabinet (see #1
above)

As another poster said, a larger set is optimal, but if the cabinet
limitation is important, then get the 37".

2) Are there any differences in the base TV audio among the manufacturers. I
am guessing no, since Home Theater is the direction here. But there are
various "sound level controls" that deals with differences in show vs.
commercial volume levels, LG has their "Clear Voice" technology, which (in
theory) would be helpful in hearing voice-range frequencies when the 'other
frequencies' were all over the map, etc. And maybe some speakers are better
than others. It is tough to judge these things in a showroom with tons of
ambient noise and no control over what show you are hearing.

I agree with other poster's suggestions to look at TV reviews. However,
almost all the sets can have pretty limited sound range with their onboard
speakers compared to an outboard home theater setup. I still think going to
a store and listening to sets hooked up to your cable provider with and
without a cable box is a good idea despite any background noise. You should
also check picture peformance for the analog SD cable channels. Many HD flat
panel sets are pretty abysmal in this respect. Most sets and cable boxes do
provide digital as well as analog audio outs. A separate sound bar was also
suggested - a good suggestion. Using closed captions was suggested too.
Another option is wireless headphones, but there can be a fatigue factor
wearing headphones over a long time.

whosbest54
--
The flamewars are over...if you want it.

Unofficial rec.audio.opinion Usenet Group Brief User Guide:
http://whosbest54.netau.net/rao.htm

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http://whosbest54.netau.net/rmb.html

"Kalman Rubinson" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 7 Oct 2009 18:21:03 -0400, "Dave Lee"
wrote:

3) My wife abhors the sound of any kind of 'home theater sound system'.
She
is somewhat hard of hearing and has some trouble with conventional TV
speakers and hearing conversations in all cases. So a TV with a good,
built-in sound system is a priority (even though there are FAR better
solutions IMHO - she just isn't receptive to them)

4) Our viewing distance is 8-12'. But we are willing to put up with a 37"
HDTV set simply because it would fit into our existing TV cabinet (see #1
above)

With the requirement for a good but, apparently, unobtrusive audio
setup, you might consider getting a powered sound-bar. Not one of the
ones that tries to simulate multichannel but just an array of decently
sized and directly aimed speakers. This can be mounted directly below
the TV and can appear to be a part of it.

Kal

Is there such a thing where some reasonable amount of base is included.
Based on my "shopping to date" (and my info is what I was getting from
various sales-types) it seemed that only a sound bar would pretty much
totally exclude any sound below a few hundred hertz. Maybe I misunderstood
or maybe they didn't understand, but...

dave

ps. I AM NOT looking for some kind of couch-shaking base. I just don't want
to have a speaker system with no response below 500 hz.