http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12760_7-9673322-5.html?tag=blog


:drool:

1/9/2007 12:49:13 AM

just bought a 1080 sharp aquos 46" flatscreen lcd

sold some old stock i had basically fogotten about, it set me back around 2650 with tax, and like a dumbass (and after a glare from my gf) i got the service plan. so it ended up being around 3000. got a pretty good deal, best buy wanted 380 dollars more than what i paid so i feel ok about it. it's a nice tv - but i don't have cable hooked up yet so have been watching dvd's (not hd-dvd) and it's good.

my understanding is that 1080 broadcasting will be mandatory by 2009 or so, so why buy a 1000-1500 tv now and have to buy a new one in 2-3 years. This one will last a long time and i will wall mount it in the new house.

1/9/2007 3:39:09 PM

i bought at pos akai 42" plasma (1024x1024 hitachi screen) and couldnt be happier for 1199 4 months ago, the pic is great... i still think plasma offers the best picture quality @ 1080i

1/9/2007 4:11:49 PM

n00b question here:

Is 1080p really that much better than 720p at a normal viewing distance?

1/9/2007 4:46:01 PM

^not really. Unless you have a HUGE tv.

1080 isn't all that important since nothing will be broacast in 1080p for a few years at the very least.

every sony projection is NOT SXRD. Those are their 1080 models.

1/9/2007 4:54:51 PM

Define huge. >50"?

1/9/2007 4:56:21 PM

so I should definitely get 1080p for a 56"... as I understand it.

1/10/2007 10:33:45 AM

i would.

1/10/2007 11:35:33 AM

what do you guys think about this one?

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=144713&WT.mc_n=66&WT.mc_t=U&cm_ven=COMPARISON%20SHOPPING&cm_cat=DEALTIME&cm_pla=DATAFEED->PRODUCTS&cm_ite=1%20PRODUCT&cm_keycode=66

1/15/2007 10:15:04 AM

Unless of course you are constrained by size, you could get the same tv in 46" for just about the same price ($999)

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-HL-S4666W-46-DLP-HDTV/dp/B000F2P31E/sr=8-3/qid=1168874171/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/002-8988100-2625620?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

1/15/2007 10:17:29 AM

this is true...no tax as well

1/15/2007 10:20:38 AM

Those are both bottom of the barrel TVs, but if that's your price range, you can't really do anything else.

1/15/2007 12:06:50 PM

bottom of the barrel 46" DLP vs. 10 yr old. 32" tube

lemme think about this for a sec

1/15/2007 12:13:50 PM

yeah i've ruined myself by reading all of the av forums

i started out with a 3k a/v budget
i'm pushing near 10 now

(it went from i'll do it now to... keep saving)

[Edited on January 15, 2007 at 12:26 PM. Reason : .]

1/15/2007 12:26:03 PM

I didn't read through the whole thread, but...

keep in mind that some retail places don't adjust their tv's to look the best. other places like to make certain models look better than others. some things can be adjusted (brightness, etc) to make a $800 lcd look as good, if not better, than a $1200 lcd

1/15/2007 12:42:50 PM

I order the Samsung HL-S5687W 56" off of Amazon last week. Hope to have it here this week. FYI, TWC is out of 8300HD boxes and they are waiting on shipments from the manufacturer. I was told ~2 week wait, but it could be longer. Call and order the HD box now if want any hope of having a box before the superbowl.

Will there be a problem having black bars on the sides while watching 4:3 content for extended periods of time on a DLP? Since they don't experinece burn-in, I thought it wouldn't be an issue.

1/15/2007 1:03:58 PM

okay

this one http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7997858&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat95100050016&id=1155071784564

or

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7834819&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat95100050016&id=1142297086995

I can have the first one by Sat. and it's cheaper, or walk out of the store with sony tomorrow. DLP vs. LCD projection. Thoughts?

Yes, I'm constrained by size and money (<1800) and best buy b/c 0% for 3 years works for me.

[Edited on January 16, 2007 at 9:08 PM. Reason : ]

1/16/2007 9:08:12 PM

You can get the 50 inch Sony from Circuit City for the same price as the 46 inch at Bestbuy

or you can get the 46 inch for $1300

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony-Grand-WEGA-trade-50-rdquo-LCD-Projection-HDTV-KDF-50E2000/sem/rpsm/oid/152441/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

My dad just bought the 1080p 50 inch Sony and he and I were both pleased with it.

[Edited on January 16, 2007 at 9:20 PM. Reason : :]

1/16/2007 9:19:13 PM

Yeah, I can always do the price matching thing.

1/16/2007 9:22:07 PM

okay, thinking it might be this one http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8131041&st=samsung+1080p&type=product&id=1162593226223

just wondering if the step up to 1080p is worth it for me?

[Edited on January 17, 2007 at 8:52 AM. Reason : ]

1/17/2007 8:49:04 AM

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000GDEZLQ/interactiveda614-20
i just ordered this tv.
1080 isn't really mainstream yet... but it will be
netflix already rents blueray/hd-dvds
so get a ps2 and an xbox 360 with hd-dvd player.
and be ready for the next 5-10 years.



[Edited on January 17, 2007 at 10:07 AM. Reason : .]

1/17/2007 10:05:40 AM

I'm wondering how the whole 0% financing works. Do you need to finance the whole price of the TV, or could you pay some up front and finance the rest? I know how it works with cars and all, just wondering how best buy and other electronics stores do it.

[Edited on January 17, 2007 at 10:11 AM. Reason : ]

1/17/2007 10:11:03 AM

Best Buy financing works throught their credit cards, which are through HSBC Bank. Why not just put the whole thing on the card and make an extra big first payment?

1/17/2007 1:23:28 PM

if you are getting someing from CC here is an extra $40 off

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/genericContent.do?oid=160141&sourceid=qIZmRa5tDQUqAlrDJfwi&affiliateid=39502629&carriage=befree

1/17/2007 1:39:05 PM

From my experience 1080p is noticeable compared to 720p on tv's in the 40's(in) and up if your looking for it. In the 50 inch range it gets even worse, where from a standard viewing distance you would usually notice the difference even if not intentionally looking.

edit:
That is just my opinion above, most of the difference I see is in jaggies and whatnot. On the other hand I saw this article (http://tinyurl.com/368fnp) saying :

"But there’s a more important issue – can you really see the difference in resolution between 1080i and 1080p? Tests of visual acuity to determine the resolution required of a television transmission system by the BBC’s J.O. Drewery and R. Salmon determined that at 9 feet, a 50 inch screen at 720p’s resolution will give you all the resolution you can see! At 9 feet, a 56 incher needs 1080i to avoid seeing the pixel structure. If you sit farther or closer, you may need more resolution."

But hey, I do have above average vision....

[Edited on January 17, 2007 at 1:53 PM. Reason : article]

1/17/2007 1:45:39 PM

Quote :

"Why not just put the whole thing on the card and make an extra big first payment?"

I was limited by the credit line they gave me initially. It was funny though. After I did it, I got a call from their customer service saying there was a miscalculation and it bumped my line up. No worries. I ended up with the 50" 1080 samsung and put some money down on it. Should be viewing HD come Monday. I wouldn't be able to do this if they weren't offering the 0%, though. I'll have it paid off well before that runs out though.

1/17/2007 2:03:39 PM

I'm in the same situation. Really considering buying one with that much time to pay it off without interest. So you still got the deal on the CC even though you put some cash up front?

My credit line will cover the whole thing, but I have some saved for part of it.

[Edited on January 17, 2007 at 2:30 PM. Reason : .]

1/17/2007 2:23:54 PM

You can get a TV financed from sony.com for "No payment, No Interest till 2009". Just have to call for application decision.

1/17/2007 2:27:36 PM

^^Yeah, before they increased my line, I told them I wanted to pay a chunk of it first. They said it was fine so long as the total on the best buy card was >1000 it was good to go.

1/17/2007 2:40:19 PM

ok....

now i think if you can afford a tv go for it

but going into debt for a tv is silly

by the time you've paid it off its not the latest and greatest anymore.

1/17/2007 2:54:30 PM

Quote :

"by the time you've paid it offbought it, its not the latest and greatest anymore."

1/17/2007 2:55:19 PM

ahha, besides, this tv will be plenty to last me well after i've paid it off (1.5 years)

1/17/2007 2:56:11 PM

^^^ If it's no interest and you DO pay it off in time then it's no problem -- maybe even makes more sense. Most people have some type of loan (credit cards,car,student,line of credit, etc..). Thus even if you have the cash to pay for the TV then you would be better off paying toward the loan that has the highest interest. But you must pay off the TV before the time expires.

1/17/2007 3:06:57 PM

you're actually right... i honestly buy everything on a credit card for points

but... student & home loan are like free money due to tax benefits its actually best to invest it.

1/17/2007 3:22:59 PM

true. Esp' if you have consolidated your student loans.

1/17/2007 3:26:40 PM

ok... this helped me out alot... cause i wanted to make sure when playing standard def on my widescreen i wasn't f(*&king myself with a smaller tv.


http://www.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-6307377-1.html
aspect ratio comparison tool.

1/20/2007 9:32:09 PM

how advisable is a 3 year warrantee on lcd tv's? i hear mixed reviews, but am not sure if it is worth the extra 150 or so dollars.

1/20/2007 11:00:22 PM

its really a gut feeling

from what i hear they usually either suck right off the bat or never do.


i was wondering if you have a 1080p tv... would you rather set your hd cable box to 1080i or 720p?

1/21/2007 10:20:07 AM

they'll both look good, just depends on preference.

^ my problem is that im getting a tv on the cheaper side. plenty of reviews whine about DOA models. i could live with that because of the warrantee and i have other tv's. tons of other reviews, however, said various models died around 18months. i guess if i dont get one of the heavy hitters it couldnt hurt to get the replacement service.

1/21/2007 11:14:09 AM

i mean i got a 40" samsung 1080p lcd for 1799

i figure thats pretty good .

1/21/2007 12:05:56 PM

shrug, if i were to go 1080p it'd probably be the $1000 westinghouse 37". probably not going to bother though and just get a 720p capable 37" somewhere between 750-1000.

[Edited on January 21, 2007 at 12:49 PM. Reason : i have a hard time paying more than 1k for a tv]

1/21/2007 12:48:41 PM

anyone know anything about these konka tvs?

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2329640&Sku=K365-3200

1/21/2007 6:53:23 PM

i was looking at that same deal earlier, but ppl on forums dont seem to think highly of them (particularly since tiger direct is such a terrible site concerning rebates).

other than that there were hardly any reviews on the tv out there and im just not comfortable getting both an off-brand and a tv with no reviews.

[Edited on January 21, 2007 at 7:11 PM. Reason : cept i was looking at the 700 37"]

[Edited on January 21, 2007 at 7:12 PM. Reason : .]

1/21/2007 7:10:12 PM

westy is what i would get

its what cnet recommends as the budget lcd.

1/21/2007 7:13:40 PM

pretty much the truth. olevia always has good deals but they seem to be real hit or miss. other brands seem to either have terrible reviews or none at all. viewsonic is the arguable exception, but i just wasnt sure what to think about them.

probably just gonna wait till after super bowl to get one here.

1/21/2007 7:21:13 PM

There are supposed to be some new tvs hitting the market in March, well at least Samsung for sure, so there should be some price drops coming. Unfortunately, I'm really liking the new Samsung 65F series. I'm afraid I'll see it and buy one on the spot.

1/21/2007 7:57:31 PM

a 5265f is what i eventually want in the living room and put the 4095 in my room

1/21/2007 8:01:31 PM

Is anyone having problems getting an HD DVR box? I just called TW and the guy is coming tomorrow to bring my box. I thought there was a shortage or something.

1/23/2007 9:49:57 AM

i got mine before xmas just in case.

1/23/2007 11:09:06 AM

yeah, i figured i'd have to wait a couple of weeks to get it, but she said they had them and he'd be there tomorrow

1/23/2007 11:17:19 AM