Okay, dumb HDTV/LCD/Plasma whatever question

[JonInMiddleGA]

Okay, so suppose I go out & buy a new TV. Maybe LCD, maybe Plasma, somewhere in the 37"-47" range. The primary purpose is to hang the bastard on the wall over the fireplace, with picture/color quality next or about equal to getting a bigger TV without eating up the room as second priority. It'll be used mostly while channel surfing across the channels I get from my Dish250 package - college football, BBC America, QVC, etc. just normal stuff. We're not movies-at-home people, we're not technophiles by a longshot. The TV is probably on as background noise as often as anything else and the den gets the new TV, so basically you're talking about one that my wife will be the only viewer for 95% of the time.

Here's what I don't know:
-- other than buying the TV & the wall mount kit, what the heck else would I have to buy?
-- If I'm not immediately concerned about the 32 HD channels currently offered by DishNetwork, will my current receiver hook up to the new TV & work fine? Or will I have to get a new receiver even if I don't subscribe to the HD package? ($20 extra a month for only a very few channels we ever watch just seems silly to me if it can be avoided)
-- given what you know about the priorities & the use (and keeping in mind that I'm hoping to be in the $1000'ish price range while my wife seems to be thinking more like $1500 to get a little bigger TV) is there anything I really just have to know that I probably haven't picked up in the various threads about this subject on here?

[stevew]

I can help you with the TV part anyways. I'll just list some good models we sell at my job.

You'd want to buy the wall mount kit, and maybe some hdmi cables, but order those, and probably the wall mount kit from www.monoprice.com. If money isn't a major object to you, then buy the wall mount at the store, but you'll be getting ripped off.

I'll be honest, you probably probably got ripped off at sears one point in the past(hell everyone has), but I'll link there just cause it's where I work.

42" Panasonic Plasma
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...seBVCookie=Yes

1299 thru today, good deal on one of the better 42" plasmas. Panasonic is basically the only one to consider in plasmas(th-42px75u). The 50 inch version of the same set is 1899.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...seBVCookie=Yes

Sony 40" S3000 series. This is an LCD, usually the models in this lineage are amoung the most popular sets out there. I think the sears price is 1619, but you can pricematch it w/ CC for 1499. There is also a 200 dollar off bundle thru today on any sony surround sound system over 299. I dunno if you want one of those, but that's a good deal.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...seBVCookie=Yes

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...seBVCookie=Yes

2 different versions of the sharp 37 inch model. These are really nice tv's, and among the highest rated ones. The 62 series is a couple hundred more than the 42 series, but it is also a 1080p set. To go up to a 42 inch sharp, it's like 1899, which i think you said was probably more than you wanted to spend. The 37 sharp is probably my favorite model out there, but it's maybe a bit too small.

The really nice 1080p 40 and 42 inch sets are all around 2grand. To go to a 46 inch LCD, it pushes you over 2200 usually. The 50" panasonic plasma is a good set, if you want a bigger one than the 42. The Samsung sets are really nice, but are a bit too expensive IMO.


Edit, I don't doubt that there are some quality Vizio and Olevia models out there for budget counterparts....I just try to recommend ones that i've seen. There are some solid Toshiba models as well. Magnavox/philips have been junk for returns where i work, may just be a local thing though.

[stevew]

dola.

You may not want to do the hanging yourself...I've helped with a couple installs via work...just friendly type of help. And it's a pain in the ass, especially if you're attempting to conceal wires, etc. It's a damned expensive item and plasma's especially are very heavy. I'd lean towards it being a "pay the man" type of situation vs DIY.

[rowech]

Totally second the monoprice recomendation. These guys sent me that way when I bought mine, and I'll never buy another cable from anywhere else.

[gstelmack]

Your regular receiver should hook up fine, unless you go cheap on the TV and it doesn't have many inputs.

You'll be disappointed in the TV for a while, though. Regular TV signals can look bad on large TVs because the size really shows the low resolution. At least make sure you've got a good progressive-scan DVD player to play some movies on to avoid buyer's remorse. And get the HD setup from Dish or whoever soonest. Once you watch a game in HD, you won't go back...

[CU Tiger]

#1 Dont buy a sony surround sound option.
Ever!
Sony has the worst audio technology of all time.
Sorry, I wouldnt put Sony sound in my 6 year old sons room.

#2 Cables can be found cheaper (even than listed). I will try to post the website in the morning (sorry its on my work PC)

Good point about signal quality being exagerrateed on a bigger TV.
Plan the location and installation well.
This amkes all the difference between a Pro job and somee TV a guy hung on his wall. A prfoessional install can run anywhere from $100 - $2000 depending on how trick you want to get. you are not a techie so that probably nt be motivation, but how much of a neat freak are you/wife?
Can you live with exposed cords, or are blind wall fishes in order?

[moriarty]

If you don't want HD and want to keep the cost down, you should be able to connect the TV up with the same receiver and the same cables. HD will require a new receiver (when you get there) and HDMI cables will give you a theorhetically better picture (and reduce the nubmer of cables you need overall) but are hardly necessary.

Other things to think about:
- Figure out where you are going to run your wires. Where is your receiver located, do you want your wires visible (if not, you may have to cut a hole in your drywall and fish the wires or have someone do it for you).
- If you actually use your fireplace, double check the heat above it with a fire going (if it's gas, probably not an issue). Last thing you want is a leaky fireplace causing your $1500 TV to heat up and damage it.
- Non-HD broadcasts won't look as good if you're getting a bigger TV than what you're used to, so be sure when shopping to have the dealers put in a regular TV feed for comparisons (usually they run some DVD/HD loop to make the TV's look better).

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I have only Vizio and Olevia TV's in my home. I have a 46", 37" and 32" TV all mounted. All are great TV's and will fit nicely into your budget. I used to be one of those people who bought the big-brand TV's at a premium. After getting these TV's, I wonder why the hell I was wasting all that money.

[Ajaxab]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

I have only Vizio and Olevia TV's in my home. I have a 46", 37" and 32" TV all mounted. All are great TV's and will fit nicely into your budget. I used to be one of those people who bought the big-brand TV's at a premium. After getting these TV's, I wonder why the hell I was wasting all that money.

Our 12 year old Philips tv just went out over the weekend so we are in the process of looking at a new set. Over the last several months, we had been casually looking at hdtv and thought the Samsungs looked the best, but a casual read of some discussion boards leads me to believe that a lot of people like the Olevias. So like JimG, we are in the market for a new tv and also have a similar budget (~$1500, no higher than $2000).

Anyone else have experience with Olevias?

[digamma]

I just bought a new Samsung 1080p LCD (40"). Got a good deal on Amazon and have not been disappointed.

[DanGarion]

Why do people always want to hang these things over their fireplace? Don't you understand heat rises, and heat right above your fireplace is probably more then in other places in the room (if you are using it).

[stevew]

Originally Posted by digamma

I just bought a new Samsung 1080p LCD (40"). Got a good deal on Amazon and have not been disappointed.

Yeah, the new samsung models are amazing.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Ajaxab

Our 12 year old Philips tv just went out over the weekend so we are in the process of looking at a new set. Over the last several months, we had been casually looking at hdtv and thought the Samsungs looked the best, but a casual read of some discussion boards leads me to believe that a lot of people like the Olevias. So like JimG, we are in the market for a new tv and also have a similar budget (~$1500, no higher than $2000).

Anyone else have experience with Olevias?

I bought a 37" olevia monitor about 3 months ago and am very happy with the quality of the picture. It does tend to pixelate a bit more than I would like during fast action, but it was like 650 bucks, so I can't complain. The HD stuff looks great, and the higher(digital) cable channels look pretty good too. I don't have it hooked up through hdmi yet, so I don't think that'll do too much more for quality, although maybe it will help a bit more.

The Samsung 61 and 65 series are highly recommended, probably the best 40" models out there right now.

[Ajaxab]

We were looking at the Samsung 4061 over the weekend and were impressed. But avsforums suggest that a lot of people are having problems with HDMI peripherals and picture dropout or green and pink flashes. It seems like it could be a firmware issue, but it's hard to pin things down for certain. It's really hard to know whether it's only the disappointed who post their problems as opposed to the masses who are already ecstatic about their tv.

We are moving in three weeks and really don't know if we would go with Time Warner cable, Direct TV or Dish so I don't know how this decision will affect picture quality at this point.

[stevew]

If you go brick and mortar, you can get the 4061 for 1799 or less this week by pricematching. Cost on the unit is something like 15xx, almost 1600...so I don't know if it will get that much cheaper in the near future.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Thanks to any/all input into this. I'm just now seeing most of these posts after being out of town Sat-Mon, sorry I didn't say thanks sooner.

re: the fireplace question -- in our case, it's the only wall that makes sense with the orientation of the room. And since it'd be unlikely that we use the worthless excuse for a gas log fireplace more than once or twice in a year, it's a lot less of an issue.

[Grammaticus]

You can get the Samsung LN-T4061F for $1,320 at 123buydirect. It is also about $1,546 at TV City and Fry's has it for about $1,400.

After researching this like crazy, I came down to ordering the Samsung. My next choice would have been the Sony KDL40V2500, another good 40" 1080P model.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Grammaticus

You can get the Samsung LN-T4061F for $1,320 at 123buydirect. It is also about $1,546 at TV City and Fry's has it for about $1,400.

After researching this like crazy, I came down to ordering the Samsung. My next choice would have been the Sony KDL40V2500, another good 40" 1080P model.

Those are really good prices.

[moriarty]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

re: the fireplace question -- in our case, it's the only wall that makes sense with the orientation of the room. And since it'd be unlikely that we use the worthless excuse for a gas log fireplace more than once or twice in a year, it's a lot less of an issue.

In my limited experience with gas fireplaces, they don't generate enough heat to cause a problem. You could always crank it up on high and put your hand about where the TV is to double check it, but it sounds like you don't use it much anyways.

One other thing I would point out - most people agree that you won't be able to tell the difference between a 1080p and 720p/1080i on TV's less than 50" unless you're sitting uncomfortably close. Since it doesn't sound like you're the type to be buying high end 1080p output devices anytime soon, you can save yourself some cash by focusing on the less expensive 720p/1080i models which will still look impressive in HD.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by moriarty

One other thing I would point out - most people agree that you won't be able to tell the difference between a 1080p and 720p/1080i on TV's less than 50" unless you're sitting uncomfortably close. Since it doesn't sound like you're the type to be buying high end 1080p output devices anytime soon, you can save yourself some cash by focusing on the less expensive 720p/1080i models which will still look impressive in HD.

Good point. Jon, here's a handy chart to use to figure out if your viewing distance is right for 1080p vs 720p:

http://hdguru.com/wp-content/uploads...ance_chart.pdf

[Ajaxab]

So am I understanding things right that even if you could see yourself picking up a 1080p output device that a 1080p tv under 50" really isn't worth buying by comparison to a 780p/1080i?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Ajaxab

So am I understanding things right that even if you could see yourself picking up a 1080p output device that a 1080p tv under 50" really isn't worth buying by comparison to a 780p/1080i?

That's correct. The difference is not enough for most people to notice unless the picture is blown up to a size 50" or larger. If you put your nose right up to the screen, you might be able to see a difference, but sitting on your sofa, there's not going to be any significant difference.

[Logan]

Yeah, we're talking about a well-trained eye being able to tell the difference, not some average Joe like myself. If you're picking up a new 24" LCD monitor for your computer, go for 1080p because you'll be sitting close enough where it will make a difference. But if you're getting a 42" LCD/plasma, you'll need to be sitting 5.5 feet away from the screen to see that difference.

[moriarty]

Originally Posted by Ajaxab

So am I understanding things right that even if you could see yourself picking up a 1080p output device that a 1080p tv under 50" really isn't worth buying by comparison to a 780p/1080i?

Best thing to do is see for yourself. Just compare sets at a local dealer as you may be more discerning than average. But most people can't tell the difference. It's a bit tricky though, because on the 1080p sets they're usually showing 1080p DVD material (unlike the 720p/1080i sets) so it's not a true like input comparision. If you have a good dealer though they can run both of the same/similar feed for comparison.

Now if the broadcasters start to broadcast in 1080p then you might have a reason to get the 1080p set, but that's unlikely to occur anytime soon due to the bandwidth limitations.

[Grammaticus]

If the broadcast is in 1080p or you are watching an HD movie, then you should be able to tell the difference on a 1080p set versus the same content on a 720p set.

But as said, go check it out for yourself at a store with hardware to view.