HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

[Beantown]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

Alright...

My mom and I are looking into splitting the cost on a smaller(23 or 26 inch) HDTV for my gaming needs. She was going to just buy a slightly bigger SDTV(27 or 32) but I said I'd chip in the difference to go smaller but HDTV.

I'm just looking for any suggestions for a smaller, affordable HDTV. It'd really only be used for gaming, since we won't be upgrading to any HD channels.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Methlab]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

Whats your budget again? I would say definitely the Vizio 32". You can get them on Tiger Direct for 459. Best looking HDTV for the price and has a lot of inputs.

[Brandwin]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

Got a HDTV finally .


Picked this one up yesterday. I see it's $50.00 cheaper today
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/OLEVI...oductDetail.do

[GAMEC0CK2002]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

Got a HDTV finally .


Picked this one up yesterday. I see it's $50.00 cheaper today
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/OLEVI...oductDetail.do

That's a solid tv. My uncle has it. On the specs sheet it says it doesn't have PIP. Is that true?

[DiceMan]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

Anyone hear anything about the Toshiba 65HM167?

http://www.shopnbc.com/product/?familyid=V37908&track=-10102&ciid=11281&taxid=&cm_re=TV1-_-ONAIR-_-N

EDIT: Also could someone tell me the pros and cons for DLP? I've only owned an LCD.

[Snigitty James]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

Anyone hear anything about the Toshiba 65HM167?

http://www.shopnbc.com/product/?familyid=V37908&track=-10102&ciid=11281&taxid=&cm_re=TV1-_-ONAIR-_-N

EDIT: Also could someone tell me the pros and cons for DLP? I've only owned an LCD.

DLP owns dude. Get one. Mine's a Samsung 46 inch DLP. They make the best DLPs (I used to work at Best Buy in Home Theater so you can trust me),

[WazzuRC]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

Is it even worth it anymore to get a 720p or should it just be 1080p or nothing? I'm not too tech savvy when it comes to HD but what would you guys recommend? Is 720p still worth it.

[jpup]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

Is it even worth it anymore to get a 720p or should it just be 1080p or nothing? I'm not too tech savvy when it comes to HD but what would you guys recommend? Is 720p still worth it.

it's worth it, but I would go with a 1080i set that also does 720P.

[DiceMan]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

DLP owns dude. Get one. Mine's a Samsung 46 inch DLP. They make the best DLPs (I used to work at Best Buy in Home Theater so you can trust me),

not that i dont believe you but can you tell me some of dlp's benefits and downfalls?

[Darin]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

I will be getting a PS3 soon. I would like suggestions for hdtv's, it will be used almost solely for gaming. I play anywhere from 4 to 7 feet away. thx

[coogrfan]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

not that i dont believe you but can you tell me some of dlp's benefits and downfalls?

Here's an excellent article that describes the strengths and weaknesses of the various types of HDTV:

http://www.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-5108443-1.html?tag=txt

[Turbo_Squish]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

not that i dont believe you but can you tell me some of dlp's benefits and downfalls?

I have a 42" Samsung 720p DLP and I love it, but here are some objective pros and cons for DLP:

Pros

Easily the most affordable HDTVs in terms of price per inch of screen. I got my TV (with a stand) for $999.99 CDN. A similarily spec'd LCD or plasma set is AT LEAST $400-$500 more.

Great picture. Most DLPs have very good contrast and brightness and superb pictures when calibrated properly.

Cons

For video game players, the biggest con is gaming lag. This is not unique to DLPs (many plasmas and LCDs also suffer), but it's something to keep in mind. It's most prevalent when displaying 480i sources (PS2/Xbox/GC/Wii, etc.) over composite or S-video, but it also happens slightly on 480p over component. Basically, because the TV has to scale and (in the case of 480i) deinterlace the video, that processing time introduces some lag, so what you're seeing is slightly behind what's actually going on. For timing-based games like Guitar Hero or FPS's, this is very problematic. The good news is that if the video feed matches the TVs native resolution (like my Xbox 360 at 720p does on my TV), there SHOULD be no lag. Newer sets seem to have fewer problems with lag. I have an HL-S series and there is no lag from my 360 and very little from PS2 at 480p over component. If you're considering a Samsung DLP, get an HL-T or HL-S series, not an HL-R or older.

Rainbow effect (RBE). DLPs use a spinning color wheel that can cause some people to see rainbow-like flashes of color when they move their eyes quickly from one part of the screen to another, particularly in high contrast situations like very dark scenes with a few small bright areas. DLPs have gotten a lot better at eliminating RBE, but it still bothers some people. Personally, I rarely see them and they don't really bother me when I do.

Silk-screen effect (SSE). DLPs (and I believe other rear projection TVs like LCD projection and LCoS) sometimes have SSE, which appears when there's a uniformly bright color like white on the screen. It looks as though everything is sparkly. My TV (HL-S4265W) has this to some degree and I don't really mind it, mostly because 95 per cent of the time I can't even notice it. But it's something to keep in mind.

Replacement lamps. Some newer DLPs use an LED instead of a lamp (bulb), but older ones (like mine) use a lamp that will need to be replaced periodically. I believe mine is expected to last 8,000 hours. The replacement lamps aren't cheap (mine goes for $150 US), but they seem to be coming down in price. The good news is that most DLPs are designed to let the user easily replace the lamp themselves. The other upside is that once the lamp is replaced, your TV will look as good as the day you bought it, as opposed to plasmas and LCDs, which slowly degrade over time.

Viewing angles. Horizontally, my TV's viewing angles are quite good. I can see the picture quite nicely even at fairly strange angles. But vertically it's not as good. If I stand up the picture seems very dark and not nearly as crisp. Personally, I don't care because I watch my TV sitting on my couch at the proper level, where it looks gorgeous. I don't want to watch my TV standing up. But if you own a Wii this might be a consideration, because some people play Wii Sports and other games standing up.

The other possible drawback to DLPs is that they're not thin like plasma and LCD. However, they are now nearly as deep as older CRTs, and I looked at it this way: the receiver and 360 underneath my TV are both quite deep anyway, so it's not like I could have my TV right up against the wall even if it was two inches thick. Unless you plan on wall mounting your TV, I don't see the thickness of DLPs as much of a problem.

soooooo...

It basically boils down to personal preference and whether the pros outweigh the cons. For me, they easily did, especially considering that other display technologies also have drawbacks (slow response time, poor black levels, high price points, possible burn-in, etc.). I'd suggest looking at all the different TVs, deciding on a budget and then going from there.

As for 720p or 1080p, that depends. 1080p TVs are still quite a bit more, so you have to consider what you're going to be using the TV for. Considering all broadcasted HDTV is either 720p or 1080i, unless you plan to get a PS3 and Blu-Ray, you might not use 1080p very often. My feeling was that 720p will be all I'll need for the next five years or so, and by then 1080p will be more reasonable.

[DiceMan]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

thanks for the info guys, it realy helped.

[SportsorDeath]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

it's worth it, but I would go with a 1080i set that also does 720P.

Don't listen to this, unless you are wanting to buy an older CRT rear projection unit. All fixed pixel displays (Plasma, LCD, DLP, SXRD, etc.) will either be 720p or 1080p at their native resolutions (unless it is one of those crappy "EDTV" sets).

All these tv's will accept a 1080i source, but will deinterlace (if it is a 1080p set) or downconvert to 720p. Basically, everything will be displayed at the set's native resolution.

DLP is by far the best value in HD right now. The new Samsung LED based sets are even less bulky in the back and lighter than the previous models, which really weren't too heavy and bulky to begin with.

I would go either DLP or a Sony SXRD, unless you have a pile of money burning a hole in your pocket and you really want to wall mount it. In that case, look at a Pioneer Elite Plasma. Another good brand is Panasonic, if you are wanting a Plasma at a better price.

I would stay away from LCD, personally. They are getting a lot better, but the overall quality still isn't there in my opinion. Black levels still suffer, they often aren't that great for gaming, and a lot of sets are still saddled with blurring/shimmering on fast moving objects. Also, the bigger sized screens are still ridiculously expensive.

[Brandwin]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

That's a solid tv. My uncle has it. On the specs sheet it says it doesn't have PIP. Is that true?

Yeah, that's true.

Maybe I have something connected or wrong or something, but I'm not very happy with my set, The picture doesn't seem to be too clear and not much difference from HD to regular channels. 360 looked great, but something is off when watching tv. Maybe I don't have the settings right ?

Also, I was watching sports center last night and isn't every SC in HD? It didn't take up the whole screen and I thought it would.


I dunno too much!