Researching new TV

[Adjuster]

Re: Reasearching new TV

Re: Reasearching new TV

I purchased a 47" Vizio 1080p for $1000.00 and could not be happier. It has excellent viewing from any angle. I run regular cable through it and the picture is great but it was a hassle getting there, more on this below. Where my tv blows me away is when I watch a movie using my upconversion 1080p dvd player. I cant wait to get true BluRay but I don't see how the picture can be so much better than my upconversion.

I have lived in my condo for 2 years. The cable was always fuzzy and I thought it was just weak poor signal. I did all the things the internet recommended. Purchased the best splitters from Radio Shack and purchased the best cable signal amplifier. All this expensive stuff did was make my fuzzy cable more fuzzy. My cable and internet are the same provider. I was having trouble with my internet that I could not resolve so a tech came out. He tested my signal and said it was better than average and quite good at the main line. He went down my lines testing at each split telling me the signal strength as he went. The very last split the last little 3 foot cable he says yep here it is. I had a bad cable allowing all kinds of interference into my signal. This cable was one of those little cables you get when you purchase a vcr or dvd player. It is the kind with the push on connectors instead of the screw on kind. He said it is a very common failure as these cables are made cheap. He pulled new cable out of his bag and made me a custom one on the spot. My tv experience improved ten fold. I am mad at myself for living with the poor signal because of a stupid cheap $3.00 wire. Because of this new cable I was able to remove one splitter and the amplifier from my signal which only made it better still. I guess what I am trying to say here is check all your wire runs and switch out wires to eliminate any problems. Heck the cable, connectors and a crimper are so inexpensive you may want to consider running all new lines if you are going to buy a $1000.00 tv.

 

[mthieme]

Re: Reasearching new TV

Re: Reasearching new TV

I love this new viewing angle thing. Every salesman made it a point to demonstrate that every set can be viewed from 179 degrees. Every salesmen was assured I sit in front of my TV - nowhere near 179 degrees.
Who does this?

 

[LadyFish]

Re: Reasearching new TV

Re: Reasearching new TV

We just bought a 46" Samsung 1080 LCD. The contrast ratio is really good and with the HDMI cable and HD DVR Receiver, we couldn't be happier.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Reasearching new TV

Re: Reasearching new TV

Adjuster,
You will see a HUGE difference from the upconvert DVD to Blue Ray..Be sure to use the HDMI connection,not the component cables.

Good prices on HDMI cables,http://www.mycablemart.com/store/cart.php?m=product_list&c=58

Those 90 dollar cables Best Buy and places sell are a total joke....

 

[Pony]

Re: Reasearching new TV

Re: Reasearching new TV

Adjuster,
You will see a HUGE difference from the upconvert DVD to Blue Ray..Be sure to use the HDMI connection,not the component cables.

Good prices on HDMI cables,http://www.mycablemart.com/store/cart.php?m=product_list&c=58

Those 90 dollar cables Best Buy and places sell are a total joke....

I disagree.....and not only because I sell those "joke" cables. I have had the opportunity to test a lot of this stuff personally. I have taken the exact same TV and DVD player and used cheap hdmi on one of them and more expensive stuff on the other......and there is a difference all be it small.

The cables themselves are often the same, its the quality of the wire shielding that makes the difference. In most cases the higher quality cables will cut down on the interference. That being said a lot of people won't notice the difference.......I do. I run a lot of eletronic equipment in my home.....a lot of it is wireless so there is plenty of interference running around. This is not to say you have to pay $90 for them.....I never have. You do need to know what you are buying though.

Also depending on the DVD player or cable box, component cables can look better than hdmi. It really depends on this situation. Usually hdmi is better, but not always.

 

[i386]

Re: Researching new TV

Thanks all. We're looking for a sale either this weekend or next. One thing I noticed is there are not as many 42" to choose from as there are 40" and 46". I did not know about 1080p/native resolution trickery to look out for.

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: Reasearching new TV

Re: Reasearching new TV

1080p is a hyped a lot but you need to know some facts.

With one exception no one is transmitting at 1080p. The exception is one of the sat. providers and I believe they are push it down your internet line. It just takes too much bandwidth.

A much more important factor to quality is compression. Consider this - a 1080i signal uncompressed requires 1.5 Gbit/s signal. 1080p takes twice that - 3Gbit/sec. Helps with motion but at a tremendous cost.

Only comment on this is that if you're going to upgrade to other digital 1080p sources, like a Blu-ray player or Xbox360/PS3, you'll need the 1080p to take full advantage.

Great info here jlinder

 

[mthieme]

Re: Researching new TV

Thanks all. We're looking for a sale either this weekend or next. One thing I noticed is there are not as many 42" to choose from as there are 40" and 46". I did not know about 1080p/native resolution trickery to look out for.

Philips/Magnavox, Sharp and LG have 42" LCDs. Stay away from LG.
The Sharp Aquos is a popular model.
Also, check out Crutchfield, I came very close to purchasing mien from them.

 

[wuttja]

Re: Researching new TV

I went with the Samsung LN52A860 which is the 52" LCD 'Touch of Color'. Full 1080p and I have the BluRay player as well. It is an amazing picture. One thing about comparing the pictures while at retail stores is that they generally use a setting that maxes out the contrast and brightness to attract your attention with all those bright lights in the store. It is nothing like how it will look in your house. Most cable companies only push their HD channels in 1080i, but the BluRay discs are 1080p and the picture is fantastic. Cheap (excellent quality) cables can be purchased from monoprice.com saving you hundreds of dollars over what stores like Best Buy will charge. Also, a good quality online retailer that I ended up using to purchase my tv from is clevelandplasma.com. The model I purchased is actually difficult to find (most stores only carry the 850, not the 860) but they carry it and have excellent prices. They will also match other online retailer prices if you have a valid link. Worth looking into at least.
Good luck, no matter what you probably won't be disappointed!

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Reasearching new TV

Re: Reasearching new TV

I disagree.....and not only because I sell those "joke" cables. I have had the opportunity to test a lot of this stuff personally. I have taken the exact same TV and DVD player and used cheap hdmi on one of them and more expensive stuff on the other......and there is a difference all be it small.

The cables themselves are often the same, its the quality of the wire shielding that makes the difference. In most cases the higher quality cables will cut down on the interference. That being said a lot of people won't notice the difference.......I do. I run a lot of eletronic equipment in my home.....a lot of it is wireless so there is plenty of interference running around. This is not to say you have to pay $90 for them.....I never have. You do need to know what you are buying though.

Also depending on the DVD player or cable box, component cables can look better than hdmi. It really depends on this situation. Usually hdmi is better, but not always.

I know some of the cheapo cables are junk but the Monster brand cables are WAY over priced..
I have one monster HDMI and another one a gave about 20 bucks for.
Very similar cables in size.Can't tell any difference as far as performance between the 2 though..
I get no interference running a home theater pc,blue ray and satellite..

 

[jlinder]

Re: Researching new TV

I believe monster cables started in the analog world. In that arena the cables and connectors can make a big difference.

In the RF world connectors, shielding, etc can also make a big difference. Someone mentioned slip on RF connectors. These are called G connectors as opposed to the screw on F conectors.

In the video world it can also make a big difference. Consider the VGA cable for your PC monitor. If you see a small diameter cable for VGA take warning.

Now we look to the digital world. There you find much less of a difference. Probably no problem with short distances but you may have problems with long cables.

I was in a Best Buy once and overheard a saleman trying to talk some people into a fancy parallel printer cable because the printer would print faster with the expensive cable. I had to bite my tongue and walk away.

 

[Pony]

Re: Researching new TV

I was in a Best Buy once and overheard a saleman trying to talk some people into a fancy parallel printer cable because the printer would print faster with the expensive cable. I had to bite my tongue and walk away.

There are a lot of misinformed salespeople and not enough time to train them.......its a never ending cycle.

 

[Pony]

Re: Researching new TV

Philips/Magnavox, Sharp and LG have 42" LCDs. Stay away from LG.
The Sharp Aquos is a popular model.
Also, check out Crutchfield, I came very close to purchasing mien from them.

To me the Sharps are noticeably grainier than most of the other brands. We don't sell very many at all.

Phillips and Magnavox are both sets I cannot come close to recommending. I have seen a very high percentage come back from repairs and their fit and finish just isnt there.

I personally don't have a problem with the LGs. I bought my parents a 42" LG last year and they love it.

FWIW Sony also makes a 42" LCD now. They didn't for a long time and now they do.......probably because there isn't really a great LCD in that size and they could fill that niche.

 

[Pony]

Re: Reasearching new TV

Re: Reasearching new TV

I know some of the cheapo cables are junk but the Monster brand cables are WAY over priced..
I have one monster HDMI and another one a gave about 20 bucks for.
Very similar cables in size.Can't tell any difference as far as performance between the 2 though..
I get no interference running a home theater pc,blue ray and satellite..

I agree they are way overpriced. Often I can't believe more people don't buy them online because of the markup in store.

 

[mthieme]

Re: Researching new TV

To me the Sharps are noticeably grainier than most of the other brands. We don't sell very many at all.

Phillips and Magnavox are both sets I cannot come close to recommending. I have seen a very high percentage come back from repairs and their fit and finish just isnt there.

I personally don't have a problem with the LGs. I bought my parents a 42" LG last year and they love it.

FWIW Sony also makes a 42" LCD now. They didn't for a long time and now they do.......probably because there isn't really a great LCD in that size and they could fill that niche.

I agree. They would not be my first picks save one Sharp model I saw (had the light around it) that I would be looking at now if it were in stock - or they at least discounted the floor model. But original poster wants 42". Sont would be a better choice....especially if available in XBR. I was on the Sony sight a couple months ago when I was going through this. Their XBR4 models were cheaper than any of the stores.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Researching new TV

all i'm going to say, is find what you want, then check Walmart online, see if they have it. we saved a bundle, shipped straight to the house, no pick up hassle, having to load it, unload. etc.

 

[i386]

Re: Researching new TV

I think I'm going to angle for the 46". I measured where's it's going last night and it'll fit. It will sit on top of one of those low cabinets. She likes to keep my recliner about 12' away from the TV.

Also, I can't get in the 120Hz club and be within my budget which is around $1K.

Here are a few Samsungs I'm looking at on "paper". I've still got Sony and LG to look up.

Samsung: LN46A500T1FXZA
Samsung: LN46A530
Samsung: LN46A550

 

[mthieme]

Re: Researching new TV

Check Amazon Warehouse.
They have open box deals.

Looks like your first item in the list can be had readily for $1,100 everywhere...not too much over budget.

http://www.warehousedeals.com/Samsu...froogle&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=froogle

Also, floor models can be had really cheap. That's how I got mine (30% off). It had been professionally serviced prior to the sale and came with the full warranty.

 

[i386]

Re: Researching new TV

Looks like your first item in the list can be had readily for $1,100 everywhere...not too much over budget.

It took some digging to find out about the first one. It's a "Black Friday" model. It's pretty close to the other 2 except it has a lower contrast ratio. Without seeing with my own eyes I wouldn't know how much of a difference that makes. Tuner and speakers don't really impact my decision because it'll be connected to satellite and the home theater system.

 

[Adjuster]

Re: Researching new TV

If you have a CompUSA near you make sure to check them out. Great deals on TV's. When I bought mine the sales manager said tv's were now 75% of their business. Said it was a corporate decision to start gearing the stores towards tv sales.