Which HDTV?

VortecJeep

VortecJeep

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Aug 24, 2005
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Concord, NC
You may not believe me, but our TV is only a 19" 12 year old tv with rabbit ears. That's right, no cable or satellite. We've just never watched much TV. (And why pay to watch a 19" tv?) But now we have finally decided we are ready to buy a new TV. We have a TV niche above the fireplace, 40" wide. (inside the niche it actually opens up to about 50" wide). So I am thinking a 37" would fit nice.
What HDTV do you have? how do you like it? where did you get it from?
 
take height & width measurements, you might be able to get a 42 or bigger in there.

Honestly, you'll probably be happy with anything that's out there now, if a 19" has satisfied your needs. I'm sure there are going to be PLENTY of ultra-high end recomendations here, but I suspect even a house brand (Vizio and the like) will serve you well.

Sam's usually has decent prices, but do look around all the big box stores for open box units, sometimes you can really get a steal of a price for something that's really just fine and has a scratch on the frame or something that you'd get just installing the damn thing.

I've always seen panasonic and Toshiba sets score highly in the reviews, but ya gotta remember that you might not even see the differences these review people write about.
 
My wife recently WON a 42" Toshiba HD LCD set.

WILL NOT fit in the entertainment alter we currently have, which barely houses a 32" tube TV.

the HD set itself case width is 40 3/8" wide, kinda tough to fit in a 35.5" hole.

We'll be probably moving the alter to another room, then hanging the HD set on the wall.
 
Samsung, or LG. Lg comes with 2 year warranty and you dont have to send it out to them. They will send a repair tech, and if they cant fix or get parts within 15 days they will send a new one.
Also being above a fireplace you may want to think about mounts. Youll probably want one that will angle down so you dont have a crick in your neck from lookin up a the tv.
 
jeepn-jason said:
Samsung, or LG. Lg comes with 2 year warranty and you dont have to send it out to them. They will send a repair tech, and if they cant fix or get parts within 15 days they will send a new one.
Also being above a fireplace you may want to think about mounts. Youll probably want one that will angle down so you dont have a crick in your neck from lookin up a the tv.
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x2 on LG, ours went on the fritz after 20 months and they came right out and fixed it up, we have friends and family who have had theirs for over 2 years with no issues at all.
 
As long as you keep a tv, you should penny up and get one that is 1080p (the salesmen will know what that is).... that is the resolution all Bluray HD dvds are being made in now, and what basic cable will be here within 2 years. They tend to cost a good deal more than a regular (720p) HD tv, but at least you wont be out of date for 10 years down the road.
 
Road_Warrior85 said:
As long as you keep a tv, you should penny up and get one that is 1080p (the salesmen will know what that is).... that is the resolution all Bluray HD dvds are being made in now, and what basic cable will be here within 2 years. They tend to cost a good deal more than a regular (720p) HD tv, but at least you wont be out of date for 10 years down the road.
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Not really at all. For the size he is talking about a 720P hd set will be a much better deal. Cable/Satellite/Broadcast signals won't be 1080P for quite some time, as in 10 yrs or better. I have a new 65" mitsubishi 1080P set, 6.1 surround, blu-ray player and a home theater pc with 2 Tera Bytes of ripped HD content in the living room. I have a two yr old 46" sony in the bedroom. My wife and I are movieholics, 60 blu-ray and over 300 DVD's, I know what I am talking about. I would look at a Samsung or Sony LCD, both are great manufacturers. And as long as you area looking at an LCD or Plasma display, I wouldn't worry much about an extended warranty. I would also fully flesh out the positioning, up that high, using the pedestal stand that comes with it may cause neck problems. Mounts that tilt and swivel can add $100 to as much as $400 to the total.

Good Luck
 
Rich said:
Honestly, you'll probably be happy with anything that's out there now, if a 19" has satisfied your needs.
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Agree with Rich on this.... to a point. I know what he's saying, but if you've had that 19" for 12 years, don't expect an HDTV to last as long with no issues. Especially if you go for the "Bargain" deal.

However the image is going to be so much better with an HDTV.
 
We have a 46" Sony LCD and shopped for a while before we bought it. It and the Samsungs seemed to have the best picture. We just got an extended in home warranty through best buy...they make money off those warranties, but for something like this that I can't fix and costs that much its worth it to me.

I have heard good things about another brand called westinghouse and considered buying one of those for the bedrooms where we really don't want any HD shows.

I do want to warn you though, for watching regular TV that is in non HD...for us thats quite a few of the non major stations and some local stations....the picture actually seems more washed out on the lcd than it did on the 32" tube tv we had. I beleive its like taking a photo on the computer and enlarging it...when you do that the low pixel count makes it blurry. But on the flip side when we have a movie on or a tv show in HD its like you could walk into the show.... Someday I'll have to try some HD porn when the wife isn't around :lol:
 
I bought an Olevia 37 lcd 1.5 years ago bc I got it at a price I couldnt turn down at TigerDirect on black friday and have was amazed at how nice it was for the money. Check them out.


On a side note when going to HDTV, I would recommend LCD over plasma unless you are going super large (50" +). LCDs are much more repairable compared to plasmas though you will begin to Plasmas re-emerge due to next wave of super large TVs which will go all the way up to 100" plus. Vizio is known for great customer support and their prices are low but they also have a very high number come back and resold as refurbished.

Just my .02.
 
Rich said:
Honestly, you'll probably be happy with anything that's out there now, if a 19" has satisfied your needs. I'm sure there are going to be PLENTY of ultra-high end recomendations here, but I suspect even a house brand (Vizio and the like) will serve you well.
Click to expand...

The only problem with the cheapo lines is that there aren't parts available for them. 13 mos from now when some $5 little part craps out, the teevee is garbage.

Sony and Samsung are both good, although they cost twice what the cheaper guys do. They manufacture screens in the same (co-owned) factory. Pictures on both are good, but the processors in the Sonys are better. Try watching a ball game on a Samsung -- the ball fragments into 3 or 4 shadows when it's moving fast.
 
If im not mistaking I think the vizio warranty is a flat rate repair fee??
 
Also go see your local custom installer, you should get much better service than a big box.
 
Vizio is known for great customer support and their prices are low but they also have a very high number come back and resold as refurbished.
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I bought a refurb viz 42" plasma for 600 bucks. It looks great. I paid like 179 or something for a 2 year extended warranty off the original 3mo. Honestly I watch tv all the time so Ive got to be up to date on tv's. If it lasts 3 years for 600 bucks you are gold.
 
raleighjeepguy said:
I bought a refurb viz 42" plasma for 600 bucks. It looks great. I paid like 179 or something for a 2 year extended warranty off the original 3mo. Honestly I watch tv all the time so Ive got to be up to date on tv's. If it lasts 3 years for 600 bucks you are gold.
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I 100% agree. I bought my TV with the same mindset. If the price is low enough its worth taking chances.
 
Ive got a 37' Toshiba,and am very satisfied.cost me around 1100.My buddy bought a 42' Vizio for alot less and the picture looks just as good if not better than mine.
 
Hell, I feel more confident buying a refurb. You know that this one was checked over thoroughly by a person, not just a random sample off the line...
 
Rich said:
Hell, I feel more confident buying a refurb. You know that this one was checked over thoroughly by a person, not just a random sample off the line...
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X2!

my dad works for Sony-Ericson Mobile, and can get refurb Sony products at 40% off. We buy them all the time, never a problem.
 
Rich said:
Hell, I feel more confident buying a refurb. You know that this one was checked over thoroughly by a person, not just a random sample off the line...
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Wow... I never thought of it like that... I always looked at it as, it must have broke once, why do i wanna take my chances with it.... but you bring up a very good point
 
SONY makes great products, I am a distributor for their monitors and it is all I watch. (PM me of you want some prices, but I aint gonna compete against the big ox on $$$)

My opinion (and for what its worth you are talking about some guy who buys 2-300 TVs per year) if you have been happy with a 19" for that long look for a DLP product. It will bee much more familiar to you in terms of price, and longevity.

PM me if you want opinions on any specific models, Ill be honest there
 
1080P is what to go for if your a gamer (Xbox 360 or PS3) which from the 19" tv standpoint, I dont think you are, no offense. If your looking to game later on, put the money on the 1080P. If not, a 720 will do fine.

Im a DLP fan as it is, because the TV's are much cheaper for a better size (sans Bulbs). Since you are talking about hanging the TV, you basically have to go Plasma or HD, which are pricey for what you get (for good reason....)

As many have said, a refurb might be the better option. They are cheap, and looked into throughly by professionals.

SkyHiK5 will be the best person to PM or listen to about something like this. He knows just about everything concerning the Audio, Visual products on the market, considering he owns (or works for? I believe that he Owns..) a company that works solely in this portion of the market. As he said, hes totally honest about what he says. His sound system advice to me has been invaluable...
 
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