Buying a New TV? 162
Bob Bitchen asks: "I have had the current TV set for 10+ years and really haven't put any thought into a new one. The current set is having some problems and I'm thinking of getting a new larger set or possibly a projector, with a budget of $1000. What's the best thing to get these days? HDTV ready might be nice but it's not mandatory. I don't know enough about the projector technology to feel comfortable about buying them but I might be convinced, if I hear from enough converts. Do the projectors perform as well as conventional displays? If I do go with a conventional display TV, what models are preferred and why? I am also looking for some good sites for comparing and learning more about the current state-of-the-art in televisions. I found a good site for projectors but haven't found a similar site for TVs."
Projectors (Score:3, Informative)
A conventional (tube) TV set can run for many thousands of hours without any appreciable drop in output / quality. Most projectors have a 2000 hour bulb life (or less).
There! That's my share of FUD against projectors done! Please feel free to correct me if you think differently
You don't say how big...how about Samsung? (Score:3, Informative)
They do a nice 30" HDTV-ready 16:9 ratio unit for a little over $1,000, I think it's the 3096 / 3097 / 3098 model numbers, but they may have changed. Cambridge Soundworks usually has one set up in their stores. If you already have a surround-sound system, get the *97 (2 tuner, more home theater tweaks than the *96, but without the built in sub-woofer, which you won't be needing).
But really, so long as you're not being dirt cheap, you can't go too far wrong with a Sony Wega.
A few useful tidbits (Score:5, Informative)
Second of all, there's a whole bunch of terminology you may want to become familiar with. First off, connections. You want component video inputs. For that price, you shouldn't have a problem getting a set with component video. It's seperates the signal into more discrete parts reducing interference greatly.
100Hz is really nice. It gives you a rock solid picture, that you can stare at for hours. It's not essential but for the price you're looking at, you can probably get a nice one.
Progressive scan means it draws the entire frame, every frame. Normal television is interlaced - it draws the odd lines one frame, and even frames the next. These translate into the "p" and "i" you see at the end of picture modes. What are picture modes I hear you cry?
Standard American broadcasts use NTSC (as does Japan). That has 480 lines of displayed resolution. So 480i is what you're used to seeing. Progessive scan output (from some DVD players and digital set-top boxes, and interpolated on some TVs from regular transmission), is called 480p. Remember, 'p' is better than 'i'.
Next up is PAL (used in Australia and UK). PAL is 576 lines. So if you're in PAL territory, try and get a TV that does 576p.
If you're in NTSC territory, 576p probably isn't that important. Similarly 480p isn't much used to the PAL folk.
Next up are the High-definition modes. There are two different HDTV modes: 720p and 1080i. It's arguable which one is better, though I'd favour 720p. Ideally, if you're going for HDTV, get a set that supports both. Different places around the world don't necessarily support both resolutions either - check for your area. The other thing worth knowing is that the XBox is the only console with HDTV output. Not that many support 720p though and a even less supporting 1080i. At around the $1000 mark, I think you're probably looking at a standard (CRT) television. You probably won't get HDTV for that price, but you probably will get a nice 100Hz, progressive-scan capable display. And go the widescreen. I'm regretting making my last TV a 4:3 (tech-talk for standard ratio), now that I have digital television. Lastly, if you're a bit of a junky when it comes to these things, get as many inputs as you can. Unless you're going to get an AV receiver (which typically only swap 2 sets of component video), you'll want to be able to plug in lots of stuff.
Re:a word of warning (Score:3, Informative)
Projectors et all (Score:5, Informative)
If you are going to go for a projector make sure the room is DARK. And I mean REAL DARK, like only watch movies at night or with blackout curtains. This may not be an issue if you have a tv room specific for watching tv, but it can be a pain normallly.
Be warned that there are two kinds of projectors floating around, Data projectors and Home Theater projectors. You definately want the second kind. Data projecters often have specs that look amazing (high res, very bright etc) but the colour quality SUCKS. They ghost lots on fast movement and are definately not something to watch tv or movies on.
The other thing to consider is that for $1000 you are not going to get a really amazing projector, I think you will be dissapointed by the brightness and quality of the picture. Projectors really improve as you throw money at them.
Limited bulb life of projectors is an issue too. It is many hundreds to replace a burned bulb and they typically last 2000 hours.
Ok, so after all that I think you should look for a nice tube tv. Make sure it has the following things:
* Widescreen format (16:9). I know lots of TV is not in widescreen now but it will be in future and most DVD's are. You don't want to be pissed off watching everything in a letterbox. Now is NOT the time to buy an old style 4:3 tv.
* component video input. Seperates the colours into different cables, greatly improves the picture quality and is essential when connecting a good dvd player.
* 100Hz. Faster refresh rate, the picture looks much sharper and clearer, easier on the eyes.
European TV's normally have all the above features, but they often are more than $1000. Look for Metz, Loewe and Grundig.
Hope that helps!
Consumer Reports (Score:4, Informative)
Consumer Reports tends to review televisions every few months. Their most recent comprehensive review (27-36 inches, HD-ready, and projection) was in the March 2003 issue. Perhaps your local library has a copy? They also have most of their content online at www.consumerreports.org [consumerreports.org] for a $4.95 monthly subscription ($24 per year).
If you're considering spending $1000, it's worth spending $5 on research.
Re:Words to live by... (Score:2, Informative)
TV reviews (Score:2, Informative)
Buy two, and make sure they are fit for purpose (Score:3, Informative)
For movies I bought a single chip DLP projector (InFocus X1) which is the best bang for the buck at the moment. Fully multistandard, calibrates wonderully and is very bright and clear. The video scaler and deinterlacer are excellent too extracting 24fps from NTSC LDs with 3:2 pulldown eliminating judder. Resolution of the DLP is only 800x600 but that is ample for all current DVDs and even in 16:9 mode where it compresses the picture down vertically it still looks clear. A true 16:9 projector would have a little more resolution but brightness and colour correctness make up for this small deficiency, and cost (about $1500). Oh, and it will accept HDTV signals although it downconverts. Once HD is really cooking this projector will be ready to retire anyway so not to worry.
Lessons to live by:
Buy Video Essentials, practice with it until you can get a really nice picture, try several sets, it takes time to get used to it but you will learn which TVs can be calibrated and which can't.
Don't be swayed by the brightest punchiest picture in the shop. Quite likely a TV with that default setting is running a very high colour temp and also the tube is liable to burn. A calibrated picture looks dark and dull at first but once you get used to it you will never go back. Room lighting is also important, TVs are not designed to be used in brightly lit rooms, control the light, especially that shining on the screen.
Avoid LCD TVs like the plague, the scalers in them are very poor and they have poor contrast and black level, plus they cost a fortune for what is really a very small and muddy picture. They are a very poor substitute for plasma screens.
Plasma TVs are for people who like to show off. Very few produce an acceptable picture, and those that do cost a lot. For the money you would spend on one of them you can have a nice little direct view and a huge projection system. My set up currently has a 100" screen but I want something bigger. It cost less than half the price of a decent plasma screen and the picture is 3x bigger.
LCD projectors are better than they used to be but DLP is much better and about the same money. The InFocus X1 can be had for less than $1500 which is amazing value, particularly as it has a built in Faroudja deinterlacer.
For CRTs, make sure that the picture is stable when there is a strong flashing image (Video Essentials includes the necessary tests and instructions). Nothing worse than a TV where the picture bends and pulses when Arnie blows s**t up
Back projection CRTs are OK but very bulky, imagine what your room will be like when the thing is not turned on. It will be like sharing a room with the monolith out of 2001 and you're back to staring up people's noses. Once all TV is shot assuming large screens as movies are then this won't be a problem. As I said, my solution is to have a small set for small screen stuff and a big screen for big screen movies. Cost is more than your budget but you might be able to find ex-demo or secondhand projectors on E-bay and it is well worth it.
Of course, you could just avoid all this and buy the first set that you like the look of, but that wouldn't be the slashdot way now would it?
TV Buying Advice (Score:2, Informative)
Depending on the size you get, make sure that the room you plan on putting it in is big enough. If there isn't enough space between your primary viewing location and the tv, you're going to be overwhelmed. Mine is 50", my living room is ~12' wide. I ended up having to rearrange everything in my living room so that the tv was against one wall and the couch against the opposite wall. I could still use a few extra feet.
Make sure you can block most of the sunlight coming into the room that you can put it in. My tv will auto adjust the picture based upon the ambient light in the room. Even still, the image looks the best when the room is fairly dark.
A projection tv can cause problems depending on your viewing habits. If there are typically one or two people watching the tv from directly in front of it, you're fine. If you typically have friends over, you may have trouble with your viewing angle, depending on how the furniture is set up.
Widescreen HD projection screens are still projection. That means they still have some problems with burn in. Normal signals will appear with a black band on either side of the image. Apparently, these black bands can burn into the screen. This means you have to do some type of morphing of the image to make it full screen. This degrades the image of most broadcast stations. The tradeoff is natively formatted widescreen. However, many DVD's don't have the same ratio as the TV. This means you will still have bands, albeit smaller ones, on the top and bottom.
Check your area for HD offerings via digital cable. It is far cheaper to pay ~$10 extra on your cable bill a month than buying an expensive over the air tuner. My cable company offers a few channels (about 6), but there are more coming online all the time.
Also, some regular broadcast stations end up looking worse on my 50" HD than my 27" normal tube. This depends on the resolution of the cameras and the broadcast. Any deficiencies become exaggerated. Last year's Super Bowl was hyped that it would be done in all HD. For the most part, everything looked fine. Fine until they switched to their low-res on the field cameras. The images were terrible and almost unwatchable.
Make sure you do your research before buying. Research brands and models and look for any reports of problems with the ones you are considering. I did this before buying mine as was shocked at the number and severity of things being reported. The model I ended up buying had no negative reports, and I've had no problems, although your mileage may vary.
Hope this is useful to someone...
Check out AVS Forums (Score:3, Informative)
That said, I'd highly recommend you get a widescreen HDTV-compatible set. If you want to keep your TV around for as long (or longer) as your last set, you'll regret not getting HDTV. No, the switchover isn't going to happen in 2006. But it will happen, and you can receive HDTV in most areas now. Even without HD reception you'll get better DVD viewing, a huge computer monitor (if you want), and can get better visual quality out of most consoles.
Your choices are going to be rather limited at $1000, and I can't recommend any specific ones (I just bought a new TV set... but for considerably more than $1k... the Samsung HLN467W - 46" DLP widescreen), but there are some available. Do check out the menus. Check to see if it has discrete codes available, otherwise you'll want to kill yourself if you get a programmable remote (or, more likely, your SO will want to kill you because they can't operate the damn system). Check what inputs it has -- at this price point about the most you can hope for is one or two component inputs on the high end. You almost certainly won't get a VGA or DVI input.
If you don't go HD, then don't bother buying a TV bigger than about 32" -- which will be far, far below your budget. Big screen non-HD is just a waste of money.
Re:Semi-OT: Don't whine. Do something about it. (Score:4, Informative)
The submitter asked about a low-cost, high-quality replacement for a faulty 10-year old TV. You responded by calling him, in so many words, a materialistic, amoral, intellectually bankrupt pig.
I double-dog dare you to try that in the real world. Go to your nearest Best Buy, walk up to the first customer you see in the TV section, and without solicitation, repeat everything you said here. Be sure to report back to us if you manage to make it out of the store without somebody turning it into a punchup.
A bit of advice for you, kid. Before you hit Submit, ask yourself this question: How would this person react if I said this to their face? If you don't have the balls to say it in the real world, you probably shouldn't post it here.
Re:Tee Eye Vee Ooooooh (Score:3, Informative)
Essentially, three thumbs up or down is bad. Never, ever do it. Thumbs control more than just the show - they also relate to the actors, director, genre, and anything else TiVo can associate with the particular episode that you thumbed up/down.
Give one thumbs up to shows you like (hitting Record on a show or setting up a Season Pass will do this automatically -- a Wishlist, however, will not). Give one thumbs down to any show you never want TiVo to record as a suggestion -- and only do this if it's been recorded as a suggestion already.
You can give two thumbs up to a show you really, really like if it's in a genre you like, and you like the actors, etc in general. I'd avoid ever doing two thumbs down though.
As previously stated, three thumbs up or down is just bad.
Following that, you'll get really good suggestions -- both for shows you've given thumbs up to and for stuff that you haven't but is related to stuff you like. And your TiVo won't go psychotic, as you say.
If you've had TiVo for awhile and it's gone insane, you can reset all thumbs up/down in the service menu. Then go to your Season Pass list and give everything one thumbs up. Your suggestions will improve greatly.
I agree that this is rather inane, but when TiVo tweaked the suggestion algorithm in the 2.x days this is what became of it. They really need to tweak it again to allow for differentiation in degrees of liking/disliking, which is what you'd think the thumb levels give you (but they don't really).