Low-end widescreen TV?

January 5, 2005 3:49 PM

Any suggestions for a low-end widescreen TV?

We are looking to upgrade the aspect ratio on our media-skewed window to the world...
posted by fairmettle to technology (10 comments total)

No personal experience, but if you have not seen this, it seems like a good place to start:

http://www.slate.com/id/2110469
posted by mzurer at 4:11 PM on January 5, 2005

We picked up a great new Phillips 30" widescreen HDTV at Costco for about $579 last week. They had the same one at Best Buy for $679 but wouldn't price-match Costco. I'm very happy with it, despite the fact that the remote cannot be programmed to work with my cable box (it does work fine with the DVD and VCR though). It was tremendously heavy, so bring a friend. A big friend.
posted by luriete at 4:49 PM on January 5, 2005

Um.....HOW IS THE PICTURE?
posted by ParisParamus at 5:50 PM on January 5, 2005

bring a friend. A big friend.

Seriously consider a forward projector. (For "low-end", scroll down past the $7K-$10K to the under $1.5K section.) Rather than eating half a room, we have a 7 lb unobtrusive little box, giving us a 100" image on a white wall. We're never going back.

The only real drawback is that the room actually has to be dark; it's no good for background noise that one tunes in and out of. I personally hate that kind of TV watching so I haven't felt the loss, but I notice visitors having trouble dealing.
posted by Aknaton at 6:03 PM on January 5, 2005

Consumer Reports gave a "very good" rating for the Sony 30" Widescreen KV-30HS420. It's about $950. The review was in the 11/04 issue of the magazine. Check it out.

I'd suggest a look at the Home Theater Forum for a more specific discussion of HDTV choices.
posted by JDC8 at 8:35 PM on January 5, 2005

I bought the Sony 30" Widescreen. I don't know what you mean by 'low end' since it runs about $900 or so. It's a spectacular tv, with great picture quality, and numerous connections, including HDMI (the future input/output for pure digital-digital picture and sound quality). I'd highly recommend it and it apparently has a better quality picture than plasma televisions of the same size according to what I read, I can't site it, but trust me. The downside: heavy as hell and bulky. It's about 150 lbs and the box is enormous. Bring a friend and a big car to wherever you go and buy it. And make sure you have a strong tv stand. It's more expensive than the comparable Toshiba because it's a Sony and it's progressive scan.
posted by Arch Stanton at 9:32 PM on January 5, 2005

I have a Samsung TXN3071WHF (was $1170 Cdn @ FutureShop) and I am really happy with it after one year.
posted by SNACKeR at 9:38 PM on January 5, 2005

I second front projection! Of course, I have a basement room that's mostly dark. But if you have a TV watchin' room, there are some *sweet* projectors which can work miracles. I have a Panasonic AE700, which was $2000, but you can get great projectors for less. For an additional $100, you can get a screen, which makes it even better. Given that tiny HDTVs are still kinda expensive, it's a fun option to consider. There are even projectors that are way cheaper, or you can trade quality for brightness so it works in a worse room. Projector Central has a lot of good information.

As for normal-ish TVs, I have no idea. I have a friend who bought the smallest Sony WEGA HDTV, and loves it.
posted by thethirdman at 10:58 PM on January 5, 2005

I just got a 48" Widescreen, HDTV. I thought about getting the 30" Philips WS HDTV from Best Buy. I passed once my roomate came to help pick it up, but it wouldn't fit in the back of his car. The new HDTV has a pretty sweet picture if you ask me. All of the New Year's bowl games in HD glory!!! Now for the NFL playoff games!
posted by brent at 8:36 AM on January 6, 2005

Go to Shopping.com and do your comparison pricing there and check out the reviews. Then go find a store that sells the model(s) you like so you can determine if you actually like the picture. I wouldn't dream of spending money on a new TV without actually checking it out in the real world first. I spend too much time watching DVDs.
posted by glyphlet at 11:26 AM on January 6, 2005