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 (9 answers 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

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