Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with TV and hdtv

Recommend a graphics card for my new TV

muckster — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 09:59:50 -0800

Do I need a new video card to hook my PC up to my new HDTV? I have a Dell PC with a ATI Radeon HD 2400 graphics card. It has two connections, one DVI and one S-Video.

I used to convert the DVI to RGB and connect that to my Dell monitor at the max resolution of 1680 x 1050. The S-Video was connected to my tube TV, which worked just fine.

The new TV is a Toshiba 40" 1080p, so of course I'd like to feed it something better than S-Video. I tried connecting the RGB, which gives me a max resolution of 1360x768 -- but it leaves me with S-Video for the monitor, which is pretty freakin' ugly.

Here's the question: is there a way I can use a splitter or similar to feed the DVI (or RGB) into both the monitor and the TV at a resolution both will be happy with? Or do I have to get a new HDMI-ready graphics card? If I do, can you recommend one that might last me little while without breaking the bank? Under $100 would be great. I play the occasional game of TF2 but media is going to be the main use. Blu-Ray might be nice one day. I don't need to expand to a second monitor and would be just as happy cloning the same image on both screens. Thanks much.

Who can mount an HDTV in Lake Forest, IL?

um_maverick — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:13:06 -0800

Posted for a friend: What's the best non-Geeksquad option for getting a plasma TV mounted/configured in or around Lake Forest, IL (just north of Chicago)? Friend is looking to acquire a 46" plasma TV, and has best buy gift cards, so that's where she's going for the TV. However, it looks like buying a mount and paying geeksquad to install it is going to run $500, and most of what I've heard of geeksquad service has been.....not awesome. I recommended to her that she use a local person/company that specializes in these things and will likely be cheaper and better, but I'm not from the area so I can't help any more - any recommendations? Thanks!

White flatscreen TV around 42"?

Riki tiki — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:57:20 -0800

Looking for a good flatscreen TV, 42" or thereabouts... and white. I haven't been able to find anything that size that isn't in industry-standard black. Any suggestions?

Hard drive connection to my HDTV?

zardoz — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:30:32 -0800

In the market for an HDTV, but what should I know beforehand to ensure that I can connect it to a separate hard drive and watch videos already stored on the drive? I have quite a few videos backed up on my hard drive (Intel iMac), and I want to find out the most painless way to watch those videos on an HDTV. Most are standard quality, and a few are high-def videos I'd like to play at the native 720 or 1080 on the TV.

The TV and computer are in separate rooms, so my idea is to either use the external hard drive I have now (about 300 gig capacity), and unplug the thing, walk it over to the TV and connect it. Not very elegant, but I wouldn't be doing this much. Also, memory is getting cheaper and cheaper, so I'm fine with buying another separate hard drive for this; in fact, that's probably the best idea.

Past that, I don't know...anything. Are there multiple kinds of cables I could connect the hard drive to the TV? Is just a USB port an option? What kind of connection is necessary there? Is this what HDMI is for? Firewire?

And if/when I get the hard drive connected, what kind of interface would be available to "talk" to the TV? I'm guessing this depends on model and brand. It seems that lots of people use XBox 360s for this, or maybe Apple TV or an Apple Mini....would these be good purchases for this plan?

So what are the key things I need to know to get this to work?

Help me design a new home entertainment system.

ColdChef — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:08:04 -0800

My old tube television has died a terrible sputtering death. Help me get over my sense of loss by assisting me in replacing it with a new HD television and entertainment system. Here are my needs: I'm working with a budget of around $2000. I want a HD LCD television set that's between 46-52 inches. I currently have an old-style Tivo box, a decent DVD collection, a Playstation 2, a Nintendo Wii, a DVD/VCR combo, an iMac, and a Netflix account.

I'm not interested in converting all of my DVDs to BlueRay, so I want a player that has a good conversion system for old DVDs. I'm fighting the urge to get a Playstation 3, because I have a tendency to spend too much time playing games--but I could probably justify it with my wife if it's the best option.

Here's what I'd like to be able to do: have 2 or three game systems hooked up simultaneously, stream Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu from my iMac.

Should I upgrade my Tivo to the Tivo HD/XL? Would that keep me from having to get the PS3?

Also: my home is very Mac friendly, but I've never really looked at the AppleTV. Should I?

So here's what I'm looking at:
HD LCD Television
BlueRay Player
New Tivo?
Whatever will allow me to stream Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu

Thanks in advance.

Bigger without Blurrier

rahnefan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:52:27 -0800

How can I get a DVD movie to fill (at least one axis of) my screen without compromising the picture quality? Two years ago we were given a Samsung HDTV, something like 32 inches wide. In the settings, we generally have "Size" set to Just Scan. For normal TV or the HD channels, this works fine. For movies however, there's a problem.

Mrs. RahneFan and I are two different kinds of grumps. I won't watch anything visually intense if the picture quality is sabotaged by intentional distortion of the picture. A circle must be a true circle and the human body must have correct proportions. Details meant to impress me are things I don't want to miss. And nothing should be cropped. Conversely, detail, proportion, and seeing something as it was intended to be seen do not matter much to her, but she hates the so-called black bars probably more than your grandmother does.

Movies on cable channels only display undistorted if we change the resolution to 4:3 instead of Just Scan. So we flip back and forth for that, not a problem usually. But...

DVDs, when the TV is set to Just Scan, display in lovely, crisp detail, but do not fill our screen; the black borders she despises appear above, below, and on both sides. I see the movie, not the black, but like her, I would rather it filled our screen on at least one axis or the other. We have GOBS of space on all four sides, so why can't it be bigger?

The player is a Pioneer, don't even remember how old it is.

The only other options that appear available are 16:9 (unacceptable stretching), Zoom 1, and Zoom 2. Zoom 1 and Zoom 2 are both blurry and crop the movie on all four sides. For example, parts of DVD menus don't even appear onscreen at those settings.

Is there some way to maintain the clarity and detail of a DVD and have it large enough to fill our screen on at least one axis, without stretching or cropping the picture? Some way to make it automatically enlarge whatever is playing, regardless of aspect ratio, until it touches either the vertical or horizontal edge of the screen?

I am aware that movies can be shot in a wide variety of aspect ratios, and that DVDs can be edited with hard matting etc. Will it require knowing exactly what every movie's aspect ratio is and whether or not it has been matted and how, and relearning all this crap every time, and making some odd specific combination of settings to get it right? Shouldn't the technology be smart enough to do this on its own by now?

Recommend me an LCD TV!

Alterscape — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:33:56 -0800

I'm thinking about getting a 32"/37" LCD TV. Primary applications are DVDs (and I guess, now, BluRay), NetFlix/Hulu streaming, and an existing PS2. I'm also eyeing the PS3 (or a Wii?) but haven't made a decision yet. We don't have cable/satellite, and don't typically watch over-the-air. What factors should I be considering? I'm looking into a modern TV to replace our ancient 13" CRT. My budget is flexible, but I'd like to keep it around $500. Right now I'm looking at the Vizio line, through Costco. There are a couple of $550-ish sets -- one 37" 1080p, and one 32" 120Hz 1080p. I've checked out the AVSForum reviews for both, and they seem generally positive -- mid-to-low-end sets with features and performance to match, but okay quality.

Questions: Given the applications I've listed, where is my money going to be more useful -- the bigger screen, or the faster refresh rate? Am I missing any other obvious considerations I should be paying attention to? Brands I should be paying more attention to? Other places to get a better deal? I like Costco because of the warranty/return service, but I might be persuaded if I can get significantly higher quality for the price, or lower price for the same quality.

Help me bring my living room into the future!

COBRA! — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:14:04 -0800

My wife and I are finally getting around to getting an HDTV soon. When we do that, we want to adjust the setup in our living room to reflect the way we consume entertainment these days. Part of this means the VCR gets chucked, of course. But more
importantly, we're trying to figure out the most cost-effective way to
get content from our 2 main online sources, iTunes and NetFlix, onto
the screen. And be able to run DVDs, and have a
basic-cable-for-the-broadcast-channels hookup.

The options, as I see them (and part of the reason I'm asking this
question is that I assume I'm missing something):

- Roku + basic cable. Great, except we can't buy shows from iTunes.

- AppleTV + basic cable. Opposite problem. Can't stream from Netflix.

- Cheap, web-connected computer + basic cable. Seems like a winner,
but involves more of an outlay (this is more or less what we do now,
except that it's my wife's laptop that gets laboriously hooked up
every time we want to watch something). Plus then there's a desktop
box sitting in our living room. And, assuming the setup wound up like
our current laptop hookup, we don't have remote control of the sound.

Is there an angle I'm missing? A way to optimize one of these options? Help!

PleaseDon'tJudgeMeFilter.

halogen — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:30:29 -0800

I have a bunch of HDTV shows recorded on a HD DVR. How can I make a video compilation without knowing anything about video editing? Complication: Linux household. I suppose that step one will involve buying a HD TV tuner for my computer, won't it (our Motorola DVR has all the standard outputs and for some reason, two USB connectors – not sure what for)? Can you recommend a product that will work with my Ubuntu desktop?

Once the tuner has been purchased, what do I need to know about transferring the video from the DVR to my computer? Also, what Linux software would you recommend for video editing?

Should I expect to have to deal with DRM at any point in the process?

The show happens to be Toddlers & Tiaras (Wednesdays are girls' nights) and boyfriend, for some reason, gets a kick out of the ridiculous head-nodding/pouty lips poses that I've been showing off lately. I want to make an collection of the most ridiculous scenes along those lines.

What kind of TV should I buy?

grouse — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:50:03 -0800

Help me buy an HDTV. I am looking to purchase a TV for my living room. I have about 5 ft of horizontal space for the TV (plus anything that goes alongside like speakers I may want to buy in the future) and will be viewing from 9 ft–10 ft away. I plan to use this TV almost exclusively to watch recorded media. This will be DVDs at first, maybe a Roxio or a Blu-Ray player someday, but there's no hurry.

Based on this I figured a 42" 720p TV would be my best bet.

The question is now what? I tried to look up some reviews on Consumer Reports and CNet, but the models turn over in this market so quickly that they all seem outdated, even the reviews from four months ago. When I try to search for the previously recommended models they seem to be out of stock. I'm not sure how much sense it makes to pick the new TV based on previously well-performing brands.

Once I pick the TV, then there's the question of how I get it to my second floor apartment with no elevator. I live in Seattle. I don't have a car but I could always rent one or a pickup truck through Zipcar if necessary, but of course this adds to the cost. Front door shipping will be inconvenient, since I don't think I can lift any of these things on my own and will have to convince a friend to help at the random time when the package arrives.

I started looking just based on cost using deal web sites and Google Product search and found a couple of options. First is this Panasonic Viera X1 TC-P42X1 for $510 including standard shipping from the dodgy-seeming BuyinShopping (Googling the merchant yields a stream of caveat emptor "it's too good to be true" warnings on other fora). The other cheap option is this LG 42PQ30 at BuyDig for $738 including $50 for "white glove" shipping (a big plus for me). I would probably buy this but I thought it was worth asking for other suggestions given that this is my first TV purchase.

All thoughts welcome.

New HDTV Owner, Hookup with my Mac Mini?

gramcracker — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:47:33 -0800

Just bought a Sharp Aquos LC37D43U and am planning to use my G4 Mac Mini for at least a DVD player--but can I have it do more? And how would the setup work? I'm a computer techie, but all this TV stuff is new to me. Still trying to decide if I want the huge monthly cost of cable.

1) I'm assuming there's no way to hook up my cable (or just antennae) to the TV, and then have the Mac Mini pull the TV signal from the TV back to the Mac Mini, for DVR functions, right? (ie: use the TV as an output.) Also, are there DVR options for a Mac/Mac Mini, or should I just chip in and get a TiVO or DVR from my cable company, RCN?

2) Re: #1, so if I wanted to do any of that, I'd need a TV Tuner for my Mac Mini, right? And for most people they use EyeTV, hook up their cable to the EyeTV, and then run the output thru their Mac into their TV?

3) To use Boxee or Plex, I just have to have my Mini connected to the internet and then connect the Mini to the TV, right?

So I guess in summary, my question boils down to:
* Are there DVR options for the Mini, and how do they work (or should I just get a TiVO) and
* How do I use my Mac Mini as a media server/Boxee/Plex with my new TV?

Help me make sense of hdtv technology

Mael Oui — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 23:47:37 -0800

I'm looking to buy my first HDTV. I know little to nothing about technology, and it seems that all of the discussions and guides online are geared towards very savvy technophiles looking to spend big bucks on a very precise level of viewing and audio perfection that I neither need nor want. Please help me understand what all of these weird terms mean and what I actually need in order to watch tv and vhs/dvd videos. A lot of my questions stem from what I see in the weekly store circulars. I check the prices there, and I see a lot of specs that make no sense to me. When I research terms like 'hdmi' and 's video', I get a lot of techolingo that I don't understand. I need explanations in pretty much the simplest terms imaginable. Pretend your explanations and advice is being directed at an elderly loved one (no offense to elderly people - many of them understand this better than I do, but that hypothetical level of simplicity and patience will be necessary here). I have a lot of questions. I'm going to bold the direct questions, but all the non-bolded stuff explains my particular situation and televisual desires.

I'm looking for an hdtv that is between 15" and 19". I can't afford (and I don't have room) for anything much larger. If I found a good deal on a 20" or 22", that might be alright. This tv must have a digital tuner. There's no sense spending a few hundred dollars for something I still have to hook a converter box to. I bought a converter box, but I haven't tried to set it up yet. I looked at the manual that came with it and almost died (that's how technophobic I am). I don't have cable currently, and I'm not planning on getting cable (or a satellite dish), so I don't have a cable box to hook up. I don't have a dvr or any sort of speaker/home theater system. Currently, I have a tv that is over 10 years old hooked up to a vcr that is slightly newer. This tv has an antenna, and I receive about ten channels over the air. The set-up for the new tv won't be much different. All I'm planning to hook up to the new tv is my old vcr and a new dvd player (a standard one - nothing upconverting or blu-ray) OR a combination vcr and dvd player. Also, my tv will be in no way connected to my computer ever, so I don't know what this whole 'pc input' business is. Okay, so to clarify: no cable, I just want to hook up a vcr and dvd player (two items) OR a combination vcr/dvd player (one item). Okay? I hope that was clear.

Here are my questions:

1. What's the difference between 'full HDTV' and 'HDTV' (as cited in store circulars)? I'm not concerned about a mind-blowing viewing experience. I really just want to be able to watch a handful of shows on network tv and all my old vhs videos and dvds. I don't need to feel as if I am actually ON the Lost island.

2. What does 19" CLASS mean? Is a tv that has CLASS better than one that doesn't have it? Once again, this is wording that I see in the ads.

3. What's with all the different inputs? What are they? Which do I need? What cables will I need to buy? I see a lot of tvs that come with multiple (or one) hdmi inputs, multiple (or one) component inputs, a pc input, an s video input, and an a/v input. I've even seen something called an RF input and an RGB input. And a composite input! What in the world are these all for?!? Which do I absolutely need? Once again, I'm just looking to watch tv over the air and hook up either a vcr and dvd player (two items) OR a combination vcr/dvd player (one item). Nothing else. No cable, no video game systems, and no sound system. Okay, based on that information, which of the many inputs listed above do I absolutely need in my new tv? Based on what I've said I might hook up to the tv, how many of each input would I need? Would I need more of some inputs if I were to hook up separate vcr and dvd players? What wires will I need for each of the inputs? Will any of these wires be packaged with the tv or the dvd/vcr? If I still end up using my old vcr, can I use whatever kind of wire I have hooking it up to the tv now? Are there any wires that I will have to buy separately? Will I need an HDMI cable? How many of each type of wire would I need?

4. Antennas. Currently, I use rabbit ears on top of my set. We don't have an antenna on the roof. Will I probably need to buy an antenna to go with my new hdtv? Will it have to be a special digital antenna?

5. I've read that not all tvs in stores are ready for the digital conversion. What will the boxes say to confirm that it is ready for digital tv and that I do not need my converter box? 'Digital tuner'?

6. VCR and DVDS. Will older vcrs work with hdtvs or will I have no choice but to buy a new one? Will new hdtvs work alright with a standard dvd player (one that doesn't upconvert or have blu-ray)? Is it a better idea/worth it to get a television with a dvd player built in?

7. Are there any websites (or tech forums) that explain these terms/technologies for people who aren't tech savvy and aren't looking to trick their living room out? Are there any sites that provide basic information for technophobes about choosing tvs/dvd players, setting them up, and troubleshooting difficulties? Finally, are there any sites that review by brand and don't push the larger and more expensive technologies?

(As a sort of aside, I'm thinking about buying the Memorex 19" that's on the cover of the Target ad this week. Is Memorex recommended? I do google brands and models for reviews, but I don't see much info for the smaller sets and Amazon reviews haven't been too helpful.)

I know I've asked a lot of questions.. I'm sorry! Thank you to whoever reads the bulk of this post and actually attempts to answer any of the questions. It's VERY much appreciated! Thank you again!

Make PS3 games use 1080p?

Who_Am_I — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 08:08:22 -0800

How do I force PS3 games to play at their optimum resolution? I've got a PS3 hooked up to a 1080p native TV (Philips 42" LCD, can't remember model number) via HDMI. When I leave all the PS3 video settings alone, 720p-capable games play at 720p, but 1080p-capable games also play at 720p. If I disable 720p output from the PS3, then 1080p games go up to 1080p, but 720p games go down to 480p. I'm getting sick of switching the video setting around every time I play a different game, and I feel like I have to be missing something here. Why won't 1080p games use that resolution normally? How is this supposed to work?

Over the air HD?

ruwan — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 12:48:55 -0800

HDTV filter: I recently bought a new HDTV with a built-in tuner. When I auto-tune over the air, I receive about 6-8 channels clearly, but none in HD. (Most CBS/FOX/ABC sports and local news are broadcast in HD, but I only seem to get them in non-HD.) Am I doing something wrong or do I have to buy an HDTV antenna from my local Radio Shack (if so which one should I buy?) - The new TV: Samsung LN40A500.
- I know I am not able to receive HDTV through my cable provider (private housing complex), so that's not an issue.
- I am in Westchester County, NY. According to AntennaWeb, there are many over the air HD broadcast stations.

Can I still be one of the cool kids with 720p resolution

Saucy Intruder — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 08:24:50 -0800

I grabbed a 42" LCD television made by LG, on sale at Circuit Bankruptcy for $750. I saved a couple hundred bucks by choosing one with 720p/1080i resolution rather than 1080p. Am I a dumbass or a genius? Intended uses: Standard and hi-def digital cable from FIOS with maybe a 5-foot viewing distance; low-intensity gaming (of the Wii variety); low-to-moderate DVD watching (but we don't run with the finding-nemo-hi-def-bluray crowd.)

Any drawbacks to jumping on this now?

A question about digital TV antennas in SE Portland.

concrete — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:30:33 -0800

A question about digital TV antennas in SE Portland. When I shipped out to the Navy, I left my parents set up with two digital TVs: one HDTV and a conventional set with a set-top box. The old ¨rabbit-ear¨ antennas work well enough, but they require readjustment every few hours or so. What would be a superior replacement? They live in Southeast Portland, near Mall 205.

Priorities:
-Do not require frequent readjustment
-Do not require external installation or wiring through walls
-Difficulty in establishing initial setup is not a huge problem as long as it stays set up for extended periods
-Gets every channel available

Let me know if any other information would help.

Help me dial in digital TV in Portland

chrchr — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 10:37:33 -0800

I canceled my cable and switched to OTA digital using a Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1950 tuner and a cheap amplified antenna. I'm getting great reception on all channels except KPTV, where there are enough dropped frames and signal interruptions to make the station unwatchable. Can you help me watch the Seahawks this afternoon? In Portland, all of the broadcast towers are placed on a hill just to the west of the city. I live in Northwest Portland, about two miles from that site. I'm getting strong signals for KOIN and KATU, and the signal for KGW is weaker but good enough. KPTV is the only station I need that I'm not getting. I live on the third floor of an apartment building, and I've got the antenna on a six foot high shelf. By the looks of it, I just need a little bit more signal. The Hauppauge software has a signal monitor that shows a signal to noise ratio of about 19 on KGW, and on KPTV I get about 13 to 16. Thanks for your help.

Why the DTV lag?

middleclasstool — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:04:43 -0800

Why does a tv station's digital signal lag behind its analog signal? We're one of those annoying families that refuses to pay for TV. We forked over the cash for an HDTV with a digital tuner, and absolutely love the results -- more channels, better quality, total freeness.

But we've noticed a weird thing. Our other two TVs are still on rabbit ears. One of them, in the kitchen, is well within earshot of the HDTV in the living room. Yet if we have the same show on both TV sets, there is a distinct lag, not more than maybe two or three seconds, between the two shows.

This happens on all networks, so I know it's not a channel-specific thing. I haven't timed it, but I'm positive the lag is precisely the same length regardless of the channel, too.

Is there a technical reason for this lag to occur? I know the DTV signal is actually being transmitted on a totally separate frequency (channel 2's digital channels, 2.1-2.4, are actually broadcasting on channel 5's frequency, for instance), so what could be the reason for the delay?

How do I rotate a coax feed?

MrMulan — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:29:20 -0800

Can a cable feed be rotated 90 degrees on a monitor if the signal comes in through coax? I need to hang a HDTV vertically and show a live feed. The monitor doesn't have an option to rotate the image. When done with VGA, the video card usually has the utility to rotate the image. Is there an equivalent for coax?

My boss wants it hung vertically for aesthetic reasons.

Why does part of my TV screen look like its eyes are crossed?

jbickers — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:12:45 -0800

The colors on the right-hand side of my projection HD-TV are slightly out of phase ... what can I do? I have a three-year-old 1080i projection TV, and I've just noticed that on roughly the right one-third, the red and green colors are slightly out of phase (if that's the proper term) with one another. It became noticeable when I set up my new Xbox and went to the menus - the A and B buttons in the lower-right corner, for instance, are very blurry, each of them looking like two circles that don't quite overlap. It gets better as you move to the left; by the mid-point of the screen, it's perfectly fine.

Is this a regular maintenance thing for big-screen units? Is there something I can do to recalibrate it? Anything else that might be causing this? (The cable box and Xbox are on that side of the screen by spatial necessity, for instance - could that be causing it?)

I need my Guitar Hero

Navelgazer — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 10:13:58 -0800

HDTV's that don't cause video game lag? I'm in the market for a new TV in the near future, but I'm worried about HDTV's causing crippling video game lag from PS2's and other previous-generation systems. Does anyone know which new HDTV's don't have this problem?

I gave up TV. Now help me buy a TV. (...Or a humongous monitor for my computer/dvd player.)

jkl345 — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:43:11 -0800

A couple months ago, I sold my old Sony Trinitron and gave up TV. It's been fantastic and I haven't really looked back. But I *have* been missing watching movies on a screen bigger than my 15” laptop. I've also always wanted a bigger monitor for my laptop, so I can juggle more projects at once. So I'm starting to look around for a large LCD monitor or sizable HDTV to serve these needs. I've had a couple co-workers at previous jobs tell me they use an LCD TV as a monitor and they swear by it for cost savings and multi-functionality. I'm kinda clueless though and need your advice. I've read through some similar AskMeFi questions, but most of them were from 2005 and 2006, so (in theory) the technology should be getting better. I won't accept anything short of a 1920 x 1080 resolution, so that should help with the resolution issue... or maybe I just totally misunderstood the problem with using a TV.

My budget:
I'd be willing to pay around $500, up to $1500 for a perfect device, although I'd prefer to go cheaper. 40" is probably the perfect size for the room it'd be in. (I don't need a 60 inch monitor necessarily but I kinda feel more comfortable paying $1000+ for a 60” DLP HDtv with tons of hook ups and multiple HDMI inputs, than paying $1000+ for a 32” LCD computer monitor. Am I missing some huge advantage over the 32” monitor?)

My needs:
- Widescreen, HD resolution
- Over 30 inches, ideally (Uh, less than 60”, I think)
- Able to plug my laptop into it to use as a big monitor
- Able to plug my DVD player into it (so I don't have to keep using my laptop as a DVD player)
- Able to plug a possible future Blu-Ray or Xbox device into it and get full HD quality
- Cheaper is obviously better, but I don't mind splurging for something really cool or high quality that will last me forever (No plasmas! I don't want to derail things but I've had 3 friends with horrible experiences using Plasmas. So, no plasmas.)

Would be cool:
- Thin profile (LCD's are cool, but not mandatory)
- Having the whole TV tuner/remote/speakers option might be good for resale and useful in special cases (Superbowl or entertaining guests)
- The ability to rotate (from portrait to landscape) is cool too. (I realize this contradicts the previous request since I don't think any TV's can do this. But wouldn't it be cool?!)

Any specific recommendations on models, tutorials/guides that have been helpful to you or general real world anecdotal advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Is this the right time to buy a HDTV?

Vindaloo — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 10:52:03 -0800

Is this the right time to buy a HDTV? My current television is a 27” Panasonic CRT that I bought in 1997. In 2002 the sound and picture started interfering with one another and I paid $200 to have it repaired; and it has worked very well up until recently when the same symptoms as before are occurring (mainly a large buzzing noise on some channels, and/or a slightly degraded picture on others). So now I am faced with the choice of either repairing my old TV or buying a new one. The advantage of keeping the old TV is that I get to hold on to my money, but a new TV will allow me to hook up my PC to it and watch downloaded videos on a big screen, plus the added advantage of high def hockey!

After some research (including here and on avsforum) I have settled between two models should I choose to purchase: a Sony KDL40V2500 or a Sharp Aquos LC42D64U. Both models have excellent reviews, both are 42”, they both looked excellent at the showroom, and both are on sale for $1500 CAD at Future Shop. However, before I buy I have a few questions and concerns which I was hoping some knowledgeable mefites could help me with.

First: is this a good time to buy a HDTV? During the post-christmas period most stores have ongoing sales ending soon, so prices are theoretically good. However with the advent of new models and so on, will prices go down or up? Suppose I wait 2 months, would I be able to get a better deal?

Second: the salesman (who seemed to know what he was talking about, based on my limited knowledge) recommended that with the TV I also buy a special interference free power bar (roughly $160) and for my PC hookup he recommended some outrageously priced DVI to HDMI cables (roughly $200 for the 20 ft or so I would need). Are these extra expenses really worthwhile?

Third: I am worried about the quality of non-HD content on my new TV. In my experience most HDTVs pixelate quite a bit with analog content, are there settings which exist that would reduce or eliminate this problem?

Fourth: does anyone own one of the TVs I mentioned? If so, I’d like to hear your comments.

I CAN HAS HDTV?

Nelsormensch — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 11:04:24 -0800

Help me find the best deal on a 37" HDTV in Vancouver, Canada. First time purchasing an HDTV and I'm in Vancouver, BC. I did a bit of archive searching, but it seems like most of the previous questions were US-centric, out of my price range or potentially dated.

I'm looking to be in the $900-1100 (before tax) range. Seating distance is a little less than 8 ft. Given that, it seems a 37 in. LCD is going to be my best bet. I'm fine with 720p. Best Buy/Future Shop appear to be the only big chains that have competitive prices (Amazon.ca doesn't sell HDTVs). These three sets are the front-runners currently: Toshiba, Sharp, LG.

It seems like the cheapest (Toshiba) is actually the best, with a better dynamic contrast ratio (although the LG has a better true contrast ratio) and a DVI input. The LG has a two year warranty, but my credit card will provide that on the other TVs.

If anyone has any thoughts, opinions or reviews links about those brands/models, it would be appreciated. Other suggestions, about models or places to shop, are also quite welcome. Thanks!

I have a Costco card, but I'm a bit leery of getting an HDTV there, as the only credit card they accept is their in-house Amex. No credit card means I can't double warranty length and no purchase protection. It would take a pretty killer deal to outweigh those concerns. I also have friends in Seattle that I visit fairly regularly, I could conceivably grab something in the States. But due to Customs fees, getting US tax paid on it refunded, potential problems getting a US warranty serviced, etc., the price difference would have to be pretty significant.

I sort of miss only having 4 channels.

aspo — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 18:18:48 -0800

I recently bought a fancy smanchy Samsung hdtv. However it has a totally different way of describing digital channels than any listing service does. For instance, I look at listings and they what say is channel 709, my tv thinks is channel 9-1. What is going on? Is there some way to get listings and my tv to agree?