I need a new television!
September 23, 2005 3:09 PM Subscribe
I'm finally going to get a new television! Looking for recommendations on a quality t.v. that will last me for a long while.
My budget is anything under $2000. I'm looking for something with hdtv that is at least 40", of course the bigger the better! I'm looking for something that is fairly narrow, maybe under 6 or 8 inches deep. I've been looking around, but am thoroughly overwhelmed by the different options and technologies. Thanks for your help!
My budget is anything under $2000. I'm looking for something with hdtv that is at least 40", of course the bigger the better! I'm looking for something that is fairly narrow, maybe under 6 or 8 inches deep. I've been looking around, but am thoroughly overwhelmed by the different options and technologies. Thanks for your help!
If you can handle more like 12" thick, a rear projection DLP or LCoS is going to offer the best value for money at that size and budget. Plasmas vary widely in quality and any of them in your budget will be rubbish. I don't think LCDs that big are in your budget.
posted by cillit bang at 3:33 PM on September 23, 2005
posted by cillit bang at 3:33 PM on September 23, 2005
For a set that thin, Plasma is about the only 'standard' option, and you should be able find a decent 42" for around 2k.
Plasmas do degrade, but should still last a long time unless you have it on constantly. Watch out for burn-in being overhyped, it is not really that bad. Mostly just avoid leaving a static image on for a long time.
If you can control the light in your room, and don't mind needing it to be mostly dark when you watch, front projection has incredible bang for the buck. You could easily get a nice projector and an 80" within your budget.
Either way, get something with DVI+HDCP or HDMI inputs. That gives you a pure digital, copy-protected connection for receivers and HD-DVD -- so the *%#@ DRM weenies can't force you to get downgraded images.
On preview: I completely agree with cillit bang, if you can go a bit thicker the rear projection DLP or LCD sets are a great value.
posted by SpookyFish at 3:42 PM on September 23, 2005
Plasmas do degrade, but should still last a long time unless you have it on constantly. Watch out for burn-in being overhyped, it is not really that bad. Mostly just avoid leaving a static image on for a long time.
If you can control the light in your room, and don't mind needing it to be mostly dark when you watch, front projection has incredible bang for the buck. You could easily get a nice projector and an 80" within your budget.
Either way, get something with DVI+HDCP or HDMI inputs. That gives you a pure digital, copy-protected connection for receivers and HD-DVD -- so the *%#@ DRM weenies can't force you to get downgraded images.
On preview: I completely agree with cillit bang, if you can go a bit thicker the rear projection DLP or LCD sets are a great value.
posted by SpookyFish at 3:42 PM on September 23, 2005
You're going to discover really quickly that digital cable or a satellite dish with HiDef is a must and that you'll probably be pretty disappointed with the HD content you can pull down over the air.
As the owner of a slightly older Samsung (TX-P3071WH) with a built in ATSC tuner I would strongly disagree. We get great content via the locals Over The Air. The only channels we don't get OTA in our market are ESPN, Discovery HD, and InHD (and the only way to pick up CBS and UPN is OTA, so cable buys you all of one extra channel).
I'd check both AVS Forum's Local HDTV Info and Reception area and Atennaweb for info on what's available.
I'd also avoid spending extra money for big names. Sony TVs demand a premium, but in side-by-side comparisons they've never seemed all that more impressive to me. You'll likely be more than happy with one of the slim Samsung TVs, like the TX-R3079WH.
Use the money you saved to upgrade your audio receiver to something capable of 5.1 (at the very least).
posted by togdon at 3:50 PM on September 23, 2005
As the owner of a slightly older Samsung (TX-P3071WH) with a built in ATSC tuner I would strongly disagree. We get great content via the locals Over The Air. The only channels we don't get OTA in our market are ESPN, Discovery HD, and InHD (and the only way to pick up CBS and UPN is OTA, so cable buys you all of one extra channel).
I'd check both AVS Forum's Local HDTV Info and Reception area and Atennaweb for info on what's available.
I'd also avoid spending extra money for big names. Sony TVs demand a premium, but in side-by-side comparisons they've never seemed all that more impressive to me. You'll likely be more than happy with one of the slim Samsung TVs, like the TX-R3079WH.
Use the money you saved to upgrade your audio receiver to something capable of 5.1 (at the very least).
posted by togdon at 3:50 PM on September 23, 2005
My budget is anything under $2000. I'm looking for something with hdtv that is at least 40"
You won't find it. You'll find hd sets for ~$2K, but if you hit avsforum or other sites you'll see long lists of complaints about them, so I would not expect quality or longevity. You could always get lucky, though.
I'd save my pennies until I had ~$3500 to drop, or get a 34" 16:9 tv now for ~$1K and start saving again. It's also likely that while you wait, the sets that are $3500 will drop in price.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 3:55 PM on September 23, 2005
You won't find it. You'll find hd sets for ~$2K, but if you hit avsforum or other sites you'll see long lists of complaints about them, so I would not expect quality or longevity. You could always get lucky, though.
I'd save my pennies until I had ~$3500 to drop, or get a 34" 16:9 tv now for ~$1K and start saving again. It's also likely that while you wait, the sets that are $3500 will drop in price.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 3:55 PM on September 23, 2005
For a recent (as in, published today) review of HDTV, see this slate.com article. It supports what ROU_Xenophobe says about quality of under $2K sets.
This paragraph (from the article) might be relevant, if you're willing to consider something smaller than 40":
Last year, I noted that if you didn't need a screen larger than 34 inches, there was no better set than Sony's $2,200 XBR910, a high-definition TV utilizing a cathode-ray tube (aka "picture tube"). I saw no CRT televisions at this year's expo—the first time that's been the case. It's nonetheless worth noting that Sony has upgraded the 910 to the XBR960. I've seen it on the Internet for as little as $1,600, and the picture is still terrific. It's HDTV's best bargain.
posted by WestCoaster at 4:09 PM on September 23, 2005
This paragraph (from the article) might be relevant, if you're willing to consider something smaller than 40":
Last year, I noted that if you didn't need a screen larger than 34 inches, there was no better set than Sony's $2,200 XBR910, a high-definition TV utilizing a cathode-ray tube (aka "picture tube"). I saw no CRT televisions at this year's expo—the first time that's been the case. It's nonetheless worth noting that Sony has upgraded the 910 to the XBR960. I've seen it on the Internet for as little as $1,600, and the picture is still terrific. It's HDTV's best bargain.
posted by WestCoaster at 4:09 PM on September 23, 2005
Response by poster: Lots of things to think about, thanks alot everyone! Still interested in what others have to say as well. I guess it looks like I will have to increase my budget some.
posted by meta87 at 4:16 PM on September 23, 2005
posted by meta87 at 4:16 PM on September 23, 2005
Response by poster: Oh, and I am starting to think that I should probably get something deeper, so what is everyone's opinion on the best rear projection tvs?
posted by meta87 at 4:23 PM on September 23, 2005
posted by meta87 at 4:23 PM on September 23, 2005
Samsung makes grear DLP sets. This model fits your budget and has a great picture. It doesn't do 1080i, however.
posted by pmbuko at 4:43 PM on September 23, 2005
posted by pmbuko at 4:43 PM on September 23, 2005
I just read, in the last couple of weeks, that plasma screen TVs are expected to fall in price quite dramatically between now and October, to $1,600 for a name-brand 42-inch screen. So you might want to wait a bit.
posted by curtm at 5:58 PM on September 23, 2005
posted by curtm at 5:58 PM on September 23, 2005
See here for the previously discussed TV shopping ideas. For the one I had bought see here.
posted by brent at 6:49 PM on September 23, 2005
posted by brent at 6:49 PM on September 23, 2005
I agree that your budget is way too small for that size, unfortunately.
However, the company I work for recently did a tv show about shopping for tvs.
you'll be hard pressed to find information about this, but look around. It's called "Industrial Television." Basically, you take something like this, get rid of the flash and crap you won't use, make it slightly less "user friendly," take off $1000 from the price tag, and you get this.
What's the deal? Well, the industrial or "business class" television might not have things like Picture in Picture or speakers or a nice silver cabinet finish with blue leds or one of a thousand flashy little gimmicks to boost the price of a tv, but it's one hell of a quality television for a reduced price. Manufacturers make these tvs for businesses or industrial buildings that just need a display for advertising, messages or something like that. You won't find them at Best Buy, but newegg is awesome like that.
but you need to be aware: sometimes these things are cheap because the inputs at the back of the tv aren't what you're used to. They sell extra boards sometimes to increase the type of inputs (for DVI input, for example) which might add to the cost, so be careful to look for that, and calculate the total cost for all parts before making up your mind. Also, sometimes instead of rca component jacks at the back, these tvs might have BNC jacks. BNC is basically just an rca jack with a little twisty thing at the end that locks the jack in place. It's mostly used in edit rooms and industrial setups to guarantee that you won't lose disply just cause some oaf bumped into the unit. You can get cheap little plugs that you attach to your rca cables that make them work with bnc, though. Just check to see if you'll have to do that so you have the bnc connectors when the tv arrives. Also, I'm not kidding about the no speakers thing. You need something else to send your dvd and cable, etc... audio signal to to produce your audio. You can get cheap cd players with bookshelf speakers and a single rca audio input if you don't have anything else for like 300 bucks.
oh, and as far as crts are concerned, be aware that a 40 inch crt (if you can find one) would weigh at or above 500 pounds. Don't think you can set it up yourself or even move it anyplace once it's installed. You would need a delivery crew of multiple strong men to get it into your home and put it where you want it, and then you'd need to accustom yourself to the fact that you're never moving it again.
posted by shmegegge at 7:06 PM on September 23, 2005
However, the company I work for recently did a tv show about shopping for tvs.
you'll be hard pressed to find information about this, but look around. It's called "Industrial Television." Basically, you take something like this, get rid of the flash and crap you won't use, make it slightly less "user friendly," take off $1000 from the price tag, and you get this.
What's the deal? Well, the industrial or "business class" television might not have things like Picture in Picture or speakers or a nice silver cabinet finish with blue leds or one of a thousand flashy little gimmicks to boost the price of a tv, but it's one hell of a quality television for a reduced price. Manufacturers make these tvs for businesses or industrial buildings that just need a display for advertising, messages or something like that. You won't find them at Best Buy, but newegg is awesome like that.
but you need to be aware: sometimes these things are cheap because the inputs at the back of the tv aren't what you're used to. They sell extra boards sometimes to increase the type of inputs (for DVI input, for example) which might add to the cost, so be careful to look for that, and calculate the total cost for all parts before making up your mind. Also, sometimes instead of rca component jacks at the back, these tvs might have BNC jacks. BNC is basically just an rca jack with a little twisty thing at the end that locks the jack in place. It's mostly used in edit rooms and industrial setups to guarantee that you won't lose disply just cause some oaf bumped into the unit. You can get cheap little plugs that you attach to your rca cables that make them work with bnc, though. Just check to see if you'll have to do that so you have the bnc connectors when the tv arrives. Also, I'm not kidding about the no speakers thing. You need something else to send your dvd and cable, etc... audio signal to to produce your audio. You can get cheap cd players with bookshelf speakers and a single rca audio input if you don't have anything else for like 300 bucks.
oh, and as far as crts are concerned, be aware that a 40 inch crt (if you can find one) would weigh at or above 500 pounds. Don't think you can set it up yourself or even move it anyplace once it's installed. You would need a delivery crew of multiple strong men to get it into your home and put it where you want it, and then you'd need to accustom yourself to the fact that you're never moving it again.
posted by shmegegge at 7:06 PM on September 23, 2005
Looking for recommendations on a quality t.v. that will last me for a long while.
If you are looking for a really cool TV with all the latest features that isn't a rip off and won't break tomorrow... Others are answering that better than I could (shmegegge's answer seems great!).
You make it sound like you are looking for a TV that will last for more than ten years, and seem like it was a good investment at the end of that time... Personally, I just don't think consumer electronics work that way anymore (my marantz 2275 - pulled from the garbage - is proof that it did work that way at one time). Technology is changing quickly, and the current super cheap but mediocre quality manufacturing makes investing in quality pretty hard. Think of it the way you think of buying a computer...
posted by Chuckles at 8:10 PM on September 23, 2005
If you are looking for a really cool TV with all the latest features that isn't a rip off and won't break tomorrow... Others are answering that better than I could (shmegegge's answer seems great!).
You make it sound like you are looking for a TV that will last for more than ten years, and seem like it was a good investment at the end of that time... Personally, I just don't think consumer electronics work that way anymore (my marantz 2275 - pulled from the garbage - is proof that it did work that way at one time). Technology is changing quickly, and the current super cheap but mediocre quality manufacturing makes investing in quality pretty hard. Think of it the way you think of buying a computer...
posted by Chuckles at 8:10 PM on September 23, 2005
Response by poster: Well I never said anything about wanting it to last 10 years. Although I think that quality tv should last a while even if you don't use it as your main tv anymore. As you brought up computers, I'm currently using a 7 year old dell as a linux server so old computers can still be useful.
What I really meant, was that I wanted a computer that had technology that wouldn't be completed useless in a couple of years because they decided to go with a different standard.
Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!
posted by meta87 at 8:18 PM on September 23, 2005
What I really meant, was that I wanted a computer that had technology that wouldn't be completed useless in a couple of years because they decided to go with a different standard.
Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!
posted by meta87 at 8:18 PM on September 23, 2005
wow, marantz. I gotta say that is definitely an example of old built to last equipment. But you can still get marantz amps that'll last you forever, I think, right? I mean, that's an example of high quality expensive equipment, rather than just equipment from a long time ago.
A Sunfire Ultimate Reciever II will also last you a good long time, you just need to click the heels of your ruby slippers together to get one.
posted by shmegegge at 8:50 PM on September 23, 2005
A Sunfire Ultimate Reciever II will also last you a good long time, you just need to click the heels of your ruby slippers together to get one.
posted by shmegegge at 8:50 PM on September 23, 2005
Okay, I'm not really sure if the Marantz thing is a good example...
I had this conversation with my Mom last year. She didn't have $2000 USD to spend, but the issue is the same. At one time buying a TV was a major investment, almost like buying a car. It just isn't like that anymore, and thinking of it as 'I want to buy one that will last'... Sounded like a problem in the making :P
posted by Chuckles at 10:31 PM on September 23, 2005
I had this conversation with my Mom last year. She didn't have $2000 USD to spend, but the issue is the same. At one time buying a TV was a major investment, almost like buying a car. It just isn't like that anymore, and thinking of it as 'I want to buy one that will last'... Sounded like a problem in the making :P
posted by Chuckles at 10:31 PM on September 23, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
At that budget, you're probably going to want to avoid plasma and LCD TV's, mostly because once they get out of the 30" range, the price increases almost logarithmicly, plus you usually have to spend several thousand dollars to have them installed without voiding your warranty, or get a big ole stand. Take a look at the DLP (digital light processing) tubes coming out - they're pretty slim, great picture and fairly economical. Some of the rear projection sets are pretty slim, too.
When you're looking at the specs, make sure you get a tube that supports at least 720p/1080i - preferably 1080p. This will future-proof you as much as possible for HiDef standards coming down the pipe.
One final thing to consider is the quality of the components going into your tube. I picked up a Samsung HiDef conversion DVD player when I got my TV - while it doesn't make DVD's truly high definition, it does mean the signal going from component to tube is pure digital. When I plugged in "Pirates of the Carribean" I noticed a pretty stark difference in the blacks and in the rendered scenes. You're going to discover really quickly that digital cable or a satellite dish with HiDef is a must and that you'll probably be pretty disappointed with the HD content you can pull down over the air.
Head down to the bookstore and pick up a few copies of the home theater mags (Sound and Vision, etc), take a look at the latest reviews.
posted by jimray at 3:29 PM on September 23, 2005 [1 favorite]