Which Kind of T.V?? - 10/03/05 11:07 PM
Hi I'm wondering what kind of TV to buy for HD? Room size is about 16x 12 or so. I will be about 9 to 10.5 ft away.Thanks for your help.
Re: Which Kind of T.V?? - 10/04/05 02:28 AM
I found this web page helpful.
http://h10058.www1.hp.com/digital/entertainment/us/en/theater/tvs/choose_tv3.html
http://h10058.www1.hp.com/digital/entertainment/us/en/theater/tvs/choose_tv3.html
Re: Which Kind of T.V?? - 10/04/05 03:05 AM
My personal 2 cents, but make sure you get an HDTV versus EDTV. The extended EDTV's while still giving a great picture, are not true High Def capable.
Re: Which Kind of T.V?? - 10/04/05 03:36 AM
I second what sirquack said. Stay away from anything that says, "near HDTV picture".
Re: Which Kind of T.V?? - 10/04/05 03:42 AM
The mitsubishi 52" 1080p DLP rear-projection screen is the best picture I have seen. If you aren't scared off by plasma's, their small footprint is nice.
What do people here think of the DLP-plasma comparisons?
(I don't think rear-projection LCD is anywhere near as good of picture as DLP.)
What do people here think of the DLP-plasma comparisons?
(I don't think rear-projection LCD is anywhere near as good of picture as DLP.)
Re: Which Kind of T.V?? - 10/04/05 03:56 AM
I'm not a fan of the plasma tv. Personally, I think DLP is the way to go. I spent a good deal of time researching and looking at numerous tv's and came away with a Toshiba 52HM84. Just my $.02.
Re: Which Kind of T.V?? - 10/04/05 02:17 PM
I recently purchased a RP HD monitor. I think I made a mistake. I also have seen some SD broadcasts on DLPs. My old 32" tube CRT blows it away as far as picture quality. I'll probably get flamed for this, but tubes are still the best, in my opinion. LCDs, DLPs and plasmas are too costly. Sure, the HD picture is great, but most programming is still SD, and that is where these sets get a failing grade.
Re: Which Kind of T.V?? - 10/04/05 02:54 PM
littleb, you are actually on the mark. Tubes have been known for offering the best blacks, greatest contrast, and best color. Limitations have been tube size for large images, which drove people to plasmas (cool 4" thick design, but many drawbacks of the plasma technology). Like good Bose marketing, many people fell victim to the "cool" factor of plasma. Now, for some people, the plasma was the only option to get the picture size or for TV placement, so I am not slamming anyone that has one, I am just pointing out that there are those uneducated people out there that don't do their homework first and trust the sales guy at Best Buy with their life. These are different than those people (like the ones here) that did the homework and found that the plasma WAS the best for their needs)....
Anyway, rear projection is still pretty nice. The price is good, and the footprint isn't as big as it used to be, but you are still hitting limits of the whole projection system. Even DLP (with its claims for deep blacks) still isn't as "black" as a tube.
The trick is finding a tube that does HD, is the size screen you want, and doesn't weigh a ton.
Pluses and minuses to them all. Oh, and don't trust side by side comparisons at Best Buy or your favorite electronics store. Those sets are many times just dropped on the display shelf and turned on with not tweaking, or with too much tweaking by workers and customers. One picture may look too light with low contrast compared to the unit next to it, but maybe someone turned up the brightness and dropped the contrast settings on that unit. You never know. You could start by having them reset the units to factory defaults and go from there. Good luck!
Anyway, rear projection is still pretty nice. The price is good, and the footprint isn't as big as it used to be, but you are still hitting limits of the whole projection system. Even DLP (with its claims for deep blacks) still isn't as "black" as a tube.
The trick is finding a tube that does HD, is the size screen you want, and doesn't weigh a ton.
Pluses and minuses to them all. Oh, and don't trust side by side comparisons at Best Buy or your favorite electronics store. Those sets are many times just dropped on the display shelf and turned on with not tweaking, or with too much tweaking by workers and customers. One picture may look too light with low contrast compared to the unit next to it, but maybe someone turned up the brightness and dropped the contrast settings on that unit. You never know. You could start by having them reset the units to factory defaults and go from there. Good luck!
Re: Which Kind of T.V?? - 10/05/05 04:56 PM
Well, I finally did it. I traded in the RCA for the Toshiba 51HC85. The SD channels are now watchable. The difference between the PQ of SD and HD channels isn't as severe, going from downright cruddy to darn good. Now it is like good to excellent. I can live with that. The top of the set has a shelf like mini top which facilitates the VP100 perfectly. It makes it appear as though the CC is actually built onto the top of the monitor. 
Now, for the bad news. As I was cabling up the JBL sub that I was nursing died. All it does now is hum. The M22s really need a sub. I am now the proud owner of a bassless HT. 
Now, for the bad news. As I was cabling up the JBL sub that I was nursing died. All it does now is hum. The M22s really need a sub. I am now the proud owner of a bassless HT.
Re: Which Kind of T.V?? - 10/05/05 05:00 PM
That's a perfect excuse to get a great new sub. Rejoice! 
Re: Which Kind of T.V?? - 10/05/05 05:31 PM
I guess it's HSU or SVS or Axiom or Velodyne or Cadence time. The little lady is not going to like this.
Re: Which Kind of T.V?? - 10/05/05 06:33 PM
Bruce
Everyone makes valid points. If you're interested, I can PM you some info I put together for a friend this week. He's in the same boat and he's a real newbie. I joked to him about not getting Bose and he honestly said that'd be hard to convince his wife since she's sold on Bose. AAAAAAAAAAARRRGGH!!!
I chose EDTV plasma because it fit my needs. My kid only watches her DVDs, no HD needed. My wife watches about 5% HD shows and in all honesty, she could care less if it's HD vs SD, although she agrees there's a big diff. For me, I watch about ~90% HD, strangely, I'll watch crap if it's HD... My only regret now is that I did not get a bigger screen, placing the 42" on the wall from a stand made it look smaller. Maybe I need a bigger truck to compensate...
One basic thing to remember, you only need an HD display if you actually will be watching HD. If you don't intend to get HD service or an HD DVD or Bluray player, heck, CRT might be fine. It's even a better pic.
Everyone makes valid points. If you're interested, I can PM you some info I put together for a friend this week. He's in the same boat and he's a real newbie. I joked to him about not getting Bose and he honestly said that'd be hard to convince his wife since she's sold on Bose. AAAAAAAAAAARRRGGH!!!
I chose EDTV plasma because it fit my needs. My kid only watches her DVDs, no HD needed. My wife watches about 5% HD shows and in all honesty, she could care less if it's HD vs SD, although she agrees there's a big diff. For me, I watch about ~90% HD, strangely, I'll watch crap if it's HD... My only regret now is that I did not get a bigger screen, placing the 42" on the wall from a stand made it look smaller. Maybe I need a bigger truck to compensate...
One basic thing to remember, you only need an HD display if you actually will be watching HD. If you don't intend to get HD service or an HD DVD or Bluray player, heck, CRT might be fine. It's even a better pic.
Re: Which Kind of T.V?? - 10/06/05 02:38 PM
Sure, I can use all the help I can get. Everyone at my house seems to have fallen in love with the Toshiba, though.
Re: Which Kind of T.V?? - 10/07/05 01:41 AM
With the release date of the Axiom “electronics” near on the horizon I would wait for the HP-40 first generation 3D holographic projector. The rumors are that it can achieve a transparency ratio of 94%, when properly calibrated of course.