Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler CES TV's

For those of you at CES, what was hot in TV's? Any new developments in better technologies, LCD vs. DLP, etc? I don't care too much about the 80+ inch one they displayed. I'm looking for the best quality in the 40-50" range.

i agree.. yeah, its neat they can have an 80inch big screen, but i NEVER will need that, or be able to afford it. i am looking for a 42inch LCD that is affordable. once they get an 42inch LCD-HD w/dual tuner and multiple inputs for less than $3K, then i will be interested!!

bigjohn

You might check here to see if anything catches your eye.

Zarak,
I totally agree with you about having something with a high quality picture rather than just a HUGE size.

I don't know if there was a "hot" TV....but the little time I had there, I barely saw a tenth of the show, there were MANY TV's. Most were from chinese manufacturers trying to get new business.

The big news this year is that true HD televisions should hit the market in a big way this year. 1920x1080

I think it's a riot that they're calling 1920x1080 "ultra-HD". What a crock...it's more like 720p was "sorta-HD".

I always find humor in the fact that all of these companies are coming out with huge TV that the average consumer will not touch. Here's a thought...make a quality product at a reasonalble cost.

That just tells me that I am going to have to wait a little bit longer until the 1920x1080's become affordable. I don't know that I want to get a 720P now and feel like I need to upgrade in a couple years to get the 1920.

When does it ever stop??!

Jason,

If you take that approach, you'll never get anything! C'mon - flex your upgrade muscle. This is just the kind of attitude that will get you demerits on your Man card. .

On a more serious note, a local store (where I "got a guy") has a nice viewing room. In it they have 4 - 42" to 50" Plasma TVs hanging on the wall. I had asked my guy about the difference between EDTV and HDTV and he said there's two of each on the wall, pick them out. I could only guess because they looked so similar. He said that the majority of people can't tell and are pleased to save the money and get the EDTV.

He's a big believer in the "Monster or Home Depot speaker wire? Really no difference - it's copper" school of thought. While there is a little more separation in this EDTV/HDTV discussion, my eyes told me it is not a compelling difference. I suspect that the REAL HDTV signal may be similar when you compare it to the current HDTVs. My point is - you may spend alot of time waiting. Once this REAL HDTV comes out, you will see something else on the horizon, and so on. Find one ya like and grab it.

With any luck 1920x1080 should last awhile. It's been the standard HD resolution for some time now - just not in television sets.

A tv is so expensive, it doesn't make sense to buy something now, with the intention of upgrading any time soon. That's why I'm waiting for all the 1920x1080 sets to come out...and see which one rises to the top. Then I'll buy.

I'll be taking the same approach to a new dvd player. I was going to grab the Denon 3910 with a new tv...but I'm not so sure now. That's too much money to dump on a player that'll be obsolete so soon. (HD-DVD)

I bought the 563a with the intention of upgrading. $125 player getting upgraded in less than two years is understandable...not $1000+

or Blu-Ray DVD! Watch out!

Spiff:
I'm in exactly the same boat with my Pioneer as well..

The game plan was a 3910. Then, I started getting a little annoyed that SACD still wasn't approved for the Denon Link. And, as you mentioned, the more and more time passes the less I think a 3910 would be worth it.

I'm still wondering about a compromise by going with the 2910. By many accounts, it's still a fantastic unit and half the cost of the 3910.

My gut feeling is that with a format war and the initial players being in the upper price ranges, there won't be a whole lot to tempt me with the HD players for maybe two years... maybe even a bit longer.

The funny thing is, (completely ommiting feelings of obsolence), I almost feel a little better about spending a grand on a player now and getting what I consider to be mature technology and, in essence, a top of the line player rather than waiting two years and spending a grand on a player that will likely still have room for improvement with the "newish" techniology and be available at a 50% discount six months later!

It's the last piece of my HT puzzle... and I just can't seem to be comfortable in any decision!

Yep...same exact feelings right now.

Perhaps finding a 2900 for about $500 isn't a bad idea for now. Then get a really kick butt HD-DVD player in a year or two when they finally work the kinks out.

Mark, I'm with spiff here. You've seen the other threads lately. I think the 2900 is the better palyer.

I wonder why you did not see any difference between the EDTV and HDTV, I see a huge difference. HDTV is a smooth picture but EDTV has very visible scan lines. I wonder if you were seeing a proper HD image.

Also, Sharp has an excellent new 45" LCD HDTV that is 1080p. it retails for $9000, but I have seen it for sale for around $6000. To me, that is the way to go if you can afford it.

I thought it was funny that two companies both had an exhibition containing a banner that stated "worlds largest TV".

Technically, the first company with their 80" TV was correct for a short while until Samsung opened their booth and unveiled a 102" TV.

After "auditioning" the 3910 in my home for the last few days, I'm going to say it is absolutely worth getting, IF:

- you have an HDTV with DVI or HDMI input
- you haven't recently invested money in a DVD player
- you will be smart and not buy the first HD-DVD or Blu-Ray machines on the market and instead wait a little for the kinks to get worked out (thus the expenditure won't be so close on the heels of another one)

First and foremost, the sound is incredible. It has fabulous DACs, certainly better than my not-exactly-shabby Onkyo receiver's DACs. It has a very sturdy build (as compared to the 2900, even). It also has great bass management, etc., for hi res audio playing. The macroblocking issue is, especially at 480p and 720p, invisible. It is barely perceptable at 1080i (and I mean barely).

I think the improvement in sound - bigger, deeper soundstage, in particular, make it worth justifying the expense of a new upper-tier DVD player even as the new technology dawns. The upscaling digital video output is almost a nice bonus.

I'll also add that the 3910 has digital transmission of hi-res audio, which the 2900 doesn't. Don't use it myself, though, since my receiver doesn't have Denon link or a firewire connection (or HDMI input - only my TV has that).

Thanks for the mini-review. You're not making it easier to not buy now.

Yeah, really.

Thanks.

Now I need an extra grand !

Well, if you're looking for an excuse NOT to get it, the 3910 doesn't seem to cope with DVD+Rs as well as it handles other DVD (re)writing formats. Also, the layer change seems to be ever so slightly longer than I recall with some older Denon models. Still well under a second (maybe .25 sec?), but I seem to recall older models had almost imperceptable layer changes.

That's about all I've come up with, sorry. I'm keeping it!

In reply to:

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the 3910 doesn't seem to cope with DVD+Rs as well as it handles other DVD (re)writing formats

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Damn! I only burn DVD-Rs!

It's intersting that the folks who do the DVD Shootout / Benchmark have the 3910 ranked at the top above the 5900 and have great things to say about it.

I also find it interesting that the first 15 positions in the rankings reflect 10 spots for Denon. They must be doing something right.

Although it is a bit overdue, the 5910 review and addition to the Shootout results are pending. Some early comments from Kris Deering, the reviewer, indicate an overall score of 97 and "the best DVD picture he has ever seen". Based on his background and what he does, that's quiite a comment. I'm looking forward to seeing the full review. The 5910 uses the Realta technology rather than Sage/Genesis, Faroujda or Silicon Image.

Ray, you are a video geek

And a constant source of upgrade itch.

'scuse me while I go get some extra strength ointment...