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Re: TV puchasing advice needed!
#92183 04/26/05 01:24 PM
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Don't you have that nagging voice in your head saying what happens 3 years from now, when I am ready for HD, but have this relatively new TV? I guess since the one you found is HD ready you should alleviate that at least.

As for mine, I still have a 25" GE. I am looking at August of 2006 to get a new one at this point. That will be 10 years out of the current TV, prices should have dropped and quality continues to improve on LCD/DLP, and it will be just in time for football season next year! The 25" can move up to the bedroom to replace the 13" or whatever it is up there.

Re: TV puchasing advice needed!
#92184 04/26/05 02:17 PM
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Nah.
It is HDTV ready, and that will suffice.
The big motivatior for me was to get the 16/9 screen size, which I absolutely love.
Besides, I can always move it to the bedroom, and buy a new one!
Plus, I was completly boggled by the choices and technology I had to wade through when buying this one. The TV gig has just gotten insane. And I do not see putting myself through that again any time soon.
And yeah, on this front your money certainly buys WAY more than it did even a few years ago. I paid more, in real dollars, for my old 27" Proscan 10 years ago, than I did for this 16/9 Toshiba last year. Ridiculous.



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Re: TV puchasing advice needed!
#92185 04/26/05 03:18 PM
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I believe that is some good advice, Zarak. Buy a TV that will move to the bedroom well as it sounds like pmb will have a need for another larger TV in the future. It would probably be too small but I think I saw a 20" lcd for <$500 at Costco.
I also saw a Mits 65" HD CRT advertised for $1300 in the paper! I say screw the window and get that.

Re: TV puchasing advice needed!
#92186 04/26/05 06:50 PM
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Man, your options on tubes are nearly boundless. First of all, they can be had in the 32" 4:3, non hi-def style by the truckload at bargain bin prices. Second, because the tube technology is well established an a mature technology, you have a little more flexibility with regard to which manufacturer to choose from. Lastly, since the advancements in technology have been in realms other than tubes as of late, you can buy a slightly older set and not worry about the technological leap-frogging that is goign on in the DLP, LCD, Plasma world.

That said, I couldn't be happier with my Sony Wega. I have the 27" tube, and the pictureis absolutely stunning, especially with DVD content. The de-interlacer is pretty tremendous and it has a 16:9 "squeeze" function to get every last pixel of data from your dvd's. I bet if you looked, you could find a bargain on one of these.

In the alternative, check out this site, out of Virginia. They sell a lot of Smasung tubes that have been refurbished. I've bought two sets from these guys, and have been very happy with both the quality of the product and their customer service.

Re: TV puchasing advice needed!
#92187 04/26/05 07:58 PM
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In reply to:

In the alternative, check out this site, out of Virginia.


hmm, that site looks like it got good prices on plasmas too. i'll have to keep that in mind for X-mas! i can't tell if they have an actual store, or if they're only internet though. wouldn't be far of a drive from Richmond to check out some of these in person.


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Re: TV puchasing advice needed!
#92188 04/26/05 08:19 PM
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Peter, I was about to suggest looking at the Toshiba line before you posted the link. I have a Sony and love it but Toshiba's have the same quality and are a bit less expensive. You really should get an HD set. There is a pretty big difference between 480i and 480p. DVDs look so much better on an HD set than they do on an analog set.

I personally don't have a preference on the 4:3 vs. 16:9. I watch alot of full screen DVDs (tv shows). I have a 36" 4:3 but it is the equivalent of of 33" 16:9. And a 32" 4:3 would be roughly the size of a 29" 16:9 screen. The big negative in my mind with the 4:3 sets is their additional weight. The 4:3 sets are bigger than their 16:9 equivalent counterparts.

Re: TV puchasing advice needed!
#92189 04/26/05 08:43 PM
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Pete,

VERY disappointing - where is your sense of debt and upgradeitis??? This will mean demerits on your Man Card! I'll bet you even stop and ask for directions!!!!

On to the serious stuff. There is a local Stereo Shop in town and "I've got a guy" there. We have evolved over the years to having a beer together occaisionally. He knows his stuff and serves it in easy to understand chunks.

His input on CRT TVs is that they provide the best pictures - period. Start with Sony, next is Toshiba and then comes Sony, Sony and Sony. Best bang for PQ and reliability. If you are taking HDTV off the table and looking at 30" - 32", you should be able to find an excellent TV at a good price. I'd urge you to stay local if possible (and get a 16:9), just to save shipping and because it's easy to tweak a local guy's nose if required.

BTW - DVDs will look great on the CRT.

Re: TV puchasing advice needed!
#92190 04/26/05 09:27 PM
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Pmbuko,

Like Cap'n Pickard says, if you don't need HDTV, then it's bargains galore.

In CRT direct-view, Sony had the edge for many years, through the 70s and '80s, but eventually Toshiba and Panasonic equaled Sony picture quality, and for less money as often as not. There is also the oft-overlooked Hitachi, which have been excellent in the past and are certainly the equal of Sony in CRT non-HD.

Really crummy CRT sets to avoid include Sanyo, Sharp, RCA and Philips, the latter two being particularly unreliable in addition to having mediocre picture quality.

JVC and Samsung fall somewhere in the middle.

Regards,


Alan Lofft,
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Re: TV puchasing advice needed!
#92191 04/26/05 09:44 PM
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In reply to:

His input on CRT TVs is that they provide the best pictures - period.




Absolutely. No "native resolution" issues with the high-def standards and they have (by far) the best shadow detail. Throw in the lack of contouring, etc that you often find in panels of any type, and for picture quality and price, it's a no-brainer.

I would have bought a CRT but my living room is a small room on the second floor. I really didn't want to deal with the weight up the stairs and the depth of the tube once it got there. Besides, I was looking for something larger than the 32" I had, and moving to a 36" would have been somewhat less than "wowing".

Sony's XBR is my choice when money is no object; otherwise, I like Toshibas as well as Sony's lesser lines.


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Re: TV puchasing advice needed!
#92192 04/26/05 10:11 PM
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PM i had a thosiba 32 crt which i loved just got 52mh84 52 inch dlp which is treating me good so far. i would just worry that goinng from 32" 4:3 to 30" 16:9 will seem smaller to you. unless you watch 80% dvd then it wont be that big of a deal but i think widescreen at that size is not worth it. ymmv imho just my 2 cents all that.


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