Hi everyone,

I am new to the forum and I have to say, I am the most illiterate person when it comes to home theater and I am making a change because I decided to join this forum and learned. Now, I plan to buy a LCD TV and DVD player with my income tax money but I have some questions.

1.) Is there a good site that reviews LCD TVs, DVD Players, Blu-Ray stuff...etc.etc.etc?

2.) Is it worth upgrading to blu-ray now or should I just wait?

3.) People tell me when it comes to buying an LCD, they tell me to make sure the TV supports 1080P, has HDMI ports, and also make sure the TV claims 120Hz......huh? LOL I am so illiterate. In addition to the listed specifications, are there anything else I should look for when it comes to purchasing an LCD? Viewing angle? Brightness & Contrast?

4.) What is a good online store to purchase electronics from? I know newegg.com is good for purchasing computer parts and as a matter of fact, they sell home theater equipment as well. Is Crutchfield a good website?

5.) Is Monster cable a "hyped" up brand. People tell me the cables are good but a bit overpriced and I saw the price of the monster cables and I totally agree on this one. Now, being illiterate, can I get an HDMI cable for a third of the price that performs as good as the Monster cable? In fact, is there a better brand than Monster?

Ok I am rambling here...........Thanks for any inputs provided and i greatly appreciate it.


AsicsRunner

1) You found it, just go to the proper area of this forum. also do a Google on a particular piece of gear and add the word review you should get some hits.

2) Bluray players will play your regular DVDs so why waste money on a standard def DVD player if you don't already have a player.

4) Costco has pretty good assortment of LCDs. They also have a 90 day return policy. I prefer to buy panels locally rather than risk cross country shipment. You can buy at Costco's on-line store and return locally if there is a problem. Also your local Best Buy has a massive assortment.

5) Get your cables from Monoprice.com

1.) Is there a good site that reviews LCD TVs, DVD Players, Blu-Ray stuff...etc.etc.etc?
AsicsRunner
Checkout the LCD forum or do an AVS forum search for the specific model you are interested in. You are bound to get a TON of real life info from actual buyers and users. Most people on these boards know their stuff.


2.) Is it worth upgrading to blu-ray now or should I just wait?
AsicsRunner
Personally I would never buy a DVD player right now, but it all depends on your situation. Budget, TV size, etc. My opinion aside, a good upconverting DVD player with HDMI can produce some nice images. That being said, I'd go with a nice blu-ray player that is internet enabled and has an easily upgradeable firmware so it can keep pace with any future blu-ray features.


3.) People tell me when it comes to buying an LCD, they tell me to make sure the TV supports 1080P, has HDMI ports, and also make sure the TV claims 120Hz......huh? LOL I am so illiterate. In addition to the listed specifications, are there anything else I should look for when it comes to purchasing an LCD? Viewing angle? Brightness & Contrast?
AsicsRunner
You definitely want 1080p to future proof (as much as possible anyways) your purchase. As many HDMI ports as possible (again, future proof). I know most 'older' model LCDs where only 60Hz. . . the 120Hz will get you a smoother picture movement that is good for high action movies, sports, gaming, etc. I have a 60Hz LCD and have never had a problem with motion blur. Take it for what you will. Viewing angles are pretty standard across the board in my opinion, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. As far as brightness & contrast, I would look at reviews of each LCD panel as opposed to the published specs of the panel as most companies use different methods to produce their specs, I do not believe it is a standardized system that will produce an apples to apples comparison.


4.) What is a good online store to purchase electronics from? I know newegg.com is good for purchasing computer parts and as a matter of fact, they sell home theater equipment as well. Is Crutchfield a good website?
AsicsRunner
Newegg is good as is Crutchfield. In my experience Crutchfield's customer service is second to none. As will any purchase, do your research on pricing. Crutchfield will tend to be a bit high sometimes, but if you know your prices you can grab a good deal there (it is where I got my LCD 4-5 years ago). If you buy from somewhere that you haven't heard of before, be sure to do a google search on the company. You will find buyer experiences from almost any company out there.



5.) Is Monster cable a "hyped" up brand. People tell me the cables are good but a bit overpriced and I saw the price of the monster cables and I totally agree on this one. Now, being illiterate, can I get an HDMI cable for a third of the price that performs as good as the Monster cable? In fact, is there a better brand than Monster?
AsicsRunner
I'd go with monoprice.com or bluejeanscable.com. I prefer monoprice presonally.

Your post references Home Theater and so I will share that our personal experience is that NO tv on the market today can deliver a Theater in the Home experience - for that you need a projector and a screen - otherwise you are stuck with just watching television.

Nothing wrong with watching television - we started down the HT trail with a 56in 1080p TV - that's how we learned tvs don't do Theater (defined as everyone watching goes "WOW, this is just like being at the movies!!!" so we kept the nice television cause it does television very well.

If I had to start all over again I would choose minimal 5:1 surround sound and put most of my available cash into PJ and screen.
Best of Luck