[kleinwl]

My wife is really pressuring me to buy a HD tv. I don't want to mostly because I don't have the chips to buy a good tv and sound system.. and I don't want to waste money (or get stuck with) on a mediocre tv and no sound system. We have a 27' CRT which is only 6 years old. She wants a 37" - 42" HDTV (prob LCD)


So these are the reasons I've used:

1) HDTVs are falling 30% in price per year AND better tech is always coming out.


2) The new HDTVs announced at CES (which are much superior to the old ones) will not be available until March/April.


3) Directv (which we have) doesn't even have many HD channels. Not until 3rd or 4th QTR (new sats) will there be a reasonable line up.


4) We just got a DVR (about 6 mo old) that will have to be replaced, if we switch to HD.


5) Most HD tvs make regular television such... streched, black bars, etc.etc. It's just not worth buying an expensive TV to make viewing worse.


Unfortunately, we do watch allot of tv (either recorded or DVDs)... and all her friends and family have HDTVs (mostly 42" or 50" panasonic plasmas)... and she loves the astectics (I don't know if she really cares about the picture) of the wall mounted flat tv.


Do you guys have any other suggestions? I just want to put it off for another year (more or less) without ticking her off. Maybe by that time I can earn enough to buy a good tv and sound system to really enjoy the improvement.


edited for spellcheck.

 

[miniz]

If you cannot or will not feed your HDTV an HD signal then please do not buy one until you can do so.

 

[kleinwl]



Quote:
Originally Posted by miniz /forum/post/0


If you cannot or will not feed your HDTV an HD signal then please do not buy one until you can do so.

Oh... I can, that's not much of a problem. Though an OTA is out of the question of course. An upgrade to D*'s MPEG-4 set-top and a new slimline dish is the least costly part of the whole HD experience. Nope... I need to have a reason why I want to wait... rather than running down a buying a Viseo 37" LCD

 

[krispydancing]

u mean vizio?

 

[Mr.Malmsteen]



Quote:
Originally Posted by krispydancing /forum/post/0


u mean vizio?

No he means.."vicheauos". Yes, he means Vizio..what else could he mean? Is it really that difficult for you to come to the conclusion that he means Vizio? Hard to put 2+2?


Other reasons might be..


1. Plasma has IR/Burn in and none is immune

2. LCD has weak blacks and some with clouding, banding and other defects


Sounds like you should wait.

 

[westa6969]

You watch a CRT . . . Boring!


You experience a 16:9 LCD with HD. Huge difference.


I have no weak blacks on my LCD and millions of LCD's are sold that do not have any of the issues mentioned earlier - if your looking for a reason not to buy fine plenty will support you in that. I earn a pretty good income with kids grown and own Four LCD's with no service issues whatsoever and have owned SXRD and Panny Plasma (Yuck). Both my 45" and 57" Sharp and SXRD blew away the plasma - make sure you have a light controlled room for plasma or don't mind reflections or panel washout when the sun streams in.


You fail to mention what your budget is and viewing distance. You need a budget and you get what you pay for. It sounds like you may be limited to an Olevia, Vizio or Westinghouse or a clearance model that's being phased out.


As another responder said - don't bother unless you feed it 1080i source and perhaps an HD DVD to knock your socks off. I used to own a 36" Sony CRT and I donated it to a charity and the widescreen LCD experience still wow's me 18 months later my CRT never did and had zero regrets. Good Luck!

 

[saidiadude]

Buy the audio system first. In pieces. I.e. recvr next month. Front speakers in 2 months, rears 2 months after that, sub +2 months, center +2, etc


By the time you've finally bought and assembled the audio system, the next gen of TVs will be out and you can choose amongst them. I recommended the strategy to my uncle and it's working well so far Another bonus - prices on speakers dont drop very fast.

 

[becketma]

Don't know where you live.


Here, there isn't an local HD from the sats.


Very soon, nationals/locals will be showing reruns for the Spring, Summer into the Fall.


Why not wait until better technology hits the markets at lower prices this Fall?


Besides, the storage built into the HD DVRs doesn't seem to be adequate at resonable prices yet.

 

[drew138]

Succumb to your wifes wishes and go buy a HDTV. If this were a Milwaukee's Best Lite Beer commercial, a giant can of been would fall from the sky and crush you.

http://www.milbestlight.com/tv_spots.aspx

 

[SAAudio]



Quote:
Originally Posted by kleinwl /forum/post/0


My wife is really pressuring me to buy a HD tv. I don't want to mostly because I don't have the chips to buy a good tv and sound system.. and I don't want to waste money (or get stuck with) on a mediocre tv and no sound system. We have a 27' CRT which is only 6 years old. She wants a 37" - 42" HDTV (prob LCD)

Man, I bet tons of people on here wish they had this problem. A wife who is mad because he won't buy a new TV.


Although I probably do agree. Buy the sound system first, then a new TV next year. Good luck talking her into a new sound system without getting her a new TV.

 

[kleinwl]

Thanks for the advice guys!


As to budget and viewing distance... It's kind of a issue.... I don't really have a budget... II could scrape together $1000 - $1500... but that's it.


Viewing distance is approximately 9-1/2'... however for aestetic reasons, the size limit for the screen is somewhere around 42"... which, of course is fine for 720p.

The other point is that I live in Los Angeles... so I can upgrade to MPEG-4 and receive all my locals via direct-tv (which is one of the reasons I agreed to cut off the antenna from our house... the other being that it looked like it was part of the original house built in 1955).


Optimally, I would like to buy some Axiom Audio in walls (W3, W100, QS4, EP175) which is around $1,710. I can do all the wiring myself... so there is no cost for install. A cheap pioneer VSX-516-K/S ($200) would be fine for power... and cables would probably run another $100. Which is what I would like to start with. But... there is no point in buying an amp until I can get the scratch for the speakers. So.. that's on hold. (Yes... I could downgrade to something more reasonable in price... but I think that this is the only time I'll be able to buy speakers so.. I plan on waiting till I can afford something I want.... otherwise I'll always be stuck with a HTIB). And yes - on/wall or in/wall... otherwise I'll be stuck with little BOSE like speakers for aestectic reasons again.


Ok... so what for a tv? I'd like a 42" or 46" Sharp D92... but really that's too expensive. So... how light controlled is the living room? Somewhat... but not really. It merges with the kitchen, which faces south and only has blinds... which allow allot of light leakage. So... I think that a plasma is probably not the best choice... but it is possible. If I had to purchase something now... I would probably go plasma... with a panny. Of course, even a TH-42PX60U panny is $1600. (A vizio is at least $1000).


So.. anyway... I want to wait till I can afford something that's nice without giving up my dream of having a nice system.

 

[kleinwl]

Oh BTW... I have to say that the demos at best buy and my wife's family houses don't impress me much with HD.


Yes, I read EEtimes, and AVSforum, and audioholics... and I know that you need a good signal to experence good HD... but really, why are all these people buying if THAT is what their seeing?

 

[mhiero]

Yea, if you arent pullin HD into that HDTV its worthless. unless youre running an upconv. DVD player or HD DVD or Blu Ray. and youre smart to wait till u got more bones. The last thing ya want is a crappy HDTV. theres so many things that can go wrong with them. stay strong n hold out for a nice sammy or Sony.

 

[Grinnygog]

first-time poster here.........I am wanting to purchase my FIRST HDTV. I don't want to spend a fortune - neither can I afford to. But I also want a TV that will last me for 4+ years. I had my options narrowed down to a Vizio 42" LCD and a Samsung 42" DLP. But after reading all of the posts I can find on here, it sounds like the Vizio's are pretty cheaply made. But it also sounds like the highly praised Samsung DLP's aren't for people who keep their TV on most of the day.


Our television is on from morning 'til night - about 12 hours a day.


Can I even GET an HDTV? I don't want dead pixels. I can't afford to replace lamps every 6 months. I don't have room for a LARGE rear projection TV - I need a tabletop TV.


What do you experienced experts suggest for a large family's MAIN television on a budget of $2,000 or less?


Thanks a million in advance!!!

 

[Cozmosis]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Grinnygog /forum/post/0


first-time poster here.........I am wanting to purchase my FIRST HDTV. I don't want to spend a fortune - neither can I afford to. But I also want a TV that will last me for 4+ years. I had my options narrowed down to a Vizio 42" LCD and a Samsung 42" DLP. But after reading all of the posts I can find on here, it sounds like the Vizio's are pretty cheaply made. But it also sounds like the highly praised Samsung DLP's aren't for people who keep their TV on most of the day.


Our television is on from morning 'til night - about 12 hours a day.


Can I even GET an HDTV? I don't want dead pixels. I can't afford to replace lamps every 6 months. I don't have room for a LARGE rear projection TV - I need a tabletop TV.


What do you experienced experts suggest for a large family's MAIN television on a budget of $2,000 or less?


Thanks a million in advance!!!

Sure you can get one. Get a LCD, and return it if you have dead pixels.

 

[phipp01]

Yeah it sounds like you might be "limited" to an Olevia

. All I can say is thank god I was "limited" to an Olevia. After researching Hd's for a year I purchased an Olevia and could not be happier. Unfortunately there are some of us that don't "earn" as great an income as Westa

. As a matter of fact I love my Olevia so much that for Christmas I bought my sisters family one.

. So I must "earn" enough income to purchase 2 LCD's in 3 months.