Quote:
Originally posted by maynerd:
Ok guys, I am looking for an HDTV. I don't have a lot of money. Most of us work under some type of budget when we buy things and I am under that budget.
What are the most important things I should look for in an HDTV and what order would they be as far as importance.
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Hi Maynerd, I just bought an HDTV with the same limitations, so I'll share my tips/experience.
My important list:
1) Size - I had a limited space to work with and even that required me to build a new home entertainment center.
2) Picture Quality - Go to the showrooms and make sure you like the picture. Keep in mind that many of the TVs at these showrooms are not calibrated well, so don't be shy about grabbing the remote and adjusting the brightness/contrast/color/tint/etc.
3) 16:9! You can get 4:3 sets for a lower price, but all HDTV material (720p or 1080i) is 16:9! 16:9 is also greate for anamorphic DVDs (the reason I bought an HDTV in the first place).
4) 2 sets of component or RGB inputs. You want one set for an HDTV receiver box and a second set for a progressive scan DVD player. Even if you don't want those things now, you might want them in the future.
5) Get an HDTV monitor. The demodulator chipsets are still (slowly) improving. Maybe if a miracle occurs, COFDM may re-appear (don't count on it.). So, I don't recommend built-in receivers.
I also wanted 720p native display capability, but factor 2(picture quality) caused me to pass on that feature. (I didn't like the image quality of the Panasonic 56Wxxsomethingxx.)
In the end, I bought a Toshiba 56H80 and I have been very happy with it. It cost less than $3000 (I bought it off the net.) One thing it does is allow aspect ratio adjustments on all its inputs . . . something that many sets don't do. But different people need different sets depending on their particular requirements.