HDTV Help
 

Me and my girlfriend are about to buy a TV together (yeah first big thing we have bought together. LOL) But anyone who had a HD TV help me out what should we be looking out for.

Re: HDTV Help
 

Buy 1080p the first time. If you go cheaper and pick up a 780p now, you'll probably want to replace it later just because you're going HD and you want the absolute best picture possible. As I've posted before, I have two Sharp Aquos LCD's (30" and 52") and they are awesome.

Re: HDTV Help
 

[quote=BleedBurgundy;392865]Buy 1080p the first time. If you go cheaper and pick up a 780p now, you'll probably want to replace it later just because you're going HD and you want the absolute best picture possible. As I've posted before, I have two Sharp Aquos LCD's (30" and 52") and they are awesome.[/quote]


52 probably to big since we live in my older bro's basement.

Re: HDTV Help
 

What's your budget? Amazon has [URL="http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-TH-42PZ700U-1080p-Plasma-HDTV/dp/B000QI1R94/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1197592513&sr=8-1"]Panasonic 42" 1080P Plasma[/URL] on sale for $1399 with free shipping...you won't find better quality/features/price ratio.

Re: HDTV Help
 

[quote=saden1;392868]What's your budget? Amazon has [URL="http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-TH-42PZ700U-1080p-Plasma-HDTV/dp/B000QI1R94/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1197592513&sr=8-1"]Panasonic 42" 1080P Plasma[/URL] on sale for $1399 with free shipping...you won't find better quality/features/price ratio.[/quote]


we have 4,500 dollars to spend but I want to spend at most 1500.

Re: HDTV Help
 

i haven't read consumer reports yet, but for the money, the vezio(?) that walmart carries might be the ticket for you.

Re: HDTV Help
 

Saden, love the sig.

Re: HDTV Help
 

[quote=saden1;392868]What's your budget? Amazon has [URL="http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-TH-42PZ700U-1080p-Plasma-HDTV/dp/B000QI1R94/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1197592513&sr=8-1"]Panasonic 42" 1080P Plasma[/URL] on sale for $1399 with free shipping...you won't find better quality/features/price ratio.[/quote]

I have a Panasonic plasma myself. Can't go wrong with Panasonic at all, one of the better brands out there for plasmas.

Re: HDTV Help
 

[QUOTE=dmek25;392871]i haven't read consumer reports yet, but for the money, the vezio(?) that walmart carries might be the ticket for you.[/QUOTE]

Don't buy the black Vizios that WalMart sells, if you can help it. They are of lesser quality than the ones that have the silver trim (found in Sears, Costco, etc).

Re: HDTV Help
 

[quote=BleedBurgundy;392874]Saden, love the sig.[/quote]

Do you mock me sir? You know I don't like it when saden1 [URL="http://www.redskinswarpath.com/parking-lot/19124-username-etiquette.html"]is capitalized[/URL]!

Anywho, it's a daily struggle not to exercises tyranny. Be thankful you are not afflicted with such a treacherous ailment.

Re: HDTV Help
 

[quote=EARTHQUAKE2689;392870]we have 4,500 dollars to spend but I want to spend at most 1500.[/quote]

If that's the case then you would be crazy not to buy Panasonic. Whatever you do don't go the cheap route cause you'll get what you pay for.

Re: HDTV Help
 

[QUOTE=saden1;392878]Do you mock me sir? You know I don't like it when saden1 [URL="http://www.redskinswarpath.com/parking-lot/19124-username-etiquette.html"]is capitalized[/URL]!

Anywho, it's a daily struggle not to exercises tyranny. Be thankful you are not afflicted with such a treacherous ailment.[/QUOTE]

sorry SADEN.

Re: HDTV Help
 

[quote=saden1;392880]If that's the case then you would be crazy not to buy Panasonic. Whatever you do don't go the cheap route cause you'll get what you pay for.[/quote]


thanks I will remember that S to the A to the DEN

Re: HDTV Help
 

i have a 55 inch Sony 1080p that cost around 2500.00. awesome TV

Re: HDTV Help
 

[quote=dmek25;392871]i haven't read consumer reports yet, but for the money, the vezio(?) that walmart carries might be the ticket for you.[/quote]

"As with the larger sets above, these TVs did well with the basic attributes of picture quality. The Samsung LN-T4053H is a 40-inch set with 720p resolution, generally fine for this screen size, which doesn't maximize the benefit of 1080p's finer resolution. It offers a lot for the price, including deep blacks and excellent DVD quality. Its viewing angle was typical for an LCD.
The Sony Bravia KDL-40V3000 1080p set had an excellent, detailed picture and great color. Its 720p sibling, the Sony Bravia KDL-40S3000, did almost as well for a few hundred dollars less. Both have a typical viewing angle.
The 1080p LG 42LBD 1080p set was very good across the board. The Toshiba Regza 42HL67 stands out for excellent and detailed picture quality at a good price. The LG and Toshiba had a very good viewing angle, better than most sets'."

"All three 720p sets offer very good picture quality for the price, though it's a step below the best. The Insignia had a typical viewing angle, while the Vizio had a very good viewing; we don't have data for the previously tested Olevia."
"
These four 720p sets all had excellent picture quality with all content, though blacks could have been deeper, as is often the case with LCD displays. Both Sony models displayed the finest detail and great color. The pricier and newer of the two, the Sony Bravia KDL-32XBR4, has more features and connections. The Panasonic had a very wide viewing angle-the best we've seen on an LCD TV-and the higher-priced Sony was very good. The others had a good viewing angle, typical for most LCD displays. The Samsung had great color."

Re: HDTV Help
 

Just some stuff I got from CR.

Re: HDTV Help
 

I have said this before but save the money and go 720p. Nothing coming out of your cable box or dish is running higher then 720p. Only way to experience 1080p is through Blue Ray or HD DVD, there is another $500.

480 to 720 big jump in picture quality, 720 to 1080 a step forward. There will also be the big and better thing in electronics, you just need to know when it is worth spending more money for the bigger and better thing.

But it is your money...

Re: HDTV Help
 

That's information I didn't know. So pretty much go lower if you can...?

Re: HDTV Help
 

[quote=mredskins;392960]I have said this before but save the money and go 720p. Nothing coming out of your cable box or dish is running higher then 720p. Only way to experience 1080p is through Blue Ray or HD DVD, there is another $500.

480 to 720 big jump in picture quality, 720 to 1080 a step forward. There will also be the big and better thing in electronics, you just need to know when it is worth spending more money for the bigger and better thing.

But it is your money...[/quote]

What about for PS3 and systems like that?

Re: HDTV Help
 

[QUOTE=mredskins;392960]I have said this before but save the money and go 720p. Nothing coming out of your cable box or dish is running higher then 720p. Only way to experience 1080p is through Blue Ray or HD DVD, there is another $500.

480 to 720 big jump in picture quality, 720 to 1080 a step forward. There will also be the big and better thing in electronics, you just need to know when it is worth spending more money for the bigger and better thing.

But it is your money...[/QUOTE]

Along with this, if you're buying a display under 50" and sitting at a normal viewing distance you won't ever be able to tell the difference between 1080p and 720p even if the 1080p display has a 1080p source.

I saw the math somewhere online but I can't find the link, but basically the 20/20 human eye can't distinguish a detail difference on a sub-50" display at 1080p unless you basically sit like 3 feet away from it.

In other words, if you're buying under 50" save yourself some dough and get a 720p. Over 50" you probably want to get 1080p so you'll be all set for 1080p sources in the future.

EDIT: I DID find some of the links, check these out:

[URL="http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/lcdtv/1080p-vs-720p.html"]1080p vs 720p - Is it worth it?[/URL]

[URL="http://tech.yahoo.com/blog/null/8807;_ylt=AipOHV675WHG8f0IN16iiFyIMJA5"]How Big a TV Do You Need?[/URL]

[URL="http://www.carltonbale.com/wp-content/uploads/resolution_chart.png"]Resolution Chart [/URL]

According to the middle link and it's related chart (last link), you don't even start to really see a noticeable difference in 1080p vs 720p until you hit a screen of about 80+ inches.

If you're buying an 80" display, please invite me over.

Re: HDTV Help
 

[QUOTE=mheisig;393043]Along with this, if you're buying a display under 50" and sitting at a normal viewing distance you won't ever be able to tell the difference between 1080p and 720p even if the 1080p display has a 1080p source.

I saw the math somewhere online but I can't find the link, but basically the 20/20 human eye can't distinguish a detail difference on a sub-50" display at 1080p unless you basically sit like 3 feet away from it.

In other words, if you're buying under 50" save yourself some dough and get a 720p. Over 50" you probably want to get 1080p so you'll be all set for 1080p sources in the future.[/QUOTE]
But Jessica Simpson's boobs implied that I need 1080i to enjoy Jessica Simpson's boobs. They wouldn't lie to me, would they?

Re: HDTV Help
 

[QUOTE=mheisig;393043]Along with this, if you're buying a display under 50" and sitting at a normal viewing distance you won't ever be able to tell the difference between 1080p and 720p even if the 1080p display has a 1080p source.

I saw the math somewhere online but I can't find the link, but basically the 20/20 human eye can't distinguish a detail difference on a sub-50" display at 1080p unless you basically sit like 3 feet away from it.

In other words, if you're buying under 50" save yourself some dough and get a 720p. Over 50" you probably want to get 1080p so you'll be all set for 1080p sources in the future.[/QUOTE]

On my 52" it reads the 360 as 1080p.

Re: HDTV Help
 

[QUOTE=ArtMonkDrillz;393048]But Jessica Simpson's boobs implied that I need 1080i to enjoy Jessica Simpson's boobs. They wouldn't lie to me, would they?[/QUOTE]

Jessica Simpson's boobs ARE the exception to this rule. They look better and better the higher resolution you go, and the screen size makes no difference.

I can personally vouch that Jessica Simpson's boobs at 2160p (Ultra-Def) on a 160" screen are...well, let's just say it was a nice experience.

Re: HDTV Help
 

She's doing a full frontal in some movie coming up.

Re: HDTV Help
 

[QUOTE=BleedBurgundy;393049]On my 52" it reads the 360 as 1080p.[/QUOTE]

What'cha mean it "reads it"?

Re: HDTV Help
 

[QUOTE=BleedBurgundy;393053]She's doing a full frontal in some movie coming up.[/QUOTE]

That'll be good in ANY resolution.

Re: HDTV Help
 

[QUOTE=mheisig;393056]What'cha mean it "reads it"?[/QUOTE]

On the Aquos it reads the signal coming in and displays whatever the resolution it is. For example, I have a DVD player, XBOX 360 and D-TV box all hooked up via HDMI. It displays 480p when playing the DVD's, 1080p on the 360 and 780p on DirecTV. So from that I assume that since all are coming in via the same type of interface that the resolution must be being read somehow.

Re: HDTV Help
 

[QUOTE=mheisig;393057]That'll be good in ANY resolution.[/QUOTE]

Uh, yeah. I don't know what the movie is going to be called, but I know I will own it. May buy it twice, just to have a backup copy.

Re: HDTV Help
 

[QUOTE=BleedBurgundy;393074]On the Aquos it reads the signal coming in and displays whatever the resolution it is. For example, I have a DVD player, XBOX 360 and D-TV box all hooked up via HDMI. It displays 480p when playing the DVD's, 1080p on the 360 and 780p on DirecTV. So from that I assume that since all are coming in via the same type of interface that the resolution must be being read somehow.[/QUOTE]

Oh yeah, I wasn't saying that it wouldn't read the signal. Any 1080p display will read a 1080p source. Heck, you could have a 10" 1080p screen if you wanted.

My point was just that even if it's displaying 1080p, at a viewing distance of 12-15 feet you won't notice the difference between 1080p and 720p on a 50" screen or less.

Re: HDTV Help
 

[QUOTE=mheisig;393079]Oh yeah, I wasn't saying that it wouldn't read the signal. Any 1080p display will read a 1080p source. Heck, you could have a 10" 1080p screen if you wanted.

My point was just that even if it's displaying 1080p, at a viewing distance of 12-15 feet you won't notice the difference between 1080p and 720p on a 50" screen or less.[/QUOTE]

When I mentioned it reading the 360 at 1080p i was just commenting on the post that said you're only getting a full 1080p source from blu ray. Just being anal. Personally, when I made the decision to spend the money on a nicer TV, I wanted it to be top of the line. My personality is just of the type that if I bought it at 780p and new there was another step up I could've gone for a few hundred bucks more--- I would've regretted the decision. that's all.

Re: HDTV Help
 

[QUOTE=BleedBurgundy;393075]Uh, yeah. I don't know what the movie is going to be called, but I know I will own it. May buy it twice, just to have a backup copy.[/QUOTE]
I was just reading that the other day, but I don't think there is a specific movie yet. She really just said that her next role [I]has[/I] to include full frontal because she thinks that's the only way she can be considered a real actress.
I think that's terrible logic, but GREAT news!

Re: HDTV Help
 

[url=http://idontlikeyouinthatway.com/2007/12/jessica-simpson-will-get-naked-wont-win-oscar.html]IDontLikeYouInThatWay.com: Jessica Simpson Will Get Naked, Won't Win Oscar[/url]

Great article on Jessica.

Re: HDTV Help
 

1080p vs 720p:Most people can't tell the difference between the two. There is definitely a cost difference, 1080p is much higher. All current high definition broadcasts are at best 720p. To take advantage of 1080p you will need HD DVD or Blue Ray DVD, an additional cost. Playstation 3 has built in Blue Ray DVD and XBox 360 has an add on HD DVD for $200. Also remember that you will need an upconverting DVD player to view your standard DVD movies in high definition. This is a must if you have a library of standard DVD movies. With an upconverting DVD player your standard DVD movies will look just as good as the high definition broadcast from cable or satillite.

Plasma vs LCD:If your HDTV will be placed in a room with a very bright light source (i.e. an outside window), you want to buy a LCD HDTV. The glare on the Plasma HDTV will drive you nuts. This is very important! If your HDTV is in a closed room or the basement with no windows, get a Plasma HDTV. The resolution on the Plasma is slightly better but do not place in a room with a very bright light source. I wouldn't buy a Plasma HDTV if I was going to playing video games. Plasma HDTV can suffer from screen burn in. Most of the newer Plasma's have circuitry that prevents burn in, but it is something to watch out for.

Component connection vs HDMI:Buy a HDTV with as many HDMI connections as you can afford. Two HDMI connections should be the minimum. Always connect your high definition components with HDMI. The high definition video and the Dolby 5.1 sound goes through the HDMI. The other alternative is to use component connection or DVI for your video source and use optical cable for the Dolby 5.1.

Re: HDTV Help
 

Oh. I own an LG 42" LCD HDTV 1080i/720p. It's the best purchase I ever made. The picture quality is unbelievable. I have DirecTV high definition, XBox 360 and a Sony 5 disc upconverting DVD player. All connected with HDMI.

Re: HDTV Help
 

Does anyone know if Phillips TVs are any good? We can get a discount on them through my company so I've been thinking about buying one once my landlord gets my cable fixed.
My sister has one with the Ambilight feature but I don't know if it's really worth the extra money.

Re: HDTV Help
 

CR says they're definitely among the top third of the brands...

Re: HDTV Help
 

[quote=ArtMonkDrillz;393117]Does anyone know if Phillips TVs are any good? We can get a discount on them through my company so I've been thinking about buying one once my landlord gets my cable fixed.
My sister has one with the Ambilight feature but I don't know if it's really worth the extra money.[/quote]

I have three HD TV's: 2 Phillips (LCD & PLASMA FLAT SCREEN) 1 Samsung (DLP REAR PROJECTION)

My favorite is the 32" Phillips LCD but, both of my Phillps are great and both have Ambilight ( hookey but the wife likes it)

Samsung DLP has great picture but has broken already once ( lucky under warrenty). Plus all of my Samsung up convert DVD players have broke too. so IMO Samsung = Crap.

Re: HDTV Help
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection;393009]What about for PS3 and systems like that?[/quote]


I am guessing here but I bet you could not tell the difference between 1080p video game graphics vs. 720p video graphics. Reason I say this is there is not a enough detail in the picture for it to make a differnce, meaning a live action shot has a lot more detail then say a video game graphic.

This is why stores usually show really bright cartoon movies on their display models, it is easy for any TV to make them look good.

A really true test of the quality of any HD TV's quality is in the blacks. If you can see details in the blacks, that is a great TV. Some TVs do a poor job of the blacks, turn them almost a gray color. Next time you watch a HD TV pay attention to someone's black hair, can you see the details in their hair or is it just a fuzz black grey mix?

Re: HDTV Help
 

[QUOTE=mredskins;393125]I am guessing here but I bet you could not tell the difference between 1080p video game graphics vs. 720p video graphics. Reason I say this is there is not a enough detail in the picture for it to make a differnce, meaning a live action shot has a lot more detail then say a video game graphic.

This is why stores usually show really bright cartoon movies on their display models, it is easy for any TV to make them look good.

A really true test of the quality of any HD TV's quality is in the blacks. If you can see details in the blacks, that is a great TV. Some TVs do a poor job of the blacks, turn them almost a gray color. Next time you watch a HD TV pay attention to someone's black hair, can you see the details in their hair or is it just a fuzz black grey mix?[/QUOTE]

Can someone explain the ambilight to me? I guess I just don't get why you'd want that.

Re: HDTV Help
 

[quote=mheisig;393129]Can someone explain the ambilight to me? I guess I just don't get why you'd want that.[/quote]

Basically it takes what every is the prime color in the screen at the time and it displays behind the screen using color lights on the side.

I think it makes a good night light when you have all the lights off and you need to get up and piss. On a serious note it is kind of cool when something blows up on the screen because it lights up the whole room.

In reailty Phillips marketing/development said we need to think of something that sets us a part from the rest of the herd, thus the birth of ambilight.