Flat Screen, Plasma, LCD HDTV... HELP!!!

[pedro]

And I don't know many people who keep their TV for more than 8, so you have to change it once on average. Big deal.

I've had the TV in my basement for 13 years.

[Redsfaithful]

I bought a Panasonic 42 inch plasma about a month ago, and I love it. It was $999 on Black Friday, but I think they normally can be found for $1300-$1700. I'm guessing that it wouldn't be too hard to find a really good deal in the $800 range with some patience.

I'll second RBA's mention of Fat Wallet, that's where I found the deal for my TV.

[bucksfan]

I've had the TV in my basement for 13 years.

We keep all of our tvs as long as they actually still deliver a decent (By our lax standards) picture. Our main living room tv is easily 11 yrs old and our kitchen tv is probably older. We have 2 "newer" sets in the bedroom and garage but nothing fancy. I don't know many people who just upgrade their tv soley because of new technology.

This is a great thread as we will certainly be looking to upgrade our living room tv when it inevitably passes on (or when one of the others goes).

[RBA]

Just live within your budget.

[GIK]

Sounds like a man with first-hand experience.

I'm sure I'll get one or the other...and soon. I'm not so good with the whole patience thing.

Yeah, about that whole patience thing...

I have none.

Picked up the XBOX360 HD-DVD add-on (for $159.99 w/ $40-off coupon at Circuit City). Can't beat that.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x...60hddvdplayer/

[GIK]

But back to TB...

TB, I definitely agree with RBA to live within your budget. I'd take it a step further and say to "live within your signal". Again, if you do not plan to order digital cable, HDTV service, etc, then a HDTV that does not play standard definition content well (ie, most every plasma, LCD, LCOS, DLP, etc that has a native high definition resolution) is going to be worse than what you had. I demo'd, in home, both a 42" Samsung 720p HD plasma and a 50" Sony 1080p HD LCOS rear projection TV and they both let me down - big time - for standard def ("regular" TV) content. Now, mind you, I rarely watch SDTV so this didn't bug me too much but my wife watches A LOT of standard definition (480i) television. Our Sony 30" HD CRT does a FABULOUS job with SD content. If the majority of your TV viewing is NOT hi-def, I (again) recommend purchasing a tube.

[Dom Heffner]

I've had the TV in my basement for 13 years.

But it probably started out as your main tv, right? Then as you got better ones, it moved downstairs, maybe?

I've had the tv in my spare bedroom for 11 years but I would never make it my main one. Good gosh, tvs have come a long way.

[pedro]

But it probably started out as your main tv, right? Then as you got better ones, it moved downstairs, maybe?

I've had the tv in my spare bedroom for 11 years but I would never make it my main one. Good gosh, tvs have come a long way.

quite correct. but I am cheap when it comes to TV's. I bought a new 27" traditional one this year for $300. It suits my needs fine as the simpsons don't really look better on high res.

[Dom Heffner]

quite correct. but I am cheap when it comes to TV's. I bought a new 27" traditional one this year for $300. It suits my needs fine as the simpsons don't really look better on high res.

Wow. I'm a technology nerd. I know I don't need to watch the Tonight Show in Hi-Def, but man, it sure looks great, so why not spring for it?

I'm awful. And the poorer for it.

[pedro]

Wow. I'm a technology nerd. I know I don't need to watch the Tonight Show in Hi-Def, but man, it sure looks great, so why not spring for it?

I'm awful. And the poorer for it.

I'd just rather spend my money on other stuff. right now I'm getting my bathroom and kitchen re-modeled. then the house is going to be re-sided. then i'm going to buy a new bike and maybe trade my car in and then maybe get some skiis.

tv is pretty low on the totem pole (although it's not like I don't watch it)

[Razor Shines]

I'd just rather spend my money on other stuff. right now I'm getting my bathroom and kitchen re-modeled. then the house is going to be re-sided. then i'm going to buy a new bike and maybe trade my car in and then maybe get some skiis.

tv is pretty low on the totem pole (although it's not like I don't watch it)

Is the weather that bad in Portland these days?

[pedro]

Is the weather that bad in Portland these days?

not yet.

[TeamBoone]

I started looking at some today but still haven't made any kind of final decision. Once I do, and see what I want in a store, I'll check out the same models on the websites RBA recommended (thanks RBA).

If I go LCD HDTV I think I've decided on either 37" or 42". Initially, I thought 32" was big enough, but after really looking at them, I don't think so. My living room is fairly large and the sofa is 10-12 feet away from the TV.

I just HATE the weight of CRT TVs. My 32" Sony took 3 men and a gorilla to move (I have no men nor any gorillas at my disposal). And I just hate to keep bothering my male neighbors to do the heavy lifting. Plus, if CRT TVs really are being phased out, I don't want to be left empty handed when cable goes completely digital. I keep my TVs until they die and don't want to have to replace it anytime soon.

Anyway, this is what I read on the box of the one that caught my eye today (the picture looked really good); let me know what you think:

Magnavox 37" LCD HDTV: $997 (regularly $1394).

- receives digital, analog, and aired local signals
- HDMI
- max 720 p display capability
- 1366x768 resolution
- 1200:1 constant ratio (whatever that means)

I also looked closely at a Symphonic 32" with a built-in digital tuner (don't know if the one above had one or not). Again, the picture looked really nice but I've not seen that anyone has recommended this brand and you guys know a whole lot more than I do.

Every single one that I saw received local digital signals.

This is just a horrible dilemma for me. I stood there like a deer caught in the headlights and most of the things I read here and thought I'd committed to memory just went right out of my head!

[macro]

And I don't know many people who keep their TV for more than 8, so you have to change it once on average. Big deal.

We're using two dinosaurs. The living room TV is a 27" Sanyo from 1993 and the bedroom TV is a 26" JVC from 1990! I never saw the need to replace these CRTs with the projection TVs of the 90s and early 00s, as I always considered the pictures on those things to be inferior to what I had. Size didn't really matter to me, so I just kept these two chugging along.

I bought the 1990 JVC at CC for $750. That was quite a bit for a TV in those days. It had the latest technology: a square-cornered screen that was black instead of dark gray, and stereo AV inputs and outputs so that you could connect it to your home stereo. My friends were really impressed that I had my TV sound booming out of floor speakers with 10" woofers! Strangely enough, the 1993 Sanyo that cost $300 at Walmart has a much better picture than the JVC, and has had for several years. It still looks great, but the lure of HD Widescreen is beginning to be too great to ignore.

The same night that I bought the TV, I plunked down $400 for a Toshiba stereo VCR, which again was cutting edge (still using it to capture old VHS tapes into the PC for burning onto DVDs). Add the $200 TV cart and tax and I was about $1400 lighter in the wallet as I made my way home to my new apartment. That apartment was the place of choice for watching the 1990 World Series with my friends! Great memories!

[RBA]

Office Depot is having a sale on all their 42" Plasma for $999. Find the same model at Circuit City and do a pricematch at the 125 percent and you got a great deal.

http://officedepot.shoplocal.com/off...depot-061228-r