wanting vs. needing--big screen tv

[BUTLER REDSFAN]

Ok...guess I'm looking for opinions...The tv in my family room works just fine. It's a 30 inch portable. I am simply being materialistic and I'm normally not that way. I want a big screen tv. I have already priced a bunch of them at Best Buy and you can get them anywhere from 40-60 inch for around $1,300-2K. I already know I can get a loan and have it paid in in a year or less(We only owe 6 payments left on a 460.00 a month van so paying it off soon shouldn't be an issue). The wife wanted new carpet and tile with the stimulus check and thats what we got and now I kinda feel like it's my turn...I love my wife and kids but sometimes you gotta take care of yourself too???(Need some guys out there to tell me to go thru with this)

[gonelong]

Life can toss you a curveball. Got hit by a drunk driver at 5:30 pm coming home from work one day. I had just paid off our other vehicle and would have had no car payments. Not so much anymore. AC stopped working yesterday, $175 later the house is cool again.

Wait 9 months and pay cash for one ... but then yeah, get one.

GL

[JayBruce4HOF]

Go get the television.

[SirFelixCat]

We have a 65" WD-65831 (Mitsubishi Diamond DLP) in the living room and absolutely love it. Also have a 50" Vizio Plasma in our office which is pretty sweet (gives off a ton of heat though) and a 37" Westinghouse LCD in the bedroom.

I mention these because each has their own drawbacks...

-DLP has a lamp inside that can be fickle and is the largest of the bunch. But an incredible picture. Thin viewing angle, if that matters to you.
-Plasmas can get really hot and give off quite a bit of heat and use a bunch of power
-LCD doesn't have as good a picture as the DLP/Plasma, but more than acceptable.

I would HIGHLY recommend getting one as you really don't know what you're missing until you watch a movie or game on them. Just fantastic.

But, my biggest suggestion is to wait until you can pay cash (just in case) as well as taking a trip over to avsforum.com. That is THE place for all electronic discussion and those people really know their stuff.

Compare, ask questions, find one and get it!

Good luck and enjoy!

[Ltlabner]

I already know I can get a loan and have it paid in in a year or less(We only owe 6 payments left on a 460.00 a month van so paying it off soon shouldn't be an issue).

Say what you just typed out loud. "I want to borrow money to buy a TV!"

Serriously? You think that is a good idea?

BTW, your "only 6 payments" left on the van is $2,760.

I think this is your answer...

I am simply being materialistic

You've got a 30" TV. It's not like you are watching on a 10" black and white unit that gets 3 channels. And even if you were, borrowing money to buy a TV makes about zero sense. Actually, less than zero sense unless it's zero % interest and even then I'd be suspect that the cost of the TV was inflated to cover the difference.

This is America and obviously you can do what you want. But if you are looking for opinions on whether it makes any sense on any planet to take out a loan to buy a TV it should be pretty obvious that my opinion is that is a DUMB idea on about 10 different levels.

[Unassisted]

The pricing on TVs is lower around the year-end holidays. I would set the money aside for the purchase and pull the trigger on it in December. You might save $100-200 if you wait.

Although with the analog turnoff looming in February 2009, this could be the year that bucks that trend.

[NJReds]

Originally Posted by Unassisted

The pricing on TVs is lower around the year-end holidays. I would set the money aside for the purchase and pull the trigger on it in December. You might save $100-200 if you wait.

And they usually offer 12+ months with 0% financing. You still have to pay off the purchase before the time period is up (or else you get hit with all of the interest) but at least you avoid paying interest for a year or so.

[SeeinRed]

Originally Posted by SirFelixCat

We have a 65" WD-65831 (Mitsubishi Diamond DLP) in the living room and absolutely love it. Also have a 50" Vizio Plasma in our office which is pretty sweet (gives off a ton of heat though) and a 37" Westinghouse LCD in the bedroom.

I mention these because each has their own drawbacks...

-DLP has a lamp inside that can be fickle and is the largest of the bunch. But an incredible picture. Thin viewing angle, if that matters to you.
-Plasmas can get really hot and give off quite a bit of heat and use a bunch of power
-LCD doesn't have as good a picture as the DLP/Plasma, but more than acceptable.

I would HIGHLY recommend getting one as you really don't know what you're missing until you watch a movie or game on them. Just fantastic.

But, my biggest suggestion is to wait until you can pay cash (just in case) as well as taking a trip over to avsforum.com. That is THE place for all electronic discussion and those people really know their stuff.

Compare, ask questions, find one and get it!

Good luck and enjoy!

LCD TV's are probably the most economically sound. Plasmas have shorter life expectancies and DLP's have bulbs that blow just like you you said. They can cost quite a bit to replace. I will say that I really like the pictures in LCD TV's myself. The newer Samsungs and Sharps really have great, vibrant pictures. Older LCD's and cheaper brand LCD's have motion blur, but the new ones have all but done away with that. The size of the TV you want will also play into that. DLP's are cheaper when you get into the bigger TV's and really do have a great picture if you are willing to shell out the extra cash for a new bulb every 3-5 years. Plasmas are ones that I would stay away from. One thing I definately suggest looking into with any new TV is a surround sound system. The newer TVs just don't have very good speakers built in. If you bargain enough at the right place (HHGregg especially), you can get a complete set up for the same price as what they originally wanted for the TV itself, or maybe even less.

I've had the oppurtunity to see and set up a lot of TV's from working with Time Warner. I will tell you that using the settings the way they are right out of the box isn't getting the best out of your TV. Its all personal preference and you should play around with it for a little while as long as you can get around the settings pretty well and have an understanding of what each setting does. If not, just look in the manual or online. People's settings vary from TV to TV for many reasons, so just asking your buddy how he has his set won't help you with yours. A well set up TV is so much better than one just taken out of the box and used. Its like night and day.

As far as cables for the TV go, don't fall into the overpriced HDMI trap. You don't need the ones they are going to try and sell you. If you want your picture and sound all in one nice tidy cable, HDMI is for you. The belief that it give you better picture and sound is not true IMO. The only advantage it has, which is a good one, is that you get sound and video in one small cable and it looks much cleaner behind your set. Regular RBG cables and an optical audio cable will give you the same results, but more clutter. Its all personal preference, but the thought that HDMI gives you better picture and sound is bunk, IMO. However, I can not tell you how much better one cable looks than 4 rather large ones. The reason I call it the overpriced HDMI trap is because you can get HDMI cables for MUCH cheaper if you know where to look. Tiger Direct has them from 29.99 right now.

[joshnky]

Originally Posted by Ltlabner

Say what you just typed out loud. "I want to borrow money to buy a TV!"

Serriously? You think that is a good idea?

Agreed completely. Personally, I'm against borrowing money for anything but a house but it seems especially ludicrous to borrow money for an entertainment item. As has been mentioned before, they really aren't that much money that you can't save up for them. Set aside the money and then buy one next February. Usually they are on sale around the super bowl but I'd also expect prives to drop ahead of the February deadline as they flood the market with HDTVs.

One final note, the zero down - no interest for a year deal is just asking to get screwed. You never know what will happen in that year and those interest payments will be killer when they kick in.

[joshnky]

One other point. Now is not a good time to buy one as the best deals should be from Thanksgiving through the Super Bowl. This should be the hot item this Christmas so I would expect some significant discounts to draw you to certain stores and brands.

[durl]

Do lots of research online (I agree with SirFelixCat about www.avsforum.com), then go to the store and look at the sets and their pictures. Then buy it online. You'll most likely get it a lot cheaper, and hopefully pay no tax or shipping. And I agree with others...I wouldn't recommend taking out a loan to get a TV. When you're done paying for the van, keep setting that payment aside and you'll be able to pay cash for a new TV just a few months.

You didn't mention HD, but if you get an HD set, make sure you get HD programming. It seems as though standard definition programming looks worse on an HD set, but it can vary by television, I'm sure.

I can recommend the Sony SXRD sets. Awesome picture.

[Roy Tucker]

If you're looking for opinions, I've got a lot of them

About a year ago, I bought a very nice 32" LCD TV off the internet for $400. Retired the old 27" Sony tube to the basement. The new TV proportionally fits our family room very nicely and I'm very happy with it.

I think these 60"+ wall-sized TVs with mogombo sounds systems are massive overkill, like most things American. Put that extra money in the bank. JMO.

[Ltlabner]

Another thought....

I don't know your financial situation, however, if you had scads of cash in the bank I'd be currious why you haven't paid off your van. So working from the assumption you don't have 6 months reserve in savings and all your other debts (aside from mortgage) are not retired, now is the time to pay off the van and put money into savings.

I don't think we are going into The Great Depression Pt II as the nightly news would have you beleive, however we are going into some very unstable and possibly unpleasant financial times. Now is the time to be saving money and acting financially conservative. At least until we know how things are going to play out with the economy.

What would be a better "gift" to your family? A big whoppin TV or the security of having some money in the bank? I guess I'm old fashined, but I consider it my responsibility to protect my family by doing what I can to ensure we have financial stability.

Think about it. What would you rather have if the worst happens and you lose your job? A little money in the bank, or a nice TV to watch American Idol?

Sorry to be so preachy, but you asked!

[danken12]

Originally Posted by SeeinRed

LCD TV's are probably the most economically sound. Plasmas have shorter life expectancies and DLP's have bulbs that blow just like you you said. They can cost quite a bit to replace. I will say that I really like the pictures in LCD TV's myself. The newer Samsungs and Sharps really have great, vibrant pictures. Older LCD's and cheaper brand LCD's have motion blur, but the new ones have all but done away with that. The size of the TV you want will also play into that. DLP's are cheaper when you get into the bigger TV's and really do have a great picture if you are willing to shell out the extra cash for a new bulb every 3-5 years. Plasmas are ones that I would stay away from. One thing I definately suggest looking into with any new TV is a surround sound system. The newer TVs just don't have very good speakers built in. If you bargain enough at the right place (HHGregg especially), you can get a complete set up for the same price as what they originally wanted for the TV itself, or maybe even less.

I've had the oppurtunity to see and set up a lot of TV's from working with Time Warner. I will tell you that using the settings the way they are right out of the box isn't getting the best out of your TV. Its all personal preference and you should play around with it for a little while as long as you can get around the settings pretty well and have an understanding of what each setting does. If not, just look in the manual or online. People's settings vary from TV to TV for many reasons, so just asking your buddy how he has his set won't help you with yours. A well set up TV is so much better than one just taken out of the box and used. Its like night and day.

As far as cables for the TV go, don't fall into the overpriced HDMI trap. You don't need the ones they are going to try and sell you. If you want your picture and sound all in one nice tidy cable, HDMI is for you. The belief that it give you better picture and sound is not true IMO. The only advantage it has, which is a good one, is that you get sound and video in one small cable and it looks much cleaner behind your set. Regular RBG cables and an optical audio cable will give you the same results, but more clutter. Its all personal preference, but the thought that HDMI gives you better picture and sound is bunk, IMO. However, I can not tell you how much better one cable looks than 4 rather large ones. The reason I call it the overpriced HDMI trap is because you can get HDMI cables for MUCH cheaper if you know where to look. Tiger Direct has them from 29.99 right now.

If anyone is in the market for HDMI cables, the place undoubtedly to look is monoprice.com, their stuff is top notch and almost unbelievably cheap. I highly recommend them for any type of cable.

[SeeinRed]

Originally Posted by danken12

If anyone is in the market for HDMI cables, the place undoubtedly to looks is monoprice.com, their stuff is top notch and almost unbelievably cheap. I highly recommend them for any type of cable.

Looks like some really good prices... Wow, if the quality is good, I might look into this site more. Thanks.