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Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
11/19/09
Insignia Plasma Panels = Samsung.
Insignia Blue Ray Player = Samsung.
Just Dynex sucks.. !
11/19/09
11/20/09
11/19/09
I am just graduating so I only have 500 bucks for a small TV or monitor with TV tuner. I will mainly use it as a computer monitor, then dvds and gaming (xbox) and then TV (Hd when I will be able to afford it).
Any recommandation. I know my budget is lame, but my non-hd tv is broken so that's all I can spend and I am totally lost.
Thanks !
11/19/09
I'd start at Walmart- they have extremely low prices on entry-level models, some priced at $400 or less.
11/19/09
Supposedly buying a t.v. from Amazon is pretty good too. I think you get free shipping, and if anything goes wrong they swap it out.
11/19/09
[www.amazon.com]
11/19/09
FWIW, I was in a time crunch a few months back and had only hours to buy a TV, so I didn't have much time to research or be picky. I walked into WalMart, found this 32" RCA 720p as an open box deal for $250. It's not a Kuro, but it's got all the hookups you could need and it's worked without a hitch for me.
[www.walmart.com]
11/24/09
11/19/09
Good job Matt.
11/19/09
Here's a tip: if hosts on CMT are using it, it should have been shelved Looooong ago.
11/19/09
11/19/09
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11/19/09
If you want a throw-away tv. It's fine. I used to say the same thing about Samsung years ago, and Samsung has hugely improved upon their quality levels over the years.
At least Vizio is an actual brand, instead of some cheap manufacturer making tvs under a licensed name like Westinghouse or RCA.
11/19/09
And I'd personally go for a Sammy over one a Viz any day.
11/19/09
11/19/09
Samsung doesn't sell any DLP TVs, and Mitsubishi only sells traditional, bulb lit and color wheel sets, and the outrageously expensive LaserVue.
11/19/09
11/19/09
Oh, and I understand that it's becoming the "standard" but I couldn't care less about 1080p as I don't have a BluRay player, which is the only way to really get 1080p content onto that TV. Nobody broadcasts in 1080p and no broadcaster even has it on their radar to broadcast in 1080p. 720p/1080i is just fine for me even if those sets won't exist in a couple more years. Same with the whole 240Hz/120Hz crap.
So, I won't pay extra for...
thin TV's
1080p
240Hz/120Hz
Hmm, apparently this article didn't offer me anything now that look at it?
11/20/09
I hear there's a class of people called "married", and one of the symptoms of that condition is that hi-fi gear must be hidden in cabinetry. That leaves just the TV for wall-mounting.
Me, I've got all that crap and more, and so I care most about "can I pick the TV up and move it myself".
11/20/09
#tips
11/20/09
11/21/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
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11/19/09
Speaking of no frills, they typically ship without speakers or inputs. You need to add slot-in terminal boards for connectivity. The advantage of this is it makes you future proof. I have a four year old model and I just recently added an HDMI board to replace my component video one. For more information check out:
[www.panasonicplasmas.com]
You can get great deals on them at Visual Apex:
[www.visualapex.com]
Don't listen to the Plasma haters. They still have the blackest blacks, best viewing angle and least amount of motion blur. My four year old TV still looks better than a lot of the latest and greatest LCD models (and it has an Energy Star sticker).
11/19/09
11/19/09
I loved the piece on HDTVs, but I still have a lingering question:
Could you, by chance, produce a list of good HDTVs that cost under, say $700, that deliver a nice picture and just a little more on top. I don't need anything awe-inspiring or terrifying. It's just that my 27" CRT TV is showing its age and I know its days are numbed.
HDTV-speak is a language I have tried and failed to learn. But if you could just do some testing and say "JUST BUY ONE OF THESE," well, then, it would take a load off my mind.
Thanks,
Logan
11/19/09
11/19/09
i hunted around and compared specs and whatnot, and settled on the vizio. months later, i'm beginning to have a bit of remorse regarding not going with a higher end TV.
don't get me wrong - it functions as it should, and works fine for what i use it for, mainly gaming. but the color is shitty, something someone who is halfway colorblind like myself shouldn't ever be able to notice.
contrast ratio sucks too. to get true black, i have to make every game look like it's taking place at night, which means... there's a lot of shit that you can't see. turn up the brightness and 'black' is more like 'blackish grey'.
there's also uneven side back lighting on one side. it's not noticeable when the scene is a bright one, but forget about playing splinter cell and really enjoying it.
on top of all that, the adjustments one can make to the picture are wonky, and for some reason the backlight is adjustable in every other preset except for CUSTOM.
its that kind of asshattery that just makes you stare at your tv in disbelief, doubly so because vizio IS AN AMERICAN COMPANY.
i'll forgive a little engrish or screwy translation when i buy something made in the land of the rising sun, but seriously, vizio. look up what the word 'custom' means.
so as a result, ill be selling it off fairly soon for around $350, and i'll shoot for a 42" with a respectable japanese moniker and a contrast ratio that has a comma in it.
11/19/09
The first time I decided I needed to upgrade to the HD era was actually pretty early...about 5-6 years ago. I found a reasonably priced 36in 720p CRT set made by...ehh...some company beginning with a D...Dyson? Dixie? Dicknible? Well, the name escapes me. Let me just say...that thing was a BEAST. I HATED having to move that thing around...it weighed more than I did at the time (and that was when I was straight out of the Army). Not to mention that the picture was at BEST subpar.
The next set I decided upon was a 27in Samsung LCD, also 720p. That thing currently sits in my bedroom, and even though it's about 3-4 years old, it STILL has one of the best pictures I've seen to date. Love that set.
Then, in my horrible, unquenchable thirst for bigger and better HD, I purchased a 46in DLP from Sears. It was made by either Toshiba or Panasonic, can't recall at the moment. Regardless, I figured a 1k 1080i set would be a great investment for my gaming needs. I read somewhere that DLP's had the best features for gaming, so I thought I'd give it a shot...Don't get me wrong, the picture was OK...but only OK, and for $999 I assumed I'd be getting something along the lines of "good".
Alas, the bulb burned out in that one about 6 months ago. I was left with the decision: Spend $400 on a new bulb for the set, or use that money towards yet ANOTHER new TV.
As I sit here, in front of my 50in, 1080p Samsung plasma, only one thing REALLY comes to mind...go with Samsung. That company really has not let me down yet.
11/20/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
Man was he ever grateful I wandered by. I used to sell TVs at Best Buy once upon a time before they started the huge designer cable purchasing push. It seemed much more honest then.
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/20/09
11/20/09
However, most HDMI cables don't even say if they're 1.3a compliant or not. Mostly 1.3a exists to support resolutions higher than 1920 x 1080.
And yes, the source matters always. What is a strafer speed? Transfer? Transfer speed doesn't matter if the medium you're using doesn't transmit at it.
I'm just saying that you will likely not notice a difference between a generic and non-generic HDMI cable. While cable choice can help you maximize your experience, they cannot make a TV appear to be something it is not.
11/19/09
How can I avoid this when buying online?
11/19/09
Staring at the 58" or whatever Samsung 8500 series LCD at 240hz I couldn't tell if I was watching Monday Night Football in HSS or Transformers 2 until Megan Fox showed up.
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
When in store see if you can manually, or with assistance, disable the motion fature (each manufacturer has a different marketing gimmick-name for it) to see if you're satisfied.
11/19/09
Not to mention the drawbacks of buying online such as you can't return the tv anywhere local if you get it home and hate it. Or if it doesn't work when it arrives you have to pay to ship it somewhere to get it fixed and/or replaced.
11/19/09
For a bit of insight though; I am an office-working, non-driving, suburban resident. Internet sales on most things are the best option for me. though, when buying a TV (soon) I'm most likely going to have a friend helkp me buy one in person.
#tips
11/19/09
Mostly it just irritates me when people post the upsides of buying off the internet (Price) without mentioning all of the possible drawbacks because there are far too many people who feel entitled to waste a B&M store's time and money asking an employee questions and then they just go shop somewhere online to get the better price.
B&M stores have inherent higher overhead. But, if you have the capability, you can usually take the item home with you that very day.
11/19/09
Online purchases have limited options when it comes to backup plans.
#tips
11/19/09
11/20/09
11/21/09
#tip s[en.wikipedia.org]
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09