Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge want to buy a new TV

i want to get my g/f a tv for christmas. i would like an LCD no smaller than 32in. just curious what everyone likes. as well as ones that have had no problems

Frank

What ever happened to "regular" tube TVs? How & when did TVs become such a big-ticket item?
We never spent more than $300 or so for a TV. The last one was a 32" tube TV.

I just got a 32" Sony Bravia this weekend for my B-day. It was an easy set up and picture quality is good and the price was good. Going to pick up the hidef tuner from the cable company this afternoon.
as for tube tvs I have a 27 inch tube that I am going to try to sell/ give away. It has a 'tie dye' mark in the upper right corner from where is fell over because it was too heavy for the tv stand...

a lot of them have very similar guts now and reliability is pretty good. samsung for example uses the same panels as sony.

we bought a 40" hi end sony but i think we over-bought - the size is fine but we probably don't need the 1080p business.

does your g/f get hdtv? the big lcds don't look that good without it.

right now it is just the regular digital comcast. no hi def.

Frank

Tube type "CRT" are still made but are limited in size to 30" or so. The larger the size the more inportain the resolation. All new TV now are digital "ATSC" receiver. If your getting a 32" then you doin't have to go 1080 "HD". Don't buy the first set you see, take your time and compare several sets. And buy from a store that has a good return policy.

Did a lot of research recently so I can give you some pointers.

Don't get anything less than 720p
Get one with a built in HD tuner
I got mine from Amazon.com with free shipping (Eagle shipping brought it, set it up, and made sure it worked before leaving) with a 4 year warranty for less than anywhere in Ft. Lauderdale for just the TV.
A Geeksquad / Firedog install will cost you big $$, install it yourself
You can get HD channels from a regular cable package offering
You can get HD channels over the air with a regular attenna
There's no such thing as an HD antenna

Good luck!

After living with a totally acceptable 27" for 23 years, bought a 42" Pioneer plasma, Denon surround sound receiver, Bose speakers all around, HDMI cables, etc. A signifigant investment, yes.
But, cannot believe the picture quality! Last nite's Sox game with the crowd noise coming from the rear speakers and the video of every facial hair of the players beat actually being at Fenway.
Technology is cool.
SteveB

I'm happy with my Phillips, very happy with my Zenith. Got some Japanese POS in the computer room that I seldom bother switching on because it is worthless.

While it's only 26" (widescreen), I've been very happy with my Sharp LCD. I'll look at Sharp again when it comes time to buy a bigger TV for my living room.

I have a Hitachi 45" Rear Projection HDTV and a 26" Sharp Aquas LCD HDTV, both are excellent and have been flawless. I have the Sharp in the bedroom, and at the time it was the smallest TV that was Cable Card capable. I didn't want a cable box hanging on the wall.

A tube TV will still be cheaper than the same size LCD, but selection is very limited and within 18 months I would say finding a new tube TV will be near impossible. Currently it is cheaper to make a HD LCD TV than it is just a regular same size tube TV, so from a manufacturing stand point it is much more profitable to make LCD, Plasma etc, than tube.

Tom

This will be something else we get ripped off on in the UK, we have a Philips 37" LCD in the lounge, the picture is good but the price was dire £850.00 around $1700.00, and the bracket for the wall was £100.00 or $200.00

Go on sicken me more, I am having a bad day as it is..

Sure Ray!

I got my 56" DLP for $1800 shipped, with a 4 year extended warranty.

I agree with a previous post on the Sony 32" Bravia (LCD). However, you'll need at least DTV or better, HDTV to fully appreciate it. Analog cable is only ok at best on a 32" LCD. Our Sony 32" Bravia (widescreen, BTW) is mounted on the wall in our bedroom, and it's the best form of birth control... :-)

If it's under a 50" display, don't bother with a 1080i or 1080p display, just get a 720p. Your eye can't tell the difference between them until the screen is 50" or bigger. I just got a 42" JVC Genessa 720p LCD, and it's amazing. My Xbox 360 is my new love now that I can actually tell how good it looks, and my wife just cries herself to sleep now cold and alone. Well, being married to me means she was crying herself to sleep anyway, just not alone.

I recently got an Olevia 32''flat panel hd. Good quality for the money. I also suggest getting an hd tuner. SECRET... I hooked mine up to analog cable I split in my basement, no cable box like the living room, and now I get all my neighbors pay per view selections in some of my hd channels. Dont know how this works, but I am not the only one with such luck. Some of my friends have heard of this happening too. ALL THE NEW MOVIES AND PPV TITLES!!! Just something to consider

I'd consider the DLP over an LCD. We have a 42" Sony DLP and paid $990 for it this summer. We don't want it hanging on the wall (it looks stupid with the wires dangling below it and you still have to walk around the rack holding DVD/stereo/DVR). So, since we do have a rack/stand to set the TV on our only concern was that the TV not stick out deeper than the stand (like my old CRT) and not weight a million pounds (like my old CRT). Saving our money until Plasma/LCD/OLED/Whatever is next becomes more standardized. LCDs don't refresh really fast, plasma lamps to out over time. DLP by the way can easily have its lamp replaced!

What ever you do Frank, don't let her put a TV in her bedroom, here's why... News Story

Nah!!! you just have to be more seletive in your programing choices!! or dvd/video choices

lol thanks. i plan on looking very carefully before buying just wanted to get opinions. how does the amazon warrenty work? thats my main concern as i would like to have a good warrenty if i am spending good money

Frank

Hey Frank,

Here's the link to my service contract sold by Amazon. It comes from a company called N.E.W. Customer Service Companies, Inc.. Scroll down the service contract link above for the Terms & Services.

It was $279 (for TVs $1500-1999, smaller TVs are cheaper). I checked out Samsung's extended contract. It was exactly the same as this one but they wanted $549. I also checked out N.E.W. and from what I read, I'd call their satisfied customer rate at 85%.

85% seems good as there are many people who can never be made happy. may look into that

Frank