Need advice on spending money - TV division

[dreamshark]

We really need a new TV. The old one isn't all THAT elderly, but just a little bit too old to have all the inputs that a tv needs so you can connect a DVD player to it. We can run the picture into the TV, but have to run the sound through an external amp sitting next to the tv. This works ok, except that the old amp we were using is starting to crackle and spit, and the next old amp we replaced it with was even worse.

I just got a nice yearly bonus and can afford a new TV. The problem is the number of choices. We're happy enough with the 27" screen size (don't need a giant projection tv or anything like that), but would like something with a decent picture that won't be obsolete in a couple of years. I don't understand the difference between plasma and LCD and HDTV and digital and all that. A flat-panel monitor would be nice, but not essential. Don't want to spend more than $500.

What should I do? Any TV geeks want to give advice? (Or, alternatively, give me an old amp with two working speaker channels so I can avoid a decision for another year or two?)

Comments

[magicwoman.livejournal.com]

I don't know that I'm a TV Geek, but I sure did enough research when David and I bought our TV a year ago October (2004). We went with the 27" Sony and have been VERY happy with it. We, too, didn't need anything fancy, but we did want something that we could use all our new electronic equipment with and still have a great picture. The picture is very nice.

Susan

[ckd]

At that price and size you're still pretty much looking at a tube TV, but the good news is that 27" tube TVs (non-HDTV) seem to be more in the $250-400 range (from checking target.com and bestbuy.com for reasonably name brand gear).

Best Buy has their house brand ("Insignia") which includes a 27" tube HDTV (NS-27HTV) for under $400, but I have no idea what the quality is. (It's also not widescreen, which is nicer if you have DVDs that are "enhanced for widescreen TVs".) This may be a little bit of extra future-proofing for you since it will tune in HDTV over the air broadcasts.

[mmagidow.livejournal.com]

What magicwoman said. And congratulations on the bonus! You rock!

[barondave.livejournal.com]

I'm not up on all the new-fangled plasma vs. LCD stuff, but the thing to look for is HDTV, which is a completely different technology. In theory, all television in the US will be HDTV by 2009. In theory. Nonetheless, I strongly recommend getting a tv with HDTV capabilities. The good news is that they're pretty good tvs. The bad news is that $500 is too low. They're coming down, so watch the sales. But basically, here's your options for HDTV:

HDTV Capable: (What I have): The screen and tv is ready for an HDTV signal, but you'll need a tuner (eventually) or a digital cable hook up.

HDTV Ready: Comes with the tuner built in. A digital antenna is then required. According to people who have them, the quality is terrific, but you should check reception.

In theory, I can use my low-grade HDTV as a computer monitor and play games and such. It has a staggering amount of inputs, of which I use two (the VCR and standard cable box). I have yet to see a digital signal, though I've owned the thing for over a year. It was on sale at KMart, and I talked them into lending me a cart to go across the street, saving myself a shipping charge (it's 150 lbs).

Otherwise, get a regular tv and resign yourself to getting a signal converter in a few years, which is likely to be several hundred dollars. That will work, but you'll be watching standard analog (scan line) tv. While I appreciate your desire to upgrade, you don't watch a lot of tv, and you might do better to wait a few years until the HDTV technology is cheaper.

[skylarker.livejournal.com]

Consumer Reports gives the Sony 26-28" High Definition TV its highest rating in the Conventuional Tube category. For picture quality for TV & DVD, and for sound quality. It lists the price as $700.

This is what they say about HDTV in general:

High definition offers the best TV viewing possible. HD is a digital-TV format that contains more and finer detail than other formats, so images can have almost lifelike clarity. The picture quality can be stunning, especially on a large, wide-screen set. In technical terms, HD images have higher definition, meaning more picture elements (lines or pixels) make up each image. Most HD broadcasts today are either 1080i (1,080 lines drawn on-screen separately in an odd/even pattern, then interlaced to form one image) or 720p (720 lines scanned in one sweep, or progressively). Another HD format, 1080p, has 1,080 lines drawn in a progressive pattern, which potentially yields the finest detail. This format isn't yet being used for TV broadcasts, but some HD DVDs that support 1080p are expected to arrive this year. TVs with 1080p native resolution have already started to appear on the market.

You can get HD capability in all types of TVs: LCD, plasma, rear-projection, front-projection, and picture-tube sets. However, simply buying an HDTV doesn't get you HD. You need programming that's created in HD and transmitted the same way, plus a digital tuner (usually supplied by special cable and satellite boxes) that can receive these signals. See our report on HDTVs for more details.

Standard definition, the type of TV we've watched for years, has much less detail. These are analog signals with resolution of 480i (480 lines drawn onscreen in an interlaced pattern, odd lines separately from even), the format in which TV content is delivered over regular analog broadcasts and basic (non-digital) cable. On the best TVs, the picture quality can be very good or even excellent, but it doesn't compare to the best that HD can offer. Most standard-definition TVs now on the market are picture-tube sets; some smaller LCD sets are also standard-definition.

Enhanced definition falls between standard and high definition. ED signals are digital, with resolution of 480p (480 lines scanned progressively). This is equivalent to DVD quality, which is a little better than standard definition but not as good as high definition. Some ED sets can accept HD signals, but they convert them to a lower resolution that they can display, so the picture quality won't match that of true HD. On the best EDTVs, it can be quite good. Most ED sets now on the market are LCD or plasma TVs.

Picture-tube HDTVs
The familiar sets with CRTs (cathode-ray tubes).
Quick take: Still among the best for picture quality, these offer the lowest-cost way to view HDTV, but maximum screen size is limited and sets are bulky.
Common screen sizes: 26 to 36 inches.
Typical selling prices: About $800 for a 32-inch set with a squarish, 4:3 screen; $1,200 for a 34-inch wide-screen, 16:9 model.
Pros: Least expensive type of HDTV. The best have outstanding detail, color, and contrast, and unlimited viewing angle. Mature technology with proven reliability and long life.
Cons: Maximum screen size limited to 36 inches. Bulky, at about 2 feet deep or more. Heavy, with largest sets weighing about 200 pounds.

[magicwoman.livejournal.com]

Oh, I forgot to tell you how much we paid - around $425 (best I remember) direct from Sony.

Susan

[magicwoman.livejournal.com]

We've been very happy with the TV. Glad we purchased this one.

Susan

[laurel]

If you're willing to spend a bit more than $500 (more like $600), you should be able to get a 27" LCD TV that is HDTV ready (here's one for instance). There are also non-flat screen TVs that are HD ready (like here's one which also has a DVD player and other stuff built into it). You really want to get HDTV or at the very least something that is HDTV-ready if you don't want to have to buy a whole new set by 2009 (which is the year people have to have HDTV, we're in a transitional period right now). HDTVs will be coming down in price bigtime in the next year or so, though.

As for plasma vs. LCD vs. DLP or other such stuff-- unless you're really into picture quality, I wouldn't sweat it too much. I'd just surf around Amazon and Best Buy and such and search on the size screen you want among sets that are HDTV capable and check out reviews/prices. (The ones I linked to earlier aren't ones I know anything about, they just popped up when I was searching amazon as ones that seemed in the right vicinity as far as price goes).

[laurel]

Oh yeah-- you should be able to get a decent TV of the size you want that isn't HD capable for well under $500 and you could always do that. Figuring that you might get a better HDTV later when they go down in price. The one you get now could always be a suitable TV for another room or a good one for just watching DVDs etc. Though I've heard once you get HDTV you never wanna go back to regular stuff.

Right now there aren't many stations or shows broadcasting HDTV, but more are added all the time. And DVDs reportedly look amazing on the HDTV sets.

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the responses, folks. As I read through the various suggestions, I realized that I would very much like a flat-panel TV, if for no other reason than I don't want to carry a 150-pound tv up to the attic. It would be so nice to be able to move the tv without it turning into a big production. The attic is a modular room meant to be reconfigured on a whim, so a smaller lighter TV would be a big plus.

It sounds like what I want is a flat-panel HDTV-capable TV. I'm sure we'll be the last possible adopters of actual HDTV signals; we don't even have cable as it is. We mostly use the tv for watching DVDs. So if the time ever comes when we have to switch to HDTV, we can add a tuner then. I mostly want it to be easier to watch DVDs than it is now, and if the picture and sound were better than I'm used to that would be peachy. I think I'll mosey over to Best Buy and see what the options are.

You don't have cable??

[huladavid.livejournal.com]

Then how can you watch Channel Surfing Wipeout??

[barondave.livejournal.com]

It sounds like what I want is a flat-panel HDTV-capable TV.

That's about right. Go visit Best Buy or someplace that shows lots of them. Look in the back for connectors, and check options. At minimum, you want a S-Video, and some sort of DCI/digital input, in addition to the coax (for cable) and audio input/outputs. Mostly, these are standard, but it's worth checking.

One of my options (having an HDTV-capable but not ready) was to get an HDTV DVD player. It had a tuner, and an antenna could be hooked to it. It was expensive for a DVD player -- several hundred dollars -- but sounds like it might be an option for you. And could be added later.

This comes up now and again: HDTV looks really good, but not any better than a really good analog tv. Where it really shines is at larger sizes, since the digital signal is more easily scalable.

The next thing to worry about is the aspect ratio of the screen: not just the size, but how well it handles letterboxed movies and that sort of thing. I don't really know a lot about this (my tv is lousy in this regard) but it's worth asking the sales rep or reading the manual. There should be at least four different options. Again, this is mostly standard but worth checking.

[ckd]

First, see what outputs your DVD player has. Most of them have the following, in descending quality order:

component: these may be labeled "Y, Cr, Cb" or "Y, Pr, Pb". There will be three round connectors, basically raised donut shaped bumps on the back of the unit similar to those used for most stereo systems' left/right audio.

S-Video: a socket with four small holes and one rectangular hole.

composite: one connector, which looks like the component connectors but is yellow and usually labeled "video".

Any HDTV should have all three input options. Some will also have HDMI, but not all DVD players have that.

Assuming your DVD player can output component video, you want to use that. You'll need a three connector component cable for the video, and a two connector (red/white) audio cable for the sound. Best Buy will be more than happy to sell you cables with your TV, because their margins are a lot higher on cables....