Posted on 12/02/2011 4:36:08 PM PST by Chickensoup
I am now ready to buy my HDTV. I have been looking at the big Samsungs. Remember this is the first tv for a non tv home. We will mostly be watching CDs and downloads, not much broadcast...except for the Superbowl for my son (if I can figure out how to stream it on the net).
The big Samsungs often have 3D. Will the 3D affect the regular view? I am looking for a clear viewing set that will manage action
I keep reading that TV is changing and I wonder whether these TVs are old technology?
Can I actualy put an aerial on it?
Can these tvs live in a room that in the winter sometimes go down to 60's or even 50's? I would heat the room before I use it.
I have a BJs card and they sell them there. CNET also has them by price at their site.
One last question: is it better with respect to price, to buy now during the Christmas season or wait for the football season.
HDTV PING LIST PLEASE
My suggestions follow:
1. 3D will not effect regular viewing. It is a feature that requires special content (currently BluRay DVD). For your needs, I do not recommend 3D - save the $$. All new TV’s can “manage action”. If this is really important, focus on a screen refresh rate of at least 120Hz. If it’s REALLY important to you, buy a plasma TV.
2. There is no new disruptive TV technology out there, so its a good time to buy without worry of obsolesence.
3. The electronics can easily handle 50-60 degrees.
4. BJ’s is a good retailer. Check their return policy. COSTCO has 90 Days no questions asked.
5. 40% of all TV’s are sold in the Christmas season because that’s when the best price/value can be found. Don’t wait for the Super Bowl.
6. Buy a name brand. Off brands have crappy service.
Good luck!
Our Sony Bravia 40 inch HDTV is nearly 3 years old with no problems, great picture.
We have the same set nearly 4 years old so far only one lamp replaced did it myself working great.
My middle of the pack Samsung (1 year old) has a very nice picture, but not when there is a lot of motion. Then it has significant pixellation. I think this will depend on the model you purchase and is not indicative of all Samsung products. However, my Sony has very little pixellation.
You will need a sound system because the speakers on the Samsung are pretty bad. My Sony has very good sound, but even so I use a surround sound system on all my TVs. The Samsung tuner is quite good and outperforms the Sony in picking up over the air broadcast TV. My antenna uses a Motorola amplifier, which helps with all my systems.
I don’t usually heat the gym where I keep the Samsung and it is below 60 some nights and it is not a problem.
An HDTV will have dedicated inputs for composite video and audio, S-Video and HDMI. So you can attach various players and cable boxes to the TV.
Buy the cheapest you can find. They are all pretty good. 3D is an annoyance. It is the industry trying to manufacture a reason for everybody to buy a new TV
________________
Seems as though any of the larger sets 55-64 inches are all 3D.
My youngest TV is probably about 15 years old. I won’t be buying a new TV until I see them at Krogers for 20 bucks. Besides, what’s to watch on them now anyway?
I'm talking about all sorts of ways to use the TV as a monitor.
For example, I have an inexpensive video camera that comes with cables to hook up to a TV using phono jacks for L&R sound and composite video. SVGA would be another jack to have for hooking up older hardware that may be laying around.
The main thing to worry about is to control the humidity to prevent moisture condensing in the room. Electronics work fine in those temperatures so long as there isn’t any moisture in them.
___________________
Maine in the winter? Humidity must be about 17%.
Technology keeps progressing and with Murphy’s Law, by the time it breaks down or wears out, there will something better and cheaper. Don’t wait - buy now and don’t worry about what comes out in the next six months.
Good set. Sorry to say my Bravia died after 6 years. Technician said expected life of new sets is 5-7 years. My Trinitron was still working after 20+ years.
“You mean jacks in the back? Should they be USB jacks?”
You want HDMI jacks, at least two, better three.
You also want a home theatre controller. This is like a multi input amp, so that all your inputs can go into your sound system. Then you only need one input into the screen - from the controller/amp to the screen.
I’d also recommend a Seagate Home Theater Plus or the equivalent unit fro Western Digital if you don’t have a direct connection to a computer. These inexpensive units let you access content off the web, or from a small portable hard drive, which can store tons of stuff, by the way - movies, TV specials etc.
I would also stay away from power-hungry, heavy, plasma. LCD has improved to the point that it is almost always the best, least expensive choice.
Is Pan a Panisonic?
Ok this is going to sound silly but we are thinking of maybe or not getting a new TV. We both really do not care if we do our not so time and price are on our side....anyway if you really want to learn about the “problems” a TV can have type in a google search
“Do (name of what ever brand, size or model you are looking at) suck”....believe it or not, this most basic sentence does a great search with peoples reviews of TV’s they don’t like.
I had a computer behind my Dad’s TV that I used to show him video off the web (Jack Benny, Johnny Carson, etc) on his TV so he could see it from his favorite chair.
Its just cheaper to replace it. No one bothers fixing electronics anymore. By the time they need to be fixed, there’s something better and cheaper in the stores.
3D is now folded in to the better TVs.
If you want a better 2D TV, the 3D capability will come along for the ride.
The last time I shopped for a customer of mine (about a month ago), the Panasonic we decided on was 3D capable but did not include any glasses or other things that would needlessly up the price.
Very similar to Internet Apps that come with TVs these days. Only the lowest models come sans apps. If you want a better TV, it will come loaded with NetFlix, Pandora etc.
My friend’s Sharp Aquos looked very nice, but he paid a lot more than I did for my Samsung. Also I paid nearly twice as much for the Sony, but the picture is nearly perfect, while the Samsung suffers from motion artifacts. The Samsung is good for watching non-action programs.
Hi FRiend,
Mrs. Slim and I have a couple of the Vizio TV’s (42” biggest). They’ve been great. Run them off indoor antenna’s and we’re in the boonies so we get about 5 over the air channels. We keep the house around 65 degrees, but I have one in the garage, and that is in the 50’s with no problems.
___________________
Hello FRiend! I hope you are yours are enjoying the season. Thank you for the information. My son, btw is looking at community colleges. He is now a jr. Firefighter and is involved with heavy equipment. I am so proud.
I second the recommendation about LCD. It gives the most bang for the buck in a HDTV.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.