Help Please...Buying a New LCD TV....

[Manji]

Gonna buy a new TV...
Would like some recommendations (on brand and type) and advice from the more knowledgable guys on TERB (please don't be afraid to dumb down the advice as I'm pretty lost when it comes to technology)....

I want to buy a 42 Inch LCD TV....Would prefer to buy Japanese. I have always bought Sony and they have never let me down. I currently have a Trinitron Wega and it still works great but I've decided to upgrade....

Here's a few factors in choosing my TV:

I want to use my TV for videogame play - I have an XBOX 360 and Wii - and will be getting a PS3 as well....

I watch TV with an antennae....I heard differing facts about getting a new LCD TV....That if I get a TV with a built in Tuner that it will be the same as having an antennae....or I might need to get a convertor box as well in addition to the tuner....or I'm fucked and I will just have to get a Rogers Digital Box and pay for fucking cable.....

Also download most of my TV shows through my computer and watch it on my TV (have my computer hooked to my TV)....would still like to do that with the new TV.....

Hopefully I can get some help from some of you guys....
Thanks in advance....

 

[Ross Eyerie]

You'd probably be able to find what your looking for under $1000 at any big box stores. Especially around this time of year you should keep an eye out for great deals. Maybe hold off til boxing day. Keep in mind that the tv you buy will probably be cheaper a year down the road. And even cheaper two years down the road. I'm not saying wait a year, I"m just saying it so you can prepare yourself when you see the tv you bought being sold for cheaper a year from now. LOL! Most of these TV's have multible inputs either thru RCA jacks, composition cables, or HDMI inputs. You just gotta shop around and read the specs.

 

[tboy]

I wonder:

Why are you stuck with LCD? What not consider plasma? I mention this because I recently went flat screen and a knowledgable sales person pointed out one of the pratfalls with cheaper LCDs: ghosting of fast moving images. This is like in a hockey game, you see a kind of "motion blur" behind the players due to the length of time it takes the pixels to react.

This has a LOT to do with the screen's refreash rate (measured in milliseconds).

Things to look for:
Decide if you can live with 720 or need 1080. I found that ALL (even the much touted pioneer Kiro) 720 screens had what appeared to me as black lines running vertically and horizontally between the pixels. I follow the theory that why buy a big(ger) screen, then sit further away. The screen should fill your field of view at about 170 deg (meaning you shouldn't see "wall" on either side of the screen when you look directly at it). At this distance the images all looked grainy on 720 screens (even plasma).

YOu have take a look at the various specs on the tvs themselves and decide what is important to you:
Constrast ratio: do you want super black blacks?
Sharpness?
Do you want to ever watch 1080 images (true HD)? If you do, don't ever bother buying a blu ray disc player if you buy a 720 screen.

When comparing flat screen monitors here's what you should do:
Make sure every screen you're looking at is playing the same image
Open up the setup menu and put ALL controls for contrast, brightness, sharpness etc to neutral. Stores are notorious for making adjustments here to make an expensive screen look much better than a cheaper one.

For eg: When I was shopping I found a phillips 42" that was open box for $700.00 (720p). It looked like crap next to the $1700.00 Regza. I opened the menu and found ALL the controls turned down. Once adjusted to neutral, the image was pretty damn good next to the screen selling for double the price. I then proceeded to adjust the controls and got it looking just about AS good as the regza (with the regza adjusted to neutral).

Anyhow, since you say you want to play games, the refresh rate is going to be tremendously important to you. I believe LCD TVs are still up around 10 ms where computer monitors are down to the 2 ms range.

 

[Sasha Jones]

One thing you will want to keep an eye on as far as specs go if you decide on Plasma vs LCD is the power consumption.
We wanted to go plasma initially too until we realised just how much hydro they draw, it was almost double that of our tube tv.
Upon reading that my hubby said NO WAY.
So here we are deciding on an LCD now.....................

 

[drstrangelove]

http://www.digitalhome.ca/

I used this site to help me decide what tv to buy. It is quite comprehensive, especially the forums. There is information on what size tv you should consider given your room size etc, LCD vs plasma, best format for games, etc etc.

 

[tboy]

One thing you will want to keep an eye on as far as specs go if you decide on Plasma vs LCD is the power consumption.
We wanted to go plasma initially too until we realised just how much hydro they draw, it was almost double that of our tube tv.
Upon reading that my hubby said NO WAY.
So here we are deciding on an LCD now.....................

As I said: there's a trade off in all aspects. For me, the higher power consumption (and associated heat) is worth it to not have the doppler effect behind fast moving objects. I mean, it is neat when the starship enterprise enters warp speed but Blake on the leafs just isn't that fast lol.....

As for power consumption, my Panasonic Viera is energy star compliant so I don't know that it's that power hungry. But you can decide for yourself. Here's an interesting article on the subject:

http://www.g4techtv.ca/callforhelp/shownotes/0283.shtml?regular

Just remember: on that test they did the plasma was 2" bigger which equates to about 5% more viewing area.....just something to consider.

 

[thewheelman]

For LCDs, Sony, Sharp and Samsung are your best units...probably in that order.

Go with 1080p Native resolution and 120Hz refresh rate...beware of salespersons, they will try to trick you into 720p "for a great deal today only..." Get the model type and look it up yourself on the manufacturers website before you buy just to be sure.

Off-axis viewing should be considered with LCD if your seats are not directly infront of the TV. Some sets tend to "lose clarity when viewed from the sides. Don't believe the TV specs for this, check it yourself at the store..just stand a few feet from the row of sets and look down the row.

 

[Manji]

Thanks guys....

I always heard that LCD is the way to go for Video Games.....
I knew about the 1080p....didn't know about the 120Hz refresh rate - and I guess that is important for video game playing...

I'm leaning towards buying a Sony Bravia.....
Also read that the Bravia and PS3 are a perfect fit (guess that would be obvious)

I have a sizeable gift certficate for a Loblaws SuperStore and I heard that they sell Sony Bravias there....so might go and buy it from them....
Never been there...Anybody buy anything from the SuperStore?


Anybody know what's the deal on the antennae/tuner situation?
Will I be able to pick up local tv without paying for cable?

 

[thewheelman]

Your new TV will include an analog tuner (NTSC) for the usual off-air channels you have been watching, plus a digital tuner (ATSC) which will receive off-air digital channels. All the off-air broadcasters are switching to ATSC and the quality is usually 720p or 1080i -- HD Quality!. If you have good off air signal strength from your antenna now, you will be amazed by the picture quality on ATSC.

 

[tboy]

It's a good thing that the new tv's can receive digital signals, all broadcast TV will become digital in February (in the US anyways).

 

[Manji]

It's a good thing that the new tv's can receive digital signals, all broadcast TV will become digital in February (in the US anyways).

That was actually the other reason why I decided to get a new tv...

Thanks for the help guys!!!

 

[Anynym]

Another good reference site to check out is http://www.hdtvsolutions.com/

 

[tboy]

Manji: you're probably going to get about as many different opinions, advice, specifications as there are brands of TVs out there.

The two main things you should concern yourself with:
1) Does the image on the screen look good to YOU?
2) Does it fit into your budget?

I for one went out with no brand in mind and decided to buy the best looking TV for my budget. I didn't care if it was fuckyo, Onkyo, Prima, Puma, Fuma, advent or a POS walmart brand. I ended up with a Panasonic because I couldn't beat the price.

Oh and one more thing? I checked out the Kiro's at double the price what I paid and I frankly can't see what all the hype is about......

 

[comptable]

Gonna buy a new TV...
Would like some recommendations (on brand and type) and advice from the more knowledgable guys on TERB (please don't be afraid to dumb down the advice as I'm pretty lost when it comes to technology)....

I want to buy a 42 Inch LCD TV....Would prefer to buy Japanese. I have always bought Sony and they have never let me down. I currently have a Trinitron Wega and it still works great but I've decided to upgrade....

Here's a few factors in choosing my TV:

I want to use my TV for videogame play - I have an XBOX 360 and Wii - and will be getting a PS3 as well....

I watch TV with an antennae....I heard differing facts about getting a new LCD TV....That if I get a TV with a built in Tuner that it will be the same as having an antennae....or I might need to get a convertor box as well in addition to the tuner....or I'm fucked and I will just have to get a Rogers Digital Box and pay for fucking cable.....

Also download most of my TV shows through my computer and watch it on my TV (have my computer hooked to my TV)....would still like to do that with the new TV.....

Hopefully I can get some help from some of you guys....
Thanks in advance....

Manji - good luck with your search. Our long time TV repairman advises LCD over plasma and any brand that starts with an "S" (Sony, Samsung etc.).

C

 

[Manji]

Thanks comptable....

Thanks again... tboy, thewheelman and the rest for your advice....
Definitely helpful....

I think I will go for the Sony Bravia....Has some great reviews and it seems to fit all my requirements....

Since I got the Superstore Gift Certificate it will not be that big of a hit on my wallet....

And not one of my Sony products have ever let me down (from walkmans to Playstations to TVs).....and I've always been a believer in brand loyalty....

The decision isn't written in stone....I will take a look at the picture quality while I'm at the store and compare prices....

 

[tboy]

Thanks comptable....

....

The decision isn't written in stone....I will take a look at the picture quality while I'm at the store and compare prices....

don't forget to adjust the sets to neutral, when they play with adjustments etc at store level they are set to show the tv at it's best. When they're all neutral you're seeing them in their natural state. The adjustments then can be played with once you get it home to set it up for your environment.

 

[hans4u]

Sams Club near Queensway & 427 had a big display of
42" R.C.A. LCD on special for around $589.00 today!

 

[tboy]

Sams Club near Queensway & 427 had a big display of
42" R.C.A. LCD on special for around $589.00 today!

Prolly 720........

 

[scouser1]

if you arent buying at least a 50 inch tv than dont bother spending the big bucks for 1080p, unless you have the eyes of a hawk you wont be able to tell the difference between 1080i and 1080p on a 32 inch screen, if you play video games I would definitely recommend an LCD as some plasma screens can cause burn when an image is left too long.