High Definition TV

[tboy]

The Kiros are nice, but at 3 times the price I don't think they are 3 times as good as any other brand. I was not impressed with them at all.....maybe I believed all the hype and went in expecting to get a boner......

 

[plyrs99]

sorry you can't get a boner... sorry dude, just had to.

i agree about the price of the pioneers, no doubt, but i do disagree, when it comes to the fact that i think they are head and shoulders better than most everything else out there. price is all relative and all it takes is just one person, and it is justified.

Plyrs99

 

[Rockslinger]

but you should check out the best buy and futureshop boxing day deals.

I think I did ok pricewise. Paid $799.99999 plus taxes but no delivery charge. (Had to use my gift certificates from my last project because I have no money.)

There was a newer Samsung model. The salesman said the only advantage was 120 Hz (instead of 60 Hz) and 40,000 contrast instead of 30,000. Sort of like buying a car with 500 HP instead of 350 HP. Do you really need the extra HP or the extra $400-$500 it would cost?

I find Best Buy and Future Shop somewhat annoying because they aggressively push the "extended warranty" on you. Do you really need the extended warranty?

 

[Bale]

Pioneers are overhyped & overpriced. They are the new Sonys.

Panasonic & Samsung are great choices especially with the amazing deals on them these days.

Once you find a model you like, do what I did. Go to another competitor with the pricing you found at BB or FS and ask them to beat it. Usually they will or they will at least throw in something good to sweeten the deal.

I got a great deal on my 50'' panny this way at AV2001.

Remember, you have the power as the consumer, especially in these slow economic times!

 

[tboy]

Well, generally speaking extended warranties are a scam but considering you only get a 1 yr warranty on flat panel tvs, it could be a wise investment (considering if the screen goes, you're screwed or a pixel burns out).....

 

[Rockslinger]

i just purchased an LG 50 " plasma HDTV (50PG60)

As a plasma owner, could you answer a couple of questions for me.

1) Is it a high energy consumer?
2) Does it perform well when there is a light on in the room?

 

[tboy]

As a plasma owner, could you answer a couple of questions for me.

1) Is it a high energy consumer?
2) Does it perform well when there is a light on in the room?

yup.....I have a 42" panasonic and while I haven't put a meter on it, it does give off a lot of heat which is a big consumer of energy to create that heat....

 

[alexmst]

I have an older Pioneer Elite HD set and am happy with it. If I decide to get a new one, I'd lean towards the newer Pioneer PRO-151FD 60" Class (59.58” Diagonal) 1080p Elite® KURO™ Flat Panel HDTV. But with the economy as it is I'll happily keep my older model for the near future.

I hadn't heard of the Bang & Olufsen plasmas another poster mentioned in this thread. I just checked them out online at the B&O site and the Beovision 4 60" looks really nice but the price floored me - it lists at US$ 32,000 - ouch!...and here I thought the Pioneer Elite 60" was expensive with a MSRP of US$6,500.

I think I have another couple years of life left in my current Pioneer. Informative thread though, thanks.

 

[tboy]

Alex: if you're happy with your current set I'd hang on until th OLEDs come onto the market. They're supposed to make LCD and Plasma look like a CRT.

If I remember correctly they have resolutions up to 3600 x 2000 (or something like that) contrast ratios of 4 M to 1 and 2 ms refresh rates. Plus energy efficiency and light weight.

Sorry about the misspelling of Kuro...lol...shows you how much I care about them lol.....

Just popped over to redflagdeals and came across this:

a 50" Kuro for $1598.00......

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=676940

As for pricing on the B and O. I forget what size it was (maybe 50"???) but the first BIG plasma sold for $72,000.00 and had like a 3 yr life on the screen. I know the first 42" were selling for $24K......talk about price drop!!!!

 

[Keebler Elf]

With high def TVs don't you need to purchase some kind of decoder box from the cable company?

How much does that cost and does it replace cable costs or is it on top of?

Edit: Answered some of my questions here: http://www.rogers.com/web/content/personal-programming/hdtv

But it isn't clear if you're paying for all your regular channels or just the high def ones. Do you have to pay for basic cable and then the high def on top of that?

 

[Ref]

With high def TVs don't you need to purchase some kind of decoder box from the cable company?

How much does that cost and does it replace cable costs or is it on top of?

Edit: Answered some of my questions here: http://www.rogers.com/web/content/personal-programming/hdtv

But it isn't clear if you're paying for all your regular channels or just the high def ones. Do you have to pay for basic cable and then the high def on top of that?

Hopefully I am in the same boat as you are...

Current: Own regular TV (JVC 36") regular TV, full package from Rogers (movies, etc.).

Looking to Build: Buy a HDTV (LCD/Plasma). Get the Rogers HDTV box and keep the regular box for the current TV (switch to rec room) - Additional cost per month - Approximately $20. Rep told me that the channels will be the same except for the HD box - I will receive all of the HD channels for that unit plus the current line of channels I receive on the non-HD box.

From reading various forums - Do not be afraid to haggle with your Rogers rep. Tell them that Bell is offering so and so and they will throw in some freebies (no charges for a few months, etc.).

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

 

[tboy]

Ok, you might be able to negotiate a "deal" where you get some, most, or all HD channels with your new HD PVR or cable box but it isn't a given.

You do NOT get anything included with the HD PVR or Cable Box automatically. The VIP with Movie Network HD channel pac costs something like $94.00 but that gives you just broadcast TV, HBO Canada HD, MPIX HD and TMN HD and a few others. To get the full HD pack including TLC discovery, history, showcase, etc you have to buy another package on top of everything else.

So to break it down:
1) Basic cable basic cable box will get you all standard cable channels
2) Basic Cable plus HD cable box plus HD channel pack plus HD specialty channel pack will get you all HD channels minus TMN MPIX etc

Be prepared: you will have to pay through the NOSE (and ass, and ears, and...) to get all the HD channels.

Oh, and if you DO choose TMN hd? Not all new releases are in HD. Only some of them. I called to complain and they told me they are restricted by the distribution of the movies and not all are released in HD. (put it this way, it pissed me off to no end that 2001 etc were not shown in HD).

Oh, and the included rogers on demand? Not all HD programs will be available in HD on this channel. If you get the TMN HD pack not all HD movies will be available on the TMN on demand channels.....

 

[MixedNuts]

I think I did ok pricewise. Paid $799.99999 plus taxes but no delivery charge. (Had to use my gift certificates from my last project because I have no money.)

There was a newer Samsung model. The salesman said the only advantage was 120 Hz (instead of 60 Hz) and 40,000 contrast instead of 30,000. Sort of like buying a car with 500 HP instead of 350 HP. Do you really need the extra HP or the extra $400-$500 it would cost?

I find Best Buy and Future Shop somewhat annoying because they aggressively push the "extended warranty" on you. Do you really need the extended warranty?

Highly recommend the extended warranty.

I bought a Samsung DLP 720p television in 2005 and in 2 years it suffered from a dead pixel. It would have cost $1400 to fix it.

Luckily, I had an extended warranty from Future Shop (cost: $525). According to them, exchanging the TV for a newer model was more economically sound than fixing the TV.

So, I replaced it last year with a 1080p Samsung Flatscreen. Although, it was free, I purchased another 4 year extended warranty for $700.

Essentially, I got a new TV for $700. And if anything goes wrong with it in 4 years, I'm buying another extended warranty. I'll never have to pay for than $700 for a new TV (if anything goes wrong with it within 4 years).

Although, it's a lot of money, buy the extended warranty for peace of mind. It's worth it!

 

[tboy]

MN: they didn't give you a hard time with the claim? I have heard horror stories about people trying to make claims with 3rd party warranties.....

As for the repair costs: I took a panasonic in once with a broken plasma panel. They told me it would cost $5,000.00 to repair even when, at the time, the cost to replace the entire set only cost $4200.00.

 

[Cinema Face]

It’s been about a year since I bought a HD tv but this is what I understand about them:

The smallest plasma is a 42”. If you want a 30 – 40” range, then you have to go LCD.

The best LCD IMHO is the Sharp Aquos. Sony’s are also very good but a little pricey. I wouldn’t consider a Samsung to be the best.

Best plasma for the money is Panasonic. Best plasma, price no object is the Pioneer.

Plasma use less power than an LCD. The original problem of image burnin is gone with the newer models. Also, the problem with slow image refresh on LCD’s is also no longer a problem. Either one is a good choice.

 

[wumpscut]

I think it might be the other way around?

Plasma use less power than an LCD.

from
http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.ca/S-Kn6AotwE44Y/learningcenter/home/tv_flatpanel.html


# LCD 19"-52" Yes Good to Very Good Good Pros: panels weigh less than plasma and use less energy; burn-in not an issue
# Cons: picture slightly less natural than top plasmas

 

[MixedNuts]

MN: they didn't give you a hard time with the claim? I have heard horror stories about people trying to make claims with 3rd party warranties.....

As for the repair costs: I took a panasonic in once with a broken plasma panel. They told me it would cost $5,000.00 to repair even when, at the time, the cost to replace the entire set only cost $4200.00.

No problem at all. It's was a painless process and the turnaround time from making my claim and getting my new TV was a little over a week.

 

[Rockslinger]

This HD TV thing is more complicated than I originally thought. Anyway I bought the Samsung and that is that. Got to move on with the rest of my life.

So, now I have to call Rogers and get some kind of HD box which will increase my monthly cable charge? Wonder if Rogers accepts gift certificates.

 

[tboy]

This HD TV thing is more complicated than I originally thought. Anyway I bought the Samsung and that is that. Got to move on with the rest of my life.

So, now I have to call Rogers and get some kind of HD box which will increase my monthly cable charge? Wonder if Rogers accepts gift certificates.

Yeah they do, and check out their boxing day sales. They are offering the HD PVR for sale at $200.00 off (to purchase) and something like 6 months free rental.

I actually got 2 yrs free HD PVR rental when I signed up but I think that was because my building converted to Rogers and it was a new move in deal. I know they offer this to new condos.....I'd fight for that.....

As their commercials say: hooking up the HD is easy, it's ordering, and choosing the packages that's difficult.

OH, just a warning too. Make sure you check your bill each month. It took Robbers over a year to STOP billing me for the free HDPVR. They'd bill me, I'd call, they'd bill me, I'd call, They billed me, I called....each time they said they'd make a note on my account to not charge next month but they always did.....

 

[Keebler Elf]

Here are the boxing day flyers for Best Buy and Futureshop. What's a good deal in terms of HD TVs? Best Buy has a Samsung 50" flat panel plasma HDTV for $899.

Where is the Rogers

http://www.redflagdeals.com/deals/main.php/boxingday/futureshop/

http://www.redflagdeals.com/deals/main.php/boxingday/bestbuy/