TV buying help
- Thread starter bucky88
- Start date
depends on what your looking for. quality or just something that works. if your someone who just wants something decent and works go check out the $630 at the bestbuy and see if you like it. but if your one to get the blu-rays and is a very big tech guy, than you might as well get the brand name one...if you can afford it.
Cycleguy007
Banned
When it comes to TV's... Sony is rated one of if not THE best, followed closely Panasonic...
personally i've always bought sony. reason...and correct me if im wrong because this is the reason why i always bought sony.
1)obviously you can depend on the quality of their product.
2) is because they have a way of integrating their systems that work with other products in their line up. for example. i own a playstation 3. it actually sincs with the bravia as well. they basically kinda string you a long and when they got you...they got you for life.
but its cause im a tech guy which is why i like everything from sony.
but really...for most people if your just using it just to watch tv and dvds and simple things. i wouldnt blow my load on a sony. like for example..im not much a phone guy...so i never got into this fad where people would spend like $600 for a cell phone. i just renew my contract every 3 yrs with rogers and get a new phone for free. but for someone who uses the blackberry to work and like needs to always have access to texting and emails and so on and is really connected...obviously u got for the best and a blackberry. it all depends...
1)obviously you can depend on the quality of their product.
2) is because they have a way of integrating their systems that work with other products in their line up. for example. i own a playstation 3. it actually sincs with the bravia as well. they basically kinda string you a long and when they got you...they got you for life.
but its cause im a tech guy which is why i like everything from sony.
but really...for most people if your just using it just to watch tv and dvds and simple things. i wouldnt blow my load on a sony. like for example..im not much a phone guy...so i never got into this fad where people would spend like $600 for a cell phone. i just renew my contract every 3 yrs with rogers and get a new phone for free. but for someone who uses the blackberry to work and like needs to always have access to texting and emails and so on and is really connected...obviously u got for the best and a blackberry. it all depends...
Check the TECH FORUM. I seem to recall there were some discussions on this subject earlier this year. I vaguely recall some warnings about SONY. BTW TV's are puchased by the stores in U.S. dollars so the price in Canadian dollars is probably pretty good at the moment (and maybe even better in the future if the USD crashes and burn like some people believe).
to be honest...i keep hearing time to time about tvs breaking down after a few years and how they arent built like the way they're use to...but i've never ran into the same problem. like i think someone just posted...just go on a consumer site that rates and gives info on it...i think u'll b fine with the cheap tv. just dont go sooo cheap to the point where the screen is naturally fuzzy. lol
Man, I wish people would search the forums, this topic has been done at LEAST 10 times before.....
be careful about the cheap off brands: many at that price are only 720I resolution which means you will NEVER be able to see or view HD content because the tv can't produce it.
The big thing these days is contrast ratios. Better screens produce blacker blacks.
Another thing to look for with LCDs is ghosting (where an image appears behind a fast moving object) like the contrails of a jet.
Burn in isn't an issue with LCDs but it is with Plasma and my Pannie Plasma runs fricken HOT.....
Another thing to watch for is/are number and type of inputs. Many cheaper models only have one or two inputs and if you want to connect more than two items (ie: dvd player and playstation) you'll have to buy an external HDMI switch box (and they can be pricey).
As for durability/warranty. I think toshiba is the only flat screen OEM that has a 2 yr warranty, the rest (even Pioneer when they made the Kiro line) was only a year.
When you do buy one, make sure you anchor it properly. There have been reports of a lot of screens falling over and hurting small kids because these puppies are very heavy and with the slim bases, are tippy.
be careful about the cheap off brands: many at that price are only 720I resolution which means you will NEVER be able to see or view HD content because the tv can't produce it.
The big thing these days is contrast ratios. Better screens produce blacker blacks.
Another thing to look for with LCDs is ghosting (where an image appears behind a fast moving object) like the contrails of a jet.
Burn in isn't an issue with LCDs but it is with Plasma and my Pannie Plasma runs fricken HOT.....
Another thing to watch for is/are number and type of inputs. Many cheaper models only have one or two inputs and if you want to connect more than two items (ie: dvd player and playstation) you'll have to buy an external HDMI switch box (and they can be pricey).
As for durability/warranty. I think toshiba is the only flat screen OEM that has a 2 yr warranty, the rest (even Pioneer when they made the Kiro line) was only a year.
When you do buy one, make sure you anchor it properly. There have been reports of a lot of screens falling over and hurting small kids because these puppies are very heavy and with the slim bases, are tippy.
I have 2 42 inch Samsungs, very happy with them, usually the best priced of the major brands. Also, they offer a 2 year warranty while all the others only offer one year.
Tv
I have a good gently used Electrohome 12" black and white portable TV for sale. The "rabbit ears" will be thown in as part of the deal.
I have a good gently used Electrohome 12" black and white portable TV for sale. The "rabbit ears" will be thown in as part of the deal.
One thing about 40" and 42", especially if you buy the high end, $1200-1400, even less if your a good negotiator is that regular NTSC looks very good and you can save monthly cash flow there. All the store are pushing 50/52 inch screens now and you can get a better deal on the smaller size. If you go bigger you have to able to sit far enough away, greater than 10/12' to get the benefit of the larger screen.
which is something I tell a LOT of people when they're deciding on what tv to buy. I think it is senseless to buy a huge screen then sit across the street in the parking lot.
I read that to properly place a TV when looking at the dead centre of the screen (vertically and horizontally) you should just make out the right and left sides of the case of the tv with your peripheral vision. When sitting normally your eyes should be centered vertically on the screen. If you sit so far away that you see the sides of the tv, the paintings on both sides of the tv, and the cat sitting on the shelf in the next room, you're sitting too far away and might as well buy a 720 or 480 screen.
Also, too many people put their TV up high on a wall mount say above the fireplace. So when you sit on a couch you're craning your neck to look UP at the screen. This too is wrong on so many levels. I have a 42" and sit about 6 feet away. This gives me just about perfect side to side vision and allows me to see things in HD (like a beaver flash when some star is wearing a skimpy outfit).
Checking the meds.
Twice in one day I agree with CG.
I've had both Sony and Panasonic and had no trouble with either.
...
***
Twice in one day I agree with CG.
I've had both Sony and Panasonic and had no trouble with either.
...
love!! love!! my 40" Sony Hi Def., tv !!
never,never go to a Sony store to buy a Sony tv !! go to G and G'S!!! Kingston rd. and morningside!! great saving's!!good luck!!
never,never go to a Sony store to buy a Sony tv !! go to G and G'S!!! Kingston rd. and morningside!! great saving's!!good luck!!
tboy, how do you manage to see all these pink beavers? You must have a "beaver detection" TV!
G and G is a good place, I would also recommend buying from Costco if you know what you are doing, they have some good deals. Another recommendation is 2001 Audio and Video, and I mean the outlet store on Kennedy just before Ellesmere, the sales guys know what they are talking about and always willing to haggle.
As for size and distance, ideally you should take the size of the tv you have and double it, which would give you the distance you should be sitting to get the best resolution. Example 36 inches, converts to 72 which means you should be about 6 feet away for best viewign results.
I didn't go to Sony's for any purchase as they're not convenient, but I've had no trouble recommending that to others who are set on Sony as you have stock and go in prepared to negotiate. In this economy they know what everyone is selling them for and if they see an add in your hand they sell you the tele or through in a warranty for next to nothing or free. To them, it's a $25 lost leader. To you, it's big bucks in savings. My friends, all three of them, said they got a better price with my help.
That 2:1 ratio is a minimum, but is a good place to start
