HDTV NEWB, looking to pick up one...

asdf · 03-12-2008, 09:37 PM

Newb to the whole HDTV thing. I mostly just need it for watching tv and games (360), looking to spend around $600-700 at most. I'm thinking it would be better locally, just in case anything happens...

What type of specifications do I need to look out for? Brands? Cables? I see a lot of 720p, 1080i, 1080p

asdf · 03-12-2008, 10:24 PM

Hum I found this, Vizio 32" LCD HDTV
VX32L $629.99 http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Vizio-32-LC...roductDetail.do

What do you guys think about that? My buddy has one but not sure what size it is and its doing/looks awesome.

Found this too... Westinghouse - 32" 720p Flat-Panel LCD HDTV $579.99http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?sk...2290376#reviews

I searched and some like some dislike these companies?

ImAuthenticFTW · 03-12-2008, 10:39 PM

I see those Vizio TV's in people homes all the time when im at work. (im a tech for a major cable provider) I havent seen anything wrong with the Vizios as of yet they seem to be pretty good.

bigballer · 03-13-2008, 01:21 AM

vizios aren't bad for the price but offer pretty bad contrast resolution. from experience, you want something with about 8000. there are some tvs that offer 25000 but if they're not displayed in 1080 they look like complete crap. when i used to work at sears, vizios colors tended to fade. they're not bad for the price, but you get what you pay for. i hate to say go for the name brand but you really get for what you pay for. i found a good deal for my brother on a samsung (i forgot the model number) after chrismtas break for around $1000 but that includes taxes and a 5 year warranty. you could get a better deal. just search around. look through the flyers. my personal advice is go find a fries electronics( or whatever is equavalent to teh electronics warehouse in your area) go to sears and they'll match that. honestly i hated when people did that. you never got any commission but warehouses have dirt cheap prices and sears has to match it. i can gurantee you you can pick up up for a steal. 720p and 1080 your prefernce. i really cant see a big differce. sometimes i can, sometimes i can't. you also have to remember that not even all blu ray is on 1080p. you could swing by just fine with 720. jsut search around and try not to get a generic brand. try to stick with samsung, sony(im in loveeee with the xbr 5), and sharp. best 3 tvs ive ever seen. good luck

Toxis · 03-13-2008, 02:28 AM

I just puked in my mouth... I have to leave this thread.

ac2539 · 03-13-2008, 02:45 AM

my cousin has a 32" vizio. i have a 32" samsung. mine was about $200-300 more. but comparing them, the samsung looks noticably better. for $700 you wont find anything more than a 32" most likely, and there are hardly any 32" offered in 1080p. theres not much difference you can see with 720p and 1080i, especially since we are talkin 32" or less. broadcast tv is 1080i at best right now anyway.

phantazma · 03-13-2008, 04:24 AM

Visio and Westinghouse are cheap, but so is the quality in general. I would pick up an Olevia TV, which are always getting good reviews from CNET.com. Actually, there is a 42" Olivia for $750 but I don't remember where.. like Office Max or something.

Oh, and if you get a TV that's less than 50", go for a 720P HDTV, with a built-in Tuner. 1080p on a smaller TV is useless, because you won't be able to see the difference.

ac2539 · 03-13-2008, 05:46 AM

Olevia? NOOO!

bigballer · 03-13-2008, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ac2539

Olevia? NOOO!

hahah i was thinking the same thing. i remmeber when i sold someone a 27" olevia. that thing didn't have jack on it. no hdmi inputs, no nothing. thing was stripped out. color was terrible. everything about this tv was 2nd hand. next week, dude came and told me it was the best tv he's ever seen.

aLiLbit-Si-LLy · 03-14-2008, 01:39 PM

I got an LG 32" on sale for like $740 at circuit city, no interest for 2years if you use their credit card and it is very nice. I was looking into getting a Visio because it was cheap but my dad was like if your gonna spend $600 why not spend $140 more and get a lot better quality. Im glad I did and I know at my Circuit City in VA they have a sony 32" for $700. I was looking at that one two but went with the LG because it had way better contrast, and it looks so good on 360!

Chikour · 03-14-2008, 02:08 PM

Man save $1500 and get yourself a 50'' Plasma or so (brandname of course!).

yoshiod9 · 03-14-2008, 07:12 PM

I'm an LCD kinda guy and I had a samsung 32" LN3251. It was one of the best sub-40" televisions out at the time (fall/winter of 06) and I loved that thing! It cost me around 1600 brand new w/warranty and the only reason I got rid of it was to upgrade in size. I bought a 40" Sony KDL-40XBR2 and the only qualm I have with it was the cost (around 2400 brand new w/warranty!). Both sets were FANTASTIC, though. Much better than my 1990 model 27" Zenith. haha.

maximo61170 · 03-14-2008, 07:20 PM

SonyStyle.com | Sony | 26" BRAVIA® M series LCD Flat Panel HDTV

asdf · 03-15-2008, 12:19 AM

I really don't need anything bigger than 32", it's only going to be in my bedroom.

hawjdude · 03-15-2008, 01:51 AM

i have a cheap symphonics HDTV 32 inch from wal-mart thats treating me good. Still working even though it was punched numerous times by the wife. i gotta give it some credit for lasting this long. hopefully, it'll allow me enough time until i can get another. i've seen that sony's, samsung, and sharp give very good quality. my dad's got a toshiba, and its right up there as well. for the most part, i think what separates the cheap HDTVs from the expensive ones is (i forget the technical term for it) in how well the TV showcases the movements of objects in the TV. my cheap tv shows very fast motion and movement with lag and it blurrs when the has to do this (especially w/ basketball,sports,etc). however, the higher end tv should showcase this with ease. for your first HDTV, it'd just get something affordable (500-700 price range)

Toxis · 03-16-2008, 12:41 AM

^Allow me to summarize this story.

"My TV looks like shit and has motion blur and doesn't do fast motion well but it still turns on and gives me a crappy picture, even though my wife punches it. I would recommend going cheap too."

Great advice.

Anubis · 03-20-2008, 01:51 PM

^

djnferna · 03-23-2008, 03:09 AM

sony kdl32m3000 it is around 790 dollars it is 720P.... color is good not as vivid as a samsung but better black levels then a sharp... dont worry about getting a 1080P tv in that size u will not be able to notice anything better...

ImAuthenticFTW · 03-23-2008, 03:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawjdude

i have a cheap symphonics HDTV 32 inch from wal-mart thats treating me good. Still working even though it was punched numerous times by the wife. i gotta give it some credit for lasting this long. hopefully, it'll allow me enough time until i can get another. i've seen that sony's, samsung, and sharp give very good quality. my dad's got a toshiba, and its right up there as well. for the most part, i think what separates the cheap HDTVs from the expensive ones is (i forget the technical term for it) in how well the TV showcases the movements of objects in the TV. my cheap tv shows very fast motion and movement with lag and it blurrs when the has to do this (especially w/ basketball,sports,etc). however, the higher end tv should showcase this with ease. for your first HDTV, it'd just get something affordable (500-700 price range)

this isnt just with the "cheap" models, its because of your scan rate. With fast paced action movies and sports the movesmnt on the screen is actually faster than what your TV can update the image, that is what cause this alg to occur.

hawjdude · 03-23-2008, 03:51 PM

good job!!! cookie for the effort.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toxis

^Allow me to summarize this story.

"My TV looks like shit and has motion blur and doesn't do fast motion well but it still turns on and gives me a crappy picture, even though my wife punches it. I would recommend going cheap too."

Great advice.

03-12-2008, 09:37 PM	#1 (permalink)
asdf Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 1,118 iTrader: 6 / 100%	HDTV NEWB, looking to pick up one... Newb to the whole HDTV thing. I mostly just need it for watching tv and games (360), looking to spend around $600-700 at most. I'm thinking it would be better locally, just in case anything happens... What type of specifications do I need to look out for? Brands? Cables? I see a lot of 720p, 1080i, 1080p

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03-12-2008, 10:24 PM	#2 (permalink)
asdf Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 1,118 iTrader: 6 / 100%	Hum I found this, Vizio 32" LCD HDTV VX32L $629.99 http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Vizio-32-LC...roductDetail.do What do you guys think about that? My buddy has one but not sure what size it is and its doing/looks awesome. Found this too... Westinghouse - 32" 720p Flat-Panel LCD HDTV $579.99http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?sk...2290376#reviews I searched and some like some dislike these companies?

03-12-2008, 10:39 PM	#3 (permalink)
ImAuthenticFTW Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Chase, MD Age: 19 Posts: 1,313 Mike Wagner iTrader: 1 / 100%	I see those Vizio TV's in people homes all the time when im at work. (im a tech for a major cable provider) I havent seen anything wrong with the Vizios as of yet they seem to be pretty good.

03-13-2008, 01:21 AM	#4 (permalink)
bigballer Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 117 iTrader: 0 / 0%	vizios aren't bad for the price but offer pretty bad contrast resolution. from experience, you want something with about 8000. there are some tvs that offer 25000 but if they're not displayed in 1080 they look like complete crap. when i used to work at sears, vizios colors tended to fade. they're not bad for the price, but you get what you pay for. i hate to say go for the name brand but you really get for what you pay for. i found a good deal for my brother on a samsung (i forgot the model number) after chrismtas break for around $1000 but that includes taxes and a 5 year warranty. you could get a better deal. just search around. look through the flyers. my personal advice is go find a fries electronics( or whatever is equavalent to teh electronics warehouse in your area) go to sears and they'll match that. honestly i hated when people did that. you never got any commission but warehouses have dirt cheap prices and sears has to match it. i can gurantee you you can pick up up for a steal. 720p and 1080 your prefernce. i really cant see a big differce. sometimes i can, sometimes i can't. you also have to remember that not even all blu ray is on 1080p. you could swing by just fine with 720. jsut search around and try not to get a generic brand. try to stick with samsung, sony(im in loveeee with the xbr 5), and sharp. best 3 tvs ive ever seen. good luck

03-13-2008, 02:28 AM	#5 (permalink)
Toxis Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Italy Of Course! Age: 29 Posts: 3,799 Even Women Aren't Safe iTrader: 10 / 100%	I just puked in my mouth... I have to leave this thread.

03-13-2008, 02:45 AM	#6 (permalink)
ac2539 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Fremont, CA Age: 21 Posts: 1,740 iTrader: 3 / 100%	my cousin has a 32" vizio. i have a 32" samsung. mine was about $200-300 more. but comparing them, the samsung looks noticably better. for $700 you wont find anything more than a 32" most likely, and there are hardly any 32" offered in 1080p. theres not much difference you can see with 720p and 1080i, especially since we are talkin 32" or less. broadcast tv is 1080i at best right now anyway.

03-13-2008, 04:24 AM	#7 (permalink)
phantazma Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 142 iTrader: 1 / 100%	Visio and Westinghouse are cheap, but so is the quality in general. I would pick up an Olevia TV, which are always getting good reviews from CNET.com. Actually, there is a 42" Olivia for $750 but I don't remember where.. like Office Max or something. Oh, and if you get a TV that's less than 50", go for a 720P HDTV, with a built-in Tuner. 1080p on a smaller TV is useless, because you won't be able to see the difference.

03-13-2008, 05:46 AM	#8 (permalink)
ac2539 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Fremont, CA Age: 21 Posts: 1,740 iTrader: 3 / 100%	Olevia? NOOO!

03-14-2008, 01:39 PM	#10 (permalink)
aLiLbit-Si-LLy Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Woodbridge Age: 22 Posts: 374 AJ iTrader: 2 / 100%	I got an LG 32" on sale for like $740 at circuit city, no interest for 2years if you use their credit card and it is very nice. I was looking into getting a Visio because it was cheap but my dad was like if your gonna spend $600 why not spend $140 more and get a lot better quality. Im glad I did and I know at my Circuit City in VA they have a sony 32" for $700. I was looking at that one two but went with the LG because it had way better contrast, and it looks so good on 360!

03-14-2008, 02:08 PM	#11 (permalink)
Chikour Senior Member Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 134 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Man save $1500 and get yourself a 50'' Plasma or so (brandname of course!).

03-14-2008, 07:12 PM	#12 (permalink)
yoshiod9 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: bay area Age: 25 Posts: 258 iTrader: 1 / 100%	I'm an LCD kinda guy and I had a samsung 32" LN3251. It was one of the best sub-40" televisions out at the time (fall/winter of 06) and I loved that thing! It cost me around 1600 brand new w/warranty and the only reason I got rid of it was to upgrade in size. I bought a 40" Sony KDL-40XBR2 and the only qualm I have with it was the cost (around 2400 brand new w/warranty!). Both sets were FANTASTIC, though. Much better than my 1990 model 27" Zenith. haha.

03-14-2008, 07:20 PM	#13 (permalink)
maximo61170 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: the b aka benicia and sac Age: 21 Posts: 1,900 gino iTrader: 0 / 0%	SonyStyle.com \| Sony \| 26" BRAVIA® M series LCD Flat Panel HDTV

03-15-2008, 12:19 AM	#14 (permalink)
asdf Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 1,118 iTrader: 6 / 100%	I really don't need anything bigger than 32", it's only going to be in my bedroom.

03-15-2008, 01:51 AM	#15 (permalink)
hawjdude Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: MN Posts: 503 iTrader: 0 / 0%	i have a cheap symphonics HDTV 32 inch from wal-mart thats treating me good. Still working even though it was punched numerous times by the wife. i gotta give it some credit for lasting this long. hopefully, it'll allow me enough time until i can get another. i've seen that sony's, samsung, and sharp give very good quality. my dad's got a toshiba, and its right up there as well. for the most part, i think what separates the cheap HDTVs from the expensive ones is (i forget the technical term for it) in how well the TV showcases the movements of objects in the TV. my cheap tv shows very fast motion and movement with lag and it blurrs when the has to do this (especially w/ basketball,sports,etc). however, the higher end tv should showcase this with ease. for your first HDTV, it'd just get something affordable (500-700 price range)

03-16-2008, 12:41 AM	#16 (permalink)
Toxis Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Italy Of Course! Age: 29 Posts: 3,799 Even Women Aren't Safe iTrader: 10 / 100%	^Allow me to summarize this story. "My TV looks like shit and has motion blur and doesn't do fast motion well but it still turns on and gives me a crappy picture, even though my wife punches it. I would recommend going cheap too." Great advice.

03-20-2008, 01:51 PM	#17 (permalink)
Anubis Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Williamsburg, VA Age: 28 Posts: 5,073 iTrader: 6 / 100%	^

03-23-2008, 03:09 AM	#18 (permalink)
djnferna Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 12 iTrader: 0 / 0%	sony kdl32m3000 it is around 790 dollars it is 720P.... color is good not as vivid as a samsung but better black levels then a sharp... dont worry about getting a 1080P tv in that size u will not be able to notice anything better...