Flat panel TVs

[LikaNui]

Re: Flat panel TVs

A few hours ago I came home from Best Buy with a 40" Sony Bravia KDL-40S5100. I finally bit the bullet after seeing the flyers in the Sunday paper; both Best Buy and Walmart had this TV at $999.
(Apparently this is a new version of the one TutuSue has (see post #5). The label on the back of mine said it was made in March 2009... in Mexico, no less.)
The service at Best Buy was okay, though of course the saleman tried to get me to upgrade to a much longer warranty, etc. He also said I should have their tech guy come out and calibrate the unit. For $300! I passed. Should I have done that?
Also, to get a crystal clear picture I have it set at Wide Mode: Normal, which leaves 4" black lines on each side of the picture. If I switch to Wide Mode: Full, the image fills the whole screen but the stretching makes the image kinda blurry. Is there a setting I need to change?
I'm using one of Oceanic's digital TV/DVR boxes. Oceanic says I need to upgrade to HD service for an extra $6.95 a month, and that I need to switch to an HD DVR box. Will that fix the full-screen problem?
I plan to hook my 2008 LG home theater system (model LHT764) to the new TV. The sound from that is pretty awesome. (I was going to post a link, but LG's server is in maintenance mode at the moment.) The Oceanic guy will be here Thusday with the HD DVR box, so hopefully I can talk him into wiring up the LG system at the same time.
(Eh, Tutu, you're not the only "non-techie" here. )

[Jim75]

Re: Flat panel TVs

When I bought the TV, I mounted it on my living room wall and cut holes in the wall to hide the cables. I was so proud of my handiwork, I took a picture:

Nice work!

. . . my kids "suggested" that I "sit closer" to the VIZIO to get the same effect!

[oceanpacific]

Re: Flat panel TVs

We have a four-year-old 50" SONY rear-projection LCD (not a flat panel) which is on a glass and metal stand. That was supposed to be my football TV, but the video game controllers were quickly switched from the old-style 27" and 24" SONY TVs. When I protested that I wasn't going to get the "big-screen" feel with the 32" flat panel VIZIO I bought two years ago, my kids "suggested" that I "sit closer" to the VIZIO to get the same effect!

My study has a bank of wall cabinets that hold my books, CDs, DVDs, and VHS tapes and nicely frame a 66" wide space that's perfect for a wall-installed flat panel TV. The bottoms of the bridge cabinets (15H x 33W x 12D) are 69-1/2" from the floor, The 65" SHARP AQUOS would fit nicely, but I'm not crazy about the $3500+ tariff. The $1000-1200 46" SHARP would do nicely at 1/3 the cost, as would the $1350 47" VIZIO XVT. The savings would be put to good use by purchasing a new DVD player, among other things. $2K will go a long way

I appreciate all the information provided by the rest of the ohana and will also post a photo when I make my final decision. That's a real nice installation job, zff.

[Creative-1]

Re: Flat panel TVs

I bought a 42" Phillips LCD at Costco in Dec. for $850. I did not come with HDMI cables. I assume most do not.

I bought them on Amazon for $2 (yes, $2.00. I think they're $20 or more in stores). They make a HUGE difference from the standard ones.

To get high definition, the cameras that take the image must be HD, as well as all the equipment between them and your TV.

Without HDMI, or High Definition Multimedia Interface, cables, you will get something less than HD.

[Random]

Re: Flat panel TVs

You would assume the tv tech staff at the store would set the tv's up for optimal performance in the store lighting situation. But frankly, I've been in electronics stores where I've known more about the merchandise than the salesperson. And it's not like I'm some sort of expert.

I assume the salesperson wouldn't be the one to come to your home and make the installation.

[Random]

Re: Flat panel TVs

When I bought the TV, I mounted it on my living room wall and cut holes in the wall to hide the cables. I was so proud of my handiwork, I took a picture:

Yeah, I'll probably won't be doing that on my single-walled home.

[zff]

Re: Flat panel TVs

I don't think you can go wrong with either of those brands (Sony, Sharp, Vizio). If you look at them side-by-side in the store, one brand might have a better picture than the next, but you could take the least-awesome one home and it would still look fantastic in your living room. Unless you're going with a really cheap no-name brand, I wouldn't worry about picture quality.

I also tend to not pay any attention to the stuff people say about sizing the TV to the room. I like having a big screen, even if it brings out all the flaws in the picture.

My living room TV is a Sharp AQUOS. It's got a fantastic picture, but there are a few things I wish it had. First, there's no volume-leveling feature. My old TV had an option to level out the volume so that loud stuff wasn't so loud and quiet stuff was a little louder. It was really handy when watching DVDs late at night. Second, the AQUOS allows you to label each input, but there's no choice for "Blu-Ray", only "DVD". I know it's a minor thing, but I just got the TV a few months ago. You'd think "Blu-Ray" would be one of the choices.

It does, however, allow you to update the TV's firmware via USB, so hopefully these features will be available later.

When I bought the TV, I mounted it on my living room wall and cut holes in the wall to hide the cables. I was so proud of my handiwork, I took a picture:

[helen]

Re: Flat panel TVs

Found out that the Magnavox does do HD but I don't have the right cable connections.

[kdramafan]

Re: Flat panel TVs

Just in case you're not aware of this site - CNET.com has lots of info on TV's. Here's a link to their TV Buying Guide: http://reviews.cnet.com/tv-buying-gu...tColumnArea1.0

Here's the page for 42" to 49.9" screen size models. When you go there you'll see the capability to look at other screen sizes. You can have the results sorted by review date, editor's rating, user's rating, or low price. It can at least put you in the ballpark. http://reviews.cnet.com/tvs/?filter=...881_&tag=mncol

One thing I would consider when viewing TV's in a store is how they've been set-up or adjusted. As I understand it, the possible adjustments can make a dramatic difference. You would assume the tv tech staff at the store would set the tv's up for optimal performance in the store lighting situation. But frankly, I've been in electronics stores where I've known more about the merchandise than the salesperson. And it's not like I'm some sort of expert.

Settings for LCDs and Plasmas out of the box are always on torch mode. I have a Samsung 46" 1080p LCD and use settings I found at Avsforums.com. What a difference they made the picture look. You also can try the link below and search for your model and see if the settings they post work for you.
http://www.tweaktv.com/

[Jim75]

Re: Flat panel TVs

Just in case you're not aware of this site - CNET.com has lots of info on TV's. Here's a link to their TV Buying Guide: http://reviews.cnet.com/tv-buying-gu...tColumnArea1.0

Here's the page for 42" to 49.9" screen size models. When you go there you'll see the capability to look at other screen sizes. You can have the results sorted by review date, editor's rating, user's rating, or low price. It can at least put you in the ballpark. http://reviews.cnet.com/tvs/?filter=...881_&tag=mncol

One thing I would consider when viewing TV's in a store is how they've been set-up or adjusted. As I understand it, the possible adjustments can make a dramatic difference. You would assume the tv tech staff at the store would set the tv's up for optimal performance in the store lighting situation. But frankly, I've been in electronics stores where I've known more about the merchandise than the salesperson. And it's not like I'm some sort of expert.

[anapuni808]

Re: Flat panel TVs

Tell your landlord you're willing to pay (i.e. up your rent).

I'd love to have that option but can't afford to pay more rent just to get better quality TV - it's not that important to me. What I have now is free for me.

Groceries are much better

[Composite 2992]

Re: Flat panel TVs

If the picture looks good to you, that's all that really matters.

Vizio is an upstart brand that's made huge inroads for providing decent sets at great prices. Buying at Costco provides an added bonus of a 2 year warranty on the tv, that's something you may need to buy as an extended plan elsewhere.

There are only a few manufacturers worldwide that produce LCD panels, and everyone purchases from them. So what you might see in one brand of TV, you would also see in another. What can also make a difference is the circuits that drive the display. How the incoming data is interpreted to drive the pixel elements of an LCD can have a major effect on the image quality.

So it pays to give the TVs a good look. Even if you're looking at the same brand. Quality can vary from one size or model to the next.

[Random]

Re: Flat panel TVs

a couple of weeks ago, I purchased a Sony Bravia 32" and am very happy with it. I don't have HD because I share sattelite service through my landlord and he is still deciding whether he wants to pay for the extra costs. I hope he does because I'd like to be able to enjoy the full services of the TV. I switched from a Mitsubishi 27" analog that was about 14 yrs. old.

Tell your landlord you're willing to pay (i.e. up your rent).

[joshuatree]

Re: Flat panel TVs

I have a Vizio from Costco that works great. Does it have the best picture ever? I can't tell so I don't know and I don't care.

If the picture looks good to you, that's all that really matters.

Vizio is an upstart brand that's made huge inroads for providing decent sets at great prices. Buying at Costco provides an added bonus of a 2 year warranty on the tv, that's something you may need to buy as an extended plan elsewhere.

[matapule]

Re: Flat panel TVs

I have a Vizio from Costco that works great. Does it have the best picture ever? I can't tell so I don't know and I don't care.