Topic: Will buy an HD TV soon; Need advice

[NWR_pap64]

Shielding? Call me a massive noob, but is that the metal that surrounds the connector?

[bustin98]

Shielding is the coating on the cable length. The connectors do not need shielding. Shielding on the cable blocks interference from outside sources such as power cords and other video cables. The strength of the shielding is dependent on the distance from the sources of interference and the expected strength of the interference. You do not need to worry about the details as you more than likely will not have a professional installation. The packaging should just say 'shielded'.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Not sure if my (monoprice)cables were shielded, but I have no interference problems, with a mess of cords all tangled together.
-TV, DVD player, DVR cable box, Wii, Component switch box, Computer, monitor, 2 powers trips, sub woofer & two comp speakers, stereo, with two more speakers-
But that is definitely something you should keep an eye out for, I'm just lucky it hasn't been a problem for me.

[bustin98]

A tangle is better than grouping all the cords together in a single strand.

[NWR_DrewMG]

I have a Phillips 27" HDTV that I got from Target (floor model + new Red Card + untrained employee = about a 40% discount) for around $435 after warranty (was originally $599) with the only inconvenience being that I had to buy the remote control for 11.99 from Phillips website.

I have had a FEW problems with it, namely that it didn't play nice with the cable box I had from my provider.  I had it on HDMI and it would often drop the picture, and I'd have to turn the set off and on to get it to come back.  Then when I switched to Component cables, it wouldn't pass the audio through the TV to my receiver when I got On Demand content.  Very weird.  I've since dropped the cable box.

The TV has a really great picture though, and a built-in HD Tuner.  The only thing I really regret about my purchase was that I didn't wait another year and get a 32" for the same price.  But then, with the discount I got on the TV, I can't complain about the money I spent.

[BranDonk Kong]

You can also purchase ferrites (basically a magnet inside a plastic shell) for your A/V and power cables, they block electronic interference. Get a TV with optical audio output if you ever plan on using the built-in tuner, so you can watch OTA/DTV broadcasts and enjoy some beautiful surround sound. On omst (if not all) TVs, this *only* applies to the built-in tuner.

[Stogi]

Can I recommend a projector?

They are competitively priced. If you absolutely have to have 1080p, then I wouldn't recommend it, but if 1080i is alright with you, then nothing beats it if you have the space.

I bought a 1080i HD projector with a framed screen for a G two years ago. I have a receiver with HDMI output and up-converter, so I only have one cable traveling to the projector. I highly recommend a similar setup.

[NWR_pap64]

Can I recommend a projector?

They are competitively priced. If you absolutely have to have 1080p, then I wouldn't recommend it, but if 1080i is alright with you, then nothing beats it if you have the space.

I bought a 1080i HD projector with a framed screen for a G two years ago. I have a receiver with HDMI output and up-converter, so I only have one cable traveling to the projector. I highly recommend a similar setup.

That sounds good, but I don't have enough space to put it up.

If I ever get a house, maybe...

[BranDonk Kong]

Projectors can't actually do 1080i. LCD is progressive, period, it's accepting a 1080i signal and faking it, outputting it at 720p, or whatever it's native resolution is.

[Stogi]

Unless your projector is DLP......

[BranDonk Kong]

No dude, there's no such thing as an interlaced projector. It's not outputting at 1080i, look up the model, and the native resolution, that's what it's outputting the image at, unless it's a 4:3 projector, in which case it's using a lower resolution.

[bustin98]

I had an old DLP rear projection tv, it accepted a 1080i signal, but it displayed the image in 480p.

[Stogi]

No dude, there's no such thing as an interlaced projector. It's not outputting at 1080i, look up the model, and the native resolution, that's what it's outputting the image at, unless it's a 4:3 projector, in which case it's using a lower resolution.

I don't understand. When I feed it a 1080i signal, it switches to 1080i.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Or it just identifies the incoming 1080i signal, saying so.

[Stogi]

But it's HD. It looks just as good but way bigger than any LCD TV with 1080i

[bustin98]

Yes, its HD, doesn't mean its not spitting out a 720p image. Honest question: do you know why interlace exists?

If I had a choice between 720p or 1080i, I would take 720p everytime. Besides, other than Blueray movies and very few 360/PS3 games, most HD sources have a native resolution of 720p. And some 'HD' television broadcasts are actually just 480p, and more than likely will never reach 1080p due to bandwidth constraints.

[Stogi]

Oh I see. I don't claim to be a video specialist,, I just found it curious.

[NWR_pap64]

On another note, I went to another Wal-Mart which had a far bigger selection of HD TVs and a better price.

The great thing is that they had a movie running, which made it easier to determine which TV was best. They had "Pinocchio" running and its was a great movie to demo, in my opinion. What I noticed is that on some TV the colors looked "smeared", like they are leaving the source and it creates a glowing effect, especially in movement. Is this an issue that can be resolved or is this a sign that the TV can't truly do colors right?

Any word on Toshiba?

[BlackNMild2k1]

Did you take down the model #?

I know you value our opinions, some more than others (some probably not at all) but...

seriously. check the Walmart site for the TVs you like & get the models #
goto avsforum.com and search for that brands & model #'s
Know everything that is good and/or bad about the tv's (there may be a known issue with that model you don't want to deal with later)
You'll be able to make a more informed decision than what ever recommendation we can make for you.

& you will probably learn something things about TV's there that you didn't know before hand. I know I did.
It's how I found my Oppo brand DVD player. I was looking for the best progressive scan upsacaling DVD player I could find @ a price I was willing to pay.
I went in thinking one thing, learned some new things, and came out with something I had never heard of before then.
I couldn't be happier with the purchase.

It's also where I decided on my current 32" LCD TV. There was a known issue that wasn't really an issue with me, but I only knew about it because I checked all models of TV on sale for Black Friday that year in my price range, and I couldn't be happier with what I got for that price at that time. according to current prices, it still looks like I got a pretty good deal on a budget TV. So I have no complaints.

I actually check any major electronic purchase at that site before I buy for those same two reasons. I might find out something that I wouldn't have known otherwise or I might find something even better than what I was planning to buy. Its worth checking out. trust me.

[BranDonk Kong]

If you want a great deal, go to Sam's Club - even if you don't have a membership already. The $35 membership cost is easily forgotten when you see their amazing deals. I wish I had held out a little longer on my TV after seeing the prices there. Every time I go there, I see at least one person out front loading a TV into their car. Seriously. 52" Sony Bravia for like $1550, 52" Philips for $1387 - I don't necessarily recommend Vizio, but if you want a cheap 120hz TV, they have a 55" LCD for $1787, I believe the actual screens are made by LG.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

When browsing a store's HDTV display, consider a couple things:

1.  Not all the display TVs get equal treatment.  HD signal distribution (amps and cabling) is expensive, and not every TV will receive a component cable feed or an HDMI feed.  There's always a few TVs that are unlucky and just get composite cable or S-video cable feeds creating relative blurriness and smearing, giving a false impression.  A store that affords to hook everything up properly does not exist; or rather, it is a MAGICKAL STORE, and it's name is definitely not Walmart or Target or Best Buy or Fry's or Sears or Circuit City (lol) or Good Guys (lol again) or Costco or Sam's Club.

2.  Most display TVs run on factory settings, and that is purely natural.  But no two TV sets have the exact same factory settings--the numbers and switches might match, but the output in reality is not 100% identical as the output calibration is performed individually back in the factory.  They CAN have the same output quality, but only after tweaking, resulting in differing settings.  A display TV might not look good at first sight, but there IS a strong possiblity that it could look GREAT after some quality time is spent tinkering with the settings.

[Stogi]

Pap, do you live anywhere near Chicago?

I only ask because I could hook you up with a factory refurbished 1080p 52" Sharp HDTV for $900.

[NWR_pap64]

Pap, do you live anywhere near Chicago?

I only ask because I could hook you up with a factory refurbished 1080p 52" Sharp HDTV for $900.

Try the Caribbean Islands...

[Stogi]

You know, I always wanted to go to Puerto Rico. Maybe we can work something out.

[vudu]

(Instead of creating yet another Buying a TV thread, I decided to hijack Pap's.  Sorry, buddy.)

My six-year old Sony TV died.    It's completely non-responsive when I try to turn it on.  It acts like it's not plugged in, even though it is (and yes, I tried changing outlets, etc.).  I think it's either a problem with the power source or the mother board.  I'm looking into getting it fixed but it might turn out to be more expensive then it's worth, so I'm also contemplating just buying a new television.

Has the Internet finally decided if Plasma, LDC or DLP is better?  My living room is fairly bright during the day (not sure if that matters).  I'm looking to probably pick up at 42" set.  I'm not really concerned about burn-in, as I understand that it's not a big problem these days.

My biggest concern is refresh rate.  I don't really know any of the technical specifics, but I know enough to be worried that I'll get a system that doesn't play nice with my Wii.

I have a connection that can get me a really good deal on an LG TV.  The Internet doesn't seem to really like LG TVs (something about poor black levels and screen uniformity).  Then again, the Internet doesn't like a lot of things.  Does LG really compare that badly to Panasonic/Phillips/Sony/etc?  ( I prefer to stay away from "lesser brands" like Vizio and Insignia.)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.