HDTV's

[Maxon]

Well I'm starting to get interested in getting an HDTV and I wanted to see if others out there have gotten one or what to look for and what isn't good.  I stopped by Best Buy and took a look and was seeing that the TV size I want is about a 26" and the two I saw were about 4 to 500 bucks which is mostly my limit.  Could maybe do a little more and it won't be right away, but that's around what I'm looking at.  Those brands were Dynex and Toshiba which had a pretty good quality to them where it didn't have that slightly blurred pixelated look, but was very crisp and nice to look at even up close.

What does you peoples have to say about them?

[ScottyGrayskull]

Only experience I've had with HDTVs are with Samsung, which I've found to be exceptionally good.

A few tips when looking:
- make sure the max resolution is progressive, not interlaced (eg: 1080p over 1080i). From my understanding a 1080i is hardly any better than a 720p.
- Check the input ports on the television. Make sure it has all the ones you need/want. It would suck to buy one only to find out it has only 1 component port for example.

[NiceGuy]

If you have the patience and can wait until Black Friday, I would suggest looking at deals for that. There are usually a few really good ones to draw people in. You could probably manage a decent 1080i 32" HDTV for you budget if you're willing to stand in line for it.

Check places like hh gregg, circuit city, best buy, target, walmart, and microcenter if you have one near you.

[Maxon]

If you have the patience and can wait until Black Friday, I would suggest looking at deals for that. There are usually a few really good ones to draw people in. You could probably manage a decent 1080i 32" HDTV for you budget if you're willing to stand in line for it.

Check places like hh gregg, circuit city, best buy, target, walmart, and microcenter if you have one near you.

Yeah I'm not chomping at the bit to get one as soon as possible.  Still need to earn the funds and it'll depend on what I get in the next week or so if I can get one now or wait another few months.

[CaffeinePowered]

Make sure it has an asston of inputs, especially if you own a lot of old consoles and such, I like having 3 HDMI, 2 HD Composite, 2 Svideo, 2 regular composite, PC, and optical audio (in/out)

Also

1080p > 720p > 1080i > 720i > 420p > 420i

[Mission Difficult]

Make sure it has an asston of inputs, especially if you own a lot of old consoles and such, I like having 3 HDMI, 2 HD Composite, 2 Svideo, 2 regular composite, PC, and optical audio (in/out)

I think you mean HD Component.

[CaffeinePowered]

[quote author=CaffeinePowered link=topic=1724.msg48168#msg48168 date=1226019719]
Make sure it has an asston of inputs, especially if you own a lot of old consoles and such, I like having 3 HDMI, 2 HD Composite, 2 Svideo, 2 regular composite, PC, and optical audio (in/out)

I think you mean HD Component.
[/quote]

You are correct >_>

[copulatingduck]

I hear that a good rule of thumb is, if your TV isn't gonna be over 40 inches, then you don't need 1080p (for gaming anyways). Buuuuut, I wouldn't actually know, that's just a buyer's tip someone told me once. Anyone wanna confirm or deny?

[Maxon]

Well there was a Toshiba I saw there that looked to have a few inputs, need to double check, but it did promote being a PC monitor also which boggled my mind cause it would take up my entire desk if I did so...but I'm drooling at the thought of seeing something like Fallout 3 largified lol

[Vandamguy]

its not as fun as you think it might be
i've been using my 37" HDTV as a comptue rmonitor for a couple of months now
resoloution is too low , makes reading text hard , and you need to realyl sit back from it to not get a headache

on the topic of tv's
there's two tiers
720p's and 1080p's

anything 42 inches and over will be 1080, and over 1500$
37" and under is 720P for >1000$

spend some extra bucks and get a good one, if you get a knock off brand like Dynex you'll find yourself coming up short in the connectivity options, and display settings in the menu. if possible see if you can have a look through the features the menu provides.

[[fr31ns]Karrde]

Personally, when I have my own place and the cash in a few years, I'll prolly spring for a projector as opposed to a TV.  I know a lot of people who have had great success with them and they seem more reliable plus you can make them fit and screen.

[copulatingduck]

Karrde link=topic=1724.msg48320#msg48320 date=1226043552]
Personally, when I have my own place and the cash in a few years, I'll prolly spring for a projector as opposed to a TV.  I know a lot of people who have had great success with them and they seem more reliable plus you can make them fit and screen.

Bulbs are hella expensive, and they're not as bright as TV's (though for some that's a plus), but yea, great investment those are. I was thinking about making my own after I graduate and have nothing better to do with my life. =]

[WTF Joel]

Ive got a cheap Envision 32" HDTV that's 720p, I run my laptop, 360, and ps3 on it, and they all look great o.o

[Surf314]

Woot often has HDTV's.  I can't comment as to the quality or the bargain though.

[Vandamguy]

Karrde link=topic=1724.msg48320#msg48320 date=1226043552]
Personally, when I have my own place and the cash in a few years, I'll prolly spring for a projector as opposed to a TV.  I know a lot of people who have had great success with them and they seem more reliable plus you can make them fit and screen.

low resolution too , like 1024x768

[Maxon]

Well here's a couple TV's just looking through Best Buy.

This was the Toshiba I saw.  Only one review that was just added after a refresh and he didn't rate it a 5 simply because it wasn't Sony or Samsung lol, but seems to have a good amount of connections, 720p, 2 HDMI inputs and since I only have a 360, I really don't need much else I think.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?...8010846690

There's this Samsung, though the price is higher than I want.  Has good picture quality reviews and is basically like the Toshiba, but with the nearly 200 dollar price difference and a third HDMI imput.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?...merreviews

There's also this Sharp brand one that has the same specs as the Toshiba too, but has a 32" screen for the same price.  Reviews seem to mostly talk about sound quality, but it's not the biggest deal since I usually wear my headphones for games.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?...merreviews

Then there is the Dynex which is the off brand one, but apparently the company makes TV components and might be own by Phillips if that says anything.  Price is less at around 400 for the 26" and I think 500 for the 32", but has all the required connections and PC monitor connection.  Reviews seem to mostly bag on the sound, but my tv is normally just around for the occassional show and background noise, but is used alot for movies and games, which I use my stereo system with no speakers connected and just connect headphones to that most of the time.  Also one review said it had Wii lag issues, but none with the 360 which is perfect.  I know it's possibly not the best choice, but working on a budget, it might be good, and I can get one of their warranties for any long term stuff.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?...4052042561


That's what I'm seeing right now, those ones being in my price range of about 500 or less, though the Samsung was just for the heck of it, though that's getting pricey even with the 50 dollars off sale at 650.

[Wedge]

Well look, do you plan to use this as a monitor for your computer or not?  If not 720p is fine, if so, you need to get 1080p (at least I think 720p is way too lowres to use a desktop at).  None of the gaming consoles or video formats do anything above 720p anyways, so those don't benefit that much.

[Maxon]

Well look, do you plan to use this as a monitor for your computer or not?  If not 720p is fine, if so, you need to get 1080p (at least I think 720p is way too lowres to use a desktop at).  None of the gaming consoles or video formats do anything above 720p anyways, so those don't benefit that much.

No it doesn't matter to me.  It was mostly just a perk to use it on my computer, but it'll just be used for movies, games, and TV.

[cbre88x]

Then there is the Dynex which is the off brand one, but apparently the company makes TV components and might be own by Phillips if that says anything.  Price is less at around 400 for the 26" and I think 500 for the 32", but has all the required connections and PC monitor connection.  Reviews seem to mostly bag on the sound, but my tv is normally just around for the occassional show and background noise, but is used alot for movies and games, which I use my stereo system with no speakers connected and just connect headphones to that most of the time.  Also one review said it had Wii lag issues, but none with the 360 which is perfect.  I know it's possibly not the best choice, but working on a budget, it might be good, and I can get one of their warranties for any long term stuff.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?...4052042561

I own the Dynex. It isn't quite as bad as what Vandam put it out to be. I was able to fix my picture and my PS3 games and HD channels look fantastic. The sound isn't THAT bad, but if you put the sound at a certain level depending on the audio on the channel you'll hear a pop every now and then...but you have to put it fairly high for it to do that. That's why I've started looking into speaker systems since sound on a TV is going to suck anyways.

The dynex is a cheapie for us poor college kids who could barely afford ramen anyways.

[Vandamguy]

I own the Dynex. It isn't quite as bad as what Vandam put it out to be.

i didnt rip it that bad , just said you'd be missing on a couple inputs and menu features.

prove me right though , how many inputs do you have on your tv ? 
my lg has 2 hdmi, 2 component, 1 RCA, 1 svideo, and vga.
also options for digital audio in and out from optical cable, and rca out to stereo system  8)