Help me decide - protective screen or not? (1 Viewer)

[Mike_L]

I have narrowed my purchase decision down to a 61" Sony 4:3 set with a 16:9 mode - either the KP61HS20 or KP61HS30.

The only marked difference between the two sets is the protective screen - the 30 has it and the 20 does not. I see the screen as both a plus and a minus. A plus because I have a toddler and a minus because I believe that RPTVs provide a better image without the screen (no glare and more film-like).

My toddler pays no attention to my current tube TV and never puts her hands on the screen. However, there is always that uncertainty with a three-year old.

The difference in price between the two sets is roughly $150, the 20 being the cheaper of the two.

As for my room layout, if it helps anyone to provide better input, the seating position will be 13 ft. from the screen. The set will be in a room with no natural light, so I am not worried about control of lighting.

So, let me know what you think. Am I really making a mistake by not getting the 30, buying myself some piece of mind, yet sacrificing some of the image quality? Or should I take my chances and go with the 20, save some money, enjoy the non-glare screen, and just keep my fingers crossed?

Thanks for any inputs, and please, don't try and talk me into a 16:9 set as I have researched this extensively. A 4:3 set with a 16:9 mode is better suited to my needs.

Mike

 

[Brad_V]

How good a TV looks with a screen also depends on the TV. Some TVs I've asked if they had a screen on because they looked so good I didn't think they did. But they did.

Bottom line is, do you think your little one will ever get careless around the TV? If there's even a chance of it, I'd get the screen.

 

[Dave Koch]

Hi:
As the owner of a RPTV and the father of a 1 1/2 year old, I would say GO FOR THE PROTECTIVE SCREEN!!!! I did not get one, and I almost lived to regret it!
When I saw her get interested in the TV, I went out and had my framer cut me a simple plexi screen of the right size. Sure, kind of ugly, but it has saved me more than once! Plus, if I have to replace the plexi, it's only a couple bucks.
Your child may not notice now, but trust me, they will notice sometime, and probably when you are out of the room. When the child is older, you can loose the screen, no harm, no foul!
Good Luck!
Dave

 

[Jeffrey Forner]

Mike;

I second the call for the protective screen. If you have small children running around, you will need it.

I don't have any kids of my own, but I do have a niece and a nephew, ages 6 and 2 respectively. I also own a Toshiba RPTV. A week or two before I removed the protective layer from the screen, the two of them were in my room watching me play a videogame. Something in the game excited my nephew and slapped his hands on the screen. Since the protective layer was still in place, cleaning up the hand prints was a relatively easy task, but ever since I've removed the screen, I've been very attentive to where the two of them are when they stop by for a visit. In fact, my eyes almost never look away from the 2 year-old, especially if he's not sitting on the couch like a good boy.

I can't imagine the paranoia I would feel if these kids were constantly around my set. Again, get the set with the protective screen.

 

[Steve Young]

If you have kids the protective screen is a must. I had to replace the Lenticular sheet on my Tosh because it had so many cracks in it from my youngest throwing his toys at it.

Steve

 

[Mike_L]

Thanks for your inputs. Looks like I'll choose the set with the protective screen and buy myself some piece of mind.

Mike