Need help from Sony TV users!!! (1 Viewer)

[Jimmy_F]

Hello,

I have a question, does Sony's new TV features like 1080i, 960p and 480p compatible and DRC technology make a huge/noticeable difference in the video quality?

I'm asking because I'm being offered an used KV-36FV27 for $750. Is this a good deal??? I know it lacks all the new features like the 1080i/860p/480p compatability and the DRC, but can a regular joe like me tell the difference? Or should I just pass and get the newer TVs with all the bells and whistles. I'm by no means a video expert, I've been watching a junkie 19" for the longest time...so anything would be an upgrade for me. I'm just going to watch regular TV (I have regular Direct TV), and watch anime DVDs and movie DVDs. What I'm trying to ask is, is that a good price on a used TV and what am I missing compared to the new models? Thanks in advance.

Please help me decide because this is my first time buying a big and higher resolution TV, and I don't want to mess it up and kick myself in the future for being cheap.

Any recommendation on a DVD player type, model, and connections? I'm still reading on these stuff. Help me out!

Jimmy

 

[Jim FC]

Assuming this TV is in good condition, it's a good price for that set - new, it was about $1700 as I recall, and it really is a ver good TV. I'd be sure I was buying any used set from someone I trusted, though, so be careful! You will definitely be able to see the difference between that set and an HD-ready one. An HD-ready TV will eliminate the scan lines that will be evident on the Sony you're talking about.

The 36FV27 is not a "higher resolution TV." It is just a standard TV, albeit a pretty big one. The thing to do is to go into a store that has the current Sonys and take a look at the difference between the HD-ready sets and the standard ones... the current 36FV300 is essentially the same TV that you're talking about.

 

[Lew Crippen]

Depends on what you want: big picture at a good price, or best picture for DVDs and the ability to upgrade to HD.

I recently purchased a Sony HD-upgradeable set and I am thrilled with the DVD reproduction quality.

 

[Jimmy_F]

So I guess being "HD-Ready" is the better choice. Thanks for your input, and with the ruling by the FCC today...it looks like it makes sense to wait because it looks like by 2004, all manufacturers need to make their 36"+ TVs HD-ready. I'm thinking the price will drop dramatically.

Jim

 

[Jack Briggs]

Jimmy, those "bells and whistles" to which you refer are high-def; i.e., 1080i is a high-definition format. The FV-series WEGA you're thinking about is strictly an NTSC-based display. My advice: Never buy a used television. Never. You don't know if the set was overdriven or not, so you may be spending that money on a TV that has already been damaged. Only get a new set, and you can find plenty of bargains on 2002-model FS- and FV-series WEGAs. But if you're going to spend more than a grand on a television in this era, it makes more sense to buy into ATSC-based displays. JB