DaveGTP
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2002
- Messages
- 2,096
Hi all,
Backstory if you are interested in why the cheap upgrade
I have some money coming in (it's tax time coming up + I got good grades and have some tuition reimbursement money coming). I have decided to pay off a big fat credit card or two, pick up a few long-desired items I could never seem to find money for (lift top coffee table or SVS sub), and do a holding-action TV upgrade for a couple of years until I can get my drool-worthy Panny plasma. So I'm not looking at huge budget here.
I have a 27" Zenith NTSC TV w/ S-video that has some minor video problems that it developed over time (a shimmery sort of effect, unnoticeable for movies, but annoying for videogames with reading (RPG & Strategy). 4:3 is perfect at this distance, 16:9 (anime) and 1.85:1 stuff is quite decent, but 2.35 movies are too small. Especially LOTR. It's all about Fellowship for me
I've been TV researching (although mostly on plasmas) for a year or two now. I'm familiar with 480p - it's all I desire (I don't watch TV at all any more unless it's coming off of a DVD, just widescreen movies, anime DVDs, and videogames). So I know what I'm getting into with a 480p only TV. FP & Plasma will come someday, just not real soon.
NOW TO THE POINT
I think I'm going to give the Samsung 32" Enhanced-def TXN3245FP a try for $699 (I'm aware of possible blooming issues with it). I was also considering the TXN3271HF 32" HD-ready for $899ish. Although, at that pricepoint I might just go with a Panny for $999...anyway, thoughts right now are on the ED set. Depends, I guess, on what kind of deals I can get.
I did a lot of reading, but I have a couple of questions:
MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION:
1) I watch a lot of 4:3 DVDs (anime) along with widescreen movies. To use the anamorphic squeeze on the TV, I need to have the DVD player set to 16:9, right? That means I'll have to switch it back and forth between 4:3 and 16:9, and probably the squeeze mode back and forth, on the TV? I'm going to have to do some macro-ing, right?
LESS important, just looking for feedback:
2) Any comments on the TXN3245FP? I know it historically had an iffy track record of having issues out of the box, but is it better since the recent changes? (I hear that the 1080i hack is gone :frowning: from the newest versions and that some of the issues have been cleaned up as well)
And least important...
3) And has anyone seen videogames on a Samsung CRT? (new and old-school NES, SNES, PS1, etc)?
Backstory if you are interested in why the cheap upgrade
I have some money coming in (it's tax time coming up + I got good grades and have some tuition reimbursement money coming). I have decided to pay off a big fat credit card or two, pick up a few long-desired items I could never seem to find money for (lift top coffee table or SVS sub), and do a holding-action TV upgrade for a couple of years until I can get my drool-worthy Panny plasma. So I'm not looking at huge budget here.
I have a 27" Zenith NTSC TV w/ S-video that has some minor video problems that it developed over time (a shimmery sort of effect, unnoticeable for movies, but annoying for videogames with reading (RPG & Strategy). 4:3 is perfect at this distance, 16:9 (anime) and 1.85:1 stuff is quite decent, but 2.35 movies are too small. Especially LOTR. It's all about Fellowship for me
I've been TV researching (although mostly on plasmas) for a year or two now. I'm familiar with 480p - it's all I desire (I don't watch TV at all any more unless it's coming off of a DVD, just widescreen movies, anime DVDs, and videogames). So I know what I'm getting into with a 480p only TV. FP & Plasma will come someday, just not real soon.
NOW TO THE POINT
I think I'm going to give the Samsung 32" Enhanced-def TXN3245FP a try for $699 (I'm aware of possible blooming issues with it). I was also considering the TXN3271HF 32" HD-ready for $899ish. Although, at that pricepoint I might just go with a Panny for $999...anyway, thoughts right now are on the ED set. Depends, I guess, on what kind of deals I can get.
I did a lot of reading, but I have a couple of questions:
MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION:
1) I watch a lot of 4:3 DVDs (anime) along with widescreen movies. To use the anamorphic squeeze on the TV, I need to have the DVD player set to 16:9, right? That means I'll have to switch it back and forth between 4:3 and 16:9, and probably the squeeze mode back and forth, on the TV? I'm going to have to do some macro-ing, right?
LESS important, just looking for feedback:
2) Any comments on the TXN3245FP? I know it historically had an iffy track record of having issues out of the box, but is it better since the recent changes? (I hear that the 1080i hack is gone :frowning: from the newest versions and that some of the issues have been cleaned up as well)
And least important...
3) And has anyone seen videogames on a Samsung CRT? (new and old-school NES, SNES, PS1, etc)?