30" or 32"? (1 Viewer)

[Matt_Smi]

Ok here is the deal, I have $840 to spend at Circuit City because my older Sony WEGA developed a flaw and since I had a service plan they refunded the cost. I was planning on buying the Sony 27” KV-27HS420 for $750 when it comes out. But now I am thinking that spending the extra $160 to get ether the 30” (KV-30HS420) or the 32” (KV-32HS420) would be a wise investment as my room is fairly large and I think that a 27” is a bit too small for it. But there are two problems, one which should I buy? I mainly watch a lot of DVD’s and play a lot of PS2 games, I may be getting a HD box soon after I get this set but I am not sure yet, and as for regular analog TV, I watch a fair amount but I am not a huge TV watcher in general and mostly just have it on for background. I think I would be better off with the 30”, but one thing that concerns me is that not all video games have a 16:9 mode, so I would need to play them with bars on the side, which could be annoying, but most new games coming out should have a 16:9 option. Another reason the 30” is more appealing to me is because it is more future proof than a 32”.

The second problem is my current TV stand will be a bit too small for the 30” and I do not want to buy a new one nor can I fit a new/bigger one on the wall my TV is on. The measurements of my stand are as follows, 31 and a half wide and 19 and a half deep. The 30” TV is 35 inches wide and 22 inches deep, but I think this may be fine as the sides and back of the TV will just hang off the stand a few inches. My stand is rated at 135 pounds and the 30” TV weights 150, but I don’t think that 15 pounds over its weight limit will put the stand in danger of collapsing, so I should be fine there as well, but I am not 100% sure. Even though Sony does not list it on their site yet I know that the 32” weights more, because the 32” 510 weights 176, so I am guessing that the 420 is very similar in weight. That right there pretty much rules out the 32” as my stand will not be able to support it safely. But do you guys think that it will be fine with the 30”? I linked to a few (outdated) pictures of my room, so you can see the TV stand (with my old WEGA) and get an idea of how big the room is. And let me know what you think, 30” or 32” (even though I cannot really get it) or just stick my the plan and get the 27”? Thanks.


Front of Room
http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...98_19_full.jpg

Back of Room
http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...98_17_full.jpg

 

[Iver]

There's really not a lot of difference between the two, unless watching 4:3 material is important to you.

The screen area of a letterboxed 16:9 image on the 32-inch TV is just about identical to that of the entire 16:9 screen of the 30-inch TV.

Here's a handy site where you can compare the numbers:

Link Removed

From a practical standpoint, you want to avoid pushing the load-bearing limits of your furniture. Ikea has some TV shelves that are rated up to 200 pounds or so. As long as you don't play Fight Club on the TV you should be fine.

 

[Matt_Smi]

Iver,

Thanks for the input, that link is good and the two seem very similar size wise.





This is something I am concerned about, I don’t think that an extra 15 pounds will put the stand in danger of collapsing, but you never know, I guess it depends on how conservatively the manufacturer rated it. There would be only as few things worse than coming home to a busted TV, PS2 and VCR because the stand collapsed, not to mention all of the DVD’s and video games that are in the bottom of the stand that could get crushed. I did find a stand (link below) that is similar in size to my current one so it would fit on the wall and it can support up to 250 pounds. The only problem I see here is that the stand looks like it has a curved look to it, which may look dumb with my new TV, which has a flat bottom. It also brings the price of upgrading to a 30/32" up to $300, and not to mention the fact that I really like my current stand. I will go to a local CC and check it out though, to see if I like it. If I keep my current stand than I have to get a 30” because there is not way I trust it with a 32” that will weigh around 175, and I think that even the 30” will be pushing it, what do you guys think? Would the stand be in danger of collapsing with the 30" or should it be fine? I was thinking up putting some support boards between the shelf that my VCR/PS2 are on and the top shelf for some extra stability, honestly the stand is really solid but it still concerns me. Maybe I should just stick to the 27”…


http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.js...&oid=63349&m=0

 

[Geraldine/F/M]

My advice is to go for the 30". Since dvd and hdtv is headed for 16:9, the format will be much better. As for the 4:3 aspect, the Sony 30" has an aspect ratio button. True it will distort the picture a bit, but you won't contend with the side bars.

Please buy a good stand. From the picture you could move some things to accomidate a stand. The Sonys are extremely front heavy and the new wide screens have odd bases. The stand you have looks like pressed wood? And has a space for a vcr underneath. That sometimes will make the structure less sturdy.

Good luck with the tv.


Geri

 

[Iver]

Here's the Ikea opening page for stereo/TV furniture.

Ikea Stereo/TV Furniture

That Stormark unit (they give bizarre-sounding names to all the productrs) goes for $60 and supports 220 pounds. Other units are available with more squared off designs. They ship everything.

 

[Kyle Schaffer]

I went through the same hand-wringing as you did.

I have concluded for what it's worth that 32" makes more sense than 30". I still watch too much 4:3 and once I convinced myself that the 32" 16:9 was pretty much the same as the 30", it seemed like the smart thing to do.

Of course, the little voice in my head says to go for the 34", but the price jump is so significant I can't justify it.

The TV I'm targeting, by the way, is the 32HS420, as you mentioned in your post. Problem is, there's not a lot of info on it yet. I'm hoping more reviews trickle in.

But since CC is having 10% off, it seems like a new-line Sony with HDTV for $899 is a good value.

Good luck and keep us posted how it works out.

 

[Kyle Schaffer]

I just re-read your post more carefully and it sounds like you are strongly leaning towards the 30". So I didn't mean to confuse you. The weight of the 32HS420 is 168 lbs.


Since you're in MA, let me know if you find a store that has them stocked. I'd like to see them live.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

I was also debating the 30" 16:9 vs. 32" 4:3 and went w/ the 32". It was for a bedroom system where I would be watching a fair amount of 4:3 SDTV (News, Sports Center, etc). That combined w/ the fact that the 16:9 area of the 32" set was nearly identical to the 30" set pretty much made my mind up for me.

The 4:3 area of a 32" is 70% larger than the 4:3 area of the 30". The 16:9 area of the 30" is only 4% larger than that of the 32". Seems pretty cut and dry to me if you're going to be watching ANY 4:3 content, even if it's just a little.

Also, the stand I picked up for my set at walmart was $40 and rated to 200lb. My set weighs in at 150lb and the stand is as rigid as it gets in temrs of particle board furniture.

Hope this helps

 

[Kyle Schaffer]

One question I still have, and if anyone can shed light on it it'd be most appreciated...

I know that the 32" 16:9 mode is basically the same size as the 30" widescreen. Is the quality of picture the same? Is the 32" picture somehow less pristine because it's being shrunk or because it's being modified?

I realize that question may reveal my ignorance in how TVs work.

Just wondering if size = size really is the only issue.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

If the TV has a 16:9 compression mode then the picture will be just as good as a widescreen set. 16:9 compression esentially lets the TV use all of it's lines of resolution within the 16:9 area, ignoring the unused portion of the screen. I'm 99% sure the Sony 32" you're considering has this feature. If it doesn't, you're still not going to lose much (if any visible) picture quality. This feature is only useful on source material that is 16:9 (dvd and hdtv). For 4:3 sources you won't want to use this feature and you'll be getting the best PQ in normal 4:3 mode.

Hope this helps

 

[Matt_Smi]

I went to CC and looked at that stand I linked to above. It was pretty nice, but it does have a curved styling too it, which I think will look silly with the flat look of the Sony TV, Esp. since it would be hanging off the sides a bit. Since the stand was all silver which made it look a bit cheap IMO. And I would rather spend money on a stand that will fit the TV perfectly (not hang off it) and look good with it, not one that I don’t 100% like, is not any “better” than my current one and am just buying because it is rated to support an extra 15 pounds. If I could fit it, I would probably go with the stand that Sony sells to match the TV perfectly, I think that looks great, but it is not an option and it is also expensive at $250. I am either just going to stick with the 27” or go with the 30” and hope that my stand holds up fine. Unless I can think of another place to put my bed… In that case I would just go with the Sony stand.

 

[Raphael O]

I want to let you know about the toshiba 30hf83 30 inch widescreen hdtv ready.

its dimensions are : 29-11/16"W x 21-5/8"H x 21-1/2"D
it is not as wide as the speakers are at the bottom instead of at the sides.

also it weights :120 lbs

it is available for sale at around $868 shipped form an authorized dealer ( regular price at $1299). it has a one year in home warranty .( 2 years for tube).

Im not sure how good this tv is though .

Pm me if you want info on the seller/dealer .

 

[Matt_Smi]

Raphael, that TV sounds great and I am a big fan of Toshiba’s, but if I were to buy it then I would have a gift card for $840 at Circuit City and nothing to really spend it on, and CC does not even carry Toshiba TV’s either or else this would be a good consideration. Thanks for letting me know though.

 

[Matt_Smi]

I really need to find out if an extra 15 pounds over my stands weight capacity will put it in danger of collapsing. I have been looking at a lot of stands, and I really have not found one I really like and that in my price range (under $200). I found 3 tech Craft Stands that I thought would be good and would match my A/V rack (which is also made by Tech Craft), but each of them has something that I don’t like and one of them would not fit where I need it. I either need to spend money on a stand that I will not really like, or put my faith in my current stand (which I do like, and would save me money). I honestly think that my stand would be fine, I weigh almost 150 and can sit on the stand with no problems, the top shelf shows no signs of sagging or anything like that, but it’s the long term that I am more worried about. I know if I go with the 27” I will regret not spending an extra $160 for a bigger TV that I will get more enjoyment out of for a longer time.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

Stand up on your stand and see how it reacts to a few decent hops (just a few inches off the surface). If there's not sagging or swaying of the structure then it should be fine.

 

[Iver]

You could test it with known weights such as concrete blocks and bricks (weigh each separately on a bathroom scale). Keep adding them until you're just over the weight you want.

There's no way to know what the stand will handle just from the mfr's rating because we don't know if this is conservative (large margin of error for extra weight included) or not.