HDTV recommendations? (1 Viewer)

[Justin Bauer]

I have been saving money towards and HDTV for several years and I have always lightly researched them.

But, today, I went to Best Buy and they had "Jaws" on a 51 inch widescreen TV. Needless tosay, I was so impressed that I am seriously starting to push towards finally picking one up.

Being a recent college grad means I am tight for money right now. I have about $650 saved and once I get a job I will start putting aside money from my pay checks or finance one.

I know it is not much, buy my budget range for a TV will be around $1500.

Can you guys recommend anything for me in that range. I would like a widescreen TV no smaller than 40 inches.

I watch alot of sports and I remember reading that 1080i TVs were not good for that? Basically, for my price range and watching alot of sports, what should I look for in an HDTV?

 

[Johnny_M]

Well, I bought the 42" samsung rptv about a year and a half ago for about 1300 I think. They are probably less now or you could get a larger size for that price im sure. i love this tv, i watch movies on it mostly, but I also watch alot of basketball and football and its a great tv for sports.


johnny

 

[Iver]

If you're willing to go with a 40-inch RPTV, there are tons of choices in that price range. Sears has a Samsung 42-inch RPTV selling for $1,000.

In your price range you could probably go for at least a 46 to 47-inch set, including models from Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Sony, Hitachi.

I've always liked the PQ on Toshibas but there seem to have been some reliability issues with the past couple of Toshiba model years, though many people also report having no problems with the sets. Toshiba does have a one-year parts/labor in-home warranty. It beats Sony which limits labor to 90 days.

You'll probably want to make sure you get a set with DVI (or HDMI) inputs. Firewire (IEEE-1394) connectivity would be a nice plus but as far as I know it's only available now on Mits RPTV's with integral HDTV tuners.

If you get a set with an OTA ATSC tuner (HDTV), make sure it also has QAM (unscrambled cable) capability. Another thing to look for is Cable Card which is another option for connecting to HD signals from a cable operator.

 

[Geraldine/F/M]

In your price range, the selection is quite good. Most pjtv's under 47" are usually "tabletops" and will need a stand of entertainment furniture. Sony and Hitachi have 51" one piece pjtv's which are quite nice. They are HD monitors and will need an HD source. Samsung has a good 48" one piece. They range form 1300-1700 dollars at Sears. Be careful of JVC, Toshiba and RCA. They are alright but do not have the same reliability.

Check the internet sites for model numbers and sales. Remember retailers do price match each other.

Have fun!

Geri

 

[Justin Bauer]

Great, thanks for the info, I will check out these TVs tomorrow.