Help Me pick a TV, please (1 Viewer)

[Kyle Tippett]

I currently have a 2 year only 20" jvc.. which is totally overpowered by my denon 1803, 39" svs, paradigm titans, atoms, and cc170..
i sit 9 feet from the screen...i know that means projection, but i do occasionally play video games, so i think projection is out.correct? unless now there is a burn in guard on some...

i have been looking at 36"-40" and am willing to spend between $1200 and $1700... i have been looking at sony's hi scans and the 36 XBR, which is a little pricey.. is it worth it, is there a better bet... sound doersnt matter, reliability and picture are important..
Please help me.

oh, and i am looking mainly at 4:3 because i watch a lot of foriegn and cant have the subtitle cut of, or zoom out to fit them.
i harly watch tv, but hdtv is necessary becasue of the times.

Thank you to anyone who helps.

 

[Kyle Tippett]

Come on guys.. dont just look

 

[Lev-S]

I'm a sucker for Sony (Hell it's a love/hate relationship: I've had 3 PS2s). When I worked for Future Shop, we had a couple of the low-end Sony Plasmas with a progressive scan Panasonic player playing Attack of the Clones. It looked decent, but when somebody switched the component cables over to the 40" XBR, I nearly shat myself at the quality of the image. 2 minutes later after a quick picture adjustment, I started to feel light-headed: The picture was razor sharp, clear as crystal, and solid in it's colours and black levels. I could have swore it looked 3D. So YES, the XBR is worth it. (I'm still stoked over their new 16:9 XBRs! In BLACK no less!)

 

[Kyle Tippett]

any knowlege regarding why the 36" warranty it 2 year overal, and the 40" is not? that is one of the deciding factors... along with if the 40" is really that much bigger than the 36".... i only have a 20" right now mind you, but i am trying to get the big screen feel form a direct view crt




ps. to anyone else reading but not writing. i see now that i may have come off a bit cocky/rude in my first, even second post. i appologize for this.

 

[ToddJoseph]

Some people like to view the threads to see if they can answer your questions, or some people like to just view and see what the responses are...Again, TV's are like Speakers, you need to go and view and hear what your buying. Im partial to any Toshiba's, and Sony TV's. If you can afford a Toshiba rear projection, I would do it. Especially when you can get 6 or 12 months same as cash!!!!

 

[Kyle Tippett]

you can get 6 or 12 months same as cash!!!!

????meaning..

Dont projection tvs still have issues with burn in when using game consoles? every 6 months or so i spen a good chunk of time playing games.. so if that problem is still arouind i cant afford to go that rout.

ps. anyone know if 16:9 does cut off subtitles when they are shown in the matting bars on a 4:3.. (without zooming out)

thanks

 

[Daniel Becker]

Hi Kyle,


Your tv viewing habits sound a lot like mine. I love watching movies but I also love playing videogames and many of them are not widescreen. So, I ended up buying a Sony 36HS510 a month ago. I couldn't be happier with the tv. It looks awesome with a progressive scan movie and videogames look nice and big! You can't go wrong.


So, I would recommend two different tv's to you. These are your two best options for your money and viewing habits.


Sony 36" HS510- I got mine for $1500. Bargain with the sales people at stores. Even Circuit City was willing to match other deals I was offered. I finally ended up getting it for this price at a local high end store. Trust me though, you can buy this tv for $1500.

Sony 40" XBR- You may find this tv for less than $2000. Just try real hard and once again you'll have to bargain with these people! At the very most you shouldn't pay more than $2000 but you may find this tv for as low as $1700.


Either way you'll be very happy. The 36" from 9 feet is good but the 40" will be even better. Have fun!


Dan.B

 

[Lev-S]

If you're going to do a lot of gaming, I'de stay away from projection myself and stick with tubes. (Not to say that there is anything wrong with Toshiba's HD projection series, ToddJoseph!). As for the difference between the 36" and 40", my assumption would be that there is very little if any at all. They both have Sony's Hi-Scan feature and DRC functions as far as I know. And if you are buying a large screen, it would probably be wise to put an extended warranty on it which would give you more than 2 years.

 

[Kyle Tippett]

thanks... i was recently looking into subtitle issues concerning the 16:9's, and learned that most 1.85 dvds' subtitles are moved up onto the image on a 16:9 screen, which is a major plus for me, for it was the main issue i was having when faced with the choice of getting either a 4:3 or a 16:9. so i am now looking at the 34" xbr or maybe even holing out till late july for the new black cased wides sony's gonna have, with their new crt tube, cant recale the name, but it was for added detail... i, of course, do not know how much of a difference it will be from the current models, but if there is much of any at all, i9 may verywell be kickiong myself later on for not waiting... plus, anyone know about sony/toshiba financing deals... i have never used a credit card, only debit... so i am not sure if i will even be approved, but anyone u this before?

 

[Paul Anthony]

I've owned 3 Sony XBRs (each screen size keeps getting larger), and couldn't be any more happier with them. They are perfect for playing video games, as well as DVDs, I suggest any XBR will do for you. BTW Kyle, I didn't think you were rude, you just sounded anxious for an answer!

As for me, I'm planning on getting the new Sony XBR widescreen (I've never owned a widescreen set before), because of the black cabinet.

 

[Kyle Tippett]

i thought maybe naming my components didnt come off too good.. especially since the whole system rings in at under any decent high end amp out there

 

[StevenW]

One thing to keep in mind regarding that widescreen set your looking at. You can get just about the same 1.85:1 image in a 36 inch 4:3 set that you can in a 34 inch 16x9 set. But with the 34 inch 16x9 set your 4:3 picture will be much smaller, equivalent to like a 27 inch TV.

 

[Kyle Tippett]

and the 40 inch? is it that much bigger than the 34?

 

[Daniel Becker]

Great point Steven. I was just going to say that. My 36" 4:3 Sony provides a widescreen image that is almost exactly the same size as watching a movie on a 34" 16:9 set. However, if you watch a 4:3 program on your 34" 16:9 set your only seeing about a 27" 4:3 image. Not a good tradeoff at all.


In regards to the 40". I believe it would provide a widescreen image equivalent to a 36.7" 16:9 set. Thats pretty nice.



Dan.B

 

[StevenW]

Kyle here is a great link to make comparisons for the different sizes of tv's

Link Removed