Help wife wants me to decide on TV now and I am still undecided (1 Viewer)

[WillPec]

I for sure want a 36" flat screen HDTV set with with either 16:9 or 4:3 mode. I want to spend between 1500-2200. The set will be used for both TV and DVD. I was supposed to decide before the hoildays but I still am confused as all get out. Can anyone recomend a good set/s that fall within the price range? I really am in desperate need of some advice or comments or a good review site. Iwould hate to spend this much money without being able to make an informed decsion.

Any comments at all are helpful.

-Will

 

[Michael Cook]

I have a 36" wega but it is not HDTV. I think the HDTV wegas are about $2,500 so that would be out of your price range.
What about this TV: Scroll down, it is a Panasonic 36" flat screen hdtv, 4:3 mode.
http://www.circuitcity.com/ewebIMa/f...ductsearch.jsp

 

[Dwight Amato]

If you want to go RPTV, you will have a lot more options out there. You can get the 42" Toshiba or 47" Panasonic 16X9 HDTV's for less then $2000 (I got my Panny for $1570)

 

[Steve Schaffer]

Costco is selling the KV36XBR450 for $1995, does everything you want. This is the set that streets for $2495 every place else.
For the same $2200 or so, the Tosh 42H80 or the 47" Panny widescreens are a good deal.

 

[WillPec]

Thanks guys for all the replies. Also does anyone know of a good review/comparison site? I checked consumerreports.com but the charge 20.00 to use the site :frowning:.

 

[Michael Cook]

I would try cnet.com and/or zdnet.com They usually have professional reviews and/or consumer reviews.

Mike

 

[Allen Hirsch]

Will-
try here:
http://www.audioreview.com/reviews/index.shtml
(They have pretty good user reviews for the more popular sets, even though the URL suggests it's for audio equipment only.)
It's a tough time to buy a TV. Whether to spring for the HD-ready gear, in a bigger size and/or widescreen to take advantage of HD resolution and aspect ratios - or get an "interim" set for another 3-5 years, until the HD tuners are included, and the prices get more reasonable. I'm going back and forth myself, since the last TVs I bought I've kept for more than 10 years, I'm having a tough time deciding which is truly more cost-effective.

 

[Dwight Amato]

I looked at it this way. I decent NTSC 36" tube set is gonna cost you around $1500. I figured I was able to get a 47" widescreen HDTV for the same price. 5 years from now I am hopeful to get a FPTV and I can stick the 47" in a living room or bed room.

 

[Francois_Laliberte]

Willpec,

I for one do not wish to confuse you.

But I would still comment on my experience, and this may or may not help you in your buying decision.

I bought a Toshiba TW40X81 (16:9 40 inch RPTV) a year ago. I bought it mainly to watch DVD's (glorious image) and keeping in mind that my girlfriend watched TV here and there.

Well I can safely say that a 16:9 TV is not really optimal to watch TV. I can watch TV with either gray bars on each side (it preserves the integrity of the image) or via a zoom feature that fills the screen (it zooms the image, making the people look, well, fatter).

So I would strongly suggest that you bring a DVD with you and watch a few TV sets, and ask the salesperson to show you a cable feed so that you can see if you like 16:9 or not.

I watch a lot of DVD's so I'm really, really happy about my purchase but the ocasionnal TV show doesn't look that great.

It's a tough time to buy a TV set, that's for sure.

My set is HDTV-ready, but there is not enough programming available yet for me to fork the $$ to buy the expensive dish/receiver setup.

Best of luck, find a good salesperson, and shop !!!

 

[Leonard Gee]

Like other posters have said- this is a difficult time to purchase a display device but:

You should consider

1. How much 4:3 vs. 16:9 programs do you and your girlfriend watch?

2. Primary use. Will it be you main display device or do you have another tv?

3. Do you want "home theater" for movies in OAR

4. Do you watch alot of "music concerts" (most are in 4:3)

5. Do you have HDTV in your area?

6. How long do you plan to keep your TV?

Good luck.

 

[Jack Briggs]

And, like it or not, the best place to read reviews of these sets is in the home-theater press, the magazines. If you can find a really decent price on a Sony KV-36XBR450, go for that as a compromise--it's a 4:3 native screen with an automatic 16:9 raster-compression mode, and scans fast enough to give you both 480p (either via its internal doubler or with a prog-scan input) and 1080i. All in all, a good set to buy in this transitional era.

 

[BradZ]

check out www.ecoustics.com for organized press reviews.
hope this helps.

 

[WillPec]

Thank you all for the informative replies. As many mentioned the transition to HDTV, that is my major problem. I want to keep it for awile as primarly TV/HT set and then in 5 or so years get a FPTV for movies and use it primarly

to watch TV. Also thanks for the links, they helped.

-WIll

 

[WillPec]

Ok final post on this thread I know I may need to start another at this point. Just got done with talking to the wife. She liked the flat TV's because of the "neat picture" . We want to make a purchase within the next week so I (lucky me) can build the housing cabinet. Please I need somone who is more informed then I to help with suggestions (i.e. anyone who reads this). We are looking for a set with the following in order (as specified by the wife and myself, her mostly)
1. Will be viable for 5-10 years.
2. Has a good picture for primarly TV, DVD, and some VHS.
3. Is as big as possible vs. picture quality (one of our main debates)
4. "Can be rectangle picture"- can't complain I love her, she means 4:3 OR 16:9 On DVD'S Mainly
5. Good value.
6. HDTV ready.
7. Can be used for video games on short duration.
PS We are thinking of going to satelite instead of cable and the primary use will be TV until we save enough for FPTV, after witch it will all be TV and the set for our "sooner than later HT"- We are startin all over with the set.
Also, thanks for all the information so far guys, I am more confused then ever, but much more informed. -options drivin me mad lol.
-Will

 

[Michael Cook]

I think you should first decide on 4:3 or 16:9. If you go 4:3, the Sony 36XBR450 would be a great choice. It has enhance 16:9 viewing for DVD's, but you will still see the black bars at the top. I love my Sony and couldn't get a 16:9 due to my wifes love for our current entertainment center. Since you will be builiding a housing cabinet, I would go with a 16:9 TV for sure. Just imagine wathcing those DVD's just like at the movies with no black bars at the top and bottom. I am not familiar with the 16:9 TV's though.

 

[Tony_Pat]

Michael, I'm in a similar quandry (see my 'Three TVs' post in this forum. You say you've got a Sony 36", but not a HDTV. It wouldn't happen to be the 36FV27 by any chance? That's one of the units I'm looking at. As a general question, I can't decide between that and either the 43T90 or 48V80, all three of which can be had for about the same price. About 70% of my viewing is cable broadcast, with the rest split between DVD and VHS. I like the 16:9 feature on the FV27, but I still can't decide which would be the best bang for the buck.

 

[Michael Cook]

Tony, I really don't know anything about the other two TV's you are trying to decide from. My Sony is the KV36-fv16 model. I believe the model you were looking at looks just like mine, but has more inputs in the back than mine does. Also the fv27 has auto 16:9 compression when watching dvds. Mine I have to manually change it. I love my TV but I was limited to how big I could go due to our entertainment center. I have 1/16" clearance on each side of the entertainment center. So I crammed the biggest TV I could find in there. I see your delima. With the other two choices, you are getting a bigger picture for the same price. Maybe someone on here knows more about your other two choices.