Input wanted on potential new TV (1 Viewer)

[DustinTaj]

Hi all. I've had all the audio portion of my home entertainment done for quite awhile, but never made the leap to a big-screen TV. Additionally, I've now got the wife on board and wanting a new TV.

So, we went and looked at some TV's at best buy today. We were looking for something bigger than 50" and below $3000 retail price. We found a couple of TV's to start our research and to further develop and narrow down what's best for us.

Of course, we want the best we can get, so that's why I'm coming here. I was wondering if anyone could comment on or critique the two TV's we liked. I'd like to hear the good, bad, and ugly of the two as well as whether there are other TV's we would likely enjoy better.

The two we saw and liked in the first category of price/size were (in order of first-impressions):

1.) JVC HD56G786 (HD-ILA): link - http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1118839101223

2.) Samsung HLR5667W (DLP): link - http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1110265593286

I have seen my buddy's LCD 50" tv and I didn't like it (it was an hitachi). WAY too much screen-door effect. So, I'd like to stay away from LCD.

If anyone would care to comment or suggest anything, I welcome it and would greatly appreciate your input. Next year I hope to buy the Denon DVD 3910 DVD player if it goes on sale, so I wanted to get a nice TV this year to set myself up for that.

-DD

 

[Steve Schaffer]

Between those two sets I'd go with the JVC. DLP sets use a single chip consisting of about a million or so flipping/wobbling mirrors in conjunction with a high rpm color wheel to produce the picture. As a result some people see rainbows in high contrast pictures, especially black and white movies. D-ILA sets use 3 separate Liquid Crystal On Silicon chips and no color wheel, hence no rainbows. Samsung dlp sets have issues with audio getting out of synch due to time required for video processing to synch the mirrors with the color wheel. I've also observed significantly more digital artifacting during fast moving scenes on the Samsung dlp sets vs lcd or LCOS.

The JVC 720p LCOS sets (or as they name it D-ILA) are about the only ones in your price range. Sony has just introduced their SXRD line of 1080p LCOS sets, street priced at $3,995 for the 50" and about a grand more for the 61". JVC is just now bringing out their own line of 1080p LCOS models, in 56, 61, and 70 inch sizes--don't know prices on these. Frankly I think the advantage of 1080p over 720p is going to be more apparent at sizes larger than the mid-50s. At 56" one would have to be pretty critical to justify the extra cost of a 1080p set.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Sony's 50" set has a list price of $3999 or $3995, but the street price most places is $500 less. And I've seen the 61" discounted by $1000 from $4995 to $3995. And in a side-by-side comparison it blows away every 720p set I've seen. On the TV wall at my local Circuit City the only comparable set was the 70" JVC 1080p, which is way too big (and expensive) for me. Sadly that store doesn't carry the smaller 1080p JVCs and currently has no plans to.

I had basically narrowed my choices down to the same two sets Dustin is looking at, and was leaning toward the JVC, in my quest to replace my analog 16:9 Toshiba 56" CRT RPTV. I'm watching the set from about 7" away in my current condo, instead of the 15" or so in my old place, so anything from a 50" to a 56" should work just fine given the higher resolution of HD. I had just about convinced myself that 1080p could not possibly be worth the extra bucks and would probably already have bought the 720p D-ILA if my entire condo rennovation (new floors in all the rooms, new furniture in the living room and office, a little electrical work, painting) hadn't been pushed back a month by hurricane Wilma.

But now I've seen the Sony and the JVC and even though I'm not the most discerning or demanding videophile, I can certainly see a difference between 720p and 1080p on comparably sized sets. Since I'll be spending seems like big bucks to me either way, and since I'm hoping to get at least as much life out of my next set as out of my current TV (which is actually still humming along and is being donated to charity), I'm starting to think I'll be happier in the long run if I spend an extra grand now and bite the 1080p bullet. Because if I don't I'm liable to be so unhappy that I didn't that I end up trying to sell the new set and buy a 1080p anyway in four or five years.

OTOH 720p is awfully nice as it is (I have a 27" LCD HD set/computer monitor that I've been watching HD material on at 720p for the past month or so) and the 720p prices are apt to fall even more as more 1080p sets arrive and the Christmas buying season officially kicks off.

I'm still leaning towards some flavor of LCoS, so I want to see the pricing on those other two JVC models. In the meantime I'm reviewing the estimates for the other work I'm having done and seeing if I can reallocate $1,000 from another part of the project to the TV. I mean, I'm going to spend a lot more time actually looking at the TV than I am looking at the ceramic tile in the kitchen, bathrooms or the balcony.

Good luck, Dustin. Let us know what you select and why.

Regards,

Joe

 

[DustinTaj]

Just curious, does JVC offer the same TV as I have been looking at in 60"+? If so, what is the model number and price on that baby.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Yeah, the HD61Z786. (The number after the "HD" indicates the diagonal screen size.) Prices can vary considerably, and not every dealer carries every model. You might want to check with some local stores.

Regards,

Joe

 

[DustinTaj]

Well, from my limited research and the few comments I've received, I THINK I'm going with the JVC. What do you guys think about this price (at best buy) on the JVC:

$2899 (+ free matching stand)
-12% discount (promotional coupon received in the mail)
=$2551.12
* tax (6%)
=$2704.18 total. (plus whatever delivery costs)

PLUS free $100 gift card for buying a big TV.

Is that a good deal do you think? Do you think if I wait a few months I'll find it for less than 2551 (price after discount before tax)?

I'm not so sure.

-DD

 

[DustinTaj]

Well, although the help within this thread was pretty slim, I did some research on the internet, found some similar questions on the forum here, and ultimately decided to go with the JVC. The wife and I went to Best Buy yesterday and bought it. They took $100 off of the 2899 price, plus I had a 12% promotion coupon good for the weekend only, so I got a pretty good deal. Plus, with my best buy reward zone card I'll be getting a $130 gift card in the mail, sweetening the deal further.

My next question is in regards to HDMI cables. Of course, as I read on here, they tried to sell me $100 - $150 monster cables. Is that REALLY all that necessary? On ebay I find cables from $1.00 to $100. I'm sure somewhere in that range exists an optimal performance/dollar ratio where extending beyond that point the law of diminishing returns rapidly takes over.

So, what do you all think about cables? Do you have a good brand you prefer, or site you know to sell very good cables. I will not be paying $100 for a cable, I'm sorry. But, I want a decent cable for a very reasonable price.

So, any help on that one?

Soon, I hope, I'll be able to come back and offer my impressions on this 56" monster.

Thanks,

-DD

 

[DustinTaj]

Maybe if I ask a more specific question I'll get a little more response.

Will the cables sold here: http://www.cablesforless.com/index.a...OD&ProdID=2216 be of respectible enough quality for me to not worry about spending any more, or does someone recommend something different? I found the link somewhere in another post on the forum here.

Thanks,

-DD

 

[Dick Knisely]

I'm using the 6' version of that cable at the moment (connects a Denon 1920 DVD to my Panasonic plasma TV). Hooked it up a few days ago in fact. Cable seems well built and it certainly works just fine. I got a variety of cables from them and all seemed just fine, sturdy and they work.

 

[Tom VanPay]

Hi everyone,
I have had my JVC 56G786 since July. Just love it. I bought it from Best Buy. I just had the lamp replaced today. The tech said this is the first one he has had to work on so he felt it was just a faulty lamp. Definitely go with the extended warranty, the lamp would've been $180 plus labor.

I haven't found the time to use my Avia on it but It is still a good picture. I find myself even watching golf on TV if it is in HD and I don't golf. The scenery in HD is just awesome.

Enjoy your new set.

Tom

 

[ChrisWiggles]

you have had your set since july and have not calibrated?

blasphemy! :frowning:

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Quick! Somebody call Gregg Loewenn!

Regards,

Joe

 

[Mike Milillo]

I am checking out the 52 inch version of this Lcos set. Other than the screen size, is there any differences between them.

DustinTaj, are you happy with your purchase, do you feel the set is too bright, especially when veiwing in the dark?

Do you feel that the blacks are adequate?

these are the ones I was checking out.....

http://www.jvc.com/product.jsp?model...hId=114&page=1

http://www.jvc.com/product.jsp?model...hId=114&page=1

 

[DustinTaj]

Oh no. I didn't purchase an extended warranty. I figured "the warranty is $400, the bulb is $200 and if anything major goes wrong it's likely to happen in the first year so the manufacturer will cover it."

I have read on other forums about the rare occasion that a TV loses it's bulb in the first year and the manufacturer replaced it no problem.

So, I was hesitant to purchase that warranty.

Anyway...I may have misled you. I purchased the TV, but BB did not have it in stock, so I will not be able to pick it up until Friday or maybe later. I'm anxiously awaiting it. I am switching from DirecTV to Insight Cable so I can get HD + TiVo (DirecTV wanted like $450 for this...and I've been a customer for 5 years!).

SO, I'll post some impressions once I get it...and get it setup.

-DD

 

[Mike Milillo]

thanks, I have been researching this set.

Does anybody know the difference between the two above sets?

 

[DustinTaj]

Pretty sure the only difference is that one is silver, and one is black.

I wanted silver, but best buy told me all they carried was black. It'll do I guess.

-DD

 

[Mike Milillo]

I happened to be near sears today, which is a terrible place to look at TV's, but they had this set there. The had a standard definition signal on all the sets, which looked like crap. The signal was in 4:3 mode, so it didn't fill the screen.

Just to assure myself.............

Does sears not really calibrate their sets properly?

Does a standard definition signal getting split among like 20 TV's, really degrade the signal?

Is a place like sears a horrible place to check out TV's?

I will be near boston this weekend, and I will be checking out cambridge soundworks and tweeters, are these places better to get a good idea what these sets look like?

I will be buying the TV that I choose through my father's wholesale connection. I can get this set for 1930 dollars which includes the tax and everything.

I am concerned about the brightness of the set, the black levels, and the affects of ambient light on this screen?

any help you can through my way would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mike Milillo]

Also, does the 52 inch and 56 version have the same picture?

Is the only difference in them the screen size?

thanks again

 

[Mike Milillo]

one more question, sorry, lol. Do these 16:9 widescreen sets all have the same dimensions?

For some reason, this set seemed a bit more squarish, than the other various sony's, etc.

 

[Mike Milillo]

Are the lamps in these sets user replacable? And, any idea how often they need to be changed, and how much they cost? thanks again