Joseph DeMartino
Senior HTF Member
OK, I'm in the market for a new display device, but I've been out of the loop so long (the set I'm replacing is a Toshiba widescreen analog RPTV) and have worked so hard to avoid temptation these past few years that I have no idea what to buy. I'm working again and the same insane housing inflation that makes it impossible to simply move into a better place has nearly doubled the value of my condo in two years. So armed with refi money and a bad attitude I'm ready totally redo the place and to rebuild the home theater I boxed up in August 2003 and start over.
Based on room size and layout I'm leaning toward something at least as big as my current 55" 16:9, maybe a touch bigger. (If this doens't bust the budget, which is currently about $4,000. If I really fall in love with something I could probably steal enough from the flooring and kitchen budgets to add a few bucks. ) HD sets hold up to close scrutiny better than NTSC sets did, and I love the "giant screen" movie feel. I figure 60" to 65" is probably my absolute top end. From my limited research I gather 50" plus pretty much rules out LCD (too pricey) and plasma. (Ditto) I don't need a flat panel or to hang it on the wall, but I do want something a bit slimmer than the ancient Toshiba. (And the clunky custom-built wall unit it's in, which is going.)
Light control is an issue during the daytime (skylights in a 15 foot ceiling and no extra grand in the budget for shades.) My reading suggests that DLP might get me the biggest bang for the buck, but my head is so full of specs and numbers and opinions of various critics that I think I know less about this subject now than I did two weeks ago when I started looking around.
Take pity on a Noob. Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope.
What should I be looking for?
Keep in mind I'd also like to be able to use the monitor for a computer with a wireless keyboard/mouse combination, so some kind of HD-PC like beast (sans DVD player and sound decoder, which would be redundant) would be nice (even if it is just my current laptop in a niche in the wall unit.) I want to be able to caputre and edit video from my DV camcorder and photos from my 5 MP camera, as well as archive TiVo2Go files from my TiVo. (Which I want to keep because I love the service and I can live with standard def copies of BookTV) The TiVo, of course, will need a network connection. (Luckily my home office with the DSL router/gateway and my main Desktop PC are just the other side of the wall where the main HT components will be located, so I just need to run some cat-6 cable to connect everything up.)
I'm still going to use my old Denon AVR and Atlantic Technology speakers, for the time being, and my trusty Pronto remote. Down the road I would imagine I'll want a switching AVR capable of handling the digital inputs, but right now I can't even picture how that would work and don't know if there are any easy switching options for all my sources at this point.
I'll have the following:
My old Apex region-free single disc DVD player (for my handful of Region-2 discs)
My old laserdisc player (For the original original trilogy )
My Onkyo 6-disc DVD Changer (for TV on DVD sets )
My VCR (for old time's sake.)
My Pimary TiVo (Londo. G'Kar, the back-up, is connected in my home office.)
One computer or another.
My Denon Receiver
My Digital cable box (only $1.68 more expensive than HD service without the box)
My new TV/Monitor/Whatever
Some kind of power conditioning/surge protection/battery back up system. (Currently have a couple of small computer-grade UPSes to prevent the TiVo from skipping or components losing memory, but am open to upgrading if there is really something to gain.) I'll also have my Lexmark color all-in-one inkjet on a table next to the wall unit and will probably want to tie it in somehow as well.
Where do I start?
What do I need?
What should I do?
:frowning:
Thanks,
Joe
Based on room size and layout I'm leaning toward something at least as big as my current 55" 16:9, maybe a touch bigger. (If this doens't bust the budget, which is currently about $4,000. If I really fall in love with something I could probably steal enough from the flooring and kitchen budgets to add a few bucks. ) HD sets hold up to close scrutiny better than NTSC sets did, and I love the "giant screen" movie feel. I figure 60" to 65" is probably my absolute top end. From my limited research I gather 50" plus pretty much rules out LCD (too pricey) and plasma. (Ditto) I don't need a flat panel or to hang it on the wall, but I do want something a bit slimmer than the ancient Toshiba. (And the clunky custom-built wall unit it's in, which is going.)
Light control is an issue during the daytime (skylights in a 15 foot ceiling and no extra grand in the budget for shades.) My reading suggests that DLP might get me the biggest bang for the buck, but my head is so full of specs and numbers and opinions of various critics that I think I know less about this subject now than I did two weeks ago when I started looking around.
Take pity on a Noob. Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope.
What should I be looking for?
Keep in mind I'd also like to be able to use the monitor for a computer with a wireless keyboard/mouse combination, so some kind of HD-PC like beast (sans DVD player and sound decoder, which would be redundant) would be nice (even if it is just my current laptop in a niche in the wall unit.) I want to be able to caputre and edit video from my DV camcorder and photos from my 5 MP camera, as well as archive TiVo2Go files from my TiVo. (Which I want to keep because I love the service and I can live with standard def copies of BookTV) The TiVo, of course, will need a network connection. (Luckily my home office with the DSL router/gateway and my main Desktop PC are just the other side of the wall where the main HT components will be located, so I just need to run some cat-6 cable to connect everything up.)
I'm still going to use my old Denon AVR and Atlantic Technology speakers, for the time being, and my trusty Pronto remote. Down the road I would imagine I'll want a switching AVR capable of handling the digital inputs, but right now I can't even picture how that would work and don't know if there are any easy switching options for all my sources at this point.
I'll have the following:
My old Apex region-free single disc DVD player (for my handful of Region-2 discs)
My old laserdisc player (For the original original trilogy )
My Onkyo 6-disc DVD Changer (for TV on DVD sets )
My VCR (for old time's sake.)
My Pimary TiVo (Londo. G'Kar, the back-up, is connected in my home office.)
One computer or another.
My Denon Receiver
My Digital cable box (only $1.68 more expensive than HD service without the box)
My new TV/Monitor/Whatever
Some kind of power conditioning/surge protection/battery back up system. (Currently have a couple of small computer-grade UPSes to prevent the TiVo from skipping or components losing memory, but am open to upgrading if there is really something to gain.) I'll also have my Lexmark color all-in-one inkjet on a table next to the wall unit and will probably want to tie it in somehow as well.
Where do I start?
What do I need?
What should I do?
:frowning:
Thanks,
Joe