Newbie.....Projection TV Recommendation (1 Viewer)

[Patrick McC]

Hi There;

I am a newbie. I have begun looking at buying a 51"-57" projection TV in the price range of $2500-$3500CAD. I am frankly overwhelmed with all the bells and whistles....all the pantamblers and farzoozals. (Sorry, I just watched the Grinch).

Frankly, I don't know what I need in terms of options or what I will need in a system so it is not obsolete next year. Could someone please recommend 1 or 2 systems I should be looking at for my best bang for the buck. One requirement is that I must be able to watch regular TV in non-zoomed mode. I hate watching TV where everyone is short and fat.

Thanks in advance

Pat

 

[John S]

If you can get by with less of the cooler features, you can get more screen size for your buying buck.

A set that has basic component input supporting 480p, and 1080i is 100% functional, and should still be able to last through the expected life of the product.

The bells and whistles that may be of interest to you are:

HDTV Tuner or not (These are still mostly over the air ATSC tuners only, not cable, not satalite) I see external tuners from $200 to $300 often anymore.

720p support (Not such a big deal on Cable, Sat, and/or broadcast stuff as most tuner type boxes allow you the HD output of your choice, but if you use or plan on using game consoles like xbox, this could be a biggie for you)

DVI Input (May become very important in the future)

Multiple true HD component video inputs (many only have one)


With that said, I went with a set that has none of this, but ended up getting a 60" for $1248 too.

Bought an open box HDTV Tuner for $200 and have found my veiwing experience has been enriched greatly by the purchase. I do alot of Regular Cable, HDTV, LaserDisc, and DVD veiwing. I find I cannot even tolerate VCR veiwing on it though, as it is just too bottom end video these days.

I hope this helps some...