OT---URGENT!!!: Parents buying a TV TODAY!! need help fast=) (1 Viewer)

[Anthony_Gomez]

My parents found a TV at costco that they seem pretty serious on getting TODAY (april 14th).

They are looking to get the Paasonic PT47W49 for aroun 1600 if i remember correctly.

Three concerns!

1) is this a good purchase, or should they spend this money on another TV. Widescreen is not required, but HDTV ready/semi large screen is.

2)Lets say that 80% of what they watch is NOT widescreen. Is there a problem with the black bars burning in? NO SPECULATION PLEASE=)..only fact please=)

3) if you hook a DVD player up to an HDTV ready TV, will you have the high quality video?

MANY THANKS FOR ANY HELP!!!

 

[Richard Burzynski]

1) is this a good purchase, or should they spend this money on another TV. Widescreen is not required, but HDTV ready/semi large screen is.

Some Like Panasonics, others don't - whether or not it's "good" is subjective. It's about as good as any other $2k RPTV.

2)Lets say that 80% of what they watch is NOT widescreen. Is there a problem with the black bars burning in? NO SPECULATION PLEASE=)..only fact please=)

If you buy a widescreen set, it should be to watch widescreen material. If they use a stretch mode, you don't have to worry about burn in but then you watch short fat people (I can't stand stretch modes). If you watch 4:3mode there's no fat people, but you do get bars on the right & left, you risk burn in, and are only watching a 41" image. Why pay for a 49" TV if you're gonna watch it like a 41" set?

3) if you hook a DVD player up to an HDTV ready TV, will you have the high quality video?

If you get a decent progressive DVD player (onoly $200) your parents will be in heaven - but the other 80% of the timethey may be pissed.

Good luck.

Rich B.

 

[Mike I]

Most wide screen tv's have various stretch modes to fill the screen if you want and most are pretty good so you are not watching short fat people...One the stretch modes on most sets expands the sides leaving the middle alone, making it very difficult to notice the picture is stretched...You can also watch a 4.3 picture in normal 4.3 mode..If your set is properly calibrated you will not have to worry about burn in..

 

[Richard Burzynski]

I had a 16:9 Pioneer. Some say Pioneer's have the "best" stretch modes. It's true, the center of the screen is untouched and the right & left edges are stretched. Good except when a character exits stage right (or left) and gains 40 lbs in the process.

Rich B.

 

[Rich Malloy]

Lets say that 80% of what they watch is NOT widescreen.

Then it would be positively foolish to buy a 16x9 screen. With 16x9, they won't get any additional features, they won't have as much real estate for 4x3 material (which, let's not forget, comprises 80% of their viewing), they will be forced to use distortion-inducing "stretch modes" on 80% of their viewing to prevent burn-in, and they'll end up paying more for a comparably sized screen.

Sony XBR 36" HD-ready 4x3 is going for around $1999. That's probably the top-of-the-line direct view HD-ready set. Is that in their price range? Do they want to go larger with a rear projection set?

 

[Rich Malloy]

BTW, you can reduce the price tag substantially if you don't go with an HD-ready set. The benefits for DVD viewing are not earth-shattering, though certainly evident. It is not a high-def image that you'll get from a DVD, strictly speaking, but rather a progressively scanned image comparable to what you see when playing a DVD on a computer screen.