starting fresh in new apartment.. which tv?? (1 Viewer)

[AdamS]

Hey guys, I am a complete newbie when it comes to TV's and just moved into my new apartment. I am looking to spend between 2000-2500 on a TV... any suggestions? My sitting distance from sofa to TV will be around 13-14 feet.. I will primarily be watching DVD's, digital cable or playing games (playstation 2, gamecube..)

I am also willing to buy an open box/floor model if there's no defects to screen or visual quality. (scratch to cabinet or no manual is fine by me).. And will be bringing along a friend with some great haggling abilities Also would it be wise to print out some prices from online retailers? What are some good places to check out in my area (if anyone is in the detroit (royal oak) suburbs area and know of any good places to check out, let me know

I know I'm being really vague, I'm not an expert like many of you are so I really don't know exactly what features I would be looking for more than others.. Thanks for any advice you can provide!

Adam

 

[Dave Borgman]

Adam,

I too am in apartment and my seating distance is 13". Instead of going with a TV, i decided to go front projector. My screen size is 100" with the projector 13" from the wall.

HD Channels are awesome. (5 bucks a month more for comcast box than normal digital cable box).

DVD's are awesome.

Digital cable is OK, but then again it was only OK on my 36" Sony.

XBox is good using only composite. Will go with component someday.

The projector I bought was an In-focus X1.

The only 2 drawbacks i have is the amount of inputs on the X1. Need switchers or manually switch connections.

To get the really best picture it needs to be dark.

I got the projector, 100" da-lite model b high contrast pull down screen, (2) 25foot component cables, an s-video 25 footer, and a composite 25 footer, and 2 adapters from infocus for around 1375.00 total.

Not a bad price for a 100" picture.

And when you move, you won't have that huge TV to lug around.

Dave

 

[AdamS]

Dave - wow, 100" picture.. I could never even imagine haha.. Sounds like a great idea. I love the idea of not having to lug a 400 pound TV up 3 flights of stairs (yes, im on the third floor EEK).

I'm just wondering where I can go to see one of these in action (preferably an X1 if possible). I'm new to the area. It's much easier to go look at some 50-65 inch HDTV's than it is to go check out a front projection in action. Any ideas? I'd really like to check one out. But the price is great and I do like the idea of not having to lug a big tv around..

Thanks,
Adam

 

[Dave Borgman]

Where are you located? I've never seen a FP set up at Best Buy or Circuit City. Ultimate Electronics had a couple set up but I don't think it was an X1. Otherwise you could call infocus and see what dealers are in your area. They may have someone thats not a "big" retailer.

Dave

 

[AdamS]

I'm in detroit suburbs.. (royal oak, clawson)... I went to best buy tonite and saw an infocus projector for around 1900.. not setup or anything..

Adam

 

[ChrisTheg]

Adam, my name is Chris, I'm a Home Automation Specialist with a national Home Theater company. There are a couple things you should know. In-focus projects are great for some things but not for Home theater applications. they lack the important characteristics that help in deliverying an awesome picture. At 13 feet back 100 inches is WAY TOO BIG. Maybe it would be ok if you went with a high end projector but not with an infocus. If your looking for a large screen without the heavyness of a CRT Based Projection TV I would recomend a DLP or LCD Projection Television. They come as large as 70 inches and would give you a VERY NICE PICTURE!. Also they wouldn't alow burn in. Oh one last thing. DO NOT buy a television from an on line company. The majority of them are not authorized to sell the products they offer and can cause you a great deal of problems. Lastley make sure you get your TV from somewhere who not only gives you a good price but can also provide with a high level of service well after you've purchased your TV. Tweeter Etc has always been good at that! Have fun!

 

[AdamS]

Chris -

Thanks a lot for the reply! I was on projectorpeople.com and looked at their "most popular" buys for home theater projectors and saw that the Sanyo PLV-Z2 looks like a great price/performance projector..

I have a slight problem tho... From wall to wall, its about 18 feet.. A review on this projector claimed a 106 inch screen would be good at around 13 feet.. I was planning on having the projector sit on a shelf against the back wall behind the sofa.. Because of this should I think of something different? I am in an apartment and am not sure if they would appreciate a ceiling mount.. Would the projector on a table in front of the sofa be a bad idea? with perhaps the components sitting underneath the table on a table "shelf"?

Thanks!
Adam

 

[Danny Beck]

Well, here is my opinion on the subject. This is coming from fellow 3rd floor apartment dweller.


I'm a true believer in Sony because from what i've seen they offer the best picture quality and features for the price. At least when it comes to their tube tvs and LCD Projection models.


At your price point you have two really good Sony options. First is the 42" Sony Grand Wega III LCD Projection HDTV. It's pretty big, it offeres NO risk of burn in while playing videogames, it has all the features you really need (including the ability to accept 720p signals), DVI input, and it weighs about 70lbs. You can bargain at any retail dealer and get this tv for $2500. It's real nice and they've now fixed the small lightbulb problem they had a few months ago with this set. I owned this set for 3 months but I returned it for the tv i'm about to talk about.

The Sony 34" XBR910. This is a widescreen tube HDTV. It offers a picture thats about as good as it gets right now. It's a little smaller than the tv I mentioned above but it's still nice sized if you sit 8 feet away. Just don't plan on sitting any further away than that and you'll love it. There is a low risk of burn in, the picture is near perfection, the tv has all of Sony's cool features and picture-in-picture options (which are awesome), DVI input, and it also accept 720p signals. It does weigh about 200lbs but thats still not horrible. It's heavy but not unbearable for two guys to carry. This tv can be found for $2500 and that includes the stand! If you know how to bargain at all you'll be able to get this set for $2300 and still get the stand included!

So, I think those are your two best options right now. Both are within your price range and both offer every concievable option you could want for the next 5 years. You can't go wrong with either option. With these two tvs you are basically choosing between picture quaility or picture size. Both tvs are awesome but the LCD is simply 8" bigger and the XBR910 simply has a better picture.


Dan