TV reccomendations? (1 Viewer)

[Chris*Lombardo]

Sup everyone. This is my first post on this forum so please bare with my termonalogy. My parents told me to find them a bigscreen TV for our new HT setup in the basement. The TV should be HD and a big screen. Viewing distance is aruond about 10-15 feet (I was thinking about 53-55" tv). The money cap is $3500. We watch a lot ot DVDS and will hopefully be getting cable tv back. Widescreen? 4:3? What TV would yeild the best practicality and picture quality for this setup? Should I stick with name brands?

thanks for your help

-chris

 

[John-Miles]

Toshiba makes very good TV's although I myself do not own a rear projection tv so other can likely guide you to a good model number or brand.

As far as 4:3 or 16x9 goes, well do a search if you want to hear all the arguments (trust me there is plenty of reading on that topic at this forum) But you should keep in mind with a widescreen tv you will still have black bars on the top and bottom for many movies (many movies are wider than widecscreen tv's) and you will have vertical bars when watching 4:3 material, or you will have to stretch the material.

on the other hand many people find a widescreen tv to be more astetically pleasing than a 4:3 tv.

 

[ChadLB]

From reading here for a long enough time it seems like Toshiba and Pioneer have the best stretch modes and are the better TV's out there. You should be able to go with a 57" no problem.

 

[mark alan]

Chris,

Give serious thought to a front projection system. A basement setup is perfect for a projector, and with 10-15 foot viewing distance, you can easily have a 6-7 foot wide (not diagonal) picture. The price is less than a RPTV.

Don't think inches, think feet!!!!

 

[Chris*Lombardo]

When looking at the picture quality of the projectors at my local HT store, it seemed as if it had much worse picture quality. They were quite expensive too. I think 4-6000. My mom will also want a tv becasue we're having a carpenter custom cabinets for the tv speakers hardware etc. I don't think a pull down projection screen would give off the same vibe as a tv nice and flush to the rest of the setup. Any other suggestions as for good tv's. Any model numbers?

 

[Claire Panke]

Chris, if you think the seating area will be as far back as 12 or 15', and you'll mostly be watching DVDs, get the largest, quality rear projection set you can afford. I have clients who sit 12' feet from their 65" Pioneer Elite and love it. If you can find an affordable 60"-65" widescreen model - go for it. I think you'll want at least a 57" rear projection HDTV, unless your wall for the entertainment center is very short. (BTW, I wouldn't build enclosures for the speakers, not if you care about sound. You want shelves to hold your AV equipment, and possibly a shelf for the center speaker, but I wouldn't put my left & right mains into a built-in anything.)

I absolutely would not waste my time with a 4:3 set. They're dinosaurs. Widescreen HDTV ready is the only way to go. Especially for movies. Moreover, if you want an HD ready big screen TV, you'll have to go widescreen. Be sure you have a decent DVD player, BTW.

In addition to CRT rear projection sets, consider one of the new DLP Samsung sets - besides being much lighter and much thinner than conventional RPs, their fixed pixel displays are very sharp.

Pioneer, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Sony, Philips, Toshiba...all have pluses and minuses, different strengths and weaknesses. If you think you'll be watching cable TV, you might consider one of the Philips sets with PixelPlus - it improves standard definition sources quite a lot. You should be able to find a very nice set for $3500. Rather than recommend specific models, I suggest you check out the rear projector forum at www.avsforum.com - you'll find lots of info and comparisons. Also look for the recommended sets from publications such as The Perfect Vision, Home Theater and Stereophile Guide to Home Theater. These mags all have websites, plus they're available at most large bookstores.

Then go to your local electronics emporium to check out the goodies, keeping in mind that most RPS are poorly displayed and adjusted on the showroom floor. Chances are, the sets will look better in your home. Pay attention to what the source is: HD feed, cable, satellite feed, DVD. I usually bring along one of my favorite DVDs to test out on prosepctive sets (currently that's LOTR/FOTR EE).

Be aware that new models are starting to come out in the fall, so you may be able to get a deal on last year's (2003) models. You can also check out the bells and whistles on the new ones. Many new sets will be coming out this fall with built-in HDTV tuners, if HD is of interest to you.

I suggest you not spend spend your limit, and instead invest a couple hundred in a professional ISF video calibration for your RP - it can make a *huge* difference in picture quality. At the very least, buy a calibration disc like Video Essentials or AVIA and use it to adjust your set. New TVs come in "torch mode" (as they often are also on showroom floors) and you will usually need to ratchet down the contrast and brightness.

BTW, front projection should actually be quite a step up in quality from RP, and the screens can be handily and beautifully integrated into room decor. (I'm betting you saw a system poorly set up.) However, I don't think a FP sounds very user-friendly for the family TV. Rear projectors offer the most bang for the buck right now.

 

[Chris*Lombardo]

Yeah we are keeping the enclosures of the speakers, we're just setting the speakers inside of a cabinet and then putting a black screen infront. If there is a problem with this please tell me.

thanks

 

[John Robert]

Yeah we are keeping the enclosures of the speakers, we're just setting the speakers inside of a cabinet and then putting a black screen infront. If there is a problem with this please tell me.

Chris:

You don't want to put the speakers in any cabinets if you can avoid it...

You might want to monitor the "Deals Page" on this forum which takes you to gotapex.com. They have some great online deals on TVs. I remember a 57" Toshiba recently that was a good price they had thru Onecall. Make sure you measure any clearances into your basement befote you buy a large RPTV as there have been threads on this forum from poor souls that could not get their set into the room they bought it for...

 

[TroyRD]

I had about the same budget when I upgraded about 5 months ago. I went with a Pioneer Elite 530...and couldn't be happier with my decision for a lot of reasons. And now with the new models around the corner, you should be able to get the next size up, a 630 and still be within your budget.

I also watch a lot of SD cable broadcasts, and the stretch modes are excellent. Picture was terrific right out of the box, they also do an good job of keeping reflections down, and the quality of the cabinet is second to none.

Certainly worth a look if you decide on a RPTV.

 

[ChadLB]

John,
Another reason I am going to FP....size is not an issue...placement might be......sorry off topic a little but I may not be able to fit a RPTV down the stairs so that is the reason.

 

[Christo Ramo]

Everyone is reccomending Toshiba, what about the Sony WEGA family? Aren't they like the best? Which Toshiba would you say is the best all around TV?

 

[John-Miles]

The Wega is good, but in my opinion Toshiba is better, and at worst toshiba is equal to the Sony Wega's. but take a look at the prices, sony cant touch toshiba there.

 

[Mark Murphy]

I bought my Toshiba 42h82 based on its stretch mode. Everywhere I looked for an RPTV had Monsters Inc. or an HD loop playing. I finally went to a smaller store on a weekday and the salesman was watching Golf on Direct TV. That sold me because it looked great (and still does). Prg DVD and HD looks even better. I also own a Wega and the Toshiba wins.

 

[Christo Ramo]

Does anyone know which models from Toshiba are equivalent to the WEGA's 36" & 40".

 

[Nick.H]

buy a 68cm and go shopping with the rest. must move them very close to the screen.