Posted: 12/7/2008 7:17:51 AM EDT
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I'm still trying to decide what to buy, 1080 vs 720, etc., but another issue has appeared that I could use some input on. When I see all the manufacturers of these available, there are a few lesser known names that I'm not familiar with, but want to know if they're worth considering. I'm looking at the Best Buy section in today's paper and there are HDTV's made by Insignia and Dynex, anfd in other stores, even Magnavox. I know the Magnavox name, but what's the opinion on the others? Are any of these made by the top names of Sony, LG, Panasonic, etc.? Warranties. If an HDTV craps out, is it time to replace the entire unit, or are there common parts that typically wear out or are prone to breaking down? With that in mind, is it worthwhile buying an extended warranty? I know the consensus here is against EW's, but over my life, I've had numerous instances where they paid off. I know they're a rich profit item for the retailers, but am so unfamiliar with HDTV's that I'm at a loss as to whether or not to consider one. |
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Quoted:
I'm still trying to decide what to buy, 1080 vs 720, etc. 1080p but another issue has appeared that I could use some input on. When I see all the manufacturers of these available, there are a few lesser known names that I'm not familiar with, but want to know if they're worth considering. I'm looking at the Best Buy section in today's paper and there are HDTV's made by Insignia and Dynex, anfd in other stores, even Magnavox. I know the Magnavox name, but what's the opinion on the others? Are any of these made by the top names of Sony, LG, Panasonic, etc.?
The panels themselves are only made by a couple of companies. Magnavox hasn't been a "name" in 30 years. Samsung is good. Sony is good. LG is supposed to be good. Check out avsforum.com and hometheaterspot.com for this sort of thing. Warranties. If an HDTV craps out, is it time to replace the entire unit, or are there common parts that typically wear out or are prone to breaking down? With that in mind, is it worthwhile buying an extended warranty? I know the consensus here is against EW's, but over my life, I've had numerous instances where they paid off. I know they're a rich profit item for the retailers, but am so unfamiliar with HDTV's that I'm at a loss as to whether or not to consider one.
In 2001, I bought a big ol' rear-projection HD set, a Toshiba. And I got an extended warranty. That TV lasted for five years... and then the picture got flaky. The warranty co. sent out a tech a couple of times, but when he couldn't fix it (an important part was no longer being made or available anywhere!) they sent me a brand-new Samsung DLP set! I promptly bought a five-year extended warranty on it, too. 
All electronics are, these days, disposable. The bits and pieces are far too small for any human to remove and replace faulty items. You replace entire circuit boards, but the technology becomes obsolete far too quickly... when they stop making a given set, they "guess" how much warranty work they might need to do, make enough parts to fulfill that demand, and then scrap everything to move on to the next whiz-bang technology. FYI, I've bought all of my AV equipment from [http://www.onecall.com/]OneCall[/url] for almost eight years now. Great prices, fantastic service, and, as mentioned above, an extended warranty that does exactly what it's supposed to. Most "big box" stores sell an extended warranty that's only good "in house"... you're likely to have an endless series of monkeys flailing away on your TV because somebody is going to be fired if they hand out one more "free" TV this month. |
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Go 1080p especially if you ever plan to get a bluray player, or want to use the tv occasionally as a pc monitor.
Avoid the cheap brands, they're cheap for a reason, if something does break you will never find a replacement part for it. Get Samsung, Sony, Pioneer, Toshiba, Sharp, Panasonic. Even some names your familiar with are not good quality Magnavox, Polaroid, RCA are all brands that make rather poor quality HDTV's. The EW's aren't worth it in my opinion, if the tv's going to crap out it'll probably happen with in a couple weeks of getting it or a couple years down the road. |
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Quoted: I have no plans to use it as a computer monitor, but will definitely be interested in Blu Ray, so that helps me decide.Go 1080p especially if you ever plan to get a bluray player, or want to use the tv occasionally as a pc monitor. Avoid the cheap brands, they're cheap for a reason, if something does break you will never find a replacement part for it. Get Samsung, Sony, Pioneer, Toshiba, Sharp, Panasonic. Even some names your familiar with are not good quality Magnavox, Polaroid, RCA are all brands that make rather poor quality HDTV's. The EW's aren't worth it in my opinion, if the tv's going to crap out it'll probably happen with in a couple weeks of getting it or a couple years down the road. |
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Quoted:I have no plans to use it as a computer monitor, but will definitely be interested in Blu Ray, so that helps me decide.
For bluray you want 1080p to get the best picture out of it, same with gaming if you have a PS3 or 360, not all the games are 1080p but a few titles are. |
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Quoted: PS3.Quoted:I have no plans to use it as a computer monitor, but will definitely be interested in Blu Ray, so that helps me decide. For bluray you want 1080p to get the best picture out of it, same with gaming if you have a PS3 or 360, not all the games are 1080p but a few titles are. |
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Quoted:
I have no plans to use it as a computer monitor, but will definitely be interested in Blu Ray, so that helps me decide. That's only because you haven't done it yet. I have my old 36" Sony tube TV hooked up to my computer. It lets me play movies I've downloaded from the Internet on it. All sorts of AVIs and such wind up being exactly like TV. I can watch Netflix streaming movies on it. I can rip DVDs on my PC, and then watch them without having to actually burn a disc. One of these days, I'll replace this old set with a 42-46" plasma or LCD. Add a wireless keyboard and mouse, and I will be able to surf ARFcom from my bed  All I need then is a disability check for my crippling case of laziness
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The 1080p picture is much better if you plan on going to 46". I have a 46" Sony Bravia that I bought 2 years ago and it's hooked up th DirecTV, PS3 and one of two PCs. Mine is not 120hz, though, but the new ones are. They look even better. I have seen 37" LCDs running 1080p and they look incredible, but the screen looks too small for a living room. You can buy a Blue Ray player for your PC much cheaper than a stand alone Blue Ray player and you can watch the movies through your PC. I think they also have Blue Ray burners nowadays.
The Sonys will receive 1080p signals from the PS3s, but some other 1080p TVs will only take up to 1080i and upconvert it, so make sure you ask. I had to return a TV prior to the Bravia because the Circuit City guy told me the Samsung would take the 1080p signal and run with it. I bought the TV just for the PS3 and ended up returning it because it would not play the 1080p signal fed to it from the PS3. They bitched, but I called them on it and they took the return even without the warranty and I had to pay some extra cash to upgrade to the Sony. I played Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D at home, placed the couch as close to the TV as I could, and it's just like it was at the movies. My kids were giggling their little asses off. The 3D, of course, was not as good as the IMAX but it is pretty darn good. When you get up close to a TV, the 1080p will really shine because the picture is much more detailed. They gauge the size of the TV you need depending on viewing distance, but that is very subjective and affected by the quality of the image if you sit too close to it. With the 1080p, close distances are not a problem. MMA fights are fun to watch with the blood flying everywhere. I saw De La Hoya go out like a bitch yesterday on it. Hijo te su pinche madre! That Pacquiao guy is a beast. I heard he landed 1000 punches on some poor other guy in one fight. |
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Personal opinion from a guy who just went through all this...
Unless you have or are getting a blueray it doesn't matter that much... Here's what I bought and why Phillips 47" LCD 1080p 120 hertz paid $1199 at Costco Sony Blue Ray player from Costco $189 (on sale with manufacturers rebate) My thoughts, Via my HD antenna - Love it! Via Dish Network - Big picture but still a crappy picture (no I don't get HD through Dish) Last time I checked they only offered a handful of channels anyway. Via my Blue Ray - OMG, I had no idea what I was missing My thought on spending $2k plus on the tv was the thing will probably be obsolete in a few years anyway so why spend double or more than what I spent. In a few years I'll buy a new one, give this one to the kids for the basement and be happy. |