HD TVs (NF)

[fishing n autograph]

Hello All,

 

I know there was a topic on here recently regarding HD TV's. Best Buy has a good sale on for a 37" Sony Bravia....$999.99.....

 

Anyway, is this a good TV, or is this the HD TV that has a line through the screen?

 

Thanks,

 

Dave

[BillM]

Sony Bravia's are on the upper end of the TV range. I am assuming this is a LCD? If you'd like to do a little more reading, check out avsforum.com All kinds of reviews by audio and vidoephiles(they are as crazy about TV's as we are fishing )

 

Also, what do you plan on using it for? Mostly SD (Standard Def) or HD? Cable? BEV? The one thing you need to remember about a LCD is that it has a reduced viewing angle compared to say a Plasma. If space isn't a concern, you might want to look into a DLP or RP LCD(Rear projection LCD). You'll be getting more inches for the price.. I run a 43" Panasonic RP LCD and absolutely love it.

[raysfish2005]

MMMMMMMM im looking to buy the Sharp Aquos lcd 52 " of love, Im just looking for the best deal. The tv is the last thing on my wish list, i have all the toys now.

[Landlocked]

Plasma beats top of the line LCD hands down....LCD is cheaper for a reason.

[Canuck]

I have both Plasma (Pioneer 720p) and LCD (Vizio 1080p). The Plasma is far nicer. I have a friend with the Sony Bravias (one 720 and one 1080p) and they are nice, but I think the Plasma is a nicer screen. LCD's have a slight delay I find. If you watch a hockey game I find I lose the puck on a slap shot on LSD (even faster ones) and that doesn't happen with the plasma. Some people cant see the difference. I think the Sharp is a nice LCD

[Dutch]

HT is my passion.

 

You are not likely to get the best prices at Best Buy or Futureshop - shop around a bit and know what you want before you go in and how much you are willing to pay. Do not get conned into buying a PSP or expensive cables - by the way, expensive means anything over $20. Get your cables at monoprice.com, cheap and good quality - a digital signal is a digital signal - it get's through the cable or not, there's is no such thing as a "better" cable.

 

A shady way to get a better deal at BB or FS is to haggle a price including the PSP - then you have 30 days to return it after the purchase. Keep the TV you negotiated a better price on b/c you were buying a PSP, then return the PSP.

 

Difference in LCD and Plasma is basically this - bright room - LCD, otherwise plasma. They have superior contrast (difference in blacks and whites) and far better video quality over all.

 

If you aren't going to be watching HD - don't buy an HDTV - it will just accentuate the inherent flaws in Standard Definition broadcasts.

 

Don't buy into the 1080P is "true HD" or 'Full HD." Most people would not be able to tell the difference between 1080P and 720P or 1080i. You need to be dealing with at least a 50" screen from 8-9 feet or less to see the difference. Anthing over 10 feet and you would not see the benefit at a screen size of 50" or less. 1080P can only be had from Blu-ray or HD DVD (now dead). Get a great deal on a 720P LCD or 1080i plasma and save $400+/-.

 

Don't be sold on a 120Hz (most are 60Hz) TV because it "is better for sports". It's not. They introduce artifacts to make the picture seem 3D like - not how TV was intended to be viewed. Movies are not meant to be watched at 120Hz.

 

For some very, very good reading:

 

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/index.php

 

And the best Canadian Deals site out there (click on Computers and Electronics for some great deals and discussions):

 

http://www.redflagdeals.com/

 

You are all welcome.

[BillM]

Dutch, excellent post!

 

I've been a monprice fan for a while Currently running a PS3, BEV HD Box, Xbox 360, and a Samsung HD860 DVD player through a Monprice 5x1 HDMI switch. All the audio runs via optical to my Onkyo HTIB S780. Nicely controlled with a Harmony 550.

 

I am looking at upgrading the reciever to an Onkyo TX-SR605, to get rid of all the optical cables and run everything via HDMI.

[kennyman]

I was at BestBuy in Kitchener and they had a 60" Sony SXRD for $1299. I think the 50" was $1199? My buddy paid about $4000 about a year or so ago for the same one(60"). Great deal,just because it isn't the newest thing on the market. Great looking tv . Here's an article where a 50" SXRD won a Sound and Visions "Editors Choice". http://www.sound-academy.com/events/show/52 .

[Chris]

Hi, I just watched a show on CBC where they were talking about how cables can be a rip-off. They compared cables made by Monster (over $200) cables by Rocket (over $100) and some cheapie cables they bought off the internet for $12. They took them to CBC's video engineers and they had them all hooked up and tested. The guys conducting the test found no difference in signal quality. They also claimed that retailers do not make very much from the sale of the TV's. Most of the money is made selling accessories like cables, screen cleaners ($30 for a tiny spray bottle) etc. I don't know much about electronics, just relaying what I saw on TV.

[Dutch]

Dutch, excellent post!

 

I've been a monprice fan for a while Currently running a PS3, BEV HD Box, Xbox 360, and a Samsung HD860 DVD player through a Monprice 5x1 HDMI switch. All the audio runs via optical to my Onkyo HTIB S780. Nicely controlled with a Harmony 550.

 

I am looking at upgrading the reciever to an Onkyo TX-SR605, to get rid of all the optical cables and run everything via HDMI.

 

 

I love my PS3.

 

I love my Harmony 550.

 

My PS3 is my up-converting DVD player - do you notice a difference with the dedicated Samsung (I assume it is an upconverter?) Try the PS3 - it does a great job at up-converting. You could then sell your Samsung for some cash to upgrade your receiver. Sorry if that's not in the cards - I have upgradeitis - very bad disease when you love electronics.

 

I have heard good things about Onkyo - but i am happy with my Receiver/Paradigm Monitor/HSU Reasearch sub set-up right now. Hopefully you can find that receiver at a good price. It has been discussed recently on the redflagdeals site. Only thing to watch for is I'm not sure it decodes Dolby True HD or Master Audio, which we will hopefully get soon with a PS3 update.

[Dutch]

I was at BestBuy in Kitchener and they had a 60" Sony SXRD for $1299. I think the 50" was $1199? My buddy paid about $4000 about a year or so ago for the same one(60"). Great deal,just because it isn't the newest thing on the market. Great looking tv . Here's an article where a 50" SXRD won a Sound and Visions "Editors Choice". http://www.sound-academy.com/events/show/52 .

 

I have read good things about this TV - only thing it that it is LCD projection which means a bulb to change periodically - not necessarily a bad thing. I heard the PQ is pretty good, but not up to plasma standards...but at that price if someone is looking it would be hard to turn down.