DIEDs in a pickle. our trusty 10 yr old panasonic 21-inch CRT tv developed a shakey screen and blacks out w/ annoying frequency.......all just before superbowl sunday..as if it was rigged this way

i dont know crap about the new technology, but realize we need to be ready for digital signal in the next year....that said......here here, i am calling out to electronic savvy pondmeisters.....what do you recommend i buy given the following limitations.....

"flat" screen size in the 30-36" range,

budget hopefully less than 1000 (God that's painful to think about considering our last one cost about a 100)...

but i am open to why i should have a plasma? a LCD?.......any advice is greatly appreciated......if you provide compelling advice as to why i should spend 1200-1500 or something lets hear it.

anybody who's bought one recently, or simply knows what a good deal is, PLEASE HELP OLD DIED.......
thanks in advance..

edited post....i'll probably leave to go buy something around noon (PST) tomorrow, hopefully w/ some direction

Let's see, you bought the old one ten years ago for $100.00. That's $10.00 per year, even with just an hour or two a day that is pretty cheap entertainment and education, (remember that great Lusk appearance on RFD-TV?)

We bought a 42 inch LCD a year or two for about $1700.00. It is mounted over the fireplace and takes up no space in the room.

My advise is to buy the largest one which fits well in the location you intend to put it. TVs are so clear, bright, etc. that you will be shocked at what you have been missing.

If High Definition is available from your cable, sattelite or airways provider definitely buy a set that handles HD.

I would also buy a TIVO type device so that you can take record any show that plays at a time you can't watch it. As an example, I record every Bill Dance, Roland Martin, etc. and watch at my leisure.

A few days ago I was sick and stayed close to home for a day or two watching Hank Parker and all. Sure beats Ophra and Montel.

One more thing, don't ask me about that blue ray vs. HD-DVD, or what ever the old technology I invested in is. I am still not sure I made the right choice there.

Bing

I bought 2 SONY flat screen LCD dig. TVs (1 - 34 in and 1 - 42in IIRC ) 2 years ago. One for home one for business. They have both worked well and pic is great. You are lucky the prices have dropped a bunch since then. They were well rated by consumer digest. No other experience except our old SONY TV lasted 25 years with no repairs.

Dave,

I recommend a 32-42" LCD with 1080p resolution. That's where the bang for the buck is. If you compare pictures in a store, you will see there is no comparison between LCD and plasma.

Some have unrecognized brands (like Olevia and Sceptre) but have panels manufactured by trusted manufacturers like Samsung, Sony, or LG.

Look right here for ratings. You can trust products that are rated very high by ~10 or more users:
http://www.newegg.com/Store/Category.aspx?Category=264&name=TV-Plasma-LCD-DLP

Once you read some reviews and settle on 1 or 2 that sound good, you can dash out and buy it at your local store, Wal-Mart, or Circuit City etc.

My wife and I just purchased a 42" LG Plasma for under $1000.

It was on sale at Best Buy. I'm not sure whether it's still on sale or at what locations it would even be on sale to begin with, but I think it's worth investigating.

I'm no electronic guru, but I was told the one we bought is normally almost double that amount. If we can afford it, DIED, you can too!

(I know bobad prefers LCD to Plasma, and I'm sure he is correct in his assesment. However, the Plasma was a great deal on the edge of our price range, and we're very satisfied with it).

Good luck!

I don't really know squat about this stuff. I am gonna be the next one in the flat screen, HDTV market. Ironically, I was just quizzing one of my work associates about this very subject. He used to work part time at Best Buy and is pretty nerdy. This means he knows more than I, though I won't trust his input implicitly. Just a good place to start.
We didn't dig real deep into the subject; more of an introductory discussion about the different screen types. Here is what he did note; LCD is a good screen, but does have a shelf life of about 10 - 15 years. Maybe that's plenty of time for most of you, but my circa late '60's GE 19" color TV displayed in front of the treadmill will tell you where my money goes. Anyway, he said that DLP would be the affordable choice for longevity. He also noted something about plasma that the viewing range as you angle off to the side will diminish quickly.
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All that being said, I reiterate that I really dunno. Is any of that stuff accurate?

you guys are great, just the stuff i was looking for.

bing, it has been cheap entertainment, we even had free basic cable for a couple years until my concious got the best of me. just by looking at the new tvs in the stores i know already i'll be shocked......we have a problem w/ our cable though, its so far from the pole we've lost bandwidth even w/ an amp at the house, so the digital end is not so good, plus we had to split it for internet, so hi def may be a ways off til cable can help me further amp it, or strengthen their overall signal.

ewest, my brother keeps telling me sony sony sony..but i'm cheap, he buys for the specs, i go bang for buck, i'll definitely look at them though cause i know sony makes quality stuff,

bobad, thanks for that link....very informative, i see LCD units w/ 20 watt speakers, 32 inch screen for well under 1000 dollars... i can definitely narrow down a type and brand w/ that info.

thanks dvatsa, we have a best buy w/in about 35 miles from here which will be on my route tomorrow. and hey, i can complain about spending money cant i?

bski raised a concern i heard about not being able to see the picture from an angle, but i heard it was for lcd tvs....? i'll check that out at the stores...bski, at least yer GE is color...i only had a B&W w/ no remote well into the 80's

...that could be it
(edit; heck, it could have been the plasma that has the shelf life)

Since I am spending your money, not mine, you should look into a satellite system. Excellent reception and excellent "cable" channels, RFD-RV, Versus (VS which has dozens of fishing info. shows each week), ESPN which owns BASS and has even more fishing shows, The Outdoor Channel, etc. plus NASCAR events. All you need is a spot with a clear view of the southern sky.

No wonder I never get anything done.

Bing

You sure can! What better place to complain than here? I'm just teasin' ya about affordability.

Dave,
Do you lose any clarity when you move off to an angle from the front/center view of the screen?
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edit...again
I might have just googled my own answer:


source

Funny you should ask...

After your last post, I thought I'd try the theory out. So, as I'm watching "Bucks of Tecomate," I start wandering around the 'ol apartment (we're still newlyweds, ya know) trying to get different angles on the t.v.

I came to two conclusions.

1- An apartment is not conducive to trying to discern the clarity of different angles on a 42" t.v.

2- When very close to the t.v., the picture is distorted slightly after moving off at an angle. However, if someone is this close to the t.v. to begin with, they have greater issues than that of television clarity. When I'm farther away (at a "normal" distance) to begin with and THEN move off at an angle, the clarity remains sharp. Granted, I'm still in an apartment, which means I can't angle, say, 50 feet away. But at that point, I guess it doesn't matter anymore. Just my $.02.

I know there are higher quality televisions, but so far we really like our LG considering what we paid.

When did you get married? Did I miss the PB reception?

You should get a reel to reel system. The picture is unbelievable.

(oh boy...here comes the Jimi Hendrix 8-track reviews...)

bing, we cant get satellite in our hole, trees are too tall on hill behind us and block all southern exposures from house. we had a couple different satellite companies out here, they couldnt get signal w/ their little testing devices.

dvatsa, one of the reasons i love this place, a scientific forum that i can complain on and actually get some sympathy ......geesh, and my wife calls it a chat room

bski, i lose no clarity on angle w/ the old crt, i dont know yet, but will find out tomorrow whether its the plasma or lcd that potentially has this problem.....glare/backlight is another issue i need to consider cause of where the tv will sit. if i'm gonna spend one large or thereabouts, i dont want to see room reflections.

thanks again for the input guys, keep it comin, i'll check again later tonight and tomorrow before i venture out....very very much appreciated...

edited post....wow you guys posted a bunch while i drafted this, gotsta go eat, will check back later......sunil......reel to reel...reelly now..

B'ski-

I don't want to hijack DIED's thread too much, but we got married on July 21, 2007. She's a wonderful woman!

I'm now officially a law student on a nursing scholarship.

Just bought a Sony Bravia(?) HD and it's great. Still haven't figured out
all the bells etc, but picture is great. Cost about $750.

Boy, this is all good info that I'm gonna save, in case I ever have to replace the trusty old Farnsworth-Zworykin.

D.I.E.D. won't mind. There's always room for one more member to the club. I'm way happy for ya, man. It's a cool gig when you luck out with all the planets aligned. I'm still seein' stars.

DIED,
Some things to consider:
-Lcds are more energy efficient than plasmas.
-If you are not planning on hanging the tv on the wall, will do most of your viewing at a 60* angle or less to the screen, and if you can fit a 12-15" deep set in your room, you will get the most bang for your buck with a dlp rear-projection (the only problem is that it will not be quite as "bright" as a plasma).
-I don't want to start any controversy, but Sony has done a good job of convincing the public that they build quality products. Don't believe this blanket statement. Like most other companies they have certain lines that are reliable and certain lines that are not.
-If you are near (less than 60 miles) a broadcasting station and are not blocked by hills or mountains, an antenna can do some amazing things and will also give you the best HD signal there is. No compression goes into the signal, like it does with cable and satellite.
-If you decide to go with one of the high-def dvd formats, I would recommend Blu-Ray. Warner Bros. has recently decided to exclusively release through that format, so the only remaining exclusive studios left with HD-DVD are Universal and Paramount (rumors have been going around that Paramount has an "out" in their contract with HD-DVD that if Warner decided to release exclusively with Blu-Ray, then they can cancel their exclusive contract with HD-DVD). HD-DVD will have a Super Bowl commercial, but don't let that fool you, "experts" are saying it is a last ditch effort to prolong the "war".
-When/if you decide to go with HD sources, be sure you have the correct cables and have them hooked up correctly. Come here for guidance when the time comes and I will guide you through it.

more top of the line input from everybody, thank you bski, dvatsa, randy, and bbjr.

bski, that "source" link is awesome, i needed that basic talk, anybody wanting to know the clinical difference between lcd and plasma use bski's link above.

dvatsa, thanks for the in-home research, hope yer new wife didnt suspect you of anything strange, just tell her you was helping a friend on yer chat room.....and a BIG CONGRATULATIONS on wedlock, yer now a team ready to attack life, i wish y'all the finest blessings...no i dont mind my threads hijacked...as i can be one one of the best hijackers around

bbjr, we're down in a hole, so unfortunately the airwaves arent an option, but that is excellent advice, and i wont hesitate to send you a pm if i have any questions, you sound like you know what yer talkin about.

i'm leaning toward a lcd unit based on everything so far, i think it will be best for glare, energy usage, can work around 120 degree viewing angles, and generally i see that plasmas arent even available in the smaller screen sizes...i'm wanting something around 32".

i'll check back here again in the morning and thanks again everybody......we keep getting these expert posts and maybe this thread should be archived in a "non-pond-super informative" section of the forum?

I don't regret buying the LCD. I can now view TV in the middle of the day when I have sun shinning directly on the screen from my 30 ft tall wall of glass. I use to have to retreat to the bedroom to watch the game. I bought a cheap magnavox from wally world, The difference in HD and the old stuff is night and day. The clarity is so real on some things you almost feel your really there.

I was under the impression that 1080p (the latest technology) is overkill. A while ago I was reading that most signals you recieve are not 1080p since it requires so much bandwidth to transmit. On the other hand 1080i (somewhat "older" technology) is what most cable/satellite companies are providing.

Has this changed? Are most signals provided now in 1080p?

Also, for viewing faster action shows (i.e. sports) the refresh rate is an important spec.

Cindy had never purchased a television until she turned 50 at which point she bought a 60" plasma, a 42" plasma, and a 27" lcd. Of course I helped her shop and my preference is lcd.

I would also recommend HD (1080p) so that as technology advances your TV can take advantage of it. One thing to consider about an HD set is that a standard signal looks horrible on one. I had purchased satellite TV with standard def receivers and it worked fine on my tiny TV, but when I hooked up Cindy's HD sets the picture was unwatchable. I had to upgrade to HD receivers which is costing me significantly more.

HD TV with standard signal = bad.

Very important point RobA. Some of the newer sets have a refresh rate of 120hz compared to the normal 60hz. This is supposed to help smooth out the image and will also be an important feature when 3D viewing becomes more widely available. Also, the response rate is something to pay close attention to when shopping for an lcd. That is an area where they did lag behind plasmas for a while. The responce rate is important because you will notice blur on fast moving objects (football games) if the responce rate is too low. Look for a responce rate of no more than 8msec.

One more thing, when shopping for the tv and looking at the manufacturer's specs, take them with a grain a salt. Every manufacturer has there own way of measuring each category, and there is no regulation in place to standardize the tests, so just because one tv claims 10,000:1 contrast it is not necessarily any better than the one that claims 5,000:1. Trust your eyes and what looks best to you, it is the only way you will be satisfied for the life of the set. If you are really concerned about picture quality, I would recommend a professional calibration. Unfortunately, they can cost $300-$500, so unless you purchase a high dollar set, you may not want to go this route. If not, there is another option. Pick up a copy of the dvd "Avia: Guide to Home Theater Vol. 1". You can find it for less than $50, and it allows you to do a decent calibration yourself. The problem with not calibrating is that most tv's are set up at the factory to stand out at the store. This usually means that the colors are over-saturated and set-up for high Kelvin fluorescent bulb lighting.

Here is a link to show how surrounding colors can affect the way you perceive colors, and helps justify the need for some sort of calibration.

http://www.echalk.co.uk/amusements/OpticalIllusions/colourPerception/colourPerception.html

HD TV with standard signal = bad.........that's got me a little worried...

thanks again everybody, we'll be out looking today, and if not finding one, watching the SB at santa's house..

"HD TV with standard signal = bad" Died, it's not that bad. It's bad if you view it in HD wide screen mode, however most of the TV's automatically adjust the format to normal mode when HD is not being recieved.

I should have mentioned that the size of the screen is a factor. My little 17" TV is a computer monitor/TV combo and has a HD resolution. The picture looked fine on it with a standard signal. The same standard def signal on Cindy's 60" Pioneer plasma looked noticeably worse than a conventional CRT TV with the same signal.

I guess it all depends...

thanks RT and GW, my wife found a couple ratings places to compare how various new models behave w/ a sub par signal....the units we liked are not available in our local stores, so we wait a while longer...

Cindy ended up getting her sets from Vanns.com. She beat Best Buy's price considerably. They had good people answering the phones and they responded quickly when one of the sets was delivered broken. If you get it shipped be sure to check it for damage before accepting it.