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11/24/2006 10:49:52 AM · #1 |
My wife an I are looking to buy a wide screen HDTV. The problem is, I get confused by all of the jargon, the different types, the brands, blah, blah, blah.....
Can anyone answer these questions or point me to a non-biased (I want the straight scoop) website that does?
LCD, Plasma, or DLP? I've heard DLP is best becasue it doesn't burn in. But it's thicker. I've heard that plasma has a limited life. But now I hear it's 60,000 hours. That's almost 7 years running 24/7. LCD seems most reasonable priced.
720p? 1080i? What does this mean? What am I looking for?
HDTV Tuner? ATSC Tuner? Is there a difference? I have a digital cable box, but I don't think it's HD? By getting a tuner, do I just keep my same box, or will I still need to call the cable company for a new box?
Brands? I see a lot of the traditional monitor manufacturers (Viewsonic, MAG, Dell, etc.) are selling the TVs. Are they okay, or should I stick with the traditional TV makers?
Pricing? I'm getting that feeling that we're soon going to see a permanent price drop. They were real cheap this moring for the Black Friday sales, and usually you end up seeing Black Friday price as regular price round about February. Am I dreaming?
What else should I be looking for?
I am really audio & video knowledge deficient, so anything you can tell me would be great.
Message edited by author 2006-11-24 10:50:07.
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11/24/2006 11:20:32 AM · #2 |
a couple of centsworth...
720p versus 1080i - in a nutshell, 1080i is better. The number refers to the number of lines the screen can display - so, the higher, the better. The p stands for progressive, the i for interlaced - this refers to the method that the screen uses to display the lines. Progresive is regarded as better (I think it's smoother) - so many people think 720p is better for certain fast-moving pictures such as sport. 1080i, on the other hand, is generally regarded as being better for movies.
720i and 1080p also theoretically exist, 1080p being the ultimate HD available - though I don't think there's much of it about at the moment. My understanding is that HDTV services will support both the main resolutions, and the same goes for HD DVD, so the best telly to go for is one that can manage both (so you have the choice).
720p equates to a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, and 1080i equates to 1920 x 1080. So, the more pixels your TV can support, the more definition you'll be able to get out of it. Lots (most?) of LCDs support a max of 1280 x 720, so they can't show true 1080i - though they will support it by downscaling. If you want the full, future-proof HD experience, you'll need a TV that goes up to 1920 x 1080. These tend to be Plasmas, at least 40 inches, and expensive. But a mate of mine has one, and it rocks...
Half of this is from memory and I might have got bits wrong, so apologies in advance...but you can verify and get more info on Wikipedia.
Message edited by author 2006-11-24 11:22:18.
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11/24/2006 11:29:41 AM · #3 |
I don't consider myself an expert on this subject, but we are also looking at buying a new TV this year with all the big sales, so we have been doing our research and talking to friends who already have made the move to bigger flat panel TV's. I am happy to share what I have learned and concluded!
LCD is new, but DLP is even newer. DLP = mirrors or something like that. LCD is apparently still the better technology. You see the commercials that say "It's the mirrors"=DLP. You may not find BIG LCD TV's everwhere because it is still fairly new, not necessarily mainstream. Plasma still seems to be the big thing. BIG to me is 50"+.
Plasma produces a great picture, but we were also told it had a shorter lifespan. Like you said you would have to run the TV day and night for 7 years, and by then, I am sure there will be bigger and better. We are picking up a 50" Integrated Plasma today at Conn's for $1799. $400 off. Originally we were looking at 42 Plasma for about the same price and then hubby started to lean towards LCD. He was looking for 32" LCD for the bedroom (bigger than the 27" tube we have now), and then a larger LCD for the den later. Now with this buy today, it was a pretty good bargain so the bedroom TV will come later.
We learned that you do want the tuner built in, or an integrated HDTV. The non-integrated HDTV's are less expensive...significantly. The biggest thing is to check with your local cable provider and ask for their suggestions. We were pretty set on getting it built in, but my cable company said it was insignificant with the cable receiver. We have a DVR Cable receiver that is HD ready apparently, and will only require an additional receive for our second TV ($5.00/month). If it is integrated, it replaces rabbit ears if you did not have cable. There is a difference between HDTV ready and HDTV built in! Also some of them you will find have card slots. Apparently the slot replaces the HD receiver you get from the cable company, but the HD programming is a little limited. You still get the card from the cable provider. We were against getting the slot for whatever reason...hubby's choice.
Hubby is a huge sports FANATIC so it was pretty important that he have the bigger screen TV for entertaining the guys.
720p and 1080i has more to do with the dimensions of the screen from what I have found.
Check with your cable company to see if you require a box upgrade. That is only if you want to receive HD programming really.
As far as pricing goes...in order of least to more expesive according to 50+ screens. Expect to pay more for DLP, LCD then Plasma. I really think the Plasma's remain less expesive because they have been around longer and are more popular. You will also expect to pay more for an integrated or HD built in model. Ask your cable company what they suggest for services in your area though. It all seems to depend on your preferences or need to have HD programming. You may want to read on that a little more. Perhaps the HD built in has more do with satellite TV programming.
I hope this at least gives you a little more insight. Again, far from an expert, just sharing what I have learned in the last 2-3 days of research and price comparison. |
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