What I want - Size - 45 inches or more Depth - Flat or Near Flat Screen Resolution - As good as possible Sound - Doesn't have to be great on the tv itself What I want to spend - <$3000 What's out there that's good? I'm also looking into a similar set-up with a smaller screen, say 30 inches I'm also looking into good surround sound system, but it doesn't have to be perfect...I'm not much of an audiophile. I want it to sound good, but I can't tell the difference between top of the line and middle of the line, really... You guys on here know your stuff...what do you suggest?
i was actually in Wal Mart last week looking for almost the exact same thing and found this: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4698013 Didn't buy it yet, but couldn't find a better deal anywhere else.\ Not sure if Magnavox is a good brand or not.
That's the best deal I've seen in a while. I'm actually looking for a 26-27" LCD HDTV under the $600 mark. I've been waiting for them to drop below $600 for a year now...If anyone sees something give a holler.
try www.moretosee.com as soon as i get enoug saved im getting myself one of those. i saw a 42 inch one for like 2200, so im sure u could find a 45 for 3000 or maybe a bit less.
I bought a 42" LCD Westinghouse from Best Buy for, after I got through with various nefarious and hilarious deal-making, for $2100 bucks. It's a 1080p, fellow Clutchfans, has a great HD picture, and isn't affected by all the reflections my living room has, from a wall of windows, and a damned island kitchen. In fact, it's like it absorbs reflections. The blacks are good enough for me (a common criticism of LCDs), the color magnificent. (another common criticism) I looked hard at plasmas, but the reflection issue was a big deal to me, the fact that my kids will use it a lot, and I wanted to use it for playing games (Xbox 360, and eventually a PS3, as well as PC gaming) It's got an HDMI input, as well as 2 DVI inputs. No worries about the kids leaving it on and causing burn-in, a real problem with plasmas, although the very best ones have mostly licked it, and I don't have to worry about doing a 100 hour+ period to "set" the pixels, which you must do with plasmas. Just an FYI. There are few 1080p's out there, and although more will be coming out this summer from Sony and Samsung, and a few others, this enabled me to "future proof" a significant purchase. A 4 year extended warranty was $329, which isn't bad at all, and I ended up with a free DVR recorder, a no-name, to be sure, but it ain't bad. I'm using in my bedroom, as a matter of fact. Just BE SURE to get the 116 firmware. Mine has it, and it's licked some early bugs.
I have a 50 inch Sony Grand Wega LCD in my Living Room and a 30 inch Sony CRT. If you don't have a copy of the "Avia: Home Theatre Guide" DVD I suggest you all get it... Once I optimized both of my babies the picture is flawless... The 50 inch ran me $2200 and the 30 inch was $800. I suggest the Sony Grand Wega LCD's... they make them in 42, 50, 55, 60... Watching basketball games on ESPN HD or TNT HD is the best thing since Women and steak... and let me not forget Discovery HD...
I just can't fall in love with the picture on a DLP. Other than games, which are going to look good in just about any HD set, it just doesn't look good enough to me. LCD seems to be the route I will go. I've seen Dell's 37 inch LCD and it was impressive.
no... LCD and CRT... I was worried about the Black level but they(Sony LCD) have a feature which makes the blacks black... if that makes any sense... What type of antenna are you using for your local HD channels? I have Dish Network and I hooked up a cheap 3 dollar antenna to the receiver and now I get all the local channels in HD (NBC, CBS, ABC, UPN, FOX, PBS, WB, and the spanish ones... http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=452612 check out this forum boys so you don't have to "Search" for the HD channels...
I couldn't seriously look at a DLP. If the conditions are right (a home theatre setup, with seating in front of the screen), then they are terrific, but most people aren't going to have those conditions. I sure didn't. It was either plasma or LCD, and LCD worked better for me, as well as being cheaper. I got the extended warranty because Westinghouse is not well known for their TVs. From doing research (an 80+ page thread on the AVS Forum, for most of it on the Westinghouse, and numerous threads on every display under the sun... a great source for anyone looking to buy a display), I figured out that it was a good buy for the money, as long as you get the right firmware, and insure yourself with a cheap extended warranty.
I get my stuff from Time/Warner's HD-DVR box. Works really well. The Westy is a monitor, which I should have mentioned, so you'd need some kind of tuner (the free DVR I got from Best Buy has one, if I ever need it) to pick up over the air content. You got a 50" Sony LCD for $2200? Not bad! Bet it's not a 1080p, though.
Are you talking about actual LCD or rear-projection LCD? I kind of agree on the fact that DLP can be a little obviously less perfect picture quality depending on the setting...BUT, I am also considering size and cost. I can honestly say I'd rather something be bigger than clearer, to a point. And since DLP is still very good picture quality, it may be a route I go...
Get a small projector, much less expensive and your screen can be as big as you want. I have 3 Westinghouse LCD 1080p projectors, and they are awesome...37" is the largest though. DD
You mount projectors on the ceiling, correct? Does it matter how high the ceiling is, and the resulting angle of projection? How much do the screens run? How do you connect all your components, or even the cable for that matter? What I am looking for is definitely not a home theatre room settup - i.e. it won't be a dark room specifically dedicated to a home theatre type setting...more of an informal great family room area where projector doesn't seem as useful, but I could be wrong...
1080p... what're you watching that's being broadcast/shown in 1080p? If you're watching a 1080i source on a 720p set vs. a 1080p set, you'll barely notice much of a difference if you're sitting more than about 7-8 feet away. Where it becomes noticeable is if you're getting a VERY big set (like 60"+). 1080p won't really take off until HD-DVD and BluRay take hold. The clincher is that many of the 1080p tv's that have been brought out to-date can/will not be able to accept a "true" 1080p signal. I have a 42" plasma and burn-in is not as serious a problem as people make it out to be. If you guys have NBA League Pass, you know when a game is over, they show that static screen that shows "Goodnight" or whatever. I accidentally left my house with that thing on my plasma... for about 3-4 hours. Came back... turned it off, turned it on while saying a prayer... not a single problem. It's nothing like the original plasmas where they'd burn in if you left a static screen on for more than 30 mins. lol. The color depth, black levels and accuracy of a plasma can usually only be beaten by the best CRT's. I'm waiting for a good, affordable 1080p projector. Now a 92-102" screen could really put a 1080p signal to use.
JZ, you don't have to put a projector on the ceiling, but yes, that's where they usually go (hope ya got a plug up there or can run the wires easily). The downside to projectors is that they work best in extremely low-light conditions. The picture quality won't be as good as a tv if you're someplace like an open living/family room with windows everywhere. A good screen runs around $700+, but I've seen people show movies on a bare white wall or get a can of reflective paint and make their own screens for under $50. lol. Honestly, I'd get a tv rather than a projector if you're not gung-ho about home theater. If you don't have a dedicated home theater, you have to figure out where you'll hang your screen. And even if you get a motorized one that drops from the ceiling, that's just more expense and another possible point of failure.
That's what I was thinking. My family room has a lot of light/windows. And while I like great picture quality, intense sound, and amazing screen size as much as anyone else, as I noted, I just want a decently big (45 inches +), decently high quality HDTV (would prefer plasma, would consider DLP) at a decent price (under $3,000). Frankly, I will probably just add a home theater in a box type thing to it that has solid sound ...nothing too special, but special enough such that there don't seem to be too many at the higher end of that quality spectrum (plasmas) at lower prices...I guess if that were the case, everyone will be buying...just have to keep my eyes open for deals
