Big screen TV's

**golfish** · 01-09-2002, 10:26 AM

Hey all,
Thinking about upgrading to a big screen, anybody have any advice? I'm looking for something in the 50-60" range.........

alf3482 · 01-09-2002, 10:54 AM

I have 60" I went to dillards and got them to sell me a floor model sold it for 1400.00 was on the floor three months. try it it may save you some money.

Firefish · 01-09-2002, 02:21 PM

Where do I even start?

I'll keep it short and simple...I've been into home theater for about 6 years now. I'm currently building a theater in my new house. I've had a couple of large screens, both digital and analog. Your $budgit$ will determin what you'll get in a large screen.
All large screens will come with a standard "package" like PIP (useless), a 3D Y/C digital comb filter, s-video and color stream inputs.. My recent screen is a 65" Mitsubishi Diamond Series 16:9 1080i HDTV

Cost me just under $5000 and worth every penny of it!If you're looking to spend a little less I would recomend the Mitsu. 55" 16:9 1080i HDTV for around $2800 or even the Toshiba 55" 4:3 1080i upgradable HDTV for around $2600. Like I said, it all depends on your wallet$$$. Pioneer Elite and Mitsu. are among the best large screens out there with Toshiba and Sony close behind them. If your looking for a regular analog large screen, Tosiba and Sony are a good buy, a 50" being somewhere in the $1500 dollar range but I would go digital if I were you...you'll be happier in the long run and its a must if you plan on getting DTV or Digital Cable. FWIW, Samsung has a decent 40" 480p LCD TV @ $3400. The progressive scan tv's are a little better on the eyes and the clearity is amazing but you'll pay more for these. If you give me a $figure$ I could be a little more help.

thezookeeper · 01-10-2002, 02:57 PM

Hi golfish! We bought a 61" RCA big screen (not HDTV) back in November for $1400. It was a hell of a deal. We went back and forth trying to decide between HDTV and this tv. We have digital cable and believe me, the picture is fabulous even though it's not HDTV. If we wanted that big of a tv in HDTV, it would have been about $3000 minimum. We did buy all gold connection wire/splitters etc. I'd say we spent $180 on the hookups alone. We first set it up with the standard wiring and thought the picture could improve. Then we went for it and got the good wiring. There isn't enough difference in picture now for me to consider HDTV yet. And fire is right, PIP is useless. We love it and wouldn't trade it! Of course we also got a new Pioneer 600 watt surround system. Had to make it official! Good luck and HTH.

Firefish · 01-10-2002, 05:13 PM

Hey Zoo, please tell me you're kidding when you say you cant tell much diff. between HDTV and Analog! It's super better! A digital large screen has razor sharp images, an anologs screen is fuzzy. All one has to do is get about 2 feet from the screen of a digital and you'd swear you were looking at a glass tube, forget about seeing any of that with an analog screen even with the filter! The prices for HDTV are lowering...You can get a 55" Toshiba HDTV for about $2500 now and thats buying it at an electronics place (Best Buy) I've seen Best Buy selling 50" - 55" HDTV's for as low as $1900 (Panasonic). I cant remember the details but I know congress passed a law requiring all network brodcasting stations to brodcast in digital video by the end of this year, granted it wont happen for another 2 years

but digital is the way to go...recently HBO has started brodcasting many of its movies in digital audio

(DTS & THX) this time last year only STARZ was brodcasting in digital audio and among select PPV's. If I could give some advice to those of you who are looking to buy a large screen, do yourself a favor and buy digital!!! spend the extra $200 - $300 dollars, if you dont it would be like setting up a new reef tank with an under gravel filter instead of LR, DSB and a skimmer.

thezookeeper · 01-11-2002, 09:57 AM

Firefish:
I'm saying for the cost difference for a 61" tv, no it's not worth it at this point in my eyes. And of course you can tell the difference between HDTV and a regular rear projection. But anyone who'd like to see mine setup and make their own mind up is welcome to. I will stand by my original post. With my digital cable and especially with DVD's, the picture is fantastic. In a few years when the cost of larger HDTV's is lower, I'll be getting one. By then, hopefully, more broadcasts will be coming in digital. The cost difference is NOT $200 or $300 by a long shot to get a HDTV in THAT size. NO way. If money is no object, then by all means get the biggest and best HDTV. I was giving advice for the best deal I've seen. I HTH golfish. BTW, I got mine at Circuit City. Not trying to debate here, just giving you my experience and opinion on the matter. Good luck Mark and happy couch potatoing like the rest of us!!!

Joanne

**golfish** · 01-11-2002, 10:24 AM

Joanne,
I didn't know you were from Pittsburgh

Man! I hate the Steelers

J\K...I think I'm going today and check Mitsubishi's. I have had my eye on one for sometime. I'm a BIG football fan and I want to have it home in time to watch the 9ers kick the crap out of the packers (In my dreams)

How important are these gold fittings\connectores?

Mark

thezookeeper · 01-11-2002, 11:17 AM

GO STEELERS! (Did I say that?

)

There is no better way to watch anything, especially football but on the BIG SCREEN! I think the gold connections really improved the signal tremendously. It carries the sound and picture signals very clearly. Of course we used an s video cord to hook up the DVD, that is a must. I didn't buy any of those connections at Circuit City, I just went to Radio Shack and bought them. Had to make a couple trips to see what all I needed. At any rate, it's all worth it! You'll want to spend all your time watching tv for the first few weeks. DVD's are awesome. Have fun!

Joanne

SomeHairyOldGuy · 01-11-2002, 01:45 PM

My wife and me where considering a new digital big screen. Some where in the neighborhood of a 55" 16x9. We decided though that with the way hang on the wall flat screens have gotten cheaper over the last year. That we wanted to wait it out for about another 2 years to see how much they cost then. Seems like last year or two or so they where around 16 grand minimum now you can get one for around 8. I am guessing in just a few short years they will cost just as much as todays big screen projection or digital tv's. Just something to think about.
SHOG

**golfish** · 01-11-2002, 09:11 PM

Well, I took the advice that most people gave me and bought a 55"Mitsubishi Diamond Series 16:9 1080i HDTV 3899.00 + tax...it will be here tomorrow

Firefish · 01-12-2002, 09:25 AM

You bought a fine tv my friend, Let the fun begin!! Let us know if you need help setting it up. Dont forget to adjust the convergence.

**golfish** · 01-12-2002, 09:29 AM

"convergence" what the hec is that

Firefish · 01-12-2002, 04:06 PM

When the tv is shipped and moved from place to place the mirrors or lens inside the tv become unaligned. When you set the convergence you are realigning the projector lens to specific areas of your screen. You'll find you may have to do this every once in a while, even more often if the tv is placed near a sub woofer because the vibration will shake the tv. You can tell if it needs to be set if you can see double lines (fuzziness) in some parts of the screen. It will look kinda like a 3-D movie without the glasses. It's pretty easy and your manual will cover this...

**golfish** · 01-13-2002, 09:25 AM

Got it

When the guys delivered it they set the convergence. I just went through it to see how it works......Thanks for your help.

Mark

01-09-2002, 10:26 AM	#1
golfish Moderator Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Alta Loma,Ca Posts: 2,935	Big screen TV's Hey all, Thinking about upgrading to a big screen, anybody have any advice? I'm looking for something in the 50-60" range.........

01-09-2002, 10:54 AM	#2
alf3482 Council Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Venus Texas Posts: 251	I have 60" I went to dillards and got them to sell me a floor model sold it for 1400.00 was on the floor three months. try it it may save you some money. __________________ Robert L. Brady See My Tanks through the links below: 125 Gal 120 Gal 55 gal 20 Gal SeaHorse Tank If you get a chance come check out at the RAG

01-09-2002, 02:21 PM	#3
Firefish Mayor Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Douglas, Ma Posts: 773	Where do I even start? I'll keep it short and simple...I've been into home theater for about 6 years now. I'm currently building a theater in my new house. I've had a couple of large screens, both digital and analog. Your $budgit$ will determin what you'll get in a large screen. All large screens will come with a standard "package" like PIP (useless), a 3D Y/C digital comb filter, s-video and color stream inputs.. My recent screen is a 65" Mitsubishi Diamond Series 16:9 1080i HDTV Cost me just under $5000 and worth every penny of it!If you're looking to spend a little less I would recomend the Mitsu. 55" 16:9 1080i HDTV for around $2800 or even the Toshiba 55" 4:3 1080i upgradable HDTV for around $2600. Like I said, it all depends on your wallet$$$. Pioneer Elite and Mitsu. are among the best large screens out there with Toshiba and Sony close behind them. If your looking for a regular analog large screen, Tosiba and Sony are a good buy, a 50" being somewhere in the $1500 dollar range but I would go digital if I were you...you'll be happier in the long run and its a must if you plan on getting DTV or Digital Cable. FWIW, Samsung has a decent 40" 480p LCD TV @ $3400. The progressive scan tv's are a little better on the eyes and the clearity is amazing but you'll pay more for these. If you give me a $figure$ I could be a little more help. __________________ In matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current. -- Thomas Jefferson

01-10-2002, 02:57 PM	#4
thezookeeper Mayor Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Pittsburgh,PA, USA Posts: 992	Hi golfish! We bought a 61" RCA big screen (not HDTV) back in November for $1400. It was a hell of a deal. We went back and forth trying to decide between HDTV and this tv. We have digital cable and believe me, the picture is fabulous even though it's not HDTV. If we wanted that big of a tv in HDTV, it would have been about $3000 minimum. We did buy all gold connection wire/splitters etc. I'd say we spent $180 on the hookups alone. We first set it up with the standard wiring and thought the picture could improve. Then we went for it and got the good wiring. There isn't enough difference in picture now for me to consider HDTV yet. And fire is right, PIP is useless. We love it and wouldn't trade it! Of course we also got a new Pioneer 600 watt surround system. Had to make it official! Good luck and HTH. __________________ "Life savings? Sure, it's that brightly lit object sitting in the livingroom."

01-10-2002, 05:13 PM	#5
Firefish Mayor Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Douglas, Ma Posts: 773	Hey Zoo, please tell me you're kidding when you say you cant tell much diff. between HDTV and Analog! It's super better! A digital large screen has razor sharp images, an anologs screen is fuzzy. All one has to do is get about 2 feet from the screen of a digital and you'd swear you were looking at a glass tube, forget about seeing any of that with an analog screen even with the filter! The prices for HDTV are lowering...You can get a 55" Toshiba HDTV for about $2500 now and thats buying it at an electronics place (Best Buy) I've seen Best Buy selling 50" - 55" HDTV's for as low as $1900 (Panasonic). I cant remember the details but I know congress passed a law requiring all network brodcasting stations to brodcast in digital video by the end of this year, granted it wont happen for another 2 years but digital is the way to go...recently HBO has started brodcasting many of its movies in digital audio (DTS & THX) this time last year only STARZ was brodcasting in digital audio and among select PPV's. If I could give some advice to those of you who are looking to buy a large screen, do yourself a favor and buy digital!!! spend the extra $200 - $300 dollars, if you dont it would be like setting up a new reef tank with an under gravel filter instead of LR, DSB and a skimmer. __________________ In matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current. -- Thomas Jefferson

01-11-2002, 09:57 AM	#6
thezookeeper Mayor Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Pittsburgh,PA, USA Posts: 992	Firefish: I'm saying for the cost difference for a 61" tv, no it's not worth it at this point in my eyes. And of course you can tell the difference between HDTV and a regular rear projection. But anyone who'd like to see mine setup and make their own mind up is welcome to. I will stand by my original post. With my digital cable and especially with DVD's, the picture is fantastic. In a few years when the cost of larger HDTV's is lower, I'll be getting one. By then, hopefully, more broadcasts will be coming in digital. The cost difference is NOT $200 or $300 by a long shot to get a HDTV in THAT size. NO way. If money is no object, then by all means get the biggest and best HDTV. I was giving advice for the best deal I've seen. I HTH golfish. BTW, I got mine at Circuit City. Not trying to debate here, just giving you my experience and opinion on the matter. Good luck Mark and happy couch potatoing like the rest of us!!! Joanne __________________ "Life savings? Sure, it's that brightly lit object sitting in the livingroom."

01-11-2002, 10:24 AM	#7
golfish Moderator Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Alta Loma,Ca Posts: 2,935	Joanne, I didn't know you were from Pittsburgh Man! I hate the Steelers J\K...I think I'm going today and check Mitsubishi's. I have had my eye on one for sometime. I'm a BIG football fan and I want to have it home in time to watch the 9ers kick the crap out of the packers (In my dreams) How important are these gold fittings\connectores? Mark

01-11-2002, 11:17 AM	#8
thezookeeper Mayor Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Pittsburgh,PA, USA Posts: 992	GO STEELERS! (Did I say that? ) There is no better way to watch anything, especially football but on the BIG SCREEN! I think the gold connections really improved the signal tremendously. It carries the sound and picture signals very clearly. Of course we used an s video cord to hook up the DVD, that is a must. I didn't buy any of those connections at Circuit City, I just went to Radio Shack and bought them. Had to make a couple trips to see what all I needed. At any rate, it's all worth it! You'll want to spend all your time watching tv for the first few weeks. DVD's are awesome. Have fun! Joanne __________________ "Life savings? Sure, it's that brightly lit object sitting in the livingroom."

01-11-2002, 01:45 PM	#9
SomeHairyOldGuy Mayor Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: OU Posts: 732	My wife and me where considering a new digital big screen. Some where in the neighborhood of a 55" 16x9. We decided though that with the way hang on the wall flat screens have gotten cheaper over the last year. That we wanted to wait it out for about another 2 years to see how much they cost then. Seems like last year or two or so they where around 16 grand minimum now you can get one for around 8. I am guessing in just a few short years they will cost just as much as todays big screen projection or digital tv's. Just something to think about. SHOG __________________ BOOMER SOONER!!!!

01-11-2002, 09:11 PM	#10
golfish Moderator Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Alta Loma,Ca Posts: 2,935	Well, I took the advice that most people gave me and bought a 55"Mitsubishi Diamond Series 16:9 1080i HDTV 3899.00 + tax...it will be here tomorrow

01-12-2002, 09:25 AM	#11
Firefish Mayor Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Douglas, Ma Posts: 773	You bought a fine tv my friend, Let the fun begin!! Let us know if you need help setting it up. Dont forget to adjust the convergence. __________________ In matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current. -- Thomas Jefferson Last edited by Firefish; 01-12-2002 at 09:28 AM.

01-12-2002, 09:29 AM	#12
golfish Moderator Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Alta Loma,Ca Posts: 2,935	"convergence" what the hec is that

01-12-2002, 04:06 PM	#13
Firefish Mayor Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Douglas, Ma Posts: 773	When the tv is shipped and moved from place to place the mirrors or lens inside the tv become unaligned. When you set the convergence you are realigning the projector lens to specific areas of your screen. You'll find you may have to do this every once in a while, even more often if the tv is placed near a sub woofer because the vibration will shake the tv. You can tell if it needs to be set if you can see double lines (fuzziness) in some parts of the screen. It will look kinda like a 3-D movie without the glasses. It's pretty easy and your manual will cover this... __________________ In matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current. -- Thomas Jefferson

01-13-2002, 09:25 AM	#14
golfish Moderator Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Alta Loma,Ca Posts: 2,935	Got it When the guys delivered it they set the convergence. I just went through it to see how it works......Thanks for your help. Mark

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