[Macpilot]

Hey folks.

Getting a new TV. Decided on LCD. Decided on a 16"9 format in the 40 to 45" range.

But frankly, the myriad of connections and inputs are a tad overwhelming for me as far as deciding what I really need.

I am not paying for HD, or cable for that matter, just yet, buy probably will in the future.

I mainly want this thing for watching DVDs, and for using with a Sony PS3 when that comes out. Obviously the PS3 will be able to play the Blu Ray discs and will support some high res games.

I have been focusing on Sharp's product, mainly the 45" model with the high resolution of 1920x1080.

Is that set overkill? Will PS3 look just as great on a set with the lower resolution?

That set is a lot more money that the lower resolution sets, but I want to future-proof myself somewhat.

Also, I need help deciding where to buy the set. I have bought stuff from online places that take forever to ship stuff (cameras) and try to sell you a warranty after you have already paid for the item, and I don't want to deal with any vendor that is gonna pull that crap. And I want to deal with a legit Sharp dealer too. Of course I want a good price, but if it means sacrificing service I want to stay away from that.

So if anybody here has recently bought a LCD TV in the 40 to 45" range I would appreciate any input.

Thanks and have a great 4th of July weekend!

[Rev-O]

I bought a LG 37" a while back (not 1080p, tho). The LG is a nice LCD. Not as nice as the Sony or the Samsung 40" I almost picked up, but at around $1200 less I could live without the 3" diagonal and the slighlty nicer picture. But enough about me
I spent a day visiting every local seller looking at LCD TVs before I decided what to get. I made notes as to which ones I liked in which stores the best. Lighting makes a big difference and picture quality is really subjective. Buying a TV is like buying speakers, what one person likes the next person doesn't. Don't buy for features without being sure you love (or at least like) the picture quality. If you want the Sharp, go find a few local stores that carry your exact model and look at it in person under the different light (unless you always watch TV in the dark).
Purchasing: on items like TVs and cameras and power tools my pref is always to buy locally. I would rather spend an extra bit of money for the instant gratification of having my purchase *now*. I also like the the ability to pack the damn thing up and take it back to the store right away if it is fscked up. I shudder to think of dropping a few grand on a TV, having it shipped, and get a non working unit. Peace of mind to me is worth some bones.

[Landos Mustache]

Make sure it has HDMI.

Sony makes some of the best LCD TV's.

[Rev-O]

of the LCDs I looked at, Sony was far and away my favorite. Sony was also far and away the most spendy! Sony does have the best blacks.

We are discussing a panel and not a projector, right? Do they even make 1080p rear projectors in the 45" range?

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

The best LCD's are Sony. That goes for LCD, LCD-RP and LCoS.

The best plasma's are Panasonic (mid range) and Pioneer Elite (High end).

Samsung is garbage.

DLP is iffy.

This thread might help. Be sure to read the end as the DLP I got rotted into the ground.

http://forums.macnn.com/89/macnn-lounge/223497/i-gots-me-new-tv-if/


This is my current setup:

[Macpilot]

Thanks for all the advice guys. Anybody here waiting for the Sony Playstation 3 to hook up to one of these monster TVs?

[Macpilot]

Sony does not make anything in the 1920x1080 resolution? I can't find anything on their website with greater res than 1366x768.

[Landos Mustache]

Originally Posted by Macpilot

Thanks for all the advice guys. Anybody here waiting for the Sony Playstation 3 to hook up to one of these monster TVs?

The Xbox 360 looks spectacular hooked up to my set. Heck even the PS2 with hi def games looks really good.

The gameCube looks like crap as the highest res is 480p and next to no games are even in widescreen or support 480p.

[nforcer]

Originally Posted by Landos Mustache

Sony makes some of the best LCD TV's.

I second this (coming from a guy who hates Sony and gets great enjoyment out of making fun of the PS3). I went shopping for a 32" LCD last month. I read about a thousand webpages worth of reviews, forum posts (AVS Forums are great but appear to be down right now), and product guides (I research a lot before making important investments). Broke down the top contenders to Sony and Samsung (and both companies are in an agreement to manufacture and use the same panels). While the Samsung had better specs on paper (mainly contrast) doing in store side by side comparisons the Sony blew it away in terms of picture quality.

Things I learned from my research and investigation:
- Specs tell very little. There are not standards in place for all measurements. Contrast and response times seem to be the most inflated figures. Keep in mind Samsung's contrasts are listed as "dynamic" not native, so they aren't exactly playing by the same figure that other manufacturers are. I accept no more than 8ms gray to gray for gaming. Your eyes are the best judge for comparison.
- Find the darkest scenes in something you can and see how blacks are replicated. The Sony I went with did a great job picking up dark details. The Samsung showed almost everything as pure black. Samsung's hyped "gaming mode" does not offer much improvement from what I've read and seen.
- Play with the settings (obvious), compare brightness and color correction settings. Don't be afraid to spend a few hours in stores comparing; you're paying. Some sets are more minimal than others. It was useful for me to read some product manuals to find caveats and limitations.
- Get something with at least one HDMI port and more if you anticipate connecting a lot of things in the future. I pretty much use my TV exclusively for gaming and while I don't plan to get a PS3 I may eventually get a Blu Ray or HD-DVD player. I'm fine with using Component or VGA for my Xbox 2 and I very much doubt the Wii will offer HDMI, but I'm glad I have some room to expand should things change.
- Make sure the unit has a built in HD tuner for the future. Like HDMI ports, I think most models 32" and above have this but I'm sure there are exceptions. Another seperate expense would suck.

Originally Posted by Macpilot

Sony does not make anything in the 1920x1080 resolution? I can't find anything on their website with greater res than 1366x768.

I believe their upcoming Bravia models 40" and greater offer this. I went with a Bravia (32S2000); loving it so far.

[SVass]

Supposedly, Sony is going to release a 1080P LCD this fall. I am waiting for it. sam

They will release it simultaneous with the Blu-Ray system. Make sure that any tv you get has several HDMI inputs and multiple component inputs.

[the_glassman]

http://www.westinghousedigital.com/p...p-monitor.aspx

[MacMan4000]

I just bought a Samsung LNS2651D and I love it. It's a 26" LCD with built in HDTV tuner. They make a 40" in the same line i think. try searching for a LNS4051D. If i am understanding the numbering scheme then that should be it.

[el chupacabra]

Originally Posted by the_glassman

http://www.westinghousedigital.com/p...p-monitor.aspx

That is very nice, just what I've been waiting for.

as for the OP you should look into sony's rear projection model. If you have the space I think it has the best graphics...for the future when HD becomes more standard that is.

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by nforcer

(I research a lot before making important investments)

Not trying to be an ass, but an investment is something that makes you money, not something that you'll be throwing out in five years time because something better is coming along...

[Macpilot]

Originally Posted by SVass

Supposedly, Sony is going to release a 1080P LCD this fall. I am waiting for it. sam

They will release it simultaneous with the Blu-Ray system. Make sure that any tv you get has several HDMI inputs and multiple component inputs.

Will I need to ever plug anything but the PS3 into the HDMI port?

With PSP I am getting a game system and a Blu-Ray player in one.

The Sharp 45" has the tuner built in, so no need for inputs for a separate cable box.

[Rand]

This is the new Sony Bravia:

It does 1080p 1920x1080 full support. Has 2 (maybe 3?) HDMI inputs.

It came out this morning, so still no manual or reviews, but it looks pretty nice.


How would the HDMI line up with the intel minis?

[Landos Mustache]

Originally Posted by Rand

This is the new Sony Bravia:

It does 1080p 1920x1080 full support. Has 2 (maybe 3?) HDMI inputs.

It came out this morning, so still no manual or reviews, but it looks pretty nice.


How would the HDMI line up with the intel minis?

Pretty interesting look.

[CaseCom]

Only Sony can get away with charging $300 for a colored bezel insert

They do make great TVs though, even if you pay through the nose for 'em.

[Landos Mustache]

Originally Posted by CaseCom

Only Sony can get away with charging $300 for a colored bezel insert

Only Sony?

[CaseCom]

I stand corrected

[cjrivera]

Has anyone hooked up a Mac Mini to one of the new Sony LCD TVs?

[Landos Mustache]

Originally Posted by cjrivera

Has anyone hooked up a Mac Mini to one of the new Sony LCD TVs?

Why?

[nforcer]

The Sony XBR brand is their most top-end. Although I did not see $600 worth of difference (or whatever it was) when comparing the XBR Bravias to the S2000 Bravias.

[cjrivera]

I am in the market for a new lcd tv also, and was thinking about using it with a Mini for a Mutimedia center and to occasionally use a monitor.

[Dark Helmet]

Originally Posted by nforcer

The Sony XBR brand is their most top-end. Although I did not see $600 worth of difference (or whatever it was) when comparing the XBR Bravias to the S2000 Bravias.

The main difference is better colours and no screen door.

[nforcer]

So if you are an inch away from an XBR you won't see a screen door?

[Dark Helmet]

Originally Posted by nforcer

So if you are an inch away from an XBR you won't see a screen door?

Nope. It looks like DLP.

[zankoku]

I've been looking at the current Bravias and the new upcoming Bravia LCDs. The clear difference is one runs 720p native and the new sets run 1080p native. But what does that mean in terms of performance/quality? What's the difference between 720p and 1080p in terms of tv viewing? hdtv viewing? dvd viewing? and possibly blu-ray/hd-dvd viewing?

If anyone can briefly explain or point me to a resource, I'd appreciate it!

[Landos Mustache]

Originally Posted by zankoku

I've been looking at the current Bravias and the new upcoming Bravia LCDs. The clear difference is one runs 720p native and the new sets run 1080p native. But what does that mean in terms of performance/quality? What's the difference between 720p and 1080p in terms of tv viewing? hdtv viewing? dvd viewing? and possibly blu-ray/hd-dvd viewing?

If anyone can briefly explain or point me to a resource, I'd appreciate it!

1080p will look better than 720p problem is there are almost no sources out now that send that high of a signal. The ONLY things that do are HD-DVD, Blu-Ray and the PS3. So in other words a few movies and possibly games.

You will never get a 1080p high-def TV signal.

[SVass]

Blu-Ray or HD-DVD movie quality at home will look better on a 1080p tv than at the theater. The new sets may also have better electronics for 720p and 1080i tv and thus be better for regular tv programming. Some so-called cheap HDTV sets have visual artifacts and other problems. sam

[JohnM15141]

I just bought a Sony 40" LCD the KDL-V40XBR1. Its gorgeous, HD content is amazing to see. Normal TV looks fine but not as pretty. The TV has various adjustments to improve it, but it will never look as good as HD. So, be prpared to loath normal TV signals in comparison to HD.

The reasons I chose this one instead of waiting for the 1080P XBR2 is that in order to realize the benefit of full 1080P over 1080i you'll need a screen 50 inches or larger. In the 40inch range you'll be hard pressed to see the difference between the 2 resolutions. A 40 inch screen is not really large enough to easily discern the extra detail presented at 1080P. As a matter of fact I have been unable to see any difference between 1080i and 720P they both look great. I run my Xbox360 at both resolutions and can't see any difference.

I was advised to look for a TV with at least 2 HDMI ports but from what I can tell the HD component input are exactly the same just not as neat. My Xbox came with component cables and my HD cable Box does as well. The only HDMI device I envision will be a blue ray DVD player perhaps. The newest thing is current DVD players that up convert the signal to 720P or 1080i, I've heard good things about them but I have not gone looking for one yet, but the price is under $100 for a Toshiba DVD player that does this. I've been watching DVD's on my Xbox 360 and they look really good but, not as good as HD of course.

With all this in mind and the impending release of the XBR2 has caused the price to start dropping on the XBR1, I bought mine at a bargain! Found it for sale for 2799 at a place where I also had a 10% off coupon, he he!

Also, one really important detail, extended warranty prices for LCD TV's are much cheaper than Plasma.

[Visnaut]

Originally Posted by Landos Mustache

You will never get a 1080p high-def TV signal.

That's like saying you'll never need more than 640k of RAM. Since I'm in a position right now to buy a TV, which I'd like to keep for a long time, I'd rather spend my money on something that's reasonably future proofed.

Even though there aren't many uses for it now, I can at least hook up my powerbook to it to do some lite surfing and chatting, and use Front Row, on a nice crisp 1920 x 1080 display. Not to mention it'll make a great screen for a future Mac mini with a BluRay drive.

This isn't to say that the 1366x768 TVs are bad, they look great, actually. But i'd rather do the full upgrade to the current ceiling of video resolution, so that when stuff begins being either sold or broadcast at 1080i or 1080p, I won't feel like I'm missing out.

Originally Posted by the_glassman

http://www.westinghousedigital.com/p...p-monitor.aspx

Yeah, I'm definitely considering the Westinghouse TV/Monitors at the moment. I really want to pick up either the LVM-37w1 or LVM-37w3 but I can't find any store that carries them up here in Toronto. Ordering online through an american retailer is not something I want to deal with since canada customs will gouge me for doing so.

[Calimus]

Everything I've read has said that most PS3 games will be 720p, with with occasional game supporting 1080. So for the most part, the games will look the same on a 720 set.