HDTV purchasing for retarded folk like me

[CofyCrakCocaine]

Up front I'll say it: I'm a TV dumbass. I know nothing about 'em. Assume you speak to a retard when you speak to me- I don't know terminology, vocabulary, nor etymology.

K, we got that out of the way. Onwards with the message...

In light of my new purchase of the xbox 360 and the general painful squinting I've been having to do while watching the Colbert Report from across the room while snuggling with the girlfriend, I think the time has come for CCC's 18 year old TV set to be replaced. HDTV seems the viable solution. All those whom I know who have partaken in this glorious cup of visual ecstasy have left me with glowing reports leaving me desiring some of the action.

Problems abound! Screen size no longer is the only thing I have to worry about. I have to worry about some new-fangled concepts like 120hz, LCD/Plasma/Glass/Plastic TV sets that are Wall or Non-Wall mountable, flat screen, front rear projector/front projector/ not bought at BestBuy/Circuit city/ 9000 brand names that I don't know are any good for the buck/and so on. Holy shit Todo, CCC ain't in Kansas no more.

So here's my question: What kinda set should I get? Does it matter if it's Samsung, Sony, Element, etc.? I don't have alot of room for a huge big screen TV but I play alot of games.

Everyone says I should go 50" but I don't have a $2000 budget- I just want a light weight, easy to move/carry around TV set that doesn't require a lot of attention for setting up. The most I'm willing to spend is a teensy bit over a grand. As such I'm more aiming for a 32" HDTV that isn't going to outright suck.

Where's a reliable joint I can browse and buy HD TVs at in the Bergen County Area? I'm over by Paramus, but I was not fond of the non-informative clerks at Best Buy and Circuit City. We can cross borders if we need to, as this is a huge purchase and I'm willing to take the extra effort to make the right choice. Online is out of the question because I want to see and try out the TV up front before I make any decisions. Thanks for any suggestions you folks have.

[ScottFromGA]

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u176/SCOTTFROMGA/vizio.jpg


this is the kind that I have....it actually is bigger than it looks. Vizio has a good picture for a low, low price and I recommend it.

[scottinnj]

Ask the dealer this:

Is it capable of 1080p?

If not, move on to the one that does.

[HBox]

If you are interested or will in the future be interested in Hi-Def movies on Blu-Ray and or HD DVD then get a set with HDMI input. It's probably a good idea to get one with an HDMI input anyway. At your price and size range just about every set will have it anyway. If nothing else an HDMI input will cut down on wiring since it combines audio and video in one cable. And DON'T buy an HDMI cable in any brick and mortar store. They are insanely overpriced and you can get one for 5 bucks online.

I could throw out all sorts of info at you but it really depends on you. Go to a store and look at the sets. If a cheap Vizio sets look fine to you don't think twice about it. If one of the more expensive Sony or Samsung looks better then get that if it fits in your budget. Don't think twice about it. Go with what you like. Just be aware, especially if you go into a big box store, that if you see a set with a horrendous picture its probably a bad connection because no one cares enough to make sure every set is getting a clean signal. So you won't really be able to judge how good the set is. If you go to a smaller store this probably won't be a problem.

Now for a term: 1080p. Sets that support 1080p will allow for full Hi-Def 1920x1080 resolution. Most HD sets support either 1080i (1920x1080 interlaced) or 720p (1280x720). Plasma and DLP are probably out of your price and size range so LCD will be the way to go. And 1080p sets are probably out of your price range anyway.

If you are curious to see a 1080p set in action go to the section where they sell HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players. If you see a 1080p set in the regular section where the rest of the TVs are chances are what it is showing is not using the full 1920x1080 resolution. But if they have a HD DVD or Blu-Ray movie showing it will be in full 1080p.

[Bossanova]

DO NOT BUY PLASMA! Most any HDTV is reliable now. Vizio, Polaroid, Sony, Pioneer, Mitsubishi. There are others. They are all good. LCD's generally are good with gaming, there usually is no lag with the picture. 32" LCD's shouldn't cost more than 600 or so. Like I said, most brands are going to be good for what you need.

[scottinnj]

I went to a local department store, Boscovs, and saw a Sony hooked up to a Sony Blu-Ray DVD player that had a special DVD in it that showed off the full power of 1080p. It was phenomenal. I have a problem with seeing certain shades of blue and green on TV, so this thing really blew me away. It was a smaller unit, about 32 inches, but it was big enough for me because I don't have a wall big enough to hang a 42 or 50 inch set on. I think it was plasma, but I also saw a Vizio in a Walmart in Florida that looked pretty good too.

The Sony unit went for about 1400 bucks and the DVD player was 900 bucks. But that was a year ago this past Christmas. My wife brought me out to see it, and she was going to buy it for me, but we went to Orlando on a week long trip instead. Oh well, I'm out a HDTV, but at least the Orlando trip is going to be an annual thing now.

I'll buy one when my Trinitron finally bites the dust. It's a 38 inch Sony, and it is 10 years old, but still has a great picture using my Directv. My father in law just bought a DLP HDTV, but won't get the Hi-Def package from Comcast. Go figure. He can afford a TV that costs 1800 bucks but not the extra 20 bucks a month for Hi-Def.

[PhilDeez]

I would agree to buy what looks good to you, not chase a certain brand or technology.
I have a 42" Vizio Plasma, as well as a Samsund LCD and I prefer the Vizio - go figure, it is all up to your preference.
I have heard that gaming is better on LCD, I use my Plasma with no issue.
As far as 1080p, unless you are going to shell out for an HD or BlueRay DVD player, don't waste the extra money. From what I was told, 1080p will not be broadcast for quite some time - if I am wrong, sorry just stating what I was told by the Circuit City "expert".

[Sarge]

I have a Sony 40" XBR LCD flat screen, and the thing is amazing. It has the HDMI inputs as well as all the other inputs. The HDMI made life so much easier when hooking everything up. The high definition picture is ridiculously clear.

[HBox]

I would agree to buy what looks good to you, not chase a certain brand or technology.
I have a 42" Vizio Plasma, as well as a Samsund LCD and I prefer the Vizio - go figure, it is all up to your preference.
I have heard that gaming is better on LCD, I use my Plasma with no issue.
As far as 1080p, unless you are going to shell out for an HD or BlueRay DVD player, don't waste the extra money. From what I was told, 1080p will not be broadcast for quite some time - if I am wrong, sorry just stating what I was told by the Circuit City "expert".

He was right. The only way to get use out of 1080p is through Hi-Def movie players, the 360 or PS3 (although few games for either console output at 1080p natively), or from your computer. And its going to be that way for quite some time.

[scottinnj]

Directv is getting close with 1080i

Comcast is 720p, but can't interlace it to make 1080i, but I've seen it at my friends house watching the Eagles, and it's still way WAY better then standard cable or digital cable/satellite.

Verizon Fios is the only medium that promises full 1080p for live broadcasting-from HBO on demand to NFL and NASCAR and MLB. I have been told it is available in North Jersey and it is at least a year away from us hayseeds and bumpkins down here in South Jersey.

[underdog]

Comcast is 720p, but can't interlace it to make 1080i,

Really? I swear my comcast is broadcasting certain channels in 1080i.

I bought a 56" Samsung DLP for less than $2k (I think they're down closer to $1200 now). Its full 1080p and has an amazing picture. If you can't afford the prices of LCD or Plasma, DLP is a good substitute.

As far as weight, Plasmas can get really heavy. LCDs are super light. And I think they just started selling the 120hz LCDs, but I believe they're still really expensive. But if you want a great gaming television, a 120hz LCD cannot be beat.

[DolaMight]

CBS broadcasts in 1080i for the most part the rest are 720p. No provider or broadcaster at this point is willing to allocate more than 2x the bandwidth to do 1080p. If they will do so in the near future you will pay directly. 1080p will likely be solely for HD DVDs or blue ray. The majority of games for 360 and PS3 will continue to be developed at 720p in the future.

Unless you love HD DVD's and have a component or HDMI 5.1 amp then you're probally ok with a 720/1080i TV.

The 13xxX7xx TV's are the standard these days.

[patsopinion]

some of us would recomend buying a computer monitor (this one) (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8404684&type=product&id=1180743546134)
u can find the things to plug in certain things to make this work with your current set up

problems-the imputs dont hold a standard "video" imput and there arent speakers
pros- cheap for the resolution buck and since evetually you are going to need a high def reciever to play even the basic high def signal(which will work with this set up) ull be fine

this with a cheap set of speakers with a audio imput puts this 300 bucks cheaper then a tv for the same size

but i uesto sell tvs and it took me a while to figure out the dynamics of this system
in reality-

go LCD under 500 for a 37 inch hd and buy online

tigerdirect.com
newegg.com

[Freakshow]

comedy central is not a HD channel yet (at least for me with DirecTV).

[Mike Teacher]

Who bought a 1080i TV five years ago? Crazy Me.

In 2007; w/ and HDTV and all the HD Channels; the amount of real, quality, truly HD stuff out there is really really small. It will get bigger, but I'm not sure how fast, coz some of us have had this shit for... five years.

The HD chain can be broken at any point. A movie/TV show that looks like crap will just look like highly-defined crap; the noise and grain and artifacts can now be seen so much better. Ugh. If they didnt shoot a high quality picture, if the transfer sucks [wow there's a shitload of those, like the early days of CD]...

And as for the Plasma vs LCD debate the answer is, of course:

-Tube, then
-Hi quality front projection, then
-DLP

and as for the HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray; both those formats can die the death they will die; they deserve it for not agreeing to a standard format. Lesson learned from Beta/VHS = Not.

[flyerfan116]

I got a Samsung DLP about a year ago and I love it. Picture is awesome in HD plus i tend to leave games paused for long periods of time and with DLP there is no chance of the image burning into the screen like there is with LCD and plasma

[CountryBob]

I have a 46" LCD Sharp Aquos 1080p that is awesome for gaming. The only complaint is without surround sound hooked up some of the explosions on the XBOX or the PS3 games sounds distorted or muffled.

[bnceo]

Anyone know how are the DLP TVs? I keep hearing about those silly mirrors, but I'm curious as to is it worth the marketing hype.

Moreover, anyone know many HDMI ports is plenty? I was thinking 2, but would I need 3? Thanks!

[Pitdoc]

Remember that DLPs ( rear -projection TVs) use a high power LAMP,that can have a life of between 3000-5000 hrs. LCDs & Plasmas have lifes of 60,000 hrs. The lamps probably cost about $200 apiece .So, for the life of a LCD or plasma, you might have to spend another
$ 2000 for bulbs for a DLP (Then maybe a DLP ISN'T cheaper than an LCD) . Samsung just recently came out with a DLP that uses a LED lamp, that lasts 20,000 hrs, so it'd be good to check that one out if you want a DLP ( It looks nice, and is about as cheap as other DLPs, but on the specs it has a lousy resolution time, 16 ms ; the Sharps can get as low as 4 ms )
There are a lot of things to consider, resolution times, 60 vs 120 Hz ( More expensive for 12o Hz, and a lot of reviewers dont see much of a difference, contrast times( a lot of fudging by companies on this ).I'm going to go to CES next week to see what all the companies will be bringing out in terms of new TVs, so I'll give a report when I get back late next week)

[K.C.]

Has anyone heard of any good experiences with these 'low-cost' LCD brands that Best Buy offers like Dynex and Insignia?

Because I sure haven't and I've been researching for the last couple hours.

I was looking for a 32' TV for my room, and on the surface, the Insignia looked good (720p is fine for a secondary TV, has three HDMI ports...can never have enough of those), but I just keep reading horrible thing after horrible thing.

Even some of the positive reviews on the Best Buy website read like they were written by Best Buy PR, so I don't trust them.

And almost everything I've heard is you have to fork over the extra $90 for the service plan to have any guarantee you'll have a set working past three months, and that if something goes wrong, you get the absolutely delightful headache of dealing with Best Buy customer service.



...Think I'll just wait until Black Friday. See if I can get a better deal.

[Freitag]

Has anyone heard of any good experiences with these 'low-cost' LCD brands that Best Buy offers like Dynex and Insignia?

Dynex and Insignia are Best Buy's "house" brands. Meaning, they are only offered at best buy. Usually using parts from other manufacturers. You are correct to think that Best Buy PR flacks usually lurk on there.

I would be wary of them. However, if you're looking for a low-cost secondary TV, you can do more research on sites that Best Buy doesn't have control over (just search Dynex HDTV reviews, and look for a site that has more than 20 reviews).

Worst case scenario, buy the TV with yoru platinum card so you double the warranty.

DON'T get Best Buy's service plan. Rely on your Credit Card's deal.

[drjoek]

Up front I'll say it: I'm a TV dumbass. I know nothing about 'em. Assume you speak to a retard when you speak to me- I don't know terminology, vocabulary, nor etymology.

K, we got that out of the way. Onwards with the message...

In light of my new purchase of the xbox 360 and the general painful squinting I've been having to do while watching the Colbert Report from across the room while snuggling with the girlfriend, I think the time has come for CCC's 18 year old TV set to be replaced. HDTV seems the viable solution. All those whom I know who have partaken in this glorious cup of visual ecstasy have left me with glowing reports leaving me desiring some of the action.

.

http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/23/78/22187823.jpg
http://www.letusteachkids.com/images/misc/Stuff/glasses.jpg

[celery]

I got a Samsung LN46A550 (http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN46A550-46-inch-1080p-HDTV/dp/B0014175E8) from Amazon.com, and I can't say enough good things about the experience. They beat Best Buy's price by $400, (not including sales tax) delivered it free, and I received it in 4 days. If you scope out the set you want in the store, chances are you can probably find a better deal online. The set suits my needs perfectly, and looks great on the wall. Only downside is the sound system is tinny and poor quality (most internal tv speakers are).

Best Buy turned me off completely, as I hung around the TV department for 20 mintues before anyone helped me. It seems that unless you're in the high-end Magnolia department, they don't give you the time of day.

[JPMNICK]

the 2008 models of panasonic 50" plasma TV's are awesome, and under 1500 bucks

[K.C.]

I got a Samsung LN46A550 (http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN46A550-46-inch-1080p-HDTV/dp/B0014175E8) from Amazon.com, and I can't say enough good things about the experience. They beat Best Buy's price by $400, (not including sales tax) delivered it free, and I received it in 4 days. If you scope out the set you want in the store, chances are you can probably find a better deal online. The set suits my needs perfectly, and looks great on the wall. Only downside is the sound system is tinny and poor quality (most internal tv speakers are).

Best Buy turned me off completely, as I hung around the TV department for 20 mintues before anyone helped me. It seems that unless you're in the high-end Magnolia department, they don't give you the time of day.


Well, I've spent way too much time research this stuff today.

I'm leaning between a 32' Vizio LCD (a little bit cheaper) and a 32' Samsung LCD (either Samsung or Panasonic seem to universally be the most reliable two brands from everything I've read, although most Panasonics are a little out of my price range).

As far as buying from retailers go, Best Buy sucks ass, unless you're going to take a chance on one of their doomsday, extra cheap, HDTVs. Their house brands are all that they carry in-store.

Then they charge $70 shipping (as opposed to FREE from Circuit City) and their prices blow right now...and I don't even want to get in to the re-stocking fee. If I wasn't sitting on a $100 gift card, I wouldn't even have considered them. But I'll use for something else.

I'm going to wait until the ads come out this Sunday, and maybe a few more coupon codes hit the market and then make a decision between the Samsung and the Vizio.

[JPMNICK]

Well, I've spent way too much time research this stuff today.

I'm leaning between a 32' Vizio LCD (a little bit cheaper) and a 32' Samsung LCD (either Samsung or Panasonic seem to universally be the most reliable two brands from everything I've read, although most Panasonics are a little out of my price range).

As far as buying from retailers go, Best Buy sucks ass, unless you're going to take a chance on one of their doomsday, extra cheap, HDTVs. Their house brands are all that they carry in-store.

Then they charge $70 shipping (as opposed to FREE from Circuit City) and their prices blow right now...and I don't even want to get in to the re-stocking fee. If I wasn't sitting on a $100 gift card, I wouldn't even have considered them. But I'll use for something else.

I'm going to wait until the ads come out this Sunday, and maybe a few more coupon codes hit the market and then make a decision between the Samsung and the Vizio.

6th ave will pricematch almost anything from pricegrabber.com, so if you have one near you check into that.

[underdog]

a 32' Samsung LCD (either Samsung or Panasonic seem to universally be the most reliable two brands from everything I've read, although most Panasonics are a little out of my price range).

I will never, ever buy another Samsung product. Their customer service is terrible. My television is now 10 months old and it been broken for nearly 2 months. It takes sooooo long for anything to get fixed. When they finally decided to replace it, they told me it would take 14 - 21 days for the replacement to get here. Then it got here and was broken. So now I'm still waiting for the new replacement, but they can't give me any sort of time line. And its been two weeks already.

If you do buy a Samsung, make SURE you get some sort of product replacement plan with whoever you're buying from. You do NOT want to deal with Samsung's customer service if something goes wrong.

I owned a Mitsubishi and when it died, they just told me to bring it into Tweeter and it was immediately replaced.

-also, if you can buy something from Circuit City with their product replacement plan, do it. They are so easy to return things to.

[K.C.]

I will never, ever buy another Samsung product. Their customer service is terrible. My television is now 10 months old and it been broken for nearly 2 months. It takes sooooo long for anything to get fixed. When they finally decided to replace it, they told me it would take 14 - 21 days for the replacement to get here. Then it got here and was broken. So now I'm still waiting for the new replacement, but they can't give me any sort of time line. And its been two weeks already.

If you do buy a Samsung, make SURE you get some sort of product replacement plan with whoever you're buying from. You do NOT want to deal with Samsung's customer service if something goes wrong.

I owned a Mitsubishi and when it died, they just told me to bring it into Tweeter and it was immediately replaced.

-also, if you can buy something from Circuit City with their product replacement plan, do it. They are so easy to return things to.


That sucks, and it's something I'm afraid of, but honestly, I've heard stories similar to that about most brands I've read about today.

And it's much worse for the off-brand TVs.

I'm considering the replacement plan (and I used to openly mock replacement plans as the biggest scam ever, especially when they used to make me sell them when I worked at Staples years ago), with all the horror stories I've read today about getting TVs fixed.

[celery]

That sucks, and it's something I'm afraid of, but honestly, I've heard stories similar to that about most brands I've read about today.

And it's much worse for the off-brand TVs.

I'm considering the replacement plan (and I used to openly mock replacement plans as the biggest scam ever, especially when they used to make me sell them when I worked at Staples years ago), with all the horror stories I've read today about getting TVs fixed.

Exactly - I've heard horror stories from Sony, Dell, Microsoft, HP, Apple, etc. Every big company is going to have these horror stories, but until it's proven that the whole company is constantly doing this I'm not really going to second-think.

Do you have a Costco in your area? They carry all sorts of brands, and last I heard, the return policy is amazing. I saw Samsung and Vizio sets last time I was there.

[underdog]

That sucks, and it's something I'm afraid of, but honestly, I've heard stories similar to that about most brands I've read about today.

And it's much worse for the off-brand TVs.

I'm considering the replacement plan (and I used to openly mock replacement plans as the biggest scam ever, especially when they used to make me sell them when I worked at Staples years ago), with all the horror stories I've read today about getting TVs fixed.

I know you'll hear horror stories about any brand, but Samsung's customer service just seems so fucked up. It takes way too long for anything.

And for a big purchase like a television, the replacement plan is fantastic. It just gives you that piece of mind.

I'll also 2nd the notion for Costco. Their return policy is amazing and they usually have some fantastic prices.

[JPMNICK]

i have a 32" plasma in my bedroom and it has worked great. no problems.

[JustJon]

I'm leaning between a 32' Vizio LCD (a little bit cheaper) and a 32' Samsung LCD (either Samsung or Panasonic seem to universally be the most reliable two brands from everything I've read, although most Panasonics are a little out of my price range).


When I was buying mine, the two brands that were recommended as having the best picture were Sony and Samsung. I have Samsung.

Exactly - I've heard horror stories from Sony, Dell, Microsoft, HP, Apple, etc. Every big company is going to have these horror stories, but until it's proven that the whole company is constantly doing this I'm not really going to second-think.


Actually, I find Apple's customer support to be exceptional. They've always been friendly to me both on the phone and in-store, you can take your computer to any store's genius bar and get the problem diagnosed fairly well, and the only prob I've ever had is the cost to repair/replace things that were no longer under warranty.

[Towelie]

I just bought a Vizio VX32L (32 inch LCD)

Great TV for a great price

My PS3 looks great on it and the HD channels look great.

Totally recommend.

And an HDMI cable is a must. Have to buy it.

Edit:

This TV has two HDMI slots, so you can have both your cable box and your PS3/XBox/Blu-Ray player hooked up at the same time

Really a great buy.

[Sinestro]

I have a 19' Black and White t.v. It's a Zenith.

[celery]

When I was buying mine, the two brands that were recommended as having the best picture were Sony and Samsung. I have Samsung.



Actually, I find Apple's customer support to be exceptional. They've always been friendly to me both on the phone and in-store, you can take your computer to any store's genius bar and get the problem diagnosed fairly well, and the only prob I've ever had is the cost to repair/replace things that were no longer under warranty.



I agree that Apple's customer service is way above average for a multibillion dollar company. They replaced two of my broken iPods, no questions asked. I'm pretty sure my next computer will be a Mac (especially since Vista totally underwhelmed me, and I think Mac has the far better OS at this point, but that probably belongs in another thread).

I forgot what my original point was . Oh yeah - despite all this, Apple horror stories do exist, like they do for all companies (see a page of them here - http://www.consumeraffairs.com/computers/apple_ipod.html) They also have some boneheaded penny-pinching policies (like the inability to easily re-download lost iTunes music) But I'd still recommend their products despite a few peoples problems. And I still think K.C. will be happy with a Samsung LCD :)

[K.C.]

They have a Maganavox 32'' on sale at Circuit City for $599 today (in-store only).

After looking it over, it's a pretty damn good TV for that price. May go take a look at it.

[Tenbatsuzen]

They have a Maganavox 32'' on sale at Circuit City for $599 today (in-store only).

After looking it over, it's a pretty damn good TV for that price. May go take a look at it.

If it's the Same TV we have, it's awesome. Love the picture and colors.

[epo]

God bless this shit economy. I found a 40" Samsung LCD for $200 off.

It's nice to move into modern times.

[CousinDave]

Front Projector is the way to go

This one from Costco is less than $500 (only 1080i)http://content.costco.com/Images/Content/Product/259197.jpg


Projectors & Screens (http://www.costco.com/Common/Category.aspx?whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|79&N=4009971&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=28314&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&topnav=)

[red_red_red]

I just bought an RCA 32" High Def LCD...it was $478 @ Walmart..it can be wall mounted or you can put it on a stand. i put mine on a stand b/c i keep all the video game accessories in it, less messy = more gooder

[danner1515]

I think I'm starting to get the itch for a Blue-Ray player. Is the PS3 still considered the best value out there? I really don't need yet another game system that I don't use in my living room. Plus, the fact that the the remote is Bluetooth and won't work with my universal remote annoys me.

[JustJon]

I think I'm starting to get the itch for a Blue-Ray player. Is the PS3 still considered the best value out there? I really don't need yet another game system that I don't use in my living room. Plus, the fact that the the remote is Bluetooth and won't work with my universal remote annoys me.

I was just listening to the latest Tekzilla today. You can get last year's blu ray players for under $300, and the lower end ones around that range too. They may not be able to play all the latest features on the discs, but it is possible they will with firmware updates.

[extracheese]

The best rated sets are as follows:

Sony XBR6 line
Samsung 550 line
Sharp Aquos D64U line

IN THAT ORDER. Sony's are the most expensive but known to be flawless. Samsung's sound is tinny sounding and weak. Sharp's have long delay between channel changes.

Thats all you need to know. Go buy one of these and be happy.

[Ritalin]

Bumping this thread because I'm in the market for a TV.

I'll take any recommendation, but what I really want to know is what I'm looking for. Pretend I'm kinda stupid and give me bullet points for what I want to have, spec wise. ie, resolution, inputs etc.

I'll hang up and listen to your answer.

[razorboy]

My first caution would be that you be real happy with your speaker setup because every flat screen has crap speakers.

[who6489]

I'll be getting one, once my refund gets here. From what I've been reading..... for the price... Vizio seems to be the way to go. A 42" 1080p ready for 797.00 at Walmart.

Since I'm a Cable Guy, I've seen a bunch of them in homes, and aside from the high end Sony's and Panasonic's, the Vizio has a really nice pic. Surprisingly, I was in a home today that had a new Samsung 46", and while the HD channels looked great, the regular one's had noticeable digitizing in the backround.
Believe it or not, another really good overall pic is on RCA. BUT, I'm reading a lot about the RCA's dying in less then a year!!

Also, if you own an LG, be warned, after a year or so, they get this weird red snow in the background on dark pics. I've seen a few do this in the past few months.

For those of you that do have a Vizio... how do you like it?

Lastly, for those of you that originally used the component input and then switched to HDMI, do you really see and hear a noticeable difference?
When HDMI first came along, in homes, the customers would ask me to switch from one to the other, and we saw no difference. Granted, I haven't done this in quite awhile, so I wanted to know if this has changed.

[who6489]

bump

[RingWraith]

I'll be getting one, once my refund gets here. From what I've been reading..... for the price... Vizio seems to be the way to go. A 42" 1080p ready for 797.00 at Walmart.

Since I'm a Cable Guy, I've seen a bunch of them in homes, and aside from the high end Sony's and Panasonic's, the Vizio has a really nice pic. Surprisingly, I was in a home today that had a new Samsung 46", and while the HD channels looked great, the regular one's had noticeable digitizing in the backround.
Believe it or not, another really good overall pic is on RCA. BUT, I'm reading a lot about the RCA's dying in less then a year!!

Also, if you own an LG, be warned, after a year or so, they get this weird red snow in the background on dark pics. I've seen a few do this in the past few months.

For those of you that do have a Vizio... how do you like it?

Lastly, for those of you that originally used the component input and then switched to HDMI, do you really see and hear a noticeable difference?
When HDMI first came along, in homes, the customers would ask me to switch from one to the other, and we saw no difference. Granted, I haven't done this in quite awhile, so I wanted to know if this has changed.

I own a VIZIO 37" (1080i) and for the most part, I'm very happy with it. But only for the HD channels, and watching Blu Ray's on it with my PS3.
The only bad part about it is that the regular channels look AWFUL, just like you mentioned about the Samsung TV. The regular channels look all "digitized" and a bit grainy for some reason.
Would I recommend a VIZIO, yes I would if you're looking to spend less money.

[Reynolds]

I have a 46" Sony Bravia, 360 looks great, as well as the Netflix streams, even the ones not in HD. My Brighthouse cable broadcasts in 1080i, but it still looks great. Only downfall is that my Tivo that I bought a little over a year ago is not HD, so it looks like crap now. You tend to not notice as much once you get into the program though.

[who6489]

I own a VIZIO 37" (1080i) and for the most part, I'm very happy with it. But only for the HD channels, and watching Blu Ray's on it with my PS3.
The only bad part about it is that the regular channels look AWFUL, just like you mentioned about the Samsung TV. The regular channels look all "digitized" and a bit grainy for some reason.
Would I recommend a VIZIO, yes I would if you're looking to spend less money.


Did you set the DNR (digital noise reduction) to High? If so, any noticeable change?

[RingWraith]

Did you set the DNR (digital noise reduction) to High? If so, any noticeable change?

I don't see that feature on my HDTV. And I checked like three or four times. So I guess it's not featured on my TV.

[who6489]

I don't see that feature on my HDTV. And I checked like three or four times. So I guess it's not featured on my TV.

So much for that:huh: