Colorado44

I just recently bought a Home theater system, and my next step is to upgrade my TV. I know most of you have 42" sets or larger, but I don't have the money or space yet. What would you recommend for a 27" set? The only qualification is component in. Is the Panasonic Tau similar ot the Wega? Are there any other brands you would consider?

Wega: http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=...cat=24&scat=27

Panasonic: http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=...cat=24&scat=27


Thanks for your help.

Icculus

Well, if you can stretch the budget by another $150 (less if you can hit a sale) you can get a 27" Samsung HDTV. If that's too much you should also check out the Samsung 27" analog sets, I had one and I liked the picture more than either the Wega or the Tau.

Colorado44

Is it worth it to spend the extra money on an HDTV if I don't have a progressive scan dvd player or digital cable?

Icculus

An interlaced DVD player will look a lot better on a HDTV (although a progressive scan player will look better). SOme cable will look a lot better but some will look worse (it all depends on how the signal is in the first place). For $150 extra I would definitely go with a HD set over an analog set, even if it was just because it's the future technology and analog is (very slowly) being phased out.

renaldow

Panasonic Tau Series 27" $479.99
Samsung Tantus 27" HDTV $699.99
Difference: $220.00

A bit more than $150.00.

If you feel the need for a 4:3 HDTV capable TV, the Samsung probably is the way to go. If you think you can put off HDTV for a few years and are looking for a standard TV, I'd have to vote for the Wega. Anamorphic squeeze makes a big difference in video quality, and I don't see where the Panasonic has that. I also think the sound is generally better on the Wega too.

I'd suggest demo'ing both TV's in store before making a final decision. When I went in to get a new TV I was looking at all the 27" flat screens. After looking at features then actually watching and listening to them, the Wega was worth the extra few $$$, IMHO.

Icculus

Sony Wega 27" $549.99
Samsung Tantus 27" HDTV $699.99
Difference $150, exactly the amount I said....

skar

I'll throw in my vote for the Samsung HDTV. Unless you plan on throwing away your new TV in under a year, being HDTV-ready is a HUGE plus.

Any of the sets discussed in this thread will expose a poor cable signal. So you might as well get the one that can handle the higher quality sources that are becoming more common everyday.

Colorado44

Thanks for the suggestions. I feel like I will be able to hold on to an non-HDTV for more than a year without having to throw it out. That being said, it seems like the two big options for a standard flat screen tv are the sony wega and Samsung. Are there any major differences in the two. Is there another set that I should consider as well?

Master J

Huh????? Even when HDTV becomes standard your current analog set will still be usable. HDTV tuners downconvert the Hi-def image to 480i which will still be able to be displayed by your current analog sets.. Buying an HDTV right now is still no guarantee of full HDTV compatibiliy with all the rumblings about DVI and Firewire conneciton standards. It is going to be closer to 10 years before we see HDTV begin to take a major foothold.

J

viscera

I just got back from Best Buy today. I was doing some demos of "27 flat screen sets myself. I'm trying to decide on the Sony Wega or the Samsung. IMO the Samsung's picture was clearer and I liked the sound better. I don't know what to do I've read a ton of great reviews for the "27 Wega, I am about to go look for reviews on the Samsung. BTW, BB has 2 differnet "27 Wegas one with picture in picture and one without. Both have component in which is a must for me as well. The price difference is $50, if PIP doesn't matter to you then you can save $50. The Samsung I was looking at was $399.99. I'm going to stay away from HDTV right now too, I plan to upgrade this set within a year and I don't see that HDTV is something I need right now.

Icculus

I'm not sure about this years model but you can find a lot of reviews for last year's. Search around for "samsung 2791f" here and at hometheaterforum.com and you should be able to find tons of info. There's also some reviews at Audio Review, they're under the HDTV section (I have no idea why since it's an analog set). I had the 2791f and loved it, it didn't give me any problems and had a crystal clear picture once I tweaked it a little.

renaldow

Actually, in store the Wega is $499.99, and the Samsung is a lower price too, I believe.

Colorado44

Are the prices usually lower in Best Buy than on their website?

renaldow

I wouldn't say usually, but I've noticed price differences. Electronics are usually cheaper at the store, and software (like music & DVD's) usually shows a cheaper price on the website. I talked to an employee about this and they say the store charges whichever the lower price is, regardless of sticker.

Like if a DVD shows $24.99 on the website, but is $27.99 on the tag, it rings up as $24.99 at the store too.

Jaycee

I bought a Toshiba 27" flat screen tv for my bedroom last year & very happy with it. It received a high review rating in Consumer Reports magazine. CR has testing on TV's in this month's issue.

Toshiba 27" http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...nics&n=1203568

Colorado44

Anyone else have experience with Toshiba? It seems rated pretty well by Amazon customers, although it is about the same price as the Sony Wega, and more than the Samsung. Would it be worth it to just go for the Sony? Or is the Samsung actually better, for less?

dbmottle

I have the 24 inch Toshiba, bought from Bestbuy. It is really nice. The 27 inch model is basically the same, only a little larger.

renaldow

They're all good TV's in their own right. You've got to decide what features are important to you, then buy the one that has them. If 2 are the same, then demo them and buy whichever one looks better. We can't make the final decision for you.

Now go buy the TV and let us know which one it was

broadwayblue

Colorado, you didn't tell us where this new tv is going. but based on the fact that you just bought a new HT system i'm gonna suggest you rethink your plan for a 27" set. yeah, the flat screen is cool looking. but the fact remains that for about the same price as the 27" wega you would be better off going with a 32" set by Toshiba or any other reputable manufacturer (which should all have component inputs.)

you will end up with a picture that is 40.5% bigger when watching full screen 4x3 material, 41% larger for 16x9 programming, and 40.4% larger for anamorphic widescreen dvds. The extra 5" are HUGE! we are talking nearly twice the viewing area for every type of programming. imo it would be a big mistake to match a 27" set with a brand new HT system when you could have so much more of an experience for the same price. after all, the picture is half the experience. don't cheat yourself.

check out this great resource to see for yourself.

Jaycee

I agree with broadwayblue. If this set is going to be your MAIN set for viewing dvds, I recommend at least 32". As I said before the 27" Toshiba is in my bedroom I have a 36" Toshiba in my livingroom with a Sony hometheatre system. Get the biggest size you can afford or you will end up buying a larger set soon.

Colorado44

Do you think it is better to get a larger non-flat tv over a smaller flat screen set? The reason for all of the questions is that I am 2 hours away from the nearest electronic store, a Best Buy. So I really want to know what I want before I go. Not to mention it has been snowing about half a foot a day minimum on the way there.

Creek Rat

Any complaints about the 36" Toshiba?

That's what I think I am going with after considering the 42" wide screen; see the Wide Screen / broadcast image size thread. If I knew 6 years ago when I bought my current RCA TV what I know now..well you know the rest of the story.

Jaycee

Creek Rat, I bought my Toshiba 36" (model cn36v51) about 2 years ago or was it 3, at Wiz. it was on sale for $999.99 with free TV satnd. I got a good deal because the saleman's hand writing wasn't too clear that the cashier thought that the 9 was 4. So I got it for $949.99 (ha ha ha). i am happy with it but i wish I got a flat screen TV after I got my 27" Toshiba for my bedroom last summer. At the time I didn't have much extra cash so I settle on the 36" I got. One recommendation is that don't get PIP with 2 tuners if you are tight on budget. It'll cost you about $50 more & you'll probably won't use the feature too much. That's why I got mine w/o 2 tuner PIP.

broadwayblue

without a doubt larger non-flat. plus, even the non-flat tubes have less curvature on the glass then they used to. go bigger for sure.

renaldow

I'm going to be the voice of dissent on the bigger is better option if you're thinking of a 32" round tube vs. 27" flat screen. Sure, there's no arguing that a big picture can be nicer to have, and you definitely do get more viewing area between a 32" and a 27" TV. However...

Having had both a 32" standard and a (my current) 27" flat screen, I would never go back to the standard tube at any size. Bigger is not always better. If you're watching an anamorphic DVD on a 32" round tube you will get a bigger pic, but it will be lower resolution than watching it on a flat screen TV with anamorphic squeeze. A TV that does AS adds at least 33% more resolution, creating a noticably higher quality pic. Flat screens also have better geometry and much less glare than a standard tube. Flat screens generally don't suffer from the built in overscan probs standard tubes do, and they usually have a clearer image with less dot crawl than a standard tube set.

Flat screens aren't just 'cool' there's a lot of practical reasons why they are flat, and why there's more and more of them being made every day. My advice is, buy the biggest flat screen with AS/16:9 Enhanced mode that you can afford, and skip grampa's round tube altogether.