Yet Another "Preparing to Buy an Expensive TV" Thread
12-29-01, 10:14 PM
#1
DVD Talk Hero
Thread Starter
Yet Another "Preparing to Buy an Expensive TV" Thread
OK, so I've read through the FAQ and have generally paid attention to other posts on this subject, but with all the information out there, it may be best for me to simply describe what I'm looking for and see if anyone has an good thoughts to suggest.
I want a widescreen TV as a somewhat long term purchase that I can upgrade to HDTV when the time comes. Here's the catch. I watch a lot of 4:3 TV ... I mean a LOT. How concerned should I be with burning the image into the screen? How about station ID bugs?
I'll typically sit about 10'-12' from the screen. I have considered something in the 50"-60" range.
I'm not a videophile ... but I don't want something that sucks. All I want is something that looks really good, not necessarily perfect.
Essentially, I want to get something that's really good and will last me more than 2-3 years without having a bunch of problems. Primary use will be watching TV from my DirecTV dish with HDTV in the future. Secondary use will be DVDs. I currently have a Pioneer DV-444, mainly because it plays VCDs and SVCDs so well.
I don't mind paying for quality, as the last thing I want is something that's going to give me trouble in a year or two. I'm thinking about spending between $3000 and $5000, but preferably closer to $3000.
I'm pretty new to all of this, so I apologize for the vagueness of this post. I really don't know what I want to get or if I'm even considering the right things. Are there other considerations I should be aware of? Am I missing something important? Do my requirements match my price range? Mainly I'd just like to get a dialogue going to better understand what attributes of a television I should research in more depth. Thanks in advance for any thoughts anyone can provide.
das
I want a widescreen TV as a somewhat long term purchase that I can upgrade to HDTV when the time comes. Here's the catch. I watch a lot of 4:3 TV ... I mean a LOT. How concerned should I be with burning the image into the screen? How about station ID bugs?
I'll typically sit about 10'-12' from the screen. I have considered something in the 50"-60" range.
I'm not a videophile ... but I don't want something that sucks. All I want is something that looks really good, not necessarily perfect.
Essentially, I want to get something that's really good and will last me more than 2-3 years without having a bunch of problems. Primary use will be watching TV from my DirecTV dish with HDTV in the future. Secondary use will be DVDs. I currently have a Pioneer DV-444, mainly because it plays VCDs and SVCDs so well.
I don't mind paying for quality, as the last thing I want is something that's going to give me trouble in a year or two. I'm thinking about spending between $3000 and $5000, but preferably closer to $3000.
I'm pretty new to all of this, so I apologize for the vagueness of this post. I really don't know what I want to get or if I'm even considering the right things. Are there other considerations I should be aware of? Am I missing something important? Do my requirements match my price range? Mainly I'd just like to get a dialogue going to better understand what attributes of a television I should research in more depth. Thanks in advance for any thoughts anyone can provide.
das
12-29-01, 11:25 PM
#2
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Well for your price range there are a lot of excellent TVs out there to choose for. I can comment about my set...
I have a Mitsubishi 55" HDTV and I love it. Excellent picture and features and DVDs look unbelievable on it. I paid around $3200.
Now for the TV part. Cable looks like crap on an RPTV...even with the built in line doubler. You are running satellite so the picture quality will be much better but not all the channels on satellite look that great(did someone say WB?), and these don't represent well on an RPTV. With satellite though it is an easy upgrade for you to go with an HDTV satellite system and that picture is incredible.
Also there is the problem of burn-in when watching in 4:3 mode on a widescreen TV. You will have grey bars on either side and burn-in will occur if your view in that mode a lot. In fact most manufacturers reccommend no more that 15% of your total viewing to be in 4:3 mode. Most HDTVs though have different viewing modes. I use the streched mode which streches the outside edges of the 4:3 image. It does make everything look a little squat, but I am used to it now. I haven't had a problem with station logos as most of them are translucent.
Make sure you go to a store that you can view 4:3 material in the different viewing modes of the TV so you can see for yourself.
Also you are going to want a progressive scan DVD player to go along with it.
And it is a good idea to have an RPTV calibrated by an ISF certified tech which runs aroud $300.
I have a Mitsubishi 55" HDTV and I love it. Excellent picture and features and DVDs look unbelievable on it. I paid around $3200.
Now for the TV part. Cable looks like crap on an RPTV...even with the built in line doubler. You are running satellite so the picture quality will be much better but not all the channels on satellite look that great(did someone say WB?), and these don't represent well on an RPTV. With satellite though it is an easy upgrade for you to go with an HDTV satellite system and that picture is incredible.
Also there is the problem of burn-in when watching in 4:3 mode on a widescreen TV. You will have grey bars on either side and burn-in will occur if your view in that mode a lot. In fact most manufacturers reccommend no more that 15% of your total viewing to be in 4:3 mode. Most HDTVs though have different viewing modes. I use the streched mode which streches the outside edges of the 4:3 image. It does make everything look a little squat, but I am used to it now. I haven't had a problem with station logos as most of them are translucent.
Make sure you go to a store that you can view 4:3 material in the different viewing modes of the TV so you can see for yourself.
Also you are going to want a progressive scan DVD player to go along with it.
And it is a good idea to have an RPTV calibrated by an ISF certified tech which runs aroud $300.
12-30-01, 12:32 AM
#3
DVD Talk Hero
Thread Starter
Originally posted by palebluedot
I have a Mitsubishi 55" HDTV and I love it. Excellent picture and features and DVDs look unbelievable on it. I paid around $3200.
When browsing the Mitsubishi and Pioneer Elite lines initially appealed to me.
Now for the TV part. Cable looks like crap on an RPTV...even with the built in line doubler. You are running satellite so the picture quality will be much better but not all the channels on satellite look that great(did someone say WB?), and these don't represent well on an RPTV. With satellite though it is an easy upgrade for you to go with an HDTV satellite system and that picture is incredible.
That's not to say that it will be WORSE than may generic 25" TV, is it?
Also there is the problem of burn-in when watching in 4:3 mode on a widescreen TV. You will have grey bars on either side and burn-in will occur if your view in that mode a lot. In fact most manufacturers reccommend no more that 15% of your total viewing to be in 4:3 mode. Most HDTVs though have different viewing modes. I use the streched mode which streches the outside edges of the 4:3 image. It does make everything look a little squat, but I am used to it now. I haven't had a problem with station logos as most of them are translucent.
I guess my question with this is how serious is it? So bad that I should abandon widescreen TVs? So bad that I should watch 4:3 TV on my boring 25" TV most of the time? With these viewing modes, could I watch TV on the left of the screen for a while ... then on the right?
Or is there a form of modified screen saver with these gray bars? I don't think I could handle stretching ... TV is way too sacred for that.
Make sure you go to a store that you can view 4:3 material in the different viewing modes of the TV so you can see for yourself.
Will do.
Also you are going to want a progressive scan DVD player to go along with it.
The Pioneer DV-444 is one that apparently claims to be progressive scan but really isn't from what I've heard.
And it is a good idea to have an RPTV calibrated by an ISF certified tech which runs aroud $300.
How often, and what effect will I see from this?
das
I have a Mitsubishi 55" HDTV and I love it. Excellent picture and features and DVDs look unbelievable on it. I paid around $3200.
When browsing the Mitsubishi and Pioneer Elite lines initially appealed to me.
Now for the TV part. Cable looks like crap on an RPTV...even with the built in line doubler. You are running satellite so the picture quality will be much better but not all the channels on satellite look that great(did someone say WB?), and these don't represent well on an RPTV. With satellite though it is an easy upgrade for you to go with an HDTV satellite system and that picture is incredible.
That's not to say that it will be WORSE than may generic 25" TV, is it?
Also there is the problem of burn-in when watching in 4:3 mode on a widescreen TV. You will have grey bars on either side and burn-in will occur if your view in that mode a lot. In fact most manufacturers reccommend no more that 15% of your total viewing to be in 4:3 mode. Most HDTVs though have different viewing modes. I use the streched mode which streches the outside edges of the 4:3 image. It does make everything look a little squat, but I am used to it now. I haven't had a problem with station logos as most of them are translucent.
I guess my question with this is how serious is it? So bad that I should abandon widescreen TVs? So bad that I should watch 4:3 TV on my boring 25" TV most of the time? With these viewing modes, could I watch TV on the left of the screen for a while ... then on the right?
Or is there a form of modified screen saver with these gray bars? I don't think I could handle stretching ... TV is way too sacred for that.Make sure you go to a store that you can view 4:3 material in the different viewing modes of the TV so you can see for yourself.
Will do.
Also you are going to want a progressive scan DVD player to go along with it.
The Pioneer DV-444 is one that apparently claims to be progressive scan but really isn't from what I've heard.
And it is a good idea to have an RPTV calibrated by an ISF certified tech which runs aroud $300.
How often, and what effect will I see from this?
das
12-30-01, 01:44 AM
#4
Administrator
I have to recommend the Pioneer Elite. I have the 53" 510HD (last year's model) and it's amazing. Even cable TV and *shudder* S-VHS looks good on it. I had satellite for a few months and it looked great! The limiting factor is always the source material. The line doubler is fantastic and I have yet to see a scan line. This set is acknowledged as being the one to get if you view broadcast source.
One thing I really like is that the dot pitch is so fine (.52mm) that you can sit really close and still not see any individual pixels. I usually pull it fairly close toward me to more immerse myself in the movie. After looking at new Sony (LCD-$7000) and Mits (DLP-$15,000) models about a week ago I noticed that you really had to stay quite a distance away from them for them to look good (or close to good in the Sony's case). Another thing I really appreciate is that once set, the convergence rarely needs touching. And the two year warranty instills some confidence too. (I bought it with a credit card that added a third year of warranty automatically.)
I usually sit 7-10' away from this 53". Given how far you want to sit a 58" might be right for you. This year's model has actually gone down in price. Check it out.
One thing I really like is that the dot pitch is so fine (.52mm) that you can sit really close and still not see any individual pixels. I usually pull it fairly close toward me to more immerse myself in the movie. After looking at new Sony (LCD-$7000) and Mits (DLP-$15,000) models about a week ago I noticed that you really had to stay quite a distance away from them for them to look good (or close to good in the Sony's case). Another thing I really appreciate is that once set, the convergence rarely needs touching. And the two year warranty instills some confidence too. (I bought it with a credit card that added a third year of warranty automatically.)
I usually sit 7-10' away from this 53". Given how far you want to sit a 58" might be right for you. This year's model has actually gone down in price. Check it out.
