Ghery

Edit:

I was looking at an HP Plasma that displayed at 720p, but I think the new Samsung DLP that displays at 1080p for a lower price looks a lot better. I have links about it in post #5.

Blitz6Speed

I honestly wouldnt spend 3k on a TV that doesnt accept a 1080p feed. Check out the Westinghouse tvs at bestbuy, the new ones accept 1080p over HDMI, so you're somewhat futureproof'd (HDMI 1.3 is truely futureproof'd, but that isnt out for a few more months).

Ghery

It does input 1080i on the HDMI. The display is just 720P though. Why is important that it accepts 1080p over the HDMI if it's not capable of displaying it?

BobDole42

I go back and forth on this. Sometimes I think you should buy the best you can afford now and enjoy it, other times I think it's wise to wait. 50 inch 1080p plasmas are going to be pretty pricey when they start coming out in greater numbers. Hell, the 50 inch SXRD that doesn't even accept 1080p is 4 grand. I don't know much about the set you mentioned, but if you're ready for a new tv, a 50 inch 720p set will probably serve you well at a reasonable price.

Ghery

I think I've had a change of plans. I saw the Samsung HL-S5087W at Circuit City tonight. 50" 1080p DLP, the picture looks GREAT. It's also $2,699, so I would spend less than the HP Plasma I was looking at. I think this looks like a good choice, but could someone that knows a bit more than me take a look at this thing and let me know if it's a good TV for the price?

Circuit City Link
Samsung Link

MovieManiac000

what is a 1080p?

Ghery

The resolution.

Blitz6Speed

Neither of those sites list 1080p as being able to INPUT, which is the big thing here. That is the last standard for YEARS on end, so why trip at the 49 yard line. That tv looks like it just takes whatever is fed to it and upconverts to 1080p, which is NOT The same as taking a 1080p input and displaying it 1:1 digital.

I'd search AVS forum for this tv and see if it can accept 1080p input through HDMI. If it can, then go for it. But i honestly wouldnt purchase a new TV without 1080p input. Thats the next standard for the next 3-5+ years, and honestly, probably for even longer then that.

Ghery

Thank you for the help. I went digging through the owner's manual online, and found this:

Component Video In - 2 (Y Pb Pr) - 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
HDMI In - 2 total - Video : (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p (EIA/CEA-861-B compliant) - Audio: Two channel linear PCM 32, 44.1 and 48kHz

Should there be any other concerns I should know about before going and buying this thing?

Thanks again!

Blitz6Speed

Well, that looks like it inputs 1080p! Awesome! But from here, go to AVSForum and search this model to see what owners of it have seen. If there are any large issues, problems, defects, etc, they will be there for you to read and see how they're handled.

Ghery

Looks like more good advice. Found a long thread there about this series.

Link

Plenty of reading to do, should hopefully address anymore questions that come up.

Blitz6Speed

Exactly, do as much research as possible. Glad you are digging deap and knowing all there is to know rather then a blind buy which can lead to buyers remorse. This is how all purchases should be done =)

BobDole42

The Samsung sets do NOT accept 1080p natively, unless something has changed very recently.

Ghery

It's a very recently released TV