duy37

I'm still in college so space is a premium for me. Right now I have a cheesy 25" GE TV, with my financial aid money I have about $1200 extra to spend. I was looking to upgrade my TV. Although I would love a 32" or bigger TV, it's going to be a pain to move it around. So I was checking out 27" Flat screen TV's and saw that
Samsung has a 27 inch High Definition TV for $899 at best buy. I saw it and loved the display but the black wasnt as black as the Toshiba 27" for $549. So is spending the extra 350 worth it to upgrade to HD? the samsung tv also looks great on the outside, it's black unlike other flatscreen silver finishes. I'm also considering the $549 27" Panasonic Tau flat tv at circuit city, that's black as well. $899 + tax is ALOT of money to spend on a measly 27 inch tv though, but oh the picture is so clear.

Brian Shannon

IMHO the answer would be no.

True HDTV is still quite a ways off and at that size I am not sure the higher cost justifies the result.

Alfer

Ditto what Brian said. Save your money and spend it on something worthwhile.

0ne

I say go with an HDTV if it is in your budget which it seems it is. HDTV is the future of the industry and you won't have to buy a new TV in the future to recieve the signal when its broadcast on all stations. Plus if you watch DVD's a lot, which you prolly do because after all this is DVD TALK, you can watch DVD's at a higher resolution and be able to take advantage of progressive scan.

This is a big thing, don't buy from a retailer like BB or CC, that same samsung 27, can be found 2-3 hundred dollars cheaper online. Or you can get a Sony or Toshiba 27 HD online for about the price you would have paid in store for the samsung.

Gomez

I'm not sure this is what student financial aid is all about, but whatever. I donate to my alma matter's financial aid programs and this is not at all what I had in mind. I hope you're the exception rather than the rule.

Maybe you should get a job, or a higher-paying job if you already have one? Bartending and waiting tables are 2 good ways to make quick cash for a student, just a thought.

Master J

It is a nice set, and if you have the money to spend get it, but personally I would not buy an HDTV that was not 16:9. Thats the main reason I settled on a 27" Wega. It has 16:9 mode, and should hold up well for the next few years until there are more 16:9 direct view sets at much lower prices.

J

duy37

This is a big thing, don't buy from a retailer like BB or CC, that same samsung 27, can be found 2-3 hundred dollars cheaper online. Or you can get a Sony or Toshiba 27 HD online for about the price you would have paid in store for the samsung. [/B][/QUOTE]


I looked around and I couldn't find any good deals on the Samsung 27" HDTV online. the cheapest set was 150 off the retailer but SHIPPING was SO EXPENSIVE, especially buying TV's I would perfer a B&M retailer so I can bring it back to exchange or return.

I decided to go with the 27" Sony WEGA $549. I originally got the Panasonic TAU 27" for the same price but there was a BIG BIG flaw with that set. I exchanged it and had the same problem, then i went to the store and asked if they can hook up a dvd player, the problem was on the top right side it can't draw vertical lines straight. It's totally noticable, and even the display demo tv had the same thing. Unlike a computer you can't adjust this setting if you know what i'm talking about.

I got the Sony WEgA and it's cool but again, I notice that about 3 inches down the horizontal lines aren't drawn as straight as I wish it could be, it's OK but i sometimes get the impression that it's drooping in the middle, like it's curved inwards..maybe its because i've been watching on a curved tv, but I think i'm execting Perfect lines, geometry, especially when I own a Mitsu 19" DiamondTron flat and I can adjust everything. with this Sony or the Panasonic all you can adjust is TILT....added the 3 year warranty, I'm not exchanging this tv cause i noticed that the Sony on display seemed to draw the vertically lines a little to the right...run the THX optiplex video tests found on Fox's THX dvds, such as Fight club, moulin rouge, they draw a white box, have color bars, etc, stange but the lines aren't straight.

well, 16:9 enhanced mode is pretty nifty.

duy37

THe Financial Aid i get is subsidized loans which I like because the gov't pays the interest. tHus, I take the maximum allowed even though I don't really need it. interest wont accure til 6months after graduation. With the extra money I just go buy myself stuff to enhance my college years which will end pretty fast. Thus with this new 27" Sony WEGA + component + 100's of DVDs, people like to hang out at my crib. I'll worry about paying back student loans when I get a real job. Also I invest some of the financial aid money. I have a decent job working as a computer tech for my school. wage is great and i get to be online checking out DVDTALK.com at the same time!

duy37

Hey Master J can u read my above post. Does your WEGA draw Perfectly Straight lines? I will try to take a picture of my TV to show u guys what I'm talking about, maybe I will exchange my WEGA but it's going to be the 4th time and I hate moving it and exchanging it. WAit til tommorrow I will post a pic of the TV playing a DVD, its going to be hard to point out what i'm talking about but i'll try. My friends say the Picture is great and they say the inward curve feel is not really noticable at all.

duy37

bump

mjlukich

I own a Sony 27" WEGA myself (KV27FS13) and had to exchange the first one due to a problem similar to the one duy37 mentioned. Funny thing is, while using the THX Optimode to adjust the settings recently, I noticed a VERY slight drop in the lower right hand corner on a horizontal test line. It was only noticeable then; it is not notceable while watching actual program content, so I'm not going to worry about it.

At any rate, I have a feeling this type of problem is more noticeable on a flat screen than a conventional curved one.

Master J

My set suffered from a similar problem, but it was solved by going into the service menus and tweaking the fine adjustments. Within the menu, you have all of the similar controls as you will find on a computer monitor plus more.

Using THX Optimode, Avia, or VE, you should be able to obtain a decent picture.

http://www.members.accessus.net/~090/awh/sonyadj.html

This site will give you a very good start in doing what you are looking for. When you make changes to values within the menu make sure you record the original value just in case you reall y muff something up (though the Wega does allow you to go back to factory defaults).

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Justin