bhome83

hey everyone, so do you think this would save me some money? looking for a good sale maybe? I don't know if it will be that much difference if i wait but im looking into at least a 50" 1080p tv, though not sure what kind. wait or dont wait..that is the question

Blake

The only reason I'd wait is for an HDMI 1.3 capable set. But it'd be a newer model, so you wouldn't really be getting a deal.

But then again, I'm awaiting delivery of the system in my sig. I'm not waiting for 1.3

Spiky

1.3 won't add much that most people need in the TV. Receiver yes, players yes, TV no. I think this is a fine time to buy a TV. They have finally put out some 1080p models that are worth owning. Next year they will no doubt be cheaper, but that's how it works. Can't wait forever just on price.

The LCoS models from Sony and JVC discussed in other threads, for instance.

Sdallnct

Just curious, why do you want a 1080p in a set as small as 50"? You hooking up a PC or something?

bhome83

how is 50" small? i just thought 1080p has the best resolution.

The Bus

1080P isn't a resolution. There's 1080i models with the same exact resolution.

In general, waiting is always better. I believe the next price drops come in February or so, after CES; or so I've been told.

Sdallnct

I didn't mean it like an insult. Just there is a lot of talk out there that you won't see a difference on movies between 720p and 1080p sitting at a reasonable distance for sets this size. So the best deal is a 720p model since the 1080p are pushing the price down. There maybe other reasons to get a model that has 1080p but for pq at this size just having 1080p will likely not make a difference.

This if from the November 2006 issue of Home Theater Magazine (I have a subscription that is why no link). They have a nice article of "Your Top 25 HDTV Questions Answered" the very first question....

1. What's all the fuss about 1080p? Should I buy a 1080p HDTV now? There are plenty of 1080p HDTV's on the market and more coming. Manufacturers are moving to 1080p resolution in their displays mostly because the prices of 720p and 768p HDTVs are dropping so quickly, and 1080p sets have better profit margins. It's also not as expensive to make 1080p sets using DLP, LCOS, and LCD technologies as it used to be. (1080p plasma is still getting out of the gate.) If you plan to get a new HD DVD or Blu-ray player, you might want to consider a 1080p set to get all the resolution these disc formats offer-or if you are into really big HD images and want to sit close to the screen. Of course, you'll want to make sure your 1080p HDTV deinterlaces 1080i correctly; not all do. If it doesn't deinterlace correctly, the image will be softer then it should be. If, on the other hand, you are planning on getting a TV smaller then 60 inches and are sitting 10 or more feet away, then a 720p/768p set will be just fine. This is because, at that size/distance, your eye can't resolve all the detail in 1080p anyway.

Sdallnct

Good point...tho there are usually a ton of sales in January right before Superbowl.

4KRG

Waiting is not **always** better, I just bought a Samsung 50" DLP 5087W from Frys.com for $1500 shipped (no tax for me) and I noticed over the weekend, they upped their price to $1899.

I figured out what I wanted, I price shopped it for about 2 months, I found the best deal and jumped on it. Had I waited, I would end up paying more. If I wait longer, I could POSSIBLY end up paying less, but at that point the TV will be obsolete.

I can't predict the future, the price semed good, and I wanted a damn TV NOW NOW NOW

I agree that 1080p on a 50" screen is a non-issue. I would not spend extra money for that feature alone. That being said, I found that on the TVs I wanted and other features I wanted, 1080p was a side effect and I had to take it. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but don't get sucked into the 1080p hype. It is not a feature that all by itself is worth paying 100's of extra dollars for.

In the samsung DLP, I really wanted the 14,000 rpm color wheel and the latest generation DNIe, the 10,000:1 contrast ratio. The way I see it, I got 1080p for free and I will never know I have it

bhome83

very interesting. So basically anything less than 60" go for 720P? what about 1080i? even if i get a blueray player i still should stay away from 1080p on a tv less than 60"?

Sdallnct

I don't think it is an issue of "stay away" but I'd do a lot of research and ask yourself why you really want it.

And as 4KRG nicely pointed out, the 1080p could be the companies latest and greatest, so there may be other reasons to own the set regardless of 1080p. And I only bring up the whole issue as you seemed to be looking for a deal. If you can get a 1080p set for the same more, or the money isn't the issue, I don't think you do harm in getting 1080p. Just about everything I have read has said you just won't see the difference on a set that size or sitting a reasonable distance for movies.

bhome83

so you say go for 720p, but what about 1080i? i need to read that home theater magazine.

chipmac

You also need to take seating distance into account. Like Sdallnct points out in the bold section of his quote at 10 or more feet away your eyes can't see the extra detail. However if you're sitting closer than the extra resolution and detail becomes more important. I'm 7 to 8 feet from a 55" RPTV at 1080i. For some that is too close to sit and they would move back to 11 or 12' away but then they wouldn't see the amount of detail I see in the image. So if you're looking for a 50" screen you should be sitting somewhere around 6 to 7 feet away for 1080i/p.

Spiky

I don't know, people always throw numbers around, including me , but I think most people can see a difference between these resolutions a little farther away. I'd say 40" and up is going to be worth going to 1080 at normal seating distances. Assuming the money isn't really far apart.

Oh, and don't worry about 1080i. That is CRT TVs. Tubes and older rear projection models. They are going away, so 1080i won't exist much longer on store shelves. At least not in the 40"+ range.

Sdallnct

I have no first hand experience with distance, only what I read. But I will agree with 100%, if there is no money difference (or only a little) then sure go for it. Not going to hurt. But it seems like the 1080p are causing excitement to keep those sets higher. Yet people are not researching it to see if they really need it.

My ONLY point was that in the OP he made it sound like he was trying to get a good deal. And for the most part the best deals are on the 720p models. Tho 4KRG certainly got a great deal.

The Bus

I think we all mean waiting 3-6 months, not a week.

I personally got a 1080P set not because of the P, but because of the 1080. It just has higher resolution. It's small set (40-some") but I'm only sitting 4-5 feet away from it half of the time.

I'd also agree that if I was 10-15 feet away, I probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference in resolution.

bhome83

good info. guys. so what else do you guys look into when deciding on a tv? right now people have been telling me look for a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, 2 HDMI ports (why 2 ports exactly?), a TV that won't creat 'burn in' images. anything else i should look for? also, so would you say 720p has better resolution than 1080i? if you had the choice which way would you go? thanks!

4KRG

last July, the price was $1999, it bobbled down to $1699, then $1500, now back up to $1899

I would say that is 6 months and I find it very unusual, but it did happen. NORMALLY the price of these things keeps going down and stays down.

MY POINT - Keep your eyes open and buy it when you see a deal. That does not always mean wait a year.

Spiky

I think you need to read a bit on all the technologies at this point. Crutchfield has a great set of information pages about all sorts of HD stuff.

Here's a couple points:
You want 2 HDMI ports because within a couple years you'll probably have at least 2 devices to plug in. Just practical, nothing fancy about that suggestion.

Higher contrast ratio is better, get as high as you can. But it is hard to simply look at specs and compare. There is no hard rule for calculating this, so different models may have different specs but be very similar. So don't paint yourself into a corner by saying, "it must be at least xxx:1".

Sdallnct

And don't get overly excited about a high number. Many times the rated number is the max the unit will do, but not something you would use in the "real world". After calibration it is possible that the incredible number given will drop substantially.

Seems to me that many of the video numbers are starting to look like how receivers are rated. Which is not good!

bhome83

What is crutchfield? also, do they have tv's with more than 2 HDMI ports? any internet sites where i can read up more on all this stuff would be very helpful.

Teca

Crutchfield to me is a free catalog (I found them through car magazines) with lots of audio/visual equipment for home and car. Not like a catalog with a picture and price, but specifications and all the information you need before buying. Everything you need is in that catalog, no need to run to radioshack for wires and etc, it's all there.

You can sign up for a free catalog on their website, when I had signed up 4 or 5 years ago I got one every month for 2-3 months, but when I stopped ordering they stopped sending them out.