Hi-tech-tv.com: Television technology news & answers

Question: My buddy ended up getting a rear projection LCD 61″ floor model that was retured to Best Buy. He bought it for $1900 and got a $500 dollar best buy card also. Can’t beat that deal. That TV is beautiful. You really can’t go wrong. Can anyone come close to that deal?

Answer #1: Went to buy the Panasonic 50′ plasma the other day and changed my mind when I saw the Samsung 46′ LCD. Sharper, brighter picture IMO. Best Buy was asking $2995, but I found it online for $1950 delivered and no tax. I also asked several people in the TV department what they thought had the best picture and they said the Sony or Samsung LCD. (same screen and the Samsung was much less expensive) I called Directv and asked them what it would cost me to get HD from them and they said $99 for the receiver rental and $10 a month. I asked if they could give me the receiver for free, and they said they would.

Answer #2: Not really. I bought a non-brand name (Vizio) from Costco on the plasma end. It was neck and neck with a Maxent brand LCD, but I ended up with the plasma because of the deeper blacks (and when I switch between my plasma and LCD for Lost is when I really see it - the difference the other times is not very obvious). Your bigger concern is the retailer, and an extended warranty. Bear in mind some credit cards offer cheap extended warranties (Visa for example, something like $150 for purchases up to $1500 for 3 years), while others automatically extend your warranty (like Amex, with their buyer’s assurance program, will double the manufacturer, up to a year in total).

Answer #3: When your out tire kicking, please take a look at the new-gen Sony. The 60″ model number is KDS-R60xbr2. The 70″ is KDS-R70xbr2, and they’re incredibly clear for extra large screens. I would suggest Sunday while there broadcasting a game in HD. There LCD and crisp, plasma naturally has a slight edge on brightness, however these sets will blow your socks off. Prices on the 60″ run between $3200 and $4300 online. The 70″ runs over $5000 to $6500. There’s a large gap in price for 10″ so I’m going to go with the 60″.

Answer #4: I Have both 56″ JVC LCOS (LCD) and a 42″ Vizio plasma. Both have advantages and disadvantages. My JVC is a great TV, very highly regarded. The Vizio is for the back room, and it’s nice for the price ($1,200). Anyway, do look at them, shop around, read some reviews, but ultimately, make your own choice.

I just recently puchased a Samsund 1080 46″ LCD. I have seen a lot of good posts on HDTV’s. The question I have is, what is the best way to setup the picture ie contrast, sharpness, brightness, and tint. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Answer #1: I have Samsung 40″ LCD 1080p. I haven’t felt the need to adjust. Usually the manufactured pre-settings are perfect. But not alwats. Typically the manufacturer settings are geared towards in-store demos and may or may not be appropriate for your viewing area.

Answer #2: I use the Sound & Vision Home Theater Set-Up DVD.

Answer #3: Factory setting are rarely corect for your house. Buy a Spyder and redo the covergence on the set. Anyone who thinks their picture is perfect hasn’t had the convergence done. It’s worth every penny. Perhaps calibration is a better choice of words.

Answer #4: Convergence on an LCD set? Was his rear projection or direct display? Won’t be any convergence issues if it’s direct display. I’ll second buying something like Avia for setting the contrast and brightness to your room and liking. But convergence is way overkill for a home theater setup. If you were a photoshop guy who needed color correction so that his prints came out right, I could see it - but spending that when a $30 DVD can do just about the same is a waste of money (and likely time, since you’re going to need a PC in the same room, and software setup.)

You can buy Avia at Amazon where the used marketplace has them available for $20. It’s not a must-have, but if you want to optimize the set it’s a far better purchase than some of the accessory crap (Monster cables) that some people pay for.

It appears that I can save hundreds of dollars by buying a large screen HDTV (50+ inches) over the Internet rather than from a retail store. What are the risks or drawbacks to buying a large TV over the Internet?

Will my old VCR tapes (like the ‘86 Super Bowl) play on an HDTV?
Will my old VCR recorder and DVD player work with an HDTV?
Are there any cables/connectors or accessories that I will need for HDTV that don’t come with the TV? (I have Time Warner Cable. They will supply the HDTV cable box.)

Answer #1: You can save alot of money through the internet. We bought our Sony there as opposed to the local market and saved about $1,100. When buying via the internet, make sure that the brand you buy is “authorized” by that seller. For example, if your buying a Samsung from XYZ Electronics, XYZ will need to be authorized in order for you to get the warranty. If there not, you’ll forfit the 1 year standard warranty form the manufacture. Now some don’t care about this, they buy an extended warranty, as I would reccomend anyway to cover there arses. Do some homework, you can pit these online sellers against each other as well.

Answer #2: I’m in the same boat - I’m looking at a Samsung 42″ HDTV online for only about $680…the shipping will add on about 200 more though. But I still think it’s a pretty good deal. I’m also wondering what kind of cables I need for my DVD player, Xbox 360, etc.

Answer #3: The TV you get will likely have HDMI/DVI imputs and the old three plug imputs(that you can run from your DVD or VHS). You will get a slightly better picture if you use an HDMI cable. At stores like best buy they run from 75 to 125 bucks, but you can get them for under 10 online.

Answer #4: If you have the $400 360 bundle it comes with the hd cables. You need the regular composite cables for the dvd player.

Answer #5: Your older equipment should be fine with the new HD unit. However you should start looking at upgrading to truely get the most out of your HDTV, DVD player for example (HD or Blu-Ray). HDMI cables are now all the rage, they are the best right now, just don’t get sucked into spending $50 to $125 for these cables…$25 should be just fine when you start buying these.

Answer #6: If you dvd player has HDMI thats what you will want to hook it up through for the best quality. As for your 360 it will go through component. The 360 looks great on big HD tv’s I have a Panasonic 50 inch HD Plasma. Gears of War looks awesome on there. lol

Answer #7: If you live near NYC you can order it from J and R and save money in delivery by picking it up your self. Whenever you see an inexpensive price online, make sure it is a new TV, not a refurbished one.

Answer #8: I’d suggest using Vanns.com . Ordered my 71″ Samsung DLP form them. No problem at at and saved a ton. Also, for any cables you need, Markertek.com

Answer #9: I bought my plasma from Dad’s Toys in St. Louis after seeing his name repeatedly on ebay. Called him and asked him the questions you’re asking. He gave me the answers w/o a sales pitch, and I bought the unit from him at the best price with no sales tax or shipping.

Answer #10: Take your best internet price and take it to HH Gregg. They likely wont be able to match it but they’ll get pretty close. Close enough to justify spending a little extra to get it locally and remove all of the worries of an internet purchace & shipping. Plus you can take it home that day. You can negotiate with the retail guys.

Costco’s Return Policy on electronics was good while it lasted, but Costco no longer offers the lifetime return policy on electronics - now it’s 90 days. We bought a Vizio plasma last summer, and for the past few weeks it’s been making buzzing noises and then the sounds cuts off. I was getting ready to go to Costco to exchange it, and I went on line to see what my options were for new TVs. Surprisingly, I saw the new policy.

I called, and electronics purchased before the new policy, which went into effect on Monday, are still covered by the lifetime guarantee. The customer service rep said I am still covered. Anyway, we all knew this was inevitable because of abuse, but I for one am very sorry to see the change…it was the reason I went with Costco in the first place.

Reply #1: Consider yourself fortunate - Sam’s club went that route a few years ago, I think, as did WalMart. Costco’s warranty is now 2 years but I called to confirm the grandfathering because I’ve also got a Vizio plasma (although one without the buzzing problem), and was told that anything bought before the policy went into effect was covered by the old lifetime guarantee.

Reply #2: While I’m sad to see the policy go, people were abusing it. Although nothing like the old policy, 90 days ‘no questions asked’ and 2 years of in-home, parts and labor, is still the most generous available.

Question: I’m lost when it comes to my sound system. I do know the sad fact today is most people do not know what good recorded music really sounds like. Back in the sixties and seventies most college students had a decent sound system. I still remember those days and once you listen to a good system it is hard to go back and one is always looking at the upgrade path. For example I really enjoy Radiohead albums because of the depth of musical information that is included in those songs. When I listen to a Radiohead song on the radio, it’s just a song. When the same song is played on a decent stereo system, I find there is so much more detail to the recording - just amazing. Same goes for some classical recordings.

So anyway, I need advice on a decent sound system. I have to get me a decent turntable because I still have a bunch of old albums in storage, but its been sometime since I have been able to listen to them. And I’ll need headphones too. Any suggestions?

Answer #1: I loved the B & W 802s and 800. I almost purchased the 802 speakers with McIntosh amp, preamp, and CD player. I actually decided, however, on the Bang and Olufsen Beolab 5 speakers and Beosound 9000 CD player. The sound was as good as the B and Ws, albeit more expensive, but the system integrates beautifully into my house (which made the wife happy as well). Can’t go wrong with B & W, though.

Answer #2: For the TV I have a Paradigm system. For my music I have a 70’s SONY amp that wont give up. It cranks. And I will have it rebuilt when it craps out on me (tubes). Its a work horse and still sounds amazing. I have JBL Studio speakers and my headphones are old school SONY as well.I have been looking for new headphones and cant find anything to replace the ones I have.They are still perfect. Most of the time I listen to music in headphones.

Answer #3: I always put an emphasis on speakers, thus neglecting headphones. There is a German company (Sennheiser) that apparently makes great headphones but I cannot give you a recommendation.

Answer #4: Grado is also a big name in headphones. Check out the forums on audiogon and also the classifieds as you can get a high end used set for a bit cheaper then if it was new.

Answer #5: I can recommend a German brand “Thorens” which makes great turntables. But I’m sure there are still tons of specialized manufacturers out there.

I don’t know why people won’t consider DLP - if you are hanging the TV on wall the it is LCD vs Plasma but if it is going in place of old tv then DLP is way to go becuase it is less expensive and picture absolutely rocks. Don’t you agree?

Answer #1: DLP is fine, but doesn’t have the wide viewing angle. DLP is a great technology, especially for the mega-huge sets (60″), but it still fails to match LCD or Plasma in terms of brightness or viewing angle. One of my favorite things about my LCD is that I can see it clearly and brightly, even from extreme angles. Makes it great for having a bunch of people over to watch a game.

Answer #2: I agree: I shoot HD and prefer DLP. Unless you want to hang it on a wall, DLP is the way to go. I have a 61-inch Samsung thats 3 years old and this viewing angle is not a horizontal issue…its a verticle issue. In my room the seating spans about 100 degrees and the picture is no worse at either end. However, if you stand up the quality dips a touch.
Who watches TV standing up?

Buy the largest TV you can afford or have room for. If you pass up on a 56-61 inch DLP for a 42 inch Plasma or LCD, and room or preference to hang it on a wall isn’t an issue, you’re making a mistake in my opinion.

My 61-inch set now looks a lot smaller than it did when I bought it. Always get the biggest screen you can afford and if you have to move to DLP to get it, because you’ll spend a lot more for a plasma thats really big, make the move. You won’t be sorry.

Answer #3: I asked this question a while ago and my buddy ended up getting a rear projection LCD 61 inch floor model that was retured at Best Buy. He bought it for 1900 and got a 500 dollar best buy card also - Can’t beat that deal. That TV is beautiful. You really can’t go wrong.

Answer #4: I went to buy the Panasonic 50″ plasma the other day and changed my mind when I saw the Samsung 46″ LCD. Sharper, brighter picture IMO. Best Buy was asking $2995, but I found it online for $1950 delivered and no tax. I also asked several people in the TV department what they thought had the best picture and they said the Sony or Samsung LCD. (same screen and the Samsung was much less expensive) I called Directv and asked them what it would cost me to get HD from them and they said $99 for the receiver rental and $10 a month. I asked if they could give me the receiver for free, and they said they would.

Answer #5: I had it explained to me like this: that plasma is better in low light viewing ares and will provide deeper, sharper blacks. LCD is better in lighted viewing areas. One of the factors in play is that the plasma has a glass screen like a regular TV and is more susceptible to glare. The LCD has a sort of matte finish which cuts glare. I’m also told that the issue of limited screen life for plasmas is no longer applicable. They last something like 40,000 hours which is something like 27 years if you watch it four hours a day 365 days a year. I have been shopping for a 42 inch set lately and haven’t settled on one, but the Samsungs look the best to me for picture quality.

I should just record this stock answer since it comes up so often. I’ve got both - one 37″ LCD and one 50″ plasma. Both HD, both manufactured around the same time. Here’s how I break them down:

- Size - both slim, the plasma is much heavier than the LCD
- Brightness - the plasma is brighter (by far), but the glass screen is reflective, whereas the LCD is not
- Response time - LCDs are a bit less responsive than plasma displays, only really a problem if you’re going to watch things with constant movement (didn’t notice it so much in sporting events, but a problem with some video games)
- Color depth - Plasma had better color depth (better black levels) than the LCD
- Viewing angle - you get almost 180 degrees out of the plasma, considerably less with the LCD
- Burn-in/longevity - Plasmas are greatly improved over what they were, and you can be sure that either will outlast it’s technology usefulness (or break before they had a chance to die from use LCD here if you plan on watching something with very static images (like all-day stock ticker, or closed-captioning)

For my money, I like the plasma better, but LCDs have been creeping up. I don’t think you can go wrong with either unless weight, ambient lighting, or burn-in are serious considerations to you. Whatever you do, avoid the DLP or other projection sets (due to replacing bulbs and bulb costs) unless you need more than a 50″ display.

Answer #6: Please take a look at the new-gen Sony. The 60″ model number is KDS-R60xbr2, the 70″ is KDS-R70xbr2, they’re incredibly clear for extra large screens. I would suggest Sunday while there broadcasting a game in HD. Their LCD and crisp, plasma naturally has a slight edge on brightness, however these sets will blow your socks off. Prices on the 60″ run between $3200 and $4300 on-line. The 70″ runs over $5000 to $6500. There’s a large gap in price for 10″… I’m going to go with the 60″.

Answer #7: I shoot HD and prefer DLP. Unless you want to hang it on a wall, DLP is the way to go. I have a 61-inch Samsung thats 3 years old and this viewing angle is not a horizontal issue - it’s a verticle issue. In my room the seating spans about 100 degrees and the picture is no worse at either end. However, if you stand up the quality dips a touch.
Who watches TV standing up?

Buy the largest TV you can afford or have room for. If you pass up on a 56-61 inch DLP for a 42 inch Plasma or LCD, and room or preference to hang it on a wall isn’t an issue, you’re making a mistake in my opinion.

My 61-inch set now looks a lot smaller than it did when I bought it. Always get the biggest screen you can afford and it is OK if you have to move to DLP to get it, because you’ll spend a lot more for a plasma thats really big. Make the move to DLP - You won’t be sorry.

Question about widescreen TVs: I’m going to buy my 1st widescreen, a small 32″ LCD Samsung. I’ve seen quite a few widescreen TVs mostly in public places that seem to have the aspect ratio screwed up. Specifically, people appear way too short and wide. Is there an adjustment on these TV’s to correct for this?

Answer #1: Thats a 4:3 picture : FilmGiant : 3/4/07 12:21 AM
in STRETCH MODE made to fit a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. In other words, the store was not feeding the monitor an HD widescreen signal.
There are generally 3 modes. Wide, Stretch and ZOOM. Wide is normal for an HD signal but SD signals will appear with letterboxing on the left and right of the picture. To fill the screen, some people use the stretch mode. This stretches the SD signal (4:3) to fill the space, making people look short and fat.

The ZOOM mode will actually ZOOM into the 4:3 image, filling the screen but cutting off heads and feet slightly, as well as info crawls at the bottom of the screen.

Sooooo….if you want to watch SD shows on and HD set, you’re either going to have short fat people, people with trimmed heads and feet, or black letterboxing on the right and left of picture.

Answer #2: Stretching depends on your set. A high end Sony which I have does a great job in stretch mode. You really can’t tell the difference most of the time as it looks like a good standard non HD set. HD signals aren’t in stretch mode; the native resolution is 720p,1080i,16×9,and that is in a full screen mode on your HD set.

Some sets only stretch a portion of the screen, usually the portion where the least action occurs on both sides of center. But when an image passes from right to left or vice versa across the entire screen there are always telltale signs in my experience.

Answer #3: I have the 3251D, which is one of the 32″ Samsungs. I love it. If you leave it in 16:9 mode, it detects whether or not the signal is HD/widescreen or not. It will add the “side” letterboxes like the picture shown above when the signal is in 4:3. I haven’t had any channels that I found it automatically stretches. In short, I love mine (have had it since Novemeber) and I have found absolutley nothing bad about it. the 51D has a 4000:1 contrast ratio and has tons of options/other inputs.

Answer #4: I have the 40″ Samsung LCD. It’s a great set. Went with LCD because it’s located right next to a large window and the reflection off a Plasma TV would be terrible. The one thing I don’t like about the Samsung LCD is the delay/distortion on fast moving images. Also if you put the volume fairly high you get distortion out of the speakers.

Answer #5: I have the Sammy 3251d also, with Cablevision’s HD DVR box. The box has a setup wizard where you can select resolutions to output. When you do this, none of the SD channels will have bars on the side, and the images do not appear distorted. When you switch to a HD channel, the box will change resolutions automatically. There will no longer be the need to use the stretch option on your TV.

I need an HDTV for my mother. I’m a tech. junky, so it’s hard to separate what she wants from what I think she needs. my parents already have a standard (non widescreen) HD TV that we got them 2 years ago (a crt). I just came home for the weekend, and noticed they cleared out room in their bedroom, to wallmount a TV. So, a couple questions. Her main requirement is “I don’t want to regret getting this TV in a couple of years”. Should I go for 1080P based on that? I don’t think it’s necessary, but I don’t want her to dislike it after a year. Also, plasma or lcd? I should be up to date on this, but I have a native HD projector, so I don’t deal with TVs anymore.

Answer #1: It’s going to be a long time before dear ole mom will need a 1080p. Get yourself a nice 720p set now, use the money you save for flowers every Mother’s Day for the next 5 years and you’ll be better off. Oh, and if she’s anything like my mom and forgets to turn off the set every now and then, you want LCD - much lower maintenance.

Answer #2: One Q though - does your mom have cable/sat or does she watch broadcast television? If it’s the latter, make sure whatever you get has an ATSC (digital) tuner, because if it doesn’t the set presumably won’t work beyond 2009 (for watching broadcast TV; it would still work with a cable or satellite box).

Answer #3: Regarding LCD or Plasma, LCD does not show reflection of light and plasma does. If there is an overhead light or light from windows that will reflect on the TV consider a LCD…

Answer #4: Go 720p (or 1080P) … as for LCD or plasma, that really should be determined by which one you (or she) finds has the better picture, and which fits into your budget. Any non-HD set is basically obsolete already, imo.

Answer #5: 40″ Samsung LCD, 1080P, $1497 at Fry’s. If you’re a Costco member, $1k for a 42″ LCD or $800 for a 37″ LCD and you can’t go wrong. Both have tuners, and although Costco recently changed their return policy on electronics, you still get a full 90 day warranty and an additional 2 years, in home parts and labor repair warranty at no additional cost. Costco’s 42″ Sceptre is on sale now.

Answer #6: Walmart has a 32 in samsung with tuner built in LCD widescreen for under 900.00 3000-1 contrast you cant go wrong.

Question: Can anyone recommend a good quality home theater in a box for around $500-700? My idea is to get a system I could expand/upgrade. I’m leaning toward Dennon and HK based strictly on brand loyalty from years ago. Do these companies still put out a good product? I haven’t actually heard the HK speakers yet, are they basically JBL’s? How about Yamaha systems?
Alternatively, I was thinking of going with separate components and using an old pair of DCM’s as my L&R speakers. The one salesman I talked to said that would not be a good idea because if the center speaker didn’t acoustically “match” the L&R, it would sound like crap. Is there some truth to this, or was he just trying to sell me a pair of speakers.

I also have to battle the wife because she thinks the DCM’s are ugly and too “80’s,” but that’s another story…

Answer 1: I went with Yamaha. I liked it better than comparable Denon or Onkyo systems (both of which were about $200.00 more). It does not have HDMI in/out so you will need co/ax cables. I love the sound, it has outstanding power and if I need more, which I do not, I could add a powered sub (it comes with a passive sub).

Great system, great price: Yamaha 720W 5.1-Ch. XM-Ready Home Theater Speaker System Model: YHT-370

Answer 2: I went with HK AVR 245 and infinity TSS 1100 speakers. The system is awesome! The 12 inch Sub woofer makes the thing pop.

Answer 3: Onkyo Home Theater System (HT-S790S) - ONK HTS790S
• 7.1-channel sound
• 8-piece speaker system
• iPod dock-compatible
• XM-radio ready
• Onkyo’s WRAT technology
• HDTV-capable

Under $500 at Circuit City!