Which TV? Woodman or Others

[poneal]

I asked this question b4 about CRTs but my loving wife has now said that she wants a big TV and has given me a budget of $800-1000. I'm really a noob at TVs especially this day and age because there are so many different kinds. They used to all be CRT. So for this price what type of TV and brand would offer the best picture and quality? Thanks, Paul.

[woodman]

I asked this question b4 about CRTs but my loving wife has now said that she wants a big TV and has given me a budget of $800-1000. I'm really a noob at TVs especially this day and age because there are so many different kinds. They used to all be CRT. So for this price what type of TV and brand would offer the best picture and quality? Thanks, Paul.

With a budget of only $800-1000, and the desire for "a big TV" - there's only one choice IMO, and that would be a front projector (DLP). With one of those, you can have as big a picture as you want ... within the constraints of the layout of your viewing room, of course. The only caveat is the need to control the ambient light of the room for viewing in the daytime.

There are several models of projector that are available in your price range from InFocus and Epson. For a screen, there are a wide variety of options, and you can always "get by" with something very cheap to start with and upgrade to a better screen when finances permit.

Given your budget, the only alternative to what I'm suggesting would be a direct-view CRT set of 36" which, although some might think of that is a "big TV" - it would pale in comparison to what you'd get with the front projector.

Hope this helps you

[The Squeaky Wheel]

I'd be very appreciateive if you could respond to my post below about which set to choose. You seem to know a lot about these things.
thanks.

[AVMASTER]

in that price range maybe a 30" to 34" direct view HD monitor. As far as projectors go,you could do one of the $1k low rez, low output, single chip, limited inputs, non-keystoning, fixed lens, data grade boardroom wanna-be Home theater projectors if all you're looking for is a big image on the wall

[paul_pci]

I asked this question b4 about CRTs but my loving wife has now said that she wants a big TV and has given me a budget of $800-1000. I'm really a noob at TVs especially this day and age because there are so many different kinds. They used to all be CRT. So for this price what type of TV and brand would offer the best picture and quality? Thanks, Paul.


Did your loving wife (and yourself) get an idea of current market prices before deciding on that budget. I ask because if you bump up your budget to between $1500-$2k you can get a "big" front or rear projection big screen television. It helps to look at what TVs are going for generally so as to have realistic expectations of what your budget can purchase.

[Invader3k]

I agree with the above posts. What size TV do you have in mind? If you are just thinking of something in the 32"-36" range, you can get a nice direct view set for your price range. Maybe even an HD-ready one. However, when most people ask for a "big TV" they have more of a rear projection "big screen" set in mind. With your budget, your options will be very limited. Like the last poster said, a budget of about 1500 bucks to 2 grand would be much more realistic if you want a nice HD-ready set that will last a few years and give you a quality picture. From everything I've seen, rear projection sets less than a grand are usually pretty poor.

Someone mentioned a front projector...I think the same thing might apply. You might be able to get something ok, for less than a grand, but a screen probably wouldn't fit into your budget, and you will probably have to have a very dark room to enjoy the picture at all.

You should probably start your shopping by taking your wife out and having her look at sets with you, and maybe you can talk her into allowing for a larger budget, IMHO.




Did your loving wife (and yourself) get an idea of current market prices before deciding on that budget. I ask because if you bump up your budget to between $1500-$2k you can get a "big" front or rear projection big screen television. It helps to look at what TVs are going for generally so as to have realistic expectations of what your budget can purchase.

[poneal]

Ya after you guys' post, i went surf shopping and was i surprised. For what we want it looks more like $2500-3000 for what we really want. Da_n thats expensive and really chaps my hide. WTF are TV's so expensive nowadays? I went looking at those newer DLP 50" HD/digital monitors and they ran in the above price range. So, looks like the budget has been upped, and I will have to do some heavy saving in order to get it by Christmas.

So, being that my new budget is way more than previously mentioned, are the DLPs the way to go? I'm serious when I say that I have no clue when it comes to all these new fangled choices of TVs. Thanks, Paul.

[Worf101]

Ya after you guys' post, i went surf shopping and was i surprised. For what we want it looks more like $2500-3000 for what we really want. Da_n thats expensive and really chaps my hide. WTF are TV's so expensive nowadays? I went looking at those newer DLP 50" HD/digital monitors and they ran in the above price range. So, looks like the budget has been upped, and I will have to do some heavy saving in order to get it by Christmas.

So, being that my new budget is way more than previously mentioned, are the DLPs the way to go? I'm serious when I say that I have no clue when it comes to all these new fangled choices of TVs. Thanks, Paul.

Really make me drool. That's the way I'd go if I had the space and the layout for it. Unfortunately when my old 35" Mitsubishi mankiller goes the way of the world it's flat panel above the fireplace time.

Da Worfster

[agtpunx40]

if you can you might want to wait a little while. I've heard in numerous places that TV, especially HD and HD ready, costs are supposed to drop a whole lot this year. I've heard 25% thrown around.

[Widowmaker]

I asked this question b4 about CRTs but my loving wife has now said that she wants a big TV and has given me a budget of $800-1000. I'm really a noob at TVs especially this day and age because there are so many different kinds. They used to all be CRT. So for this price what type of TV and brand would offer the best picture and quality? Thanks, Paul.

So, your "loving" wife has given you a budget of $800-$1,000? I'm not married and I SINCERELY do not mean to offend, but are you serious?! She has to "give" you a budget in order to buy something you want?

Getting back on topic, I haven't seen a rear-projection CRT TV for less than $1,300. The smallest rear-projections I've seen (42") from Panasonic, Toshiba, and Samsung go for at least that amount.

Judging from the "requirements," good luck trying to convince the ball and chain to up the budget. ;)

[BrandonCM]

Hi Poneal, I too was in the same situation as you are before but its the other way around. After selling my HT w/ our house, I set a budget ( $9000 for a mid to high end ) for our new house to go with. Unforetunately, after scouting around and w/ my loving wife's oppinion, I ended up to more than $20,000 but every time I see them ( wife and 3 yrs old son ) enjoying, impressed and amazed by it, I guess it's worth it.
Good Luck!!!

[poneal]

I have a hard time spending that much on a car (tightwad me LOL). Man, 20gs, thats almost 1/2 a years pay b4 taxes. I think that 2500-3000 is more than enough TV for me and I have a hard time parting with that much lol. I might be able to make it till next year, but my current TV is on the blink--has these lines across the top of it. Well, ne ways, thanks for all the input. I'm just amazed how much these darn things cost nowadays. Un****i__Believeable.

[BrandonCM]

Just stay in your budget and I think you'll be fine. As they say prices are going down. Although I got my whole set up mostly 17.7% - 24% discounted, all brand new at an authorize dealer, I knew its like I just bought a car and that stupid but as my wife been saying "bring the movie house in here". I just hope your wife isn't like mine he he he!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[woodman]

in that price range maybe a 30" to 34" direct view HD monitor. As far as projectors go,you could do one of the $1k low rez, low output, single chip, limited inputs, non-keystoning, fixed lens, data grade boardroom wanna-be Home theater projectors if all you're looking for is a big image on the wall

For someone in the business of selling A/V equipment, you're woefully misinformed regarding front projectors. FYI, today there are several projectors in the $1K price range that do NOT suffer from all of the shortcomings that you ascribe to them. Get up to speed on them before you start spewing out false information to people that come here looking for help.

Also, recommending a 30" to 34" direct-view to this poor fellow is NOT what he's looking for ... or needs.

[Invader3k]

So how much does a decent screen cost to go along with a $1,000 projector, out of curiosity?


For someone in the business of selling A/V equipment, you're woefully misinformed regarding front projectors. FYI, today there are several projectors in the $1K price range that do NOT suffer from all of the shortcomings that you ascribe to them. Get up to speed on them before you start spewing out false information to people that come here looking for help.

Also, recommending a 30" to 34" direct-view to this poor fellow is NOT what he's looking for ... or needs.

[BrandonCM]

my screen is Onyx 92" fix mount made by Draper (surface is very smooth) and cost $1214.00

[woodman]

So how much does a decent screen cost to go along with a $1,000 projector, out of curiosity?

That is one helluva subjective judgment call that everyone has to make for themselves. It revolves around just what you define as "decent". You CAN spend a couple thousand dollars on a screen, OR you can make one yourself out of cheap and readily available materials for less than $50 ... or, you can buy ready-made screens for all sorts of prices in between those extremes. You can even "get by" in the beginning by projecting the images on a bare wall - provided that the wall is close to flat (not heavily textured) and close to white in color.

So you see, a "decent" screen is strictly in the mind and the attitude of the viewer. If you listen to some people, any screen that costs less than $1K just isn't worth watching. On the other hand, you can find many people that are just thrilled with the image quality they're getting with DIY screens that they made themselves for hardly any money at all.

Hope that answers your question - it's the only answer that I (or anyone that's truthful) can give you

[poneal]

I'm still surf shopping and came across this link:

http://www.bestbuyplasma.com/Plasma/Product.asp_X_Sku_Y_51H83

This is not entirely out of my budget as I can save till Xmas to get it. I'm assuming this is LCOS display?? I went to audioholics and looked at there discussion on the display types and LCOS seems to have favorable pros and not to many cons. Would this be a quality buy? Are there any issues concerning these display types.

Also, are there any TVs that are just monitors without speakers because I will have it hooked up to my recevier?

I'm searching and reading up on stuff as much as I can, but I know that you were in the business and I really appreciate your input.

[woodman]

I'm still surf shopping and came across this link:

http://www.bestbuyplasma.com/Plasma/Product.asp_X_Sku_Y_51H83

This is not entirely out of my budget as I can save till Xmas to get it. I'm assuming this is LCOS display?? I went to audioholics and looked at there discussion on the display types and LCOS seems to have favorable pros and not to many cons. Would this be a quality buy? Are there any issues concerning these display types.

Also, are there any TVs that are just monitors without speakers because I will have it hooked up to my recevier?

I'm searching and reading up on stuff as much as I can, but I know that you were in the business and I really appreciate your input.

Yes Paul, that IS a good, quality buy for you. But no, it's not an LCoS based product, but a CRT-based one. I really don't know what to think about LCoS. They're capable of outstanding performance, but there seems to be some downsides to them that I'm completely in the dark about. Toshiba had introduced several models of RPTVs that used the technology, but they've now been withdrawn from the market and discontinued. I've been unable to find out the reasons for Toshiba to reach that business decision. JVC also introduced an RPTV using essentially the same technology (they call it D-ILA) at the CES show in January of 2000, but it never ever reached the marketplace either. I've never been able to find out the reason(s) why on that one as well.

I'm curious as to why you rejected by earlier recommendation of a front projector for you. Do you have severe problems with ambient light in the room? Or, were you turned off by the derogatory (and mostly unfounded) remarks by "AVMaster"?

[poneal]

Maybe I'm on the wrong track. Ambient light would not be a problem, but having the screen down all the time might be. My wife watches TV alot and that would mean the screen would have to be down most of the time. Aesthetically, I do not know if I could adjust to that. Also, I would want one of those screens that pull up and mounted on the ceiling thus concealing it when not in use since this will be in the livingroom. If it were just for DVD/movie entertainment, then I would love to have one. That is the main reason that I'm hesitant to buy one. I basically disregarded AVMASTER's comment because I have seen some of the newer projectors at a audio shop. They had a HT setup with a projector -- it was really nice.

[depressed]

There is a couple of things that can help you determine what to buy:

Size of the room (viewing distance) Most projectors have to be mounted 10-12 ft. from the screen. Even if that works out for you, you will still have it mounted probably right above your seating area, so the fan noise might become an issue, good projectors can be quiet though. If you have kids, no doubt they are going to watch their content too, so I think your projector would be used say, 10 hours per day all of you combined. The good, affordable ones need to have the bulb replaced after 1500-2000 hours. IMO, the projector is a perfect solution for guys that already have a decent TV, and have an extra room for the projector to watch it from time to time, like movies and sport events. The quality of projector images might get you to "override" everything I mentioned above and it might work out for you. Watching daily content on a projector during the day might get you to invest some money in drapes, too. A friend of mine bought a Infocus projector for about $900 bucks, he says he is happy with it, daily tv content isn't too bad either.I never got the chance to see it though. Remember, I don't own one, everything I said here was based on technical data and common sense.

Earlier you mentioned the Toshiba big screen TV. Let me tell you this first. I currently live in an apartment and will be buying a house pretty soon, so I'm pretty much in a same dillemma as you are. There is a better model from Toshiba available, the 50HDX82,it's from their cinema series. Depending where you buy it (online or local store) you might end up paying up to $1500 in stores and $1400 online, shipping included.
I think that Woodman was right when he suggested the projector, however I don't think it's the best solution in your case. Perhaps he has more info on the tv I suggested, or some more info on the projectors that can help make that decision. At least we narrowed it down to crt's and front projectors Here is few links on the Toshiba 50 HDX82:

http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/4505-6484_7-20610630.html?part=ecoustics-cnet

http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/televisions/product.asp?model=50hdx82

Good luck!

[AVMASTER]

For someone in the business of selling A/V equipment, you're woefully misinformed regarding front projectors. FYI, today there are several projectors in the $1K price range that do NOT suffer from all of the shortcomings that you ascribe to them. Get up to speed on them before you start spewing out false information to people that come here looking for help.

Also, recommending a 30" to 34" direct-view to this poor fellow is NOT what he's looking for ... or needs.
When was the last time you saw a front projector the calibre of a Vidikron/Runco/Seleco ? I'm completely aware of the capabilities of the $1k projectors and as i mentioned before if all he wants is just a big image on the wall then go for it. I may be a bit bias towards the lower end but I've installed both ( low end Optoma H30, high end- Vidikron 40et) and there is no comparison. Hey but he doesn't need to take my word for it ---seeing is believing

[Keith from Canada]

When was the last time you saw a front projector the calibre of a Vidikron/Runco/Seleco ? I'm completely aware of the capabilities of the $1k projectors and as i mentioned before if all he wants is just a big image on the wall then go for it. I may be a bit bias towards the lower end but I've installed both ( low end Optoma H30, high end- Vidikron 40et) and there is no comparison. Hey but he doesn't need to take my word for it ---seeing is believing

I too have seen the extremes in terms of 'low-end' and 'high-end' projectors and I personally was not nearly as critical of the perceived 'low-end' as you are. In fact, it was a calibrated Sanyo Z2 (similar in price to the H30) that prompted me to make the claim that I would never buy another RPTV. Of course the likes of Runco will be better but the difference between a 'high-end' and a 'low-end' projector systems is not nearly as extreme as it once was. I personally would put a calibrated Z2 up against any RPTV on the market and would be willing to bet that the image quality would be just as good on the Z2. The only real difference would be the size of the image.

[poneal]

like I stated earlier, I do not have a dedicated HT room--just my living room so I don't think I could live with a large screen adorning my living room 80% of the time. I'm sure that the higher end projectors project very nice but....you get the picture.

What I would really like is a thin (less than 2 foot depth), lightweight (less than 100lbs), and just a monitor (no speakers or very small speakers) would be ideal and size greater than or equal to 42" and a price preferably less than $2000. Am I dreaming? My friend has a giant (im guessing 50+ inches) but the picture to me sucks. Its like you can see the pixels making it not clear/sharp would be a good way to describe it. I don't know what kind it is but guessing it is a rear projector. I think they spent around $1800 for it. I refuse to buy one if I have to look at picture like that. Hell, my 32" crt looks much sharper than that. And to top it all off, I hate salesmen trying to badger you into this or that when really they have no more knowledge than I. Thats why I come here to get opinions and I thank you very much for all your opinions bad of good.

So far woodman has said this link is a good deal:

http://www.bestbuyplasma.com/Plasma/Product.asp_X_Sku_Y_51H83

I will check this out, maybe this weekend. The only thing is the size. Whats all that space down at the bottom, speakers? Since its CRT I hoping the image will look good. Well keep them recommendations coming and educate my ignorant ass on all these new TVs. Thanks again. Paul.

[depressed]

did you check out my suggestion?
it's worth a thought and it's 22 inch deep so would fit you...

[poneal]

Yes, I checked out your links. Thats a good price on refurbished stock. I have not ruled that out.

[depressed]

As far as I know, you can find new ones in local storer and the refurbished ones mostly on the net.I don't know how the reburfished ones function and the warranty details on such units. It's the same size as the model you suggested (51X81 I think) but the specs on the 50 HDX82 are better, and it belongs to their "top line", the cinema series.If woodman has time, maybe he can give youthe info/experience to make the decision. I have seen the 51X81 in a local costco store, it was around $1500.

[paul_pci]

As far as I know, you can find new ones in local storer and the refurbished ones mostly on the net.I don't know how the reburfished ones function and the warranty details on such units. It's the same size as the model you suggested (51X81 I think) but the specs on the 50 HDX82 are better, and it belongs to their "top line", the cinema series.If woodman has time, maybe he can give youthe info/experience to make the decision. I have seen the 51X81 in a local costco store, it was around $1500.

Hey Depressed, are you still depressed? That's a nice shot of your Yamaha. Rock on, dude.

[poneal]

Thanks, I have a Costco here where I live. I'll try to check it out this weekend if we don't get flooded by the rain.

[depressed]

Hey Depressed, are you still depressed? That's a nice shot of your Yamaha. Rock on, dude.

Lol... This is my username from when I firost joined dslreports.com
Back then, I had mysterious problems with my settings and the connection. Turns out that somebody was messing with all phone lines in the apartment complex in this wonderful "Evergreen Manor" Great guys on that site helped with problems. If you have any problems or questions about anything that has to do with computers, that's the site. They also have great connection tools including line quality testing.
Btw, can I change the username now :cool: ?

[paul_pci]

Lol... This is my username from when I firost joined dslreports.com
Back then, I had mysterious problems with my settings and the connection. Turns out that somebody was messing with all phone lines in the apartment complex in this wonderful "Evergreen Manor" Great guys on that site helped with problems. If you have any problems or questions about anything that has to do with computers, that's the site. They also have great connection tools including line quality testing.
Btw, can I change the username now :cool: ?


Don't know; never tried.