26"/27" TV recommendations, and dvd players

[IRG]

I need a new budget TV for my living room. Currently, our main living area, has no TV, just a 2 channel audio system (Roksan gear, Energy C-3 speakers). We have a small HT in our basement, which will get redone in a year or so. But for now, I need another tv so the kids don't fight, and so I can watch some football this year.

Here are the parameters:

1. Can't be real big. Probably 27" will be the max, according to the wife. Anything bigger overpowers this small room. Also, it is a real pain to even find a place to put it. I would love to find a matching small TV stand that is simmple and elegant. Sites for this?

2. Flat screen, and silver case preferred.

3. Budget of about $400, less is even better.

4. HDTV probably not needed, Comments on this??

5. Will be used with both digital cable box (Time Warner) and a dvd player.

6. I want component cable hookups for the DVD player, and at least S video for the cable box.

7. My choice of stores is basically Best Buy (I've actually been fairly impressed with their service, great selection, and decent staff, which I know is not what eveyone else has found) and Sears (I have the smallest Sears in the country; selection is not good, and the store is usually in chaos, and the staff is poor - however I have a Sears account, and like their return policy, although BB seeems just as good here. Sears will price match though, which could be an advantage.

8. I also need a budget dvd player, prefer to not spend over $100.

Here are a few models I have looked at recently, and would like any input.

Toshiba 27 AF44 $349 - seems very well reviewed, probably my top choice for now.
Sony KV27FS120 $399 (less at Sears) also a good model, but reliability issues?
Sharp 27F641 $329 - seems like a good set, but not much cheaper than the Toshiba
Philips 27PT6441 $299 - reliability? Good price, seems like a decent set otherwise
Philips 26PW6341 $399 on sale at BB. The wife likes this set, and is the only widescreen model on my list. Thoughts on this?

Darkhorse contenders are 2 hdtv models:
Panasonic ct27HL14 at $549 (over my budget)
Advent HT 2751A at $449 which is tempting.

As for dvd players, I'm not sure what/who to consider. I have a Sony now which has been a champ, so I will consider them again. The Sony DVP-NS575P at $84 or the DVP-NS725P at $109. Others are the Samsung DVD-P241 at $56, th Philips DVP-642 at $75 and the Toshiba SD-3960 at $65. I would like to able to play digital photos on this, and of course good quality sound and video is also important. Suggest others please.

I also have questions on 2 channel audio vs 5.1 set ups, but I will post that separately.

Thanks for any and all responses! Igor

[uncooked]

If i were you i would not go HDTV on such a small tv, and most likely you would have to buy a new hdtv cable box which can be pricey.

As for the stand im not sure if there are alot for 27" tv's its more of a 32" or 36" thing, but im sure there are some.

then as i dvd player just for looks i would match up the brands, so if you get a sony tv, get a sony dvd player, becuase it looks awsome, and the silver would be the same colour on both, different brands use slightly different colours. And you wont notice a difference in dvd players on a 32" or less tv.


we'll see what other people have to comment, this is just my way of thinking.

[IRG]

If i were you i would not go HDTV on such a small tv, and most likely you would have to buy a new hdtv cable box which can be pricey.

As for the stand im not sure if there are alot for 27" tv's its more of a 32" or 36" thing, but im sure there are some.

then as i dvd player just for looks i would match up the brands, so if you get a sony tv, get a sony dvd player, becuase it looks awsome, and the silver would be the same colour on both, different brands use slightly different colours. And you wont notice a difference in dvd players on a 32" or less tv.


we'll see what other people have to comment, this is just my way of thinking.

I was thinking the same thing - if I go with the Toshiba TV, stick with the Toshiba dvd player. I wish I could find a nice cabinet - that has become the hardest thing to find. Crutchfield has a decent cabinet for a 27" Sony Wega, for $150, not sure what the shipping would cost, probably too much. I may look at Kmart or Target too. Thanks for your response.

[uncooked]

go look at the store and play around with them and see what one you like the best, feature and picture quality wise. I always like to pick a name brand and stick with it whenever i can. they just seem to "like" each other better. well they were designed together so they should.

[markw]

Hey Ian,

I'll go along with the Tosh recommendation as well. Good rep for quality and picture. I don't have a Tosh TV (out pf my price range at purchase time) but I've got an ole Tosh DVD/CD changer, for which I paid the princely sum of $100 for two years ago and it does just fine.

As far as the comopnent inputs on the TV, if you fine 'em fine, but I wouldn't lose any sleep if they don't. With thisw size screen S-video is more than adequate. Now, if you were talking about a larger screen or HDTV, well...

As far as cabinetry, be creative. Check out Wal Mart, Target, or any place that sells knock down furniture. I found just about the perfect stand for my 32" TV, HT reciever, DVD changer and VHS @ K-Mart for $44 a few years ago.

enjoy...

[IRG]

Hey Ian,

I'll go along with the Tosh recommendation as well. Good rep for quality and picture. I don't have a Tosh TV (out pf my price range at purchase time) but I've got an ole Tosh DVD/CD changer, for which I paid the princely sum of $100 for two years ago and it does just fine.

As far as the comopnent inputs on the TV, if you fine 'em fine, but I wouldn't lose any sleep if they don't. With thisw size screen S-video is more than adequate. Now, if you were talking about a larger screen or HDTV, well...

As far as cabinetry, be creative. Check out Wal Mart, Target, or any place that sells knock down furniture. I found just about the perfect stand for my 32" TV, HT reciever, DVD changer and VHS @ K-Mart for $44 a few years ago.

enjoy...

Hey Mark,
Good to hear from you. I went looking at the TVs again today. Will probably get the Toshiba, and Sears will beat BB's price, and 0% financing, which never hurts.

Now I need to decide whether to keep my audio side 2 channel, and or go with a few more channels. Room layout is a factor here. It is just a terrible room to lay out anything logically. I looked at Target for stands today, but it seems like everything is geared towards big TVs, so I'm not sure yet what I want. It seems the simpler the design, the more $ they are. Take care.

[markw]

Soundwise, two small speakers sound a heckuva lot better than the ones inside the TV and are fairly simple to place. IMNSHO, you don't need the total HT experience for everything.

As far as inexpensive, yet functional and fairly attractive goes, think knock down stuff like Sauder, Busch (sp?) and O'Sullivan.

[dean_martin]

Now I need to decide whether to keep my audio side 2 channel, and or go with a few more channels. .

I started a home theater w/an integrated amp, dvd player and 2 speakers. I was on my way to a 5.1 system but stopped after I got a subwoofer. Saved myself the expense of a receiver and 3 additional speakers. The subwoofer adds more to movies than I expected. Consider keeping your Roksan gear and going 2.1 especially if space is limited.

[IRG]

I started a home theater w/an integrated amp, dvd player and 2 speakers. I was on my way to a 5.1 system but stopped after I got a subwoofer. Saved myself the expense of a receiver and 3 additional speakers. The subwoofer adds more to movies than I expected. Consider keeping your Roksan gear and going 2.1 especially if space is limited.

..with your thoughts here. This room really doesn't lend itself to mulitple speakers everywhere. I may though, as you suggested, add a sub. That would help with the lowest octaves. And no HT receivers are going to sound as good as what I have now, as I have one already in my other system and can attest to that. Thanks for your comments.

[pwh03]

I;d keep the votes going for all toshiba, reading a post here toshiba got the best budget dvd player. I think its in the news and rumors section, and there tvs seem to be one of the most reliable according to woodman (local tv expert) and consumer report (you can take that for what you like). I think you would be happpy with that. However widescreen would be nice but I don't know much about phillips.

don;t see a big need for HD especially if your going to have a bigger setup somewhere else in the house save your money for that.

Same thing goes for the 5.1 setup 2.1 would be plenty especially if the room is smaller and akward, its not worth the hassle if your going to have a bigger setup down stairs.

Good luck
hope this helps
PH

[IRG]

I;d keep the votes going for all toshiba, reading a post here toshiba got the best budget dvd player. I think its in the news and rumors section, and there tvs seem to be one of the most reliable according to woodman (local tv expert) and consumer report (you can take that for what you like). I think you would be happpy with that. However widescreen would be nice but I don't know much about phillips.

don;t see a big need for HD especially if your going to have a bigger setup somewhere else in the house save your money for that.

Same thing goes for the 5.1 setup 2.1 would be plenty especially if the room is smaller and akward, its not worth the hassle if your going to have a bigger setup down stairs.

Good luck
hope this helps
PH

Well, it wasn't the Toshiba, for 2 reasons. One, Sears didn't have it in stock, and 2 I liked the overall look of the Sony better. Screen wise, both were very good. Hard to reallay tell until you take them home, and set them up. But at the store the Toshiba seemed a little warmer, the Sony a little sharper, but both really good. I liked the actual construction of the Sony better though, and with a kid in the house that likes buttons, the Toshiba was a little bit more exposed to this. I liked the case of the Sony better. It actually looks like a bigger TV. Plus at Sears, since the Sony cost a little more, it qualified for 0% interest with my card, where the Toshiba wouldn't.

I also got the matching Sony dvd player, and so far I am very impressed. The one problem I have, is with my cable box, it isn't working yet. I am going home at lunch to see if they have reset it, as I called their office this morning. So for now, I get nothing as far as channels go.

For a stand, I found a bargain silver unit at Target for $50, but this may be short lived. It is supposed to be for 36" TVs, but my 27" almost fills up the entire top. The Sony is so heavy though, that I can already tell it is starting to sag a little bit. It needs a center support, which it doesn't have. So this may go back to Target, and then I will look at Sears for something more substantial, but more $.

I am glad I didn't go any bigger than 27" in this room, as it is, it is almost too big. A small lcd display would have been cool, but too much $. Seems funny that a TV as big as I got, weighing 100 lbs, with a huge 2" glass flat panel display, case, shipping etc., should cost less (and a lot less) than much smaller flat panel lcd display. I know the technology is different, but materials and shipping should have to account for quite a bit too I would suspect.

For now, I am going to stay with the 2 channel audio, though I may add a sub at some point. Thanks to everyone who wrote.

[dean_martin]

The Wegas are heavy. I have a 20" in my bedroom. I went with a discontinued Salamander audio rack at a pretty good discount from www.audioadvisor.com The Sony sits atop it nicely. For the size and weight of your TV you may have to look at some of the more expensive a/v furniture brands like Salamander, Sanus, Standdesign, Target (not the chain store), etc. Most are well-built with solid materials. I still think they're overpriced in general, but if you can find a demo rack or a sale on an older model you might get more quality per $$$. I've also used a nightstand and an end table for tvs (hand-me-down furniture from my bachelor days).

[IRG]

The Wegas are heavy. I have a 20" in my bedroom. I went with a discontinued Salamander audio rack at a pretty good discount from www.audioadvisor.com The Sony sits atop it nicely. For the size and weight of your TV you may have to look at some of the more expensive a/v furniture brands like Salamander, Sanus, Standdesign, Target (not the chain store), etc. Most are well-built with solid materials. I still think they're overpriced in general, but if you can find a demo rack or a sale on an older model you might get more quality per $$$. I've also used a nightstand and an end table for tvs (hand-me-down furniture from my bachelor days).
Most AV furniture is very overpriced. It seems like the simpler the design, the more it costs. I have a very nice audio rack I spent almost $300 on, and now it sits unused. It was too small for this TV, overwise I would use it. I look at AA now and then, but usually their products are more than I want to spend. I'll keep looking around.

I did fix my cable problem today. It seems the previous owner of my home had tried to splice together a broken part of the cable, and didn't do a good job. I have a temporary fix, that for now is fine. I will probably go to RS or BB to get a better part for this. But all is well. Now I can start tweaking with the TV set and dvd player. Oh what fun!