How Much Did You Pay For Your Hdtv?

[westcott]

I paid US$1800 for a 100"+ HD picture.

Front projection really is the cheapest per inch of picture. Panasonic AE700u.

Yes, rear projection is dying a slow death. Flat panel technology is getting cheaper and provides better picture generally (minimal off axis viewing issues like RPTV).

If you have the space and want a really LARGE picture for a better price of other technologies, go take a look.

Happy Holidays!

[robert393]

$6K
divided by 365 days a year
diveded by a conservative 5 years
equals $3.287 per day of pure entertainment.

Go to a movie:
$10 a ticket times 2
$5 a soda
$5 for popcorn
equals $30 for a few hours of entertainment

Go to a game:
$30 a ticket times 2 (these are the cheep seats)
$5 a beer
$4 a hot dog
Oh please, add this one up for me.

Careful there GM, you don't want to confuse people with the facts when their mind is already made-up! Seriously, great analogy.

It may not be worth $6k to you, but to Robert, and perhaps myself, it does....$6k is just the starting block.

Well said Big Fella, I was just thinking how naive it would be to think $6k would get you much more than a quality (1080i) monitor bigger than 80", much less anything else ie, 5.1 sound, DVDP, speakers, wire/cabling, satelite, processor, sub, etc, etc, etc.......
What I have always had a hard time understanding is why some people spend their time on a HOME THEATER forum, when there interest lies elsewhere. For instance, I have absolutely NO DESIRE for a DJ turntable setup, and personally I wouldn't spend $10 on one. I fully understand enthusist spend thousands of dollars on such set-ups (I knew a guy...ok?). But, you won't see me on a DJ-Turntable setup forum telling people how ridiculous it is to spend thousands of dollars on such set-ups!

Let's face it, the HT arena is only getting bigger. More and more people are getting excited about it and spending mega-cash for it. HT is a hobby that gives many hours and years of enjoyment in return!

Am I correct to assume the $5 or $10 extra per month for HD everyone is talking about is on top of your current cable/satellite cost?

That would be correct.

.....When DVD is HD I'll reconsider.

Better get ready to cough-up some cash then. When you get a 1080i capable monitor and the HD DVDP and start buying those HD DVD'S that $6k budget you mentioned won't stretch too far!

Robert

[GMichael]

Careful there GM, you don't want to confuse people with the facts when their mind is already made-up! Seriously, great analogy.Robert

Thanks, I was in a rush to a meeting and didn't get to really finish what I was going to say. But the idea is there.

What I have always had a hard time understanding is why some people spend their time on a HOME THEATER forum, when there interest lies elsewhere. For instance, I have absolutely NO DESIRE for a DJ turntable setup, and personally I wouldn't spend $10 on one. I fully understand enthusist spend thousands of dollars on such set-ups (I knew a guy...ok?). But, you won't see me on a DJ-Turntable setup forum telling people how ridiculous it is to spend thousands of dollars on such set-ups! Robert

To each their own. Maybe it's just not his time for HT.

But I don't always notice what catagory a post is in. I just check all of the ones I haven't read yet. And even if he did, it's his dime. I don't mind if he doesn't want HD yet, or ever.

Let's face it, the HT arena is only getting bigger. More and more people are getting excited about it and spending mega-cash for it. HT is a hobby that gives many hours and years of enjoyment in return!That would be correct.Better get ready to cough-up some cash then. When you get a 1080i capable monitor and the HD DVDP and start buying those HD DVD'S that $6k budget you mentioned won't stretch too far!

Robert

I like it. I'll keep upgrading as my budget alows. HD DVD's will be a part of it someday, I'm sure.

[noddin0ff]

What I have always had a hard time understanding is why some people spend their time on a HOME THEATER forum, when there interest lies elsewhere.

Who said my interests aren't in HT? HD isn't the ONLY component of the HT experience. In fact, I'm very enthusiastic about HT and enjoy it very much with out HD. I have a hard time understanding why some people equate $$$ spent with interest, enthusiam, or ability to know what money buys.

More and more people are getting excited about it and spending mega-cash for it...Better get ready to cough-up some cash then. When you get a 1080i capable monitor and the HD DVDP and start buying those HD DVD'S that $6k budget you mentioned won't stretch too far!
Robert

Ahhh! I see. How dumb of me to assume that HT was for the Everyman, now I see it's for the monied. Maybe we should have separate forums. One for people who invest over $10K for their hobbies and a second for those who spend under $10k, you know, for the people who have inferior enthusiasm for the hobby.

[GMichael]

Who said my interests aren't in HT? HD isn't the ONLY component of the HT experience. In fact, I'm very enthusiastic about HT and enjoy it very much with out HD. I have a hard time understanding why some people equate $$$ spent with interest, enthusiam, or ability to know what money buys.

Ahhh! I see. How dumb of me to assume that HT was for the Everyman, now I see it's for the monied. Maybe we should have separate forums. One for people who invest over $10K for their hobbies and a second for those who spend under $10k, you know, for the people who have inferior enthusiasm for the hobby.

Good pionts nod. Sorry If I suggested that you have no place here.

[BadAssJazz]

Hmmm, well I am one of those folks who has yet to experience HDTV, but intend to go all in as early as tomorrow. I have a modest budget of $1800 to get a decent monitor. I'd love a 42" plasma, given the space saving features, but I've yet to find anything other than an EDTV in that range. A 34" CRT may be my next best bet -- not entirely a bad idea if I can get one for just over $1K. That leave ample $$$$ for a new DVD player and a few DVDs to boot.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Who said my interests aren't in HT? HD isn't the ONLY component of the HT experience. In fact, I'm very enthusiastic about HT and enjoy it very much with out HD. I have a hard time understanding why some people equate $$$ spent with interest, enthusiam, or ability to know what money buys.

You are correct, It is only one component. Your opinion is as valid as anyone's on this forum, however when you po po on someone elses decision to spend $6k on just the video side of their setup, its not an opinion anymore, its a judgement. Uncool IMO.

People with a huge interest in cars spend big bucks on cars. People who have computer interests, and desire the best spend big money on a faster, better computer. People who are REALLY into their hometheaters, and like the best, spend big money on their hometheaters. $6k doesn't even cover my speaker package, that is the level of enthusiasm that I put into my hometheater. Its not that I am bragging about how much money I spent on my system, but the level of quality I desire for me. Others could spend more, or less than I did based on their desires to reach their sonic goals.

Ahhh! I see. How dumb of me to assume that HT was for the Everyman, now I see it's for the monied. Maybe we should have separate forums. One for people who invest over $10K for their hobbies and a second for those who spend under $10k, you know, for the people who have inferior enthusiasm for the hobby.

Never understood why some folks have a penchant for being so drastic just to make a point. We have enough seperatism already(race and social class), we don't need anymore more reason to seperate ourselves. A man with a million dollar home can talk on the same house and garden forum as the guy with the $250,000.00 home. No need to introduce social and economic class to hometheater. Its about your personal level of investment(and that is what a hometheater is), not about who's pissing stream goes the furthest.

[EdwardGein]

I have Time Warner. Off the top of my head, to get HD basic service ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox,
Discovery, TNT, PBS & HBO HD & SHowtime HD (these 2 are free in HD if your paying for these premium channels) prices is about $10 a month plus an additional $10 or so a much for HD DVR which Time Warner Provides you. For an additional few dollars you can get HD Net which includes ESPN in HD. If you don't watch these channels, obviously HD isn't worth it, but assuming you do, it definately is.

[EdwardGein]

From what I'm reading on this board is people are looking for excuses to rationalize not spending money on an HDTV no matter what the price. I'd say the difference between watching HDTV & not is slightly less then the difference between watching color TV & black & white. I'm sure 35 years ago people with black & white sets were saying why buy a color one when not all the shows were in color. Anyway, if you have an average size living or family room, you can easily fit in a widescreen rear projector 42-60" HDTV which you can buy from a name brand for anywhere between $900 to $1300 new on sale from a chain store (the 55- 60" might be higher, this is my rough estimate from always seeing the Sunday sales in the papers, websites & actually going to the Chain stores fairly regularly).

[robert393]

From what I'm reading on this board is people are looking for excuses to rationalize not spending money on an HDTV no matter what the price. I'd say the difference between watching HDTV & not is slightly less then the difference between watching color TV & black & white. I'm sure 35 years ago people with black & white sets were saying why buy a color one when not all the shows were in color.

Probably the best analogy I have heard yet! I'll bet some of those peope STILL have their B&W TV too....LOL!!

Robert

[robert393]

Hmmm, well I am one of those folks who has yet to experience HDTV, but intend to go all in as early as tomorrow. I have a modest budget of $1800 to get a decent monitor. I'd love a 42" plasma, given the space saving features, but I've yet to find anything other than an EDTV in that range. A 34" CRT may be my next best bet -- not entirely a bad idea if I can get one for just over $1K. That leave ample $$$$ for a new DVD player and a few DVDs to boot.

I would love to know some of the specifics & requirements for your room ie, viewing distance, room lighting (controlled or uncontrolled), room dimensions, and primary usage.

With a budget of $1800 for the HD monitor, you may have more choices than you originally thought.........start a new thread and give us some info please.

Robert

[noddin0ff]

I was striving for sarcastic over dramatic but, yes, I took a cheap shot at robert when I picked $6k because I get tired of his disdain for people who are happy with less. When there are comments like

Better get ready to cough-up some cash then. When you get a 1080i capable monitor and the HD DVDP and start buying those HD DVD'S that $6k budget you mentioned won't stretch too far!

then obviously someone is equating $$$ with someone else's enjoyment.

I know what $6k buys. It buys what many would consider an outstanding HD setup. Who's poo poo-ing on who? Personally, I think HD is overpriced still for what you get. I don't think the value is there. For me the content is not there either. If I was a sports fan, HD would be a big incentive. I'm not. I watch DVD. So for me, HD is not worth $6K. It's not worth $2K for me either. I do think HD is the future, but I'm a sarcastic prick who doesn't think HD is worth it now. I hope the other sarcastic pricks out there got a little chuckle.

[GMichael]

I'm a sarcastic prick who doesn't think HD is worth it now. I hope the other sarcastic pricks out there got a little chuckle.

Ooh ooh, me me. Can I be one of the sarcastic pricks? I like to chuckle.

[noddin0ff]

Ooh ooh, me me. Can I be one of the sarcastic pricks? I like to chuckle.

You're off to a good start by leaving off the smilies and the '!'s. Now you just have to offend someone. You can do it, I believe in you. Really.

[GMichael]

You're off to a good start by leaving off the smilies and the '!'s. Now you just have to offend someone. You can do it, I believe in you. Really.

You mean that I'm not in yet?!

Prick!

How's that?

[BadAssJazz]

I would love to know some of the specifics & requirements for your room ie, viewing distance, room lighting (controlled or uncontrolled), room dimensions, and primary usage.

With a budget of $1800 for the HD monitor, you may have more choices than you originally thought.........start a new thread and give us some info please.

Robert

The studio is very small (14' X 26' for the viewing area) and I have blinds and drapes to control -- some would say annihilate -- ambient light. I have nocturnal tendencies and I prefer a dark room even during the day.

The viewing distance is approximately 8'. With the exception of twin audio tiers and the main speakers, I have about a 6' width of the longest wall to work with. I may eventually get rid of the audio towers, since I prefer to hide the electronics as much as possible. (Here's proof that things that appeal to you in your 20's certainly change as you get older. I now prefer not to see the receiver, CD jukebox, DVD player, amps, etc., exposed.)

Getting back to the HDTV, I use standard cable presently to catch sports and the occasional sitcom. I'm told for another $5 a month Comcast can provide an HD receiver (great, more electronics to hide); presently under consideration.

But primary use will be to watch DVD's. I'd like a better viewing experience than I'm presently getting from my 27" Sony WEGA. Shouldn't be too hard to accomplish, eh?

[robert393]

I took a cheap shot at robert....I get tired of his disdain for people who are happy with less.

Thank God we have you here to Police this forum, and weld your judgement, and put people in their place!

$6k buys buys what many would consider an outstanding HD setup.

"Outstanding" would certainly be a relative term. Wow! Don't know where you shop, but......good luck with that! My frontal sound stage cost more than that!

Personally, I think HD is overpriced...I don't think the value is there...It's not worth $2K.

Like I said before, maybe you're on the wrong forum then. This is a HT forum and HD is the absolute best PQ ever available. Seems pretty obvious you are not real enthusiastic about HT/HD or the cost associated. Hey, that's fine by me. You can watch a 13" B&W Zenith, and listen to it from a distance with a string and a tin can for all I care . But, you may find yourself getting even more frustrated, because usually people on a HT forum are going to be getting really excited about HD/HT, big fancy monitors, high resolutions, and in general spending money on the hobby they love. Good thing we have you here to Police us and let us know when we are not being frugal with our spending!

I'm a sarcastic prick who doesn't think HD is worth it

Errrr.....OK. I think you have proved that point quite convincingly!!!!

[Groundbeef]

I have a Sony Wega 37" Plasma, and love it. I hope to get a 50" or larger Plasma for the basement when I finish construction. ( Doing basement remodeling myself...I'm on the 5 year plan right now)

My father in law still has a ROTERY phone, and just upgraded to an answering machine. Pretty sure he hunted around for one that uses a huge tape reel...probably reel to reel actually. I can only wait until 2008 when his TV shuts off because he will never buy a digital converter. So some people really do have old equipment!

Ohhh sorry, used an apostrophe there.

[robert393]

Ohhh sorry, used an apostrophe there

Yes, no puntuation (other than period) allowed here!! I'm sure you will be getting grief from (you know who ). He may let this ( 1) slide, if you promise not to use any of the Smilies

Robert

[HT BUFF]

My in-laws just bought a 51" Toshiba Cinema series rear projection CRT HDTV for $1,259 CDN,the 3 year extended warranty was another $167, amazing.
I had a friend that bought the 57" version 3-4 years ago @ $4,700.

[Mr Peabody]

Any cable or satelite company I've checked you have to have the HBO or Showtime package in order to get their HD channel. I just checked with Dish and that is the way they are and you can get 5 HD channels for $10.00, then you can get an additional dish which will allow you to get the Voom channels for $5.00. I have Charter cable and I get my local and network HD for paying $9.99 for the DVR service. In my special they hooked me on I have all the movie channels so I get the HBO, Showtime & Cinemax HD but normally you have to have those movie packages extra to get the HD. They also offer some additional HD channels, maybe a half dozen or so, for another $9.99, none of which I would watch so it's not worth it.

If you think HD is worth the extra expense, more power to you. I can't justify paying what they are asking for those few channels. Like some body else said, it could be different for sports fans. When I do find a movie I'd like to watch on the HD movie channels it is pretty cool to have it in HD & 5.1.

DVR on the other hand is something that once you get hooked is hard to imagine going without it.

It's obvious that some here are happy with the HD and willing to pay whatever to get it and others are not, but which ever side of the fence you are on you have to admit that the HD programming has been very slow in coming. Is it the lack of programming or are the providers just sitting back and letting those who are willing to pay fatten their bank accounts? Look, they gave away free DVD's when I bought my first DVD player and I have had a cell phone for many years and have never paid for a phone. Think about it, I'm sure you can think of many other examples. When the industry wants something to roll they will give it a push, so what's up with HD?

[Woochifer]

I just got back from SoCal where I helped my parents pick out a new TV. Keep in mind that most of their TV viewing right now isn't even DVD resolution. I've been trying to tell them for the past six years that the tube on their TV is fried and they need to get a new one (to get any image to show clearly they need to bump the brightness full blast, so the blacks look grey and any image with bright colors has blooming galore). Well, it wasn't until the speakers on the TV started crapping out and crackling that they finally decided that they needed a new TV. My parents were so desperate to get a new TV that they started calling AV stores ON CHRISTMAS DAY to see if they could find one that was open on Dec. 25th. I couldn't believe that they actually found a store (Superco Home Theater in Cerritos and Monterey Park). So, off we went on a Christmas shopping adventure.

Since their eyesight needs more assistance nowadays, my mom decided that she wanted to go with a 50" TV. I thought that a rear projection DLP or LCD TV would work well for them. But, my mom hates the limited viewing angle of rear projection, and got a look at the flat panels. She was sold on the plasmas (funny how it seems that the WOMEN are willing to pay more when it comes to big screen TVs). So, we wound up looking at several of them. They wound up deciding on a LG plasma with the built-in HD DVR and TV Guide (they never figured out how to program a VCR, but the DVR did not take them long at all to understand). After about an hour of haggling and bargaining on price, they got the TV with a rack and a free VCR for $5k. And LG apparently also has a 24-month interest free financing program right now, which my parents gladly took advantage of.

http://us.lge.com/download/product/f...8/50PX4DRH.pdf

After setting it up for them, I must say that the images look quite impressive. The LG does a pretty good job at smoothing out standard definition programs, and DVDs have a film-like quality to them. And we're not even talking about HD! I bought a UHF antenna to see if the TV could pull any digital broadcasts, but couldn't. So, it's up to my parents to decide if they want to upgrade their cable service to digital (they currently have the bare bones $10/month basic service).

Compared to other sets that I've seen, the plasmas do have deeper black levels, but the rear projections have also made huge strides. Amazing the kind of picture quality that's now available at the $3k price point, which IMO exceeds what $6k would have bought you just two years ago.

I must say it's VERY weird that my parents pulled the trigger on a HDTV before I did! I mean, I got the audio part of my setup finished, while my parents now have the fancy video setup. Too bad I moved out of my parents' house a long time ago, otherwise the combined setup would be quite nice!

[EdwardGein]

Maybe I overlooked this because I get Showtime & HBO from Time Warner & consequently I can see them in HD, but you can get the basic HD Package from Time Warner Cable covering (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, TNT, Discovery & PBS) without having to have Showtime or HBO. Personally, unless you live under a limited budget & can't afford it, I think the people who don't get HD etc. because of "principle" are totally assinine & ridiculous, but that's just my opinion. My brother in law goes to his rich retired dentist friend's house every weekend to see the Jets game on his dish system from NFL ticket which the Dentist plays on his big screen widescreen HD TV. They don't see the game on HD though because the assinine dentist won't pay an extra $150 or so, on principle, to be able to receive the games in HD.
I have absoluely no respect for those kind of people.

There are some stupid people who don't understand that on Cable in order to watch HD, you have to go to the HD channel. So idiots are watching Channel 2 (CBS) instead of 1102 HD CBS.

[EdwardGein]

Your parents bought a $5,000 Plasma HD set but haven't decided to spend $10 or so a month on HD (I'm pretty sure you need to have digital service to get HD), forgive me if I'm puzzled, why? Maybe I misread this but this makes no sense at all from a common sense point of view because for a few hundred dollars they could get a perfectly decent non HD Set if they just wanted to watch regular cable.

[Woochifer]

What I have always had a hard time understanding is why some people spend their time on a HOME THEATER forum, when there interest lies elsewhere. For instance, I have absolutely NO DESIRE for a DJ turntable setup, and personally I wouldn't spend $10 on one. I fully understand enthusist spend thousands of dollars on such set-ups (I knew a guy...ok?). But, you won't see me on a DJ-Turntable setup forum telling people how ridiculous it is to spend thousands of dollars on such set-ups!

Keep in mind that we got a very wide range of interests populating this forum. Just because people have an interest in home theater does not mean that they want to spend $6k+ on a video monitor. For example, my interests have primarily been on audio side, and I've chosen to stand pat on the video side for a variety of reasons. For others, video is their primary focus, and they're fine with a HTIB or even a two-channel setup to handle the audio.

I understand your enthusiasm for HD, but sometimes you get overly presumptuous about the reasons behind why people have not yet chosen to make the HD upgrade. For one thing, IMO every current approach to HDTV has at least one significant drawback, whether it's performance or price or size. By far the best HD playback that I've seen was with a calibrated direct view 16:9 CRT. Drawbacks are that direct view CRT HDTVs have limited screen size, the cabinets are bulky, and the TVs are very heavy. Rear projection is an economical way to get a large screen size, but has problems with limited viewing angle and not-so-great image quality on standard definition programming (like it or not, the vast majority of programming out there is not HD and will continue to be for at least the next few years). Plasma and LCD flat panels, and front projection also have their share of tradeoffs.

Let's face it, the HT arena is only getting bigger. More and more people are getting excited about it and spending mega-cash for it. HT is a hobby that gives many hours and years of enjoyment in return!That would be correct.Better get ready to cough-up some cash then. When you get a 1080i capable monitor and the HD DVDP and start buying those HD DVD'S that $6k budget you mentioned won't stretch too far!

And as with any other consumer electronics category moving over from niche status to the mass market, the prices on HD and home theater gear in general continues to tumble. Just on the HDTV side, the prices on comparable flat panel sets have gone down by about 40% just in the past 12 months. The 50" LG plasma that my parents bought last week for $5k had a list price of $8k back in May.

People who always want to be an early adoptor pay for that privilege (and subsidize those consumers who are fine with waiting a year or two before jumping on a new format bandwagon). I'm fine with coughing up the cash for my HT gear, but I'm equally fine with waiting things out so that I can cough up less of it. I think it's premature to talk about the HD disc players, considering that they're not even out yet and we don't know how invasive the copy protection restrictions will be on the production units (check around the internet and you'll see how much the copy protection issues have dampened the enthusiasm for HD-DVD and Blu-ray). With Blu-ray especially, IMO it would be foolish to buy those players right when they come out considering that the PS3 due out in spring 2006 will have Blu-ray playback built in, and will have to compete on price with the $400 Xbox 360.