TV reviews: What to buy for todays P2P needs

[Mels_Smileys45]

Any of you guys have a new TV? I am always trying to give advice to my friends on what TV to buy and they rarely listen. When they get to the store they end up buying whats cheap or on sale and fail to research any details that a person should know before buying a Television. Its not the same market it was just a few years ago. There is much to learn and many criteria to check before making a big purchase.

http://www.bornrich.org/images/first_70_inch_lcd_hdtv_.jpg
70 inch Samsung! (circa 2006) They get much bigger than this now days...
but unlike most things in life, in this case size doesn't matter...as much!


One of the first things you should consider is what resolution you can deal with. You can go with 720p or 1080p. I will not discuss 1080i since its becoming less common. If you plan on sticking to mostly watching HD TV stations I think a good 720p set will do you proud. HD TV doesn't come close to the picture quality of Blu Ray. If you plan on building a Blu Ray collection or downloading lots of 1080p movies, go with a 1080p set for sure. I myself download mostly 720P movies which I think are wonderful.

Contrast Ratio

Define: contrast ratio on a TV is a ratio of the brightest color to the darkest color that the set is capable of producing.

When looking at a set look at the blacks (colors) on the screen. They should be dark black. The darker the better. A TV with a crappy ratio will tend to have a look as if white is trying to bleed through the blacks on screen. I would also pay attention to the boarders of the screen. Some TV's are weak around the edges which can be annoying.

Contrast Ratio...This is a feature a lot of consumers are not familiar with but it is a VERY IMPORTANT feature to consider when buying. I would much rather buy a smaller set with a high contrast ratio. Don't try to save money or get a bigger set with a crappy ratio. You will not be happy if you buy a TV with a bad ratio even if you initially save a lot of money.

What is a good contrast ratio?

This changes so often its hard to say. A year or so ago I would have said 8000:1 was great but today thats sorta low although there are still lots of sets being sold even lower than that. I would not buy one myself that was under 10,000;1 and still I think thats low by today's standards. Remember, you need to look forward and get a TV that not only makes you happy today but will keep you happy for a few years. Don't buy cheap and make yourself sad when your tv is horribly outdated in 6 months. I still see sets sold with 1200:1 ratio's. They're cheap but for HD viewing they are not desirable.

The TV I want actually has 1,000,000:1 contrast and is absolutely beautiful. Samusug 42" (http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-HPT4254-42-Inch-Plasma-HDTV/dp/B000NEJYZA) HD 720p Plasma. It can also be found for under $900 which is kick ass for a TV set this size. Yes, it is 720p but I have decided this is ideal for my needs because...

1) I DO NOT plan to ever buy a Blue Ray Player and

2) I like to download movies in 720P which still look AMAZING!

This is the TV I recommend to people who like to download and do not want a Blu Ray player . Together with the WD HD media player its al a man will ever need. I have went to BestBuy and looked at this model and comparing it side by side the rest I really think Samsung has a great product at a crazy low price.

http://www.ubergizmo.com/photos/Samsung_PDP_42.jpg


I did not cover everything a person needs to consider. If you guys want to add some constructive input here please do. I would also like to hear from people who have purchased new TV's and get some reviews and recommendations.

[Mels_Smileys45]

No one in the market for a new TV? Can't say I blame anyone for being a tightwad right
now. Maybe I should apply for a credit card...who knows, maybe I wont have to pay it!

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a281/BlogAbroad/Zach/1-2hugeTV.jpg

http://img.qj.net/uploads/articles_module/68253/gadgets_jvc_huge_rear_projection_tv_qjpreviewth.jp g

http://blogs.westword.com/catspjs/HugeTV.jpg

[Mels_Smileys45]

Even though I don't have the money and X mas gifts for my nieces and nephew is eating a hole in my budget I can't stop looking at TV's. I am obsessed! Recently I am back on my projector kick. Some of you guys may 'member when I use to talk about these a lot. These babies have come a long way over the last few years and the prices on the low end models are coming down. The High end has become even HIGHER now but thats a good thing IMO. Look at this Sony Model

http://technabob.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/bravia_vpl-vw200.jpg
This projector has outstanding 1080p, even in a lit room! Retail: $4,000

They say this model is every bit as good as the Sony $15,000 model that I bet is basically what movie theaters use.


I think this may be a good canadate for my house Epson with 1600 x 1200 maximum native resolution and 2200 lumens its a great buy for $800. With a max screen size of 270 inches I will have to raise the roof a little!

If I get enough income tax money I would love to get THIS model Epson for $2,000. It has true Hi Def in 1080p..."It features up to 1800 ANSI lumens brightness and a stunning 18,000:1 contrast ratio for brilliant colors and deep, rich blacks."

Screen size 30 inches to 300 and Supports HDTV and DTV signals Including 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p and standard 280i for a variety of compatibility options. Composite, component, HDMI, S-video, PC video and RCA audio inputs.

This baby is hot hot hot! Why peeps still buy this itty bitty 60 inch plasma's is beyond me. Buy one of these and you can charge peeps to hang out at your house while you smoke up their weed!

http://z.about.com/d/hometheater/1/0/N/Q/epson1080UB.jpg
Who's yo daddy? With 300 inches this baby will make you its bitch!

[DrewWilson]

You know you're TV is big enough when you can't fit it in through your garage door. ;)

[Mels_Smileys45]

You know you're TV is big enough when you can't fit it in through your garage door. ;)


Maybe these will stimulate the economy... when people have to borrow money to build a new house around their giant tv! The great thing about projectors is you can carry then home in the front seat of the Yugo and even grandma can carry it into the house all by herself. 300 HD 1080p inches will be co cool!


EDIT: My apologies to Feather for adding such a huge photo and making everyone have to scroll. The scrolling is wearing out my mouse and giving me a headache.

[shawners]

Tv stations are broadcasting in 1080i. A new service came out that let you recieve broadcast at the full 1080p. If its over 40 inches, the rule of thumb is 1080p because its bigger and you will notice the difference. Anything under 40inches wont need to be 1080p, but 720 would be sufficient as everything smaller and the amount of detail wont be noticeable between 720 and 1080p. As for a projector. Your room will need to be completely dark, no windows no light. You can spray paint the wall with the new paint that is for projectors, its silver and you dont need to have a curtain or if your wall is plastered or specked, buy a screen can be costly. Then you have a projector behind you that will make noise, you have speaker cables and stuff running from behind you to the front, then all your devices are right behind you so your floor plan needs a lot of room. If you have a media room, then you can simply build an area in the back of the seats to put all the unsightly mess. Remember, it will take all broadcast in 1080p, but in the end its just a big PC monitor with the resolution up to 1200. Then a projector is terrible if you want to play a WII. You be standing in front of the projector casting shadows on the screen. Also find out bulb replacements cost. Same with projection tv's. I have a Mitsubishi 52inch tv that came out when 1080p was relatively new. Who knows what formats and resultions going to be like 2-3 years from now. 1440 or 2160p tv may be the new form?

I look for
3 or more HDMI
Mhz, 120 to 480
Size as to be what space i have available, then the 720-1080p factor. Also the price can be competitive by buying online. A lot of TV's are shipped for free and you save money on not paying TAX in many cases.

Right now i stream 1080p WMV files to my xbox 360 and play movies in hd, very few times i have done it. Its stunning to see The Dark Knight in 1080p, even then Bale voice ruins the movie has he attempts to speak like someone with a soar throat everytime he throws on the cape and mask.

[Mels_Smileys45]

TV can support hd in 1080p but its a very low version of 1080p, at least thats how I understand it. They drop the frame rates more than in half of true 1080p60 unless some new way of broadcasting has happened and I missed it, which could be very possible as its all a bit confusing.

What the networks wont tell consumers is that a lot of new HD tv's do not support 1080p24 which is the standard they use. SO yeah, its best to stick with a better version of 720p which is my choice as I said before. I know 720p can rock if the frame rates are right.


As for projectors, if you ever saw my many posts in the past, I know tons about projectors. The projectors these days do not need to be in total dark as the lumens are way up there and they have one hell of a throw distance. Of course dark is better but its not 100% necessary. My house is dark as fuck so its okay. I saw a projector set up in bright as hell Sam's Super Club and it rocked!!! YOu should check them out sometime in person, you will be surprised.

[Mels_Smileys45]

Right now i stream 1080p WMV files to my xbox 360 and play movies in hd, very few times i have done it. Its stunning to see The Dark Knight in 1080p, even then Bale voice ruins the movie has he attempts to speak like someone with a soar throat everytime he throws on the cape and mask.


WOW! I looked up the 2 year old Mitsubishi 52inch 1080p model TV. That thing was state of the art 2 years ago and retailed for $4,000!!!! Damn! For someone so cheap and bitching about buying pampers you went out and bought a $4,000 TV you've been watching DVD's on all this time. What a waste of money! Sorry. Sometimes I wonder about you. I wish I was rich like you must be.
If you really want to enjoy that TV you need to do something else besides streaming 1080p. While yes, it can be done but being able to say that fact doesn't make it great. I have tried to look up what from of 1080p the xbox360 can handle streaming but have yet to find out. It seems they don't want consumers to figure that out. I highly suspect its a very low level 1080p. I would stick with 720p for sure and invest is a device that can give that TV a full blown 1080p60. You are wasting your TV set until you do that.

BUY A DEVICE THAT LETS YOU WATCH TRUE, HIGH QUALITY 1080p60 ON THAT NICE TV!!! From what Ive read most people say 360 streaming 1080p is VERY WEAK!



Also: A huge TV is another purchase I wouldnt buy online and If I did it wouldnt be from an unknown dealer that I picked because he was super cheap with free shipping. Some products are best bought in person from a reputable dealer and its always great to see any large purchase in person.

[mountain_rage]

Alright which one of you asshats triggered the gaybot.