Buying new TV, need advice

[Zathras66]

Well, it's time to replace our 12-year-old Sony CRT tv, and I know very little about LCD televisions. I bought an LCD monitor last year, so I know a little about the LCD tech, but not much as it applies to a TV. Info like brightness and contrast are, as I understand it, useless due to the way they manipulate and inflate the numbers, so I can't even read the specs and know what I'm getting.

We're looking for something in the 32"-37" range, but money's tight, so we're looking for a budget choice - $350 or so. What are the brands to avoid, the brands that seem a little better? Do you have a model in particular you recommend?

We have a DVD player, not blue-ray. We have regular cable, not hi-def. Pretty much what we use are composite inputs and s-video, though the DVD player does have HDMI out.

 

[dclive]

Well, it's time to replace our 12-year-old Sony CRT tv, and I know very little about LCD televisions. I bought an LCD monitor last year, so I know a little about the LCD tech, but not much as it applies to a TV. Info like brightness and contrast are, as I understand it, useless due to the way they manipulate and inflate the numbers, so I can't even read the specs and know what I'm getting.

We're looking for something in the 32"-37" range, but money's tight, so we're looking for a budget choice - $350 or so. What are the brands to avoid, the brands that seem a little better? Do you have a model in particular you recommend?

We have a DVD player, not blue-ray. We have regular cable, not hi-def. Pretty much what we use are composite inputs and s-video, though the DVD player does have HDMI out.

I suggest using over-the-air TV (get a good antenna) so you'll get free high-def regular TV, and getting the biggest TV you can. Look in the deals websites for the best deals, and check Consumer Reports for the highest quality (and reliability) TV rankings.

 

[Matt1970]

This is a good deal.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+...9089&cp=1&lp=1

If the link doesn't work look up SKU: 3669089

It's 3" bigger than what you wanted but you might just have to deal with it.

Check with your cable company. Most have free hi-def and you might get a bunch more channels.

 

[Zathras66]

Thanks guys, I'll keep your advice in mind. I found a nice 32" Panasonic IPS-display tv for under $320, but it's 720, and 32" is on the low side of the size I wanted. Still, it looks like a good value.

What do you think?

http://www.abt.com/product/52766/Panasonic-TCL32C3.html

 

[bearxor]

How big is your CRT? If you're not going to get a HD feed from cable or anything, it might be good to know so you don't lose inches n your TV. A 32" CRT 4:3 picture would not be equivalent to a 32" 16:9 TV showing a 4:3 picture.

 

[Zathras66]

The current TV we have is a 27" 4:3 CRT.

 

[jhansman]

I just got a 720p 32" Dynex from Best Buy for my bedroom that is now a discontinued model for a great price on Black Friday. HD channels on it look really good (especially compared to the ancient 27" CRT it replaced), SD not so much. In fact, I likely will not watch SD broadcasts on it at all. Personally, I would only pay for 1080p for my living room, on a set that is 42" or bigger. Beside connectivity (# of HDMI ports, digital audio out, USB) the one feature I would pay the most attention to is sound. Unless you plan on outputting the audio to standalone speakers or an amp, you are relying on the built in speakers, which often can sound tinny. Also remember that if you buy it online and don't like it, returning it can be a PITA. That's why I had narrowed my sources down to Costco or Best Buy; returning to either is a breeze (assuming you have either or both within driving distance). I settled on this brand after standing in BB and comparing TVs of this size for quite a while. Neither I nor the salesman could say that the Samsung or Sony sets looked considerably better. However, YMMV. Lastly, my regular (non-Blue Ray) DVD player connects with component (not composite) cables and looks quite good. Someday I may replace it with a BR player, but for now it will suffice.

 

[bearxor]

I would aim for a 37". That would get you a decent size upgrade over 4:3 27". Like suggested before, use a OTA antenna to pull your locals in HD. Without 1080p content through either a BR player or a sat/cable box, you don't have to focus on getting a 1080p television. You could settle for a 720p set and probably be fine. If you decide to do a BR player in a couple of years, it shouldn't cost you anything to buy a new set (and really, 720p looks great enough as it is).

Also, keep in mind that most of the budget sets are actually made by some other manufacturer. So don't let no brands drive you away. Just do a search over on AVSforum for anything you might be interested in buying and you should get some pretty good user feedback as to what the set will look like.

37-inchers should be well under $300 by now. If you're not finding anything for quite that price, just wait a week or two. As we get closer to Christmas we'll get quite a few more deals.

 

[zerocool84]

I picked up this Vizio 32" tv @ Target for $300. Lots of places are having great deals. Vizio isn't a top of the line tv but they're not bottom of the barrel.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...atchallpartial