astroglide's home theater: what i own, what i would buy today - Page 20

gusmahler · #**191** 08-01-2007, 04:54 PM

[ QUOTE ]
hey guys, quick question.

i'm getting a 42in Panasonic plasma, should I get 720p or 1080p? I plan on having this TV for the next 5-7 years

i read that 1080p might not matter for a smaller sized set, is this right? or is 1080p going to be so prevalent in the future that i should just spend the extra?

[/ QUOTE ]

1) At that size, you'll probably never notice the difference between 1080p and 720p. (Actually, the picture needs to be really big and you have to sit really close to notice. I forget the exact numbers, but something like at 7 feet away from a 61" TV, most people can't see a difference.

2) Broadcast TV is not currently 1080p and probably won't be 1080p anytime in the near fuure. HD-DVD and Blu-Ray are the only ways to 1080p currently.

jws43yale · #**192** 08-02-2007, 09:37 AM

[ QUOTE ]
hey guys, quick question.

i'm getting a 42in Panasonic plasma, should I get 720p or 1080p? I plan on having this TV for the next 5-7 years

i read that 1080p might not matter for a smaller sized set, is this right? or is 1080p going to be so prevalent in the future that i should just spend the extra?

[/ QUOTE ]

Does Panasonic even have a 1080p 42" out? But yes, you have to sit 5 feet or closer to a 42" TV to tell the difference between 1080p and 720p. I for one purchased a 42" Samsung Plasma about a month ago over the 40" 1080p Samsung LCD because of better picture quality. Only reason 1080p would have been nice is if I wanted to hook my computer to it.

Only thing in 1080p right now is HD And Blu-Ray DVD's. It will be 5-7 years before any stations are broadcasting in 1080p.

But if money is no object and you want a great future proof TV, Samsung is releasing 120hz LED backlit LCD's this month that should have a better picture than plasmas and are 1080p.

econophile · #**193** 08-05-2007, 12:09 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
hey guys, quick question.

i'm getting a 42in Panasonic plasma, should I get 720p or 1080p? I plan on having this TV for the next 5-7 years

i read that 1080p might not matter for a smaller sized set, is this right? or is 1080p going to be so prevalent in the future that i should just spend the extra?

[/ QUOTE ]

Does Panasonic even have a 1080p 42" out? But yes, you have to sit 5 feet or closer to a 42" TV to tell the difference between 1080p and 720p. I for one purchased a 42" Samsung Plasma about a month ago over the 40" 1080p Samsung LCD because of better picture quality. Only reason 1080p would have been nice is if I wanted to hook my computer to it.

Only thing in 1080p right now is HD And Blu-Ray DVD's. It will be 5-7 years before any stations are broadcasting in 1080p.

But if money is no object and you want a great future proof TV, Samsung is releasing 120hz LED backlit LCD's this month that should have a better picture than plasmas and are 1080p.

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah panasonic has the PZ700U (i think that is the right model number). i saw this at circuit city a couple days ago and it looked pretty awesome. they had HD DVD playing on it, but not on the 720p version, so it is hard to say how the picture quality compares. i have seen some decent deals for this model (around $1,600) that it might be worth getting. OTOH, 720p would probably be perfectly fine at that size.

DLizzle · #**194** 08-09-2007, 02:38 PM

one question. I am in the market for a home theater system. Big flatscreen, surround sound. I seem to like Sony the best from what i've seen. Where is the best/cheapest place to buy this stuff? A few options being The Sony Store, a more broad electronics place like Futureshop, a department store like Sears (I guess Walmart too but I would rather avoid that hellhole), some small local shop, online stores, etc. thanks

Rick Nebiolo · #**195** 08-09-2007, 04:04 PM

[ QUOTE ]
one question. I am in the market for a home theater system. Big flatscreen, surround sound. I seem to like Sony the best from what i've seen. Where is the best/cheapest place to buy this stuff? A few options being The Sony Store, a more broad electronics place like Futureshop, a department store like Sears (I guess Walmart too but I would rather avoid that hellhole), some small local shop, online stores, etc. thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

Can't help you regarding best prices on a Sony big screen (I know Costco doesn't carry them, they do carry Panasonics). Best Buy is usually OK though. Walmart usually won't carry top brands like Sony. As an aside my parents love that top end 52" Sony LCD they bought just as it came out around Christmas.

For some of the other stuff consider Circuit City's online site with instore pickup. I got my Onkyo 7.1 receiver for a price equal to the best price I could find online without having to pay shipping (of course I had to pay sales tax).

I really like my Cambridge Soundworks MC300 speakers for the front array or three speakers. But there are many good speakers.

Don't buy cables at Best Buy or any other B&M store. The online links mentioned in this thread will give you a much better deal.

~ Rick

jws43yale · #**196** 08-09-2007, 04:22 PM

[ QUOTE ]
one question. I am in the market for a home theater system. Big flatscreen, surround sound. I seem to like Sony the best from what i've seen. Where is the best/cheapest place to buy this stuff? A few options being The Sony Store, a more broad electronics place like Futureshop, a department store like Sears (I guess Walmart too but I would rather avoid that hellhole), some small local shop, online stores, etc. thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

Online is where the best prices can often be found. I would check Amazon, but make sure that you are purchasing the product from Amazon itself, not one of its partners.

As for product choices, Sony does make very good stuff, but its prices are ridiculous. You can get a TV that is probably not "quite" as good, but almost unnoticeably so for considerably cheaper.

MrWookie · #**197** 08-09-2007, 04:38 PM

D,

At the very least, check a site like shopping.com that mines online stores for prices and factors in shipping to give you the lowest price. You'll easily be able to find some pretty good deals w/o a huge amount of trouble, and at the very least, it gives you a measuring stick to compare other offers to.

KLJ · #**198** 08-10-2007, 10:26 PM

anyone,

what's the deal with this new LCD technology that's supposed to be coming out? i need a TV <$2k that has to be purchased from best buy (gift cards [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]) and by ~end of september

jws43yale · #**199** 08-11-2007, 01:32 AM

[ QUOTE ]
anyone,

what's the deal with this new LCD technology that's supposed to be coming out? i need a TV <$2k that has to be purchased from best buy (gift cards [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]) and by ~end of september

[/ QUOTE ]

Samsung is coming out with LED backlit 120hz TV's. The 120 hz's tech has been out for several months and eliminates the problem LCD's have with fast motion. Localized dimming LED backlighting is the "holy grail" for LCD's allowing ridiculous contrast ratios and incredible picture quality. These technologies will finally make Plasam picture quality better than LCD's. Unfortunately you won't be able to get one of these TV's in September for under $2k. Let me know more about your needs and I can provide recommendations.

KLJ · #**200** 08-11-2007, 06:00 AM

$2k budget, purchased only from best buy
viewing distance: 8-12 ft
usage: mostly sports and video games (the motion blur thing is a big issue), probably mostly non-HD programs/inputs
future: need it to last 5-10 years

i've been looking at the 42 or 50 inch Panny plasmas, they're 720p. haven't reached any conclusions yet though. never would have guessed TVs would be so complicated