OOT: Help, I need a new TV.

[Hellrazor]

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here's a great bedroom tv: http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messagev...p;keyword1=hdtv

can't beat costco's return policy either

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That's the tv I'm getting this weekend. And with Costco's return policy, you don't have to sweat the fact it's a visio.

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I have this TV in my bedroom right now. It's a good deal. Mostly because of Costco's return policy, but I am not disappointed. (I bought about a month ago)

[Hellrazor]

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here's a great bedroom tv: http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messagev...p;keyword1=hdtv

can't beat costco's return policy either

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That's the tv I'm getting this weekend. And with Costco's return policy, you don't have to sweat the fact it's a visio.

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What is the return policy? How long is it in effect?

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Basically you can return it forever. For full value as long as you keep your membership. They have a do not argue policy if you go up the chain. See www.avsforum.com for more details on this. (And lot of information on TV's in general)

[youtalkfunny]

Just wait for the next major riot or natural disaster. Then go downtown and help yourself.

[samster]

How are Samsung TV's, as far as quality? I found a 50" pedestal one for 1500 bucks, shipped to my place, no tax. 720p. They come with a year warranty, but you can extend it to 3 years for 120 bucks. Necessary?

Should I keep looking?

[samster]

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-gPwaCpZ...p;I=647LVM37W3
Or is this one better? My friend says don't get the one I said before because it doesn't support 1080i or p.

EDIT: found better one.

[DaffyDuck]

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I think you mean there are no 1080p sets. Lots of sets are 1080i.

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no. there are several native 1080p sets (more every day), and there virtually aren't any native 1080i sets - just 720p sets that upconvert to 1080i. what i wrote was very clear.

i'm aware of the quality of the ws xbr crts. it's pretty well-established that, despite standard crt drawbacks, they have the best picture available in the consumer hd market. i still think it is a waste of money. when you go to a shop you see demo sets at eye level and you're standing 2 feet away from them. looks great! but when you're sitting across a moderately-sized room, a set that small isn't worth having. the nuances of its quality are missed at that distance, and the real value of hdtv is to have a theater experience.

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This is almost entirely incorrect. Most sets are 540p/1080i (basically the same thing in terms of scan rate) or 720p. There are a couple of 1080p sets out on the market now, but they are very expensive.

When a 720p set deals with a 1080i or 1080p signal, it does not "upconvert", it "downconverts" from 1080 lines of resolution to 720 lines of resolution. Basically, it eliminates 1/3 of the avalable lines on the screen.

There is a lot of debate on whether 1080i or 720p looks better, but I am not aware of any on whether HDTV looks better than 480p. Fox broadcasted 480p (EDTV) for years before switching to HD and the difference is extremely noticeable, particularly for Football, on any size TV.

[samster]

"Obviously, the quality of the source material you're viewing is very important, but so are screen size and how far you're sitting from your TV. Indeed, our resident video guru, Senior Editor David Katzmaier, reports that the extra sharpness afforded by the 1080p televisions he's seen is noticeable only when watching 1080i sources on a larger screen. Comparing a 50-inch 1080p DLP set to a 50-inch 720p DLP set, for example, he says you'll be hard-pressed to notice more detail with 1080i sources, especially from farther than 8 feet away. Even if you can see the difference, it will be much less obvious than, say, the difference between DVD and 720p HDTV. Of course, performance will vary from set to set, and we'll know more when we have a chance to thoroughly test more 1080p televisions."

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449-6361600-1.html

I can't find a real 50" 1080i set (something that actually takes in 1080 signal, not convert 720->1080) for close to 1500 bucks. I found a deal on last years samsung pedestal for less than 1500, thats really 720p, and it's 50". Would it be bad if I bought this tv over something else around 1500 bucks?

[astroglide]

<font color="blue">Most sets are 540p/1080i (basically the same thing in terms of scan rate) or 720p.</font>

except for the new 1080p sets, almost every one on the market today has a native resolution of 1280x720 (720p) or 1366x768 ("768p").

<font color="blue">When a 720p set deals with a 1080i or 1080p signal, it does not "upconvert", it "downconverts"</font>

nitty semantics. upconversion is a common phrase and he doesn't grok the basics.

<font color="blue">There is a lot of debate on whether 1080i or 720p looks better, but I am not aware of any on whether HDTV looks better than 480p.</font>

i didn't say 720p looks the same as 480p, i said it would be challenging for the average person on a small set compared to a high quality dvd from 12-15 feet away. if somebody can only afford something in the low 30"s they can watch a crappy tv for 6 months until they can afford 50"+. people short themselves out of the real deal (theater-like viewing angles) because they simply have to blow through their savings and own an hdtv right now. people don't upgrade televisions often, so they should generally spend a little more money and buy right.

<font color="red">I can't find a real 50" 1080i set (something that actually takes in 1080 signal, not convert 720-&gt;1080) for close to 1500 bucks.</font>

i have said about 500 times that "real 1080i" sets might as well not exist. your choice is between 720p and 1080p, and $1500 isn't going to cut it for the latter.

<font color="red">I found a deal on last years samsung pedestal for less than 1500, thats really 720p, and it's 50". Would it be bad if I bought this tv over something else around 1500 bucks?</font>

i would much rather have a large 720p set over a smaller 1080p one. i am personally anti-dlp on rear projection though, my live-in gf and some friends have big trouble with rainbows (see google).