Any HDTV Experts out there ?
 

My TV is so old (1989) that the DVR my wife just bought can't even connect to it :eek:

So I'm looking into replacing it finally.

Does anyone have some general rules of thumb ? Like plasma or not plasma, etc - I'm not looking to spend huge $$$ for the top of the line but want to spend enough that I don't want to replace it in 6 months.

If anyone has any suggestions for the best bang for the buck, I'd love to hear them. Also my living room isn't that big so size isn't critical. 37 or certainly 42 inches is fine - my current TV is 26 inches so 42 would probably be overwhelming to me :)

Re: Any HDTV Experts out there ?
 

My neighbor spent a lot of time researching different high-def TVs and ended up with a Sony Bravia -- either 40 or 42 inches, can't remember which. But, it is spectacular and I plan to get one myself when finances allow.

Re: Any HDTV Experts out there ?
 

I've been thinking about the same thing. My guess is that a (relatively) "small" screen would represent better value (in any case, the information displayed is the same, so, after a point, you are bound to lose quality, even with HDTV). At those moderate sizes, I'd take LCD over plasma every time, from what I've seen. I'd like to hear others' views too.

Re: Any HDTV Experts out there ?
 

I would recomend a Vizio 37" LCD.

http://www.vizio.com/products/detail.aspx?pid=16

It can be had for about 800 at sams or costco.

I have this TV in my bedroom and it is a really good tv for the money, alos call directv after you get a new HDTV and they will hook you up with a free HD box.

Re: Any HDTV Experts out there ?
 

Don't be fooled into thinking you need 1080i (Interlaced) over 720p (Progressive) for screen resolution. I would actually rather have a 720p than 1080i. As far as LCD or Plasma the Plasma has a richer more saturated image but is not good in bright rooms. So if you get a lot of sunlight in the room LCD is better. Other than that less expensive large screen models tend to not do such a good job with regular broadcast (not HD) TV. So if you can take a look at it with a standard broadcast image and see how it looks. If it's OK to you than that's really all you need to know to buy a set you will be happy with.

Re: Any HDTV Experts out there ?
 

So in general 1080 is better than 720 and i is better than p but you'd take the higher resolution (1080) over the p. That's easy, and good, to remember. I think Plasma is probably good for me as our house tends to be on the darker side.

As an example, I'd taken a look at this :

http://www.monitoroutlet.com/M10836....FSYNSQodo3nh_w

Is there anything inherently wrong with this ? Not that I'm about to buy it but as a starting point. OK now I'm confused what does this mean :

HDTV Compatibility 480p/720p/1080i

I thought a TV was one of those, not all three ? :confused:

Re: Any HDTV Experts out there ?
 

Are Vizios generally thought to be OK ? I realize you're saying yes, I'm just a little nervous about buying discount brands although there's a lot of money to be saved which is a very good thing :)

Re: Any HDTV Experts out there ?
 

The advice your getting is good Belichikfan.

It doesn't sound like you need a 1080p display right now.
If you're thinking HD DVR or HD DVD,then you would do well to consider 1080i or 1080p.

So let price,and seller, be factors in your choice.

In 2009,all Tv broadcasts in the US,must be in HD
and it will be a couple of years after this when the
absolute standard of 1080p,will be prevalent.

So,it will be 5or 6 years before you have to worry about upgrading.

Couple of things:

Go to crutchfield.com to see well-written descriptions of HD electronics....they do a really nice job.
Also cnet.com for reviews of HD tv's.

Lastly,if you have Mozilla Firefox.....I have an add-on called PRONTO.

Whenever I click-on a product on any web-site,
PRONTO pops' up with a list and prices from 15-30 or so different sellers on the Web.
It's really fantastic for comparing prices.

Good Luck with your purchase.

Re: Any HDTV Experts out there ?
 

Um . . . what are they ? Sorry to be stupid but . . .

The only DVR I know is Digital Video Recorder and it doesn't seem like that would impact the TV choice ? :confused:

Re: Any HDTV Experts out there ?
 

They're just saying its compatible with all those. The native resolution of that TV is 1024x768.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/4...onchartiv1.jpg