Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[Mike Sloane]

Since my ancient (1970's vintage Zenith) TV finally expired this week, I 
was forced to enter the 21st century and buy a replacement. I found that 
the reviews on the CNET site , 
although somewhat difficult to navigate, very helpful. My problem was 
that many of the ratings depend on features/functionality that I will 
never utilize (gaming, internet access, use as a computer monitor, etc.) 
and definitions of screen characteristics that I have trouble relating 
to - "saturation", "contrast", "sharpness", "color depth", etc.


Then I had to deal with Direct TV to "upgrade" my service and hardware 
to handle HD. And don't forget to buy an HDMI cable - neither the TV nor 
the cable/satellite box come with them.


I should point out that I don't watch TV, but my wife does, so my 
proposed alternative of doing without was rejected out of hand. :-)


Oh, you might ask what I bought. It is a 42" LG brand LCD model with LED 
backlighting and "local dimming" (a combination of which should allow me 
to see the sweat oozing out of a baseball player's pores - something I 
never realized I needed to observe until now). It too new to be "in 
stock" at the local appliance dealer in whom I have a lot of faith, but 
they committed to setting it up for me for free later this week (and 
take away the old Zenith) as part of the deal. From what I understand 
from reading forums, there is a lot to be said for having the unit 
installed and supported by the seller, failed/damaged units on delivery 
being not all that rare.


Mike

phartz...@gmail.com wrote:

On Sun, Apr 4, 2010 at 5:24 AM, Jeff Miles  wrote:


   I wish I'd known all this before. I had an old black and white tv I 
could have sold you.


  I was just trying to point out that trying to compare one TV set to
another in a store environment does not really work very well because
the sets will all have different settings for brightness, contrast,
sharpness, color, etc.  Most stores also only use customized
programming to show of their televisions.  You are probably not going
to be able to see the same program source in a store that will be
available in your home.  I think that the best way to evaluate one set
versus another is to read as many user or expert reviews as possible.

  Steve




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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[phartz...@gmail.com]

On Sun, Apr 4, 2010 at 5:24 AM, Jeff Miles  wrote:

>        I wish I'd known all this before. I had an old black and white tv I 
> could have sold you.

  I was just trying to point out that trying to compare one TV set to
another in a store environment does not really work very well because
the sets will all have different settings for brightness, contrast,
sharpness, color, etc.  Most stores also only use customized
programming to show of their televisions.  You are probably not going
to be able to see the same program source in a store that will be
available in your home.  I think that the best way to evaluate one set
versus another is to read as many user or expert reviews as possible.

  Steve


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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[Jeff Miles]

I wish I'd known all this before. I had an old black and white tv I 
could have sold you.


Jeff Miles
jmile...@charter.net

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On Mar 26, 2010, at 5:01 AM, phartz...@gmail.com wrote:

> On Fri, Mar 26, 2010 at 6:08 AM, Jeff Miles  wrote:
> 
>>Anyway, I've been comparing the different brands simply by visual 
>> inspection at Costco. They have >carried the Sharp, Panasonic, Visio(?) and 
>> some others I can't remember off the top of my head. The >Panasonic did look 
>> sharper, crisper and more vibrant when it came to color saturation while 
>> keeping >detail in the shadow areas. And before you ask, they were all 
>> showing the same movie at the times I did >compare them. It could be the 
>> controls on the TVs themselves, but I'm guessing the store set them up >out 
>> of the box at factory settings.
> 
>  All televisions these days come with a display parameter setting
> specifically designed for use in stores.  This setting generally
> causes the displayed image in the store to be much brighter than you
> would have it set in your home, the colors to be artificially
> saturated, the sharpness to be extreme, etc., etc., etc.  Such
> settings are designed to cause one set to stand out versus others on
> display.  This is simlar to how stores sell stereo systems by turning
> the bass and treble all the way to eleven to capture attention.
> 
>  In fact, when you buy a TV and set it up in your home and first turn
> it on, you are asked, by way of a dialog box that appears on screen if
> you want the display to be set to "Store Display" parameters or to
> "Home Use" parameters, or something similarly worded.  Different
> makers will have those preset in-store parameters set to differing
> levels of extremism, thus making it quite difficult for buyers to be
> able to accurately determine what a realistic picture will really look
> like once they get the set home and start using it.
> 
>  For folks who like their TV images to have those overly saturated,
> psychedelic-like colors and with sharpness levels beyond the
> ridiculous and with brightness that will burn their eyeballs out, they
> can just use those in-store settings at home.  For folks who want
> images that appear realistic, they will have to make a number of
> adjustments to the picture setting parameters.  New TVs do have some
> preset home use parameters, but I have not as yet found one that
> really displays a particularly accurate picture using their factory
> settings.  They are all a bit extreme, in my opinion, but one can
> create their own picture setting parameters to pretty much get screen
> images that look natural on any decent quality TV these days.
> 
>  Steve
> 
> 
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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[phartz...@gmail.com]

On Fri, Mar 26, 2010 at 6:08 AM, Jeff Miles  wrote:

>        Anyway, I've been comparing the different brands simply by visual 
> inspection at Costco. They have >carried the Sharp, Panasonic, Visio(?) and 
> some others I can't remember off the top of my head. The >Panasonic did look 
> sharper, crisper and more vibrant when it came to color saturation while 
> keeping >detail in the shadow areas. And before you ask, they were all 
> showing the same movie at the times I did >compare them. It could be the 
> controls on the TVs themselves, but I'm guessing the store set them up >out 
> of the box at factory settings.

  All televisions these days come with a display parameter setting
specifically designed for use in stores.  This setting generally
causes the displayed image in the store to be much brighter than you
would have it set in your home, the colors to be artificially
saturated, the sharpness to be extreme, etc., etc., etc.  Such
settings are designed to cause one set to stand out versus others on
display.  This is simlar to how stores sell stereo systems by turning
the bass and treble all the way to eleven to capture attention.

  In fact, when you buy a TV and set it up in your home and first turn
it on, you are asked, by way of a dialog box that appears on screen if
you want the display to be set to "Store Display" parameters or to
"Home Use" parameters, or something similarly worded.  Different
makers will have those preset in-store parameters set to differing
levels of extremism, thus making it quite difficult for buyers to be
able to accurately determine what a realistic picture will really look
like once they get the set home and start using it.

  For folks who like their TV images to have those overly saturated,
psychedelic-like colors and with sharpness levels beyond the
ridiculous and with brightness that will burn their eyeballs out, they
can just use those in-store settings at home.  For folks who want
images that appear realistic, they will have to make a number of
adjustments to the picture setting parameters.  New TVs do have some
preset home use parameters, but I have not as yet found one that
really displays a particularly accurate picture using their factory
settings.  They are all a bit extreme, in my opinion, but one can
create their own picture setting parameters to pretty much get screen
images that look natural on any decent quality TV these days.

  Steve


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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[Jeff Miles]

I'm still way behind on my email. Now mostly because of jury duty. 
Thank God that's over.
Before I start I wan't to admit I know nothing about the specs or tech 
of any of this.
I've also been thinking about a new HDTV. Over the past year I heard 
that Sharp was no longer selling in the US. I could be wrong. But if I'm right, 
it's either coming from outside the US or is an older model?
I also heard something about a certain type of chip all these TVs use. 
Panasonic uses something better then the rest, according to them (of course) 
and an article I read. 
Since I have a 27 inch Sylvania stereo TV with built in speakers, VCR 
and DVDrecorder, which seems to weigh about a ton, I haven't been to anxious to 
replace it. Maybe this is when I should make good use of freenet.com?
Anyway, I've been comparing the different brands simply by visual 
inspection at Costco. They have carried the Sharp, Panasonic, Visio(?) and some 
others I can't remember off the top of my head. The Panasonic did look sharper, 
crisper and more vibrant when it came to color saturation while keeping detail 
in the shadow areas. And before you ask, they were all showing the same movie 
at the times I did compare them. It could be the controls on the TVs 
themselves, but I'm guessing the store set them up out of the box at factory 
settings.

Jeff Miles
jmile...@charter.net



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On Mar 21, 2010, at 10:14 AM, mike wrote:

> http://www.amazon.com/Philips-42PFL3704D-F7-42-Inch-1080p/dp/B001LP6LPG
> 
> Something like that appears to be a good deal...under six bills at a local
> dealer.
> 
> On Sun, Mar 21, 2010 at 10:12 AM, mike  wrote:
> 
>> We may be on the cusp of a breakthrough ladies and gentlemen.  I may be in
>> the market for an HDTV.
>> 
>> Any thoughts will be considered...who to stay away from, brand and or
>> seller..who to go to first.  We are looking for something LCD in type, not
>> LED...42 or perhaps 46 inches.  We are budget conscious...read CHEAP.  I've
>> heard things like...vizio is a solid inexpensive brand and others say stay
>> far away.  I'm neither an audiophile or videophile, I'm just looking for
>> something solid and reliable.
>> 
> 
> 
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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[betty]

Paula Minor  escribió:


Crooked companies shouldn't be encouraged, much less allowed to get away with 
their abuses.


Betty, in our home they are referred to as the "Evil Empire" and no one in our extended family will go near them. But we are lucky to live in a large city with many other choices.  Some people don't have that choice once the Evil Empire moves in. 


Some people have no choice but to shop at places like Malwart. However, people who have a 
choice and still shop there, claiming that they can't afford to shop elsewhere are fooling 
themselves. We can't afford to keep shopping at stores that resemble bad country 
songs--They done me wrong!! They done us wrong!!


Even Beast Buy and CompUSSR [they're bck- new store just opened in Delaware, home of 
tax-free shopping, like New Hampshire] are better.



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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[mike]

Right, I'm not looking to walmart or cosco for advice on tech like this,
that's why I asked here for those who have a HDTV and might have pointers of
what to stay away from or what to steer towards.

On Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 2:46 PM, David D Odell wrote:

> To return to the heart of what, I believe, prompted this thread:
>
> There are, of course, many purchase location options.  If you are looking
> for a truly educated sales staff, Walmart/Sam's Club or other warehouse
> type
> places are not your best bet.
>
> Once your choice has been made, and - if you have no moral qualms about
> picking an educated clerk's mind and then buying from a discount warehouse
> or online- let your conscience be your guide. :)
>
> -Original Message-
> From: Computer Guys Discussion List
> [mailto:computerguy...@listserv.aol.com]on Behalf Of Paula Minor
> Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 11:42 AM
> To: COMPUTERGUYS-L@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
> Subject: Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV
>
>
> > Crooked companies shouldn't be encouraged, much less allowed to get
> > away with their abuses.
>
> Betty, in our home they are referred to as the "Evil Empire" and no
> one in our extended family will go near them. But we are lucky to live
> in a large city with many other choices.  Some people don't have that
> choice once the Evil Empire moves in.
>
> Paula Minor
> raven880atindy.net
>
>
>
>
>
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> __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus
> signature
> database 4972 (20100324) __
>
> The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
>
> http://www.eset.com
>
>
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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[David D Odell]

To return to the heart of what, I believe, prompted this thread:

There are, of course, many purchase location options.  If you are looking
for a truly educated sales staff, Walmart/Sam's Club or other warehouse type
places are not your best bet.

Once your choice has been made, and - if you have no moral qualms about
picking an educated clerk's mind and then buying from a discount warehouse
or online- let your conscience be your guide. :)

-Original Message-
From: Computer Guys Discussion List
[mailto:computerguy...@listserv.aol.com]on Behalf Of Paula Minor
Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 11:42 AM
To: COMPUTERGUYS-L@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
Subject: Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV


> Crooked companies shouldn't be encouraged, much less allowed to get
> away with their abuses.

Betty, in our home they are referred to as the "Evil Empire" and no
one in our extended family will go near them. But we are lucky to live
in a large city with many other choices.  Some people don't have that
choice once the Evil Empire moves in.

Paula Minor
raven880atindy.net





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__ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature
database 4972 (20100324) __

The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.

http://www.eset.com


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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[Paula Minor]

Crooked companies shouldn't be encouraged, much less allowed to get  
away with their abuses.


Betty, in our home they are referred to as the "Evil Empire" and no  
one in our extended family will go near them. But we are lucky to live  
in a large city with many other choices.  Some people don't have that  
choice once the Evil Empire moves in.


Paula Minor
raven880atindy.net





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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[mike]

Very well, I agree on many points, I'll check out other retailers like
Sears.

On Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 9:56 PM, b_s-wilk  wrote:

>
>
> Does that answer your question?
>
> What's your budget? Sears has the same TV for $50 more, but they have good
> service, and aren't nearly as evil. Look at LG TVs. They're partnered with
> Philips.
>
> Betty
>
>
>
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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[mike]

Betty, you mentioned not going to walmart...why?  I'm asking because I can
get a Philips 42" lcd for 540 bux...seems almost too good to pass up.  You
mentioned you had a philips and seemed happy with it so this just seemed
like a winner.  Thanks for your input.

On Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 12:07 PM, b_s-wilk  wrote:

> Who is he ordering from?
>>
>
> One of the big online vendors. Don't recall which one.
>
>
>
>> What idiot company is delivering?
>>
>
> Fed Ex - not an idiot company. The big flat TVs are too big to take all the
> tumbling they get in regular delivery vans, even when they are packed well.
>
> FWIW, I bought my LCD iMac online from Apple and it was also delivered to
> my door. However, the larger TVs aren't packed as well as Apple's computers.
> They can't be unless a 46" TV is packed in a solid 50" foam cube.
>
>
>
>> Granted I have picked up all my flat screen TV's.
>>
>
> So did we. It was fun juggling all of the extra "insulation" and bungies in
> the back of my truck to get the TVs home in one piece.
>
>
>
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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[b_s-wilk]

Who is he ordering from?


One of the big online vendors. Don't recall which one.



What idiot company is delivering?


Fed Ex - not an idiot company. The big flat TVs are too big to take all 
the tumbling they get in regular delivery vans, even when they are 
packed well.


FWIW, I bought my LCD iMac online from Apple and it was also delivered 
to my door. However, the larger TVs aren't packed as well as Apple's 
computers. They can't be unless a 46" TV is packed in a solid 50" foam cube.




Granted I have picked up all my flat screen TV's. 


So did we. It was fun juggling all of the extra "insulation" and bungies 
in the back of my truck to get the TVs home in one piece.



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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[gerald slawecki]

i bought mine through buy.com a couple years ago.  i think them a front for 
corporate  samsung.  it was shipped airfreight fedex from CA to DC.  i bought a 
55" LED that is about 6-8" thick.  it weighed around 100lbs in the crate.  
fedex did not wait while i uncrated it, which took at least 15 min.

samsung has a nice chart and retail prices here:

http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/tv-video/televisions/led-tv/index.idx?pagetype=subtype

i thought what i was buying was a LED-DLP.  one of the reasons i bought the LED 
was the bulbs in the rest of the dlp's have less than a 1000 hr half life.  
that's not very long(1000hrs is 6 weeks).  

our led is still running after two years, and i would guess 3 days a week x 6 
hrs on.  we listen to the cable music.guess that be about 2000 hrs.

At 11:12 PM 3/21/2010, you wrote:
>Who is he ordering from?
>
>What idiot company is delivering?
>
>Granted I have picked up all my flat screen TV's.
>
>Stewart
>
>
>At 09:45 PM 3/21/2010, you wrote:
>>My friend, Kurt, has one of those Samsung TVs. It's LCD with LED backlight. 
>>It's beautiful. It's ridiculously thin. I think it's 46". I want one.
>>
>>He bought it online and made sure that he was home for delivery. First TV had 
>>broken screen; second TV was also damaged; third is fine. He's lucky that he 
>>could arrange his job so that he could be home. You may not be so fortunate 
>>when you're not home to receive and inspect a delivery.
>>
>>
>>>Cost is much higher also.
>>>On Sun, Mar 21, 2010 at 12:14 PM, gerald slawecki wrote:
>>>
> why you want an lcd instead of an led.  the samsung(the only one i follow)
> led has about a 10x superior brightness or contrast ratio.
>
>>
>>
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>
>Rev. Stewart A. Marshall
>mailto:popoz...@earthlink.net
>Prince of Peace www.princeofpeaceozark.org
>Ozark, AL  SL 82
>
>
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REGARDS

jerry
gerald slawecki
home 301 839 9009
cell 301 233 2248
fax  301 839 9008 


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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[Rev. Stewart Marshall]

Who is he ordering from?

What idiot company is delivering?

Granted I have picked up all my flat screen TV's.

Stewart


At 09:45 PM 3/21/2010, you wrote:
My friend, Kurt, has one of those Samsung TVs. It's LCD with LED 
backlight. It's beautiful. It's ridiculously thin. I think it's 46". 
I want one.


He bought it online and made sure that he was home for delivery. 
First TV had broken screen; second TV was also damaged; third is 
fine. He's lucky that he could arrange his job so that he could be 
home. You may not be so fortunate when you're not home to receive 
and inspect a delivery.




Cost is much higher also.
On Sun, Mar 21, 2010 at 12:14 PM, gerald slawecki wrote:

> why you want an lcd instead of an led.  the samsung(the only 
one i follow)

> led has about a 10x superior brightness or contrast ratio.
>



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Rev. Stewart A. Marshall
mailto:popoz...@earthlink.net
Prince of Peace www.princeofpeaceozark.org
Ozark, AL  SL 82


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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[b_s-wilk]

My friend, Kurt, has one of those Samsung TVs. It's LCD with LED 
backlight. It's beautiful. It's ridiculously thin. I think it's 46". I 
want one.


He bought it online and made sure that he was home for delivery. First 
TV had broken screen; second TV was also damaged; third is fine. He's 
lucky that he could arrange his job so that he could be home. You may 
not be so fortunate when you're not home to receive and inspect a delivery.




Cost is much higher also.

On Sun, Mar 21, 2010 at 12:14 PM, gerald slawecki wrote:


> why you want an lcd instead of an led.  the samsung(the only one i follow)
> led has about a 10x superior brightness or contrast ratio.
>



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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[mike]

And what advice did I give?  I didn't say to get one or not get one...so no
advice was given big guy.

On Sun, Mar 21, 2010 at 5:19 PM, tjpa  wrote:

> On Mar 21, 2010, at 5:53 PM, mike wrote:
>
>> People make the same argument for extended warranties, completely a waste
>> of
>> money for people who have bought them...unless they needed one.  I'm not
>> advocating either one, extended warranties or buying online, but for those
>> who have been burned it's hard to change their mind.
>>
>
> Well at least you are consistent. Consistently giving out bad advice.
>
>
>
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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[tjpa]

On Mar 21, 2010, at 5:53 PM, mike wrote:
People make the same argument for extended warranties, completely a  
waste of
money for people who have bought them...unless they needed one.  I'm  
not
advocating either one, extended warranties or buying online, but for  
those

who have been burned it's hard to change their mind.


Well at least you are consistent. Consistently giving out bad advice.


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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[tjpa]

On Mar 21, 2010, at 7:45 PM, betty wrote:
You'll see why you might want to spend more if the TV arrives  
broken, left on your doorstep, and you either can't return it or  
have to jump through hoops to get an RMA. Yes there are good online  
retailers and delivery services, but you take a ig chance. The  
hundreds you "save" could be lost with a bad delivery.


If, if, if. If you don't ever get out of bed, nothing bad will happen  
to you. Oh wait, most people die in bed. So forget that one too.



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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[gerald slawecki]

>i bought a 55" samsung led from buy.com a couple of years ago.  buy.com was a 
>front for samsung in CA.  the set came with some form of a 12 month return 
>policy.  the set arrived by fedex 2 days after purchase(they flew it to dc).  
>the saving was about $1000.  i see no such saving presently, so buy locally.

REGARDS

jerry
gerald slawecki
home 301 839 9009
cell 301 233 2248
fax  301 839 9008 


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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[mike]

People make the same argument for extended warranties, completely a waste of
money for people who have bought them...unless they needed one.  I'm not
advocating either one, extended warranties or buying online, but for those
who have been burned it's hard to change their mind.

On Sun, Mar 21, 2010 at 2:37 PM, tjpa  wrote:

> On Mar 21, 2010, at 4:06 PM, b_s-wilk wrote:
>
>> Buy locally, even from a big box store. Costco is OK; Sears has good
>> sales; Beast Buy sometimes has good sales; Fry's too; avoid Walmart. DON'T
>> BUY ONLINE OR HAVE IT SHIPPED!! That is unless you can be home to accept it
>> AND have the delivery truck wait while you open and test your TV. When the
>> TV arrives broken it's yours if you didn't examine it on arrival. Search for
>> horror stories about delivery nightmares, especially with Amazon.
>>
>
> I checked prices online and locally. The online prices (including shipping)
> were significantly lower than the prices I could get locally. I bought from
> an online retailer that I knew offered good service (B&H in NYC). It took 3
> days for the box to arrive. The box was a bit beat up, but the contents were
> well packed so no problems. I can't see spending $100s extra for absolutely
> nothing.
>
>
>
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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[tjpa]

On Mar 21, 2010, at 4:06 PM, b_s-wilk wrote:
Buy locally, even from a big box store. Costco is OK; Sears has good  
sales; Beast Buy sometimes has good sales; Fry's too; avoid Walmart.  
DON'T BUY ONLINE OR HAVE IT SHIPPED!! That is unless you can be home  
to accept it AND have the delivery truck wait while you open and  
test your TV. When the TV arrives broken it's yours if you didn't  
examine it on arrival. Search for horror stories about delivery  
nightmares, especially with Amazon.


I checked prices online and locally. The online prices (including  
shipping) were significantly lower than the prices I could get  
locally. I bought from an online retailer that I knew offered good  
service (B&H in NYC). It took 3 days for the box to arrive. The box  
was a bit beat up, but the contents were well packed so no problems. I  
can't see spending $100s extra for absolutely nothing.



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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[mike]

Cost is much higher also.

On Sun, Mar 21, 2010 at 12:14 PM, gerald slawecki wrote:

> why you want an lcd instead of an led.  the samsung(the only one i follow)
> led has about a 10x superior brightness or contrast ratio.
>
>
> At 01:12 PM 3/21/2010, you wrote:
> >We may be on the cusp of a breakthrough ladies and gentlemen.  I may be in
> >the market for an HDTV.
> >
> >Any thoughts will be considered...who to stay away from, brand and or
> >seller..who to go to first.  We are looking for something LCD in type, not
> >LED...42 or perhaps 46 inches.  We are budget conscious...read CHEAP.
>  I've
> >heard things like...vizio is a solid inexpensive brand and others say stay
> >far away.  I'm neither an audiophile or videophile, I'm just looking for
> >something solid and reliable.
> >
> >
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> REGARDS
>
> jerry
> gerald slawecki
> home 301 839 9009
> cell 301 233 2248
> fax  301 839 9008
>
>
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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[mike]

Walmart seems to have killer prices...avoid them because of service?

On Mar 21, 2010 1:12 PM, "b_s-wilk"  wrote:

We have two Philips HDTVs -- one 37" LCD [1080p] and one 42" plasma [1080i],
both 4 years old and are excellent. We bought them before prices crashed, so
we had to look hard for a decent price. The huge TVs, bigger than 46" are
good if you have no life because they dominate the room and are distracting,
IMHO.

Everything is cheaper now. As I've said before, I'd avoid Sony--they're
beautiful, and they'll break [your heart]. Samsung TVs are excellent. They
used to call Vizio TVs "Buzzio" but they've improved significantly, so I
hear. One thing to consider, no matter whose label is on the TV, there are
only a few flat panel manufacturers. Philips is one, Samsung is another,
there are a few others. Also there's no such thing as a consumer LED TV on
the market yet. The ones that advertise LED are LCD panels with LED
backlight, which reduces power consumption, a good thing.

Both Philips TVs have HDMI, composite, component, S-video, USB, stereo
speakers, etc.

Buy locally, even from a big box store. Costco is OK; Sears has good sales;
Beast Buy sometimes has good sales; Fry's too; avoid Walmart. DON'T BUY
ONLINE OR HAVE IT SHIPPED!! That is unless you can be home to accept it AND
have the delivery truck wait while you open and test your TV. When the TV
arrives broken it's yours if you didn't examine it on arrival. Search for
horror stories about delivery nightmares, especially with Amazon.

You'll be mesmerized. Buy two.


 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 10:28:36 -0700
>
> > >
> http://www.amazon.com/Philips-42PFL3704D-F7-42-Inch-1080p/dp/B001LP6LPG >
> > Something like that...
>
> > On Sun, Mar 21, 2010 at 10:12 AM, mike  wrote: > >> We
> may be on the cusp of a b...
>

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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[Robert Carroll]

I bought a Sony 50-inch 1080p LCD HDTV about 6 months ago.  The only 
thing that I regret is that I should have bought a larger screen.


By positioning myself around in my viewing room, I guess that a viewing 
distance of about 8 feet is best for my 50-inch screen.  Much farther 
from that and the high resolution is not easily seen.  Thus, dividing 
the screen size by 6 gives a good viewing distance.


In principle, an LCD screen with an LED backlight will outperform the 
fluorescent backlight and the set will last longer.  Practically at this 
time, I don't know which is better.



mike wrote:

We may be on the cusp of a breakthrough ladies and gentlemen.  I may be in
the market for an HDTV.

Any thoughts will be considered...who to stay away from, brand and or
seller..who to go to first.  We are looking for something LCD in type, not
LED...42 or perhaps 46 inches.  We are budget conscious...read CHEAP.  I've
heard things like...vizio is a solid inexpensive brand and others say stay
far away.  I'm neither an audiophile or videophile, I'm just looking for
something solid and reliable.

  



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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[b_s-wilk]

We have two Philips HDTVs -- one 37" LCD [1080p] and one 42" plasma 
[1080i], both 4 years old and are excellent. We bought them before 
prices crashed, so we had to look hard for a decent price. The huge TVs, 
bigger than 46" are good if you have no life because they dominate the 
room and are distracting, IMHO.


Everything is cheaper now. As I've said before, I'd avoid Sony--they're 
beautiful, and they'll break [your heart]. Samsung TVs are excellent. 
They used to call Vizio TVs "Buzzio" but they've improved significantly, 
so I hear. One thing to consider, no matter whose label is on the TV, 
there are only a few flat panel manufacturers. Philips is one, Samsung 
is another, there are a few others. Also there's no such thing as a 
consumer LED TV on the market yet. The ones that advertise LED are LCD 
panels with LED backlight, which reduces power consumption, a good thing.


Both Philips TVs have HDMI, composite, component, S-video, USB, stereo 
speakers, etc.


Buy locally, even from a big box store. Costco is OK; Sears has good 
sales; Beast Buy sometimes has good sales; Fry's too; avoid Walmart. 
DON'T BUY ONLINE OR HAVE IT SHIPPED!! That is unless you can be home to 
accept it AND have the delivery truck wait while you open and test your 
TV. When the TV arrives broken it's yours if you didn't examine it on 
arrival. Search for horror stories about delivery nightmares, especially 
with Amazon.


You'll be mesmerized. Buy two.



Sun, 21 Mar 2010 10:28:36 -0700

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-42PFL3704D-F7-42-Inch-1080p/dp/B001LP6LPG

Something like that appears to be a good deal...under six bills at a local
dealer.

On Sun, Mar 21, 2010 at 10:12 AM, mike  wrote:


We may be on the cusp of a breakthrough ladies and gentlemen.  I may be in
the market for an HDTV.

Any thoughts will be considered...who to stay away from, brand and or
seller..who to go to first.  We are looking for something LCD in type, not
LED...42 or perhaps 46 inches.  We are budget conscious...read CHEAP.  I've
heard things like...vizio is a solid inexpensive brand and others say stay
far away.  I'm neither an audiophile or videophile, I'm just looking for
something solid and reliable.




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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[phartz...@gmail.com]

On Sun, Mar 21, 2010 at 1:12 PM, mike  wrote:

> We may be on the cusp of a breakthrough ladies and gentlemen.  I may be in
> the market for an HDTV.
>
> Any thoughts will be considered...who to stay away from, brand and or
> seller..who to go to first.  We are looking for something LCD in type, not
> LED...42 or perhaps 46 inches.  We are budget conscious...read CHEAP.  I've
> heard things like...vizio is a solid inexpensive brand and others say stay
> far away.  I'm neither an audiophile or videophile, I'm just looking for
> something solid and reliable.

  I bought a Toshiba 1080p 40" LCD TV about 6 months ago and am very
pleased with it.  The Toshiba's ranked very high in on-line ratings
and reviews that I read.  It has a very sensitive digital tuner as
well, more sensitive than most other brands, and that was a necessity
for me since I get all my TV by way of over-the-air transmission.

 Steve


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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[gerald slawecki]

why you want an lcd instead of an led.  the samsung(the only one i follow) led 
has about a 10x superior brightness or contrast ratio. 


At 01:12 PM 3/21/2010, you wrote:
>We may be on the cusp of a breakthrough ladies and gentlemen.  I may be in
>the market for an HDTV.
>
>Any thoughts will be considered...who to stay away from, brand and or
>seller..who to go to first.  We are looking for something LCD in type, not
>LED...42 or perhaps 46 inches.  We are budget conscious...read CHEAP.  I've
>heard things like...vizio is a solid inexpensive brand and others say stay
>far away.  I'm neither an audiophile or videophile, I'm just looking for
>something solid and reliable.
>
>
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REGARDS

jerry
gerald slawecki
home 301 839 9009
cell 301 233 2248
fax  301 839 9008 


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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[David D Odell]

Vizio is indeed a good brand- I also like Sony, Samsung and Panasonic, but
there are many good TV brands out there.  The main things to consider are :
1080p (yes, 720p is less expensive, but there will be MUCH more 1080p
content available over the next year or so) / at least 120mhz ( higher is
better;  60mhz, while less expensive, has trouble following fast action and
leads to blurring (trails).  Also consider contrast ratio; again, the
higher, the better (for better black and shadow detail.

Look at the display models and ask questions-  See if the sales person will
show you a demo DVD with fast action.

You may also want to look at the number of inputs if you have, or are
planning on adding, other devices such as DVD player (blu-ray?) gaming
system , etc.  Ask questions!

Prices are fairly close at all major retailers, most will match or beat
competitor's prices.

I would stick with a retailer, such as Best Buy (only an example), whose
employees are actually trained and are not on commission.


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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[mike]

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-42PFL3704D-F7-42-Inch-1080p/dp/B001LP6LPG

Something like that appears to be a good deal...under six bills at a local
dealer.

On Sun, Mar 21, 2010 at 10:12 AM, mike  wrote:

> We may be on the cusp of a breakthrough ladies and gentlemen.  I may be in
> the market for an HDTV.
>
> Any thoughts will be considered...who to stay away from, brand and or
> seller..who to go to first.  We are looking for something LCD in type, not
> LED...42 or perhaps 46 inches.  We are budget conscious...read CHEAP.  I've
> heard things like...vizio is a solid inexpensive brand and others say stay
> far away.  I'm neither an audiophile or videophile, I'm just looking for
> something solid and reliable.
>


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[CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[mike]

We may be on the cusp of a breakthrough ladies and gentlemen.  I may be in
the market for an HDTV.

Any thoughts will be considered...who to stay away from, brand and or
seller..who to go to first.  We are looking for something LCD in type, not
LED...42 or perhaps 46 inches.  We are budget conscious...read CHEAP.  I've
heard things like...vizio is a solid inexpensive brand and others say stay
far away.  I'm neither an audiophile or videophile, I'm just looking for
something solid and reliable.


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