HD Ready Or Not! Here I Come?

[B_ScaredLittleBoy]

What does everyone think of HDTV? Worth getting one? A bit pricey?

I'm thinking of getting a new TV to replace my analog one and was going to get an HD one. Or at least an LCD TV.

 

[speshk]

Loves the hd. Go for it! Lcd is fine 32" and under.

 

[viking1]

Since you aren't in the USA I can't answer that too well. Here in the USA all analog broadcasts will end in 2009. Yes, you can get a D/A converter, but what's the point? HDTV has a far better picture quality. I don't know how much HD is being broadcast in Europe. If it's extensive, and you need a new TV, I'd go with an HDTV. If you don't really need a new TV, and HD isn't that common, you may want to wait a while. Prices are dropping all the time.

As for LCD, they are much more expensive than a CRT, and don't look as good. They are very bright, but don't have as much contrast, as good a black level, nor do they handle motion as well.

 

[mindseye]

I've got a feeling that the price of these is going to drop steeply during the next 13 months, and if you can hold off on getting one, it'll pay off.

My reasoning: The USA has mandated that over-the-air broadcasters stop broadcasting analog signals as of February 2009; this will provide a lot of consumers with an incentive to buy a new television. At the same time, the House of Representatives approved (just today) an economic stimulus package that includes a tax rebate to most American families (source) -- if the package passes the Senate as well, the unexpected bonus checks will give many Americans the means to buy a new television.

With that combination, there will be intense competition among the manufacturers for a share of that tax-rebate spending; expect to see current models heavily discounted during the second half of this year.

The effect of this for you in the UK may be diluted somewhat, but I'm guessing that you'll see prices drop as well.

 

[D_Jurgen Klitgaard]

Just got one, awesome!!

Got a 52" LCD, if you get one that size, it has to be 1080p for it to look great. Some say that LCD is not good when you get up to that size, but it all depends on the resolution that it puts out.

Also, it would be in your best interest to get HD programming. Regular satellite looks horrid on HDTVs.

 

[B_ScaredLittleBoy]

52?

I was eying up this "little" beauty:

Samsung SM2032MW 20" LCD TV/Monitor HDTV Ready 1680x1050 1000:1 300cd/m2 RGB/DVI-D/HDMI PIP 3 Years Warranty - Ebuyer

But that's a micro TV compared to your 52 incher! :tongue:

I don't really want to spend that much and did have a budget of £200/$400. I also want an XBOX 360 and CoD4...might have to get either the Xbox or the HDTV this month and wait til next month for the other :redface:

Anyone know any cheap sites/stores? Hehe

 

[D_Jurgen Klitgaard]

52?

I was eying up this "little" beauty:

Samsung SM2032MW 20" LCD TV/Monitor HDTV Ready 1680x1050 1000:1 300cd/m2 RGB/DVI-D/HDMI PIP 3 Years Warranty - Ebuyer

But that's a micro TV compared to your 52 incher! :tongue:

I don't really want to spend that much and did have a budget of £200/$400. I also want an XBOX 360 and CoD4...might have to get either the Xbox or the HDTV this month and wait til next month for the other :redface:

Anyone know any cheap sites/stores? Hehe

Finally, I feel like a BIg man on here with my 52" godzilla whopper!!:tongue::rofl:

 

[dong20]

Since you aren't in the USA I can't answer that too well. Here in the USA all analog broadcasts will end in 2009. Yes, you can get a D/A converter, but what's the point? HDTV has a far better picture quality. I don't know how much HD is being broadcast in Europe. If it's extensive, and you need a new TV, I'd go with an HDTV. If you don't really need a new TV, and HD isn't that common, you may want to wait a while. Prices are dropping all the time.

As for LCD, they are much more expensive than a CRT, and don't look as good. They are very bright, but don't have as much contrast, as good a black level, nor do they handle motion as well.

It's getting hard to by a CRT in the UK, for good reason; the size, the power usage, the weight...plus I don't know what LCDs you have been looking at but the image quality of a decent one is darn good these days. Get one with a decent refresh rate and motion is no problem.

On the HD programming front, there's not a huge amount of HD programming but it's getting better. Not much on cable, more on satellite. I'm not sure it would be worth buying an HDTV just for HD programmes but as almost every LCD on sale is HD compliant (save the real bottom of the market ones) buying a new TV will give you HD compliance anyway.

Like the US, analogue broadcasting will terminate by 2012, depending on where you live starting this year but mostly in 2009. The problem isn't one of HD transmission but that it's a switch to digital so some form of action (converter/freeview/new TV etc) is necessary regardless of HD.

Still, as has been said prices are continually falling, why rush but then why wait if it's what you want? I have a home cinema with a digital HDTV box so I'm in no rush to bin my old CRT but I'll do it sometime this year I expect.

 

[B_ScaredLittleBoy]

At the moment I really only want one for my Xbox 360 although if theyre not NECESSARY and the difference in quality isn't all that great, I could just get a regular HDTV. I already get Freeview on my PC.

What size would you recommend for my room? I keep thinking bigger is better...but would a 17" be ample? Or 20"? Hard to decide.

 

[curious n str8]

At the moment I really only want one for my Xbox 360 although if theyre not NECESSARY and the difference in quality isn't all that great, I could just get a regular HDTV. I already get Freeview on my PC.

What size would you recommend for my room? I keep thinking bigger is better...but would a 17" be ample? Or 20"? Hard to decide.

You know what the old saying is around here..."Bigger is better" :33:

 

[viking1]

It's getting hard to by a CRT in the UK, for good reason; the size, the power usage, the weight...plus I don't know what LCDs you have been looking at but the image quality of a decent one is darn good these days. Get one with a decent refresh rate and motion is no problem.

I didn't say they weren't good. I still don't think they equal a CRT, though. They still cost too much. I'm not likely to pay that much for darned TV! My old Sony CRT TV's and monitor still look good, and they're paid for...

 

[dong20]

I didn't say they weren't good. I still don't think they equal a CRT, though.
They still cost too much. I'm not likely to pay that much for darned TV!

In some respects I'd agree but for most people most of the time I'd argue they're as good. The cost is still a significant premium but it's narrowing. Like I say it's hard to find a CRT TV in the shops at least in the UK, certainly any bigger than 28". You can but why would you?

 

[viking1]

In some respects I'd agree but for most people most of the time I'd argue they're as good. The cost is still a significant premium but it's narrowing. Like I say it's hard to find a CRT TV in the shops at least in the UK, certainly any bigger than 28". You can but why would you?

I guess that's hard to argue with, so I have to agree. That said, I used to work on TV's and I notice every little detail in the picture.

 

[dong20]

I guess that's hard to argue with, so I have to agree. That said, I used to work on TV's and I notice every little detail in the picture.

It's like PC monitors, I miss CRTs for image quality but in all other regards - good riddance. I do prefer some aspects of CRT TVs (like you say contrast and depth of blacks esp) but for all practical purposes LCD (or what's next) is simply more convenient in so many ways.

When I say why would you I mean in terms of sheer practicality, a 32" CRT must weigh 50-60kg, takes up a load of floor space and you can't wall mount it (well you could but on a girder)!

 

[viking1]

When I say why would you I mean in terms of sheer practicality, a 32" CRT must weigh 50-60kg, takes up a load of floor space and you can't wall mount it (well you could but on a girder)!

Yes, I understand. I started to get a new monitor so I could have more room on my desk. This Sony flat screen CRT has such a good picture, and after I saw the price of a good LCD, I decided to stick the CRT for a while.

 

[VeeP]

I've got a feeling that the price of these is going to drop steeply during the next 13 months, and if you can hold off on getting one, it'll pay off.

IMO we've already reached the point of diminishing returns. There's a technology "wall" at 1080p and even then it's a bit of a marketing fallacy as there's nothing actually being broadcast at 1080p. U.S.-based operators appear to be coalescing around 1080i as a "standard" (ha!), but in reality it's all over the place and is bound to remain that way for a long time to come.

That said, right now in the U.S. there's some pretty good pre-Superbowl deals to be. And no doubt there'll be a feeding frenzy on the sheeple in conjunction with the cessation of OTA analog broadcasts next year, even though it doesn't mean everyone's TV will suddenly go dark come Feb. 18, 2009. Personally, I can't wait to see how it all plays out...

My advice prior to pulling the trigger is to gain a good working knowledge of the terminology and assess what HD programming is available to you (and the associated costs therein). In the U.S. there's some "free" stuff to be had, while most HD programming still demands a premium.

A few things to bear in mind:

• 1080p won't get you much over 720p or 1080i unless you're planning to hook a gaming system to it.
• HDTV is not the same as DTTV (a.k.a DTV, a.k.a. "digital" TV)
• SDTV (standard definition, what the majority of programming still is), when compared to HDTV, is going to look like crap. A given picture will only ever be as good as the source broadcast, regardless of any "hocus pocus" (upconverting, etc.) that may be applied to it along the way.
• When moving from a 4:3 to a 16:9 aspect ratio, what used to be "big" may not be so big anymore due to the loss of picture height. Choose your size carefully and be sure factor the typical viewing distance into your decision.

 

[SurferGirlCA]

This is a good site to check out for an overview of all things TV. Knowing you, you've prolly gone beyond that already, but thought I would float it your way any way:

ConsumerReports.org - TV Buying Guide: Reliable brands from Consumer Reports

Go to that link and click on the video buying guide on the left for Big-Screen TVs. They won't actually show their final rankings for brands there unless you subscribe (which I don't), but it gives you some things to consider.

I had a Sony Plasma myself until recently when my brother threw something at it and cracked it. Thanks to that (and his guilt), I now have a Panasonic 42" Plasma, which is plenty big. He wanted to get me a 50", but that was like $2,400 at Best Buy and I told him that was ridiculous and I wouldn't accept it, even if he DID buy it. What is it with guys and size? :tongue:

Any way, if you were in the U.S., I would suggest you check out Best Buy and Costco and One Call, but I dunno where to send you in the U.K. Good luck!

 

[dong20]

Any way, if you were in the U.S., I would suggest you check out Best Buy and Costco and One Call, but I dunno where to send you in the U.K. Good luck!

There's Costco in the UK too but while they have some good bargains, LCD TVs aren't among them, quite the reverse I'd say. Makro are better but online sellers are still the cheapest by some margin in my experience.

A 32" LCD can easily be had for £300, 42" for £650, 52" for £1600, and if you're feeling that size really is important - 70" for £28,000!! Still pretty high compared to some markets, but compared to 3 years ago, dirt cheap.

I'd say prices depend at least as much on how brand fussy one is as on how good the unit actually is. I know these all make good kit too but I've seen seriously high priced Sony, Hitachi and Toshiba models that are 3 times the price of same size and spec LG, Vistron or Samsung but when it came to quality were frankly, by comparison, pants.

 

[D_golden parachute]

I've had an HDTV for a couple of years now, it was pricey

they've come right down in price now though

and we have 4

 

[Skull Mason]

I got a phat 42 inch LCD flat screen. 1080p broadcasts certain videogames and blu-ray movies. Don't be cheap either; get a nice tv. Research as much as you can before you go buy one.