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14 May 09 - 02:38 PM (#2631879) Subject: BS: LCD TV info From: gnu Well, I bought two 27" Philips TVs at Walmart a year ago last September fer a couple a hundred bucks each. One fer me, one fer Mum. Not long ago, within a few weeks, they both messed up in the exact same way. Warranty?. Hahahahahaaa! Shoulda said right on the sale sign, sommat like "After 30 days, good luck". So, I am gonna get Mum one a them there LCD TVs. I can still watch mine until football season and then just swear at the TV a lot. I do have a back up, when it works. Soooo... tell me what I should know as I shop around. |
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14 May 09 - 02:49 PM (#2631892) Subject: RE: BS: LCD TV info From: bobad Here is a site I bookmarked to consult when I am in the the market for a new tv myself, which I don't foresee being in the near future as my last tv lasted about 25 years and the one I have now is a mere youngster at around 5 years, so it will probably outlive me. A repair guy I know who fixes LCDs said to buy a top brand name like Sony or Panasonic and to stay away from those unknown brands. How To Buy a HDTV |
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14 May 09 - 02:53 PM (#2631896) Subject: RE: BS: LCD TV info From: artbrooks Consumer Reports says: View TVs critically in the store TVs are usually set to Vivid or Dynamic mode, which pumps up brightness and color to a level that looks great under fluorescent lights but unnatural in a typical home. In addition, stores often display sports programs, which tend to have super-bright lighting and vivid colors that minimize any flaws in the picture. Ideally, you could ask a salesperson to reset a TV to Normal or Standard mode, but most retailers won't allow this. See if they'll tune in programming with typical indoor scenes (including people, if possible, so you can evaluate skin tones). With an LCD, look at the set from the side, not just head on, to judge the viewing angle. If possible, vary your vertical position too so that you can judge how it looks when you are sitting and standing. The complete report is here. |
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14 May 09 - 02:59 PM (#2631902) Subject: RE: BS: LCD TV info From: gnu GREAT! First link saved me at least a few hunderd bucks! Thanks bobad! |
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14 May 09 - 03:07 PM (#2631914) Subject: RE: BS: LCD TV info From: Q (Frank Staplin) I am still putting it off. Tempted, but haven't succumbed. Moveability, and economy of space, are the main reasons I would change. Three years ago I saw a normal 26-inch Toshiba on deep sale. It works fine, with excellent picture. I will continue to use it until it fails. Some do last, I have a 15-year-old Sony also. A technician friend told me plasma is better. I don't know, but check it out. Also buy from a factory-approved electronics store- stay away from those supermarts such as Wal-mart and their here-today gone-tomorrow bargains- OK for underwear or cheap everyday stuff but not for electronics. Those extra-charge warranties that most stores sell- yes, if something goes wrong they help (one gave me an immediate replacement). But check out exactly what the store will do if you buy. Also check and see if there is a shop in your city doing warranty-approved repair on the brand you select. |
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14 May 09 - 03:10 PM (#2631917) Subject: RE: BS: LCD TV info From: wysiwyg You can't fool ME. It's HOCKEY season, the playoffs even! ~S~ |
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14 May 09 - 03:44 PM (#2631933) Subject: RE: BS: LCD TV info From: Q (Frank Staplin) Hockey? |
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14 May 09 - 04:21 PM (#2631952) Subject: RE: BS: LCD TV info From: artbrooks Isn't that the game girls play on football fields, with curved clubs? |
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14 May 09 - 04:49 PM (#2631971) Subject: RE: BS: LCD TV info From: gnu ~S~ Nope. Matter fo fact... I have said to Mum we should wait until the week after the cup. AND, Sony posted a $1B loss, so in about three to four weeks, the prices in Canada will drop 20% on sale items. |
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14 May 09 - 09:42 PM (#2632170) Subject: RE: BS: LCD TV info From: Donuel Find a TV that has a standard mode as well as a movie mode in which you can add the warm 1 or warm 2 adjustment for realism and true natural color. |
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14 May 09 - 11:41 PM (#2632233) Subject: RE: BS: LCD TV info From: Stilly River Sage A speaker in a faculty lecture series on my campus is a scientist engineer type who works with nano particles and nano machines and color. "Nanoscale Photonic Devices and their applications in optical and electronic systems" was the talk. I asked him after what kind of television he watches (the work he does leads right into that kind of thing, though his goals are much different than television). He said his next one will probably be an LCD, not a plasma. There's another very good looking technology out there that Radio Shack has, can't remember what it's called, but it is apparently very heavy. Not CRT, but still pretty big. Looks great, but too much bother to fool with, he said. Robert Magnusson, Texas Instruments Distinguished University Chair in Nanoelectronics, at U Tx Arlington. Great recommendation from someone who can actually tell these things apart! SRS |
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15 May 09 - 02:03 AM (#2632268) Subject: RE: BS: LCD TV info From: JohnInKansas Note that there is a difference between LCD TV and HDTV - although you may have trouble finding much that isn't advertised as HDTV in the stores now. Technically, an LCD TV doesn't necessarily have HDTV capability. Conversely, an HDTV can be LCD or Plasma, or (more theoretically than actually) a couple of other "technologies." A number of the previously best-rated plasma display makers have dropped plasma in recent months, going entirely to LCD. Once they run out of advertising blather to spout about it, it may be possible to find out whether there's a technical reason why LCD is being favored, or if it's just mfg cost and "saleability." (There are "opinions," but I've yet to see anything in the way of "in-depth analysis" of the relative benefits of the two technnologies.) John |
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15 May 09 - 06:43 AM (#2632365) Subject: RE: BS: LCD TV info From: gnu I understand (little, yes) that LCD has a much longer and reliable life and is not subject to "image burn". Also, LCD is less susceptible to glare from lights, especially sun. |
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16 May 09 - 06:23 AM (#2633193) Subject: RE: BS: LCD TV info From: gnu Can you hook one up to the ned HD cable boxes with a regular coaxial cable? Or do you need one of the $100 cables? |
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16 May 09 - 06:47 AM (#2633199) Subject: RE: BS: LCD TV info From: Dave the Gnome Make sure they have a digital tuner and 1080P HD capability. Even if you do noy use it now you probably will sooner or later. DeG |
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16 May 09 - 07:52 AM (#2633229) Subject: RE: BS: LCD TV info From: artbrooks I'm not sure about $100, gnu, but the directions that came with my new TV (a year or so ago) basically said that you can (1) use a coax cable if you want) and (2) don't expect decent reception, or any HD signal, if you do. Don't buy cables until you get your set...they come with different kinds of plugs to match the connections on your TV, cable/satellite/antenna box, etc. In other words, if you bust $35 for a HDMI to HDMI cable, and your cable box has a DVI-D output, you are SOL. |
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16 May 09 - 08:05 AM (#2633235) Subject: RE: BS: LCD TV info From: McGrath of Harlow Make sure they have...1080P HD capability." That link Bodad gave says that you'd need to have a 70 inch set before you could notice the difference from 720... |