BEETROOT

If you were going to spend $2k on a tv today, what would you buy and where would you buy it?

TV is for general purpose use in a living room, no gaming. Fairly bright room, and it will need to be wall mounted.

I know there are a thousand of these threads, but I also know how much you TV guys like talking about them...

Gracias.

soopa

depends on the size you want. theres TV's of various quality at each size

BEETROOT

oh, my bad... probably looking for 42" - 50"

I've been looking around in the papers and all I'm seeing is 720p or 1080p for flat panels... do they not make 1080i?

My buddy has a 720p set that looks like ass, so trying to avoid that... but 1080p seems like overkill and puts most sets out of my price range.

2001AudiS4

There are still very few 1080p wall mountable sets. There are a lot of tv's that claim they are 1080p compatible, which just means it will accept a 1080p signal (but it does not display it in 1080P). It will downconvert it so it may be displayed on your set.

soopa

There is no such thing as 1080i in the digital world. All displays are progressive.

Even on an analog display, you shouldn't be seeing a vast difference between 1080i and 720p, so I'd say your buddy's display is the problem and not the 720p.

In fact, IMO, 720p is superior to 1080i. Interlaced video has more blur, jaggies, and artifacts IMO. This is subjective though. Reality is, like I said, to the average eye each format is nearly identical.

If you want higher video quality than 720p you want 1080p, which is currently the highest resolution (and best looking) format available.

soopa

There are a ton of 1080p wall mountable sets. Just about every manufacturer makes at least 2 lines of LCD's that have a resolution of 1920x1080.

There's just not many 1080p Plasmas.

soopa

That said, you're going to have a hard time finding a 1080p display 42"+ for $2000.

You'll either need to come down in size (40" range), come up in budget (2500-3000+), or settle for 720p resolution.

BEETROOT

^ exactly.

so you think 720p is good huh... my buddies tv is a <$1000 51" projection, so yeah it could very well be the display and not the 720 that makes it look like ass.

so for a 42" 720p lcd or plasma, are there any significant differences between the name brands, or just get whatever has the best deal?

soopa

these days i'd suggest LCD over Plasma, especially at the 42" range and considering you're putting it in a bright room.

there aren't significant differences between the major brands. but I prefer Samsung & Sony, mostly because I think they're pretty though. heh.

this is a great deal Scrib posted yesterday: http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/produ...860&PID=227502


and yes, your buddies TV sounds like ass... especially if he hasn't properly tuned it. CRT RPTV's especially need proper tuning.

BEETROOT

hmm... I like that, thanks soopa, I really appreciate the help

CarForAllSeasons

Today, for 2g. I would buy the 40" Samsung 1080 LCD. i think the model number ends in like 4095. Its a very nice looking set.

soopa

Dan

this is a really nice set. + $700.00 and you can get the new 1080P version.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-rN1fEFd...ch=sony+bravia

is300eater

Sony Bravia S-Series
40" LCD HDTV
Resolution : 1366 x 768


$1,749.99 @ Costco.com and most warehouses





just for the fact you can return it for any reason... anytime (well, at least until they change the policy) is worth it to get it from Costco

Dan

Would not get ANY Sony that was not a XBR series.

CarForAllSeasons

At this point...I just wouldn't get any Sony. Just can't support them anymore.

PS: Samsung and Sony LCDs are made at the same factory. They are the same displays, but yes, they use different internal processors.

yunginTL

can u name a few sets or link me to a site? how do u tell if it is 1080p?

Ashburner

If it is 1080p, it will have a resolution of 1920 x 1080.

Regular HD 720p (1080i) will have a resolution of 1366 x 768.

Go check out Crutchfield.com. They have a good item specs page.

I have to Recommend Samsung. I have had my 46" 1080p LCD for almost a month now and everything looks fantastic on it! It was $2400 but you can get the 40" for less than $2000.

Here it is at Butterfly photo (same place where I bought mine) for $1865

http://www.butterflyphoto.com/shop/p...x?sku=LNS4096D

CarForAllSeasons

A 720P set is just that, 720P. It is not also 1080i because 1080 is 1920x1080 regardless of interlace or progressive. A 720P set will take a 1080i signal and downconvert it to show on the screen. Also, I wouldn't call it "regular" HD. Its HD period just a different format.

and check out www.tvauthority.com They have the 40" without cablecard for $1695...and no retail stores will price match them because they say they would lose money on the deal.

BEETROOT

Found out we have a connection through my buddies office... their tech guy said he can get us whatever we want at cost, he's coming here in a bit to give us a quote

2001AudiS4

Talk to him and see if he can get you an LG plasma. I might pick one up myself. Right now they have a seriously large rebate. I believe the 42" at dealer cost, plus the rebate that they will still honor brings it down to something like $800. I didn't want to get a new tv, but at this price, I am not sure I can turn it down.

BEETROOT

^ nice, I'll look into that, thanks for the heads up.

slayer202

If 1080i is converted to 720p on tvs that are not 1920x1080, then why do some tvs list only 720p and not 1080i?

If the reason is that it downconverts, why do some brands still list 1080i? Wouldn't it hellp business if they listed 1080i also?

2001AudiS4

You're welcome. It's not the Cadillac of TV's, but at that price, you can't really go wrong. I have installed a few. SD is what you would expect from a Digital set, HD is decent however. If you can get it at that price and you do go ahead with it, let me know. I'd like to know if you like it.

2001AudiS4

This article is a decent read if you ever wondered about the differences in the different HD resolutions.

http://www.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-5137915-1.html

slayer202

good read, thanks

But I still don't understand why some tvs list 1080i when their resolutions aren't high enough to truly support it? And if they are allowed to list it when the tv just downconverts, why can't they also just list 1080p?