danny25

I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a small tv for my bedroom. I went to Costco yesterday and saw the Philips 32PF7320A for $1399. I did some research on avsforum.com and most people seem to really like the picture quality. It has a lot of features for the price too, 2 HDMI inputs, cable card slot, PIP, and ATSC tuner. But there were a few complaints about it "rebooting" itself sometimes. I wasn't really too worried about the complaints because I can always just return it to Costco if it gives me trouble.

But some people started comparing it to the Sharp Aquos and noticed the Sharp had better black levels and maybe a little better PQ. So I found this 32" Sharp Aquos for $1395, no tax or shipping. So it would actually be about $100 cheaper, but I wouldn't have the peace of mind of knowing I could just take it back to the store if I didn't like it. And it doesn't offer PC connection like the Philips (though i probably wouldn't use that much) and it only has 1 HDMI input. Any suggestions?

Philips



Sharp

snowman81

I actually went with the Sony 3LCD. After all the ones that I looked at I liked this one the best. I love the quality of the pic and haven't even gotten to messing with all the different gadgets on it even though I've had the TV since December. Good luck with your decision though.

danny25

Gotta link? How much was it?

snowman81

Here is the link to the Sony website where you can check out the TV. Also check out these reviews from www.cnet.com. I always use that site for any electronics that I am going to buy. It's always been really useful for me.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Not a big fan of LCDs at all... especially the Sony 3LCD projection TVs. The Screen-Door Effect (SDE) just drove me nuts on that TV (had the 60") and I returned it 3 weeks after buying it. Not only that, but the artifacts on an LCD that big were just terrible (watching NFL on CBS in 1080i could get bad if the camera moved quickly). Their new SXRD technology should remidy that... but it won't be on my list until the 1080p is available via HDMI, which is hopefully their 2006 models. BTW, if you don't know what SDE is... then don't ask b/c it may not affect you

For a little bit more money I'd get an EDTV plasma. Since it's for your bedroom, that should be sufficient.. plus the Samsung and Panasonic EDTV plasmas look better then some HD televisions...

snowman81

I've never had a problem with SDE on my tv but on some non-HD channels the picture is very pixelated. Other than that, the pic is great IMO. Watching the superbowl was amazing...actually had the superbowl party at my place this year because of the TV and people loved it. I also haven't had a chance to look at the new SXRD but a friend of mine got one and he said it's great. Can't say for myself though.

danny25

That's a bit different from what I'm looking for. I was going to get an LCD so i could mount it on the wall to minimize the space it takes.

danny25

I don't know much about EDTVs other than they're a lower res that an HDTV. Do they accept and HD signal as well but just not display it at it's maximum resolution?

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Yes, they accept an HD signal... so you would hook it up the same way you would hook up an HDTV.

EDTV's are native 480p... so they are better then regular TVs, but not quite HDTV's. Go to a Best Buy and look at the Sammy and Panasonic EDTV and compare them to the HDTV models. Obviously some of the better HDTV's are beyond compare, but they really do hold their own against the middle range HD plasmas.... and cost quite a bit less.

If it was for a home theater I'd look into a higher end TV... but for the bedroom, you will love the EDTV's from either of those companies... and the price is right too.

FWIW, you can buy them much cheaper online then in Best Buy, but going to the store will help you to see and compare them better.

danny25

man you're making this even harder for me!

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

hehe... not trying to.. just making sure you explore all options. People hear EDTV and immediately think it's crap. I used to do the same thing...big time. But the more I read and the more I see, the more I understand why it exists and in what applications it would be perfect for

That and I really do not like LCD... but again, that is a personal opinion. So best bet is to check out all options and see what YOU like best

danny25

yeah I know, and I appreciate that.

well just browsing cnet I only found 2 EDTVs that would work for me. Most of them were just monitors.
Panasonic TH-42PD50U and the Samsung SP R4232

I realize these are much bigger TVs but they are also a few hundred $ more expensive at the least.

What is it about LCDs you don't like? I haven't spent a lot of time watching them (other than my computer monitors) so i don't know what draw backs they have. I guess I'll go check out a couple more stores and look at the TVs more closely.

Sarlacc

The Sharp Aquos have some of the best color saturation I have seen on LCDs.

is300eater

...I know it's a bit more... but what about Sony's Bravia?

(by the way, even though I voted Sharp... just so you know... Costco's having a coupon $300 off the Philips 37" next week, just a thought)

einsatz

I don't think teh screen door effect applies to direct-view LCDs? I can only see that happening in rear/front projection where the pixels are large/separated enough that they are visible. Maybe I'm wrong.

FWIW I've got a 32" LCD Sharp 32G4U which I've had since 04 and haven't had a single problem with. I've got my HD cable hooked up via component, PC via DVI and upconvert DVD via HDMI. It handles them all great. I never used the speakers so I don't know how good they are.

danny25

well it looks like everyone is leaning towards the Sharp, at least out of those 2 options. So does anyone have any experience buying a TV or something large like that online? I bought a couple cameras online before, but was lucky enough not to have any trouble with them. What happens if I need to return the TV? Do I then have to pay shipping? Or do they just make me deal with the manufacturer? Any advice or experiences are appreciated.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

If you buy a TV mail order the odds are you'll be dealing with the manufacturer for any warranty repairs unless the TV was damaged in shipment. Most TVs have 1-year warranties... so they would probably come on-site for any service isssues. After that you'd likely need to buy an extended warranty through the manufacturer.

Unless the difference is a tremendous amount of money, I typically would buy something like this from a local brick and mortar store. Service is much better and if you don't like the TV, you just box it up and return it within 30-days. No worries about return shipping or anything....

is300eater

...my experience with costco online has been good... if you have any problems just take it back to any costco they even refund the shipping!

Reddly9007

Juniorbean, so you think for a (master) bedroom an EDTV wouldn't be so bad? I have been wondering this for a while. I think in another thread I asked a similiar question, I wouldn't be hooking up HD cable, just normal cable, and maybe a DVD player, no home theater or anything. I would like to mount it up on the wall, and didn't want to spend 3g's. I have seen some decent sized EDTV's at BJ's and am hesitant cause I always hear negative things about them. So in this case would you recommend a EDTV, any certain brand?

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

My neigbor has an EDTV (Samsung) in his master bedroom, and I had no idea it was an EDTV until he told me. He had it hooked up the same way an HDTV would be hooked up (HD cable box with component cables) and it looked awesome. If he never said anything I would have never known it wasn't an HD plasma.

I've also been into a local higher-end Home Theater store where they have a wall of plasmas... probably about 30 of them... HDTV and EDTV mixed.... and with a few exceptions, the EDTV's looked just as good as the HDTV's... and were a lot less money.

So I think EDTV gets a bad rap. For the price you get a great picture and performance. For an application like an extra TV or a bedroom, I think it's a perfect fit....

Scrib

^^^^^^

I would agree...

However, considering everything is moving to HD in the next couple of years, why not get something that is HD compatible? Unless it's a budget thing.

Another consideration is time spent in the bedroom. If it's just for and then maybe saving a few bucks and going the ED-route isn't a bad choice. But if you tend to get into bed and watch a movie or two every week, etc... Go with a HD set.

danny25

I would definitely rather buy it from a local store than online, but it's hard to justify the extra $200-$300.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

See for me... for only $200 or so...I'd buy it in the store. Having the security of an easy return and service close by is more then worth it for me. Not to mention taking advantage of financing that a Best Buy or Circuit City may offer. Ever try to pack a TV to return it then ship it? I haven't, but seen people who have... and it's expensive and a headache.

If we were talking about 25%-30%+ price difference, then it would be a different story...

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

True. My neighbor that has it uses his TV maybe 2 hours a night. Just to watch TV while falling asleep.

Keep in mind that EDTV's are HD compatible. They will hook up to any HD tuner... it's just that they display the picture in a native 480p resolution. But even as everything moves HD, an EDTV set will still work and look great....

Reddly9007

Sold me! Thats what I was hoping to hear. My wife and I only really watch TV in the bedroom before going to sleep. Hardly ever watch movies in there either. Looks like I'll be looking at some 32-37inch EDTV's this weekend. Any recommendations? Should I go with a name brand or does it really matter? Anything I should specifically look for? I appreciate the help.

danny25

Right now after reading way too much on avsforum I'm leaning to the local store too. Seems that service on a TV can be a real pain, some people waited weeks for a technician, and then weeks more waiting to get the TV back. That's an extreme example, but it happens and I would be pissed if that happened to me.