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EnergizerFellow posted:In general they are worthless, IMHO, plus goodies like the Costco ones are history now too. The SXRD I was looking at is cheaper than just about every other DLP in the store, and looked better to boot. I don't see why I should buy something else. 
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Apr 23, 2007 02:37
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Also, many credit cards automatically extend the warranty. I know my Amex card extends the factory warranty by a year. So, I actually have a two year warranty on my TV rather than just the one year.
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Apr 23, 2007 03:20
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bull3964 posted:Also, many credit cards automatically extend the warranty. I know my Amex card extends the factory warranty by a year. So, I actually have a two year warranty on my TV rather than just the one year. I wasn't going to use a credit card, I was going to use my Best Buy card, and I don't think they are that charitable. 
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Apr 23, 2007 03:47
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The SXRD is a good choice. Best projector on the market, but as you said if the price seems too much, it may be best to not buy one now. I would buy a billion TVs, but it isn't a necessity. Good for you for knowing when to not be stupid.
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Apr 23, 2007 04:39
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The price of the TV wasn't to bad, it was the price of the stands and the extended warranty that really jacked it up. I think I will wait until a new model comes out and they mark these models down.
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Apr 23, 2007 05:08
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SkaWes posted:The price of the TV wasn't to bad, it was the price of the stands and the extended warranty that really jacked it up. I think I will wait until a new model comes out and they mark these models down. Grab a <$100 stand from Ikea, Target, etc. Extended warranties are a waste of money. Edit: And the Sony SXRD sets are by far the best RPTVs. Considering Sony's really the only large-scale maker of LCoS panels, i'm not sure why anyone would think they're rebranding sets made by someone else. .Nathan. fucked around with this message at 05:18 on Apr 23, 2007 |
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Apr 23, 2007 05:15
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.Nathan. posted:Grab a <$100 stand from Ikea, Target, etc. Extended warranties are a waste of money. I don't have an Ikea near me, but I didn't even think of looking at Target. Doh
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Apr 23, 2007 05:46
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SkaWes posted:What is the general census on extended warranties for televisions? The extended warranty for the Sony SXRD's is 400 loving dollars, in the end is it worth it? They told me it would cover replacing the lamp which seems like it would make it worth the cost alone, but I am not sure. The SXRD's lamp unit costs about $300 which you would have to replace in about 2 years. Any HDTV could potentially poo poo the bed and microdisplays are the most tempermental of the bunch. The credit card method doesn't cost any extra but you're talking two years of coverage versus four. It doesn't cover lamp replacement but you can buy an extended warranty from Sony for less than what the retailer charges for theirs. EnergizerFellow posted:In general they are worthless, IMHO, plus goodies like the Costco ones are history now too. You must be lost. I believe this is the forum you are looking for. The SXRD isn't rebadged anything. There are only two major players in the LCoS market (JVC and Sony) for a reason. LCoS panels are more difficult and expensive to manufacture than LCD. Toshiba and LG both abandoned the technology after one set. They couldn't outsource that poo poo even if they wanted to. I wouldn't be shocked if they outsourced their cheap gizmos but their HDTVs are manufactured by their own factories in California, Tennessee and Mexico. 
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Apr 23, 2007 05:46
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Yeah, I missed that it was a RP set, making it projection.  Sony is still actively in the projector market, but hasn't made anything for a direct-view display in-house since about 2000-2001 or so and the Samsung joint venture. The Sony-branded direct-view sets are mostly Samsung rebrands, plus some 3rd party components here and there. This includes PC monitors as well. EnergizerFellow fucked around with this message at 08:03 on Apr 23, 2007 |
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Apr 23, 2007 06:25
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Am I stupid to buy a new HDTV from a place like circuit city? I've been checking out the return policy of sites like newegg and some don't even take returns. Even if they do, they require five dead pixels on LCD's in a lot of cases. It also takes time, money and a hell of a lot of effort to ship an HDTV back. I just feel like paying a couple hundred more dollars is worth being able to take it back to the store and get a replacement/refund if necessary. Not to mention that I've heard many reports of hdtv's being damaged during shipping and being DOA. So, stupid or not?
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Apr 23, 2007 07:05
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pickitup13 posted:Am I stupid to buy a new HDTV from a place like circuit city? I've been checking out the return policy of sites like newegg and some don't even take returns. Even if they do, they require five dead pixels on LCD's in a lot of cases. It also takes time, money and a hell of a lot of effort to ship an HDTV back. I just feel like paying a couple hundred more dollars is worth being able to take it back to the store and get a replacement/refund if necessary. Not to mention that I've heard many reports of hdtv's being damaged during shipping and being DOA. So, stupid or not? Depends on what you are looking for. CC won't have the lowest price, but they are a B&M store so you can go pick it up yourself for the instant gratification factor, and the same goes for returns. You do also get a 30 days low price guarantee in case you see someone else local selling your TV for less. Lastly, consider promotional financing. I just purchased a Samsung HL-S5087W from CC this week. The instant gratification, not having to hang around home on a workday waiting for delivery, ease of return if necessary, and 18 months no interest financing all played a part in my choosing to buy there.
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Apr 23, 2007 07:12
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furushotakeru posted:Depends on what you are looking for. CC won't have the lowest price, but they are a B&M store so you can go pick it up yourself for the instant gratification factor, and the same goes for returns. You do also get a 30 days low price guarantee in case you see someone else local selling your TV for less. Lastly, consider promotional financing. Yea, the waiting around isn't that big of a deal to me. It's the easy return that would make it worth it. I mean, if you have to return a defective unit that you bought online, then you're likely going to have to pay for shipping. That alone is a pretty big cost. Having to properly package up a TV would be a pretty huge pain in the rear end. And again, some places (like Newegg)have absolutely crappy return policies. Places like costco will pretty much take back your TV for any reason if you're not satisfied. Oh, wow, I never considered the fact that if a TV is delivered, you have to be home. I order a lot of things online, but nothing expensive enough to warrant taking the day off to wait around for it. However, for a TV, I definitely wouldn't want it to sit outside for 5 or 6 hours. That's really not a safe thing to do.
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Apr 23, 2007 07:34
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furushotakeru posted:I just purchased a Samsung HL-S5087W from CC this week. The instant gratification, not having to hang around home on a workday waiting for delivery, ease of return if necessary, and 18 months no interest financing all played a part in my choosing to buy there. I was considering buying the same TV from the same place. Is there any reason other than and extra HDMI input for me to wait for the HL-T5076S?
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Apr 23, 2007 08:22
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I've just got a cheap yet good HDTV and I have a couple of questions... 1. Does anyone leave the plastic transparent cover on the telly? Mine came with a sheet of clear plastic, and while it can be taken off, the picture behind it looks as good. Does anyone else ever leave theirs on to stop it getting scratched? How scratch prone are LCD screens anyway? 2. Is it worth getting an upscaling DVD player at all? And are there any brands folks can recommend? I play mostly PAL DVDs on mine.
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Apr 23, 2007 11:31
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pickitup13 posted:Oh, wow, I never considered the fact that if a TV is delivered, you have to be home. I order a lot of things online, but nothing expensive enough to warrant taking the day off to wait around for it. However, for a TV, I definitely wouldn't want it to sit outside for 5 or 6 hours. That's really not a safe thing to do. They don't ship TVs UPS and leave them outside your door. They're shipped by freight handlers and you'll need to actually sign for it and take delivery in person. Most of them will call you an hour before they show up if you ask.
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Apr 23, 2007 12:33
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If a HDTV is a HDTV Monitor, I'm looking at Westinghouse's, that mean that they do not have a ATSC Tuner integrated, correct? Now, what exactly does that mean? Does it just mean that I would need a set-top box to get HD Cable? Or does it mean it will not do any upscaling and it must be done outside of the TV. Is there something that can replace what a ATSC Tuner does?
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Apr 23, 2007 12:54
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It means you need a seperate box to decode TV stations. If you have a cable box don't worry about it. Don't buy a Westinghouse tv.
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Apr 23, 2007 12:55
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SkaWes posted:What is the general census on extended warranties for televisions? The extended warranty for the Sony SXRD's is 400 loving dollars, in the end is it worth it? They told me it would cover replacing the lamp which seems like it would make it worth the cost alone, but I am not sure. Like someone already said, there are third-party warranties out there. The AVS Forum has a stickied thread about one particular company they run a deal with.
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Apr 23, 2007 13:57
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Chemmy posted:Don't buy a Westinghouse tv. Whys that? edit: Other than the lovely contrast ratios. Wood for Sheep fucked around with this message at 14:43 on Apr 23, 2007 |
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Apr 23, 2007 14:08
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CubanMissile posted:I was considering buying the same TV from the same place. Is there any reason other than and extra HDMI input for me to wait for the HL-T5076S? So far I am less than impressed with the internal scaler, but I don't know if that is a crappy signal from Comcast analogue cable or if it is the tv itself. I am switching to dish network this weekend, I hope that the digital signal gives a better picture. I don't know if there is any real difference between the models as I have not researched it.
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Apr 23, 2007 14:36
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Wood for Sheep posted:Whys that? Because their only redeeming feature is 1080p, which is much less important than contrast ratio and color depth. For the same price you can get a good quality 720p TV which will look better.
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Apr 23, 2007 14:46
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Chemmy posted:Because their only redeeming feature is 1080p, which is much less important than contrast ratio and color depth. For the same price you can get a good quality 720p TV which will look better. Care to name a few? The only other brands I see in that price range are Olevia and Hyundai. For another $200 I then start to see Sharp and Phillips. edit: I'm looking at 32" LCDs with 720p under $1000(and even $1000 is pushing my budget), 1080p is not important to me but is always a bonus if its the same price or barely any more. My local Best Buy is selling the LTV-32w6 TV for $599, which was the one I'm looking at. Wood for Sheep fucked around with this message at 15:00 on Apr 23, 2007 |
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Apr 23, 2007 14:56
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Wood for Sheep posted:Care to name a few? The only other brands I see in that price range are Olevia and Hyundai. For another $200 I then start to see Sharp and Phillips. Ah, my mistake. Most people are talking about the 40" Westinghouses. For $599 as long as you know what you're getting into it's probably a decent choice.
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Apr 23, 2007 15:08
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Chemmy posted:Ah, my mistake. Most people are talking about the 40" Westinghouses. For $599 as long as you know what you're getting into it's probably a decent choice. Sorry, but I want to just be certain. By "know what youre getting into" you mean the not having a HDTV Tuner and the 1000:1 contrast ratio, or is there more? I liked what I saw in the store, I am just wondering if there is something that I couldn't see.
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Apr 23, 2007 15:22
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I just got an email from buy.com that has the Samsung LNS-4041D 40" HDTV Widescreen LCD TV for 959.99$. Does anyone have any experience with this particular set before I possibly cave in and buy it? Everywhere I look they're giving it great reviews.
Cheesecake fucked around with this message at 15:35 on Apr 23, 2007 |
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Apr 23, 2007 15:33
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I'm still debating between a plasma or LCD, but since we seem to have some goons in the know...which retailers are most likely to 'wheel and deal' on prices? I've got a Best Buy, Circuit City, Compusa, HHGregg and Fry's all within 10 miles of me.
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Apr 23, 2007 16:49
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Cheesecake posted:I just got an email from buy.com that has the Samsung LNS-4041D 40" HDTV Widescreen LCD TV for 959.99$. Does anyone have any experience with this particular set before I possibly cave in and buy it? Everywhere I look they're giving it great reviews. Seconding the request for first hand info on this. The reviews mention the DNIe technology Samsung has in this set, which supposedly makes the pictures look better. Anyone know if this introduces any lag though? I'm thinking about getting an HDTV, and in particular I'd want any set I get to have minimal display lag with both SD and HD sources, but there doesn't seem to be any way to find out about that other than actually attempting to play Guitar Hero on every particular TV I'm interested in. The reviews of this LNS-4041D don't mention the Game Mode that I've heard exists on other Samsung sets, so I'm wondering if that will be a problem.
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Apr 23, 2007 17:13
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Fryed posted:Seconding the request for first hand info on this. The reviews mention the DNIe technology Samsung has in this set, which supposedly makes the pictures look better. Anyone know if this introduces any lag though? I'm thinking about getting an HDTV, and in particular I'd want any set I get to have minimal display lag with both SD and HD sources, but there doesn't seem to be any way to find out about that other than actually attempting to play Guitar Hero on every particular TV I'm interested in. The reviews of this LNS-4041D don't mention the Game Mode that I've heard exists on other Samsung sets, so I'm wondering if that will be a problem. I am not decided on whether or not DNIe makes a big difference or not, but supposedly it does create lag. The game mode disables DNIe and does other things to eliminate the lag, but I have not run into any problem running games on my wii in the normal mode. You can always turn it off if you want.
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Apr 23, 2007 17:22
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furushotakeru posted:I am not decided on whether or not DNIe makes a big difference or not, but supposedly it does create lag. The game mode disables DNIe and does other things to eliminate the lag, but I have not run into any problem running games on my wii in the normal mode. You can always turn it off if you want. Ah, the review I read didn't indicate that DNIe was a feature one could disable, thanks for the heads up. I'm still not sure if I'm gonna get the TV or not, but it's good to hear that this set doesn't seem to have gaming lag issues.
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Apr 23, 2007 17:41
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DNIe is poo poo and makes the picture look horrible. Sure, with a set right out of the box, DNIe doesn't really look all that bad. You think that the picture looks a little clearer and brighter. Then you throw in Digital Video Essentials and calibrate your display. You end up turning the backlight down to medium economy mode because it's just too drat bright normally. You then set the brightness to a sane level (around 60ish percent) and level out the contrast, tint, and color. Finally, you turn the sharpness down to zero because edge enhancement sucks. Then you put the DNIe demo back on. At first glance, you think "Wow, the area where it's turned off looks dull and less sharp compared to the half with it on." Then you really start looking at it. Suddenly, you see that the edge enhancement caused by DNIe is actually obscuring background detail and that the colors are over-amped in most situations to almost cartoonish levels while the side with it off looks very film-like and smooth with natural color. DNIe is a gimmick marketed towards people who never touch so much as a brightness control when they pull the set of of the box. There is no one touch button solution to a properly calibrated display.
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Apr 23, 2007 17:59
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Do all the Samsung's that have DNIe processing have an option to turn it off? Or should I specifically make sure that I don't buy a samsung set with DNIe?
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Apr 23, 2007 18:39
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pickitup13 posted:Do all the Samsung's that have DNIe processing have an option to turn it off? Or should I specifically make sure that I don't buy a samsung set with DNIe? Yes, you can turn it off. I think most of them default with it off, but I've heard of a couple models defaulting with it on.
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Apr 23, 2007 18:41
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Mr. Gone posted:Yes, you can turn it off. I think most of them default with it off, but I've heard of a couple models defaulting with it on. Yeah, there's a button right on my remote to turn it on/off as well as an entry in the picture settings for each mode.
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Apr 23, 2007 18:44
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Finally moving into my new house this weekend and we have an upstairs loft room that is just dieing to be turned into a games/movie/hdtv room. The room is approx 15' long ,at first I was thinking nice big 90"+ screen/projector but now I'm thinking that might not work right in the room. So I think I've decided to go the plasma route and have been looking at this http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-TH-...7350686&sr=8-2. At that price point more or less, is there anything else I should be looking at? The tv will be mainly used for HD movies via my 360/HD DVD player, HDTV from time warner and obviously gaming on the 360. Also, I plan on wall mounting this as well, anyone have any issues doing that with a plasma of this size?
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Apr 23, 2007 19:03
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I'm looking at purchasing the Olevia model 232V 32" LCD HDTV $549 Found it on DealMeIn, it's currently $549 at Circuit City: http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/OLEVIA-32-2-Series-LCD-HDTV-232V/sem/rpsm/oid/163702/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do Manufacturer's website: http://www.olevia.com/jsp/products/detail.jsp?pid=232v Reviews I've seen are mostly positive. 1600:1 contrast ratio and 8 ms response time I don't have a lot of money to spend and I am replacing a 27" Sony Trinitron CRT that bit the dust recently (repaired once 4 years ago, don't feel like fixing it again). This seems like a good entrance to HD for me. Right now my only HD source would be my PC using an ATI Radeon 9600 Pro watching some HDTV xvid rips. I'm not sure what the best method would be for connecting the PC to the TV. I could do VGA to the TV, DVI to component or DVI to HDMI. What would be the best and most cost effective choose for a TV of this size and quality? I'm hoping not to spend $100 on cables. At some point, I'll be getting a Wii and Xbox 360. What do you think about this TV and connecting it to a PC that has DVI and VGA outputs?
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Apr 23, 2007 20:16
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Question: Can I download H.264 files and have them playback (as a data DVD5) on, lets say a HD-DVD player that supports H.264?
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Apr 23, 2007 20:48
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mattfl posted:Finally moving into my new house this weekend and we have an upstairs loft room that is just dieing to be turned into a games/movie/hdtv room. The room is approx 15' long ,at first I was thinking nice big 90"+ screen/projector but now I'm thinking that might not work right in the room. So I think I've decided to go the plasma route and have been looking at this I have the 58" and it is a wonderful set. I had it wall-mounted on an Omnimount U3 tilt mount. No problems whatsoever, though I paid a company to do it (took them about 20 minutes). Edit: I think Panasonic has a $200 mail-in rebate going on right now if you buy one of their plasmas and pay to have it wall-mounted. Nick L fucked around with this message at 21:01 on Apr 23, 2007 |
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Apr 23, 2007 20:59
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Monitor help In the summer, I plan on buying a new computer. My friend who does networking at Verizon loves building computers. Smartest friend I know when it comes to computer technology. Chances are I am going to have him build a computer for me, unless Dell offers a great deal. Seeing how I already have a case, keyboard, mouse, and some cooling units, it will probably be him. The only thing I know I will be lacking is a monitor. I use a laptop now, and I don't plan on using my LCD TV as a monitor. This computer will not be some super gaming computer or anything. I'm going for a pretty low budget line of around $600 for the desktop. Where I plan to place it will be where my laptop is now. I will be roughly two feet away from the monitor. Because it will be so close, I do not and prefer not to have a large monitor. My current monitor is a 4:3 15" and it feels pretty big from my sitting distance. I would like a widescreen LCD monitor of around the same size. Doesn't have to be amazing or the best, but I would like it to have a 16:10 aspect ratio and decent to read websites and play the occasional Windows 98 game. Any suggestions? Edit: Looking at NewEgg, there is a category that says Windows Vista Certified, I guess I would want that too? Sorry if this is in the wrong thread, I assumed monitors are similar to HDTVs. Update on my father's broken Sony Grand Wega 3LCD So my father traded the Sony 3LCD 46" in for a Panasonic TH-42something, the newer one with the even newer anti glare crazy coating! There were no 46" sizes, so he went for the 42". In fact, when he bought the 3LCD, he didn't really realize widescreen meant a widescreen. So the few inches it cuts down on is great for him as he has a lot of antiques, paintings, vases, plants, and other expensive things that need space. It is on a TV stand because there is literally no wall space (behind and above the TV is about $10,000 worth of paintings and picture frames, and there are only three paintings). It looks very nice in the room, and the picture quality looks good. I haven't adjusted the picture settings with Avia, yet. When I do that after the "breaking in" period in a day or two, I'll post impressions. Edit: I for some reason thought it was the PX 77u when it isn't. I'm not sure what it is Donkey Kunt fucked around with this message at 03:25 on Apr 25, 2007 |
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Apr 23, 2007 21:17
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Just posting to say I got my Olevia 537H 37" LCD from mwave.com: http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=AA51800&RSKU=AA51800 $744 shipped, and it comes with a 1-year manufacturer in-home warranty, which gives some peace of mind when ordering online. I hooked it up, and though I haven't tested an HD source yet, all of my SD stuff looks smooth, not overly sharp and full of artifacts like SD appears on so many other HDTV's I've seen. It's prettier in person than it is in pictures, and suffers from none of the bizarre quirks that so many budget tv's have. It's universal-remote capable, the included remote doesn't totally suck, it turns on in less than 10 seconds, it doesn't seem to have issues switching sources, etc. The only negative I have experienced thusfar is that its built-in speakers are really pretty terrible, but I have it hooked up to externals anyway. Again, I have not tested it out fully by any means, but from what I've seen and read, I would recommend it, especially given the price at mwave. (mwave also ships via fed-ex, so no trademark UPS smashed corners!)
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Apr 23, 2007 23:12
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Wood for Sheep posted:
I got this one yesterday with a 12% off coupon. The total was $559 after tax. So far i've run a SD DVD player through composite, a Xbox 360 through VGA and Component, and i'm using it right now as a monitor. DVDs play much better with the 360, and it's working great as a monitor. 360 games look amazing, and it only took 10 minutes to get the color set up the way I wanted it. I tried my PS2 through composite with no s-video on it, and the picture looked as good as one could expect, but there didn't seem to be any problems with gameplay using guitar hero. I have yet to try coaxial cable TV on it yet, but I don't expect much. You'll have better luck playing TV through your PC first. Overall i'm very pleased with what i've gotten for only $559.
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Apr 24, 2007 00:29
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