HD TV help

[sgresso]

My wife and I are looking at getting our first HDTV soon. We have found one at the local target that looks like its a good buy.

The one we are looking at is a VIZIO 22" Class 1080p LCD HDTV - Black (VA22LFHDTV10T)

We would like to get something around 26" and the best video quality without buying a brand we have never heard of. Is there a major diference from the 720p to the 1080p?

So all the tech geeks send me some advise
Our price range is less that 320 or so.
Let me know if you can help.
Thanks
Stephen

[uli2000]

If the TV is less than 37 or 40 inches, unless you have remakable vision, I doubt you will be able to tell between 720p/1080i abd 1080p. Besides, unless you are watching Blu-ray, there's hardly any 1080p avalible (some online downloads and I know Dish Network has 1080p VOD PPV, but every ota/cable/satellite operator HD is 1080i or 720p). Visio's not a bad brand. I personally like the newer LED backlit tv's, but the price is more. One more thing to take into consiteration, it 99.9% of HDTV's have a 16/9 ratio rather than the traditional 4/3 ratio of the old CRT tvs, so 27 inches in a LCD looks nowhere the same size as a 27 in CRT. Go to a local store and check out tv's side by side, bring some of you favorite dvds too, so that you can see on each tv the differences in them.

[Cigary]

This is one of those "hard to fit" scenarios as far as what you want to spend vs what you want from the unit. It pays to research and when I got mine I did a ton. We went from Mitsubishi 37 inch that we have had for 15 years and it still is like brand new. We bought a 52 inch LCD HDTV Mitsubishi and are very glad we did. There are some brands that are better than others and you want a brand you can trust if you want to keep it for some time to come. Some people expect their TV's to last at least 5 years and if that is what you want then Vizio is a good brand for you. If you buy it from Costco you are at least guaranteed that you can take it back after a year if you dont like it or if it fails and you can get your money back.

[bazookajoe]

If you can, take a look at Costco. Their prices are as good as anyone's and they add an extra year of warranty to models with a one year warranty, plus I think they have a 90 day return policy.

Like uli2000 said, on that size tv you probably won't notice a difference between 720p and 1080p. Here's a chart that shows when 1080p starts making a difference:

[sgresso]

Thanks for all the help! I can't wait to get a tv its now getting the wife to let us get it.
Pray that our tv takes a dump then she will get frustrated and let us buy it LOL
Thats how we got a lot of stuff we needed. If it makes her mad she will want to replace it.

[hangnail]

i tell everyone to get a tv from a brand they recognize. there are a lot of off brands out there that can be had for the cheap, but out of the box , i have seen many fail, inputs don't work, wont display hd ect, ect.

i have seen some real nice Samsung unit out there in that size range that looks remarkable.

also, make sure that you are buying the right size, a 27" crt and 27" hd tv are miles apart in viewing distances.

[sgresso]

What should be the distance for a tv in the 24-26 in range. Right now its about 10 feet for our tv.

[veteranvmb]

I am new to hdtv myself, and back in June I got my first one. A beautiful Samsung 26 inch t.v. Fits perfectly into cabinet in my bedroom.
Its a 720 but the picture looks beautiful. It really made a difference to me, because using the old 16 inch crt television, I couldnt read the scores anymore during a game, or see the closed captioning on foreign films.
This one also has an headphone input, as I like to listen with the headphones on as i am a bit hearing impaired) , more tone impaired. Sleep next to artillery fire for a few years will do that to you.
Everyone i know from the war in the unit, is the same way. You should see us shouting to talk at the reunions. LOL
If you want the model, or some photos of the tv, I will be glad to take them. My kids got it for me at best buy as a birthday present. Cost about 450 dollars.
I also got a samsung dvd recorder/vhs combo. I like to archive some things, and the dvd recorder is so much more space efficient.

Let me know, if you want some photos. Good Luck Jerry

[jadeg001]

I've learned that when looking for HDTV's you really want to look at the contrast ratio. The larger the difference the better the TV. The problem with the "no name" brands is that their contrast ration isn't typically that high. Take a look at Best Buy, you can usually get no interest for 36 months if you use their store card.

[Bigtotoro]

Originally Posted by sgresso

What should be the distance for a tv in the 24-26 in range. Right now its about 10 feet for our tv.

I've always heard the 2 1/2x rule. Take the diagonal size, multiply that x 2.5. That should give you a rough idea of the optimum throw to the seating area. I would not recommend a 1080 on anything less than a 37 inch. Its just a waste of $. I recommend spending a few hours trolling Amazon and reading reviews with a critical eye. There are tons of complaints about the Sony Bravia auto dark feature but that is easily fixed with a software update. I also would MASSIVELY recommend the extended warranty. I had a Toshiba Regza die 14 months after purchase (aka 2 months out of warranty. Repair cost would have been more than replacement cost.

[stu929]

I have had several different size/contrast Samsungs and they have all been wonderful with no issues!

That being said I know they are going to be a little bit more expensive. I agree that if you are looking 1080 you should be looking for a set a little bigger you wont need that resolution with the smaller size. In my mind gives you a good reason to look for a larger set! If you can mount it on the wall I would take your time and wait to find a nice 32-37 inch on sale seomwhere. yes it will look big but everytime I have been in fear of purchasing something a little too big I bring it home and drool!

Oh yeah and in my previous set up I think I have 12-14 ft for a 42 inch and it was great! easily viewable from all angles and great for movie night and Monday Night Football!

Best of luck!
Steve

[fiddlegrin]

P.S.A.

Are you planning on subscribing to H.D. service? It will cost you more a month...

If you are not willing to pay the extra every month for HD signals, do not buy an H.D. TV. Non H.D. programs on an H.D. TV look.... pretty bad.


************************************************** *********

Here is a size example; Sony Bravia 40" diag. lcd wide profile screen viewing a standard cable broadcast channel ends up being a 32" diag screen that is utilized. This ratio = a 20% loss of viewing size.

And___ OUT!


.

[hangnail]

Originally Posted by sgresso

What should be the distance for a tv in the 24-26 in range. Right now its about 10 feet for our tv.

i would say a 37 would be ideal, but it depends on the lay out, seating lighting ect ect. you could probable do a a 32. but that might be out of your price range. get the most you can get thats in your budget, and fits your usage. i think at that distance a 42 is pushing it, and i would not recommend one of that size.

there are some great deals to be had out there, shop smart, and take your time

i am in the same boat with distance, i deal with tv's all day with very high dolar sets, and i still rock a 32" crt in standard deff, no surround either, heck, not even a working reciever.

i am looking at a 40" 1080p with a denon av reciever and bose 7.1.

however, the wife says otherwise

int e meantime, i have a great pic in standard deff, and i can love with that for now

in most tv stores they have a layout that says how far you should be from the tv for best viewing.

a common ,mistake is buying a tv waaaaay to big for where they sit.

i think those guys are making up for something, but the picture in hn looks terrible if you are to close to a tv, or the tv is over sized, so it works against them

[jadeg001]

Originally Posted by fiddlegrin

Are you planning on subscribing to H.D. service? It will cost you more a month...

If you are not willing to pay the extra every month for HD signals, do not buy an H.D. TV. Non H.D. programs on an H.D. TV look.... pretty bad.

This is very true. The non HD programming looks terrible on my HDTV.

There are deals you can get through the cable company though. I have comcast and they gave me the free HD upgrade with the triple play (internet, cable, and phone). Otherwise HD service is typically $10-$15 more a month I believe.

I also agree with the other post about getting 1080 on a smaller TV. It's really not worth getting a, HDTV smaller than 37'' in my opinion, because you are paying more for the details in the larger picture.

[Jumes]

I agree with the fact that on a 26" or smaller you don't need to worry about 1080P and probably won't notice the lack of 1080i. We purchased a Vizio VA26L for our kitchen and are happy with the quality. If the cutout in our kitchen was large enough I would have preferred a 30" but I feel like the price vs quality ratio was pretty good on the Vizio line.