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32" LCD TV**** - 10/31/2009 11:34:11 AM
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Concerto
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Hi all:
I currently have a CRT 20"...considering upgrading to 32" LCD HDTV. Any recommendations? Aside from looking at the specs, anything I should pay particular attention to? I am thinking, having HDMI connections, and the "refresh" rate (is that important, if so, what number is best?), also, is it possible to get a head phone jack?
Appreciate your help...
Thanks...
C
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RE: 32" LCD TV**** - 10/31/2009 7:23:03 PM
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stateofgrace
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I think all of them would have HDMI connections now, and most would have a headphone jack. I suggest getting at the very least two HDMI inputs...one for a cable or satellite box or an HD DigitalI antenna, and the other for either an up-converting DVD player or a Blue Ray player. If you add a game box into the mix, you can see that you would already need a switch box, but most TV's I've seen only have two HDMI inputs. It's nice to have a VGA input too, that way you can hook a computer in and watch streaming video off the net (some computers have HD output now, but not all of them).
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RE: 32" LCD TV**** - 10/31/2009 10:08:38 PM
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jhuperetes
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black tone, contrast and aspect ratios, inputs of various kinds, resolution, refresh rate, built in tuner, and size. That's a quick list.
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RE: 32" LCD TV**** - 11/1/2009 4:01:20 PM
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figmentPez
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Refresh rate is a weird thing. Most TVs work at 60hz or a multiple of that. HDMI standards don't deliver more than 60 frames a second. Any TV that offers 120Hz or more is using special methods to make up extra frames to make video appear smoother. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on personal preference and how well the TV is doing it's job. The one major benefit of a 120Hz TV, for film fans, is that a 24fps movie can be evenly displayed on a 120Hz (each frame is repeated 5 times) while special tricks have to be used on 60hz or 180hz, but that's only when your TV and video player can work together correctly. Most people won't care if their video looks as much like film as possible, and just want it to look "good", not "right".
As for brands, I've been hearing good things about Vizio and Insignia. They're not well known, but they're fighting hard for a good reputation, so they're delivering good bang for the buck, especially in lower-end TVs.
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RE: 32" LCD TV**** - 11/1/2009 6:23:11 PM
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tacitus
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Two words: picture quality. All the specs in the world won't help much if the end result if the TV has a poor picture. Of course, it's probably the hardest thing to judge from the other end of an internet connection, but there are enough sites around that review these things that you should be able to narrow down the best candidates. You can also visit the big box stores like Best Buy and have a look for yourself (not that that's easy either).
Once you narrow down the choice, then you can start to look at the specs, but don't overpay for features that only give you a marginal benefit (or maybe even none at all). There isn't much point in spending $200-$400 more for some feature that could easily be obsolete in another 12 months.
When I shop for electronics and computer equipment I look for the sweet spot in price -- the point just below where prices start to increase more rapidly for fewer and fewer features. For example, with disk drives, a $10 increase in cost might get you from 250GB to 500GB, but to get from 500GB to 750GB might cost you $50. In this example, the sweet spot is 500GB.
Finally, don't pay for the extended warranty (unless it's really really cheap). The price of TVs is coming down so rapidly (and the features are evolving quickly too) that if your TV dies in a couple of years, you'll probably want a new model anyway.
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RE: 32" LCD TV**** - 11/10/2009 4:12:04 PM
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netstroller
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Best if you can buy from a store with long return priviledges, like Costcos or Sam's Club. Personal use experience with your particular set up is the best way to test performance for your equipment and signal source.
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RE: 32" LCD TV**** - 11/10/2009 9:46:06 PM
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iluvatar
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I wouldn't shop for a tv in any of the mega chain stores. I have yet to see any of them have a setup that didn't involve multiple daisy-chained splitters and horrible color settings for the displays. I wish they would stop oversaturating the colors; stop making everybody's skin purple; stop degrading the image quality with cheap passive splitters; stop using low-quality source material that shows off a bunch of compression artifacts.
If you have a legit hi-fi shop w/ properly calibrated equipment, I'd try there first.
-Dan.
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Well, I've been to one world fair, a picnic, and a rodeo, and that's the stupidest thing I ever heard come over a set of earphones.
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RE: 32" LCD TV**** - 11/11/2009 1:08:42 AM
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tacitus
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The only problem with the specialists is that the necessarily have to charge more, and sometimes a lot more, for the TVs than places like Amazon and Newegg given their overheads.
Don't get me wrong, I think it's a good idea to get specialist help, but then I am conflicted when I know I can get the help deciding on a TV in their store and knowing that I can save perhaps $300 by buying the TV online. Yeah, there is the risk of having to return a bad TV which is much tougher to do online, but $300.... 
BTW: Another tip when buying a new TV. Don't buy that $50 HDMI cable the store will try to sell you along with your TV. As long as a cable is rated for the signal you need (e.g. HDMI v1.3) then a $5 cable will work just as well as a $50 cable.
Expensive cables are almost always not worth the money, and in some cases are an out-and-out scam.
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RE: 32" LCD TV**** - 11/11/2009 8:47:57 AM
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iluvatar
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quote:
ORIGINAL: tacitus
The only problem with the specialists is that the necessarily have to charge more, and sometimes a lot more, for the TVs than places like Amazon and Newegg given their overheads.
I'm not really up on tv's/visual stuff, but I'm fairly familiar with audio gear and for the most part, the stuff you find at Best Buy is garbage. You can't even find the good stuff w/o going to a specialized store. Is that also the case w/ tv's or are the good ones also available at the box stores?
-Dan.
_____________________________
Well, I've been to one world fair, a picnic, and a rodeo, and that's the stupidest thing I ever heard come over a set of earphones.
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RE: 32" LCD TV**** - 11/11/2009 1:44:03 PM
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tacitus
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quote:
ORIGINAL: iluvatarIs that also the case w/ tv's or are the good ones also available at the box stores?
There aren't that many big screen TV manufacturers and even fewer LCD panel makers where the startup costs are prohibitive, so you're not going to get any small scale TV manufacturer that cater for the high end in the same way that you do for audio components. You're essentially stuck with Sony, Panasonic, Samsung and a couple of others, and yes most of the big box stores have those lines in stock.
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