what to look for in a TV

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 8:45 am

it's about time i bought a HDTV set, what do i look for, plasma , LCD, or what ?

don't need anything huge, maybe at most a 40", and it needs a over the air tuner and internet access ?

i assume i can stream content from my PC over my network ?

Leatherneck · Post by **Leatherneck** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 9:16 am

Any new set will have a QAM tuner. If your budget is not super-limited you simply can't go wrong with a Samsung smart LED. You'll have a great pic, all the widgets needed and brand reputation. If you want to save a few bucks look at other sets with the same features from 2nd tier names as they are still good sets.

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 9:22 am

so LED is better than plasma ?

i don't want to spend tons of money, and mostly play DVD's and some over the air news broadcasts, i don't want 3-D either.

and i don't have wifi, but will be using cat 5 cable from my router

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 9:26 am

something like this ?

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN40EH530 ... B0074FGR74

Leatherneck · Post by **Leatherneck** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 11:37 am

Mark wrote:something like this ?

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN40EH530 ... B0074FGR74

I am quite certain you'd be happy with that TV. The pic will be awesome and the price is great!

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 11:45 am

silly question, do all these TV's come with some kind of speakers, even basic ones ?

Dan · Post by **Dan** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 12:40 pm

I'll second the Samsung idea,I have had a 61" SS 1080P DLP for 4 years and have loved every minute of it,the new SS LCD's are amazing IMO.
I would also suggest if that you go bigger than you think you want to,you will thank yourself later.I know when I replace the 61" I have,it will be bigger for sure,
I'm not sold on the 3D thing either,it does'nt interest me yet.

"bigger is better "..

."go big or go home".

you get the idea

Dan · Post by **Dan** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 12:42 pm

Mark wrote:silly question, do all these TV's come with some kind of speakers, even basic ones ?

yes,but they aren't anything fancy.

RaisinCain · Post by **RaisinCain** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:26 pm

Get a proper HT setup if you have the funds- well worth it!

blebs · Post by **blebs** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:48 pm

RaisinCain wrote:Get a proper HT setup if you have the funds- well worth it!

Seriously. The speakers in my TV are so wussy that they aren't worth listening to.

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:55 pm

i suppose i could use my klipsh pro media 4.1 setup for sound maybe ?

but then i would need something new for the PC LOL

i am on tight budget, so will have to look for a good sale i guess.

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:56 pm

blebs wrote:Seriously. The speakers in my TV are so wussy that they aren't worth listening to.

they have to be better than the crappy ones in the old hand me down TV's i have been used to

TonyT · Post by **TonyT** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 4:53 pm

Last January I bought a 46" Sharp Aquos LED TV, after xmas prices, less than 600 bucks. Internet ready with built in wifi and cat5 port, 4 HDMI ports. I don't have a surround sound system or separate amp anymore so I bought some powered comp speakers for about 30 bucks, works well enough.

Do yourself a favor and get at least 46"-48" TV. Anything less will be disappointing, esp if watching HD programming or movies.

Shinobi · Post by **Shinobi** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 11:34 pm

One thing to tell you. Do not buy a Vizio. Some people have luck with them, but I and thousands of other people have not. Seems like they use referb components. Sony is good.

Mad_Haggis · Post by **Mad_Haggis** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 11:54 pm

Auto Digital Liscensed media playback. Spend 250 euro's on a blue ray rip program that converts it to a file, just one. What TV can play it back on a USB stick?

I always like the ZIO Eureka boxes, nice built in media player...but old...did not always play all the files your computer could?

LG has a nice player. Could play files the Eureka could not.

Sony is out to lunch like disney buying Star Wars. No correlation.

Plasma vs Diodes. I like diodes, that why I like computers...duhh, they have dioeds on everything now...Fan/Mice/Keyboards/Hard Drive External devices? I used to make jokes on hear when I first Joined about unpluggin diodes to save 1/16 of a nanosecong to spped up the rig....Now? You Know?

I have an LG LCD. Very nice.

They say these TV's have finate lives...( if you get up to go to the wahsroom, turn it off, SAVE) I don't swing that way, ON off? it's a TV.

Winter is comming and the Sony's not only won't play any media file of a usb stick unles MP2? They heat the room nicely.

So now it's TV versus winter?

You should have refrased your quest..."What TV should I buy in Winter?)

Mi whole view on the plasma....Wait for it...

You can see the hockey puck better. The black's are blacker,,need indirect ambient light when whatching Star Wars?

AC/DC Rocks!~!

TonyT · Post by **TonyT** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 9:07 am

Auto Digital Liscensed media playback. Spend 250 euro's on a blue ray rip program that converts it to a file, just one. What TV can play it back on a USB stick?

mine can

Lefty · Post by **Lefty** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 11:58 am

+1 Samsung. If you are on a budget look for deals on a home theater in a box. They come with an amplifier/radio with speakers and are (fairly) matched to the speakers.

YARDofSTUF · Post by **YARDofSTUF** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:04 pm

Shinobi wrote:One thing to tell you. Do not buy a Vizio. Some people have luck with them, but I and thousands of other people have not. Seems like they use referb components. Sony is good.

Sony is overpriced.

EVery week best buy or pc richards have a 46-50" LCD or LED set for 500ish, something to consider.

Dan · Post by **Dan** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 3:04 pm

YARDofSTUF wrote:Sony is overpriced.

EVery week best buy or pc richards have a 46-50" LCD or LED set for 500ish, something to consider.

honestly I've seen big screen sony's and many other brands,and I really don't like sony tv's.my dad had a 60" sony and it was a POS

morbidpete · Post by **morbidpete** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 4:08 pm

Leatherneck wrote:Any new set will have a QAM tuner. If your budget is not super-limited you simply can't go wrong with a Samsung smart LED. You'll have a great pic, all the widgets needed and brand reputation. If you want to save a few bucks look at other sets with the same features from 2nd tier names as they are still good sets.

we have a 50" samsung smart LED, Love it. Great picture. Dont use the widgets since we use nothing but xbmc for out media, but it is a great tv. My only issue is its edge lit and in very dark scenes you can really see the un-even back lighting, Should have gone local lighting

Dan · Post by **Dan** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 4:34 pm

morbidpete wrote:we have a 50" samsung smart LED, Love it. Great picture. Dont use the widgets since we use nothing but xbmc for out media, but it is a great tv. My only issue is its edge lit and in very dark scenes you can really see the un-even back lighting, Should have gone local lighting

I have been working on TV background lighting lately,I love it,

I have been doing a lot of reading on this type of room lighting for HT,

it is thought to be less stressful & fatiguing on the eyes in a dark room for movies.

I usually just use it at night for my BR movies,
I also bought the mounting channels & remote control for it.

.

morbidpete · Post by **morbidpete** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 4:58 pm

Dan wrote:I have been working on TV background lighting lately,I love it,less stressful & fatiguing on the eyes in a dark room for movies.
I'll post some pics later.

we like to have the lights dimmed also, we have a lutron light controller, when we select "watch a movie" ont he controller, it sets everything up including dimming the lights. you ever mess around with the ambient light mods using arduinos and stuff, been very interested, just never pulled the trigger

Dan · Post by **Dan** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 5:03 pm

morbidpete wrote:we like to have the lights dimmed also, we have a lutron light controller, when we select "watch a movie" ont he controller, it sets everything up including dimming the lights. you ever mess around with the ambient light mods using arduinos and stuff, been very interested, just never pulled the trigger

I'll post a pic tonight when it gets dark,the way I did this the light is perfectly symmetrical and even,and the white rope light is just right,I messed around with red,blue,& green lights at first,but I like the white better,and it's a great price at home depot.

morbidpete · Post by **morbidpete** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 5:13 pm

Dan wrote:I'll post a pic tonight when it gets dark,the way I did this the light is perfectly symmetrical and even,and the white rope light is just right,I messed around with red,blue,& green lights at first,but I like the white better,and it's a great price at home depot.

ill keep that in mind, I could hook a plug up to the light controller so it wills still work with the remote. Thanks for the tip!

loop2kil · Post by **loop2kil** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 5:20 pm

Mark wrote:i suppose i could use my klipsh pro media 4.1 setup for sound maybe ?

but then i would need something new for the PC LOL

i am on tight budget, so will have to look for a good sale i guess.

You would be amazed at how good you could do off of CL for HT needs.

I found a pair of Paradigm Export Monitors for $75 that I use for my fronts.
Got a Denon 5.1 with hdmi off ebay for $125 shipped.
I am currently still using an old DCM center and crappy onkyo sub/rears for now.

The Paradigms I have sound amazing and are 10/10 cosmetically. I was quite fortunate to get them and have thoroughly enjoyed them.
I see Polk HT speakers all the time on CL for cheap and you do not technically have to use speakers that are marketed as HT speakers either.

As for TV's, I'm still using a 6 year old LG plasma that only does 720p so I can't comment on LED's and how they stack up to plasmas. When I purchased I picked plasma because PQ was superior to my eyes. The dithering in darker scenes on the lcds really bugged me though this could have been more of a source issue and these issues might have been rectified by now. I watch a lot of content from my HTPC so not all source files are top quality and could make a difference for you if you will be doing that as well.

Dan · Post by **Dan** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 1:39 am

morbidpete wrote:ill keep that in mind, I could hook a plug up to the light controller so it wills still work with the remote. Thanks for the tip!

here is with & without the mild white rope light behind my tv,I really like it.

.

morbidpete · Post by **morbidpete** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 2:00 am

I like it, will research!

YARDofSTUF · Post by **YARDofSTUF** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 4:35 am

Wow that really does look good Dan.

Dan · Post by **Dan** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 10:32 am

good price to do it too !
Home Depot
6ft Rope light $10
remote switch $10
rope light mounting channel $4

some reading here about it

http://www.cinemaquestinc.com/ideal_lume.htm

http://televisions.wonderhowto.com/how- ... tv-366146/

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/te ... d-t-v.html

"Watching TV in the dark can eliminate screen reflections, but typically causes eyestrain and viewing fatigue. Most of us remember our mothers telling us to turn on a light when we watched TV in the dark as children. Locating such a light behind the TV solves two problems. Eye strain is relieved and screen reflections are avoided.

Ideal-Lume Lights provide another benefit that's a bit more technical. Video experts have found that using the right color of white light behind the TV helps preserve correct color perception in the picture. Our products use special lamps that have the same color of light TV professionals use as a reference,TV pictures look more natural when the light in the room is in this color. "

morbidpete · Post by **morbidpete** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 11:50 am

Is that incandescent rope light? Thinking the led type would be a lot colder

Dan · Post by **Dan** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 11:59 am

morbidpete wrote:Is that incandescent rope light? Thinking the led type would be a lot colder

yes it is incandescent ,and yes the LED would be cooler,but also a lot more $$$

morbidpete · Post by **morbidpete** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 12:13 pm

Dan wrote:yes it is incandescent ,and yes the LED would be cooler,but also a lot more $$$

not cooler, colder. I feel incandescent has a very warm look to it vs leds

Dan · Post by **Dan** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 4:42 pm

morbidpete wrote:not cooler, colder. I feel incandescent has a very warm look to it vs leds

ok,I know what you mean, they say that white 6500k is the best for this type of lighting,if the LED versions is closer to 6500k,they would be better for sure,and they do run cooler too.

like this maybe http://www.amazon.com/110V-120V-Christm ... 7030155807

I guess it's not too much more $ afterall
.
and you are right,I looked at these lights and they do have a warmer yellow hue to them,I just ordered the cooler white rope.

loop2kil · Post by **loop2kil** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 12:57 am

Dan, that does look pretty nice, I might take a look and see if I might be able to do something similar. I like a little light in the room when I'm watching TV but don't always like the overhead light on.

Dan · Post by **Dan** » Thu Nov 15, 2012 5:33 pm

morbidpete wrote:not cooler, colder. I feel incandescent has a very warm look to it vs leds

.

loop2kil wrote:Dan, that does look pretty nice, I might take a look and see if I might be able to do something similar. I like a little light in the room when I'm watching TV but don't always like the overhead light on.

so I got this one today http://www.amazon.com/110V-120V-Christm ... 7030155807
and this place has lightning fast shipping.

and I like the "cool white" LED a lot better than the yellowish incandescent one.

.

RaisinCain · Post by **RaisinCain** » Thu Nov 15, 2012 5:42 pm

Maybe just use a table lamp with a lower wattage bulb?

minir · Post by **minir** » Thu Nov 15, 2012 6:06 pm

I have a 42 Sony in my little den that i watch & use a little night light with the cover removed plugged into a small power bar centered in the middle of the TV on the wall behind and it works just fine for me.

This is as close as i could come to it on a quick search. You'll see the lite listed as well as its replacement bulb which lasts for a year or more and is cheap to replace.

You can find in most hardware stores for $5 bucks or so.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Replacement-Aut ... 95&sr=1-24

---

minir

Mad_Haggis · Post by **Mad_Haggis** » Sun Nov 18, 2012 2:23 am

Indirect light versu blindness, any 4th grader could figure this thing. Very nice Pics By The Way! Tune yur theatre to the sun. Bright sun might bring down the BiG BlinDs. Light in itself does bleed. Best way? 4 months. This will only work in a four cornered room with a window. Are you starting to get my drift?

BMED · Post by **BMED** » Sun Nov 18, 2012 11:50 pm

Mad_Haggis wrote:Indirect light versu blindness, any 4th grader could figure this thing. Very nice Pics By The Way! Tune yur theatre to the sun. Bright sun might bring down the BiG BlinDs. Light in itself does bleed. Best way? 4 months. This will only work in a four cornered room with a window. Are you starting to get my drift?

YES, a SmartPhone will make you smarter!

opcorn:

RoundEye · Post by **RoundEye** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 9:32 pm

I like the look of Plasma over LED. It’s more expensive and LED’s are getting better. So I guess at this point it boils down to personal preference and budget.