Leebo33 wrote:
I really like the 52 inch Bravia XBR2. What will the new XBR do for me that the XBR2 can't and what would be the approximate price difference? Are the clouding issues with these resolved?
I can't help with comparisons to the new XBR's but I have a 40" XBR2 and absolutely love it. Wonderful blacks, no motion blur and a gorgeous picture, especially while gaming (native 1080p games on the PS3 are just stunning). I had very slight clouding issues at first (I could only see it when the set was on and there was no signal) but it went away after a few months and I never once noticed it during use, even in dark programs or games like Splinter Cell.
As a gamer, the best thing about the TV is the game mode. Unlike other TV's I looked at, the game mode on the XBR2 does not cripple the set. Everything except the DRC mode is still enabled when game mode is set to on. If you plan on playing games on it, especially the Wii, that is a big factor to be considered.
I bought the 52XBR2 on July 4 and I absolutely love it so far. I only have MLB and F1 on the PS3 and they look amazing. All the 360 games look awesome as well.
I'm totally blown away by my new TV and surround sound setup. I've been gaming on 27-32 inch TVs with just the TV sound my entire life so it's quite an experience. I never realized the sound was so good in these games! I sat and watched my son play Star Wars today just to *listen* to it. Watching a U2 and DMB concert video was almost a religious experience.
Leebo33 wrote:I bought the 52XBR2 on July 4 and I absolutely love it so far. I only have MLB and F1 on the PS3 and they look amazing. All the 360 games look awesome as well.
I'm totally blown away by my new TV and surround sound setup. I've been gaming on 27-32 inch TVs with just the TV sound my entire life so it's quite an experience. I never realized the sound was so good in these games! I sat and watched my son play Star Wars today just to *listen* to it. Watching a U2 and DMB concert video was almost a religious experience.
Awesome. I don't know if the demo runs in 1080p but you have to check out Ridge Racer 7 if it does. Just amazing. I bought the full game cheap off of Ebay and am just in awe of how beautiful native 1080p at 60fps can be. Super Stardust HD on the PS Store is another one thats just beautiful to look at.
What kind of surround sound setup did you decide on? I'm in the market to upgrade mine but I have no idea where to even start.
Leebo33 wrote:Man, I didn't know you could watch other peoples Video on-demand with the tuners in these HDTVs.
That's odd and very curious. Over whose service is that?
I have Comcast, but I don't think they are unique. Yeah, it's very odd and I never would have believed it if I didn't try it for myself. I haven't even been using the cable on my new TV because I thought I needed a box, which is currently in another room. I only set it up and used it once to check out the picture.
My father-in-law got a new TV yesterday and said he was getting "free" HDTV and digital cable without a cable box and I told him he was full of sh*t until I tried it myself. Actually, we were both kind of right because he can't get any digital cable/HDTV channels that are encrypted like HBO, ESPN, etc. But you can get the VOD HBO, etc.
So I started to research, saw the article below, and soon had the same experience as soon as I let my TV autoprogram. I even tried it myself this morning. I put an on-demand Spongebob on the TV with the cable box and I was picking it up on my TV with just regular cable. I even saw the fast forwarding when I asked my wife to try it out. It showed up on something like 86.4.
Leebo33 wrote:Man, I didn't know you could watch other peoples Video on-demand with the tuners in these HDTVs.
That's odd and very curious. Over whose service is that?
I have Comcast, but I don't think they are unique. Yeah, it's very odd and I never would have believed it if I didn't try it for myself. I haven't even been using the cable on my new TV because I thought I needed a box, which is currently in another room. I only set it up and used it once to check out the picture.
My father-in-law got a new TV yesterday and said he was getting "free" HDTV and digital cable without a cable box and I told him he was full of sh*t until I tried it myself. Actually, we were both kind of right because he can't get any digital cable/HDTV channels that are encrypted like HBO, ESPN, etc. But you can get the VOD HBO, etc.
So I started to research, saw the article below, and soon had the same experience as soon as I let my TV autoprogram. I even tried it myself this morning. I put an on-demand Spongebob on the TV with the cable box and I was picking it up on my TV with just regular cable. I even saw the fast forwarding when I asked my wife to try it out. It showed up on something like 86.4.
I've had an hdtv for a few years now and only have basic cable and when I first bought the tv I also bought an hd tuner box for it hoping to pick up the free hd channels but couldn't get it to pick up anything with an external antennae so I returned it and never looked into it again thinking I was too far away to pick up any signals.
I read that article last week about using a cable line for the antennae and did more reading up about it and ended up ordering a Samsung digital set top box and got it this week and plugged my cable line input in for the antennae and now get the 4 major networks in hd and a bunch of other digital channels along with on demand stuff, saw someone the other night scanning through a softcore porn movie.
Programs in 1080i are absolutely gorgeous, I can't wait to watch football in hd this season!
I am thinking of getting an HDTV in the 500-1000ish price range. I was looking at the 32 and 37 inch Vizio's which are pretty cheap and have decent reviews on the net...Anyone got any experiance with them or can help me?
Zlax45 wrote:I am thinking of getting an HDTV in the 500-1000ish price range. I was looking at the 32 and 37 inch Vizio's which are pretty cheap and have decent reviews on the net...Anyone got any experiance with them or can help me?
Both are awesome for the price. I know a couple people with each of those...In fact, a couple weeks ago, they had the 42" 1080P set on sale for 1000 bucks, which my buddy bought. So keep an eye out for some deals at Costco. It usually runs 1200.
What's our health care system come to if a doctor has to settle for a 17-inch TV?
I would think in this price range, it's mostly a commodity part so the refinements which go into the bigger and more expensive sets are lacking.
But it might be a good way to sample LCD TVs in this range and move up to something better later.
I would just look out for sales at the Costcos. Probably not much brand differentiation.
Of course, some day, they might have OLED TVs that size or smaller which looks better than anything else, square inch for square inch. But those won't be cheap.
wco81 wrote:What's our health care system come to if a doctor has to settle for a 17-inch TV?
We are about a year from tackling the monster entertainement setup. Right now got the 3rd offspring on the way and we need to tackle some other projects....bunkbeds for the boys, move the home office, nursery, etc. Plus I'm hoping by then my locals will be available in high def on direcTV. We are just a little far away for good antenna reception.
So anything is a step up from my current gaming tv.
I have a 32" XBR2 and I love it, but it's not 1080p. I was supposed to get an S200 (which is the entry level Sony) but this one showed up instead. Gotta love it when they run out of stuff for contests.
Is anyone familar a new technology by Panasonic called "LiFi" or something close to that?
The reason I'm asking is that I found out that this guy who I work with gets a discount from Panasonic from his old employer. He's willing to turn over the discount to me if interested. He mentioned what I thought was "Lifi". He said they use car headlights or something of that nature.
Anyways, if someone can shed some light on this technology, I'd appreciate it.
That's good info to know. I may check out avs to see if there's any info on the Panny LCDs. This guy I work with can get 66% off any Panasonic television. Thought maybe taking advantage of his offer, but I honestly don't know what I'm looking at.
Just thought I'd post a recent positive experience with my local Circuit City store.
I bought a 50" Hitachi 50VS810 (RP LCD) about 2 years ago and opted to get the extended warranty. As a tech geek, I usually advise against these, since more mature technologies will tend to 'break' within the manufacturer's warranty period IF they're going to die on you. However, with the latest digital projection sets I do recommend investing in the warranty. Most store warranties include at least one bulb, which typically go for $200-$300 and will likely need to be replaced at least once within the warranty period. So, the $600 or so price-tag of a 5 year warranty is almost cut in half on the basis of those savings. In addition, the technologies are so new that they have proven to be prone to manufacturing flaws or a flat out inability to hold up over time, so the warranty is worth it. (I still advice against it on a direct-view LCD - dead pixels etc. will show up right away).
Back to my story...
My set began turning 'green' a few months ago. Black scenes showed a green cast beginning in the upper right hand corner of the screen and fading to 'black' from right to left across the screen. I called to have a tech come out and their first answer was to replace the bulb. Didn't fix it. The tech who replaced the bulb said "I only see it in dark scenes, and I'm not sure that there is a part that will resolve it for you; it seems OK to me". My response was "Not to me", so he sent out another tech. The third tech just said he didn't see it at all, or that it was only noticeable during very dark scenes, and that replacing the suspect part would be expensive and get him fired if the original part was inspected as
'OK'. I explained that I couldn't convince every director of every film/tv show never to shoot night-time scenes. He left and I was ANGRY.
I went to my local CC where the sales guy approached me. Being the 'dick' that I am, I played dumb and said "Tell me a little about your extended warranty options". He went on to explain that if they had to come out 3 times for any reason they would just replace the set, and that it would perform to MY expectations for the life of the warranty. After letting him dig the whole, I cried "Bullshit" and told him my story. He got on the phone with CC Corporate/Protection Plan and 20 minutes later said they would be calling me to organize an exchange in 2 days.
2 days, no call. I call them and they say "we don't know what you're talking about. We won't replace your set, and we don't believe it needs to be fixed". I was REALLY ANGRY, but left on a 3 week trip. Got back and headed back to CC. Spoke to the store manager who called them up and explained the situation. They actually told him: "Tell the customer to have a 3rd-party technician come out and fix the set, and we'll reimburse him". I didn't pay for a warranty to have to pay for my own repairs or manage a 3rd party.
The CC store manager almost lost it when he heard them say that. He hung up the phone and said "Go pick out a new TV; I'll deal with this here". I thanked him and selected a 60" Sony SXRD 60A2020. IT cost $1,000 less than my Hitachi did, but it's bigger, better etc. CC handled it as an EVEN swap, which is more than OK in my book because my dying set was replaced with a new one that I picked out.
Long story short, my new SXRD 60A2020 was delivered on Monday of this week and it's stunning. Highly recommended for anyone not in need of a wall-mounted set. Gorgeous color, bright, 1080p, ample inputs, and with the bottom speakers exactly the same width as my former 50" set.
Hats off to my local CC management, who dealt with me with class and respect. Throw a little business CC's way if you're in Wellington, FL someday, or in your neck of the woods if appropriate.
Sport73
"Can't we all just get along? I'll turn this car around RIGHT now!"
Congrats Sport73, I love the Sony's SXRD sets, but I bought the cheaper alternative (JVC's H-Dila) before Sony came out with the SXRD. SXRD is definitely better and really stunning to look at.
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Gamertag: The Praxis
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SXRD should be a big improvement over LCD projection.
Circuit City is struggling. There has been a lot of consolidation in the electronics chains so your choices now are either BB, CC, Costco and to a lesser extent, Wal Mart and local boutique shops.
Of course online gives you better prices but the number of places where you can actually check out a TV before buying is dwindling.
Someone posted a market survey on AVS the other day which showed that people were looking to buy less at the electronics chains while at the same time, looking more towards Costco, Walmart and Target.
Hey guys, just had a question as well that hopefully some of you can help with. I'm looking into buying a smaller hdtv (perhaps 19") to act as a widescreen monitor for my pc as well as play 360 games on it. So basically, all I need is 720p with at least a couple of component inputs and a pc input. I figure the 360 and ps2 will be connected to it while my ps3 will stay on the larger family room tv...that way I can game while my wife watches tv. Any models that you all particularly like to fit these requirements? And how well does the PC work typically with these tvs?
Sport73 wrote:
Long story short, my new SXRD 60A2020 was delivered on Monday of this week and it's stunning. Highly recommended for anyone not in need of a wall-mounted set. Gorgeous color, bright, 1080p, ample inputs, and with the bottom speakers exactly the same width as my former 50" set.
Forgive my ignorance, but can you game ok on one of these rear projection tvs? What about on DLP? I notice the differences in prices between those types vs. LCD and plasma and wonder why the big differences in price (i.e. screen size you can get in rp and DSP vs LCD and plasma). Can someone please help me out? I'd much rather hear it from you guys than some salesman! Thanks.
You can game in 1080p 60" GLORY on a digital RP HDTV!
The price difference is relatively simple to explain:
1. People are ga-ga over sets that hang on the wall. Desire = Higher Price.
2. RP Digital sets are far easier to manufacture and cost a lot less to build than a Plasma/LCD. Plasma/LCD are large manufactured panels, while digital RPTV are <simple> combinations of LAMP, CHIP(s), SCREEN.
What people forget is:
1. Nothing else you own is likely to hang on the wall. Your cable/satellite, reciever, game system, etc. all still come in boxes. So you're goiing to have a cabinet somewhere anyway.
2. Because Plasma/LCD use large panels, you can't replace their parts; when they die, they die. Digital RPTV use lamps, which while expensive ($250) last about 5 years. When you replace the lamp, the set should (in theory) look as good as new.
As for DLP, I'm not a fan. A lot of people love them, but I'd highly recommend the LCoS (Sony, JVC) sets over DLP. The LCoS sets use 3 chips, one for each primary color. In order to cut costs (and because they can, thanks to the speed of DLP chips), the DLP sets use a single chip and a color wheel. This can create image artifacts (rainbows) and eye-strain for some people. In addition, the 1080p DLP sets use 'wobulation', allowing a 940 physical pxel chip to produce 1080 lines. It works fine, and is equally or more detailed than any other technology, but it can intriduce a 'shimmer' or 'digital crawl' that is more pronounced than other sets.
DLP is a solid choice, and the market leader for Digital RPTV, so take this as my personal preference.
Sport73
"Can't we all just get along? I'll turn this car around RIGHT now!"
grtwhtsk wrote:Forgive my ignorance, but can you game ok on one of these rear projection tvs? What about on DLP? I notice the differences in prices between those types vs. LCD and plasma and wonder why the big differences in price (i.e. screen size you can get in rp and DSP vs LCD and plasma). Can someone please help me out? I'd much rather hear it from you guys than some salesman! Thanks.
Besides my 24" Dell I game on mostly, my HDTV is a 48" CRT Rear Projection. Given the size of my room, it's really the only size tv that can fit comfortably. I bought it a couple years back when LCDs and Plasmas were still on the higher side...and I have loved it ever since. If you can find them, they are still the best bang for the buck when it comes to accuracy and color reproduction...at least in my opinion.
