What can you tell me about an LCD hi def TV?

[CTyankee]

Spouse and I are ready to take the plunge, but at the low end cost and size wise. We're seriously considering a 32 inch Westinghouse LCD TV and DVD combo for about $1k. Neither of us wants a big, big TV but Consumer's Guide says most people regret not buying a bigger screen TV. Plus, I like the simple DVD slot in front.

Does anybody have one of these? How are they working? What should I look out for?

We're pretty hopeless tech-wise, so any help you can offer will be ever so gratefully accepted!

[Betty88]

1. see if this helps

I dont know much about them myself, I plan to get on some day and will probably spend a month or two learning about them before I buy. Here is a link that might help

http://reviews.cnet.com/Televisions/2001-6475_7-0.html?tag=ont.tv

I find cnet.com is a great place to get started.

Just a note about combo TV's (I was a cable tv tech for years so know the old stuff) it sucks when the dvd player stops working.

[mikeytherat]

2. I have three LCD TVS -- all Westinghouse Digital

None of them has the built-in DVD player, but I have nothing but high praise for the three I have. Please PM me with any questions you might have about audio/visual equipment - I'm glad to help.

mikey_the_rat

[datasuspect]

3. $1,000 for a teevee?

wow.

that thing better communicate with aliens and serve coffee for that much.

holy christ in heaven, that is a lot of money for something that rots the mind.

[CTyankee]

4. Yes, and that's the LOW end on these models

and we are certainly NOT the first kids on the block to get one. The reason we are plunging now is because our current set has an incurable problem, known only to its manufacturer, RCA. For some odd reason, one day last January the set suddenly jumped to SAP, (alternate sound)on several channels (not every one). We can get the picture but not the sound. We tried many times to reprogram the set by unplugging and taking it down to factory settings and starting all over again. This was recommended by the company that made the set. They had no idea why it was happening but evidently is was happening in these TVs all over the country, with no rhyme or reason to their occurances. Then for awhile it cleared up only to start up with the SAP suddenly again one day.

This has made us crazy. I realize we don't have to get a fancy LCD set and we might reconsider. You are right, there is so much rot, but there are things I do like to watch and can't get the sound for. Hubby also wants the bigger screen and hi def to watch sports. I couldn't care less.

[datasuspect]

5. i've never bought a television

i've acquired smallish ones before (the last one was in 1993, it broke some years back), but i simply could not imagine spending that much money on one of those.

good luck anyway. happy shopping, always remember there is a whole industry devoted to helping you make informed consumer choices.

[Wcross]

6. I wouldn't get a "built in" DVD player.

With the changing technology I would get a stand alone dvd player. The TV will probably be good for many years to come but the DVD format is likely to change.
Also, is the TV HDTV ready?

On a final note, buy the biggest one you can! I bought a Sony 50" grand wega last year and my only regret is I didn't go for the 65" model!

(BTW- I love movies, the large screen gives me a "movie theater" feeling. I haven't been to a theater in years. If you now go to the theater- just sign up for net flicks or blockbuster online and use your "Theater money" top pay for a bigger LCD!

[CTyankee]

8. what would be the big deal about the format change?

If the format is OK now what change would you see making a big difference?

I'm very selective about my movie going. I like going to the movies because I get to go to a theatre and have my Diet Pepsi and popcorn, it's like a little treat and I also like to go out. I go maybe once a month if something decent is playing. I will not go unless I am convinced the movie is top notch. I hate having my intelligence insulted.

I hear what you are saying about the screen size but I can't see myself with a humongous screen in my family room.

[Maddy McCall]

9. Blue Ray vs. DVD

That's the technical change that very likely COULD happen in the next year or two.

[CTyankee]

10. Can you tell me what a Blue Ray is and how it is better than a DVD?

Will I be cryin' in my beer over having bought a DVD?

[Maddy McCall]

12. Blue Ray is new disk technology.

The players are REALLY expensive right now--about $1000. But the technology is superior to DVD, and I'm betting that in the next couple of years, we'll see a big shift toward Blue Ray. Blue Ray was made for HD tv...it has massively more data storage capability, which means that the image is much better than DVD--more colors, more detail.

Here's a wiki discussion on it. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&pwst=1&defl=en&q=define:Blue+ray&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title

With the shift toward HDTV, we'll see the Blue Ray shift soon...I'm betting that the technology will win out and be pretty much standard by 2010. So if you're buying an HDTV (which is a major investment) to keep for more than five years, don't get a built-in DVD player. Get the HDTV, play DVDs on a separate player, and then when Blue Ray players come down in price and the disks become more widely available, you can shift to Blue Ray without having to ditch your TV.

An HDTV with built-in DVD is an HDTV with built-in obsolesence.

[Wcross]

13. Right now you can buy a DVD player for around 30-40 bucks.

They are so cheap I wouldn't even think about buying one that is integrated with your TV set. There is absolutely NO benefit in having that. If your like me you will have your TV set for a VERY long time. As Maddy says, Blue ray is just coming down the road and who knows what the future holds 10-15 years from now?
Would you buy a TV with an integrated VCR? It is a very similar situation.

[KurtNYC]

7. The technology is half-baked IMHO

they pixelate like crazy. They have simply bumped a 400-line signal (that was designed for 19-inch TVs in ~1965) up to a larger screen BUT because it is digital that damn things pixelate every time the image moves! Or for twice the price, the plasma screens posterize. Over priced, over hyped junk.

I'm waiting until the get it right. More 1080 resolution screens are due out by Xmas but if they don't fix the pixelation thing I will wait a couple more years.

[sir_captain]

11. Terrific tech--but you shouldn't ask about it here

The Westies are a really good bargain, though I'd never get an integrated DVD player

In any case, what you should actually do is check out www.avsforum.com -- those guys know everything there is possibly to know about display devices and can answer any of your questions.

I've got a 32" Sharp Aquos LCD tv recommended to me by one of the Sharp reps who posts on that site and I absolutely love it. I'm a pretty big videophile and am totally satisfied.

The biggest thing to remember when purchasing an HDTV is that it's going to look like crap unless you feed it a high-def source. So if you have cable, for instance, you've got to call up your cable company and get them to send you over a high-def box.