Need new television! Going LCD?

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

...snip...

Wow.  That's everything I needed to know, and then some!  I will take all of that advice.  You really are a niceguy and I doubt you ever  finish last.  

Hah, glad to be of service. Out of curiosity, where are you located? Because if you're in an area where there are HHGreggs, I HIGHLY recommend you purchase from them, for all the reasons I put in my original post. You can check HHGregg.com, there's a store locateron the left side of the screen, you can search by zip code. Like I said, when it comes to customer service (before, during, and after the sale), I personally don't feel you can beat an HHGregg. Every employee at HHGregg is strictly commission, which, contrary to popular belief, means that the NEED to make sure that YOU, the customer are happy. After all, if they lie to you, and sell you something you don't need, and you return it, not only do they lose the comission on whatever you return, but they probably lost your repeat business. In an industry like this, probably 1/4 of my paychecks were repeat business. That's $$ that the salespeople and the managers can't afford to lose, so it's in their best interests to take care of you. Also, every employee at HHGregg is sent to product trainings, taught by representatives from the vendors, at LEAST twicea month, and usually  more often than that. When I still worked there, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone ANYWHERE that knew more about the products we were selling. Again, sorry for turning this into an HHGregg advertisement... I just don't think you can go wrong buying from them... Like I said, feel free to email or PM me if you run into something down the line. OH YEAH, one more thing. WHEREVER you buy your TV, chances are good that they're going to show you a home theater system (at least, if they're doing their job properly, they are!). If you're not in a hurry, go ahead and take a listen. Even if you don't buy anything, they get brownie points with the managers for trying, and you get something to think about for the future. Usually, when you buy audio together with a TV, you get special financing on the audio too, and audio gives YOU more bargaining room on price, because home audio (usually) has a high margin as well.

[Badger]

When they offer you the $200 or $300 surge protector, it's a good idea, but they usually have a VERY nice one for about $100..

Just make sure it's not a surge protector, but a power conditioner.  This is what makes the expensive ones expensive.

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

When they offer you the $200 or $300 surge protector, it's a good idea, but they usually have a VERY nice one for about $100..

Just make sure it's not a surge protector, but a power conditioner.  This is what makes the expensive ones expensive.

exactly, thanks for clarifying... line/power conditioner not only protects against surges, but actually uses a capacitor to give your TV/other electronics a constant flow of electricity, instead of the constant spikes inherent in AC technology today. Also, the nicer $100-$300 that I mentioned, like the one I use not only have protection for electrical devices, but should also incorporate a phone line for your fax/modem, and an input/output for a coaxial cable. I highly recommend running your cable through it. Not only does it protect your TV from everything but lightning coming through the window to hit it, but the nice surge protectors have filters built in, that work in conjunction with the 3D Y/C comb filter built into your TV, to actually give you a better picture, with fewer artifacts.

[Badger]

I highly recommend running your cable through it. Not only does it protect your TV from everything but lightning coming through the window to hit it, but the nice surge protectors have filters built in, that work in conjunction with the 3D Y/C comb filter built into your TV, to actually give you a better picture, with fewer artifacts.

But first make sure the conditioner's cable connection is bidirectional (not reverse filtered) if your cable box needs to talk to your cable company (i.e., ordering PPV through the set top box, getting VOD, tv listings, firmware updates, etc.).  If not, running the cable through the suppressor will prevent communication back from the box.  

A lot of the line conditioners have filters to prevent signal noise from feeding back into the house's cable lines (potentially effecting other sets).  Cable companies used to put them on the lines leading to your house (and still do for those that only have basic cable) becuase interference from all the houses can really wreak havoc on the neighborhood.

I run a seperate cable from the wall, through my conditioner, directly into the tv (an unfiltered line goes to the cable box then to the tv over DVI) so that I can get basic cable through the tv's tuner, but digital/HD cable through the cable box.  PITA, but lets me get side-by-side picture from both sources...and the standard (non-digital) signals look slightly better using the tv's tuner than with the cable box's.

[roguegeek]

BUT!!!  There aren't enough HD shows to make it worth the money...

Really? I think there's totally enough things out there being broadcasted to justify the cost. On top of that (and these are the big ones for me), DVDs look a lot better and game consoles, especially my Xbox 360, are just beautiful on it. It's black and white in my eyes.

Hey rogue, have you upgraded to an upconverting DVD player from Toshiba yet? I'm not familiar with the specs on the samsungs (we didn't sell them, as we had problems with the vendor), but if it's got HDMI, you can get a DVD player with HDMI output that upconverts your DVDs to 1080i, or if you've got DVI, you just get the same DVD player and an HDMI->DVI fitting... it's pretty sweet, we had it hooked up to a 55" Hitachi Plasma, and it looked nice.. but on a CRT or DLP, it looked even nicer!

I'll have to check that out. It does have all the ports needed.

[Gisser]

roguegeek wrote:
Rear-projection CRT is kind of an older technology and doesn't offer the clarity of the other technologies

NiceGuysFinishLast wrote:
If you want the best quality picture, CRT all the way. Nothing matches the color quality and resolution of a CRT.

Hmph.  These statements seem to be in conflict.   :dunno:

NiceGuysFinishLast
However, if you go CRT, that coverage that I mentioned is vital, as CRTs have a tendency to need alignment

What about autofocus features?  Marketing BS?  :dunno:

NiceGuysFinishLast
and the CRTs will usually last about 3-4 years, and EACH CRT is about $250. If you replace one CRT, you have to replace them ALL

What?  $750 in parts plus labor every 3-to-4 years?  Cripes!!!  Really?  

NiceGuysFinishLast
My recommendations are Hitachi, Mitsubishi, and Toshiba, in that order. You can get a NICE Hitachi 57" for that.

OK, the CRT projection TV's I been scoutin' are the Hitachi 57F710S ($1699) and the Toshiba 57HC94 ($1599).  Both feature 1080i, HDTV tuners w/cablecard, PIP/POP, Majic Focus/Auto Focus, 4 Element Lens/First Surface Mirror, etc.  In addition, the Hitachi claims Virtual HD--a 1080p Video Processor ( :dunno: ).  

roguegeek wrote:
I suggest you go with a 1080i rear-projection HDTV.

If you move up to that range instead, seriously consider the Samsung HL-R5067 or HL-R4667. They're the 1080i versions of the set I purchased.

These sets actually convert to 740p not 1080i.  A little chink in the armor value-wise?  Not really.  My eyes tell me 1080i isn't all that.  I see flicker where as the progressive scan images look rock solid.  I sampled the Samsung HL-R5067 at Sears and I have to say the picture just leaped out at me!  Head & shoulders better that the CRT projection units on the shelf for comparison, though to be fair, these were low end models not the Hitachi or Toshiba CRT tour de force models.   :dunno:

http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/oid/121175/rpem/ccd/productDetailSpecification.do#tabs

http://reviews.cnet.com/Toshiba_57H94_projection_TV_57/4507-6485_7-31113390.html

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

roguegeek wrote:
Rear-projection CRT is kind of an older technology and doesn't offer the clarity of the other technologies

NiceGuysFinishLast wrote:
If you want the best quality picture, CRT all the way. Nothing matches the color quality and resolution of a CRT.

Hmph.  These statements seem to be in conflict.   :dunno:

They do seem to be in conflict. All I can offer is my advice as a trained TV salesman. CRTs provide the best depth of color, because they use three CRTs, rather than just a color wheel to produce color, so you get the blackest blacks, the whitest whites, and the best distinctions between them, with no pixellation.

NiceGuysFinishLast
However, if you go CRT, that coverage that I mentioned is vital, as CRTs have a tendency to need alignment

What about autofocus features?  Marketing BS?  :dunno:
autofocus = BS. All it does is adjust the TV to make you THINK it's working better. Going through and doing the 175 point manual focus really doesn't do much for you either. There is simply no replacement for a tech coming out and doing a manual adjustment (each CRT is held in place by 4 long screws, with spring tensioners, they techs adjust each screw/spring) they also wipe down all the internal components (the mirror being the most vital).

NiceGuysFinishLast
and the CRTs will usually last about 3-4 years, and EACH CRT is about $250. If you replace one CRT, you have to replace them ALL

What?  $750 in parts plus labor every 3-to-4 years?  Cripes!!!  Really?    Some people get lucky. I've had customers whose CRT tvs have lasted 8-12 years (of course, when I look at em, the picture quality is HORRIBLE compared to a TV with new CRTs) I won't say that EVERY person has to replace the CRTs every 3 -4 years, but I will say that that is the industry average. Obviously, that will depend on your habits. If you watch less TV than average, you will have longer CRT life, and vice versa.

NiceGuysFinishLast
My recommendations are Hitachi, Mitsubishi, and Toshiba, in that order. You can get a NICE Hitachi 57" for that.

OK, the CRT projection TV's I been scoutin' are the Hitachi 57F710S ($1699) and the Toshiba 57HC94 ($1599).  Both feature 1080i, HDTV tuners w/cablecard, PIP/POP, Majic Focus/Auto Focus, 4 Element Lens/First Surface Mirror, etc.  In addition, the Hitachi claims Virtual HD--a 1080p Video Processor ( :dunno: ).  

The Hitachi 'S' series is fantastic. As I'm sure you've seen in your research, they offer both the 'F' and the 'S', with differences including HD tuner, number of lens elements, etc. The Hitachi 'S' series is a fantastic buy.

roguegeek wrote:
I suggest you go with a 1080i rear-projection HDTV.

If you move up to that range instead, seriously consider the Samsung HL-R5067 or HL-R4667. They're the 1080i versions of the set I purchased.

These sets actually convert to 740p not 1080i.  A little chink in the armor value-wise?  Not really.  My eyes tell me 1080i isn't all that.  I see flicker where as the progressive scan images look rock solid.  I sampled the Samsung HL-R5067 at Sears and I have to say the picture just leaped out at me!  Head & shoulders better that the CRT projection units on the shelf for comparison, though to be fair, these were low end models not the Hitachi or Toshiba CRT tour de force models.   :dunno:

http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/oid/121175/rpem/ccd/productDetailSpecification.do#tabs

http://reviews.cnet.com/Toshiba_57H94_projection_TV_57/4507-6485_7-31113390.html

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

Hope all that helps man!

[Vball24]

What do ya'll think about the Samsung HL-R5667W?  I think I found a deal for $1610.00, before shipping which is another $200.

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

What do ya'll think about the Samsung HL-R5667W?  I think I found a deal for $1610.00, before shipping which is another $200.

I'm not really a big proponent of samsung televisions in general. They were not a product we carried, so they are not a product I was trained extensively on. Hopefully roguegeek will chime in to give you an opinion.

[Jeff P]

Maybe you TV experts can help me out with this one.  My in-laws have an LCD flat panel tv, it's probably in the 30-36" range, not quite sure.  I believe it's a Panasonic.  They have regular Dish Network, not HD.  The picture is awful.  I mean it looks like complete shaZam!.  It's all pixelated and the colors are super bright and exaggerated.  I'm guessing the latter could be remedied by fooling around with the settings, but I don't know about the pixelation.  My non-HD 32" Toshiba CRT with DirecTV looks 10x better.  

As for Samsung, the reviews at CNET for their DLP's are consistently excellent.  Samsung seems to be one of the top brands.  

jeff

[roguegeek]

What do ya'll think about the Samsung HL-R5667W?  I think I found a deal for $1610.00, before shipping which is another $200.

I'm not really a big proponent of samsung televisions in general. They were not a product we carried, so they are not a product I was trained extensively on. Hopefully roguegeek will chime in to give you an opinion.

For that price, I highly recommend it. Extensive ports. Large, clear, DLP screen. I think you found yourself one good set.