HDTV 4ME2C

[kedawa]

Just get a fancy monitor.
Tuners are obsolete.

[magnifiedplaid]

Is that true, or just something that some guy told you he heard from somewhere.

I've owned a 32" 720p LCD HD TV, and a 32" 1080p LCD HD TV. I keep hearing that the upgrade to 1080p is worth it, depending on how far away from the TV you are going to sit. From what I hear, you should be able to notice a difference between a 720p and 1080p 32" if you're not sitting more than 5 feet away from the TV screen.

To be completely honest with you, I HONESTLY didn't notice any leap in picture quality between my 32" 720p and my 32" 1080p. The 360 games really made my jaw drop when I first saw them in 720p, and it really doesn't get much better than that.

I also honestly think that you should invest in one of the Xbox 360 HD DVD add on players if you are not going to invest in cable or Blu Ray movies. The 360 add on can probably be had for $30-$50 and you can find most used HD DVD movies for $5-$8 from Amazon sellers and the forums on hidefdigest.com. I know it sounds stupid to recommend a dead format, but I still think HD DVD has better looking catalogue titles than Blu Ray has...and HD DVD is still the better format IMHO. So, you really couldn't go wrong with picking up an HD DVD add on as a holdover until Blu Ray prices come down a bit.

[FuryFox]

This thread interests me as well. However, I also need a new computer monitor, so I may go Kedawa's route and get 1 or 2 monitors.

To be honest though, I haven't seen anything that looks as good as a HD CRT (for televisions). I realize Josh is looking for something slim, but given the opportunity I'll probably grab one of those 32" Toshibas or something...unless there's some reason beside size that no one gets the CRTs?

[magnifiedplaid]

If you don't mind getting a 720p HD TV, Amazon.com has the 32" Sharp Aquos for $695 right now:

http://www.amazon.com/Sharp-Aquos-LC...6182928&sr=8-8

[stormy]

Gizmodo says wait

Info:
Wait on buying your TV. Fresh off a round of price-cuts barely two months old, Mitsubishi, Sharp, Panasonic and Samsung will drop prices on their sets by as much as $400 in the coming weeks.

With too much inventory and not enough demand, the HDTV makers are cutting prices yet again to clear out stock. After these guys finish slashing, you can expect other bigwigs like Pioneer, LG and Sony to follow suit. So before you shell out for that sweet new LCD or plasma set, make sure you're not overpaying and check out the chart of everything we know so far.

[Mykozo]

From what I understand, and correct me if I'm wrong, 720p is just fine for gaming, movies, and TV, but if you want to use it as a computer monitor, you have to go 1080p or text is blurry and unreadable (this is what I was recommended when I was looking for mine). My Westinghouse 1080p 37" is hot and sexy as a monitor, but I've never known someone to try a 720p as their monitor. Anyone using a 720p as a monitor succesfully?

[Gooch]

To be honest though, I haven't seen anything that looks as good as a HD CRT (for televisions). I realize Josh is looking for something slim, but given the opportunity I'll probably grab one of those 32" Toshibas or something...unless there's some reason beside size that no one gets the CRTs?

I agree with you as my HD CRT is my reference set even over a Pio Elite Plasma, but not only is size an issue, and it is a huge issue (space and 200lbs) but, aside from lower resolution, CRTs also have more inherent issues like geometry, convergence, overscan than flat panels do. You almost always should get a CRT calibrated because of these issues, which will be noticable and distracting to even non-videophiles. CRTs are the most inaccurate out of the box. With a flat panel you can go just out of the box if you're not a videophile.

[Josh]

Hey... Sceptre? Who the fuck are they?

The price is about right on this motherfucker what do you guys think?

[stormy]

I have the 720p version of that set. Got it from Costco for $500. Image quality on mine is good, but audio is shit (not surprisingly). The remote is really sensitive, you have to point it right at the sensor and sometimes it still takes a couple pushes to get it to respond. The case is also kind of cheap looking. It certainly gets the job done and for the price it's not bad at all. Not sure I'd want to mail order it. Go get one from Costco and take advantage of the return policy if you hate it. Try Vizio brand too.

[Mzo]

I had a cheap widescreen LCD Sceptre monitor from Costco for a few years until it exploded.

It wasn't horrible but the feature set was nonexistant and the screen tearing was kinda bad.

I'm not a huge Sceptre fan.