564 replies to this topic

[Cindyseattle]

Just read where Office Depot is rumored (with several employees confirming) to have a Olevia 37 inch for $300 on BF. Not sure if this is with a rebate or not. Again just a rumor from a OD employee and was confirmed by others who have friends who work at OD. I guess we'll see if it's true soon enough. I'd love this for Christmas.

[MrFriday]

Damn...sears new ad just hurt my heart That Olevia 37" for $300, if true, I'm THERE!

[Jenn A]

Hi,
I was wondering if you tv experts would tell me what you think about this tv?
We were at Sears the other day and saw it was on sale.It was just lovely

http://www.amazon.co...ractiveda663-20

Last year the panasonics were rated really well but I wasn't sure about this one.Thank you SO much,
Jenn

[shockwave78]

Dh and I are thinking about getting a new tv on bf. My question is what is the difference bewteen LCD and plasma and HD and all that? We don't have cable or a dish and not looking for the newest and best out there. Just need to know the basics and what not to buy or is a waste of money. Also what is HDMI and the difference between 1080p and 1080i. Also thinking about getting a home theater system. Anything in Sears bf ad look like a great deal on a good tv for us? Thanks for any help and info or sites to check out.

First I will mention this message board your should visit and join
http://www.avsforum.com/

It is by far the biggest and best community out there for Audio Video, it deals with everything home theater and everything pretty much electronic in your house. There are tons of people there to you help you and doing a search will give you any answers you ask.

Anyway ..

The short explanation of HDMI is that it passes both audio and video through one cable.

the difference between 1080i and 1080p can be very much or pretty much unoticeable.

1080i is the old interlaced format that tv's have used for decades(although 1080 is relatively new itself , it just uses old ways)

Basically - 480i-720i-1080i , 480i is your standard digital television the higher you go the better the picture hense HDTV, this "i" format uses the old interlaced method though

1080p - stands for progressive, it is the new format but is really only useful on tv's over 50", the larger the TV you get the more you should go with a 1080p TV. If you are going to get a smaller tv then just get 1080i, you will not see any difference on something less than 50".

Basically the big difference is that you can sit really close to the tv with 1080p and you will not get that "screen door" effect as you would with 1080i.

Also just to note nothing is broadcast at all in 1080p via your cable/satellite/FIOS, The only place to get 1080p will be from a HDDVD/Blueray player, or the xbox 360 HDDVD addon.

for more info go that the forum i mentioned above you can get alot more detail about it if you want, i just kind of gave the really quick version.

[Livin4Real]

Big thing to look for when LCD shopping is contrast ratio. This is the measure of how "vivid" the tv will look, the higher the better. The sears ad for the Sharp Aquos is bangin'

[Livin4Real]

Hi,
I was wondering if you tv experts would tell me what you think about this tv?
We were at Sears the other day and saw it was on sale.It was just lovely

http://www.amazon.co...ractiveda663-20

Last year the panasonics were rated really well but I wasn't sure about this one.Thank you SO much,
Jenn

I prefer LCD over plasma. If it's going to be watched alot then the LCD will outlast the plasma considerably and is cheaper. Checkout www.avsforum.com for home theatre advice.

[Jenn A]

Ahhh,yes it will be watched alot.....and alot of video gaming going on,too Thank you very much.Looks like I have alot more reading to do on these tvs. Jenn

[Jenn A]

Big thing to look for when LCD shopping is contrast ratio. This is the measure of how "vivid" the tv will look, the higher the better. The sears ad for the Sharp Aquos is bangin'

I am SO ignorant about this stuff,I appreciate you all so vert much.
The ratio for this tv is 1200:1 right?I have been reading to watch for the 720 and 1080.I didn't know about that.
So you all think the 42" Sharp lcd (the Aquos for 999) will be better than the 50" Panasonic plasma.I don't mind spending more for a tv that's going to last longer and is better all around...<well I am not wanting to spend 4 or 5,000! >
We were looking at the panasonic I posted for about 2100.
Thanks SO much!
Jenn

[jlbeatty15848]

Any thoughts on the Panasonic 56 in. LIFI HDTC with 1080p on sale at Sears on BF? I too have been in the marjet for a bigger TV for the livingroom, but my head spins when I see what is out there...our livingroom is rather large so I think we need a bigger TV room is 20x18...Any help I would be greatful...this TV is normally 1800.00 but shold be on sale for 1200.00.....YEAH I think!

[zxcvbnm]

I am SO ignorant about this stuff,I appreciate you all so vert much.
The ratio for this tv is 1200:1 right?I have been reading to watch for the 720 and 1080.I didn't know about that.
So you all think the 42" Sharp lcd (the Aquos for 999) will be better than the 50" Panasonic plasma.I don't mind spending more for a tv that's going to last longer and is better all around...<well I am not wanting to spend 4 or 5,000! >
We were looking at the panasonic I posted for about 2100.
Thanks SO much!
Jenn

The whole 720p and 1080p, note some tvs will be 720i or 1080i, is a kind of cat in the box theory. If you are looking at tvs that are 40" or less in screen size you can buy a 720p and not worry about getting a 1080p 40" tv to save some money. The 1080p description comes into play when the screen gets bigger. Talking about buying a 50" or larger screen then 1080p is what you want. 1080p on a smaller screen is simply not needed.

[MandaJo111]

Big thing to look for when LCD shopping is contrast ratio. This is the measure of how "vivid" the tv will look, the higher the better. The sears ad for the Sharp Aquos is bangin'

The contrast is what I was wondering about. Is the 1000:1 good for a 32 inch or does it need to be higher?

[Jenn A]

The whole 720p and 1080p, note some tvs will be 720i or 1080i, is a kind of cat in the box theory. If you are looking at tvs that are 40" or less in screen size you can buy a 720p and not worry about getting a 1080p 40" tv to save some money. The 1080p description comes into play when the screen gets bigger. Talking about buying a 50" or larger screen then 1080p is what you want. 1080p on a smaller screen is simply not needed.

Thank you very much
Jenn

[mhael]

well I like the OD rumor wife and I need a new bedroom tv:) also hi I am new and looking forward to all this:)

[Livin4Real]

I am SO ignorant about this stuff,I appreciate you all so vert much.
The ratio for this tv is 1200:1 right?I have been reading to watch for the 720 and 1080.I didn't know about that.
So you all think the 42" Sharp lcd (the Aquos for 999) will be better than the 50" Panasonic plasma.I don't mind spending more for a tv that's going to last longer and is better all around...<well I am not wanting to spend 4 or 5,000! >
We were looking at the panasonic I posted for about 2100.
Thanks SO much!
Jenn

The Sharp I was referring to is the 46" Aquos for $999 which is an awesome deal. Pany makes a good tv as well. I have a 53" rear projection HD Pany that is two years old and still looks great. Plasmas have a great picture but if it's going to be a daily use tv then the plasma will not hold up and is very susceptible to burn-in from video games. The forum I posted is one of the best when it comes to HD stuff, ask the pros over there what their opinion is. Also I know it will be next to impossible to stand in front of a couple different sets on BF with the rush but if you can go check them out ahead of time and compare in person that's the way to do it. Salesmen will purposely adjust the lower-priced models to look crappy just to get you to spend more on a higher-priced unit (trust me, I worked at worst buy for a year part-time to deck out my house, some of the shadiest characters I've ever met but that's a whole other story). Spend some time adjusting the models your interested in and then pick the one you like the best.


Brian

[Jenn A]

The Sharp I was referring to is the 46" Aquos for $999 which is an awesome deal. Pany makes a good tv as well. I have a 53" rear projection HD Pany that is two years old and still looks great. Plasmas have a great picture but if it's going to be a daily use tv then the plasma will not hold up and is very susceptible to burn-in from video games. The forum I posted is one of the best when it comes to HD stuff, ask the pros over there what their opinion is. Also I know it will be next to impossible to stand in front of a couple different sets on BF with the rush but if you can go check them out ahead of time and compare in person that's the way to do it. Salesmen will purposely adjust the lower-priced models to look crappy just to get you to spend more on a higher-priced unit (trust me, I worked at worst buy for a year part-time to deck out my house, some of the shadiest characters I've ever met but that's a whole other story). Spend some time adjusting the models your interested in and then pick the one you like the best.


Brian

Thanks so much Brian
I had meant the 46" Sharp but typed 42,I apologize.
I plan on hitting wal mart early in the morning (IF the laptop's specs are pretty decent) so I will swing by Sears too.Our Sears is just the appliances,tvs,tools...stuff like that....no clothes and stuf like that.To find a full stocked Sears I have to travel like 2.5 hrs.
Thanks for the link,I will be there alot!
Hae a great day,
Jenn

[grapico]

Hi all, It is that time of year again.... And I am planning on getting an HD tv this year for the black friday deals... What I was wondering is, will any of the big box stores let you purchase an item at one store... But actually pick up that product later, at another store across the country? Reason is I will be travelling to Florida, but I am here in Chicago... no way I can take that thing back with me on the plane... I guess I could ship it, but after store tax... it might be cheaper to order from newegg or something. Thoughts?

[MandaJo111]

I think you would be better off waiting till you get home and either finding a good deal in store when you get back or going somewhere like buy.com online.

[grapico]

Any idea on what a 1080p 42" LCD is going to run for??? I need the 1080p for ps3/blu ray, and my computer. I don't have cable so the hd portion is what concerns me most for those other items.

[yellowjeepster]

First I will mention this message board your should visit and join
http://www.avsforum.com/

It is by far the biggest and best community out there for Audio Video, it deals with everything home theater and everything pretty much electronic in your house. There are tons of people there to you help you and doing a search will give you any answers you ask.

Anyway ..

The short explanation of HDMI is that it passes both audio and video through one cable.

the difference between 1080i and 1080p can be very much or pretty much unoticeable.

1080i is the old interlaced format that tv's have used for decades(although 1080 is relatively new itself , it just uses old ways)

Basically - 480i-720i-1080i , 480i is your standard digital television the higher you go the better the picture hense HDTV, this "i" format uses the old interlaced method though

1080p - stands for progressive, it is the new format but is really only useful on tv's over 50", the larger the TV you get the more you should go with a 1080p TV. If you are going to get a smaller tv then just get 1080i, you will not see any difference on something less than 50".

Basically the big difference is that you can sit really close to the tv with 1080p and you will not get that "screen door" effect as you would with 1080i.

Also just to note nothing is broadcast at all in 1080p via your cable/satellite/FIOS, The only place to get 1080p will be from a HDDVD/Blueray player, or the xbox 360 HDDVD addon.

for more info go that the forum i mentioned above you can get alot more detail about it if you want, i just kind of gave the really quick version.

Thank you so much for the info. I will check out the forum as well and maybe I'll know what I am looking for by bf, lol.

[schwoozer]

Sorry, but I disagree that the Sharp Aquos at 999 is "an awesome deal." Granted, I am definitely not pro-LCD (I'd consider myself neutral with perhaps a slight preference for plasma, which I'll explain the reasoning for in a bit). If you're interested in why the Sharp specifically does not excite me, you can see my posts in the BF ad thread and the F&F sale thread (where the price is actually somewhat better).

Some quick points:
-avsforum IS an excellent place for information. I've been an active member there for a couple years now (under a different username), and have learned TONS

-Playing games or using a computer is really not very problematic on a modern plasma. As long as certain precautions are taken early in a plasma's life, any burn in that does occur is almost always correctable. I have seen this first hand many times.

-Power consumption for plasma is higher, though my understanding is that the difference is shrinking. Heat is also definitely more of an issue (my wife and I noticed temperature differences in the room with it on).

-Life span difference is also of debatable worth. If we're talking about a lifespan of at least 15 years, is, say, 20 years really that much of a factor? Especially since by that time, "TV" will consist of holographic images being directly transmitted into our brains

-Contrast as a general rule is MUCH more important than resolution. This is a fact that is lost on many people. The reason is simple: to see a difference in resolution, one must sit within a certain distance of the screen (dependent on the screen size). A difference in contrast is easy to spot at any distance. Secondly, "detail" can take different forms. Yes, an increase in resolution definitely brings out more detail all other things being equal. However, an increase in contrast also brings out more detail. On a set with high contrast, a black cape (for example, say Batman's) would appear to have lots of detail, with waves and ripples in the fabric pretty clearly visible. On a low contrast set, it appears as a single black "blob." Obviously detail is lost, and increasing resolution in this situation wouldn't help at all.

-These are certainly not the only differences, but just the main ones either addressed already or that I can think of off the top of my head.

Basically, contrast is the reason I currently prefer plasma, especially in the budget realm. While good LCD contrast ratios exist, they are not typically in budget sets because buzzwords like the size or "1080p" are more important to most consumers right now. Budget sets usually require sacrifices, and in this case, contrast is the easy one to make. For BF at Sears, I think the highest contrast LCD was 3000:1 (the Sharp). The LOWEST plasma resolution you will see is about 10,000:1, and the Samsung plasma at Sears is 15,000:1. Now these numbers are often fudged to some degree, but they still give an accurate picture of how, in the area of contrast, the BF LCDs are not even in the same league as plasma. Will that change eventually? Almost undoubtedly, possibly even next year. LCD is really making a lot more progress in advancing their technology than plasma is. In fact, some LCD projectors already claim contrast ratios of 50,000:1, I think. But for direct view, we're not there yet.

Obviously, much of this is just my opinion, but it is an opinion that has been formed from hours and hours of reading at avsforum, combined with my own experience. Hopefully it helps clear things up a little, and at the very least help people realize that there are LOTS of things to consider when debating LCD or plasma.

[dr'95]

Any thoughts on the Sanyo 50" Plasma for $998 tomorrow at Wal-Mart? Any chance there will be better deals on BF?

[mojaxs34]

i doubt you will find a 50 inch plasma any cheaper on black friday than the one going on sale at walmart tomorrow.

[schwoozer]

FWIW, I gave a mini-review of the 42" sibling of the 50" plasma in the other thread found here. I also mentioned over there that I suspect there will be deals at least this good on BF, or at least the same price for better brands. Now that's just speculation, but I do have reasons.

Just last week (or the week before), CompUSA was clearing out two different models of plasma for 999. Granted, they weren't readily available (esp. with all the recent store closings), but the price is certainly not unprecedented. Then there's the Sears F&F sale which I THINK will provide a better brand at a lower price (I'm still trying to confirm this). Of course, I know from experience that this Sanyo, while a good price, will not work well for me, and so that obviously affects my enthusiasm for the deal too.

[Jenn A]

Obviously, much of this is just my opinion, but it is an opinion that has been formed from hours and hours of reading at avsforum, combined with my own experience. Hopefully it helps clear things up a little, and at the very least help people realize that there are LOTS of things to consider when debating LCD or plasma.

Thank you very much for adding your opinion,I appreciate it alot!
You've given me alot more to think about!
Jenn

[schwoozer]

I posted this in the F&F deal thread, but thought it would be relevant here too, especially since some may not be checking that thread. I just copied and pasted for convenience.

A Sears employee on another board mentioned that on the F&F day, there would be an additional 10% Cash Back mail in rebate. While I see no mention of this in the ad, Sears has run this promotion a couple different times in the last month or so, so it's certainly not unheard of and wouldn't be surprising. Since this makes the prices even better, I figured I would update the list, accounting for the new rebate.

non-doorbusters
LG 37" LCD: 900-50-MIR = 850-85MIR = 765
Sony 37" LCD: 1000-5%-50-MIR = 900-90MIR = 810
Samsung 40" LCD: 1200-5%-150-MIR = 990-MIR = 891
Toshiba 42" 1080p LCD: 1250-5%-150-MIR = 1037.50-103.75MIR = 933.75
LG 42" plasma: 900-150-MIR = 750-75MIR = 675
Samsung 50" plasma: 1400-5%-250-MIR = 1080-108MIR = 972
Samsung 46" 1080p LCD: 2000-5%-250-MIR = 1650-165MIR = 1485
Proscan 42" 1080p LCD: 900-150-MIR = 750-75MIR = 675
Samsung 61" DLP projection: 2000-5%-250-MIR = 1650-165MIR = 1485
Sony 46" LCD: 1500-5%-250-MIR = 1175-117.50MIR = 1057.5
Sony 50" 1080p projection LCD: 1400-5%-250-MIR = 1080-108MIR = 972
Panasonic 26" LCD: 650-50-MIR = 600-60MIR = 540
Samsung 19" LCD: 330-50-MIR = 280-28MIR = 252

Doorbusters using the "after noon" price
46" Sharp LCD: 1200-5%-150-MIR = 990-99MIR = 891
40" Sony 1080p LCD: 1700-5%-150-MIR = 1465-146.5MIR = 1318.50
42" Sylvania 1080p LCD: 1000-5%-150-MIR = 800-80MIR = 720
56" Panasonic LCD projection: 1500-5%-250-MIR = 1175-117.50MIR = 1057.50
32" Vizio ($598) LCD: 630-50-MIR = 580-58MIR = 522

Who needs Black Friday

[mojaxs34]

The Vizio 32 inch LCD is selling for $598 regular price at Walmart right now and has been that way for a couple of months. Most likely it will be cheaper on black friday than it is at reqular price.

[boblabontefan]

Just purchased a Toshiba 42" LCD 1080p from Circuit City. An on-line web special for this week only. Although I didn't purchase on-line. I called the store and asked if they would honor the price.... they did! $1299.00 I compared to the Sears BF ad posted here - $1269. For the $30 extra I can have the TV mounted and ready for the Packer/Lions Thanksgiving game!

[Jenn A]

46" Sharp LCD: 1200-5%-150-MIR = 990-99MIR = 891

What do you think about this one? It caught my eye
Thanks,
Jenn

[ponn01]

Anyone hear anything more about that rumored Office Depot 37 inch LCD for 300 bucks?

[jfire]

should I wait in line for hours for a plain ole tv? I think the ones that are in high demand are the hdtv's and the lcd tv's. We just want one for $100 or less for my daughter. What do you all think?

Dont get a television other than a digital one. The FCC 's date to stop sending analog signals is January 2008. Your television will be no good without a either a satalite box, or a cable box.

jfire