Jumping into HDTV

[Fred Roller]

After reading this forum for a couple years and trying to digest the info some of you techno-crats have given (almost all of it over my head) my wife and I decided to jump into the HDTV pool as a Christmas present to ourselves.
  We are considering a 50" or 60" set. Viewing will be about 10' away and there will be angle viewing (unavoidable) because of the size of the room. I'm worried about fadeout while viewing at an angle. It will sit on a 27" high credenza. I would like picture-in-picture if available.
  It will be connected to a Yamaha 5.1 Dolby home theater system (circa 1992) that's getting a little long on the tooth (showing my age) but it still sounds excellent.
  We are currently hooked up to TWC Digital but would consider an antenna. We are located in Hartland about 20-25 miles from the Milwaukee towers and about 50 miles from the Madison towers. Keep in mind we are avid Packer fans even when they're losing (I'm thinking the ESPN games).
  I know some of you will say to check out the stores and look at the sets that I think have a good picture, but since this will be a major investment that will have to last years and years I want to be up to date as possible without it going obsolete in a few years or dying and costing a fortune to fix.
  When shopping around I have become totally discouraged with sales people because of the things they don't tell you.
  Our present set, a 30" Mitsubishi non-Hd, has served us well over the last 15 years with only one $75 service call.
  What would all of you recommend for us? Plasma? Lcd? Rear Projection? and what should we look for as far as specs? It also should have a non-glare screen.
  What brands and models would you recommend and where would we get the best prices? Service?
  Are the warranties worth the cost?
  Thanks for any input anyone will donate.

[steve053]

I'm new to HDTV and am soooo glad that I was able to make the move.  FWIW here's my $0.02:

- At a 10 foot viewing distance I'd go with the 50" over the 60".  Some non-digital broadcasts look horrid and the closer you sit to a large screen the worse they look.  Some might even suggest 42" at that distance.

- If glare is a concern, then LCD has the edge here.  They are also much better with viewing angles than earlier LCD generations.  But then again, you're the ultimate judge of what is or isn't accecpatable.

- I personally own the Panasonic TX-50PS60U plasma.  The North and East walls in our living/media room each have a 12 x 4 bank of windows.  The Northside windows do pose some glare problems during the day, but simply closing the curtains solves the problem.  Fortunately we do not do a lot of day-time vieiwing.

- I have an articulating mount, and have not noticed a loss of pq when viewing the above from angles as great as 60 degrees.  Don't know how an LCD would fare.

- Found a 3 year extended Mac warranty for ~ $225 (see AVS Forum Special Buys as well as forum sponsors for ideas).  For me the price was right.

- I'm running an Onkyo A/V receiver (circia 1996), but just upgraded.  The '96 sounded great and would have been just fine, but since I'm in the upgrade mode  

Steve

[Tom Snyder]

I agree with Steve on the size/distance deal.

While we're waiting for our house to be built, we're in an apartment with a 10 ft. viewing distance.  We brought in the 46 inch LCD that we bought for the new place, and while the HD stuff looked awesome, the non-HD stuff from TWC was impossible to watch. We put it back in the box and brought in our 32 inch, and even that  really makes the non-digital stuff look grainy, but at least it's watchable.

[StarvingForHDTV]

I currently view at 11-12' distance.  When I first got my 53" HDTV I thought it was huge.  After a couple of months, that wore off and now I think it is too small.

I would suggest that if you can afford the 60" you should get it.  However, if you plan on watching primarily non-HD stuff, maybe you have to reconsider.  But for Packer games in HD you will want a big screen.

Glare is very important.  If the TV looks like a sheet of glass in the store, it will have big glare problems.  If the TV viewing surface looks dull textured in the store, you should be fine.  You could even bring along a small flashlight and look for glare in the store.

Make sure you look at the DLP TVs carefully to see if you notice any rainbows when you turn your head or move your eyes.  If it looks really strange, avoid buying a DLP set.

If money is no object look for a 1080p flat screen LCD or maybe a 1080p SXRD Sony LCoS set.

[budda]

The Sony is great but pricey, I like the JVC, simalar technolagy as the Sony. I have the JVC 56"  in a 11 to 12 foot distance. It is perfect for me. Bright even at angles or in sunlight. Has built in OTA and no down side even price is good. Samgung is a great set also have freinds who have gotten those. Samsung make a 50 inch also I believe. JMO, have fun, two quick point look for two HDMI ports. Also keep in mind the Samgung or any DLP, as well as the JVC and Sony Lcos, have a bulb to be replaced at some point. can be done by homeowner but just wanted to put that out there. Peace

[Heatseeker]

If you're caught in between on two sizes, go bigger  It'll look regular to you within a month..

[gparris]

When I bought my 60" LCoS set, the Sony SXRD for the second HT area everyone thought it was too big for the 10 foot distance, but it is not...really.
It got "smaller" over time.
Remember, many DVD movies and some other OAR presentations on premium channels (even the Sci-Fi channel, for example) are in 2.35:1 and the actual viewable picture - gets smaller, too.
Most places I have read indicate that twice the diagonal of the screen should be good for most viewing, so 60"= 5 feet x 2 which is 10 feet...I was fine.
Since these calculators usually are for 720p or 1080i setups, this is a 1080p set, so 10 feet or even closer, is still good.
Sony's manual has 7 feet as the minimum viewing distance, if that matters.
As far as SD and TWC's awful analogue signals go, even this size is not bad as the SXRD's DRC processing makes it watchable.
If you are fence-sitting, go with the 55A2000 set, Sony's newest SXRD as it is larger than the 50 incher, smaller than the 60 and offers a fantastic 1080p display.
As far as bulb replacement goes, get an extended warranty that includes them, but my Sony contacts have told me that their bulbs can last up to 8000 hours, depending on care and use (close to 3 years of average use).
Happy shopping! :wave:

[Fred Roller]

Thanks to all for the advice. It's appreciated more than you will know. We will now spend the next couple of months shopping and comparing. Thanks again!