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What kind of TV should I buy?

After taking some time off from TV (grad school), I want to leap into modern times with a flat screen of some kind, but there are a LOT of choices and I don't understand the nuances.

I want to:

Watch extended basic cable
Watch DVDs
Possibly watch streaming video (if the necessary equipment isn't crazy expensive, and if my internet ever gets fast enough)

Other pertinent details:

My living room is small, so I'll be only about 9 feet from the TV.

I am not wealthy (grad school, remember?)

So what should I get?

fermata asked in Geek Week 10 months ago | Report
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  • Davidclose2_small
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    Gloria

    You may not be asking the right questions.

    It's useful to know what you're going to watch on your tv, but other concerns should be whether you care if the stuff you watch will look great. Lots of people, for example, say they don't see the difference between DVD and HD DVD (or Blu-Ray, whatever, BRANDS), so that will affect the quality of TV they buy.

    Figure out whether you really care about how things look, and also whether you might care in the next few years since you may not want to get a new TV so soon.

    If you think you'll start watching a lot more HD content and you'll want it to look good, consider buying for the future (which basically means don't buy the worst, cheapest model you can stand).

    Ok, I will admit I'm not a crazy expert. My boyfriend is more knowledgeable. However, as a layman who lives with him, here are a couple of key factors you may want to keep in mind for display:

    - Response time: How fast the TV can change the colour of each pixel from black to white, which helps to reduce image artefacts such as blurring and smearing.

    - Dynamic Contrast Ratio: The ratio between the darkest point and the brightest point that can be produced on the TV. Most obviously, it affects how black is displayed on your TV ... you'll notice a lot of TVs don't display a true black.

    Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe LED TVs are newer and more efficient than LCD TVs. So this probably means more LCD TVs will go on sale and be cheaper overall. I think if you're not a crazy audio-visual nerd, a LCD TV is more than fine.

    Plasma, as I know it, can leave burned in images, etc., and may not be as reliable, though they can be good value for the size.

    If you're concerned about quality and reliability, I'd suggest Samsung or Toshiba in terms of brands.

    However, my own parents, whose number one concern is money, have bought lesser known brands with no issues. I think a key concern should be that you buy from a store that offers a good return policy. My boyfriend had to return his last TV a couple of times because of dead pixels.

    Re: space ... Nine feet is actually bordering far, especially if you're not buying a large TV. Rule of thumb we use is that you triple the height of your TV, and that is the ideal viewing distance (beyond your personal preferences).

    Ours is something like 36" (I can't remember). We live in a basement apartment and this is a pretty good size for the space. We don't sit quite close enough, though.

    You may or may not know this, but many credit cards offer an extended warranty (one year, usually) on electronics if you use them to buy. This is on top of the manufacturer's warranty. Really useful!

    And finally, TVs go on sale alllll the time.

    Hope this helps a bit.

    On the streaming video note: My boyfriend bought his parents an Apple TV and cracked it, which means it can stream more than just Apple formats. It's affordable for something pretty slick ($100) and it works very well over their older router.

    Gloria answered in Geek Week 10 months ago | Report
    2 comments by Andrew Beck and fermata…
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  • Icon_small
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    On the matter of your not being wealthy, I highly recommend you scope out Newegg.com. They have some crazy good deals.

    keshmeshi answered in Geek Week 10 months ago | Report
    1 comment by mister_fusspot…
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  • Subcultureoftwo_small
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    I enthusiastically de-recommend any TV with a built-in DVD player. I've had two of them and they bring nothing but grief (the Magnavox one, for example, randomly freezes during DVD playback. Fun!). DVD players are relatively cheap. If you know someone with a Costco membership, you can pick up a good one for less than $100, easy.

    The flat-screen we finally ended up with is a 26" Sony Bravia. The picture and sound quality is great, the menus are easy to navigate, it's big enough to easily watch from across the room, but not so big that it dominates my living space.

    It's worked great for movies (DVD and streaming), TV, and our Wii.

    It's probably a little bit more than you want to spend, but it makes up for that in quality. I went through two other rotten flat screens before I arrived at this. If I have to buy an expensive toy, I only want to buy it once.

    Good luck!

    Sacrelicious answered in Geek Week 10 months ago | Report
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  • N510833790_3563_small
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    9' is actually a really long way. SMPTE says the minimum you should have is 65" and if you believe THX you need 80". Since getting a TV that's too big isn't a concern, cost is going to be your biggest concern. What's your budget?

    Andrew Beck answered in Geek Week 10 months ago | Report
    5 comments by fermata, Andrew Beck, and Black Beetles in Amber…
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