Can anyone give TV buying advice?

[Lord Ash]

Hey guys and gals,

The wife wants to buy a TV tomorrow what with all the sales and all, and I was hoping you guys could give some advice. What sort of requirements should we shoot for? Keep in mind, we are NOT crazy techno people, and we don't have a lot to spend; a grand at the VERY VERY VERY most, keeping in mind the sales. Someone was saying we should shoot for LCD and not plasma, and for something like 1080 pixels or somesuch that I didn't understand.

Can anyone give some basic advice on makes or stats to look for? Remember, just looking reasonable; if you have a three thousand dollar TV and that is what you will give advice about, you are of no help to me now! :D

Thanks all!

[-jk]

The Post did a quick write up today (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/21/AR2007112102123_2.html) on tech, including an HD TV section:


Instead, first note the room where you'll put the TV. If it won't hold a screen over 30 inches, you can get a bulky but cheap CRT or spend a little more on a flat-panel LCD. From 30 to 40 inches, LCD is best. Between 40 and 50 inches, it's either LCD or plasma; above 50 inches, "microdisplay" DLP or LCD projection sets offer the greatest value.

-jk

[Exiled_Devil]

As someone who is a little techno-geeky, I would reinforce the Post's advice about LCD and something between 30 and 40 inches. Vizio is a reliable brand that has made their mark with low-cost LCD's. WalMart carries some that include a 42" HDTV for under $900.

By the way, get HD. Any TV purchased today should be HD - you can pull HD over the air form your local channels with a special antenna if yo don't want to buy it from cable/satellite. Basketball in HD is a beautiful thing.

Exiled

[willywoody]

definitely try to get 1080, 1080p if you can swing it. lcd is cheaper but the choice between plasma and lcd depends some on how you want to set your tv. plasma weighs a lot less and is thinner so is better for hanging on the wall but lcd is cheaper and may suit your needs if you're gonna put it on a stand or table. lcds can be hung but the weight would make that more difficult.

get the biggest tv that won't overpower your room and take into consideration your seating arrangement. too big a tv from where you're sitting will give you a headache and you'll see the limitations of the resolution more easily.

make sure it has the most up to date hdmi connections. i don't know if that's a problem nowadays but early first generation hdmi connections may not work correctly with newer dvd players from what i've read. but it looks like hdmi will be the standard for high def transfer. that being said i bought a 720p plasma last year and don't use a hdmi connection for my standard def dvd player. if i wnated to hook up almost all blueray or hddvd players i wouldn't get full resolution without using hdmi.

don't buy a set with more features than you'll use. my set is a monitor only as the cable box does the processing. i saved hundreds and maybe thousands going this route but prices have gone down a lot since then so the savings may not be as great buying a set with a tuner and speakers. i had external speakers and a 5.1 receiver which you may not have.

[Jarhead]

I'll add a vote for LCD 1080P HD if it is in your price range. If price is a problem, find one that can process 1080I. The P is for progressive, state of the art, and I is for interlaced, not so state of the art. Prices will be lower, even lower this weekend. My wife and I recently bought an Olevia 32" for the bedroom. I am so impressed that we decided to go for a 42" as soon as we decide what brand.

One annoyance with the Olevia -- it is a real bear to set up. Another annoyance, from the broadcasters -- they transmit so many different screen formats that it can be unpleasant. Commercials are the worst, but some of the program material does the same thing. When a true HD picture is transmitted, it is a joy to see.

[Jim3k]

plasma weighs a lot less and is thinner so is better for hanging on the wall but lcd is cheaper and may suit your needs if you're gonna put it on a stand or table. lcds can be hung but the weight would make that more difficult.



This is seriously wrong. The LCD's are much lighter than the plasmas. They are also less expensive generally.

As for performance, the best LCDs seem to be the Sony Bravia, the Sharpe Aquos and the Samsung. I have a big Samsung I like a lot. I have a little Vizio, but it's sharpness leaves something to be desired. You might also want to be aware of the viewing angles. The less expensive models are not as good to view from the side of the set as the picture fades out if you aren't looking straight on. Again, room placement can make the difference here. The three I mentioned don't have that problem.

I agree with the HD recommendation and the 1080p. But 1080i is the current broadcast mode and you probably won't notice the difference. If you live in a city with good over the air reception, the HD is a good choice; your HD set will handle it without a box. In any event HD is the coming thing, so anything else will be obsolete as soon as you buy it.

Go to a discount house or warehouse store if you can. Wal-Mart might not be the best choice because of their brand selections. Fry's, Best Buy, Circuit City or Costco would be the places, unless you have a wheeler dealer discount house that you can stomach.

[Stray Gator]

Here's my advice: Go buy yourself a Sharp Aquos LCD. Two years ago when I bought my new home entertainment system, I did extensive research for about two months, including reading the AV forums, visiting stores to compare the actual displays, and talking to friends in the business. I ended up buying what was then regarded as the best set on the market--the 45" Sharp Aquos, for which I paid $7K. The current 46" model with 1080p capacity now sells for about $2500; but accordng to the Best Buy ad in today's newspaper, you can buy it tomorrow at the "Black Friday" sale price of only $1299--which is less than I paid for a 32" model that I bought our son a year ago.

Plusses: In addition to being lighter in weight and having a longer life that plasmas, the LCD does not have a glass screen, so it doesn't reflect glare from lamps, sunlight, etc. The Aquos not only has a beautiful high-definition display with sharp contrast and very good black levels, but more than others it also seems to have an excellent picture for standard definition telecasts. (I like to watch old movies on TCM, and old games on ESPN Classic, and CNN, none of which are yet available in HD.) Check it out.

[BluBones]

I think you will be completely happy with a 780p set. The difference between HDTV on a 780p set and conventional definition TV is, to steal from Mark Twain, the difference between lightening and a lightening bug. The difference between 780p and 1080p is noticeable, particularly on large sets, but for <$1,000 a 1080p set won't be large at all. And there is very little content available in true 1080p. Unless you have a BluRay or HD-DVD player or have a particularly forward-thinking cable provider, all the content you view now will be in 780p.

If I were you I would get the biggest 780p set that fits your room, and if you have money left over put it towards a home-theater-in-a-box. Because as soon as you get used to High-Def, the next thing you will be thinking of is better sound.

Consumer Reports has their annual survey of HDTV sets up: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/news-electronics-computers/2007/12/hdtv-12-07/overview/hdtv-ov.htm
Worth subscribing to read the whole thing.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

BJ's has the 37" Vizio for only $600 today, $150 off from the regular BJ's, Sam's and Costco price. Heckuva deal. And it looks like you can order online.
http://shop.bjs.com/viewproduct.htm?productId=14244186

Also, I've seen several ads for 42" models today for under $800. Of course, you probably had to be in the store at 5 a.m. this morning to get one, which means you missed them.

[DukeUsul]

We just bought a Samsung DLP. At the size we were looking at, DLP is much cheaper than LCD or Plasma for the same screen size. There are a few trade-offs... DLP's aren't thin enough to hang (in fact some are a bit bulky, the Samsungs are great, my 61" TV is only 14" deep). Then again, if you want to hang an LCD or Plasma, then you're gonna have to run the cabling through the walls if you don't want cables dangling. Plus if your room is real small, you might prefer the thinness of the LCD or Plasma flat panel.

So if you're on a budget, and you have a large room, then DLP might be a cost-effective way for you to get a big screen HD for a grand. (I know there's a Toshiba 50" DLP 720p you can get for around a grand).

I'm also a big proponent of the DLP screen - it always seemed to me that you can see the pixels on an LCD or Plasma easier. I like the look of the DLP (go check em out at your local electronics store to check out what you prefer).

There are also tradeoffs with the maintenance for either - LCDs are prone to dead-pixels and Plasmas are prone to burn-in and with DLPs (and other rear-projection tvs) you will likely have the bulb die on you within a few years and will require replacement.

[willywoody]

This is seriously wrong. The LCD's are much lighter than the plasmas. They are also less expensive generally.



my bad. must've confused them with dlp, or have lcd sets come down in weight the past two years?

[greybeard]

Assuming that this isn't too late, if you have the space and are only interested in 30-36" a hd tube set is the best. Much better blacks and whites than either plasma or LCDs, both of which have made great strides but still fall short in the contrast department compared to the old tubes; this is a significant picture quality difference in favor of tubes. Tubes are huge back to front; they are much less expensive than LCDs or at least used to be.

Other important, important thing to look for; you need two HDTI inputs in any TV you buy. You want the TV to perform, the type of connectors are significant. HDTI cables are vastly superior to the next best; much more expensive too. About $100-150 for each. You'll want one for your cable (dish) box connection and one for your dvd connection, especially if you go the LCD route. If the set you buy has only one HDTI input, and many lower end sets by all manufacturers (including Sony) only have one (at least as of wo or three years ago), you will either have to sacrifice on DVD quality or buy a diverter that will make up the difference between entry level and mid level, at least in the Sony line.

Don't listen to what sales people tell you. If you go Sony, there is a significant picture quality difference between entry and mid level LCD sets. Some sales people at a very reputable DC chain didn't know what they were talking about or were psuhing lower end because of a bigger profit margin) The bigger you go the more the differences make.

The advice as to brands here is spot on.

[Jarhead]

Do you mean HDMI? My Olevia came with an HDMI cable, but Time Warner tells me that they have not yet programmed their Scientific Atlanta HD box for HDMI.

About tube type HDTVs -- most places I have been to carry only flat panel. HHGregg in Fayetteville had a few small crt sets, 15" maybe, but nobody was even looking at them.

[greybeard]

Do you mean HDMI? My Olevia came with an HDMI cable, but Time Warner tells me that they have not yet programmed their Scientific Atlanta HD box for HDMI.

About tube type HDTVs -- most places I have been to carry only flat panel. HHGregg in Fayetteville had a few small crt sets, 15" maybe, but nobody was even looking at them.

Yeah, HDMI. Last I looked, which was last year, Best Buy still carried them. Samsung made 26 and 34 inch sets that were well made and priced. I think that Sony might make a 34 inch. You will find that all reviews of sets will say the best picture available is on tubes. Most people want larger sets and many specialty places no longer carry any tube sets.

I have a 60 inch Sony mid range LCD and an old XBR 32 inch HDTV tube set in the old 5 by 4 format. I watch the latter more often; course, that is where my favorite, 20 year old coach is and my teenage kids ain't.

Purchased my 60 from a very high end shop which had to special order it--they sell mostly front projection theater systems. They calibrated the color settings to make the picture more realistic. HDTV becomes less "sharp" but the textures that one finds in a movie theater but become "homogenized" in factory settings come through. A matter of taste. Most places don't have the techs to perform; if they do, the charge is usually $500. I paid full price for the set, calibration included. Is it better? You got me. Ditto for the cable, only my guy told me they matter so I did it.

For those in the DC area, J&S Audio on St. Elmo in Bethesda. Denyze is the guy to speak to. You blink and you miss the storefront, and would not tell from the window that they are high, high end video and audio. Interesting place.

[willywoody]

;)


Purchased my 60 from a very high end shop which had to special order it--they sell mostly front projection theater systems. They calibrated the color settings to make the picture more realistic. HDTV becomes less "sharp" but the textures that one finds in a movie theater but become "homogenized" in factory settings come through. A matter of taste. Most places don't have the techs to perform; if they do, the charge is usually $500. I paid full price for the set, calibration included. Is it better? You got me. Ditto for the cable, only my guy told me they matter so I did it.



having someone calibrate your tv was probably a smart move, if they did it right. sounds like they know what they're doing. tvs now ship with the settings out of whack, so they will catch the eye in a store more-so than being accurate.

cables can be another story depending on the length of run and amount of rf floating around. same for hooking it up to a power filter.

[greybeard]

Do you mean HDMI? My Olevia came with an HDMI cable, but Time Warner tells me that they have not yet programmed their Scientific Atlanta HD box for HDMI.

About tube type HDTVs -- most places I have been to carry only flat panel. HHGregg in Fayetteville had a few small crt sets, 15" maybe, but nobody was even looking at them.

The proverbial "they" sell cables that have "S video" inputs to connect to your caboe box and HDMI to plug into the TV. That is what I've used. Speak to Willywoody as to efficacy. You will want to locate your box and dvd next to your TV if you go the HDMI route. The prices I mentioned were for 1 meter cables. If you have inwall shelving for those sort of toys, including surround sound, distant from the TV itself, well, between two lengthy HDMI cables and two lengthy digital sound cables, we can be talking some real money.

If you are doing surround sound, I'd get a receiver with some real musicality to it. I chose an NAD, known for its head room (sort of like a BMW with its easy ability to go from highs to lows and back again with ease) but generally devoid of many of the bells and whistles. We're talking $800 to $1000, which puts you in the acceptible but unexceptional range of mid-level quality.

Someday, my two teenagers will both be off at school and me and the wife will catch a movie on it. I'll let you know how it works then, should we all live and be well. Later.

[Jarhead]

Just so you know, the HDMI cable that came with my HDTV is six feet long and it was free. The four foot digital cable that came with the TW box, free also, is like a huge coiled spring behind my equipment. Surround sound will come with the next HDTV we get, maybe in a day or so, if I can find what I want, but the surround part is not a high priority. My Bose speakers and Pioneer receiver will have to do.

[tecumseh]

I would recommend the Panasonic plasma 720. The 1080 in theory gives a better picture but only if you have BluRay or HDDVD will you get a better picture. And the 750 is about half the price of the 1080. This is not just my recommendation this is also the recommendation of Consumer Reports which rated this Panasonic 750 42 inch a "best buy".

Also keep in mind that ABC, Fox, and ESPN are all broadcast in 720 and have no plans in the future about changing this. In fact a 720 picture may be superior to your 1080 set (set at 1080) picture when watching say the Steelers beat up the Dolphins on Monday Night Football. In fact the 1080 set will not deliver a better picture the vast majority (all?) of "high definition" shows broadcast on Direct TV.

If you have a thousand extra dollars to burn and or are a movie head and have nice home theater set up with BluRay or HDDVD than go 1080. If you are budget conscious and want a great picture and or watch sports and or do most of your TV viewing by satellite or cable go with the 720. At Best Buy a 42 inch was $1200 vs $2000 that is quite a difference.

[Jarhead]

I would recommend the Panasonic plasma 720. The 1080 in theory gives a better picture but only if you have BluRay or HDDVD will you get a better picture. And the 750 is about half the price of the 1080. This is not just my recommendation this is also the recommendation of Consumer Reports which rated this Panasonic 750 42 inch a "best buy".

Also keep in mind that ABC, Fox, and ESPN are all broadcast in 720 and have no plans in the future about changing this. In fact a 720 picture may be superior to your 1080 set (set at 1080) picture when watching say the Steelers beat up the Dolphins on Monday Night Football. In fact the 1080 set will not deliver a better picture the vast majority (all?) of "high definition" shows broadcast on Direct TV.

If you have a thousand extra dollars to burn and or are a movie head and have nice home theater set up with BluRay or HDDVD than go 1080. If you are budget conscious and want a great picture and or watch sports and or do most of your TV viewing by satellite or cable go with the 720. At Best Buy a 42 inch was $1200 vs $2000 that is quite a difference.

First, you need to be specific. Is it 1080I (interlaced) or 1080P(progressive)? In theory the 1080P would have the best picture, but too many other factors weigh in. It is hard to compare, but maybe this will help (http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-6361600-1.html). (Scroll down to the third paragraph from the bottom for a note about HDMI). Also, 1080P is not transmitted by anybody at this point. Throwing in Blu-Ray or HDDVD into the mix adds nothing. They are simply the formats for disc players or game stations. They simply cannot give a better picture than your TV can display, but their output is 1080P.

Back to the display, we are sort of at the point when Betamax VCRs were the standard, and VHS was on the horizon. 1080P is the format of the future. Yeah, but so is the hydrogen automobile. If you can find a better price on a 1080I over a 720, that's a pretty good deal, but both will be around for a while. My HDTV is an Olevia. It has a terrific display, native 720P I think, but it can be set for 1080I if you can figure out how to do it. Maybe the best price you'll find is the Olevia, and it was a CR best buy a couple of months ago.

In the HHGregg store in Fayetteville a week or so ago, against one wall they had an array of maybe a dozen 42" LCD sets all showing the same material. The clear standout was the Sony at about $1,700 plus or minus. On the opposite wall was an assorted array of a few larger Plasma sets and a few DLP projection sets. None of them could match that Sony. The DLP had good displays, but the viewing angle was rather narrow. The Plasma also had good displays, but I noticed my own clear reflection in the screen. It was a good reflection, though. I'd say thumbs down on Plasma and DLP.

[Highlander]

Speaking of HD DVD's, I'm hoping this Tuesday's Wisconsin game marks the first time of the season Duke is finally broadcast in HD. I bought my Sony KDS-2010 back in April in time to see the Final Four, but have been patiently waiting for a chance to see Duke in HD. So far, none of their games have been broadcast in HD.

[tecumseh]

BluRay HDTV (and some game consoles) do enter into the mix as it is the only format in which a 1080 will shine over a 720 at this point, when watching regular DVD and Direct TV or cable there will be no difference. So again if you have a home theater and are going to get a BluRay player than a 1080 set makes sense.

[bfree]

1. I love my Olevia 1080i LCD. If you don't mind refurbished check out www.newegg.com for some amazing deals.

2. HD requires HDMI cables which are unbelievable overpriced at big box retailers. Best Buy (and the like) sell televisions at a low profit margin so they can sell you a $5 cable for $55. Think I'm kidding? Check out www.monoprice.com and don't ever overpay for cables again. :)

Go Devils (in HD)!

[blazindw]

I tried to get a 46" Sharp Aquos LCD 720p tv from Sears on Friday morning...within minutes, their entire supply nationwide had been sold out. I left at 5:15am emptyhanded. If you can get 1080p, you are in the money, but they tend to be more expensive. My parents have 3 Samsung 1080p LCDs of various sizes (52", 46", 32")...they are the coolest things since sliced bread. I spend my entire time at home watching sports and movies in HD.

P.S. The sport I think looks the best in HD...hockey, surprisingly, followed by soccer. Check it out.

[Jim3k]

Speaking of HD DVD's, I'm hoping this Tuesday's Wisconsin game marks the first time of the season Duke is finally broadcast in HD. I bought my Sony KDS-2010 back in April in time to see the Final Four, but have been patiently waiting for a chance to see Duke in HD. So far, none of their games have been broadcast in HD.

I'm not entirely clear about that. The Temple game was on my ESPN HD channel and my HD Tivo kicked over to record it rather than regular ESPN2. It was not in wide screen format and the two margins both said ESPN HD. It was a very good picture, but I wasn't certain that it was actually HD.

Not too long ago I was watching a 49er game in HD widescreen and could actually read the coach's play card. Never saw that before. The Temple game didn't approach that level of clarity.

[ArnieMc]

I'm not entirely clear about that. The Temple game was on my ESPN HD channel and my HD Tivo kicked over to record it rather than regular ESPN2. It was not in wide screen format and the two margins both said ESPN HD. It was a very good picture, but I wasn't certain that it was actually HD.
It was not recorded in HD, so you don't get the detail. ESPN takes the SD (480i) signal, adds the sidebars, and converts to 720p to broadcast it on ESPN HD. The regular ESPN broadcasts the 480i signal and then your set converts it to whatever it displays.

Interlaced (480i, 1080i) sets are generally CRT (old tube-type) technology. The newer fixed pixel technologies (plasma, LCD, DLP, LCOS, SXRD) are all Progressive (480p, 720p, 768p, 1080p). They convert whatever signal they get to whatever they display except that some 1080p displays cannot accept a 1080p signal.

If you spent $150 on a Monster HDMI cable, you wasted $140. HD signals are digital. They either work or they don't. If they work, you don't need a more expensive cable. I second monoprice.com

[Jim3k]

Insert Marquette for Temple (women's game on the brain :rolleyes: )

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

Speaking of HD DVD's, I'm hoping this Tuesday's Wisconsin game marks the first time of the season Duke is finally broadcast in HD. I bought my Sony KDS-2010 back in April in time to see the Final Four, but have been patiently waiting for a chance to see Duke in HD. So far, none of their games have been broadcast in HD.

One note. The best HDTV is the world won't do a thing without good HD content. Make sure you setup a time to get an HD box from your cable or satellite provider. (I just got my DirecTV HD DVR installed and am quite happy with the picture quality and quanity of HD programming)

Also, be prepared to be underwhelmed with SD (Standard Definition) images from now on.

Good luck.

[billybreen]

One note. The best HDTV is the world won't do a thing without good HD content. Make sure you setup a time to get an HD box from your cable or satellite provider. (I just got my DirecTV HD DVR installed and am quite happy with the picture quality and quanity of HD programming)

Not sure if it has been mentioned in this thread yet, but I want to give a plug for TiVo HD (or TiVo Series 3 if you want to be super cool) rather than a solution from the cable or sat provider. The TiVo experience with dual HD tuners is fantastic.

[DevilAlumna]

Not sure if it has been mentioned in this thread yet, but I want to give a plug for TiVo HD (or TiVo Series 3 if you want to be super cool) rather than a solution from the cable or sat provider. The TiVo experience with dual HD tuners is fantastic.

Really? I wish you hadn't said that... my husband's been itching to upgrade, but hasn't been able to justify the extra expense... yet. Right now, we have old TIVO (standard def), plus a Comcastic dual-tuner HD DVR. That, to me, seems like plenty TV viewing/recording capability.

Only problem is it's all hooked into one TV, and I'd like the ability to extend/stream recorded programs to another location in the house.

We're thinking our ideal solution will eventually involve the MS Media Center, but the availability of HD TV cards (and a decent machine to put them in) is not suitable yet (standards are still being defined.)

The other option is to just watch everything online; there's so much good content available now (news podcasts, tv shows, movies), about the only thing not available for digital download/stream is Duke BBall in HD!

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

Not sure if it has been mentioned in this thread yet, but I want to give a plug for TiVo HD (or TiVo Series 3 if you want to be super cool) rather than a solution from the cable or sat provider. The TiVo experience with dual HD tuners is fantastic.

I love the Tivo experience as well, but you're still chained to your cable co's channel lineup which isn't exactly chock full of HD programming yet. (billybreen, I think you've mentioned you have Verizon FiOS, so you're better off than most)

And if you choose a Tivo HD (or Series 3), you won't be getting the HD content available on Video On Demand (unless you also rent a separate cable box from the cable co). On Demand is where cable has been able to compete in the HD content arms race.

If you choose DirecTV or Dish, then there's no Tivo option.

I will say that as an avid Tivo lover for the past 5 years, I'm not hating the DirecTV DVR I got. I need a few more weeks with it before I can readily endorse it however.

[billybreen]

I love the Tivo experience as well, but you're still chained to your cable co's channel lineup which isn't exactly chock full of HD programming yet. (billybreen, I think you've mentioned you have Verizon FiOS, so you're better off than most)

And if you choose a Tivo HD (or Series 3), you won't be getting the HD content available on Video On Demand (unless you also rent a separate cable box from the cable co). On Demand is where cable has been able to compete in the HD content arms race.

If you choose DirecTV or Dish, then there's no Tivo option.

I will say that as an avid Tivo lover for the past 5 years, I'm not hating the DirecTV DVR I got. I need a few more weeks with it before I can readily endorse it however.

Good points. I've been really happy with the FIOS HD options, and I believe they are competitive to sat (and the internet bandwidth is fantastic).

I believe TiVo and DirecTV have repaired their relationship, so some form of TiVo service may be returning before long.

[Jim3k]

Really? I wish you hadn't said that... my husband's been itching to upgrade, but hasn't been able to justify the extra expense... yet. Right now, we have old Tivo (standard def), plus a Comcastic dual-tuner HD DVR. That, to me, seems like plenty TV viewing/recording capability.

Only problem is it's all hooked into one TV, and I'd like the ability to extend/stream recorded programs to another location in the house.



Yeah, there's a smaller HD dual hard-drive version at about $400. It's working great and I use a multistream video card. It allows both hard drives to operate at the same time. My wife is the big user and she loves it.

My son tried to add a free-standing hard drive to it, but discovered that the literature on doing that is wrong and you can't do it (yet).

Nevertheless, it's a lot cheaper than the $800 version. That version has a much larger hard drive.

The Tivo programming capabilities are far superior to any cable company DVR. I agree that you can't do interactive stuff (like PPV or boxing) but we've never done that anyway, so it was not a loss for us. (I have a second set with a box that could do that if I ever needed to, but it's not HD.)

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

Jim3K,

There's now an eSATA external drive that's approved by Tivo, made by Western Digital. The specific model is called My DVR Expander and is available through Tivo.com or BestBuy.com. Other external SATA drives may possibly work, but they aren't supported by the Tivo tech support.

[billybreen]

Yeah, there's a smaller HD dual hard-drive version at about $400. It's working great and I use a multistream video card. It allows both hard drives to operate at the same time. My wife is the big user and she loves it.

My son tried to add a free-standing hard drive to it, but discovered that the literature on doing that is wrong and you can't do it (yet).

Actually, I've had a free-standing external eSata drive attached to mine for several months using an undocumented approach found online. Works just fine, and it's nice to have 1TB of space for all my HD content :)

[billybreen]

Really? I wish you hadn't said that... my husband's been itching to upgrade, but hasn't been able to justify the extra expense... yet. Right now, we have old TIVO (standard def), plus a Comcastic dual-tuner HD DVR. That, to me, seems like plenty TV viewing/recording capability.

Only problem is it's all hooked into one TV, and I'd like the ability to extend/stream recorded programs to another location in the house.

As of about a month ago, TiVo restored multi-room and to-computer sharing from the HD series boxes. It would be fairly simple to pull content off of the TiVo HD and onto a standalone system (yes, Windows based if you must). You just need to use one of the apps that unlocks the TiVo format into standard MPEG. I'd be surprised if someone in the nerd community hasn't already automated that process.

[Clipsfan]

Does anyone have any experience with DirecTV's HD DVR? I picked up a second HD TV over the holiday and it's now time to step up to HD, but I haven't decided whether to stay with DirecTV (using one of the old Tivo DirecTV boxes with it) or switch over to Time Warner (our only cable choice).

[bird]

We just went HD. As one of my partners told me beforehand, going HD was the best technology money you can spend. The biggest problem is that "SD" is so inadequate by contrast that it is actively annoying. Big surprise is how good regular DVDs look on the set. We went with a full FIOS package - internet, phone, HD. Said goodbye to Comcast. (Wife has funny story standing in line at Comcast office with others turning in their boxes, listening to other joyful former Comcast customers sharing their various hate-Comcast stories.) Duke / Wisc. first Duke game seen in HD - paid for the package right there.

[billybreen]

We just went HD. As one of my partners told me beforehand, going HD was the best technology money you can spend. The biggest problem is that "SD" is so inadequate by contrast that it is actively annoying. Big surprise is how good regular DVDs look on the set. We went with a full FIOS package - internet, phone, HD. Said goodbye to Comcast. (Wife has funny story standing in line at Comcast office with others turning in their boxes, listening to other joyful former Comcast customers sharing their various hate-Comcast stories.) Duke / Wisc. first Duke game seen in HD - paid for the package right there.

Amen, brother, amen. The 'exit interview' with Comcast as I turned in my hardware was pure joy.

Comcast Schlub: So, you're giving the FIOS thing a try. Would you mind telling me why?
Me: Well, I get 2x your internet speed, 10 more HD channels, 50 more movie channels, and it costs me $40 less per month.

[captmojo]

Amen, brother, amen. The 'exit interview' with Comcast as I turned in my hardware was pure joy.

Comcast Schlub: So, you're giving the FIOS thing a try. Would you mind telling me why?
Me: Well, I get 2x your internet speed, 10 more HD channels, 50 more movie channels, and it costs me $40 less per month.

You could have reminded him of Maryland's bb arena.

[DevilAlumna]

Amen, brother, amen. The 'exit interview' with Comcast as I turned in my hardware was pure joy.

Comcast Schlub: So, you're giving the FIOS thing a try. Would you mind telling me why?
Me: Well, I get 2x your internet speed, 10 more HD channels, 50 more movie channels, and it costs me $40 less per month.

Yeah, yeah, rub it in. You'd think living in this tech-centric part of the world, we'd have FIOS by now, but alas.... we'll be making the jump the moment we get a sniff of it near our house. (Though I hear Verizon's customer service is enough to almost make you want to switch back.)

[Indoor66]

Amen, brother, amen. The 'exit interview' with Comcast as I turned in my hardware was pure joy.

Comcast Schlub: So, you're giving the FIOS thing a try. Would you mind telling me why?
Me: Well, I get 2x your internet speed, 10 more HD channels, 50 more movie channels, and it costs me $40 less per month.

What are your internet upload/download speeds? I use Comcast in Broward County, FL.

I ran the free PCPitstop tests (http://www.pcpitstop.com/internet/default.asp) and got these results:

Download speed: 5287 kilobits per second

Upload speed: 379 kilobits per second

[billybreen]

What are your internet upload/download speeds? I use Comcast in Broward County, FL.

I ran the free PCPitstop tests (http://www.pcpitstop.com/internet/default.asp) and got these results:

Download speed: 5287 kilobits per second

Upload speed: 379 kilobits per second

I consistently get downloads of 20000 kbps and uploads of 1500 kbps. My previous Comcast connection was really good for cable as I was getting about 13000 kbps down.

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

Does anyone have any experience with DirecTV's HD DVR? I picked up a second HD TV over the holiday and it's now time to step up to HD, but I haven't decided whether to stay with DirecTV (using one of the old Tivo DirecTV boxes with it) or switch over to Time Warner (our only cable choice).

I just my DirecTV HR-21 installed the other week. So far it works very well, with much of the search capabilities of the SD DirecTivo I previously used. I'm still getting used to it, but I like what I've seen so far. The expanded HD channels are great.

I'll be happy to answer any questions about it.

[Clipsfan]

I just my DirecTV HR-21 installed the other week. So far it works very well, with much of the search capabilities of the SD DirecTivo I previously used. I'm still getting used to it, but I like what I've seen so far. The expanded HD channels are great.

I'll be happy to answer any questions about it.

I'm glad to hear that, as the reviews on the internet for their various HD-DVR products aren't all that good. I did decide to stay with DirecTV and I'll be getting the upgrade in a couple weeks. I can't wait.

[Methodistman]

We bought a Sharp 42" 1080p from Sam's Club (LC62C42U). It was absolutely amazing, however, after a couple of months we did begin to have problems. Sharp sent out a rep who serviced it, but could not fix it (in the middle of the screen there was a vertical band that slightly distorted the picture), so Sharp gave me a brand new one of the exact same model. Obviously something was wrong with the first one, because the 2nd one has been even better from the moment we turned it on. Even the factory settings have provided a better picture.

BIG helpful tip: If you have a Star Wars DVD (or many others, I think most Disney DVD's also have this), then in the main menu screen, look for the "THX Optimizer" - this is a step by step way to make sure your TV is calibrated properly, and pretty simple to follow.

[hc5duke]

Philips is having a refurbished HDTV sale - use coupon "SELECT-0408":


http://www.dealsea.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=16839

42" and above Flat TV
50PFP5332D/37B 50" Plasma flat HDTV $1,099.99 $699.99
47PFL7422D/37B 47" 1080p LCD flat HDTV $1,299.99 $749.99
42PFL7422D/37B 42" 1080p LCD flat HDTV $949.99 $649.99
42PFL5332D/37B 42" Pixel Plus 3 LCD flat HDTV $849.99 $599.99
42MF437B/37B 42" Magnavox 1080p LCD flat HDTV $899.99 $579.99

19" - 37" Flat TV
37PFL5322D/37B 37" LCD flat HDTV $699.99 $459.99
37PFL5332D/37B 37" LCD flat HDTV $699.99 $459.99
26PFL5302D/37B 26" LCD flat HDTV $499.99 $299.99
26MD357B/37B 26" Magnavox LCD flat HDTV with DVD $449.99 $279.99
26MF337B/27B 26" Magnavox LCD flat HDTV $399.99 $259.99
19MD357B/37B 19" Magnavox LCD flat HDTV with DVD $299.99 $189.99
19PFL5422D/27B 19" LCD flat HDTV $299.99 $179.99

Some of these might be sold out. I just bought the 42" 1080p LCD for $650 (+tax+ship = $750).

comes with a 90-day warranty; I don't think Philips has an official "dead-pixel policy", which kinda scares me, but the price was too good to pass up.