Ravens Fan In Need Of Advice For A TV For This Fall

[TheRavenouseD2008]

ok guys so heres the jist in July or August i will get a rent rebate of arround 550 I am allowed according to the wife to spend 450 on a TV and Antena so I can pick up WJZ13 here in Dallastown pa the antenam must be non walm mount and indoor and the TV no smaller then 32 its replacing an ancient Sony Wega 32 480i set. the 2 main uses are NFL broadcasts and 360 games like madden can anyone recomened a model for tv and antena in that price range?

[BohBalmerOsbohs]

I'm a Samsung fanboy. Have Samsung screens all through the house. I would go for this 32" HDTV. It has a Built in Digital converter for an antenna. The tv is about 20 dollars over your budget.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN32B460-32-Inch-720p-HDTV/dp/B001U3Y8MW/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1272685173&sr=1-11

I have this antenna. I use it for the Ravens games, and the picture is amazing. full 1080p HD.


http://www.buy.com/prod/thomson-rca-ant1650-flat-digital-antenna/q/loc/101/211040171.html

[theFRANCHISE]

I got my 32" 1080p Vizio HDTV w/ 3 HDMI inputs and PC input and Composite and Component inputs for exactly $550 less than a year ago, but it should be cheaper now. It also picks up HDTV broadcasts, but I bought a multi-directional antenna from Radioshack for $40 that picks up WJZ-13 (a/k/a the Ravens CBS affiliate) so I'm able to watch every Ravens game and most of their games broadcast on FOX 45.

[flynismo]

[quote name='TheRavenouseD2008' date='30 April 2010 - 10:26 PM' timestamp='1272684394' post='402982']
ok guys so heres the jist in July or August i will get a rent rebate of arround 550 I am allowed according to the wife to spend 450 on a TV and Antena so I can pick up WJZ13 here in Dallastown pa the antenam must be non walm mount and indoor and the TV no smaller then 32 its replacing an ancient Sony Wega 32 480i set. the 2 main uses are NFL broadcasts and 360 games like madden can anyone recomened a model for tv and antena in that price range?
[/quote]

Although I personally prefer Samsung, brand isn't a big deal.
Go look on newegg.com; they usually have some great deals, and their shipping is unreal.

When you look at the TVs, main thing you'll want is to make sure that you have enough component inputs to run each of your accessories (like your 360, a/v reciever if you have one, etc), an HDMI input (nearly al flatscreens have them nowadays) and perhaps a PC input to use your tv as a computer monitor.

I'd recommend an LCD if you use the 360 a lot.
A plasma can produce a better picture, all else being equal, but LCDs are typically better for gaming.

And DO NOT skimp on your cables!!!!! They really do make a big differencein picture and sound quality. You'll want component or HDMI cables for the 360 and all your accessories.

DO NOT skimp on the cables!
Just don't, lol..

[Reddawn36]

I gotta agree with fly and franchise..

Vizio gets you a good bang for your buck... and Newegg is what I use for just about everything used in computers (they deal in just about everything electronic)

[theFRANCHISE]

I would recommend NOT getting a plasma display, if only b/c they're difficult to repair and have the higher rate of failure compared to LCD displays.

[flynismo]

[quote name='theFRANCHISE' date='01 May 2010 - 12:04 AM' timestamp='1272690266' post='403013']
I would recommend NOT getting a plasma display, if only b/c they're difficult to repair and have the higher rate of failure compared to LCD displays.
[/quote]

I'm not sure if that really applies anymore, Franny..
I have two plasmas, one I bought just in time for the 2006 draft and the other I bought last year.
The older one is 4 years old, and the lamp in that is still almost as bright as when new, and have never had to do any sort of repair on it.
The newer one is only a year old so no problems to report there either.
I personally like them both better than the LCD that I got for my son (daddy, my DVD player doesn't play peanut butter and jelly!.... kids...)

[theFRANCHISE]

[quote name='flynismo' date='01 May 2010 - 01:16 AM' timestamp='1272690995' post='403016']
I'm not sure if that really applies anymore, Franny..
I have two plasmas, one I bought just in time for the 2006 draft and the other I bought last year.
The older one is 4 years old, and the lamp in that is still almost as bright as when new, and have never had to do any sort of repair on it.
The newer one is only a year old so no problems to report there either.
I personally like them both better than the LCD that I got for my son (daddy, my DVD player doesn't play peanut butter and jelly!.... kids...)
[/quote]
I would think the brand might factor into it, though. Just based on personal experience, I believe Panasonic plasma displays have had a higher failure rate than other brands, but I could easily be wrong. Again, I'm a Vizio fanatic, so I'm a bit biased. That said, any brand that has a DVD player packaged with their HDTV has to be a little suspect...

[flynismo]

[quote name='Reddawn36' date='01 May 2010 - 12:02 AM' timestamp='1272690145' post='403012']
I gotta agree with fly and franchise..

Vizio gets you a good bang for your buck... and Newegg is what I use for just about everything used in computers (they deal in just about everything electronic)
[/quote]


A fellow geek! Are computers your hobby, or your profession (or both)?
Newegg is going to send me into financial ruin, lol. Upgrading your computer is like smoking crack!!

[flynismo]

[quote name='theFRANCHISE' date='01 May 2010 - 12:23 AM' timestamp='1272691384' post='403017']
I would think the brand might factor into it, though. Just based on personal experience, I believe Panasonic plasma displays have had a higher failure rate than other brands, but I could easily be wrong. Again, I'm a Vizio fanatic, so I'm a bit biased. That said, any brand that has a DVD player packaged with their HDTV has to be a little suspect...
[/quote]


Oh no, lol...he had one of those old CRTs w/built in DVD player. Thing was massive, took up way too much room and was looking for an excuse to upgrade it. I didnt even know his room had four walls til we got rid of that dinosaur. If I ever saw a flat screen with a built in DVD player, I think I'd go directly to their competitor's store for my electronic needs

Vizio makes good stuff, can't bame you for being partial to them.

[Reddawn36]

[quote name='flynismo' date='01 May 2010 - 01:24 AM' timestamp='1272691462' post='403018']
A fellow geek! Are computers your hobby, or your profession (or both)?
Newegg is going to send me into financial ruin, lol. Upgrading your computer is like smoking crack!!
[/quote]

I guess soon to be both (going into Navy under Advanced Electronics which is listed as a computer field)



as much of a geek as I might sound... I feel as if my knowledge on computers is limited... I mean I know more then probably my family combined (not trying to brag, but more or less the truth... after all my older sister did buy a Mac)

but compared to some people on this site and hell some of my friends out here.... I look like a newb lol

[TheRavenouseD2008]

was looking at a vizio but also a philips and a toshiba, wondering would anyone chance a tv at sams club thats a floor model saw a 37' for about 400 and they said they have one a month same model same price

[FlaccoFlicker]

Floor Models worry me because they are on ALL DAY.Now I bought a floor model tv from target it was a 27 inch tv and it lasted a year,mind you I payed 80 bucks for it also,wasn't a lcd it was back when projection tvs were still hot.
My best advice is do what I did once you get the money watch sales ads,thats what I did.I waited three weeks and got a 1000 dollar tv for 650 bucks on sale,I know you said 450 but that was the tv i wanted there were others on sale also.Im rocking a Sony Bravia and love it.
Agree with Fly Cables man,cables
I remmeber I took the 360 in the backroom and hooked to the tv(in the composite)and I could not play,once you play HD you aren't satisfied.

[flynismo]

[quote name='Reddawn36' date='01 May 2010 - 01:13 AM' timestamp='1272694418' post='403027']
I guess soon to be both (going into Navy under Advanced Electronics which is listed as a computer field)

as much of a geek as I might sound... I feel as if my knowledge on computers is limited... I mean I know more then probably my family combined (not trying to brag, but more or less the truth... after all my older sister did buy a Mac)

but compared to some people on this site and hell some of my friends out here.... I look like a newb lol
[/quote]


Sounds freaking awesome (your Navy career)! What exactly does Advanced Electronics entail? Just sounds badass, lol.

I'm sure you already realize, but the tech field is too broad of an industry to master everything; have to find your niche in it and focus on mastering that.
I'm very good with PHP programming and all aspects of hardware, but put me in front of a C/C++ IDE and I'm clueless. Graphic design skills are mediocre as well.
Moral is, its much better to become highly skilled in one or two sectors than to be serviceable in many.
So good luck!


Oh and take it easy on your sis, lol, Macs are shiny and cute, and their icons bounce when you click on them; what girl can resist that??

[flynismo]

[quote name='TheRavenouseD2008' date='01 May 2010 - 02:39 AM' timestamp='1272699559' post='403031']
was looking at a vizio but also a philips and a toshiba, wondering would anyone chance a tv at sams club thats a floor model saw a 37' for about 400 and they said they have one a month same model same price
[/quote]

absolutely not!

You can get a brand new, out of the box flatscreen for $400. In that price range, it will typically be in the 26" - 32" screen sizes, but if you look around, you'll find a few that are bigger.
I'd rather buy a brand new TV with a full warranty rather than take a chance on a floor model.

Just so you know, floor models are usually hooked up with HDMI or component cables, and hooked up to an HD source, for hopefully obvious reasons..I just wanted to bring that up to remind you to budget for your cables (if you plan on watching football in HD, it is mandatory in order to recieve the HD signal).

If you just want the biggest screen size possible, you can find some TV's around 37" brand new, even a 42" if you find a good sale going on.

If picture quality is important to you (as it probably is, why else would ya be looking at flatscrens?), then at $400 or so you're pretty much limited to 32" max, but that's still plenty big unless it's in a huge room, and you'll get excellent picture quality.
I would sacrifice 1080p in favor of 720p. The tradeoff is that then you can focus on the other specs that will give you better performance (for example, when playing your 360, the monitors response time, brightness and contrast ratio are more important than pure resolution).

All else being equal, a 1080p tv will indeed produce a better picture.
But "all else" is rarely "equal" in this industry. Your TV is kinda like football team.
You may have a great QB (1080p), but he will be much less effective if his OL doesn't protect him (response time) or if his recievers suck (cables) or if he isn't supported by a good ground game (contrast ratio) or if his coaches arent too smart (brightness).

[TheRavenouseD2008]

[quote name='flynismo' date='01 May 2010 - 12:51 PM' timestamp='1272732707' post='403121']
absolutely not!

You can get a brand new, out of the box flatscreen for $400. In that price range, it will typically be in the 26" - 32" screen sizes, but if you look around, you'll find a few that are bigger.
I'd rather buy a brand new TV with a full warranty rather than take a chance on a floor model.

Just so you know, floor models are usually hooked up with HDMI or component cables, and hooked up to an HD source, for hopefully obvious reasons..I just wanted to bring that up to remind you to budget for your cables (if you plan on watching football in HD, it is mandatory in order to recieve the HD signal).

If you just want the biggest screen size possible, you can find some TV's around 37" brand new, even a 42" if you find a good sale going on.

If picture quality is important to you (as it probably is, why else would ya be looking at flatscrens?), then at $400 or so you're pretty much limited to 32" max, but that's still plenty big unless it's in a huge room, and you'll get excellent picture quality.
I would sacrifice 1080p in favor of 720p. The tradeoff is that then you can focus on the other specs that will give you better performance (for example, when playing your 360, the monitors response time, brightness and contrast ratio are more important than pure resolution).

All else being equal, a 1080p tv will indeed produce a better picture.
But "all else" is rarely "equal" in this industry. Your TV is kinda like football team.
You may have a great QB (1080p), but he will be much less effective if his OL doesn't protect him (response time) or if his recievers suck (cables) or if he isn't supported by a good ground game (contrast ratio) or if his coaches arent too smart (brightness).
[/quote]

thnx man so yeah so I found a Vizio at walmart for 398 , and an antena for 30 thats under budget thnx all and I think the contrast ratio on the tv 15k:1 response is 8Ms for 398 its 32'

[flynismo]

[quote name='TheRavenouseD2008' date='01 May 2010 - 12:57 PM' timestamp='1272736678' post='403144']
thnx man so yeah so I found a Vizio at walmart for 398 , and an antena for 30 thats under budget thnx all and I think the contrast ratio on the tv 15k:1 response is 8Ms for 398 its 32'
[/quote]


Sounds like you made a good choice!

[XxSizzleXx]

Sharp is the way to go!

[BohBalmerOsbohs]

Plasmas get Super hot. I can fry bacon on my dads probably. I go LCD or LED.

[purple.n.black]

I would not recommend Vizio, they are good for the money but not really good tv's. I love Samsung and LG. TigerDirect.com will have some really sick deals every so ofter. Get 120hz for sure 50,000:1 contrast ratio or more. And 1080p without question. LED LCD's are great if you have the cash.

[FerrariFan87]

[quote name='BohBalmerOsbohs' date='02 May 2010 - 05:40 PM' timestamp='1272836417' post='403481']
Plasmas get Super hot. I can fry bacon on my dads probably. I go LCD or[b] LED.[/b]
[/quote]

LEDs are ridiculously overpriced right now... LCD is the way to go for now.

[JonM229]

Anything less than [url="http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/tv-video/televisions/led-tv/UN55B8500XFXZA/index.idx?pagetype=prd_detail&returnurl="]this[/url] will be considered a failure

[Purple Nurple]

[quote name='JonM229' date='03 May 2010 - 08:23 AM' timestamp='1272889384' post='403684']
Anything less than [url="http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/tv-video/televisions/led-tv/UN55B8500XFXZA/index.idx?pagetype=prd_detail&returnurl="]this[/url] will be considered a failure
[/quote]


I was getting all excited until I got to the bottom. Then it was more like.....

[img]http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/imgx/1/0/0/2/7/5/1/1/orig-10027511.jpg[/img]

[XxSizzleXx]

Personally I would go with an LCD, they are suppose to last up to 60,000 hours while most Plasmas go about half that. As someone mentioned less heat with LCD's as well. I have seen many many flat panels and really do think Sharp's look the best.

I own a 32" Sharp Aquos LCD and most all my buddies have at least flat panel in their house, I always get compliments on how clear it is. I remember watching a hockey game with a few friends and one of them actually thought it was HD until I pointed out that I don't even have an HD receiver on my TV.

[FerrariFan87]

[quote name='XxSizzleXx' date='03 May 2010 - 04:26 PM' timestamp='1272918406' post='403978']
Personally I would go with an LCD, they are suppose to last up to 60,000 hours while most Plasmas go about half that. As someone mentioned less heat with LCD's as well. I have seen many many flat panels and really do think Sharp's look the best.

I own a 32" Sharp Aquos LCD and most all my buddies have at least flat panel in their house, I always get compliments on how clear it is. I remember watching a hockey game with a few friends and one of them actually thought it was HD until I pointed out that [b]I don't even have an HD receiver on my TV.[/b]
[/quote]

May I ask why????

[XxSizzleXx]

[quote name='FerrariFan87' date='03 May 2010 - 02:56 PM' timestamp='1272920204' post='403995']
May I ask why????
[/quote]

Because I am a ridiculously good son and bought the ole man one for Christmas, so it's on his 57" TV.

So to answer your question... $$$