Rx330driver Posted October 17, 2006 Posted October 17, 2006 sweet and simple? what happened to the old days where it was 1) plug in TV 2) plug in Anttenna 3) press on lol
SW03ES Posted October 17, 2006 Posted October 17, 2006 Are you really only 28?!? You weren't alive for long when TV was that simple... I'm only 3 years younger than you, and I barely remember having standard antenna TV. We got cable when I was probably 7 or 8.
SW03ES Posted October 17, 2006 Posted October 17, 2006 I've just never heard anyone in our age group talk about technology the way you do.
nc211 Posted October 17, 2006 Author Posted October 17, 2006 I hate having to get up to turn the channel myself, but I'm in my mid 30's. By the way, have you guys checked out Pong on this new gadget called Atari? Wow! Talk about cooooool...like, totally. ;)
nc211 Posted December 27, 2006 Author Posted December 27, 2006 OK...The time has finally come! Apparently, NC was a good boy this year, and have received clearance from General !Removed! Owner to buy my 42 inch TV. 3 months of injecting "42 inch, HD, 1080i Plasma" has finally worn her down. She is now at the point of "go buy the damn things and shut up!" Haahahaa.. So... I have it narrowed down to two choices; A Panasonic and an LG. I rulled out the new Hiatachi 1080 becuase the reviews aren't as good "I like Cnet for reviews". So, which one do you guys like better? http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/LG-42-Plasm...roductDetail.do OR? http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Panasonic-3...roductDetail.do The Pany has more connections, specifically the HDMI's, but the LG's picture reviews, especially the glare issue, is better, and most just buy a switch box for the HDMI's. Would I need a HDMI for my stereo surround receiver? I have a good Pioneer receiver, with more damn connectors in the back than I make sense of. But wouldn't figure I would need a HDMI for sound???? It does have optical connectors though. Arghh...I can't decide! But have to by this weekend, before Mrs. General thinks of something we need to buy first, which will delay my purchase! PS: My budget cap is $1,500 (excluding cables and taxes of course) The philips amblight is a bit too much out of my reach, at $1,700.
Rx330driver Posted December 27, 2006 Posted December 27, 2006 alright, if i were you, i would get the Panasonic. Mostly cause im a brand kinda guy, and i grew up in an age where LG is not exactly the mercedes of TV's. You can live with a little glare cant you? however, if your the kind of person who judges things buy how it performs, the LG is the Hyundai. Great product for the price, the underdog. My opinion on your price cap: I respect that price, yo ucan get a fine TV. However, we dont buy plasma/HD tv's everyday. If you really like the philips, the extra 200 wont make that much of a difference. However, if it is a big difference to you, then "settle". THeres a saying that i dont remember, the the gyst is that if your going to spend that much already, dont mind spending that extra little. Edit: I just clicked on the links. You should go with the LG. ITs bigger and it looks better. "General !Removed! Owner" <--- lol? my wife is leasing
denslexusgx470 Posted December 28, 2006 Posted December 28, 2006 I've just never heard anyone in our age group talk about technology the way you do. I could talk about it also, but the actual tv isn't here in my house. My parents have one of the first colored Sony Trinitron TVs with the channel switch that you have to turn, antenna, HD w/surround sound (ok maybe not this) and yes it was something I would look forward to having. lol. We got our plasma when we first moved into our current house. I bet our wall is the EASIEST way anyone could easily hide the wires. I don't know about you guys and if you had your plasmas and LCDs mounted in the wall, but I have a storage space under my staircase which greatly helped the installer fish the wires out.
SW03ES Posted December 28, 2006 Posted December 28, 2006 Given the choice between the Panasonic and the LG, I'd take the Panasonic just because I don't know a lot about the LG units. That particular Panasonic set is really the benchmark in the segment when it comes to picture quality. When I was looking at them it was between that set and the Philips one I purchased. Personally, I'd look around for the Philips set in your pricerange. I've really grown to like the ambilight...
denslexusgx470 Posted December 28, 2006 Posted December 28, 2006 Given the choice between the Panasonic and the LG, I'd take the Panasonic just because I don't know a lot about the LG units. That particular Panasonic set is really the benchmark in the segment when it comes to picture quality. When I was looking at them it was between that set and the Philips one I purchased. Personally, I'd look around for the Philips set in your pricerange. I've really grown to like the ambilight... Does the ambilight really make a big difference? I went with the Panasonic because back then before I bought it Panasonic was on top of the rating list. So far so good. No problems with mine. Works well with my surround sound Panasonic system, that I only have to use two remotes (one for both Panasonic and TV, and one for Comcast).
SW03ES Posted December 28, 2006 Posted December 28, 2006 When I bought it I figured I would just shut it off, Carla liked it. The reason I bought the Philips over the Panasonic was simply that the Philips was a hair cheaper at the time and the actual unit itself was much more attractive with the nice black border and the nice glass stand (the Panasonic just has a plastic stand, for $3,000 I expected better). However, I've come to really like the Ambilight, it really does add a lot to the experience.
nc211 Posted December 28, 2006 Author Posted December 28, 2006 Well after two hours of what looked like I watching a tennis match last night at circuit universe, I've aced out the LG. The Pany is still a contender, infact it had the best picture, but I don't care for the plastic casing it's in, it looks cheap to me. The other contender is the Hitachi 42HDS69 series: http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Hitachi-42-...roductDetail.do It has 1024 x 1080 resolution vs. Pany's 1024x720, which I would think would be a better picture. But in all honesty, the Pany still is better. It's brighter and a little more crisp. The Hitachi has a dulling effect, like a film screen is over the picture. I'm not sure if it's just a setting, or the actual tv itself. I love the casing of the Hitachi over the Pany, and it has 3 HDMI connectors instead of 2 from the Pany. Steve, on the Philips Amblight, does the tv need to be mounted on the wall to gain the most effect of the amblight feature? Ours won't be wall mounted, but rather sit on a stand in the corner of the room. I like the amblight feature, as I think it gives you a really neat experience, and like you said earlier, a warm feeling. But does it have to be against the wall for the light to spread out around the tv? It's impossible to tell at the store, since it's just sitting out on the shelf. I'm not a big fan of the outter casing, as I think it's a little to big, but I understand that's probably due to the need for the lights to work. The Philips is back in the race. So it's the Pany, Hitachi and Philips. Pany has best picture, Hitachi has best case, and Philips has amblight. I think I'm going to pull the trigger tonight. All three pictures are stunningly amazing! I'm leaning towards the Hitachi. Oh the delima... One more quick question, the SD signals that put the tv into normal mode with the side bars...is there a way to fill in the entire screen so one doesn't have to look at those bars? The pany and hitachi have black bars, not sure about the philips. Some have just grey bars, which I'm not a big fan of. Thanks fellas for your input on this one. This is a bit on the sideline from the traditional "my car stalls" type questions.
SW03ES Posted December 28, 2006 Posted December 28, 2006 The Pany is still a contender, infact it had the best picture, but I don't care for the plastic casing it's in, it looks cheap to me. I know, its an ugly TV. Its a shame too, because the previous mid model units from Panasonic were very attractive. It has 1024 x 1080 resolution vs. Pany's 1024x720, which I would think would be a better picture. But in all honesty, the Pany still is better. It's brighter and a little more crisp. The Hitachi has a dulling effect, like a film screen is over the picture. I'm not sure if it's just a setting, or the actual tv itself. I love the casing of the Hitachi over the Pany, and it has 3 HDMI connectors instead of 2 from the Pany. You can't take the picture in the store really as an example, rely on reviews. They're all calibrated differently out of the box and once you get them in your house and calibrated, the picture from any big name Plasma is going to look similar. I don't know much about the Hitachi but don't underestimate the need for 3 HDMI connectors. Mine has 2, and I use one for digital cable and one for my new HD/DVD player. I eventually want to also get a BluRay player, or a PS3 with BluRay and I'd like to hook that up via HDMI too, but I'm out... Steve, on the Philips Amblight, does the tv need to be mounted on the wall to gain the most effect of the amblight feature? Ours won't be wall mounted, but rather sit on a stand in the corner of the room. I like the amblight feature, as I think it gives you a really neat experience, and like you said earlier, a warm feeling. But does it have to be against the wall for the light to spread out around the tv? It's impossible to tell at the store, since it's just sitting out on the shelf. I'm not a big fan of the outter casing, as I think it's a little to big, but I understand that's probably due to the need for the lights to work. The Philips is back in the race. Ours isn't wall mounted. In fact it sits in an area where one side of the wall is a lot closer to the TV than the other side. You can adjust the brightness of each side individually and compensate for that. Works fine. As for the casing, its a little big but I like it. I like the substantial look. So it's the Pany, Hitachi and Philips. Pany has best picture, Hitachi has best case, and Philips has amblight. I think I'm going to pull the trigger tonight. All three pictures are stunningly amazing! I'm leaning towards the Hitachi. Oh the delima... I know lol. Its like this guy that was at the Lexus dealer once when I was there pining over a color choice. I told him "Well think of it this way, at least you're not down at the Kia dealer with the same dilemma" lol. As for the picture, I don't know much about the Hitachi but the Panasonic and the Philips have pretty comparable pictures. The Panny might have a slight edge, but its only slight. To me that didnt make up for how ugly the TV was... One more quick question, the SD signals that put the tv into normal mode with the side bars...is there a way to fill in the entire screen so one doesn't have to look at those bars? The pany and hitachi have black bars, not sure about the philips. Some have just grey bars, which I'm not a big fan of. Yes. Modern TVs have a "Super Zoom" function that fills the screen without much stretching and smooshing, you can also put them on 16:9 enhanced and fill the screen with no distortions but you loose some of the top and the bottom of the picture. Don't sweat it, you'll hardly ever be watching SDTV. I'm looking at the Hitachi unit, thats a nice one. Has a cable card slot, can use the TV as a center speaker. I can't find its contrast ratio though, even on their website which concerns me...
LEXIRX330 Posted December 28, 2006 Posted December 28, 2006 Steve, on the Philips Amblight, does the tv need to be mounted on the wall to gain the most effect of the amblight feature? Ours won't be wall mounted, but rather sit on a stand in the corner of the room. I like the amblight feature, as I think it gives you a really neat experience, and like you said earlier, a warm feeling. But does it have to be against the wall for the light to spread out around the tv? It's impossible to tell at the store, since it's just sitting out on the shelf. I'm not a big fan of the outter casing, as I think it's a little to big, but I understand that's probably due to the need for the lights to work. The Philips is back in the race. I have a Philips LCD...without Amblight...I have a mirror in the built in cabinet that is behind the TV so I made sure I did not get one with it. If it was not for the mirror I might like it but I think that the mirror would make it distracting. I think the Picture on the Philips LCD is great... You can't take the picture in the store really as an example, rely on reviews. They're all calibrated differently out of the box and once you get them in your house and calibrated, the picture from any big name Plasma is going to look similar. This is so true. The default settings that some of the TV's make the picture horrible. I still find myself playing around with mine here and there. Yes. Modern TVs have a "Super Zoom" function that fills the screen without much stretching and smooshing, you can also put them on 16:9 enhanced and fill the screen with no distortions but you loose some of the top and the bottom of the picture. Don't sweat it, you'll hardly ever be watching SDTV. Mine also has auto picture on it. This will allow the TV to select the best size to fill the screen without distorting. Off topic a little... I have just got a 15" Sharp LCD TV that I am planning on mounting on the wall in my master bathroom. I have seen this on HGTV and a few other places...I have the OK from the wife!!! :D :D I figure I will put in a larger exhaust fan in to make sure that moisture will not be a problem...the TV is on the opposite wall as the shower above the whirl-pool tub...I can't wait to get the TV in there...anyone else here done this or thought of doing this? Any advice? Good Luck with the purchase NC!
nc211 Posted December 28, 2006 Author Posted December 28, 2006 Well, the Hitachi is out. I called Hitachi after not finding the contrast ratio info anywhere either. I did however read about software upgrades that many people are having to do to get the tv right. They call Hitachi, and they send them some sort of chip they install, and send back the old one, which I guess helps. According to the very rude guy at customer support, getting this upgrade sounds like a potential pain. Infact, he made it sound like I'd have a better chance getting off death row. And, he didn't know what the contrast ratio was either. So, forget that. $1,500 for something that needs to be upgraded from the get-go isn't something I"m interested in. Pany has a model that is a step down in features, and apparantly walmart sells them for like $$250 cheaper than the one I'm looking at. It basically doesn't have the SD card slot for pictures, which I could care less about. But, calling walmart stores revealed they've put a premium on those sets as well, right at the same price level as the one I'm looking at. So, forget that one too "although I like the case better". So, going to give the Philips another look tonight, but must say, all indicators are pointing to the Pany, just can't seem to get around it. I haven't seen a bad review yet, other than the disgruntle guy who can't read the manual. Probably the type that complains about everything in life in general. We all know those types. Steve, thanks for lending me your expertise on the matter. I'm flying a bit blind with this whole HD thing. I eventually want to also get a BluRay player, or a PS3 with BluRay and I'd like to hook that up via HDMI too, but I'm out... I read on the LG's with one HDMI input that people purchased a switch box for $80 buck that let them have multiple HDMI's into the tv, w/o degrading the image....might be an option. Course, once you get the LS460, you'll just be in the back seat watching tv, eating caviar and sipping champange anyway....hahaa.
RX in NC Posted December 28, 2006 Posted December 28, 2006 Is there really a straight male out there who spends enough time in the bathroom to justify putting a TV in there? I can see a female wanting one for hot tub soaking, candle lighting, doing pedicures and all that feminine jazz, but come on, not a regular guy.... Maybe in California, I guess....
nc211 Posted December 28, 2006 Author Posted December 28, 2006 Is there really a straight male out there who spends enough time in the bathroom to justify putting a TV in there? I can see a female wanting one for hot tub soaking, candle lighting, doing pedicures and all that feminine jazz, but come on, not a regular guy.... Maybe in California, I guess.... Oh I disagree, especially on Sunday mornings. My only suggestion is that you buy a padded toilet seat. My wife bought me one of those Sony play station portables last June, and Madden 06's. All I can say is my throne time has trippled, and I recommend the padded seat to avoid the "pins and needles" effect. You know what I mean. Of course, you'll need dolby 5.1 in there as well. Just mount the sub under the sink. Next up: Installing a kegerator...then we shall all refer to you as "lord".
LEXIRX330 Posted December 28, 2006 Posted December 28, 2006 Is there really a straight male out there who spends enough time in the bathroom to justify putting a TV in there? I can see a female wanting one for hot tub soaking, candle lighting, doing pedicures and all that feminine jazz, but come on, not a regular guy.... Maybe in California, I guess.... ;) ;) Well my reasoning for it is much different. I guess that everyone that goes into a sports bar is !Removed!...:whistles: They have TV's in there, just so you don't miss anything... Hell I have seen people that have TV's in every room of their home. I love to watch the news and sports and it seems that when I need to get ready is when I miss something...
RX in NC Posted December 28, 2006 Posted December 28, 2006 To each his/her own, I suppose. But the last place in the house I want to hang out in is the bathroom.... nc211, bear in mind that the longer you spend on the throne in pursuit of your leisurely pleasures, the more you are setting yourself up for major hemorrhoids by your early 40s. Don't believe me? Ask your doctor....
nc211 Posted December 28, 2006 Author Posted December 28, 2006 To each his/her own, I suppose. But the last place in the house I want to hang out in is the bathroom.... nc211, bear in mind that the longer you spend on the throne in pursuit of your leisurely pleasures, the more you are setting yourself up for major hemorrhoids by your early 40s. Don't believe me? Ask your doctor.... You married??
RFeldes Posted December 28, 2006 Posted December 28, 2006 Make sure your knees are above you belly button.....
LEXIRX330 Posted December 28, 2006 Posted December 28, 2006 To each his/her own, I suppose. But the last place in the house I want to hang out in is the bathroom.... nc211, bear in mind that the longer you spend on the throne in pursuit of your leisurely pleasures, the more you are setting yourself up for major hemorrhoids by your early 40s. Don't believe me? Ask your doctor.... You married?? That is what I want to know... Bathroom - Peace and quiet! Until now!!! Man I have enough room...I may be able to fit a lazyboy in there!!! :D
RX in NC Posted December 28, 2006 Posted December 28, 2006 Been married for more than 27 years. If I want peace and quiet, I go hiking in the local state parks....
LEXIRX330 Posted December 29, 2006 Posted December 29, 2006 Been married for more than 27 years. If I want peace and quiet, I go hiking in the local state parks.... So that is the secret! :D I just hate when I am in the middle of a game or a race and my wife is like come on and get ready we have to go...I also really like the way the LCD TV's look. I am not in there painting my nails... :D By the way congratulations on being married for 27 years. That is a big accomplishment.
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