HD TV Screen Shopping

bbalser

bbalser

Veteran
Doing the footwork to research HD TV screens. About to get my first one. Plan to set it up with a Mac Mini running the whole entertainment center (not using Apple TV).

Any recommendations from first hand experience of what's good, what's not?

My biggest concern is the quality of SD on it. The few I've seen in people's houses, the SD content looks like crap.
 
SD content will always look worse on an HDTV than on an SDTV, its just gonna be that way, but if you really need your SD to look half way decent youll be forced to buy a hulking CRT HD set. Which will then compormise the quality of your HD viewing.

SD is still watchable when any other TV is handled by a knowledgable owner , dont even need to be a super user, just get your hands dirty in the settings menu and what not and once you have a specific set, check the AVSForum.com for your tv and find your thread and read all about it.
 
SD doesn't look like crap on my Sony CRT HDTVs...and CRTs DO NOT compromise the quality of an HD image...it's still the most accurate display. Despite that the two of mine weigh a combined 500 pounds :)

Any type of projection TV is going to just magnify how poorly the SD is upconverted to HD. So, definitely stay away from projections. That leaves you with CRT, Plasma or LCD. I've never owned a plamsa, so I can't say anything for/against them. My Samsung LCD looks good with HD content, and fair with SD. Both of my Sony CRTs look good with SD or HD. If you've got the money, the Sony Bravia's are probably the best consumer-grade sets out there right now.
 
I ended up buying a Sony SXRD for best picture quality & size for the money - got a 1080p unit, because I'm a freek for resolution. Keep in mind, AppleTV drives 1280x720 @ 24fps as the MAXIMUM frame rate/frame size, so the usual 1368x768 panels would be entirely acceptable for that. If AppleTV is a major thing for you, 720p is enough. That said, I LOVE Discovery HD on a 1080p set.
 
by the nature of what i do for a living, I know a lot of engineers (aka nerds) who insist that the Sony consumer line of HDTVs comes closer to broadcast quality equipment than any other brand.
 
MikeCurtis said:
IIf AppleTV is a major thing for you...
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My original post says, "not using Apple TV." But thanks for the opinion, since no one has actually used one in the real world yet.

I didn't even consider HD CRTs! Wow, I thought it was all Plasma vs. LCD for an HD TV screen. Funny, I produce HD all the time and send out the files on hard drives all the time. But I never thought about sitting in my den and watching it on a regular basis. But, I guess I really should.

HD CRT, eh? Physically massive, eh? I'll have to look into it and see just how big they are. I have a 32" SD CRT, how much bigger can an HD CRT of similar size be?
 
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Zak Forsman said:
by the nature of what i do for a living, I know a lot of engineers (aka nerds) who insist that the Sony consumer line of HDTVs comes closer to broadcast quality equipment than any other brand.
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Same here...

I'm not going to say that I'll NEVER buy another TV that doesn't say Sony on it (cuz I'm not a brand-snob), but until I see something better...

Olevias look promising, and the OLD Sharp Aquous line was good.

BenB said:
I have a 32" SD CRT, how much bigger can an HD CRT be?
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If you have a 32" flat-glass screen, then they'll weigh about the same. The flat glass in my Sony 34" alone weighs 130 pounds.

Another thing to consider...don't judge a TV by what you see in a Best Buy or Circuit City store. Those display sets have the color and brightness jacked up so high...a TV with those display settings would die a lot quicker than a TV that's properly calibrated. Take a walk through your local Home Theater store...usually a mom-n-pop operation that cares about quality viewing, rather than making a TV set catch your eye.
 
Zak Forsman said:
by the nature of what i do for a living, I know a lot of engineers (aka nerds) who insist that the Sony consumer line of HDTVs comes closer to broadcast quality equipment than any other brand.
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My dad fixes them for a living and he bought a 50" Sony LCD. That tells me something about the picture and build quality of those sets.:thumbsup:
 
Funny that everyone's saying Sony brand is better than all others... when Samsung makes Sony's screens...

They're just about the same, if Samsung not having better contrast ratios and brightness levels on their LCD sets.

CRT = Best quality HD at the moment. Cheaper than LCD, more accurate than an LCD. New line XBR's and Samsungs are the closest to CRT quality.

My SD via COmponent out on TV funciton ZOOM 1 looks great, though not superb like my SD television of course. However, it's more than watchable AND, outputting 480i 24p from my HVX via component with the SD image on ZOOM 1 actually looks really REALLY good (especially when the image is lit by this tiny lil' 5600k Sunlight reproducing mirror. O_o;)

I love my CRT, it's a big ol' sumabitch. I want a Samsung LCD or a Sony LCD sometime this year.
 
Warning: Beware of the clouds (mura) and flashlighting issues on the Sony LCD's. I have always bought SONY and just experienced this first hand. Returned 2 46" LCD sets. As Cynic821, be sure to visit the AVSForum.
 
Mike McNeese said:
Just out of curiosity, where'd you see that Samsung manufactures for Sony?
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http://www.computerwire.com/industries/research/?pid=35E8D41B-6B42-40E3-8530-EB3AF199471D

Have at it. That's just one of many articles I found when I googled it. I learned it on AVSforum a while back, which is really the forum anyone/everyone should visit when trying to find out about home video.

Also, walk into any Best Buy and the TV fellas should all tell you that Samsung and Sony LCD's are the same. What really separates them is the extras, I think. That and the processors that are used. Though Samsung, IMO, is just as good and now offers more HDMI and Component connectors, along with internal options.

Not to mention nearly every Samsung screen I see is abotu 50 CMS brighter, higher response time, and higher contrast ratio. Cheaper price.

It's kinda like Apple Cinema HD's, Dell Widescreens, and Gateway HD's -- They all use the same LG screen, just different processors. And all three use top-of-the-line processors, so it's a matter of aesthetics to a degree.
 
Ok, question, explain the real world diff in HDMI vs Compoent connections, in terms of image quality/peformance. And what about HDMI to DVI adaptors? No problems, degridation, problems, no, what? I really do want to know real world use, rather than specs on paper. I learned a long time ago that specs on paper don't mean S@*#.

Sorry, I feel like such an idiot. I've been doing HD for so long, and have resisted giving up an entertainment system I have adored for years. I'm nervous about getting a new system and then after the fact wishing I was still SD...

Just all the horror stories I've read.

If you want to know about FCP, or the FS-100, I know everything! But HD TV screens in my den, sheesh, those "HD Standards" just makes it so easy!
NOT!
 
BenB said:
Ok, question, explain the real world diff in HDMI vs Compoent connections, in terms of image quality/peformance. And what about HDMI to DVI adaptors? No problems, degridation, problems, no, what? I really do want to know real world use, rather than specs on paper. I learned a long time ago that specs on paper don't mean S@*#.

Sorry, I feel like such an idiot. I've been doing HD for so long, and have resisted giving up an entertainment system I have adored for years. I'm nervous about getting a new system and then after the fact wishing I was still SD...

Just all the horror stories I've read.

If you want to know about FCP, or the FS-100, I know everything! But HD TV screens in my den, sheesh, those "HD Standards" just makes it so easy!
NOT!
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HDMI - Digital Video. Digital Audio. Your image is going to be crispy as a rabbit on a smoldering rock in hell.

DVI-I/D - Next best thing. No audio is carried over, still about the same visual quality of HDMI. No real world difference, IMO. Only in sound because you have to result to using Analog Hi-Def sound input.

Analog RGB - Still pretty good, the layman WILL notice the difference when you connect his Hi-Def source via HDMI for the first time. It does make a real world difference. In fact, most SD sets now come with Analog RGB inputs, and you can tell the difference immediately when you connect an SD-DVD device via Analog RGB, even if it's still 480i/p.

HDMI-->DVI-I/D - Can't tell you about image degradation. My thought/guess is that there will be some, but so minor that you can't tell anyway. No real world affector outside of having to us Analog signals to get your Audio. HOWEVER! when I tried this combination with an SD-DVD player (Sony), I saw absolutely no difference in image quality. Can't say the same for HD-DVD or BLU-RAY signals. Though I could readily try the HDMI out on my HD-DVR to DVI-In on my Samsung CRT. Hmm.

The cables make a difference, totally. I honestly am ready to do away with DVI and go to HDMI inputs. I wish I could find a set with 3 HDMI in, 1 DVI in, 2 Analog RGB, 1 VGA, 1 S-Video.

Is that asking too much? =DDD
 
I have a 42inch Hitachi Woo Plasma that does full 1080.

HD TV looks amazing
SD DVD looks great, mine included.

Im not sure why but some fox sd broadcasts fall apart while others are OK. pretty much the same with most of the others still doing SD. That said, all major networks here are HD.
 
Ok, here's a REALLY STUPID QUESTION!

I'm not touching home theater projection screens, never liked them, hate them.

Limited myself to 32" SD CRT for resolution and personal issues.

So, is there any size issue with image quality on LCD or Plasma HD screens? Like, if you get too big physically, does the image fall apart?

I know, stupid question, but, I had to ax. See, I have a wall that will accomidate a HUGE screen if I really wanted that...

Do I? I don't know. Unique once in a lifetime situation to score big, figured I'd get all the info I can and get what'll last the longest.

And I have to say, I didn't expect the feedback, on such a great level as I'm getting here. I should publish and "Users Experiences" monthly newsletter for HDTV buyers!

And my most humble and sincere thanks to everyone who has, and will, contribute. This is way better info than I got from CR! Nothing like Real-Life-First-Hand experience with a product! Like I said before, White Papers suck, because real life reports are what counts.
 
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What about using a high end HD-projector? How does that compare to a CRT, LCD, or Plasma? is that the same effect as a projection TV screen, or different? If it's not so good... why?
 
filmguy123 said:
What about using a high end HD-projector? How does that compare to a CRT, LCD, or Plasma? is that the same effect as a projection TV screen, or different? If it's not so good... why?
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Cause I have one I use for training, and as nice as it is with computers, it really is not all that for HD movie display. Not like what I see at my sister's house on her LCD HD screen. I thought I'd have it for such movie and TV type things, but, it just doesn't hole up to LCD and Plasma.
 
About the size of LCD or Plasma screens...

I'd say to get the biggest panel you can afford...or want. Again, though, it's different when you're dealing with projections cuz they're just taking a 9-13" screen and blowing it up to 5'. If you search around you should be able to find a calculator that will tell you the ideal screen size for your room and viewing distance.

About HD projectors...

The thing here is more about having an environment that is ideally set-up for a projector. If you have a basement with 9' ceilings, and you have good control of light and acoustics...go for it! But there's a lot more planning and expenses that go into a front projector than what most people want to deal with. As far as image quality comparisons, you'll get a better and more accurate image with a front projector compared to an LCD or DLP rear projection TV for sure. And when you say 'high end HD-projector' I take it that you're talking about a REAL home theater projections system...
 
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