Archived Calgarypuck HDTV, LCD, TV, etc. Help/Advice Thread - Page 15 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Table 5 · 11-13-2007, 09:50 AM

Thanks for the help guys. I was scouring that AV forum till about 2am last night, ha.

The thing is i AM watching from 5 feet (again, my place is tiny). So I guess i will have to go down to the store, and check out these models side by side at that distance. I'm pretty sure i have it picked down to these 3 models.

Panasonic 32LX700
Sony KDL-32XBR4
Samsung LN-T3253H

Seems like the Sony has the best SD feed, although people kept bringing up the Panasonic....something I wasn't even thinking about before. It is about $200 bucks cheaper than the Sony, and seems to have more or less the same specs.

Bobblehead · 11-13-2007, 11:15 AM

AVS forum can be crazy. Information overload.

And remember, a lot of those people are SUPER picky, so what bothers them may not be an issue with 99.9% of the rest of the population. But the plus side of that is if there does turn out to be a popular model then you know it is probably pretty good.

TurnedTheCorner · 11-13-2007, 11:09 PM

Just a brief update on the 9242 PVR from Bell. It arrived last Friday, and set-up and activation went smoothly (though Bell had to correct programming on my other SD 4100 receiver for some inexplicable reason).

The unit has a dedicated HD list in the Channel Guide that auto updates, so that's handy. And the HD channels and recordings are marked with an HD graphic. Of course, the biggest reason I upgraded (other than for future MPEG4 support) was for the extra HDD space (30 hrs HD vs 25 on the 9200). It also seems to run much quieter than my 9200 did.

So all in all, not a lot different. I wouldn't have bought the unit, but since I'm on a rental arrangement the upgrade seemed like a no-brainer.

simmer2 · 11-15-2007, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

AVS forum can be crazy. Information overload.

And remember, a lot of those people are SUPER picky, so what bothers them may not be an issue with 99.9% of the rest of the population. But the plus side of that is if there does turn out to be a popular model then you know it is probably pretty good.

Agreed. I went through the AVS Forum when I was trying to figure out which TV to buy and man, the stuff I learned (and didn't absorb) from that site was pretty crazy. They have a ton of knowledge but you're right, it does get a little excessive for the average customer.

Bobblehead · 11-16-2007, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simmer2

Agreed. I went through the AVS Forum when I was trying to figure out which TV to buy and man, the stuff I learned (and didn't absorb) from that site was pretty crazy. They have a ton of knowledge but you're right, it does get a little excessive for the average customer.

Exactly. I don't want to discourage people from looking there - it is probably the most complete resource out there.

But if you see a bunch of complaints about a TV model that you like, take them with a grain of salt. Go look at the TV yourself and find out if you can see the issue people mentioned. If you are looking for it and don't see it, then that set should make you happy.

Vulcan · 11-16-2007, 11:07 AM

One thing to take in consideration when viewing a TV at some big dealer is that the TV is usually setup, out of the box, at a very vivid setting that would in time, burn your eyes out and maybe the TV too. When you can see Dutch's bright red lipstick on SportsCentre, you'll know what I mean. See if you can get a hold of the remote and tone down the picture although with the bright store lighting it's hard to get a good read on the TV.

Table 5 · 11-19-2007, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

Exactly. I don't want to discourage people from looking there - it is probably the most complete resource out there.

But if you see a bunch of complaints about a TV model that you like, take them with a grain of salt. Go look at the TV yourself and find out if you can see the issue people mentioned. If you are looking for it and don't see it, then that set should make you happy.

I do agree with this. There is a lot of talk on that forum about details that seem to ignite a lot of passion among the members, but Im not sure how relevant they are. According to the site, most of the sony's and samsungs get a lot of the buzz, however when i went down to the store, It was the toshiba's that really caught my eye. Now I am definitely leaning towards one of those myself...the one i seemed to have settled on is this http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...GZA_1080p.html

now i just need to scope out a good price...hopefully black friday leads to good things.

simmer2 · 11-20-2007, 12:05 PM

Do you want to know the cheapest place to buy a TV? Ebay. Seriously. I was a little skeptical when my friend suggested it but I just bought a Panasonic TH-42PZ77 1080p 42" plasma and set it up last night. It took 5 days to get it delivered, and including a 3 year warranty and shipping insurance, it still worked out to be $400 cheaper than for just the TV alone in Calgary.

I would definitely recommend going this route; you take advantage of the CAD dollar and the lower MSRP. The company I bought my TV from was Deal South Online. Feel free to fire me any questions if you want. I was skeptical at first, but I came out very satisfied.

return to the red · 11-21-2007, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simmer2

Do you want to know the cheapest place to buy a TV? Ebay. Seriously. I was a little skeptical when my friend suggested it but I just bought a Panasonic TH-42PZ77 1080p 42" plasma and set it up last night. It took 5 days to get it delivered, and including a 3 year warranty and shipping insurance, it still worked out to be $400 cheaper than for just the TV alone in Calgary.

I would definitely recommend going this route; you take advantage of the CAD dollar and the lower MSRP. The company I bought my TV from was Deal South Online. Feel free to fire me any questions if you want. I was skeptical at first, but I came out very satisfied.

hmm how much did you pay if you don't mind me asking. I'm looking at that very TV and BB and Future Shop have it on for $1900?

Also for anyone else here I am the biggest rookie when it comes to TV's so I'll explain my circumstances and perhaps people can suggest some TV's for me

TV will be downstairs next to the fireplace, lighting would be good as we have potlights everywhere but can turn banks of the off easily. 2 small windows at the far end of the room and not much light coming from them as they are between the house. TV will be mounted on the wall and yes I will have a HD receiver. willing to spend in about the 2000 range and 42" is about as large as we can go because of wall space

help!!

P.S. Football and hockey in HD are a must

simmer2 · 11-22-2007, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by return to the red

hmm how much did you pay if you don't mind me asking. I'm looking at that very TV and BB and Future Shop have it on for $1900?

Also for anyone else here I am the biggest rookie when it comes to TV's so I'll explain my circumstances and perhaps people can suggest some TV's for me

TV will be downstairs next to the fireplace, lighting would be good as we have potlights everywhere but can turn banks of the off easily. 2 small windows at the far end of the room and not much light coming from them as they are between the house. TV will be mounted on the wall and yes I will have a HD receiver. willing to spend in about the 2000 range and 42" is about as large as we can go because of wall space

help!!

P.S. Football and hockey in HD are a must

Including a 3yr warranty, I got the entire thing delivered for $1600. Here you'd be looking at $1900 + Warranty if you opted for it.

I did a ton of research when trying to decide which TV to get and I finally decided on the Panasonic TH-42PZ77U. It was rated the highest TV in its class by Consumer Reports and has an unbelievable picture.

photon · 11-22-2007, 11:31 AM

What about warranty? I wasn't able to find a copy of their warranty text online, is it for sure transferable between the US and Canada?

simmer2 · 11-22-2007, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by photon

What about warranty? I wasn't able to find a copy of their warranty text online, is it for sure transferable between the US and Canada?

Their warranty does cover Canada. They contract out a company called Repair Tech I believe (I'll have to double check it when I get home). They have locations in Alberta and will be at your place within 3 days to look at the television. It was something I was pretty concerned about obviously, but it looks like it should work out well.

return to the red · 11-22-2007, 01:44 PM

well went and bought this one today

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...10086387&catid=

Instore special for $1300. When it came down to it anything is better than the 27" tube I have now

photon · 11-22-2007, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simmer2

Their warranty does cover Canada. They contract out a company called Repair Tech I believe (I'll have to double check it when I get home). They have locations in Alberta and will be at your place within 3 days to look at the television. It was something I was pretty concerned about obviously, but it looks like it should work out well.

Sweet! Congratz on the great deal

simmer2 · 11-22-2007, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by photon

Sweet! Congratz on the great deal

Thanks, I'm pretty excited. The Flames will look a little better now than on my parent's 20 year old television!

Table 5 · 11-26-2007, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simmer2

Thanks, I'm pretty excited. The Flames will look a little better now than on my parent's 20 year old television!

well, only if you're watching it in HD. Watching SD hockey on a big-ass LCD/Plasma is not all that great.

simmer2 · 11-26-2007, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Table 5

well, only if you're watching it in HD. Watching SD hockey on a big-ass LCD/Plasma is not all that great.

Actually, that was one of the reasons why I bought this TV, because I only have SD right now and this TV shows SD quite well. Very few Flames games are on HD so I wanted to make sure I found a TV that did a good job with both SD and HD. Plus, the 42" isn't gigantic; either way I'm quite impressed with the quality.

Vulcan · 11-26-2007, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simmer2

Actually, that was one of the reasons why I bought this TV, because I only have SD right now and this TV shows SD quite well. Very few Flames games are on HD so I wanted to make sure I found a TV that did a good job with both SD and HD. Plus, the 42" isn't gigantic; either way I'm quite impressed with the quality.

That's a good idea, getting an HDTV that does a good job on SD as well but saying that very few Flames games are in HD isn't quite true. I've watched around nine games in HD so far this season. I'd get a HD receiver as soon as possible. Hockey was made to be watched in HD.

simmer2 · 11-26-2007, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vulcan

That's a good idea, getting an HDTV that does a good job on SD as well but saying that very few Flames games are in HD isn't quite true. I've watched around nine games in HD so far this season. I'd get a HD receiver as soon as possible. Hockey was made to be watched in HD.

Huh, I wasn't aware of that. Good to know, I may get one sooner rather than later then. Thanks Vulcan.

TurnedTheCorner · 11-27-2007, 12:35 PM

This is the first season that HD support for Flames games has truly taken off, largely due to Sportsnet finally broadcasting some games in HD. Before this season, you would have been 100% correct in your assesment simmer2.

Either way, enjoy the new set!