I said to my wife at Christmas that in the Spring, we would get an HDTV. I don't really yearn for one but I think she'd like it. Everybody else has one now. I think it was worth the wait, prices are lower now than they have ever been. Quite a bit lower than Christmas.
There seem to be two choices. Either get something at the very top of the line or a Walmart no name brand, that looks decent in the showroom.
The argument in favor of the top of the line is that it's not that much more expensive than mid range and that bottom line, I can afford it.
The argument in favor of Walmart is that it will probably be OK for a year or two and then I can buy something probably much better than is available now at any price, cheaper than almost anything now.
There is a third option. SONY CRT HDTVs still have the best HDTV picture available, especially in rooms with good natural light. People in Newport Beach, one town over from me, bought a lot of those a few years ago and I can find one used over there, probably for only a few hundred dollars. One of them will probably last for years. The problem with the SONY CRTs is that they weigh about two hundred pounds and have special purpose stands to hold them that weigh almost as much. A lot of work to haul it home and set it up. I can probably borrow a pickup or van and a furniture dolly from somebody but it will be just as much of a hassle when I get rid of it. Like having the Statue of Liberty in the living room.
Anybody got any suggestions? What TV do you like? What's no good?
5 comments:
I would do choice #1. Go to Best Buy, purchase a top brand LCD or LED and be done with it for the next five or ten years. I have a Samsung LCD, but LG, Sony and Sharp are also good choices. Don't do #3.
Linda is the tech guru around here. She says that plasma technology is currently the most advanced but that nobody is buying them because they are not energy efficient.
That's OK. Our house is a little cool, most of the time. A space heater in the living room wouldn't hurt for most of the year. The rest of the time, the windows will be open and we get a nice coastal breeze.
Plasma does have a slightly better picture and does use more energy. I have an older one in my LA condo. It is a bit noisy because of the fans but I think the newer ones don't have that problem. I prefer the LCDs because the screens usually have a matte finish which doesn't reflect light. If you have any windows in the room the plasma screen can be like a mirror which more than eliminates any picture quality advantage it has over an LCD.
All of the windows will be behind the screen, so no problem.
I have a nine year old 21" Toshiba that is still working. But then again I only use it for an hour or so each night. Bill O'Reilly you know.
I have about 400 channels available from Direct TV but I only use about 3 or 4 of them. Most of them are just noise. I listen to the crickets instead.
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