_R2D2 Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 In a week/few days (with some luck, before christmas), we are going to buy a new flat TV for our living room. The old one is an old CRT display, 28" and is getting old. We do have a 42" plasma downstairs but since it isn't HD-ready, then this TV we will buy must be. Support for 720p is a minimum but 1080i or 1080p would be really nice (if I'm getting a PS3 or XBOX 360 sometime). It seems that HD-ready means 720p and 1080i, what is the difference between 1080i and 1080p? Do I need 1080p? Anyway, there are quite a few windows in the room, does that mean that a LCD is better? From what I've heard they don't reflect lights or windows. Our budget is between 10000 and 17000 SEK which is about $1500-$2500 but since prices vary a little between the US and here $2500 may be a bit too much. The closer to $1500, the better. The brand needs to be well known since the stores here don't have all of the smaller brands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I am Reid Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Well if its only going to be 42" then i dont think you will need 1080p, that is unless you are picky and want to brag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt-DavidW Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 1080i is interlaced as opposed to 1080p which is progressive. What this means is that 1080p displays each frame in full and then switches directly to display the next full frame. 1080i cheats this by displaying half of the information on each scan, by missing out every other line, and then moving onto the next frame, by filling the other lines. Interlacing is used in SDTV too, and can be seen in fast moving scenes, such as in this example. I don't know how widespread HD is in the US, but I know that here in the UK we won't be expecting stations to broadcast 1080p for a VERY long time, by which time you may be thinking about replacing your new set. With all the recent advancements in LCD, I wouldn't even consider plasma. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted December 13, 2006 Veteran Share Posted December 13, 2006 Do you really need 1080p? Not really, especially at the size range. It'd be nice to have, it may show 1080i broadcasts a little bit better, but the premium price you'd pay for something that may not be noticeable is not worth it. The difference between 1080i and 1080p is the fact that with 1080p, all 1m080 lines of content are updated and shown at the same time where as a 1080i picture does half at a time losing some sharpness. Any decent 1080p set will take a 1080i signal, deinterlace it, and make it near true 1080p anyway. Since you say you'll want to play games on it and since you have a lot of windows, I would recommend an LCD. Now for sets you may want to look at (in no particular quality order). You have to excuse me if some of them aren't as close to $1500 US as you want. I'm doing this trying to browse sites completely in Swedish (a language I don't know) and trying to go by sets that seem similar to US models that I know the price of. 1. Samsung LE-40N71BX - 40" LCD 2. Samsung LE-40R77BD - 40" LCD 3. JVC LT-40X787 - 40" LCD (never seen this set in person, though the 32" brother I have seen is gorgeous, despite the low contrast ratio number) I would have recommended some Sony TV's, but their European prices are absurdly high compared to the US counterparts. One thing I would recommend to do is go to your local shop and look at the sets yourself. While I can give you ideas of what may or may not be good, home theater to too subjective to buy without verifying that we share the same opinion. If you have any other questions, just post back and let us know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wicker_man Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 I would recommend a Toshiba Regza WLT68 LCD. This is the first LCD that, in my opinion, challenges the quality and colour of plasma. It's an extremely good set for the money: 3 HDMI ports, 720p and 1080i, Onkyo sound system, dedicated subwoofer output, M100 processor handling realtime brightness control (think: enhanced black colour) and one hell of a colour control options - you can, apart from regular tint settings, adjust the amount of CMYK colours separately. That means, when you calibrate it (which is what a conscious buyer should do anyways), you have enormous control over its colour gamut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted December 13, 2006 Veteran Share Posted December 13, 2006 I would recommend a Toshiba Regza WLT68 LCD. This is the first LCD that, in my opinion, challenges the quality and colour of plasma. ... 3 HDMI ports, 720p and 1080i, Onkyo sound system, dedicated... It can only do 720p. It may accept 1080i incoming, but it's scaling that to 720p. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_R2D2 Posted December 13, 2006 Author Share Posted December 13, 2006 Thank you! I like detailed answers. Well, it'll be a 720p one then. We are going to the local store here tomorrow. We will have a look but now I know what to look for. We can get a really good deal on the Philips 37PF5521D LCD. 37 inches is enough. Is that TV good enough? It's handy with built in DVB-T reciever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted December 13, 2006 Veteran Share Posted December 13, 2006 Thank you! I like detailed answers. Well, it'll be a 720p one then. We are going to the local store here tomorrow. We will have a look but now I know what to look for. We can get a really good deal on the Philips 37PF5521D LCD. 37 inches is enough. Is that TV good enough? It's handy with built in DVB-T reciever. It's a decent panel. I've never been a fan of LG.Philips panels and, from what I've seen, the Philips branded sets tend to be a little too "warm" (too much red). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_R2D2 Posted December 14, 2006 Author Share Posted December 14, 2006 We're going there in a few hours (as soon as my dad comes home). Are there any better alternatives in that range? Of course we will look but we can't judge what we don't see (durability, support etc). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted December 15, 2006 Veteran Share Posted December 15, 2006 We're going there in a few hours (as soon as my dad comes home). Are there any better alternatives in that range? Of course we will look but we can't judge what we don't see (durability, support etc). It's hard for me to think of any off the top of my head without hearing the different models and such. Unfortunately, some companies make one model well and the next barely turns on without taking out a small population. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_R2D2 Posted December 15, 2006 Author Share Posted December 15, 2006 It's hard for me to think of any off the top of my head without hearing the different models and such. Unfortunately, some companies make one model well and the next barely turns on without taking out a small population. We have bought that Philips now. Thursday next week some guy from the store comes here to hang it on the wall (our car is not big enough). Unfortunately, the CA modules were out of stock (they had used Samsung ones but they broke due to too much heat so they had to replace old ones) but we will get one as soon as they are avalible. Thanks for the help, I'm sure it will be just fine. They had a HD set there with a HD-channel and I was stunned. So much better than "regular" TV. In a few months we get access to them here at home, can't wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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