Help! Flat screen TV gift I didn't expect...

[yoopermom]

I love DH, but it's been a tough year, I'm on layoff/unemployment, and he almost got cut from his own job. For my birthday yesterday he got it into his head that he should buy me a 42" flat screen plasma TV.

I love him and won't hurt his feelings by screaming hysterically the way I'd like to, but I keep thinking of all the things we "need" (want?) now. So help me out DISfriends, how in the world am I going to do the following cheaply: DISH DVR upgrade to HD, new entertainment center, cables (maybe DVR will come with them?), sound system, dvd/blueray...???

I'm afraid to unbox it!!

TIA!
Terri

 

[notes4theheart]

DISH DVR upgrade to HD, new entertainment center, cables (maybe DVR will come with them?), sound system, dvd/blueray...???

I'm afraid to unbox it!!

TIA!
Terri

(I JUST bought a 50 inch plasma)

The upgrade shouldn't be all that expensive for the Dish but also not necisary...
Entertainment center: does the new TV not fit? Try Target or Bob's had a nice stand for $200
Cables: you can use the same antena/red white yellow (whichever you're using) as the old TV, you don't need anything fancy
Sound System: to be honest, the tv has amazing sound already (more than likely) this isn't needed
DVD/blueray-if you have an old one (or a cheap $20 from Shoprite) you can use that...you don't need a Blueray until you have the extra cash

The only NEEDED thing is the stand if the new tv doesn't fit. as I said, I just got the tv and upgraded NOTHING because at the moment money is tight (the tv was a present from DH's parents) and the sound/picture is still awesome enough not to mind!

 

[yoopermom]

Thanks, that makes me feel a little better. I wish it would fit in my existing entertainment center, it's a beautiful honey oak with leaded glass doors, but is 20 yrs old, so only has a 36" opening. Now I have to put IT in storage and not use it. I'm going to go out tomorrow and price out a "cheap" stand which I know will be $150-200. (DH thought we could just put it on a tv tray, yeah, right.)

Before the Olympics start I want to upgrade my DISH, though, so I can watch it in HD!

Terri

 

[AshleyW]

I love DH, but it's been a tough year, I'm on layoff/unemployment, and he almost got cut from his own job. For my birthday yesterday he got it into his head that he should buy me a 42" flat screen plasma TV.

I love him and won't hurt his feelings by screaming hysterically the way I'd like to, but I keep thinking of all the things we "need" (want?) now. So help me out DISfriends, how in the world am I going to do the following cheaply: DISH DVR upgrade to HD, new entertainment center, cables (maybe DVR will come with them?), sound system, dvd/blueray...???

I'm afraid to unbox it!!

TIA!
Terri

Well, to be honest, the way you worded your post makes it sound like you can't afford the TV itself. If that's the case - then DON'T unbox it and do something a little (or a lot) cheaper for your birthday.

If you keep the TV..

You don't need to upgrade your Dish package. Just because you have an HDTV doesn't mean you NEED HD channels on your cable.

DFi and I got a new TV stand for our 52" TV at Target for under $200. There were cheaper ones, but we had the cash to spend and didn't want to cheap out.

Sound system - you don't need it, as the PP said. Most TVs have good enough sound that it's really unnecessary unless you have a huge living room or are a fanatic about sound quality.

DVD players you can get for $30 or $40 at Best Buy, if you don't already have one. You could probably find one even cheaper at Target or Wal Mart. A BluRay player can wait until you can more easily afford it.

 

[yoopermom]

Ashley,
It's not that we can't afford it, it's just that we so rarely spend "that kind" of $$, that I wish I would have had a little input into it.

I think we do have an extra DVD player somewhere gathering dust, I just have to find it.

Off to look at stands tomorrow...

Terri

 

[Golf4food]

If you love the entertainment center so much take the TV back for a smaller one that will fit - that's what we had to do. Our EC can only hold up to a 37" TV so when we upgraded to an HDTV a few months ago we had to get a 37" instead of a larger (which I would have loved, but DW said no because of the EC).

DISH might upgrade you to an HD DVR for free and the HD service itself should only be an extra $10 per month (standard for most providers it seems).

Blu-ray is really the way to go if you have an HDTV. If you have an HDTV but don't upgrade to Bluray it is no different than not upgrading to HD signal for your sat/cable. Why have the better TV? Bluray is multiple times better than DVD (literally multiple times better, that isn't just a figure of speech). You can get a good Bluray player for $99. For full effect you'll want a surround sound system, though, and you can get a good home theater in a box (HTIB) that includes a bluray player and all the speakers for $400 or less.

HDMI cables should come with a DVR for the TV signal, but for Bluray you'll probably need to buy one and in that case ONLY order from www.monoprice.com where you can get them for $4-6 as opposed to the $100 Monster HDMI cables they'll try to sell you at big box stores - not worth it, huge ripoff.


ETA: re: not needing HD signals, bluray, or surround sound.

Do you need? No. However, most HDTVs have worse picture quality on non-HD signals than old CRT sets did, which completely negates any advantage to owning the HDTV - just keep your old TV if you don't plan on upgrading to HD signal.

As far as sound goes most new HDTVs are so thin that there is no room on them for decent speakers - where are you going to put decent speakers on a machine that is only 1 inch thick? You can't. Good sound requires more space for creation of that sound, ergo 1 inch will never (with current technology) give you "good" sound. Not saying they aren't things you can't live without, just pointing out some of the reasons to consider them when and if they are feasible.

 

[Sosai X]

Think of it like:

I WANT a new big screen tv and and all the accessories.

vs.

I NEED to eat and have a place to live.

 

[disneymom2one]

We bought a 42 inchHDTV last year. We did upgrade the satellite system but we didn't buy anything to go with it. The stand is an old one we had in a different room. No Blueray, no sound system. We've been fine.

 

[just4today]

I don't know the real situation, but I'm always a little bit when I hear about a guy buying a "gift" of a nice TV for a woman. Not that women don't like nice TVs. I just can't help thinking it's really a gift for them, disguised as a gift for the wife, kwim?

Anyway, I hope you get it worked out OP. You're right to think about all the "extras" that go along with the HD tv purchase.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Have you considered mounting the TV on a wall? Wall mounting brackets cost a lot less than stands.

 

[clutter]

Thanks, that makes me feel a little better. I wish it would fit in my existing entertainment center, it's a beautiful honey oak with leaded glass doors, but is 20 yrs old, so only has a 36" opening. Now I have to put IT in storage and not use it. I'm going to go out tomorrow and price out a "cheap" stand which I know will be $150-200. (DH thought we could just put it on a tv tray, yeah, right.)

Before the Olympics start I want to upgrade my DISH, though, so I can watch it in HD!

Terri

First off, see if you can convince your husband to be happy with a 37". It will fit in your entertainment center!

If you have a DVR, it may be HD, so you may not have to do anything. I just got a 37" for christmas (the largest I could fit on the built-in shelves in my family room). I have FIOS, and had one DVR, which happens to be HD. So if I feed my FIOS through that, I don't have to upgrade for the Olympics. The boradcast stations are all on HD on FIOS, so the upgrade is only if I want cable stations in HD. I can live with that for now.

ps I did have to buy a Blu-Ray (or a DVD player that upgrades, which would have been around $70) to play DVDs. I also bought two HDMI cables off of Amazon for $6 (for both!), including shipping.

 

[englishteacha]

Do you have an old table kicking around that will hold the new TV? Then you don't "need" a new stand.

 

[bicker]

Try Target or Bob's had a nice stand for $200

I just bought a television stand at Bob's for about $250. However, note that it is utter crap. That's okay. For $250, it isn't surprising that the stand is utter crap. It holds up the television, at the right height, and in the right location. It has enough room for all the components I need it to hold. And if we're very very very careful, the stand won't end up looking like the utter crap it is. But it is very clear (and was very clear from our research before the purchase) that just brushing up against the stand, or casually dragging the television across its surface, will quickly inflict serious scratches. I've read a lot of messages online from folks who clearly didn't do their research and were surprised that Bob's $250 furniture doesn't wear as well as similar furniture costing two or three times as much. Don't be surprised. Bob's is good for the price, and the price is low.

 

[pixiewings71]

Well, we bought our HD TV about 3 years ago, we just got our Blu Ray player this month, so you do not need to get a Blu Ray at all, movies will still look great on your TV. We bought our stand at Circuit City so make you check your local Best Buy as well as Target, Best Buy has them made for larger flat screen TVs, they are stronger and will hold the TV well. We now have ours mounted on our wall and we love that, we still have the TV stand, it holds our DVD players, our Wii, our surround sound reciever and our cable box.

 

[jaminmd]

Just wanted to chime in on the TV stands from Target. We bought the black Thomasville one & it is very nice & durable. We bought it on sale for $200. I was surprised at the quality but it really is nice. We have a 46" LCD, btw.

 

[trip]

I don't know the real situation, but I'm always a little bit when I hear about a guy buying a "gift" of a nice TV for a woman. Not that women don't like nice TVs. I just can't help thinking it's really a gift for them, disguised as a gift for the wife, kwim?

Anyway, I hope you get it worked out OP. You're right to think about all the "extras" that go along with the HD tv purchase.

Yea -- my first thought was Bowl Games.

 

[C.Ann]

Personally, given your current circumstances, I wouldn't keep it.. I would return it..

However, if you do keep it, I hope it turns out to be a nice tv that is actually worth the money that was spent on it.. I've heard that they normally don't last very long..

Good luck - and enjoy - if you decide to hang on to it!

 

[shortbun]

Craig's list or ebay for a new stand. Why not check out a thrift shop for a low table or buffet that could be converted? We use a metal shelving unit for one of our TV's and put all the gaming stuff/DVR on the shelves below it. It's in our very loftlike/contemporary TV room and is functional and inexpensive. $75

 

[yoopermom]

OP here! DH currently spending 2+ hrs putting together new "entertainment center" I bought for under $200 on sale today. I know it won't last "forever", but my taste will probably change before then, anyways.

Those of you worried about the $$, I wiggled out of him that he spent his Xmas $$ (from relatives, he's hard to buy for, so tends to get $$ rather than gifts). So we're not going to starve or have to use candlelight, I promise.

It's on my list to call DISH tomorrow, I know we don't have a HD DVR, because I remember hemming and hawing over that decision, but I'm not worried. We've been a good customer of theirs "forever", so if necessary I'll threaten to switch to a competitor, and I'm pretty sure we'll get upgraded.

And thanks for the cheap cables link. DS has a blue ray player in his room, so I understand the complications of that, as well.

I'll let you know when we actually get it set up! Thanks again!
Terri