These new tv's are confusing me

[cassie]

I've been looking into buying a new tv, and I'm so confused on what to get. Plasma, LCD . They are so pricey, and I don't watch much tv. With
the new HD coming thru, I understand having Directv I only need an HD monitor.

I wonder about the conventional tv's after the HD regulations come thru. Will we still be able to use the old sets? I really like the wide flat tv's, and I can't believe the problem I'm having deciding on what to buy. What have you all bought recently, and are you liking them?

 

[Shutterbug]

I've been looking into buying a new tv, and I'm so confused on what to get. Plasma, LCD . They are so pricey, and I don't watch much tv. With
the new HD coming thru, I understand having Directv I only need an HD monitor.

I wonder about the conventional tv's after the HD regulations come thru. Will we still be able to use the old sets? I really like the wide flat tv's, and I can't believe the problem I'm having deciding on what to buy. What have you all bought recently, and are you liking them?

After the new HD regulations come into effect you will need a converter to convert signal for the old television to watch it.

And see here for: LCD vs Plasma

 

[RAD]

I've been looking into buying a new tv, and I'm so confused on what to get. Plasma, LCD . They are so pricey, and I don't watch much tv. With
the new HD coming thru, I understand having Directv I only need an HD monitor.

I wonder about the conventional tv's after the HD regulations come thru. Will we still be able to use the old sets? I really like the wide flat tv's, and I can't believe the problem I'm having deciding on what to buy. What have you all bought recently, and are you liking them?

With any service you'll need a HD receiver to receive HD programming. So unless you currently have a HD receiver from DirecTV then you'll also need a new receiver. But DirecTV along with Dish are very close to announcing their plans for upgrading their HD service from MPEG2 to MPEG4 compression (fit more channels into the same space) and existing receivers won't be able to receive the new MPEG4 channels. You might want to check out the www.satelliteguys.us and www.dbstalk.com web sites, there's a number of threads that discuss what the plans/rumors are.

As for receiving HD on your current SD sets, most HD receivers will downconvert the signal to a standard SD picture. I have a HD receiver on an old set and it works find. The only problem is when they show 16:9 (wide screen) programs/movies I either miss the picture on the sides or I have to set the aspect ration to letterbox the picture (bars on the top/bottom of the screen).

For your question on plasms/LCD/DLP I recommend checking out www.avsforum.com, they have a FAQ trhat goes over the differences. As to what I have, I have a 50" Sony plasma for 18 months an love it. The important thing, with any new set, is to go through the adjustments and turn down the brightness/contrast/sharpness settings. Normally they ship with them turned way up which will cause just about any set to age quicker. There are DVD's you can buy to show you how to do it or have a professional come do it for you. Good luck.

 

[cassie]

Shutterbug, that is not good news as I have three tv's. Now I'm really bummed.

"There are DVD's you can buy to show you how to do it or have a professional come do it for you. Good luck." I'm gonna need it.

 

[RAD]

Shutterbug, that is not good news as I have three tv's. Now I'm really bummed.

"There are DVD's you can buy to show you how to do it or have a professional come do it for you. Good luck." I'm gonna need it.

You say you have DirecTV now, then you don't have to worry for a long time. Your local channels will still be available via SD (along with HD when available) and most cable channels are still in SD and your SD DirecTV boxes will still work. The issue is when the current analog over the air stations turn off those signals and go only digital. When that happens, and if you only have over the air for reception, then you'll need to make sure those sets have some type of external receiver, be it cable, DBS or an ATSC OTA receiver.

 

[bicker]

The government has been wimpy with regard to this issue. Analog broadcast television "costs" an incredible expanse of very valuable EM spectrum -- far far more than how much spectrum a similar amount of digital channels "cost", yet the government has dragged its feet in supporting the changes necessary to ensure a smooth transition to this superior and more efficient means of broadcasting -- failing to require the inclusion of digital tuners in all but the most expensive television sets. Now, is it any surprise that there is objection to taking the final step to return the broadcast television spectrum to the American public for more productive use?

I trust no recommendation because there is no way of knowing if government regulators will ever suddenly grow a backbone and try to make up for their past equivocation.

For me personally, I'm ever-optimistic that they'll get off their collective tuchuses soon and do the right thing, so I'm riding my current television sets into the ground, delaying any purchases until the picture of how the transition to digital will actually happen becomes clear. I've got five televisions, of which I only use three. The other two are manual rotary tuner televisions from the early 1980s , but I'll press them back into service, attached to a cable box putting out RF signal on Channel 3, if one of my 1990s televisions kicks off. (Heck, I might as well keep them as back-ups, since we're not allowed to throw them out. I can just imagine the executor of my estate, when I kick off, declaring bankruptcy on my behalf after I die, since my estate will be unable to afford to dispose of my old televisions. )