Need to up my tv/electronics literacy
Right now, we have a regular (i.e. not flat screen, no special features, on the med. small size) television, purchased probably 8 or so years ago. We have cable. We use a VCR and and DVD player I won in a raffle. Also get internet through cable, if that matters. Nether is new. No blu ray. No netflix. Basic cable expanded package. I would very much like to get a new flat screen television, --not huge as I don't really have a place for huge, maybe in the 40 in range. I am thinking LCD/LED combo, IF and only if I find a really good deal. We have no home theater and none is on the horizon, even distantly. What would I need to go with it if I upgraded, electronics-wise? I am considering a new dvd player but isn't a blu ray player the same thing, only it plays in blu ray but will play reg. DVDs? I MAY do Neflix at some point. Could, reluctantly upgrade my cable but if I do netflix, it may be redundant (????) Most of our tv watching these days is HGTV, Soccer and sports (that's hubby), old movies and re-runs with an occasional viewing of something new on tv during the increasingly rare periods of time there's anything worth watching. We do enjoy movies. Any thoughts? About electronics, I mean. Talk to me please. Thinking about it for Christmas if I can put together something affordable. |
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| Blu ray will play regular DVD but not HD DVDs. We gave up Netflix and don't bother with On Demand, we just don't watch movies except on Turner Classic...........gads are we getting old! Oh and a few other channels. Your viewing sounds like us, minimal with no desire to stay glued any longer. |
| We are in the dark ages too. Some day would like to get a flat screen and have been told LED is the best, also more expensive. Don't really know anything about Blu ray or any of those. We have Direct because it's that or 3 channels, no cable up here. We are really lucky to have dsl for the internet but that's only been for the last year. Had satellite internet and that was expensive and not much better than dial up. Don't care for satellite t.v. so much as goes out for any little reason but better than nothing. |
| Just a few quick tips: - If your room is subject to ANY type of light, get an LCD. Plasmas wash out in anything but total (or just about) darkness. - Make sure you get a 1080p set. All the TVs in the 40s SHOULD be 1080p, but just make sure. - Get the fastest refresh rate you can afford (that's the 60hz or 120hz or 240hz you see advertised). The higher the number, the better the picture will be when displaying fast movement. - If you can afford an LED LCD, get one. The picture will be brighter with better object & color definition. - I'd recommend a real brand name. Like a Sony Bravia or a Samsung Touch of Class. - Most new TVs are internet ready and they have some apps built into them (like Netflix). Make sure that the set you pick has them. That way you can, at the very least, stream movies via Netflix (it does require a wireless internet connection in your home). Once you get the set, you'll want to step up to the HD package from your cable company. You will NOT believe the difference between SD and HD. It will blow you away. When you get tired of watching DVDs in SD, step up to a Blu-Ray player to take full advantage of your new set. And don't write off a home theater set. Maybe you don't want it right away, but maybe in the future. It really does add a different dimension to your viewing experience. Hope this helps. |
| Thanks Mark. I too need techno updating. Let me just say we bought a home theater back when they first came out. Our room is somewhat open so it doesn't work as well as with a 4 wall room, but what it did do was allow my partially hearing impared DH to hear better. I like it for opera as I can finally understand the words when shown on TV format. Alas, it is about 20 years old now and does need to be replaced. Some parts don't work as well or at all, but even with just 3 speakers not 5, it is an amazing difference! Plus the price has come WAY down, so don't discout it, especially if your viewing room is "contained and not an open concept. |
| Good point about the home theater systems, Susan. My mother is now having problems with distinguishing voices from effects on TV. Because all programming is done with surround sound nowadays, a TV doesn't have a way to separate voices from effects. So it just muddles everything together and sends it to the 2 crappy speakers in the TV. It does make it hard to hear the speaking parts. They are overpowered by the effect noises. A home theater system will devide the signal up into several channels. Then you can fine tune the system to your preference; cutting the surround output and increasing the dialogue output from the center speaker. |
| Unfortunately, the room I am looking to put the new TV in is fairly open to the kitchen. Our kitchen opens into the family room via a 12 foot opening. The family room otherwise has windows all around it, and a high, almost cathedral ceiling (room is a 1977 addition to our house). The only other option for television is the living room which is very large, again, with two very wide doorways on one wall, and a lot of windows on two of the remaining wall, the third wall being a fireplace (and putting a tv above the fireplace is not an option I would consider) which is why I don't think a home theater set up would work well for us. But still, enhanced sound might be a nice idea, more for me than for anyone else. I find sounds muddled more and more---too many ear infections when I was a kid, I think. This is an aspect I hadn't considered. I really appreciate the suggestions for what to look for. I greatly feared going unarmed with a pretty sound idea of what I really want and what I don't really need. I know how easy it is to get caught up and add ons always add up. I am thinking max 40 inches because of the size of the room and space available, for one thing but also price. I wasn't even considering the LED part but there are some deals available for an LCD/LED tv. The energy savings plus no mercury is a huge bonus. Have to check all my piggy banks....... |
An option to consider if you can't/don't want to put in a home theater/lots of speakers but have trouble hearing is to use the closed caption option  Melissa is hearing impaired and we haven't watched tv without closed captions since the early 90's. If your screen is large enough it doesn't block anything. Some people have trouble reading that quickly and watching tv at the same time, but you get used to it. It also keeps the volume down for those that don't have any trouble hearing.  Also...thanks for the tv info. One of ours died recently and a new one may be in the future.  I find it quite confusing trying to figure out what I might need/want. |
| For recreation I like to design houses in my head. When faced with an open concept home and home theater systems, I put glass French doors in the archways so the room can be "sealed" for viewing. Another thing or two to consider is viewing distance and size. Somewhere I came across a simple formula for determining screen size based on viewing distance. With the difference in dimension ratios and digital, you may find the old idea of size doesn't work. I wish I could remember the formula, when I measured out chairs and TV distance it came out requiring a 50" screen. YIPES! Obviously we are still with the old TV. Anyway, for a 40" LCD it is suggested viewing distance be no more than 5-8', 46" up to 10 feet away. I mentioned dimension ratio, since the screen with "wider" with an LCD, the height is sacrificed. So if you want the same height in screen, you need to go larger......a 32" old style 4:3 ratio TV would now require to get the same height, a 40" LCD with 16:9 dimension. For me this is important as the tv is in front of a half wall and I don't want it above the wall........which means our viewing angle is screwy, looking down, not across. Good thing we don't watch more than an hour or two per day. |
| Just a couple of thoughts: First off, all LED sets are in actuality a LCD set. As far as the 'light' issue we have 2 Plasma sets and have no problems what so ever with the picture being washed out in a well lighted room. One of the more interesting things about plasma sets is the clear picture when viewed from a side angle to the set. Plasma sets do run "hotter" than LCD sets. One good thing about the LED technology is the TV itself can be much thinner than a LCD or Plasma if space is a concern. From the size of your room a 40 or 42 inch set would be fine. Remember all the suttle differences in quality and viewing are actually very slight to an average viewer. It would really be best to invest in a Home Theater System (HTS) otherwise it's like buying a new car without tires. You also should upgrade to an HD signal. When connecting the system use the HDMI type cable. It is the optimum connection for sound and picture. Like Mark said make sure to get a 1080 set. Some of the lower prices are for the "older" technology and are not as high a quality. One thing to think about is the brand you buy. It is a safer investment to go with a company like Panasonic or Sony since they have more "generations" of technology in these type sets. Some cheaper sets made a company with less R&D invested in the product may not be the best thing to do in the long run. We have a FIOS feed with a Sony HTS and I use a Play Station 3 with WIFI and Blu Ray capability so I can view everything I have on my PC through the TV also. This includes music, any movies I have and even all our digital photos. The cost for a Blu Ray PS3 and a decent (not top of the line) HTS should be about $500 to $600. If you like action movies the use of the Blu Ray and HTS makes you feel like you are right in the middle of what is happening. Good luck no matter which way you decide to go. |
| Question for Sheepieboss. Are you sure you didn't mean "LESS THAN 5 to 8 feet with the 40 inch set. Everything I have read about about viewing distance refers to "less than" not "no more than." |
| difference in phrasing. I think we agree on distance........40" one should sit approx 5-8' away but not more. Less than 5 would be fine too especially if you want to get the full detail in digital. Much closer though and you loose the benefits. DH thinks we need only a 40" but our chairs are almost 10 feet away. Granted he falls asleep almost instantly so what does he care! |
| Not really Sheepieboss, the 40 inch screen is best viewed from a distance of at least 5 to 8 feet or MORE as long as more isn't 35 feet or something like that. Our 42 inch is viewed from about at least 8 to 10 feet and its fine. Larger screens are best when viewed farther away rather than closer especially closer than 5 to 6 feet. |
| Good points about the sizing of the set. A 36" 4:3 (old style TV) is NOT the same as a 36" 16:9 (new style widescreen TV). There are websites out there (I believe CNET.com has one) that have size converters. You input the size of your 4:3 TV and it will give you the size of the new 16:9 widescreen TV. Or do what I did. If you're relatively happy with the height of your current 4:3 set, measure the height of the screen with a tape measure, then go to the store with the tape measure, and start measuring the height of screen of the 16:9 sets. You've found the equivilent size set when the screen height of the new set matches the screen height of the old set. And another thought about the home theater systems. Most people think there are a lot of speakers involved with an HTS. And many HTS systems DO have numerous speakers (front, middle, rear, center, and subwoofer). Those are referred to as 7.1 systems. Some of these don't have the middle speakers. Those are 5.1 systems. But they now make 3.1 systems. These include the left & right front speakers, the center speaker, and the subwoofer. These are great for oddly shaped rooms or open rooms. They aren't as good as the 5.1 and 7.1 systems but they are a HECK of a lot better than the crappy speakers that come in the TV set. If you go the 3.1 route, just make sure that the system lets you adjust the outputs of the center speaker and the left & right speakers independently. That way you can cut the effect sound while boosting the dialogue sound to suit your tastes. That should end that muddled sound that a lot of people are complaining about nowadays. And best of all, you really don't have to run wires all over the room and have speakers everywhere. You can put the L & R speakers close to the sides of the TV set, the center speaker can go on top of the set or under the set, and the subwoofer can go wherever is convenient. |
| Thank you, all. What a wonderful and concise education. I am doing some on line looking and know that eventually I will have to actually set foot in an actual store, but now I feel like I know a bit about what I am looking for. I had not previously considered a home theater, mostly because the room is so open that it seemed a waste but if the sound quality is that improved with a small set up, then this is something I will definitely consider. LOTS of things floating around in my head, but I feel much better informed and much better prepared. A million thanks. |
| Thanks Mark. Anything to get rid of the miles is wire! |
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