New TV advice please

[victoriabears]

Need a new TV for my condo living room(Pic atached), on seeing the site, a guy I knows who installs HDTV's said get a CRT!!(Sony Wega to be precise).

I watch mainly dvd's of old material, non-widescreen.Not modern crash bang wallop movies.

BUT......if I did go widescreen,how does the issue of 4.3 shown on 16.9 go?,,does it look squashed.

May be I should just go to costco and pick one up and if not suitable return it?

The room size is 20ft by a little over 10.

Thanks guys

[CrayonEater]

Sounds like you really don't need any kind of hi-def; a CRT or LCD is probably enough for you. Just shop around and find one with a picture you like. I believe some LCDs have a limited lifespan (somebody may wish to add to this) but the most important thing is to find something you think looks ok.

The only feature you may wish to look for is something that supports 480p, as it it would enhance DVD display quality a bit. But don't go nuts.

[guns1inger]

If a widescreen TV and DVD player is configured correctly, then 4:3 material should not appear squashed. It should appear like a normal 4:3 image, but with black columns up either side (pillarboxed).

I still have a Loewe 4:3 TV as my main TV because I still haven't seen much in the way of LCD or Plasma that matches it for image quality. It has 16:9 switching, so I get a good full screen image for 4:3 material, and can take advantage of widescreen enhanced discs as well.

[slimpickins]

guns, isnt hi def better than a standard tvaslong as u dot go for the cheapest model

[samijubal]

HD is only better with an HD source, or progressive scan. With an SD source, it can actually look worse. The higher quality picture tube on an HD set shows the flaws in SD programming more than an SD set.

[slimpickins]

true, some dvd's are unwatchable on my 19inch lcd comp screen, unless im like 8 foot away, carnt imagine them on a 50", but then again ive heard wiuth upscaling dvd's can look amazing

[hardware_failure]

Dude - move your tv. Waaaay too much glass/windowage.

Maybe get an lcd and hang it above the fireplace/hutch? Seen that alot and most people seem very happy with it.

[budz]

Nice livingroom! Get a Panasonic or Samsung 26 or 32 inch LCD and a upconversion DVD player. For my bedroom I bought a 23 inch Samsung LCD 702p back in February for $849.99 which I only use to watch dvd movies. The cost of LCD television sets are dropping quickly. I'm sure you'll be able to find a good deal. If I had the bucks I'd buy the 40 inch SONY XBR LCD for my livingroom. That won't happen until my CRT 32 inch SONY XBR set dies. Samsung makes the LCD screens for Sony and many other manufacturers as well.

[NiteLite]

a guy I knows who installs HDTV's said get a CRT!!(Sony Wega to be precise).

Agree with CRT... but the last sony I saw had a 90 day labor warranty.
Just something to check out.

NL

[MJA]

check the Samsung slim fit model

[handyguy]

My concern is if you put a lcd on your mantle is that it would get a lot of glare.

[edDV]

At that distance, you won't get much HD benefit unless the screen size is increaed to 42-50" or so. See the calculator here.
http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html

I would agree a Sony Wega CRT would be best for viewing NTSC, DVD and the "older material". The larger CRT sets do get heavy.

Next best might be a DLP rear projection but all that glass is going to make daylight viewing difficult.

LCD and plasma would look fine for DVD and HDTV but will struggle with NTSC and the "old material". Both will have brightness problems during daylight.

[handyguy]

If you want a bigger tv, just sit closer to the one you have.

[SingSing]

If you want a bigger tv, just sit closer to the one you have.

You normally do that in a family room, but not in a living room. I would buy a table top back projection TV.