Looking to buy an affordable TV with Digital Tuner.

[John Shumate]

Hello.

I'm looking to buy an affordable TV with a Digital Tuner. This TV is for general purpose to watch TV, play video games etc, and before anybody asks, I'm not sold on HDTV yet, there's not enough to convince me to pull out between $600-$1000. Maybe 5-10 years down the line, but not right now.

Anyway, I saw a couple at Walmart, but I'm not sure which to pick from below:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5633691 - RCA 20" Flat-Tube TV w/ DVD Player & Digital Tuner - $188.00
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5633690 - RCA 24" Tube TV w/ Digital Tuner - Has Component Out - $175.00

I don't really need any combo's but those seem to be the only 2 that are seemingly actually worth buying. So, here's my question: What would you choose to buy? and if not either of the two above, then show me what you would buy.

Also, is there such a thing as a Review site that reviews/rates all types of TVs, whether tube or LCD, SD or HD?

Any help with this is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[Krispy Kritter]

What is your source (Cable, SAT, antenna)?

If you are using SAT for example, then a tuner in the TV isn't necessary, all tuning is done by the SAT receiver (unless you have to use antenna for local channels, but most SAT providers carry local channels now).

If you are using Cable, then a tuner in the TV will only get you the generic channels (analog or digital). To get the expanded channels or pay channels (HBO, Showtime, Pay-Per-View), you will need a TV that supports cable cards or use the provided cable box.

[John Shumate]

Actually, I completely forgot about that. lol. I currently don't have Satellite in the room that the TV will be in, but I thought just in case I didn't get it in that room by 2009, (actually will probably get it install before christmas) that I'd at least have over the air digital channels.

I think the biggest deal was the simple fact that I wanted component video in since I recently bought an XBOX360.

Sorry for not being too clear before on that. Any suggestions or ideas?

[neomaine]

My god! If you've got a 360 do yourself a huge favor and pick up a HD tv. You only need something in the 720p range to really appreciate the difference. If you'll be happy with a 20" or 24" tube, you'll be extatic with a 30"-32" HD tv. I'm sure they'll be options under $500 that will last you years. Maybe something like:

- Here's a Samsung 1080i tube TV. Not only do you get HD but should get an excellent SD as well:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8293517&st=HDTV&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&i...=1172880154412

- And another tube and LCD here:
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Televisions/sem/rpsm/c/1/cm_re/main+marquee-_-televisions-_-link2/catOid/-12867/Ns/net_price|0||accm_grs_mgn_dllr|1/link/ref/N/20012866+20012867+4588+312867002+155/link/ref/rpem/ccd/categorylist.do

[John Shumate]

Hmm...well..I dunno honestly. 30-32" sounds great, but I really don't care for it, and like I said above, I'm not sold on HDTV yet. Maybe in 5-10 years, but not today.


I do appreciate your help though.

[Epicurus8a]

DON'T shop at Wal-Mart unless you simply don't give a crap about the future of humanity.

Read these Pulitzer prize winning articles to learn why Wal-Mart evil in it's purest form.
http://www.pulitzer.org/year/2004/national-reporting/works/

[John Shumate]

DON'T shop at Wal-Mart unless you simply don't give a crap about the future of humanity.

Read these Pulitzer prize winning articles to learn why Wal-Mart evil in it's purest form.
http://www.pulitzer.org/year/2004/national-reporting/works/

Ok..and what does this have to do with the question I asked? 1st off, I said I saw some stuff at Wal-Mart. It doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to go to walmart to buy a TV. 1st off..I don't buy their own branded stuff...and 2ndly..Wal-Mart hasn't don't anything wrong to me..and as far as I can see..if it harms people so much, why do people shop there? Don't tell me because they have no choice, because EVERYBODY has a choice.

Anyway...does anybody else have any more ideas and/or suggestions in regards to buying a Tube or LCD TV?

As said before, I greatly appreciate any help that you guys can give me, and thanks for the info neomaine..I'm thinking about buying one of the sets you showed me in your post earlier.

[Epicurus8a]

why do people shop there?

People shop at Walmart because they are ill informed OR because they are merely ignorant twits.

That being said....

In the USA analog broadcasting will cease to exist in February of 2009 (15 months or so). So, the logical choice is to buy a TV that is HD capable.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11232648&whse=BC&Ne=5000002+40 00000&eCat=BC|79|2341&N=4001382%204294908729&Mo=7& No=1&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1 &lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11236930&whse=BC&Ne=5000002+40 00000&eCat=BC|79|2341|3316&N=4001382%204294908733& Mo=15&pos=1&No=13&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1 ||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&ec=BC-EC10605-Cat2341&topnav=

BTW, here's the skinny on Costco.
http://www.dollarsandsense.org/archives/2006/0106cervantes.html
FYI: The CEO of Costco, Jim Senegal, isn't a greedy bastard like members of the Walton family.

As the Business Week commentary noted, "the low-wage approach (of Walmart) cuts into consumer spending and, potentially, economic growth."

IMO, anyone who shops at Walmart should immediately consider committing suicide.

[edDV]

Anyway...does anybody else have any more ideas and/or suggestions in regards to buying a Tube or LCD TV?

As said before, I greatly appreciate any help that you guys can give me, and thanks for the info neomaine..I'm thinking about buying one of the sets you showed me in your post earlier.

The two TV sets in your links are CRT tubes. They both have ATSC/QAM digital tuners and an analog NTSC tuner. The main difference is the black one has an integrated DVD player. For a bedroom, I'd search for one with an integrated DVD recorder to get away from the multibox issues but you already have that with the Xbox360.

Now for LCD vs CRT tube consider this. Most local TV now and post Feb 2009 will be 480i or 1080i except for ABC and Fox which are 720p. These standard def digital TV sets tune all 18 digital ATSC broadcast standards and cable QAM (unscrambled channels) then convert them to a 640x480 frame buffer as 480i or 480p. 640x480 is the cheapest size for frame memory.

A CRT has a quality advantage as it can natively display 480i or 480p. An LCD requies all 1080i and 480i to be deinterlaced* which adds blur to motion. CRT also has advantages for black level and grey scale. It can also be scaled to larger screen sizes (up to ~32") more cheaply. LCD has advantage for less screen depth, less weight, less power and longer life.

Pay attention to audio. Small 5Watt speakers may not be enough. Also consider connectors. I suggest you demo these sets before you buy.


* more expensive LCD/plasma sets will have inverse telecine "cinema" processing and better deinterlace processing but not these cheap sets. Much of the added cost for these features results from royalties and added memory.

BTW, if it wasn't for chains like WalMart, you would be paying double to tripple for these sets regardless where you buy it.

[John Shumate]

1st off...Epicurus8a, I know about in feb 2009 they will be changing local channels to digital. I'm not worried about that because I should have satellite in the room the TV is going to be in by then.

The two TV sets in your links are CRT tubes. They both have ATSC/QAM digital tuners and an analog NTSC tuner. The main difference is the black one has an integrated DVD player. For a bedroom, I'd search for one with an integrated DVD recorder to get away from the multibox issues but you already have that with the Xbox360.

Now for LCD vs CRT tube consider this. Most local TV now and post Feb 2009 will be 480i or 1080i except for ABC and Fox which are 720p. These standard def digital TV sets tune all 18 digital ATSC broadcast standards and cable QAM (unscrambled channels) then convert them to a 640x480 frame buffer as 480i or 480p. 640x480 is the cheapest size for frame memory.

A CRT has a quality advantage as it can natively display 480i or 480p. An LCD requies all 1080i and 480i to be deinterlaced* which adds blur to motion. CRT also has advantages for black level and grey scale. It can also be scaled to larger screen sizes (up to ~32") more cheaply. LCD has advantage for less screen depth, less weight, less power and longer life.

Pay attention to audio. Small 5Watt speakers may not be enough. Also consider connectors. I suggest you demo these sets before you buy.


* more expensive LCD/plasma sets will have inverse telecine "cinema" processing and better deinterlace processing but not these cheap sets. Much of the added cost for these features results from royalties and added memory.

BTW, if it wasn't for chains like WalMart, you would be paying double to tripple for these sets regardless where you buy it.

Thank you very much edDV for your unbaised opinion. You've really helped me out with this.

[edDV]

SD satellite receivers will continue to be MPeg2 480i native and will output analog S-Video or analog component at 480i. Look for a DTV set with 2-3 analog component inputs for sat tuner, DVD player and XBox360. Otherwise use S-Video.

[Leoslocks]

I read the reviews for the 24" RCA TV and 3 out of 5 were very bad. There are not a lot of Tube TVs out there to choose from.

I have a Samsung TXT3093WH and the difference between Analog (regular cable TV) and digital is stunning.
480i digital programing looks a little better than regular analog. The same channel and content is available in both formats so comparing them has become fascinating.
720P is absolutely stunning when comparing the same source as analog.
1080i does not look any better than 720P when comparing them in 16 to 9 aspect ratio.

Before I was able to receive the unscrambled digital content over cable, I was only able see HD content in store displays. Much like broadband for the internet, HD content becomes addictive once one is exposed to it. Use your XBox on HD before you decide.

[usually_quiet]

I foud this one for my parents: Toshiba 20" Diagonal FST Pure Flat Tube Design TV/DVD Combo - MD20H63. Price would be around $240. but it is a nice set. The only feature they would have liked it to have that is not there is the one to level out the sound of commercials, and to keep the sound level constant when changing channels.

I was thinking of getting one for myself too, but Circuit City, where they purchased theirs doesn't have it on their website anymore. I found it at Target's website yesterday, in stock, but now it is sold out. Nice set if you can find it, and the company has a better reputation than RCA.

[edDV]

As we move into next year, newer generations of digital TV chipsets will be shipped by all major vendors. Try to get the newest version for best digital performance.

Here is an example from LG-Zenith.
http://news.thomasnet.com/companystory/516849