Purchasing TV

[SilverBlade]

I'm looking at purchasing a TV within the next few months. I'm definatly going to be buying a non-CRT TV..whether it be Plasma, LCD or DLP.

And I'm definatly going to purchase it with an HDMI input on it...but..I see TV's which have HDMI on it which are 'EDTV" and 'HDTV'..

What is EDTV?...how does it compare to HDTV?

[Mr. Dweezel]

Does this have the info you're looking for?

http://www.projectorcentral.com/video_signals.htm

[Epicurus8a]

You'll find some helpful information here as well.
http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/learningcenter/home/tv_hdtv.html

[zzyzzx]

More relevant info, if you want the digital tuner built into the TV(preforable) and live in the US:

July 1, 2006 - 100% of 25-35" TVs must include ATSC DTV tuner (right now only 50% required)
July 1, 2007 - 100% of 13-24" TVs must include ATSC DTV tuner
July 1, 2007 - 100% of all interface devices must have ATSC DTV tuner (VCR, DVD player/recorder, DVR)

[yoda313]

I'm definatly going to be buying a non-CRT TV

You know they do make "thin-tube" crt hdtv's nowaday's. They are about half as deep as traditional crt tv's. If depth is your main consideration than you can look into thin-tubes. Also some say crt hdtv's still look better than the other technologies. So you may still want to look into it before you completely disregard it.

EDIT -

Here's a link to an article from last year from cnet:

http://www.cnet.com/4520-10602_1-5618482-1.html

LG DU-30F10 30-inch direct-view HDTV

The product: While they offer great pictures, traditional tubes are space hogs--and heavy, too. LG's answer is the DU-30F10, a 30-inch, direct-view, slim-CRT HDTV, which cuts down the depth by about 30 percent (from the standard 20 inches or so to less than 14 inches). The TV has a built-in HDTV tuner for receiving over-the-air HD signals. Its features include:
1,920x1,080i display format
HDMI and DVI connectivity
Built-in NTSC/ATSC tuner
The price: When it is released in the third quarter, the LG DU-30F10 will have a list price of $1,299.

The prospects: Good move by LG--a lot of people have been hoping and waiting for slimmer CRT sets, rather than spending a bundle on a plasma or LCD TV. Prices are dropping fast, so to remain competitive this slim CRT should be less than $1,000. We expect it to be there by the holidays.

By David Carnoy, executive editor, CNET Reviews

[Leoslocks]

Samsung SlimFit 30" Widescreen Flat-Tube HDTV with HDMI Input
Model: TX-R3080WH
Product Height 23-1/8"
Product Width 31-3/8"
Product Weight 119.1 lbs.
Product Depth 16-3/8"

Samsung SlimFit 27" Flat-Tube HDTV
Model: TX-S2782HX
Product Height 30-1/2"
Product Width 23-3/8"
Product Weight 90.4 lbs.
Product Depth 16-1/2"

What is drawing me to replace our dying 27" twenty + year old Hitachi are some of the features. This one in particular; "Auto volume leveler prevents volume fluctuations and is ideal for night viewing".

I have looked at the Plasma, LCD and DLP and find issues with all of them. I expect this TV to satisfy me until the technology and manufacturing are mature. Perhaps then I could afford a large screen.

[edDV]

...

What is drawing me to replace our dying 27" twenty + year old Hitachi are some of the features. This one in particular; "Auto volume leveler prevents volume fluctuations and is ideal for night viewing".

...

I like the idea of that feature but after buying or evaluating 2 SONY, 2 Philips and 1 Toshiba that promoted that feature, I don't hear much difference when that feature is turned on or off. Somebody needs to build an ad muting technology that really works.

The TV station will tell you the "volume level" is not changed for ads, but the reason it sounds louder is due to compression and equalization. A good circuit would detect compressed audio relative to the surrounding program and lower volume by a user defined %. The ad agencies would quickly respond with compression technology to defeat those circuits.

[Conquest10]

The TV station will tell you the "volume level" is not changed for ads, but the reason it sounds louder is due to compression and equalization. A good circuit would detect compressed audio relative to the surrounding program and lower volume by a user defined %. The ad agencies would quickly respond with compression technology to defeat those circuits.

Oh, don't get me started on those. Especially local ads. Those things are like 5x louder. Just makes you want to find out who mixed that and beat them senseless.

[blinky88]

New SED TV technology will make Plasma and LCD a forgotten technology.

HD SED TVs are due to be released in the 3rd quarter 2007.

My advise, save your money and wait.

[Leoslocks]

My advise, save your money and wait.

If your computer was dying, that advise would be like my wife telling you "save your money and wait" to build a new computer because the next great innovation is only a year + away frome being cutting edge (and expensive).

[edDV]

Remember when 286 computers cost $4000 and 386's were about to come out? That is about where we are with HDTV sets.

[Seeker47]

I like the idea of that feature but after buying or evaluating 2 SONY, 2 Philips and 1 Toshiba that promoted that feature, I don't hear much difference when that feature is turned on or off. Somebody needs to build an ad muting technology that really works.

The "Volume Equalization" feature of my Sima switcher basically works, but there was something about it (a "dead" quality to the sound ? -- I don't remember) that prompted me to turn it off. I'll have to audition it again to see just what that was.

[Seeker47]

New SED TV technology will make Plasma and LCD a forgotten technology.

Awhile back in another thread, a prominent member here stated that he wouldn't touch LCDs with a very long bargepole, or words to that effect. Me, I rather like the visual qualities of the better LCD models, and haven't seen any plasma models on display anywhere -- regardless of size or price ! -- that I thought looked all that great. (And they can't all have had poor setup, or inadequate video sources being fed in !) Not good enough that I'd buy one, if need and budget fell into place. DLP is something I'd like to find out more about, along with SED, which at this point is only an acronym I've heard mentioned a few times.

[blinky88]

When released SED TVs will be around the same price as Plasma. They are around the same dimensions as Plasma. Plasma sets have a contrast ratio of around 3,000-1, SED have a contrast ratio of around 100,000-1. ALL reports from trade shows where SED TVs have been displayed indicate the picture quality is almost beyond belief. A Plasma set would represent a rather large investment if anyone decided to buy now and upgrade to SED in approx 12 months time. When the SED sets are released my guess is you will be able to buy Plasma for around half the price being asked today. Plasma sets have a limited life, SED is a new CRT technology and expected to have the same lifespan as the traditional CRT sets. I have a CRT TV set that is 25 years old and the picture is as good as the day I bought it. Plasma and LCD when compared to all the featues of SED is no contest.

If the set you presently own is on the way out I would be thinking of buying a second hand 80cm set for around $100, a much better option to spending big time on a Plasma.

LCD and Plasma simply cannot produce anywhere near the same picture quality of a SED HDTV.

Anyone thinking of buying a Plasma set should read the reviews on the SED sets before making a decision to buy Plasma.

Google SED TV Technology and you will get all the info you need.

[Seeker47]

Plasma sets have a limited life

They also run hot, use the most electricity, and are pretty susceptible to damage. Even by a slight finger pressure, which has to be a concern for anyone with younger kids. Visually speaking, my objection is that I've found them to be kind of dark, coarse, and insufficiently detailed.

SED is a new CRT technology and expected to have the same lifespan as the traditional CRT sets. I have a CRT TV set that is 25 years old and the picture is as good as the day I bought it. Plasma and LCD when compared to all the featues of SED is no contest.

I didn't realize that this was a CRT type of display. I think I'm just about done with any sort of traditional CRT form factor, due to the bulk, depth, and weight. (Yes, I understand that there have been some significant improvements in that regard . . . but probably not enough.) There is just something much more practical and appealing about the form factor of the panels.

If the set you presently own is on the way out I would be thinking of buying a second hand 80cm set for around $100, a much better option to spending big time on a Plasma.

Well, I wasn't thinking in terms of making the change this year. My circa 1996 27" CRT is still satisfactory to me. In the States, it is going to be more of a fork in the road when the mandatory HDTV broadcasting comes into play . . . but the deadline on that has gotten pushed back a couple times already.

[edDV]

...
Well, I wasn't thinking in terms of making the change this year. My circa 1996 27" CRT is still satisfactory to me. In the States, it is going to be more of a fork in the road when the mandatory HDTV broadcasting comes into play . . . but the deadline on that has gotten pushed back a couple times already.

They aren't mandating HDTV, they are mandating digital broadcasting that means to get over the air (OTA) broadcasts, you need to get a digital tuner (set top box) and maybe a new antenna. If you are on cable like 80% or satellite (5-10%) then you will see no change.

There is nothing in the digital conversion forcing people to change their TV.

PS: After the analog shutdown, the typical DTV station will be showing one HDTV and one SDTV version of the same program. Some DTV stations may choose to broadcast up to 5 SDTV separate programs instead.

[jagabo]

I didn't realize that this (SED) was a CRT type of display. I think I'm just about done with any sort of traditional CRT form factor

You misunderstood. SED uses some of the same technologies as a CRT but is a flat panel display. Instead of one big electron gun situated a foot or two behind the screen it has millions of tiny electron guns right behind the screen. If SED meets expectations (and it looks like it will) it will be the best technology to date.

But...

SED has been in development at Canon for 20 years. Don't be surprised to see it delayed AGAIN.

And when it IS released, given its production difficulties and superiority over all other technologies, it will only be available in a few large, expensive televisions. It will be a few years before you see them in affordable TVs.

[stingFUN]

I bought the Samsung 42" Widescreen DLP Projection HDTV (HL-S4266W) for $1282.49 at CC. nice to me !

[Conquest10]

$1282? Wow, have prices for DLPs gone down that fast?

[bjluv]

HDTV is everywhere here in Europe if it the same as what u guys are talking about... Samsung, Philips, Thomson and Sharp for example have loads in different inches (")

[Leoslocks]

I bought the Samsung 42" Widescreen DLP Projection HDTV (HL-S4266W) for $1282.49 at CC. nice to me !

I realy liked that TV in the Circuit City and Best Buy show rooms. Not trusting the source material the TV showroom uses to illustrate real world viewing, I am unable to make an informed decision on that TV. Please post your perceptions of it after watching it for a few weeks. If you will view some world cup matches and look for motion artifacts, that would help me make a better choice on the soon to be new TV in my house.

[MJA]

I like to get a DLP but I'm still waitting for the LED DLP( no color wheel) .also Costco got the Akai brand 50" for $1499 repackaged samsung $1399 at newegg.com
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824233010

[sapiendut]

I like to get a DLP but I'm still waitting for the LED DLP( no color wheel) .also Costco got the Akai brand 50" for $1499 repackaged samsung $1399 at newegg.com
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824233010

DLP will ALWAYS have colour wheel unless you're talking about 3-panel DLP. LED DLP means instead of using regular light to light the colour wheel, it uses LED.

[edDV]

Imagine the future of nanotechnology with all these machines doing their work at microscopic scale. Analog will rise again, but it will be very small.

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/dlp.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DLP
http://www.dlp.com/dlp_technology/dlp_technology_research.asp
http://tv.about.com/od/projectiontv/a/dlpintroduction.htm

[handyguy]

Anything projection =bulb=$$=not under guarantee.

Figure that cost into when you buy a projection type set.

[JustPlainDon]

I like to get a DLP but I'm still waitting for the LED DLP( no color wheel) .also Costco got the Akai brand 50" for $1499 repackaged samsung $1399 at newegg.com
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824233010

DLP will ALWAYS have colour wheel unless you're talking about 3-panel DLP. LED DLP means instead of using regular light to light the colour wheel, it uses LED.

http://www.samsung.com/Products/TV/DLPTV/HLS5679WXXAA.asp

It has LEDs and no color wheel. No color wheel is needed since the LEDs provide the color and are switched on and off at a rate that would match a color wheel.

L8r,
Don

[davideck]

LCOS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) technology is similar to a three chip DLP architecture and it is available on some larger rear projection HDTVs from JVC (HD-ILA) and SONY.

IMHO, it offers an optimal compromise between DLP and LCD and the picture quality is outstanding.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/lcos.htm