Suggesting a HD TV ($1500)

[MJA]

a friend of mine asked me to help him find a HDTV around $1500. can anyone suggest a good one,and a store(IL)? I was think about Samsung HL-S5087W 50" 1080p DLP HDTV from amazon.com $1,509.99,and the Panasonic TH-42PX60U 42" Plasma HDTV ,but buying on line isn't for everyone and I don't want to feel guilty if something happens to the TV.

[dun4cheap]

I just bought a Visio 47" LCD from Costco for $1699.99. It was Full HD 1080P. It has 2 Compenent Inputs, 2 HDMIC Ports, VGA/RGB, Svideo, and Composite Video Input, with Digital Audio Out.

They have a phillips 47" right now for $1799. You can't go wrong with Costcos return policy.

I hung mine on the living room wall. Ran new cables so the DVD player and all is in the back. I utilized Cat5e cables and made my own cables for the componenet Video, VGA and everything else. Works like a charm.

[MJA]

Thanx for the reply.I heard few months ago that Costco is going to change their return policy is that true ?also does sam's club have the same return policy?

[dun4cheap]

How big do you want to go? They have the Sceptre 32" for $599 right now.

I saw a Vizio 50" Plasma for $999

I know they changed it for computers to 6 months a long while ago. I have not heard anything more.

[MJA]

he just got done remodeling his basement ,so 50' is what he is looking for

[MJA]

I been searching google about costco return policy. check this out.


"I can attest to the policy change. This is what I've experienced in the last 2 days: I tried to return a defective 7 month old TV to my local warehouse yesterday, and I was flat out rejected. The returns manager told me that there's been a new policy in effect for the last 2 month: they'll reject all TV returns past 30 days unless I can prove that I've exhausted all possible options in repairing the TV. And even then, it's up to the return manager's discretion.

I called their customer center this morning at 800-744-2678 and was told that there's no such thing as unlimited return period. They'll accept returns up to 30 days from the date of purchase, then it's on a case-by-case basis. Basically each store can have its own return policy; it's entirely up to the returns manager, and there's absolutely no guarantee that you can return anything after 30 days"

posted 02/01/07

[dun4cheap]

I was at Costco last night and was told the opposite. The sign on the wall still sais UNCONDITIONAL. I talked to a supervisor as well and he said that their is no talks about changing the return policy.

BTW, mine will be exchanged this weekend because it has a bad pixel.

[dun4cheap]

I would rather take my chances with Costco then Frys, best buy or even circuit city.

[MJA]

I would rather take my chances with Costco then Frys, best buy or even circuit city.

we are going to meet on sunday.I know for sure he got a Sam's club membership,but not Costco.

[edDV]

What will be the source?

1080p sounds good but most people will be watching mostly 480i cable or sat MPeg2. Of course this will look like crap on a 50" display unless you back up 10-20 feet. It won't look any better if the display is 1080p vs 1366x768p.

If over the air, 90% of the channels will still be 480i.

Progressive 480p DVD will look good on a 1366x768p or a 1080p set. 720p HDTV will look similar on both. 1080i may look crappy or good on both depending on the deinterlacer/inverse telecine performance. In theory 1080p has higher potential but only if the deinterlacer/inverse telecine electronics are cutting edge. This is unlikely to be the case at the $1500 level.

If they use a 1080p/24 source (e.g. HD or BluRay DVD) then the 1080p model will have the potential for advantage.

But for 480i, pay attention to inverse telecine performance and deinterlace modes. Read the reviews carefully. Faroudja DcDi and higher end Sony Wega are among the best for 480i source.

If you are only going to be watching progressive 480p DVD and HD/BD DVD none of this is needed.

If they watch mostly cable or sat, they should use the HD service and HD tuners to get a reasonable picture. These will also have basic 480i to 720p or 1080i upscale processing.

[dun4cheap]

EdDV, I have mine hooked up to my MediaCenter via VGA. I am at a resolution of 1920x1080. My HDV 1440x1080 Videos I make from Liquid look real impressive. I also have the HD Cable Box hooked up via component video along with my phillips 642 hooked up via component. The Vizio does a really good job at upscaling my progressive DVD Player, and HBOHD looks crisp as well.

[edDV]

EdDV, I have mine hooked up to my MediaCenter via VGA. I am at a resolution of 1920x1080. My HDV 1440x1080 Videos I make from Liquid look real impressive. I also have the HD Cable Box hooked up via component video along with my phillips 642 hooked up via component. The Vizio does a really good job at upscaling my progressive DVD Player, and HBOHD looks crisp as well.

Last I looked, the 50" Vizio at Costco and Sams had the DcDi Faroudja chip but not the smaller screens. This seems to change with each model run.

VGA is always progressive so the quality for 480i/1080i input depends on the computer display card and software player. The TV just upscales progressive from there to native display resolution.

HDV is interlace so the quality depends on the deinterlacer in the HDTV. A simple blend won't do.

The HD cable/sat boxes can be hooked up and set to 720p or 1080i for HD sources. 720p uses internal deinterlacing for 1080i and puts only an upscale load on the HDTV. 1080i requires the HDTV to inverse telecine (aka cinema processing) or deinterlace in order to display progressive. HDTV processing quality varies.

For 480i sources, the HD box either passes the 480i to the TV for processing or converts to 480p using the box's internal deinterlacer. Some boxes can be set to convert 480i to 720p or 1080i. Quality varies.

[MJA]

What will be the source?

1080p sounds good but most people will be watching mostly 480i cable or sat MPeg2. Of course this will look like crap on a 50" display unless you back up 10-20 feet. It won't look any better if the display is 1080p vs 1366x768p.

If over the air, 90% of the channels will still be 480i.

Progressive 480p DVD will look good on a 1366x768p or a 1080p set. 720p HDTV will look similar on both. 1080i may look crappy or good on both depending on the deinterlacer/inverse telecine performance. In theory 1080p has higher potential but only if the deinterlacer/inverse telecine electronics are cutting edge. This is unlikely to be the case at the $1500 level.

If they use a 1080p/24 source (e.g. HD or BluRay DVD) then the 1080p model will have the potential for advantage.

But for 480i, pay attention to inverse telecine performance and deinterlace modes. Read the reviews carefully. Faroudja DcDi and higher end Sony Wega are among the best for 480i source.

If you are only going to be watching progressive 480p DVD and HD/BD DVD none of this is needed.

If they watch mostly cable or sat, they should use the HD service and HD tuners to get a reasonable picture. These will also have basic 480i to 720p or 1080i upscale processing.

I think the source is going to be mostly 480i from D* not sure 100% I will ask him sunday.
you think 480i will look better on LCD,or PLASMA,DLP?

[PGibbons]

I just bought 2 (for work) 46" Vizios from Sam's Club for $1499 each. I am very impressed by the clarity of the picture. Here are the specs:

Picture/Display:
High Resolution: 1366 x 768 pixels
No bright pixel defects guaranteed
No permanent burn-in guaranteed
Ideal in bright light environments
Minimal glare digital HDTV and Standard TV
Combination Tuner
All TV formats supported (1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i)
Computer Monitor (Rgb) up to 1366 x 768
De-Interlacing processing for superior video quality
Typical Lamp Life: 50,000 hours, equivalent to 22 years
Panel Type: 46" diagonal
16:9 Wide Screen
Color TFT Active Matrix LCD Panel
Anti-Static and hard coated surface
Pixel/Dot Pitch: 0.7455mm (H) x 0.7455mm (V)
Display Compatibility: HDTV (1080i)
Signal Compatibility: 480i (SDTV), 480P (EDTV), 720P (HDTV), 1080i (HDTV)
Response Time: 8 ms (typical)
Colors: 8 bit 16.77 Million colors
Brightness: 500 cd/m2 (typical)
Contrast Ratio: 1200:1 (typical)
Viewable Angle: >178 degrees (horizontal and vertical)
Connectivity:

RF
HDMI with HDCP
2 Analog Stereo Audio for HDMI Inputs
1 Component YPbPr plus Stereo Audio
2 Composite Video
2 S-Video plus Stereo Audio
2 Computer RGB plus Stereo Audio
1 Service Port
1 DTV
1 Analog (RJ11)
Analog Audio out (RCA)
1 5.1 SPDIF Digital Optical Audio
1 Headphone (Stereo Mini-Jack)

Hope this helps.

[MJA]

PGibbons.do you have any info about Sam's Club return policy?

[edDV]

What will be the source?

1080p sounds good but most people will be watching mostly 480i cable or sat MPeg2. Of course this will look like crap on a 50" display unless you back up 10-20 feet. It won't look any better if the display is 1080p vs 1366x768p.

If over the air, 90% of the channels will still be 480i.

Progressive 480p DVD will look good on a 1366x768p or a 1080p set. 720p HDTV will look similar on both. 1080i may look crappy or good on both depending on the deinterlacer/inverse telecine performance. In theory 1080p has higher potential but only if the deinterlacer/inverse telecine electronics are cutting edge. This is unlikely to be the case at the $1500 level.

If they use a 1080p/24 source (e.g. HD or BluRay DVD) then the 1080p model will have the potential for advantage.



But for 480i, pay attention to inverse telecine performance and deinterlace modes. Read the reviews carefully. Faroudja DcDi and higher end Sony Wega are among the best for 480i source.

If you are only going to be watching progressive 480p DVD and HD/BD DVD none of this is needed.

If they watch mostly cable or sat, they should use the HD service and HD tuners to get a reasonable picture. These will also have basic 480i to 720p or 1080i upscale processing.

I think the source is going to be mostly 480i from D* not sure 100% I will ask him sunday.
you think 480i will look better on LCD,or PLASMA,DLP?

Will they get the HD box and service? If so they can rely on the processing in the Dish HD box to deinterlace the 480i to 480p or 720p over HDMI or analog component. Otherwise the TV would need to do this from the S-Video input. This is where inverse telecine and quality deinterlace (e.g. Fraroudja DcDi) become important. This is to make low res SD look acceptable on the big screen. DVD and HD will look fine. Dish SD may be unwatchable on a large screen.

LCD vs Plasma isn't the issue so much as screen size and internal processing. Plasma should have better black levels which may help. Look at both with 480i inputs. You might want to record a 480i DVD with a mix of sports, news, drama series (telecine), movies (telecine).

[PGibbons]

Sam's Club return policy is very liberal. You don't like it - return it for a full refund. This is taken off of their website:

SAM'S CLUB Return/Refund Policy

At SAM’S CLUB, Member Satisfaction is 100% guaranteed both on merchandise and Memberships. Our policy is to refund our Member’s purchases in full with a receipt and without a receipt we will refund in full with a SAM’S CLUB Shopping Card.

The following exceptions apply:
Computers may be returned within six (6) months of the original purchase.
Refunds on fresh product (i.e. Meat, Bakery or Produce) will follow the SAM’S CLUB 200% Guarantee: Double the Member’s money back OR refund of the original purchase price and replacement of the item. The 200% Guarantee applies only to paid Members with SAM’S CLUB. It does not apply to One-Day or other pass guests. Non-Members may return fresh product for the purchase price only.
Cigarette returns will not be accepted without prior written approval from the tobacco supplier representative.
This policy does not change the manufacturer’s warranty on any item returned as defective, such as tires or batteries.
Refunds on refrigerant (R-134A) will be accepted no more than 7 days from the date of purchase and then only with a receipt.

Again - I hope this helps.

[MJA]

ok guys I just checked the sunday ad this morning ,and since most of the feed is going to be SD , do you guys think this TV will be the best in this case ?

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=148043&cm_keycode=85

I can get it from bestbuy for 10% less using the reward card

[dun4cheap]

I am done with consoles and projection TVs. I don't have a huge house and I like the contemporary look a little better. So I just have my 47" hanging on the wall and everything else is in the back of the room

That thing looks a bit bulky.

[edDV]

ok guys I just checked the sunday ad this morning ,and since most of the feed is going to be SD , do you guys think this TV will be the best in this case ?

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=148043&cm_keycode=85

I can get it from bestbuy for 10% less using the reward card

The user reviews look good. One says this Hitachi is being discussed in the AVS forums. Read all you can. It is native 1080i so should do OK with 480i. I wouldn't sit too close to 480i on a 50" screen. Good that it has a digital ATSC tuner. You will find the digital over the air picture much better than typical cable SD.

[MJA]

Sam's Club return policy is very liberal. You don't like it - return it for a full refund. This is taken off of their website:

SAM'S CLUB Return/Refund Policy

At SAM’S CLUB, Member Satisfaction is 100% guaranteed both on merchandise and Memberships. Our policy is to refund our Member’s purchases in full with a receipt and without a receipt we will refund in full with a SAM’S CLUB Shopping Card.

The following exceptions apply:
Computers may be returned within six (6) months of the original purchase.
Refunds on fresh product (i.e. Meat, Bakery or Produce) will follow the SAM’S CLUB 200% Guarantee: Double the Member’s money back OR refund of the original purchase price and replacement of the item. The 200% Guarantee applies only to paid Members with SAM’S CLUB. It does not apply to One-Day or other pass guests. Non-Members may return fresh product for the purchase price only.
Cigarette returns will not be accepted without prior written approval from the tobacco supplier representative.
This policy does not change the manufacturer’s warranty on any item returned as defective, such as tires or batteries.
Refunds on refrigerant (R-134A) will be accepted no more than 7 days from the date of purchase and then only with a receipt.

Again - I hope this helps.

Costco changed return policy to 90 days for electronics. SUX

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/305240_costco27.html

http://www.costco.com/Service/FeaturePageLeftNav.aspx?ProductNo=10166081