HDTV - Our new Toy....................

[Cut-Throat]

My wife and I splurged on a new LCD - HDTV last week. HDTV is quite spectacular.

We have an antenna in the attic, and are now receiving at least 10 HD channels in our metro area. The 'over the air' HD stuff is actually better than cable! And since we are not cable subscribers the 3 Grand we spent on the TV will eventully pay for itself.

The Public TV that we have locally broadcasts Widescreen HD TV 24 hours a day! Mostly History/Travel Stuff that is HD oriented!

The downside is that my TV will probably cost 1/2 as much in 2 years, but we waited long enough! We really like it!

Jarhead probably knows this already, as he is a sports freak. The NFL games are quite spectacular! - You can see individual blades of grass and can tell if the guy needs a shave or not! - So Jarhead - are you watching the 50 inch Plasma?

 

[Beachbumz]

Hey Cut-Throat, welcome to the world of HD and good choice with the LCD, that will be my next one. We purchased an HDTV 3 years ago before the LCDs, the HD channels are awesome, but the LCD does a better job with the regular channels. You are right, the NFL games are awesome, it is amazing the difference when you switch between the HD and the regular channel.

Enjoy!

The Beachbumz

 

[Marshac]

I also have a HDTV, and when I had HDTV over cable, I loved it. PBS has some awesome showes in HD (Nova for example). Mine is a 32" tube HD set, and while the sucker weighs a ton (actually 1/10 ton), I think tubes have the best picture... it's a tradeoff though, and if I had it to do all over again, I would get a LCD =)

I'm waiting until a decent sized LCD screen comes down to under $1k... and with the new samsung's LCD plant, it's just a matter of time.... having moved the heavy TV 3 times now, I hope that day comes sooner than later =)

 

[Marshac]

Oh yeah, speaking of NFL..... am I the only person who wishes that the entire game was shown using that floating camera? I LOVE that thing!

 

[BigMoneyJim]

Funny. I've been looking at HDTV the past few days. I'm convinced it's still too expensive, but I'm battling within myself...part of me is still against 'wasting' money, and the other part is struggling to remember it's fun to spend money on myself sometimes.

Found a sub-$700 tube with tuner, but I really don't want another heavy tube TV. Saw a 27" LCD for $1k without tuner. Told myself it's too much.

I later decided I need to buy myself something after having resisted all temptations for 4 years, and HDTV looks like it may win out.

I tell you what, though...shopping for HDTV is a minefield. You find what looks like a good deal, then with further investigation realize it needs another few hundred dollars in accessories to do what you want, or that it isn't really as HD as you originally thought. ("EDTV" and "DTVs" are mixed in with the others, and the stores I went to didn't say whether they were 720p or 1080i or whatnot.)

Marshac, no, that camera is neat but I don't want to see the whole game from a flying and swinging point of view without Dramamine.

 

[Michael]

weighs a ton (actually 1/10 ton)

I have a 50" tv that weighs a couple of hundred pounds, but it is on wheels. I can just push it around with a gentle touch. I can't imagine trying to lift the thing.

 

[wabmester]

Oh, oh. HDTV could be just the start of your couch potato upgrades. For me, it started with a plasma display a few years ago. Then a projector (you haven't lived until you've had your own 100" high-rez screen). And, of course, a progressive scan DVD player. And then a PVR to free yourself from timeslots. And once your PVR disk fills up, you'll need a DVD recorder. And when your DVD collection grows too large, you'll want to start ripping DVDs to your new media server. But wait, you can rip your CD collection to your media server too if you get a bigger drive. Now you can listen to your music and watch your movies anywhere in the house with your new wireless media receivers. But why settle for dedicated receivers when you can get a top-of-the-line multimedia laptop that will let your wirelessly receive your media while surfing the web!?

And then it all becomes obsolete, and you need to start all over again.

 

[John Galt]

Hi Wab! Or, you could just sell (or skip) all that stuff
and read a good book. I bought my wife a cheap
DVD player for one of her Christmas gifts. She could not hook it up and I wouldn't get involved (I can barely
screw in a light bulb), so it got exchanged for a TRAC phone. Anyway, I have considered going completely
without TV. We are close now. In the house at this
moment we have 3 TVs (plus 3 at the condo) and one VCR Our TOTAL cash
invested here is $65.00. Now, if I get the bug for a new boat
or motorcycle...........................the budget goes out the
window

JG

 

[Nords]

I'm with you, John.

My spouse has four VCRs taping about six hours/day of network dreck. She can rip through that in 3-4 hours, and she even records another eight hours of HGTV for high-speed reviews of potential honey-do projects. (Ouch.)

During that same time (in the same recliner!) I'm reading books, magazines, websites-- anything I can get my hands on. My TV time is the weekly Star Trek episode & an occasional CNN crawler, and I'm not sure that I'd miss either one. My last trip inside a movie theater was six months ago. I think my last video rental was in 2003.

At least our kid understands that the "Wait until the next commercial!" excuse doesn't work when you can pop in a tape and start recording. It's interesting to watch her switch from the TV to the Playstation to the Gameboy to the PC-- as far as the neighborhood kids are concerned it's all the same thing. To her the Nickleodeon reruns of "The Cosby Show" are straight out of the "History of Ancient Cultures" network. And when the new Gameboy DS has a wireless chat feature... well, she has to save her own money for that toy.

And it's not going to end anytime soon. Next week we're trekking the pawnshops for a spare VCR or two and to price DVD players.

Cut-Throat, lemme point out that as part of my "What are you saving for?" new philosophy, I've given up shaving nickels off the cable bill. It'll go from its promotional rate to $45/month next year, yet I'm not going to disrupt the family routine for a (marginally) cheaper Dish system. The broadcast antenna is ready to go in the attic, but I'm not planning to hook it up unless requested.

 

[Jarhead*]

My wife and I splurged on a new LCD - HDTV last week. HDTV is quite spectacular.



Jarhead probably knows this already, as he is a sports freak. The NFL games are quite spectacular! - You can see individual blades of grass and can tell if the guy needs a shave or not! - So Jarhead - are you watching the 50 inch Plasma?

Cutthroat: No, but if I lived in the Minn. area, I know where I'd be spending my Sundays (I'll bring the beer and Pizza).
I've watched a few games at a friends house that has a Plasma, and you are right, they are amazingly detailed.
I've got a 36 inch Toshiba, that I bought about a year and a half ago.
If I had two TV's hooked up in my house, (mine & a 50 inch plasma) I know where my attention would go.
But without that comparison, I am O.K. with my current
"horse and buggy".
In any case, congratulations for your continued efforts to
prove that the consumer is still in the ball-game
I'm sure you will get lots of pleasure for your money with the Plasma.
Regards, Jarhead

 

[BigMoneyJim]

Got one!

After having researched and rationalized, picked out my favorite model and price shopped, I rolled down to my local store today with the idea that I *might* come home with a TV but probably not.

Well, they had an open box buy of the model I had picked out at a $500 discount (20% off) of today's new-in-box price which is $300 lower than yesterday's new-in-box price, to begin with. It's a bit scratched below the screen on the front.

It's a 46" Samsung DLP with 1-3 of every input type except firewire. I was originally looking at flat panel LCDs, but they are so much more for the size, and as much as I think hanging a TV on the wall is cool I don't see it as practical for my viewing arrangement for the forseeable future. Besides, this TV fits the width of my entertainment shelves.

After I figure out how to get it up the stairs I'll be channel surfing HDTV (I hope reception is good in my area) and probably surfing this board in 46" wide screen as it has a XVGA computer hookup.

Also bought an external tuner/DVD DVI-HDCP combo and an indoor directional antenna.

 

[John Galt]

Hope you enjoy it. Our total invested in TV/VCR/DVD
equipment is $65.00. We might increase it, but for now we are
satisfied. Might even go backwards and cut out some
equipment. I'm a closet Luddite.

JG

 

[Cut-Throat]

It's a 46" Samsung DLP with 1-3 of every input type except firewire. I was originally looking at flat panel LCDs, but they are so much more for the size, and as much as I think hanging a TV on the wall is cool I don't see it as practical for my viewing arrangement for the forseeable future. Besides, this TV fits the width of my entertainment shelves.

BMJ,

I am sure you will enjoy it! - I got a Samsung as Well. Only a 32 inch - An LCD. Next Project is hanging this thing on the wall!

 

[KB]

For my bedroom, I just got an all in one 27" TV with VCR and DVD player. That hooked up to DirecTV....I'm all set.
We have the HDTV 32" with Tivo on the family room. I love Tivo, it's absolutely the best.

Happy New Year everyone.