HDTV Help

[Triple B]

Do NOT buy a Monster Cable.  They are overpriced and do the same thing as cables that cost a tenth of what Monster Cables do.

Yeah I have read that somewhere as well.  I think there is some online place that is really good for inexpensice cables.  Can't remember the site though.

I buy my HDMI cables through amazon but I've heard monoprice.com has good prices also ...

[bulldad10]

Do NOT buy a Monster Cable.  They are overpriced and do the same thing as cables that cost a tenth of what Monster Cables do.

Yeah I have read that somewhere as well.  I think there is some online place that is really good for inexpensice cables.  Can't remember the site though.

I buy my HDMI cables through amazon but I've heard monoprice.com has good prices also ...

That was the site I was thinking about.

[bulldad10]

Go to circuit city for the cables.

HA! Maybe they are cheap now, but during the holidays they tried to sell some to my bro for $80

They will probably be real cheap now if there are any left.

[bulldad10]

Monoprice.com has a 6FT 5-RCA Component Video/Audio Coaxial Cable for $4.18

Can't get much cheaper than that.  Although I do not know how much they charge for shipping.

[DENVERBULL]

1. Don't spend the extra for the cables. I have both and can't tell the difference.

2. Spend a bit more to avoid the vizio if possible. 

3. Don't spend more on a 1080p unless you are going over 50".

4. Disregard contrast ratios. There is no industry standard for this and numbers are determined by the manufacturer. Saw a sanyo with 1,000,000: 1. Yeah okay.  It's all marketing.

5. LCD's are better for bright rooms. Plasmas for darker rooms.

Both are subject to burn in.

6. Plasmas have better contrasts and blacks.

7. Directv all digital standard signal looks pretty good. Analog looks worse than a 30 yr old tv.

8. It's a good idea to "break them in". Go online and burn a break in DVD.

9. Get the HD. It rocks.

10. Look online. I shopped costco too but bought from amazon. Better price, no tax, added warranty.

[crambone]

1. Don't spend the extra for the cables. I have both and can't tell the difference.

2. Spend a bit more to avoid the vizio if possible. 

3. Don't spend more on a 1080p unless you are going over 50".

4. Disregard contrast ratios. There is no industry standard for this and numbers are determined by the manufacturer. Saw a sanyo with 1,000,000: 1. Yeah okay.  It's all marketing.

5. LCD's are better for bright rooms. Plasmas for darker rooms.

Both are subject to burn in.

6. Plasmas have better contrasts and blacks.

7. Directv all digital standard signal looks pretty good. Analog looks worse than a 30 yr old tv.

8. It's a good idea to "break them in". Go online and burn a break in DVD.

9. Get the HD. It rocks.

10. Look online. I shopped costco too but bought from amazon. Better price, no tax, added warranty.

Wow.  This list is awesome.  I haven't bought an HD TV yet, and you answered pretty much all of my questions.  Thanks!

P.S. - What kind of TV did you end up buying?

[bulldad10]

I am actually still trying to decide.  I hate to go against advice here, but I am still thinking about the Vizio.  This will not be my main TV, it is only $389, and we have always had an easy time returning things to Costco if they don't work properly.

All of these suggestions have been great, and I really appreciate the help!

[Apis Bull]

If you have a dark room, you can also go with a DLP.  They're not the flat panel that you can hang on the wall, but they are HD and a lot cheaper.  It has to be a fairly dark room and the viewing angle isn't that great.

[Apis Bull]

1. Don't spend the extra for the cables. I have both and can't tell the difference.

2. Spend a bit more to avoid the vizio if possible. 

3. Don't spend more on a 1080p unless you are going over 50".

4. Disregard contrast ratios. There is no industry standard for this and numbers are determined by the manufacturer. Saw a sanyo with 1,000,000: 1. Yeah okay.  It's all marketing.

5. LCD's are better for bright rooms. Plasmas for darker rooms.

Both are subject to burn in.

6. Plasmas have better contrasts and blacks.

7. Directv all digital standard signal looks pretty good. Analog looks worse than a 30 yr old tv.

8. It's a good idea to "break them in". Go online and burn a break in DVD.

9. Get the HD. It rocks.

10. Look online. I shopped costco too but bought from amazon. Better price, no tax, added warranty.

I'd like to comment on above.

1.  Another advantage of HDMI is that it is one small cable instead of a bundle of 3 or more.

2.  I totally agree.  Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, or Sony are probably your best bets.

3.  Again, I agree.  There is a slight difference at the smaller sizes.

4.  You really need to look at the pictures side by side if at all possible.

5.  LCDs don't have burn in per se, but they can have dead pixels.  Both have gotten better features to avoid that.

6.  Absolutely.

7.  Can't comment on this one.

8.  Never tried that.

9.  If you haven't seen HD, it will blow you away.  Save up your pennies to get a Blu-Ray.

10.  Definitely shop around.

[Velcro]

I have a phillips 47" LCD and love it... but great list by denver and comments by Apis... spot on.

I was not aware of the burn in dvd either.  Pretty cool.