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[.hacked]

Here is my situation, I have a preexisting wall unite and I want to get a HDTV.

The opening in the wall unit is 42inx33in. If I went full screen I can fit this TV:

Sony KV-36HS420 36" FD Trinitron WEGA Hi-Scan 1080i HD-Ready TV

Features:
36-inch Hi-Scan FD Trinitron WEGA television with standard 4:3 aspect ratio; 39.1 x 30.6 x 25 inches (W x H x D)
Offers analog and digital (HDMI) high-definition inputs and a wealth of picture-enhancing technologies
High-voltage regulator maintains consistent image size, despite variations in brightness during scene changes and channel changes
CineMotion Reverse 3:2 pulldown technology lets you watch progressive-scan movies in their native 24-frame format
Stereo speakers with 10 watts per channel; SRS TruSurround simulated surround sound and BBE sound enhancement



or a wide screen like this:

Sony XS Series KDE-37XS955 37" Widescreen HDTV-Ready Flat-Panel Plasma TV

Features:
37-inch widescreen WEGA gas-plasma television; 41.4 x 26.8 x 14.3 inches (W x H x D) with stand
Built-in ATSC/QAM tuner brings you all the glory of off-air high-definition programming--no external set-top box required
CableCARD compatibility means you can enjoy digital cable reception without a separate set-top box
CineMotion Reverse 3:2 pulldown technology lets you watch progressive-scan movies in their native 24-frame format
Stereo speakers with hefty 25 watts per channel and separate 50-watt subwoofer


3rd option is just to disassemble the unit pull the middle out and put in a bigger wide screen Like:

Sony WEGA 50" Widescreen Digital-Cable-Ready Plasma HDTV

Put it on a stand and just have the two big "book cases" from the wall unite on each side. I could just trash the whole wall unite but it was expensive and I need the storage for my consoles and games.

Is it worth owning a wide screen HDTV yet?

 

[DaCocoBrova]

16:9

You want true HD don't you?

Think hard on those plasmas btw.

 

[DCX]

16:9

You want true HD don't you?

Yeah, 16:9 is the future...right now 90% of all games are in 4:3 so if you were looking for a HDTV for gaming then go 4:3, if it's for DVDs/gaming/HD content go 16:9.

DCX

 

[.hacked]

16:9

You want true HD don't you?

Think hard on those plasmas btw.

what wide screen would you recommend?

I only picked the Sony becasue all my TVs are Sony and I have had no problems with them.

 

[.hacked]

Yeah, 16:9 is the future...right now 90% of all games are in 4:3 so if you were looking for a HDTV for gaming then go 4:3, if it's for DVDs/gaming/HD content go 16:9.

DCX

It would be mostly for DVDs and TV with some game playing, but a majority of my gaming is done on a separate TV near my PC.

 

[seanoff]

Dude, this is the TV.

CNET use this as a reference for all other HDTVs. full 1920 x 1440 resolution.

most plasmas max out at 1024 and one the plasmas u r looking at i think is 768.

NO need for other boxes for cable or free to air digital broadcasts. Connections R us including HDMI.

go here http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INT...ryName=xbr_tube&Dept=tv&ProductSKU=KD34XBR960

Best PQ i've seen. it is however heavy. but the picture is OMG

 

[.hacked]

nice, going to have to see if I can track one of those down.

 

[goodcow]

go here http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INT...ryName=xbr_tube&Dept=tv&ProductSKU=KD34XBR960

I've tried this link twice, and both times it's crashed Firefox. Anyone else?

 

[DaCocoBrova]

Yeah, that link is fucked.

right now 90% of all games are in 4:3 so if you were looking for a HDTV for gaming then go 4:3, if it's for DVDs/gaming/HD content go 16:9.

That's straight bullsh!t.

 

[Nerevar]

if you're buying an HDTV, there's absolutely no good reason to go 4:3. It should be 16:9 without hesitation.

 

[shinjijai]

The link works fine for me (Firefox 1.0).

 

[goodcow]

The link works fine for me (Firefox 1.0).

I'm using:

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.5) Gecko/20041107 Firefox/1.0

... and EL CRASHO.

 

[DaCocoBrova]

The link is some sh!t. Just search the model #.

 

[SteveMeister]

I'm using:

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.5) Gecko/20041107 Firefox/1.0

... and EL CRASHO.

I'm using the same thing (Windows XP) and it works just fine for me. Odd.

 

[EclipseGST]

go with a widescreen...and pass on the sony plasmas and get the panasonics instead. ALSO look into dlp or lcd projection for your gaming needs...best to go with DLP though...Mitsubishis (WD-52525) or go with the Toshiba (higher-end series)

 

[Hitokage]

Get a 4:3 that does full res 16:9.

 

[EclipseGST]

Get a 4:3 that does full res 16:9.

DO NOT DO THIS....worst IDEA ever. Go with a true widescreen tv

 

[Seth C]

DO NOT DO THIS....worst IDEA ever. Go with a true widescreen tv

Why? You're presenting no argument. Best of both worlds as far as I'm concerned. I have a 51" 4:3 HDTV, which provides a (roughly) 47" 16:9 image. A 47" 16:9 would have cost the same at the time, but only given me about a 40" 4:3 view.

 

[BeOnEdge]

damn real. same thing i did. no complaints. huge 4:3 area and huge 16:9 area. dont let the naysayers fool you. probably cheaper too. and besides you'll still get wide bars on a wide set sometimes anyway. pointless.

 

[Hitokage]

He's working with a preexisting wall unit. His best option is to fill as much of it as possible.

 

[Error Macro]

Get a 4:3 HDTV, with anamorphic squeeze, no doubt about it. I do a lot of gaming, watch a lot of pre-1953 movies, and television, and I would be seriously pissed to have to put up with a 16:9's "solutions", i.e. grey vertical bars, distorted fill modes, etc. A nice, big, 4:3 direct-view HDTV is still where it's at, pardon the improper grammar.

 

[AlphaSnake]

Avoid Sony's line of plasmas. They are horrrrrible.

 

[VPhys]

Yeah, 16:9 is the future...right now 90% of all games are in 4:3

I must be living in the bizarro world then.


I own about a dozen games. They are all XBox games and relatively mainsteam/popular. Every single one of them is a native widescreen game.

 

[Drensch]

Get a 4:3 that does full res 16:9.

I'm with that, absent a compelling reason.

 

[Hitokage]

I'm with that, absent a compelling reason.

Eclipse is probably letterbox phobic, which is the only reason I can think of.

 

[Mairu]

There are always so many tv threads... Anyone know of a good website for tvs? I don't feel like making my own thread about what I'm looking for :<

I just want a new tv that's HDTV, fairly small-medium sized (I don't have room for big tvs) and definately widescreen.

 

[seanoff]

CNET have a huge HDTV section, go there.

or if u really want to get confused AVS forums

 

[marsomega]

36-inch Hi-Scan FD Trinitron WEGA television with standard 4:3 aspect ratio; 39.1 x 30.6 x 25 inches (W x H x D)
Offers analog and digital (HDMI) high-definition inputs and a wealth of picture-enhancing technologies
High-voltage regulator maintains consistent image size, despite variations in brightness during scene changes and channel changes
CineMotion Reverse 3:2 pulldown technology lets you watch progressive-scan movies in their native 24-frame format
Stereo speakers with 10 watts per channel; SRS TruSurround simulated surround sound and BBE sound enhancement

HDMI shouldn't be a tie breaker if the set you want doesn't have one.

AFAIK, if your set doesn't have one but it still includes a DVI connection, then you can still enjoy the benefits of HDMI apparently as HDMI DTVs will display video received from existing DVI-equipped products, and DVI-equipped TVs will display video from HDMI sources. They are fully backward compatible.

 

[DaCocoBrova]

^^

Very true.

That and HDCP compliant DVI.

 

[Nerevar]

^^

Very true.

That and HDCP compliant DVI.

Are all HDMI ports natively HDCP complaint? I'm curious if this is built into the spec.


And to the 4:3 / 16:9 argument, yeah, a 4:3 TV might be a good stopgap for the next year. But almost every quality game being released on my xbox or ps2 supports true 16:9. Furthermore, once next-gen hits (this year in case you forgot), I'd be surprised if everything isn't made with native 16:9 support. 16:9 also has a much better viewing distance (meaning you can sit closer to the screen and perceive the "full" picture) due to how your eye perceives images, so you can get a bigger TV and sit closer without it feeling overwhelming. From my personal experience buying TVs you're going to get better value by taking the wall unit apart and getting the best 16:9 TV you can. Sure, 4:3 might be attractive, but if you're going to use this TV for over 10 years (and almost 95% of TV owners do), you're going to be disappointed when everything you're watching in a few years (once you go HD, you have a hard time going back to SD programming) or playing has nasty black bars above and below.

 

[Deg]

Widescreen. For movies and tv. Games will have no choice but to follow next gen. Even pc monitors and drivers now have widescreen options. So you can even play pc games on your tv

Avoid Sony plasma. There are better ones out there.
Get a plasma for the screen size otherise get a CRT. Resolution is pretty much their only major weakness nowadays.

 

[marsomega]

Are all HDMI ports natively HDCP complaint? I'm curious if this is built into the spec.

It is not built into the spec. HDCP was designed by Intel (and Silicon Image I THINK.) Otherwise, HDMI would not be fully backwards compatible as HDCP tuners/set up boxes will not work with anything HDCP non-compliant, hence why there is the distinction that HDMI will work in both DVI and DVI-HDCP compliant sets. Otherwise, HDMI and DVI wouldn't be fully backward compatible.

 

[EclipseGST]

Eclipse is probably letterbox phobic, which is the only reason I can think of.

Heh....not reallly u'll just enjoy getting as much as possible from your set when watching HD and DVD and possible more the future...my two cents...

 

[Hitokage]

Heh....not reallly u'll just enjoy getting as much as possible from your set when watching HD and DVD and possible more the future...my two cents...

How the hell is getting a same sized 16:9 frame with a smaller 4:3 "as much of possible" of anything?

 

[Seth C]

Sure, 4:3 might be attractive, but if you're going to use this TV for over 10 years (and almost 95% of TV owners do), you're going to be disappointed when everything you're watching in a few years (once you go HD, you have a hard time going back to SD programming) or playing has nasty black bars above and below.

Black bars are so nasty as compared to...you know, WALL.

Seriously, this is such a stupid argument. When everything goes 16:9 you'll just always use the TV in 16:9 mode. Big deal.

 

[DCX]

I must be living in the bizarro world then.


I own about a dozen games. They are all XBox games and relatively mainsteam/popular. Every single one of them is a native widescreen game.

I'm speaking of game in general. Dreamcast, PSOne, N64...people do own older game systems. Yes, now a days that number has been reduced.

DCX

 

[.hacked]

Yesterday I took apart my wall unit so I can fit any TV under 65-inches wide.

So far I am leaning toward:

Sony Grand WEGA™ Widescreen LCD Rear-Projection HDTV
Sony 60" HDTV (KDF-WF655)

This would be the main TV for DVDs and HDTV cable.


Sony 34" Widescreen XBR® HDTV w/Integrated ATSC and QAM Tuners
Sony 34" HDTV (KD-34XBR960)

This would be my secondary gaming TV, Xbox, PS2 and next gen systems.


Again I have picked out Sony but that is only becasue I have always purchased Sony TVs and never had a problem. If there are any better LCD Rear-Projection HDTV out there I would welcome the advice. I won't be picking up the TVs until sometime next week so I have plenty of time to look around.

 

[Cooper]

How the hell is getting a same sized 16:9 frame with a smaller 4:3 "as much of possible" of anything?

Standard def programming tends to look pretty nasty on large-ish HDTVs. Thus, minimizing the size of the 4:3 programming while keeping the HD/DVD picture size large could be an advantage. Do they even make large (>40") 4:3 TVs anymore?

 

[darscot]

Even considering a 4:3 is ridiculas. 16:9 is the way to go once you go you just can't go back. Don't let gaming scare you off most games look great in 16:9 even if there designed for 4:3. Just dont ever put it in 4:3 mode. I go to friends and everything looks so squished in 4:3. Its just what you get accustom to.

 

[Nerevar]

Black bars are so nasty as compared to...you know, WALL.

Seriously, this is such a stupid argument. When everything goes 16:9 you'll just always use the TV in 16:9 mode. Big deal.

Then you'll have a TV that wastes nearly 30% of it's space with black bars. Think of it this way - would you rather be using your full screen showing HDTV, new video games, and DVDs (the "future" - and much more present than you realize) or would you rather have black bars playing old video games and watching SD TV. How is that a stupid argument? I think telling him to get a 4:3 TV to watch SD TV and play his current video game collection is mind-numbingly retarded when everything he'll be doing on it by next year will be in 16:9 mode anyway.

Sony Grand WEGA™ Widescreen LCD Rear-Projection HDTV
Sony 60" HDTV (KDF-WF655)

That is a great TV. I would've gone that route if my apartment space was big enough. The black trim really makes the picture stand out.

 

[EclipseGST]

Then you'll have a TV that wastes nearly 30% of it's space with black bars. Think of it this way - would you rather be using your full screen showing HDTV, new video games, and DVDs (the "future" - and much more present than you realize) or would you rather have black bars playing old video games and watching SD TV. How is that a stupid argument? I think telling him to get a 4:3 TV to watch SD TV and play his current video game collection is mind-numbingly retarded when everything he'll be doing on it by next year will be in 16:9 mode anyway.

IAWTP. i guess i should have explained it like this. But i'd also wait till next year to get a set that supports 1080p. Look at the ces thread for models to come which support it. I await these models at BB so i can get one.

 

[Seth C]

Then you'll have a TV that wastes nearly 30% of it's space with black bars. Think of it this way - would you rather be using your full screen showing HDTV, new video games, and DVDs (the "future" - and much more present than you realize) or would you rather have black bars playing old video games and watching SD TV. How is that a stupid argument? I think telling him to get a 4:3 TV to watch SD TV and play his current video game collection is mind-numbingly retarded when everything he'll be doing on it by next year will be in 16:9 mode anyway.

51" 4:3 HDTV with 47" 16:9 view - $1200
47" 16:9 HDTV with 41" 4:3 view - $1200

That was the situation when I purchased my TV. You tell me which is the better deal. So what if later I waste 30%? I still have just as much as I would have with a 47" widescreen (you're basically throwing away 30% more screen for when you DO watch 4:3 content).

Do you turn down 30% extra cereal for free, too? I mean, your bowl fit the original amount jhust perfectly, why take the extra?

 

[Warm Machine]

IAWTP. i guess i should have explained it like this. But i'd also wait till next year to get a set that supports 1080p. Look at the ces thread for models to come which support it. I await these models at BB so i can get one.

With a proper 16:9 compression mode none of the TV's resolution is being wasted at all. It takes all the lines of the tv and pushes them together. I have a 36" Toshiba HDTV and the 16:9 mode brings the screen size down to approximately 34" which is on the large end for a HD 16:9 CRT anyway. The only negative about the TV is it doesn't support 720p but most CRTs don't anyway.

It is a very versitile TV especially if there are things that you enjoy that are 4:3. Sure, in a few years 16:9 will be the norm for everything and I'll be very pleased to see it but I'd rather still have a large screen 4:3 TV with a large screen 16:9 mode than a large screen 16:9 and a much smaller 4:3 mode.

 

[EclipseGST]

With a proper 16:9 compression mode none of the TV's resolution is being wasted at all. It takes all the lines of the tv and pushes them together. I have a 36" Toshiba HDTV and the 16:9 mode brings the screen size down to approximately 34" which is on the large end for a HD 16:9 CRT anyway. The only negative about the TV is it doesn't support 720p but most CRTs don't anyway.

It is a very versitile TV especially if there are things that you enjoy that are 4:3. Sure, in a few years 16:9 will be the norm for everything and I'll be very pleased to see it but I'd rather still have a large screen 4:3 TV with a large screen 16:9 mode than a large screen 16:9 and a much smaller 4:3 mode.

4:3 hdtv's aren't being made on larger sizes now so widescreen is the choice for anything bigger then 34-36". The market is for widescreen now more so then fullscreen.

 

[PG2G]

From what I've read, the new Hitachi sets are the best LCD sets out there, and possibly better than all of the DLPs as well.

 

[marsomega]

If you are still not sure about the plunge for a high quality HDTV set now you can do I did. Granted the set I wanted was a smaller compared to the set I bought (they were backordered, 11 customers backordered.)

What you can do is buy a small sufficient LCD HDTV set. They aren't that expensive if you look around. I bought one to replace my dual monitor set up and my Wega Trinitron set. So far it is awesome especially the tremendous space I gained. To be honest, I want to recommend you a brand but they are new (least this is the first time I hear of them). The quality of their 27 and 30 inch sets are absolutely stunning, and the 27 inch blows away anything in its price range (1000 USD at Best Buy.) Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one to notice this as all the stores in the area have people waiting on back orders. They had 3 left of the 30 inch one so I bought that one. The 30" one brings every connection you need, it even brings a PC audio connection and an absurd PIP capability (13 simultaneous sources.) This is only for the 30 inch though; the 27 inch just has the VGA (of course in addition to component, composite, etc...) except it’s only a grand. I bought the 4 year service plan only because I'm not familiar with the brand but I'm definitely enjoying every pixel of the 30 inch one.

Links
30 inch
27 inch

Best Buy has them. Warning though, the 4 year plan is bloody murder. My total for my 30 inch ended up at 2000 USD with tax, for 900 USD plus tax I could of have gone for the Sony 45 Inch (with out the service plan). But like I said, I rather wait before I splurge into a bigger set until next year. So far I might not even do that, as I love this one right now.

I really recommend you go to Best Buy and look at one. Get the 27 inch and wait it out till they become more compelling or you are sure of what you want. At 1000 USD it is not a bit a risk as in splurging 2900 USD++++ for 40 inch or a above of comparable quality.

 

[EclipseGST]

If you are still not sure about the plunge for a high quality HDTV set now you can do I did. Granted the set I wanted was a smaller compared to the set I bought (they were backordered, 11 customers backordered.)

What you can do is buy a small sufficient LCD HDTV set. They aren't that expensive if you look around. I bought one to replace my dual monitor set up and my Wega Trinitron set. So far it is awesome especially the tremendous space I gained. To be honest, I want to recommend you a brand but they are new (least this is the first time I hear of them). The quality of their 27 and 30 inch sets are absolutely stunning, and the 27 inch blows away anything in its price range (1000 USD at Best Buy.) Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one to notice this as all the stores in the area have people waiting on back orders. They had 3 left of the 30 inch one so I bought that one. The 30" one brings every connection you need, it even brings a PC audio connection and an absurd PIP capability (13 simultaneous sources.) This is only for the 30 inch though; the 27 inch just has the VGA (of course in addition to component, composite, etc...) except it’s only a grand. I bought the 4 year service plan only because I'm not familiar with the brand but I'm definitely enjoying every pixel of the 30 inch one.

Links
30 inch
27 inch

Best Buy has them. Warning though, the 4 year plan is bloody murder. My total for my 30 inch ended up at 2000 USD with tax, for 900 USD plus tax I could of have gone for the Sony 45 Inch (with out the service plan). But like I said, I rather wait before I splurge into a bigger set until next year. So far I might not even do that, as I love this one right now.

I really recommend you go to Best Buy and look at one. Get the 27 inch and wait it out till they become more compelling or you are sure of what you want. At 1000 USD it is not a bit a risk as in splurging 2900 USD++++ for 40 inch or a above of comparable quality.

I work in the home theater department and this set has to be the single worst lcd we have. I've seen this set come back to many times and i've already seen people come in with the service plans. for a bit more I would have told you to go with the 30" phillips.

 

[Nerevar]

51" 4:3 HDTV with 47" 16:9 view - $1200
47" 16:9 HDTV with 41" 4:3 view - $1200

That was the situation when I purchased my TV. You tell me which is the better deal. So what if later I waste 30%? I still have just as much as I would have with a 47" widescreen (you're basically throwing away 30% more screen for when you DO watch 4:3 content).

Do you turn down 30% extra cereal for free, too? I mean, your bowl fit the original amount jhust perfectly, why take the extra?

I think the situation has changed since you bought your TV though. while I understand where you're coming from, we're no longer in a time where a 16:9 TV inherently costs more than a 4:3 TV. I haven't even seen a 51" 4:3 TV on sale anymore.

 

[dammitmattt]

Sony Grand WEGA™ Widescreen LCD Rear-Projection HDTV
Sony 60" HDTV (KDF-WF655)

I have the 55" version of this TV and I absolutely love it and would recommend it to anyone. I got it for around $3000 at Circuit City (they price matched Best Buy's website) and the replacement plan was $500 (which includes bulb replacement, well worth the money). I went from a 27" Wega to this, so it was a huge difference for me. Let me quickly run down the positives and negatives of this television.

Positives

Great value - this is one of the best values in LCD projection televisions. You can't get a better TV for the price. If you want to get a better LCD projection TV, you will have to spend at least another $1000.

Great picture quality - I have seen essentially zero artifacts that you see with other cheaper LCD TVs. It comes set up pretty well right out of the box, and it's very easy to tweak your settings. The picture is nice and bright, and blacks are very good for an LCD TV (though of course they are not as good as more expensive plasmas and smaller CRTs). It's max resolution is 720p, and it converts all 1080i signals to 720p with no visible degradation.

Beautiful Constructed TV - The color combination is absolutely beautiful and is a huge improvement on the previous all gray LCD projection TVs. The black border around the TV allows the black bars (if there are any) to just blend in to the TV, and you don't even notice them in a dark room. The TV is very light and feels very solid without taking up a lot of room, and all inputs and buttons are easy to access.

Great for HDTV and DVD - It's HDTV Built-In, so you don't need to buy a box, and HDTV looks absolutely beautiful on it. Don't get a TV like this if you aren't planning to get HDTV as well. It's the best use for the TV by far.

Good for games, for now - To be honest, most games don't look at good on this TV as they did on my 27" Wega. However, games such as Soul Calibur that are 720p look absolutely gorgeous, and the next generation of games will look incredible. How much you enjoy game son this TV depends on how close you are to the TV and if the game has a widescreen mode.

Awesome sound - something often overlooked in TVs is the sound quality, and with the built-in subwoofer, the sound that comes out of this relatively small TV is amazing. I haven't gotten around to moving my speakers to accomodate my new TV and I really don't miss the 5.1 sound that much because the TV sounds so damn good.

Cool Picture in Picture feature - You can have two full 27" or so screens side by side, and one of them can even be a widescreen source. I have often used this feature to watch two football games at once (although you can only have one HD source at a time) or to play games while I'm watching Sportscenter or a game. Very useful and easy to use.

Negatives

No 1080i, though you won't miss it.

Blacks could be better, but they're good enough.

Most of this generation of games look better on a 4:3 TV, though you can just play with bars on the side and have a great 4:3 picture.

You will not want to watch regular cable after you regularly watch HDTV, and regular cable just does not look very good on a big screen.

You will not want to leave it to travel for your job (like I have to do every week).

Only 2 component inputs (you can never have enough).

No DVI input (only HDMI).

As you can see, most of the negatives are just nit-picky things.

Let me know if you have any questions about this TV. By the way, the 34" XBR is an incredible TV, but it's just not big enough for a living room where you want to watch a lot of movies and HDTV with many people.

 

[Nerevar]

A couple points ...

Negatives

No 1080i, though you won't miss it.

Well, to be fair, the TV can accept a 1080i signal, it just converts it to its native resolution (which is closer to 720p) and displays it. I couldn't tell the difference when I saw it hooked up to an upconverting DVD player in the store between the two resolutions (720p vs. 1080i), and I don't think most will.

You will not want to leave it to travel for your job (like I have to do every week).

:lol tell me about it.

No DVI input (only HDMI).

This isn't a problem as DVI - HDMI cables are VERY common and VERY cheap, making this a non-issue.