New HDTV Purchase

Exactly. I'd add that its thanks to the people who buy tech when it is still expensive that the companies can eventually bring the price down. Which is exactly what's been happening in the HDTV arena where prices for any given screen size have been falling 20-30% per year while the tech inside gets better & better (faster decoders, 720p --> 1080i, bulb --> LED, added HDMI, etc.).

And I did just spend $2K on a new PC. :-D

Clocker - I'm pretty sure that's the same set we've been eying to mark our entrance to the world of HD. We're looking to buy towards the end of the year or early next year, though. I already know what my first HD/BD DVD will be.

I seem to have little problem disposing of my disposable income. :eek:
 
P5-133XL said:
The longer you wait, the better the technology and the cheaper it will be...
Click to expand...

I highly suspect there will be a nasty bump in HDTV demand when the NTSC cutoff date hits and prices will rise accordingly with the nasty bump. Still, I don't plan on purchasing a "native" HD-TV system until a couple or so years after the NTSC cutoff date.

I presently view over-the-air HD-TV broadcasts with my inexpensive Samsung HDTV broadcast tuner / decoder box. My "old" Samsung 35-inch CRT television is capable of handling S-VHS and non-interlaced 640p signals from the external Samsung SIR-T451 HDTV broadcast tuner / decoder.





Clocker said:
...new entertainment area going in my newly finished basement.
Click to expand...

A bit off-topic, but, I hope you made the extra effort to ensure that the basement is leakproof. I've heard too many horror stories over the years about people losing expensive equipment (entertainment, musical, etc) to water intrusion in converted basements.
 
After spending over a year of free-time working on my basement, a $2,000 TV and other little toys would be the least of my worries.

Needless to say, when I do a job like my basement, I do it right. :-)
 
1st Review Samsung LED backlit 52in LCD

Hits and misses of a new technology. I particularly do not like lack of shadow details, makes a huge difference to me.

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/Samsung-LE52F96BD/

Say tannin, what's wrong with those uk reviewers quoting screen sizes in inches, don't they know it's the 21st century :D


maybe these will help:
http://www.hdtv-news.co.uk/2007/07/16/microsemi-announces-new-lcd-technology-for-hdtv/


According to the company the DAZL! chipsets can produce unprecedented colour-uniformity, brightness and contrast. They also provide smear free movement and energy saving advantages.

The chipsets could also lead to a 30% cut in price as they substantially reduce the number of components needed to build LED backlights. They also save significant board space.

A single chip can support up to 15 LEDs per cluster. This is more than double conventional solutions.
Click to expand...

In other news, those crazy Oz peeps are at it again...must be tannins influence, right?

Banning LCD & Plasma TV's for excessive power consumption:rant:

http://www.hdtv-news.co.uk/2007/10/15/lcd-and-plasma-tvs-banned-in-australia/
 
You've hidden the track and the motor really well. I'm referring to the contraption that watches what you're seeing on the monitor and makes it move left or right. And when it breaks down you'll get "tennis neck". :-D

Congrats!
 
:p Thanks. It's actually just the right size for video games when sitting forward (captures peripheral vision) and good for reading when sitting back (all right in front of me).

When I first put it on the desk I thought "shit, too big". But now I'm thinking "darn, a 50" would have fit"!
 
Speaking of HDTV's, I ended up buying a Samsung FPT5084, 50 plasma back at the beginning of September and it seems to be great. Now I'm just waiting for the HD market to solidify on a format before going down one of those roads.
 
Handruin said:
Speaking of HDTV's, I ended up buying a Samsung FPT5084, 50 plasma back at the beginning of September and it seems to be great. Now I'm just waiting for the HD market to solidify on a format before going down one of those roads.
Click to expand...

Has anyone with a plasma hooked up a computer via DVI? How does the image quality compare with a LCD of similar resolution?
 
Generally, HDTVs don't look that good for primary displays. They're spectacular for gaming an multimedia, but not for 'real' computing applications. I have a PC hooked up to a 720P DLP set and another to a 1080P LCD, and while I'm glad to have them, my forum-ing and reading is done on actual computer monitors.
 
Mercutio said:
Generally, HDTVs don't look that good for primary displays. They're spectacular for gaming an multimedia, but not for 'real' computing applications. I have a PC hooked up to a 720P DLP set and another to a 1080P LCD, and while I'm glad to have them, my forum-ing and reading is done on actual computer monitors.
Click to expand...

I'm not planning on replacing my primary computer monitor. This is more for my living room. When I buy a new TV I will be connecting my computer to it via DVI. I don't really like how LCDs look for a lot of content, I prefer plasmas. I have seen a Westinghouse 1080p LCD connected via DVI and it looks quite good as a computer display. How would something like the Panasonic 42" 1080p Plasma look in comparison? It runs 1920x1080.
 
Plasmas have more vibrant displays, but actually display a smaller gamut of color, limited lifespan and also have issues with burn-in. I don't think it would be a very good idea to use a Plasma screen as a PC display.
 
Uh, also, the electronics industry is moving away from that technology. From what I've read, 2008 will probably be the last year that plasma screens are widely available.
 
So at work I am designing a new operations console for the datacenter. Currently have a dozen 20" Dell LCDs, and three 32" NEC 1280*720 displays up high.

My thinking is that the new design will have two positions for the operators to sit, and in front of each I'm going with dual 30" screens at 2560*1600. Any alerts will popup on these screens, where they have a higher likelihood of being noticed than some screens way above the head. Can use something like this:

http://www.splitview.com/screenshots.htm

to virtually split the screens in halves/quarters if needed. Biggest potential problem is failing eyesight with some of the more mature operators. But I'm guessing 2560*1200 at 30", from a distance of three feet or so, shouldn't be too much of a strain.

And then a bunch of 50" 1080p screens (LCD or plasma) to make the place pretty for tours.

Thoughts?
 
Text and stuff on 30" 2560x1600 is a bit small for my taste. The massive desktop is nice, but the text is small. I forget which review I was reading, but it showed a comparison of the size of standard text across different screen size/resolution combinations.

Also, if you are going to be using multiple small windows across multiple monitors, the 30" screens aren't worth the premium IMHO. Only if you have one big thing to display do they make sense. If you have lists of things, do 24" widescreen monitors in portrait mode; high density with minimal scrolling.
 
There will be multiple windows monitoring different things. A lot of it is browser based. Actual text work is pretty minimal. Price premium of the 30" is not an issue. From an ergonomic perspective, I would rather have two 30" that are height/depth adjustable, than say four 20" screens, in a 2*2 grid. I want to avoid neck strain. Also it saves in terms of number of keyboards/mice needed to run a given amount of real estate.

Good news: I have been given the go ahead to examine projection in lieu of 50" plasmas. That plus SmartBoards would be quite sweet, this would be the second tier of displays. So they only have to raise their eyes to go from the 30s to the big wall of projected goodness. Got to look at bulb cost/lamp life because they would be running 24*7. 1920*1080 all the way :)
 
When I did the cost/hr calculations on projectors, I found that getting a more powerful one so you can run it in economy mode all the time made more sense.
 
Mercutio said:
Plasmas have more vibrant displays, but actually display a smaller gamut of color, limited lifespan and also have issues with burn-in. I don't think it would be a very good idea to use a Plasma screen as a PC display.
Click to expand...

I don't plan to use it for operating the computer for a long period of time. It would be used to browse through media, select something, and then play it on the screen. Maybe a small amount of web browsing, but nothing for an extended period of time.

This article about Plasma burn-in is interesting. I wonder if turning on anti burn-in protection would help significantly with something like web browsing?

What would you recommend getting in a 42" 1920x1080 display?
 
Burn in is a really horrible problem with Plasma. All it takes is 10 or 15 minutes where even a part of the screen is static to get something that's never going to go away. I don't think I'd want to risk the possibility that the machine is NEVER going to lock up and that you're ALWAYS going to remember to shut off the display.

How would you like to have a BSOD or for that matter the start button forever imprinted on your $1600 monitor?

Also, you should be able to find 47" LCDs for that price. I buy mine at Costco with an Amex card, which gives me double warranty and a handy, local place to return it if it dies somehow. Maybe less of an issue for someone who lives in a highrise, but I've never, ever heard a story of someone who was actually happy with warranty service on their HDTV.
 
Well, I'm happy with my warranty service for my HDTV: It's never been used and I like it that way ...
 
I'm pretty happy with Sharp. I had a display issue and sent an e-mail via their web site. 3 hours later I got a response that said to call them. I did, and after a minute or so on hold I talked to a tech that talked me through it. Can't complain.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top