Topic: What size is your TV?

[ScaryTooth]

I'm thinking about getting a 42 incher; The Panasonic Viera. I was gonna get a 50, but I'm not sure 8 inches is worth the $300-$400 price difference.

How do you guys like your big ass tv's?

[W7RE]

I have a 15" CRT on my desk. That's it. I play Xbox on my PC monitor though, which is a 22" widescreen.

[Cobra951]

I use a 16:9 23" Samsung for everything, including TV.  A 50" TV is much larger than a 42" TV.  Think square inches here, not (linear) diagonals.

[Schlotzky5]

I've got a 24" 16:10 computer monitor that has inputs for just about everything. I use the monitor as a tv.

If youre looking for a guide on the tv to get...


http://www.gliffy.com/gliffy/api/clientdiagramjpeg?did=1882613&pk=pub&size=L&tc=1258681641912

[Quemaqua]

I have 46" and 50" Panasonic Vieras and highly recommend them.  For the price they're really great TVs.  I've long been a supporter of Panasonic and think they make a much higher quality product than most.  Literally the only beef I have with these is that there's no headphone jack, which sucks for me a bit because I play games fairly late at night and my wife often goes to bed early.  But it's not that big of a deal.

[beo]

Ok Que, you never get to call yourself poor again. I currently play everything on a 19" crt. Seriously considering a 32" LG I've seen on the cheap.

[Quemaqua]

My grandpa died and left me some money and our old TV upstairs was dying, or it wouldn't have happened.  I bought the smaller one a couple years ago, and we needed to replace our living room TV (which was an old standard one), so... we splurged.

[Pugnate]

I would always recommend a Samsung. Whenever I've seen any TV next to a Samsung, it literally pales in comparison.

[Ghandi]

Topic: What size is your TV?

It's not the size that matters. It's how much people enjoy it.

[MysterD]

It's not the size that matters. It's how much people enjoy it.

I thought both matter?

[Ghandi]

Jesus. I set myself up there on purpose. There was supposed to be a funny response.

Example: Next time, say something like, "Of course you'd say something like that when you've got such a small set."

See?

[MysterD]

Jesus. I set myself up there on purpose. There was supposed to be a funny response.

I know it was a funny response.
But, I answered it normally, like only MysterD can do.
I play forums like a chess board, not a checker board.

[Quemaqua]

Samsung is pretty good, I have a small one in the other room and both of my monitors are Samsung LCD/LED, but I still prefer Panasonic.

[Cobra951]

Ghandi, you're wasting your time.

Prices on screens are the best they've ever been and may even go lower.  I got an email from CompUSA recently advertising a $300 26-inch Samsung 1080P HDTV that gives you all the inputs and functionality I'd ever want, PC included.  It makes me do a facepalm, thinking of what I paid for this 23" 720P (1366x768 actually).  So jump in.  The water's fine.

[Pugnate]

There is a reason for the price drop.

All the major companies like Samsung, Panaosonic etc., will be launching 3D compatible LCD TVs next year. The cost of production isn't much higher, which is why the new TVs will be similarly priced.

With most major studios talking about going 3D with their movies within the next five years, I guess it doesn't hurt to have an LCD that is at least compatible.

[ScaryTooth]

Good infos.

My monitors have all been Samsung, they make great ones. I do have a big CRT TV set that sits in the bed room, I've had it for about 8 years now, and it's a Samsung. My main TV that is in the living room is a Sharp Aquos. Which I absolutely love. The TV has been all kind of awesome and still is for the whole 4-5 years I've had it. It's smaller though. It's only 32 inches. So, I was thinking of going bigger. A Chirstmas/birthday gift for myself I guess.

[K-man]

I've got a 50 inch Panasonic LCD Projection TV in the man cave, and a 32 inch Vizio in the living room.  I couldn't fit the big TV in the living room due to layout...and honestly I prefer it back here anyway hehehehe.

[iPPi]

I currently use a 62" Toshiba DLP.  It's a couple of years old so it only supports up to 1080i.  I used to have a 52" 1080p Samsung LCD but I gave it to my parents.

I highly recommend Samsung.  The top of the line and new models are LED backlit, so expect excellect contrast ratios and low power consumption, but they carry a high price tag.  If you go for the non LED backlit screens (the name eludes me at the moment), the prices are extremely reasonable at this time. 

[Quemaqua]

I still prefer plasma to LCD, or even LED, mostly for viewing angle reasons.  Works much better for us in the living room in particular.  An LCD is just too limiting.  My new LED monitor is really fantastic, but even sitting close to it and such I do occasionally have issues with the viewing angle since it doesn't quite angle down far enough to suit my sitting position at times.  And I far prefer the flexibility of the features that my Panasonic TVs have compared to the Samsung.  It took ages to get the Samsung to look right despite having a naturally clear picture, where the Panasonics seem to have an easier and wider range of options that got me into the sweet spot far more quickly.  I don't mean to say that the Samsung is crippled or anything, the menus were just a bit wonkier and slower, and there were a few options that were sort of vague and such.

[gpw11]

I rock a 20" CRT I've had since first moving out at 18. Samsung, mono, fucking badass. I basically watch zero TV at home, so it's never been a huge priority to get a bigger/better one.  Really, the only thing I watch on TV are sports and it works fine for that if I'm stuck at home.  I don't watch a lot of movies, but when I do I usually watch them on my pc or laptop anyways. The last few places I've lived in had roomates with pretty badass televisions, so that's worked out when there's a few of us who want to sit down and watch hockey, football, or a movie (or motherfucking LOST).

I've been looking at getting an HD set for a while now, but it's not a huge priority considering all the other shit that's gotta be paid for first. I'll probably be moving again in a few months so after that's all said and done I'll probably get something modest in the mid-to-high 30" range. Aaaaand probably a PS3 and a new addiction to go along with it.

[beo]

ok, i'm almost certainly going to get a new tv on friday. at the moment i'm having trouble deciding between a 100hz 32" model and a 50hz 37". they're both the same price, by the same manufacturer, and having seen the screens they are of comparable quality. my main use for this will be gaming... any advice?

[ren]

I don't own a tv. It seems that many people my age don't. We all just watch shows on the computer through dvds or the internet.

[W7RE]

I don't own a tv. It seems that many people my age don't. We all just watch shows on the computer through dvds or the internet.

Actually the 15" TV on my desk isn't even mine, I'm borrowing it from my parents since they weren't using it. Part of why I'd like a 27-32 inch range HDTV. It would (barely) fit on my desk, and I could use it elsewhere when I move into a bigger place. Also I've heard that PS3's on a 16:10 screen have no option but to stretch to fit. If that's true I'd rather play on a 16:9 screen.

[Xessive]

Actually the 15" TV on my desk isn't even mine, I'm borrowing it from my parents since they weren't using it. Part of why I'd like a 27-32 inch range HDTV. It would (barely) fit on my desk, and I could use it elsewhere when I move into a bigger place. Also I've heard that PS3's on a 16:10 screen have no option but to stretch to fit. If that's true I'd rather play on a 16:9 screen.

I was using my PS3 on a 16:10 screen and it doesn't stretch to fit exactly, it just cuts off the sides so it fits vertically. Kinda sucks but isn't obstructive in most games. It's like overscan, the proportions are untouched. If I changed the display mode to a lower resolution it would stretch.

The Xbox 360, however, seems to have resolution options like a PC! I was able to get it working on a 17" monitor at a 5:4 ratio 1280x1024! The PS3 was limited to basic 4:3 and 16:9.

[W7RE]

The Xbox 360, however, seems to have resolution options like a PC! I was able to get it working on a 17" monitor at a 5:4 ratio 1280x1024! The PS3 was limited to basic 4:3 and 16:9.

Yea I use my 360 on my 16:10 monitor and have the game system setup for 1680x1050 resolution. Games play in 720p and are upscaled by the 360 to 1680x1050, with black bars on the top and bottom of the screen. I've tried setting the 360 to 720p and letting my monitor deal with it resolution difference, and it actually looks worse than using the game system's upscaler. I was surprised at how well it worked on my monitor.

[Pugnate]

There is no decently priced monitor that compares to a good LCD TV.

Chances are that if you spent about $300 on a 24'' monitor, that it has a TN panel, and they are quite poor. Always make sure you get an IPS panel... and if you are shopping for a TV, ignore it like the plague if it is supposedly 6 bits.

A really good IPS panel monitor will cost about $500, but will be worth it. There will be less black light bleeding, and the colors including the whites and blacks will be more vibrant, lush, yet natural. On the other hand, everything on a TN panel will look washed out.

Essentially an IPS panel monitor will look as good as a good LCD TV.

There is a reason why Scottws' NEC monitor was 20'' yet cost more than a 24'' TN monitor.

So yea, if the price is low, you should understand why.

[ren]

I ended up spending far too much money on an awesome 24" panel a few years ago. A big screen monitor is pretty much thebest solution when you have a small room and no cable to bother hooking a tv up to.

[W7RE]

I would just get a monitor to use as a tv since I'd never use a tuner, since I just want something to go on my desk nexto my monitor. Then I'd have to worry about how to get audio though, like a cheap set of speakers or something.

[Cobra951]

Yea I use my 360 on my 16:10 monitor and have the game system setup for 1680x1050 resolution. Games play in 720p and are upscaled by the 360 to 1680x1050, with black bars on the top and bottom of the screen. I've tried setting the 360 to 720p and letting my monitor deal with it resolution difference, and it actually looks worse than using the game system's upscaler. I was surprised at how well it worked on my monitor.

Unlike the PS3, the 360 has dedicated hardware to handle the scaling.  So the functionality is independent of what the game running supports.  They've been adding more resolutions, apparently by popular demand.  I had my 360 hooked up to a 16:10 Acer monitor initially, in late '06; but there was no support for it.  So I had to make do with the slightly wrong aspect ratio (720P stretch from 16:9 to 16:10).