Need help buying a new TV

[Christoph the Magus]

Happy New Year!

Our main TV is going out and my wife and I are looking to buy a new one. The last time I was shopping for a TV was about 7 years ago and a lot has changed. I need some of you to share your expertise with me and advise me on what I should be looking for. Here's what we have, what we intend to have, etc.

Total we're willing to spend: 500

We use our TV to watch non HD cable and DVD movies. We intend to buy a Nintendo Wii in the near future. (We'd actually be buying that now, if the TV hadn't gone bad.) We have no stereo/surround sound equipment hooked up at the moment. We have a TV stand and my wife is not interested in anything that would hang on the wall at this time.

Our current TV is 27" and we'd like to stay at that size or larger.

Please let me know if you need any other info in order assist us.

Thanks!

 

[John Crichton]

I guess the question from me is if you want to spend a little more and get some HD capabilities for the future. There are some heavy CRT TVs that are under $1000 that will get you widescreen and still sit nicely on your TV stand at around 25-30 inches.

 

[Christoph the Magus]

I guess the question from me is if you want to spend a little more and get some HD capabilities for the future. There are some heavy CRT TVs that are under $1000 that will get you widescreen and still sit nicely on your TV stand at around 25-30 inches.

Thanks for the reply, John. I don't know enough about HD to know if we want it or not. Can you tell me why we would benefit from having a HDTV?

 

[GlassJaw]

My advice? Get a relatively inexpensive CRT now if you aren't watching any HD-sources. You can get a decent CRT for $500. Don't spend a lot on a CRT now because they are quickly becoming obsolete.

HDTV prices are going to be dropping a LOT in the next couple of years as 2008 approaches.

 

[GlassJaw]

Can you tell me why we would benefit from having a HDTV?

Umm, because it's awesome.

 

[LightPhoenix]

To be a little more complete -

HDTV is basically like switching your monitor to a higher resolution. You'll get a cleaner, sharper picture, better colors, better contrast, and a little less blurriness during moving scenes. It's a lot better of a picture than a typical signal.

That said, right now it sounds like the only benefits you'd be getting from it are your DVDs and your Wii.

Why some people are saying to hold off is that the FCC is trying to get all television signals sent in HD format (whether ground cable or satellite) by 2009. That means that HDTVs will probably have to drop in price before then. Of course, technology is also advancing at a rapid pace. Should they be successful this time (they've been trying for many years now, and the date keeps getting moved) you'll be equipped to deal with it. That said, there will have to be converters for sale as well.

If you're willing to spend no more than five-hundred, I think I would agree. Buy something that can hold for a year or two, and save up a decent chunk of money to get an HD LCD TV. My personal feeling on the matter is that regardless of HDTV, a TV is something you want to spend a lot on, to make sure that in ten years you still have a pretty good set, and don't need to replace it.

 

[Christoph the Magus]

Thanks LP. That all makes sense. We're saving for a house and trying to keep other expenses to a minimum. Hopefully we'll be in a better position to drop some money on a decent HD TV by 2009.

 

[Thanee]

Why not get a used one for now then?

Bye
Thanee

 

[xmanii]

Try Freecycle or Craigslist to get a free/cheap TV, that will hold you over.

 

[3catcircus]

Thanks LP. That all makes sense. We're saving for a house and trying to keep other expenses to a minimum. Hopefully we'll be in a better position to drop some money on a decent HD TV by 2009.

If you don't mind the amortization scheme, you might consider including the costs of a home theater in the mortgage - I am assuming you are building and not buying a home.