Topic: new HD tv advice?

[kgreener]

I'll urge you to run down to Costco and check out that Vizio 50" plasma for $2499.  I know it's slightly beyond your budget (after tax), but the Costco return policy is basically like an extended warranty and that's worth it's weight in gold.  The picture is fantastic and very comparable to the high end Panasonic and Pioneer plasmas.  Chances are, the Costco has one of these setup next to a 'name' brand, so you could see for yourself.  Another great thing about the Vizio is that it has a holy ton of inputs...2 HDMI, 2 component, 2 analog (s-video or composite) and an RGB input.  Oh yeah, it does Picture in Picture as well as picture by picture (divides the screen into two).  I've used that to watch two HD football games on Sunday
I moved from a 32" Sony Wega to the Vizio and am very happy.  There was no way I was going to get a projection set of any kind.  IMO, that would be a step down.
For great reviews (from picky people like ourselves)   check out www.avsforum.com   There is probably in depth reviews of every set you can think of on there.
Later,
   pjdavep

I looked up this Vizio plasma and read some good things about it, which also led me to discover some things about the Maxent 50" plasma that Best Buy sells which is similar to the Vizio at the same price point.  Thanks for the lead, I would have never known about this.

This brought about some questions about hi-def tv's as a monitor vs. a hi-def with a built-in tuner.  all along i've thought "well of course i'm going to buy one with a tuner built-in...no way i'll get "just" a monitor."  but am i wrong in this thinking?  heck, i've been using an "outboard" cable box from Comcast for my digital TV, and will probably do the same once i get hi-def, especially since i will want DVR capabilities.  So, my feelings now are, maybe not having a built-in ATSC/MTSC tuner is not such a big deal after all?  or will i regret not having one down the line in the future?

i guess the analogy one could use is the same with audio gear... we use outboard preamps/AD converters (V3, UA5, MP2, etc) into our recording devices all the time.  why not do the same with our tv inputs?  this of course includes dvd players, gaming devices, etc. as well cables boxes. 

thoughts anyone?  Gracias.

[scervin]

Personally I buy HD monitors.  The HD tuners are only useful if you can get OTA HD (which I do).  I have DTV and run 2 HD boxes (tuner).  My 10' boom antenna in the attic is grabbing all local HD and I get the HD DTV package (may drop it soon).  I have found the OTA HD to be beter than what I get via DTV

If you are using Comcast for HD don't pay the extra for a built-in tuner ($300). 

[kgreener]

this is what i wanted to hear.  thanks Scott +t

[pjdavep]

I looked up this Vizio plasma and read some good things about it, which also led me to discover some things about the Maxent 50" plasma that Best Buy sells which is similar to the Vizio at the same price point.  Thanks for the lead, I would have never known about this.

This brought about some questions about hi-def tv's as a monitor vs. a hi-def with a built-in tuner.  all along i've thought "well of course i'm going to buy one with a tuner built-in...no way i'll get "just" a monitor."  but am i wrong in this thinking?  heck, i've been using an "outboard" cable box from Comcast for my digital TV, and will probably do the same once i get hi-def, especially since i will want DVR capabilities.  So, my feelings now are, maybe not having a built-in ATSC/MTSC tuner is not such a big deal after all?  or will i regret not having one down the line in the future?

I *think* that Costco may carry that Maxent as well....and a quick search of costco.com revealed that they do indeed carry it for $2499.  I was very impressed with the Maxent 42" that I saw at Costco, but I had to go with a 50 incher.  

I agree with Scott about not needing a tuner.  It's just something else that can become outdated!  All the cable companies have their own boxes, and DirecTV boxes have built in OTA tuners.  I'm close to the antenna farm and have an antenna in my attic that picks up everything just fine.  Check out www.antennaweb.org to see how far you are from your local antennas.

Later,
   pjdavep

[nickgregory]

Personally I buy HD monitors.  The HD tuners are only useful if you can get OTA HD (which I do).  I have DTV and run 2 HD boxes (tuner).  My 10' boom antenna in the attic is grabbing all local HD and I get the HD DTV package (may drop it soon).  I have found the OTA HD to be beter than what I get via DTV

agree with scott that OTA HD is markedly better than DTV HD, as I get my locals HD OTA now.  One thing to keep in mind is at least with a couple of the DTV boxes (and maybe for all of them), you could feed it both an antenna feed and a DTV feed and it will decode both and build them both into the on screen guide.  This way, you still really only need a HD Monitor set..

[dmonterisi]

Personally I buy HD monitors.  The HD tuners are only useful if you can get OTA HD (which I do).  I have DTV and run 2 HD boxes (tuner).  My 10' boom antenna in the attic is grabbing all local HD and I get the HD DTV package (may drop it soon).  I have found the OTA HD to be beter than what I get via DTV

If you are using Comcast for HD don't pay the extra for a built-in tuner ($300). 

but what if you are getting HDTV via cable and using a cable card instead of a box, you need an HD tuner in your set don't you?

edit to say HDTV rather than directv.

[nickgregory]

Personally I buy HD monitors.  The HD tuners are only useful if you can get OTA HD (which I do).  I have DTV and run 2 HD boxes (tuner).  My 10' boom antenna in the attic is grabbing all local HD and I get the HD DTV package (may drop it soon).  I have found the OTA HD to be beter than what I get via DTV

If you are using Comcast for HD don't pay the extra for a built-in tuner ($300). 

but what if you are getting dirctTV via cable and using a cable card instead of a box, you need an HD tuner in your set don't you?

I believe so, unless they built a tuner into that cable card

[carlbeck]

Also you can not purchase any pay per view movies or events if you do not have a cable box.

[scervin]

Never been a fan of the cable card.  Now they build them into the front of the tv, but my neighbor calls me over everytime he gets a card update or something goes wrong.  He doesn't like moving his 300 lb tv from above the fireplace alone.   

I guess I haven't really looked into the cable card option.  I'm always looking for the best OTA tuner and have found that in the set top box.

[kgreener]

i've been out of the TS loop for like the past month as my focus changed entirely to my search for a big screen HDTV, and i finally made my purchase a few weeks ago.  i ended up going with the previously mentioned Maxent MX-50X3 50" plasma and i'm really digging it.  after much research on AVS Forum i decided to take the plunge after learning that most of these units are built with 7th or possibly 8th generation Panasonic glass, as well as the same internals Panny's use that are made by Matsushita.  Bought the unit at Best Buy, as there are only a few places to buy these...Costco, Best Buy and a few others, however some claim the model Best Buy carries is different from what Costco carries, and the BB units are supposed to be of higher quality than the Costco units (the AVS link below explains this though be forewarned, it's a long read).  As mentioned by pjdavep, if you buy from Costco, you might want to check out the Vizio 50" as this unit is supposed to be better than the Costco-carried Maxent 50" (which is a different flavor than what BB carries.  I've also read, for instance, that the 42" Maxent is supposedly not as nice as the 50" Maxent for whatever reasons. Yes, confusing indeed!).  However, I don't have any Costco's near me so I investigated the Maxent 50" instead.

After comparing it head-to-head and side-by-side with other units such as the aforementioned Panasonic, Toshiba, Philips, Zenith, and even the plasma standard Pioneer, I really liked what I saw so I took the plunge for $2599.00.  The day I first saw this thing in the store I didn't realize it was on sale for $2399 and two days later i bought it at $2599 (duh), but it just went back down to $2469 so i got $135 back yesterday from their 30 day price guarantee thingy.  I have 30 days to return it if i don't like it, and i also got the 4 yr. extended warranty for $299 (edit: $399...my bad).  Warranties are something I don't normally do, but since it was a much less expensive unit to begin with, and a new-company-on-the-block, i figured 4 yrs of in-home service for 299 sounds pretty friggin' good, especially since if they can't fix your unit in home, they will give you a new one on the spot.  not bad.

AVS Forum MX-50X3 thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=595430&page=1&pp=30&highlight=maxent

fwiw, my pal who recently purchased the highly-rated Panny TH-50PX50U 50" (at $3999) was over for a game the other night and he was blown away with the picture quality and said he felt as if he was sitting at home watching his Panasonic.  We ended up watching other hi-def broadcasts as the game was a blowout (LSU-Miami) and after a few hours he saw nary a difference between his unit and this Maxent.  Oh yeah, I should mention also that I picked up the Avia Guide to Home Theater DVD that assisted me in self-calibrating this unit.  I figured it was $35 well spent...

When I first started this HDTV quest i had plasma on my mind, and i had a thing for the Panasonic plasma, but the price tag was just too steep for my budget.  I then looked at LCD's, and while I do like them, with the new finished basement i now have, and the entertaining i do for all types of sporting events, i wanted the widest viewing angle possible for the sometimes 15-20 guys who might be down there watching.  I always ended up coming back to plasma cuz i could see the so screen well from all angles with no degradation of picture quality.  When the Maxent came about it was as if it was meant to be: an affordable, well-built unit that wouldn't break the bank for me.  The money I saved buying this HDTV has now been invested in a new surround unit (Onkyo TX-SR603X receiver and Infiniti TSS-750 surround speaker system).  Instead of 4K for a 50" Panasonic plasma, i now have a 50" plasma and a new sound system.

Hope this helps!
Keith

p.s. a friend just told me the other day Maxent plasmas are mentioned in the latest edition of Budget Living Magazine.  not sure if the write-up is for this exact unit, and the info is not online yet, but just thought i'd mention it anyway: http://www.budgetlivingmedia.com/issue200521/index.php

[scervin]

Glad you found something!  HD is great and I'm sure you will enjoy the set for many years.  There are many companies out there now sharing parts and info.  The one thing that will differ is QC.

You might think about picking up DVE as well as I have found it better for digital displays.  If you want PM me for more info.

sc

[kgreener]

thanks Scott!  yes, QC might become an issue at some point, but i figure as long as i have the 4 yr warranty, i'm impressed with the build quality (which I am), and i like what i'm seeing from this set, i can always either get a new set if this one "breaks" or trade it in for another.  thanks for the pointer about the DVE disc.  i had debated between the two and kept reading Avia, Avia, Avia.  Didn't realize it was made in '99 and was more for tube sets.   though I did have some success with Avia, it makes sense that the DVE disc might be better for digital displays as it was made only a year ago.  i'll have to grab a copy and maybe i'll end up selling my Avia disc instead.

thanks again!
Keith

[carlbeck]

I ended up purchasing the Zenith 50" Plasma because the Maxent was not available. I am pleased with it but do not find the picture bright enough for my liking with the brightness & contrast down around 50% If I could see the Maxent I would have bought it but there were none to be found in my area.

[kgreener]

Carl, i'm sure with a little self-calibration you'll be able to hone in on what is pleasing to your eyes.  The previously mentioned DVE and Avia discs are a big help with this so you might want to check out that route too.  I've found other factors such as lighting level, window or light reflections, etc. make a big difference in how you view your set.  BTW, what is the source you are using when you say it's not quite bright enough? (Set Top Box? satellite? dvd?)  Also, how are you running it into your set?  (component? HDMI?  AV?)   You might want to try more than one method of feeding the signal in.   On my set I'm liking STB > DVI > HDMI the best, though Component is a close second in picture quality.  And, AV seems to work better on the Standard Def channels than these other two.

I have learned one thing...goddamn have i learned a lot about hi-def in a short period of time!  So much to learn, so many possible combinations, especially when you add in something like a surround receiver.  But I'm having a blast no doubt 

[carlbeck]

I am concerned about the lack of brightness whether it be STB>DVI>HDMI or component. I have looked at DVD's as well as my STB & they all seem a little dark. A tad too dark for my liking. I jack the brightness up it is fine but how will that affect the life of the set? No clue but can't be good!

My SD channels are HORRIBLE, but my signal blows unless it is one of my HDTV channels.