Jennifer in MI Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 We're ready to join the world of the flat screen and need your help! 1. Do we want plasma or is HD enough? Which uses more electricity? 2. How do you plug a DVD/VCR into it if it isn't included in the TV? We're planning to mount it above our fireplace and can't figure out where to hide the DVD player! Is there a secret we just don't know about? Or do you just put it on your mantle? 3. What size do you have? We have a VERY long room (think 25 - 30 feet) where people will be watching. We aren't really big TV watchers, but we like to watch baseball and the occasional movie. Our current 13" just isn't cutting it! LOL 4. Where can I get a decent deal? Any particular brands you'd recommend? The cheapest I've seen are at Sam's Club - Vizio brand. Do any of you know it? I think that's it!! Thanks in advance for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli in TN Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 The deal at our house was that if dh was going spend the money to get a plasma and stick that big honkin' monster in my living room, then he agreed to pay for a professional installation so that it looked neat and tidy. I just spent about 10 minutes preparing a show and tell for you. Can you come over to my blog for a minute, and I will show you how we did it.:D Plasma TV at Kelli's house, bring popcorn. Of course my children said "Mom, why are taking pictures of the tv?" "Hush children, do your math and ignore Mom!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in MD Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 accessories gave me some good ideas. Now I only need to empty a few cabinets. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krista in LA Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 And it happens to be a Vizio. Our 27" JVC that dh bought in 1989 finally died, so we went browsing this weekend. I learned a lot. From what I understand, you want LCD, not plasma or HDP. The 1080p is supposedly the best, but also tends to cost more. We ended up with a 32" Vizio, LCD, 1080i. It has a great picture. I can't believe how clear the digital channels are - we don't have cable, just use rabbit ears, and it's incredible! The pictures look like we have cable. We are very happy with it so far. Sears price matched Sam's taking an extra 10% of the price difference off so it was $588. We could have gotten the 42" for only $945. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I have plasma and high defs and I can tell you that I can't tell the difference in the picture. My husband thinks he can but I can't. We have a high def over the bar in the basement for watching ballgames and such and it is mounted on the wall. The man who installed it ran the cables behind the wall and to a little closet where the cable boxes, dvd player, etc live. Then you put a little pinging thingy on the tv so when you change the channels with the remote, it runs to the cable box in the closet and changes the channel. Does that make sense? There are 3 tv's mounted down there and there was no place to put these boxes and dvd players and such so they all stay in the closet on the shelves and are "pinged" so you don't have to go into the closet to change the channel. I really don't understand any of it. I usually can't find the remote.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli in TN Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 And it happens to be a Vizio. Our 27" JVC that dh bought in 1989 finally died, so we went browsing this weekend. I learned a lot. From what I understand, you want LCD, not plasma or HDP. The 1080p is supposedly the best, but also tends to cost more. We ended up with a 32" Vizio, LCD, 1080i. It has a great picture. I can't believe how clear the digital channels are - we don't have cable, just use rabbit ears, and it's incredible! The pictures look like we have cable. We are very happy with it so far. Sears price matched Sam's taking an extra 10% of the price difference off so it was $588. We could have gotten the 42" for only $945. You know, ours might be LCD. I really don't know. I was far more concerned with how it was installed than I was what sort of screen this is!!! How can I tell what type of screen it is? The kids are watching a history documentary on the computer right now, I could run to the living room and check!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in IL Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 We bought a 46" Samsung LCD 1080dpi. Anyway, what sold us on the LCD versus plasma, is that our room is inundated with natural light - read major glare on most normal screens. The LCD is non-reflective - we have no glare even in the middle of the day - it is awesome! In the past with our regular tv, we had to shut out as much light as we could just to see the tv. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli in TN Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I have plasma and high defs and I can tell you that I can't tell the difference in the picture. My husband thinks he can but I can't. We have a high def over the bar in the basement for watching ballgames and such and it is mounted on the wall. The man who installed it ran the cables behind the wall and to a little closet where the cable boxes, dvd player, etc live. Then you put a little pinging thingy on the tv so when you change the channels with the remote, it runs to the cable box in the closet and changes the channel. Does that make sense? There are 3 tv's mounted down there and there was no place to put these boxes and dvd players and such so they all stay in the closet on the shelves and are "pinged" so you don't have to go into the closet to change the channel. I really don't understand any of it. I usually can't find the remote.:) That is how ours is, we have a special remote that controls everything through the wall. The only thing we have to go to the closet for is to put the dvd in the player! I can tell a difference in the picture. We had a high def before we got this, LCD-plasma-whatever that beast of a tv is. I can tell a big difference in the picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krista in LA Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 You know, ours might be LCD. I really don't know. I was far more concerned with how it was installed than I was what sort of screen this is!!! How can I tell what type of screen it is? The kids are watching a history documentary on the computer right now, I could run to the living room and check!!! I have no idea how to tell - I had to go look at the box from ours to see if it was 720 or 1080. I just know that we made sure we bought LCD after talking to various people in the know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claire Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I can tell a difference in the picture. We had a high def before we got this, LCD-plasma-whatever that beast of a tv is. I can tell a big difference in the picture. Which one is better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli in TN Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Which one is better? The one we have now (LCD, plasma, whatever this is above my fireplace) is so much brighter. The high def was nice, but this is much nicer. We are working our way through revisiting Lord of the Rings a couple of nights a week and between the gorgeous picture and the amazing sound (we got a new sound system too) it is a treat for the eyes and ears. Please, nobody tell my husband that I really like the new TV. He will be all, like, "I told you so, I knew you would like it" and then he will run out and buy some other big new toy!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 with all things electronic and we've had big screen TV's for the past 17 years. WE bought a 50" Samsung a year ago and we chose LCD over plasma for a couple of reasons. LCD just needs a bulb replacement every few years to keep it going Plasma eventually breaks down and then your TV is done, there is no way to fix it LCD is more durable (balls, Wii remotes, dogs licking the screen) where Plasma is much more fragile LCD does not allow burn in, plasma does and you must be VERY careful about watching certain channels that show logos all the time.....especially if you watch that channel a lot We researched for months before buying and found that Samsung was the best choice for us. We bought ours at Crutchfield online.......they even beat Amazon. http://www.crutchfield.com Good luck! PS>......we hide our equipment (DVR Satellite box, Stereo Receiver, DVD player, Wii, PS2 in a cabinet next to the fireplace. We drilled a hidden hole in the wall, threaded the wires through to hide them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli in TN Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Okay, I called my husband at work. It is plasma. He knew about the burn in issues and such with plasma, but keeping within the budget he wanted to stay in, the plasma offered a bigger screeen and better picture than the LCD's in the same price range. And of course, he is at his office scratching his head now and thinking "Does that woman ever homeschool those kids, or does she just hang out on the computer all day?" But since they are pretty smart and keep getting smarter every year, I guess he assumes I do a little something with them from time to time. Okay, off to rustle up some grub for these young'uns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli in TN Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 LCD is more durable (balls, Wii remotes, dogs licking the screen) Amazon. http://www.crutchfield.com ROFL!!!!:D:D:D:D Fortunately, our dogs are small and the screen is mounted pretty high!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claire Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 We are working our way through revisiting Lord of the Rings a couple of nights a week and between the gorgeous picture and the amazing sound (we got a new sound system too) it is a treat for the eyes and ears. Wow! One of my major complaints about TV is the sound quality, especially since my dh has hearing issues. Do you mean you have a separate sound system and hook the tv up to it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli in TN Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Wow! One of my major complaints about TV is the sound quality, especially since my dh has hearing issues. Do you mean you have a separate sound system and hook the tv up to it? Yes, my husband has significant hearing loss. With a surround sound system he can hear the dialogue and does not have to ask me every five minutes "What did he say?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claire Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Yes, my husband has significant hearing loss. With a surround sound system he can hear the dialogue and does not have to ask me every five minutes "What did he say?" Thanks! I am going to have to look into this. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Our plasma is a Panasonic, 45 inch. The LCD, which we bought to replace the plasma, is a 47-inch Phillips. There is a huge difference in the high definition channels between the two televisions. The LCD is far superior. The plasma is now the boys' Halo and Rock Band tv in the basement. Ria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 The deal at our house was that if dh was going spend the money to get a plasma and stick that big honkin' monster in my living room, then he agreed to pay for a professional installation so that it looked neat and tidy. I just spent about 10 minutes preparing a show and tell for you. Can you come over to my blog for a minute, and I will show you how we did it.:D Plasma TV at Kelli's house, bring popcorn. Of course my children said "Mom, why are taking pictures of the tv?" "Hush children, do your math and ignore Mom!" Oh my goodness Kelli!!!! Thank you so much! I feel so honored having my name in bold on your blog!! LOL It really helps to see it. I also never realized how they fish the electric cords through the wall when they professionally install it. Well, shoot. We were going to renovate our fireplace and then put up the new tv. But, we recently decided to wait on the renovation and go ahead with the tv. But, it sounds like I don't want to put the tv up on my brick fireplace only to then remove it later when we renovate. I guess we'll have to wait. And it happens to be a Vizio. Our 27" JVC that dh bought in 1989 finally died, so we went browsing this weekend. I learned a lot. From what I understand, you want LCD, not plasma or HDP. The 1080p is supposedly the best, but also tends to cost more. We ended up with a 32" Vizio, LCD, 1080i. It has a great picture. I can't believe how clear the digital channels are - we don't have cable, just use rabbit ears, and it's incredible! The pictures look like we have cable. We are very happy with it so far. Sears price matched Sam's taking an extra 10% of the price difference off so it was $588. We could have gotten the 42" for only $945. Thanks!!! Good to know about Sear's matching and giving a 10% discount on the price. I'll be watching the prices. I have plasma and high defs and I can tell you that I can't tell the difference in the picture. My husband thinks he can but I can't. We have a high def over the bar in the basement for watching ballgames and such and it is mounted on the wall. The man who installed it ran the cables behind the wall and to a little closet where the cable boxes, dvd player, etc live. Then you put a little pinging thingy on the tv so when you change the channels with the remote, it runs to the cable box in the closet and changes the channel. Does that make sense? There are 3 tv's mounted down there and there was no place to put these boxes and dvd players and such so they all stay in the closet on the shelves and are "pinged" so you don't have to go into the closet to change the channel. I really don't understand any of it. I usually can't find the remote.:) LOL about the remote! Thanks for all the information. I think I can see it! We bought a 46" Samsung LCD 1080dpi. Anyway, what sold us on the LCD versus plasma, is that our room is inundated with natural light - read major glare on most normal screens. The LCD is non-reflective - we have no glare even in the middle of the day - it is awesome! In the past with our regular tv, we had to shut out as much light as we could just to see the tv. Good point about light. Ihadn't read that about the plasma screens. Our room also has a lot of light. Thanks! I'm going to be sharing all of this with my dh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 Yes, my husband has significant hearing loss. With a surround sound system he can hear the dialogue and does not have to ask me every five minutes "What did he say?" Hmmmm . . . a sound system too. That sounds nice!! I think my dh would enjoy it as well! Our plasma is a Panasonic, 45 inch. The LCD, which we bought to replace the plasma, is a 47-inch Phillips. There is a huge difference in the high definition channels between the two televisions. The LCD is far superior. The plasma is now the boys' Halo and Rock Band tv in the basement. Ria Interesting about the LCD being the better quality. It's cheaper too! Now off to figure out sizes. We're going to cut sizes out of paper and tape them to the wall to decide. Interestingly enough, I want the 50"! Dh thinks we'd be good with the 36"!! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Someone gave us one because they were upgrading.:rolleyes: We didn't ask questions we just said Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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