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  • (January 12, 2023, 01:18:11 AM)

Author Topic: I need electronics help!!!  (Read 4932 times)

Vespertine

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I need electronics help!!!
« on: February 15, 2006, 12:04:11 PM »
So, I don't think I told you guys this, but I'm buying a house.  I close in about 10 days.  I need a TV.  What I need from you guys is some help.  I don't need to know what you guys think are the best specs or kinds of TVs, but I would like some help with brands.  What brands are good and which should I avoid like the plague?  Thanks in advance.
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TheJudge

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« Reply #1 on: February 15, 2006, 12:27:47 PM »
Congratulations on your house purchase!

What kind of TV are you talking about? Big screen or just your regular TV? If you're going in big screen, are you looking for projection, LCD, DLP, projection LCD, etc. Aslo, if there is a particular screen size you are looking for, perhaps we can recommend specific products (include your price range).
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Demosthenes

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I need electronics help!!!
« Reply #2 on: February 15, 2006, 12:37:06 PM »
The wife and I did a bunch of research before settling on a decision.  We went with a 51" Sony HD CRT.

When it came down to it, we looked at a number of factors:

  • Price
  • Picture quality
  • Physical space requirements
  • Reliability/longevity[/list:u]

    Price-wise, CRT televisions are a lot cheaper than the alternatives.  We paid around $1,800 for ours (Best Buy, via a 2-years-no-interest deal) including a 4 year extended warranty... to buy a plasma TV of similar screen area would cost us over twice as much.

    We found that the actual picture quality was best with the CRT models when compared side-by-side with other technology, including plasma and LCD.  The colors were more vibrant, the brights brighter, and the darks darker, the picture clarity was equal, and motion was smoother.  Sony in particular had excellent picture quality, though we were also impressed with the Toshiba CRT HD widescreens.

    Because of some advances in things like optics and electronics, CRT projection widescreens don't take up nearly as much space as they used to.  That said, compared to plasma or LCD, our CRT widescreen is quite a bit larger and heavier.  For  us, since we have a perfect spot in our family room for it, it's not an issue, but for limited space considerations, it can be a factor.  You can see in the picture I linked above that it does have some depth to it, but it's a lot less than models from several years ago had.

    Where reliability and longevity are concerned, CRT wins hands down.  Cathode Ray Tube televisions have been around since the late 1940s; as such, it is a tried-and-true technology.  In just a few short years, a plasma TV will begin to look "washed out", and an LCD will eventually start dropping pixels and becoming blurry or dark.  A CRT television will not.  That is not to say that CRT widescreen projection TVs don't have their issues... but you will on average get twice the number of  hours of usage out of a CRT television than you will out of any of the newer tech.  It is also wise to go with a manufacturer who is well-versed in the technology, so it's a good idea to stick to companies like Sony, Toshiba and Philips, all three of whom have been making HD TVs for a long time.  Mitsubishi and Samsung have some impressive efforts as well, but as they've only been doing this for a relatively short time, they're not as proven.

    Granted, this is just our situation here.  When we looked at everything that was important to us, it came out to be a no-brainer.  Your mileage may vary.  Do not taunt happy fun ball.
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BizB

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I need electronics help!!!
« Reply #3 on: February 15, 2006, 01:00:42 PM »
Here's the sum of what I know about electronics:  (1) Get a job at Best Buy, or have a relative who works for Best Buy before you purchase anything.
(2) Three prongs are better than two.

I recently bought this TV for $68.00, and I got this power-inverter for $18.00 thanks to my son's discount at Best Buy.  A few months ago, I got these headphones for less than $35.00!
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reimero

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I need electronics help!!!
« Reply #4 on: February 15, 2006, 01:12:00 PM »
In terms of hardware, it's hard to go wrong with Sony.  You pay for it, but they're hands-down the best out there.

Unless, like me, the rootkit/DRM thing has you boycotting them.  Then you're in a pickle.  To give better input, I'll need to know more about what you're looking for and willing to spend.
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pbsaurus

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I need electronics help!!!
« Reply #5 on: February 15, 2006, 01:33:07 PM »
Congratulations on the acquisition!  As for TVs we usually buy something cheap at Costco.
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ivan

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I need electronics help!!!
« Reply #6 on: February 15, 2006, 01:36:07 PM »
I hear they have color TV now. You should look into it!
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xolik

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« Reply #7 on: February 15, 2006, 01:55:31 PM »
I'm using this guy here at home and it's fantastic! I picked it up at CompUSA really cheap too.

                          http://www.akai.com/product_detail.asp?id=1&id2=2&id3=707
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Vespertine

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« Reply #8 on: February 15, 2006, 02:00:12 PM »
So, here's the TV that I'm looking at.  As far as I can tell, I think it's impossible to get a better price on a 52", HD projection TV.  My only real question is, is RCA a decent brand or one that should be avoided?
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7196465&type=product&productCategoryId=cat03006&id=1112808997179
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Vespertine

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« Reply #9 on: February 15, 2006, 02:02:19 PM »
Quote from: ivan
I hear they have color TV now. You should look into it!

OMFG NO WAY!!!!1111
Are you being straight with me or are you just yanking my chain, trying to get me all hyped up just so you can pull the rug out from under me?
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Demosthenes

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I need electronics help!!!
« Reply #10 on: February 15, 2006, 03:20:32 PM »
Quote from: Vespertine
So, here's the TV that I'm looking at.  As far as I can tell, I think it's impossible to get a better price on a 52", HD projection TV.  My only real question is, is RCA a decent brand or one that should be avoided?
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7196465&type=product&productCategoryId=cat03006&id=1112808997179


I think you're probably safe with RCA... they've been doing this quite a while too, and I haven't run across anything negative about them where HD TVs are concerned.

Wow.  that IS a good price.
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Vespertine

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« Reply #11 on: February 15, 2006, 03:59:08 PM »
Quote from: Demosthenes
Quote from: Vespertine
So, here's the TV that I'm looking at.  As far as I can tell, I think it's impossible to get a better price on a 52", HD projection TV.  My only real question is, is RCA a decent brand or one that should be avoided?
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7196465&type=product&productCategoryId=cat03006&id=1112808997179


I think you're probably safe with RCA... they've been doing this quite a while too, and I haven't run across anything negative about them where HD TVs are concerned.

Wow.  that IS a good price.

Yeah, and once you get to the cart, it takes another $100 off.  Thanks for the info.  That's what I was hoping to hear, because I really didn't want to pass up an offer that good.
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TheJudge

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« Reply #12 on: February 15, 2006, 05:20:10 PM »
RCA is fine. It's not the best out there but it's ok. You always end up with a good price/quality ratio.
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