Oh, ye who are much smarter than *&&^%$) Verizon (if one can ever reach a "human'):
I may have to break down and buy a new 32"TV -- which I hate to do, given the small number of channels I watch out of the gazillion available.
Am in throes of trying to understand the pros & cons of LCD vs LED. The little research I have done on-line, e.g. as well as others, has left me more confused than ever.
I don't want to spend "x" today if the technology is going to take a quantum leap tomorrow.
Your thoughts on Led vs Lcd welcome.
A supposedly knowledgeable friend told me that paying more for a
1080 pixels TV is justified only if images are transmitted in 1080. Can images be transmitted either way? Or is it a function of the receiver? (Showing my ignorance )
Buy something at the nexus of affordability, bigness, and "quality." I got a big 'ol Sony LCD a year ago for the bonus room, mostly for kids' gaming. Then it turned into the main TV watching place, once I hooked it up to cable...
No signal benefits from LCD, plasma, LED, or anything else unless it comes to you in HD. The difference between HD and non-HD channels on my cable (and over the air, before I plugged it into the cable as an antenna) is staggering. I get a couple of channels in HD, and they are big, bright and beautiful compared to grainy, smeary old-standard channels.
I now have a standing rule in the house - nobody buys a movie unless it's BluRay. Now even DVDs look grainy and smeary compared to the stunning detail on BluRays on the big Sony. Sounds like a commercial, I know.
Now, on to my philosophy on "should I wait forever for the next big thing?" - um, no. Jump in, enjoy it while you have it. Opportunity cost is expensive, too. Yes, one day soon we will all have 3D TVs to replace our Plasma/LED/LCD/whatever TVs. Until then... rest your weary eyes on a big, bright screen.
re: 2. your friend is correct but even OTA channels in my area are
1080i so I would not spend the money on a new TV unless it was capable of displaying 1080i/1080p. also blu-ray discs will not look as good as they could on a 720p TV.
FWIW I bought a 25" monitor/TV combo a while back for $300 and it is true 1080p, I am now spoiled. For a TV only device I expect you could pay less.
Cable and satelite are both providing lots of 1080i signals these days. I know that direct tv has some pay per view movies at 1080p. Blue ray is 1080p. The various game machines also have higher resolutions but I only know that the playstsation 3 is 1080p. On a
32" it is harder to tell the difference between picture quality at 720 verses 1080. The pricing is down far enouhg now that I would consider somthing larger.
It's not LCD vs. LED. There is only one LED (OLED) TV on the market (Sony XEL-1) that I'm aware of and at a whopping 11" diagonal you are probably not considering it, unless it's for some special application (that I'm struggling to envision, at the $1000 sticker price)
It's LCD with fluorescent (uncontrolled) backlight vs. LCD with LED (controlled) backlight. I'd say it's a no-brainer - LED backlight lets them turn it off when black is expected which gives it deeper shades of black (better contrast). I'd definitely go for the LED-backlit LCD TV these days.
Verizon will be happy to lease you an HD cable box that does output HD at
1080 (although, come to think of it, I'm not sure if it's interlaced 1080i or full 1080p). Either way 720 looks rather disappointing compared side-by-side with 1080 so, if budget allows, 1080p TV is definitely the way to go. You'll need to have them ship you a new cable box, then you'll ship them the old one back.
You are right, Verizon does a great job of shielding their humans (whomever is left there) from, what'cha call them? Customers! I did have lots of fun getting to the bottom of the problem in HDMI communication between the Verizon's HD box and my Samsung TV. On the third attempt an actual human answered that Vz HD box is "known to not work with Samsung TVs over HDMI cables" so I'm back to composite cables and no surround sound at this TV...
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Cable and over the air are capable of 1080i. It does make a difference for the better when I watch a show in 1080 vs 720. Can't describe exactly what it is, just better.
There is 1080i as in interlaced scan and 1080p as in progressive scan.
1080p is twice as good as 1080i for resolution and only Blue Ray and satelite do output of 1080p that I know of. Netflix is planning on
1080p. 720p is about equal in sharpness to 1080i. Regular High Defination from cable or off air is 720p. Dvds are 520, and there are regular interlaced players and progressive scan. Led is a type of lighting for the Liqued Crystal Display that everyone wants because tvs can be very thin, Led tvs are supposed to have a bit better color, contrast and brightness, but at stores its hard to tell and Led are never next to regular flourescent lit units. At Walmart black friday deals you should be able to get a 32 Lcd for 200.00, order online and I think its free delivery, its a great deal. Im sure its a 720p non led tv but it will be nice. Netflix is working on 1080p as their next step in the near future but for a 32 its not as importent as a 55" tv. I wanted satelite but have to many trees.
Rightcliqbyvisa wrote: It?s tough to decide what kind of television to get nowadays. There?s so many options out there and half the time the technical jargon can be difficult to comprehend.
However, I?ve found that doing online research and asking friends who own high-end televisions can be an enormous help. It can be a little cumbersome, but it?s worth it in the end because you?re able to make an educated purchase.
Visa Rightcliq can also help you out in your purchase, helping you organize your shopping choices. Feel free to check it out at
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Happy shopping and good luck with your television purchase!
schmidtd wrote:
------------------------------------- Cristian Rightcliq Outreach Team (510) 868-2787 ext. 123
As you've read, LED is simply backlighting in the LCD TVs. Normal backlighting used fluorescent tubes and had a lower contrast ration. LED offers a brighter screen and higher contrast ration.
With smaller TVs, such as the size you may purchase (32") and smaller, 720 can be fine since the screen is more compact and the human eye can't always pick up the difference. In larger TVs, the 1080 vs. 720 is more noticeable. Many TV programs are still not transmitted in true HD. Many programs, older movies, etc. are compressed to an HD picture, but it's still not true HD and you can tell the difference. Newer movies and shows are slowly coming to true HD. Therefore, purchasing an 1080 will pay off and add longevity to your set.
You may want to consider refresh rate as well. A set with a rate of 60Hz simply means the image refreshes 60 times a second. In some fast moving action such as sports, chances are you'll notice a blur with this rate. A higher rate of 120 or 240Hz will eliminate the blur. In fact, the human eye can't really notice anything faster.
With the price of these TVs dropping drastically, you can find some great sets.
In regard to 1080 vs 720. The results of several tests I have read about indicate that for TVs less than 40 inches (some say
50) you can't tell the difference between 720 and 1080. Before you buy compare some at the store to make sure, but it is something you should be able to see for yourself.
Just a general point: 720 was the "original" HD standard. Technology evolved at such a rate that it was straight to 1080 within a few years of 720's go-public.
Chuckle. We have all been providing content to 'those' web sites for years, and we ought to start billing them for a share of their ad revenues. Google yourself- we won't tell. You'll find you are a regular contributor to all sorts of web sites you never even heard of.
First is the timing. Prices have been dropping and are expected to drop even more at Thanksgiving for the end of year sales. If you can get a 30 day price guaranty, start shopping, otherwise, it may pay to wait a week or two.
I have two HD sets, a 32" 720 and a 47" 1080. The picture quality is equal. At 32" you don't really need the 1080. Depending on location and space available, bigger really is better. We have the 32" in the bedroom, the larger in the family room.
Once you watch some shows in HD, especially the NatGeo channel with Great Migration or some of the series on Discovery, Atlas, Earth, etc, you'll enjoy them much more and try to find a way to fit a 60" set.
You did not ask about 60 Hz versus 120 Hz. For most everything, the 60Hz is perfectly acceptable. If you are a gamer or watch very fast sports, you may find a little difference with the 120.
In any case, get the biggest you can fit and afford. I have a Samsung and an LG. Both were chosen by the quality of the picture in the store. We felt they were equal or slightly better than others on display.
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has some help in decision making also If you don't already have one, if on cable get the HD DVR and you will be able to watch what you want and when you want in glorious HD.
And once you decide on what size and type you gotta have then you can start on the other features offered. Internet ready? Wireless of course, and how many USB ports, HDMI ports, software upgrades, VGA port so you can hook up a computer so you can read your e-mail in 2 inch letters from across the room and stream those videos from the xbox .....which means the computer will need a wireless mouse and keyboard,.... and the sound system,....it's not easy trying to keep up with all this stuff. I use mine with OTA and the TV gets what it gets, 480 720 1080 with a lot of streaming from online, the screen is sometimes full, sometimes there are sidebars, some of the old shows on DTV are spooky they way they zoom the size and clean up the old film or do whatever they do, the people look to life like? Now go forth and help revive the economy.
If your going to do it get as large as you can afford 1080p w/refresh at
120. the only caveat is your standard settop box fron verizon is 480 and sucks big time w/lcd. So be prepared to upgrade to a HD box and the HD package, been there done that. hth
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