Buying a new TV, looking for opinions. Order of importance of following options?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Size, flat screen, picture-in-picture, price, brand.

As of right now, I’m trying to decide between the following options:

–Sanyo 27-inch with PIP for $230
–RCA 27-inch flat screen for $300
–Sanyo 31-inch for $300
–Sharp 32-inch with PIP for $350

Amount isn’t a problem (as long as it’s under $400 or so), I’m thinking more about worth. If going for 27 inches, is it worth an extra $70 for a flat screen? Which is the better deal at $300, a 27-inch flat screen, or a 31-inch regular? And if going for PIP, is five extra inches and the (my impression) better brand worth an extra $120?

So how do you rate the above five variables in a television in order of importance, both generally and in my specific examples?

For that matter, anyone know of any places (online or northern VA where any combination of the above criteria are present for less than mentioned here? Thanks in advance.

2

I’ve known quite a few people who got PIP.

Not a single one of them used it past the first week.

3

The thing about PIP that made me choose not to get that option is that you have to provide two signal inputs for it to work. I’ve got digital cable, so my channel is routed through the cable box, not the set’s tuner. If I wanted to watch two different shows, I’d have to have another cable box to run the signal through (I think). Not worth it to me, so no go on the PIP.

Of course, you could always watch broadcast (cable/sattelite, whatever) and have something like a VCR or DVD playing as well. If you think you might want to do this, enough so that it would be worth the extra cash, then go for it.

Sizewise, it probably doesn’t matter too much, but that depends on the size of the room the TV will be set up in. If you are going to be sitting four or five feet away from the screen, then either would be fine, I think. Much farther away than that, and the bigger screen may be worth it.

Flat vs., um, not-flat. The picture is a little better with a flat, but, hell, I’m not a perfectionist, so I went with the cheaper model. YMMV.

Something you left out of your criteria, (maybe for good reason, I dunno) is which set has the better combination of inputs. If you’re going to be running cable/sattelite, DVD, VCR and console game system through the set - make sure the set you get can handle all that.

As for good deals, you’ll have use a bit of shoe leather on that aspect. A TV isn’t really the kind of thing you can shop online for - imagine the shipping charges. So, hie yourself around to the various electronic stores and see what’s out there. Don’t forget the warehouse stores or the ever-popular Target.

Luck to you,
TLC

4

Well, I bought my TV on the following criteria:

HAD to have S-video connection, for my DVD player and my computer.
HAD to have more than 1 set of RCA jacks (redyellowwhite). One on the front.
HAD to be less than $400.

PIP is a nice feature… when you need it. The ONLY use I’ve ever found for it is when I’ve got the computer video fed to the TV, and wanna watch something else at the same time. It’s not particularly effective. I generally use an old B&W tv for viewing while on the computer.

So the only thing left really is brand name and picture tube… size and ‘flatness’.

I don’t care about brand names, as long as I’ve heard of 'em.

And ‘flat screen’? I really don’t see the point. Most flatscreen tv’s aren’t substantially thinner, like the hang-on-the-wall kind. Just the viewing screen is flat. So what, big deal.

Got a 27 inch non-flat for about $300. Good enough for me.

I would, in your case, buy the $230 tv. Spend the other $120 on a DVD player or some disks or something.

If you just wanna spend money, go for the $350 one. Why not.

5

ack! Where’d that apostrophe come from! I s’wear I didnt pu’t i’t the’re!!!

6

I’d go for size first, especially if your viewing is from a decent distance. PIP is a nice feature for sports, you can have the game on and watch something else at the same time. That way you can keep tabs on the score without missing the other show.

I wouldn’t spend the extra bux on a flat front, unless you’re already restricted to size. For instance, my bro had a 27" limit due to his entertainment center, and he put in a top line 27" flat front Sony Wega, going for the best picture he could in the space he had.

I wouldn’t worry much about brand, or cost, since these things last quite a while, and you’re talking name brand. If I were you, I’d go for the 32" with PIP, hey, that’s what I already have! PIP might be a bit small on a 27" screen, be sure to check that out carefully.

7

Thanks for the replies, all. Cheesesteak, sports is exactly the reason why I’m considering PIP. I’m a sports nut and just like the thought of having one game on in the corner to keep tabs on the score. But the point that it’s too small to really know what’s going on is a good one as well.

The TVs with PIP had a mention that “all you need is a VCR connection” in order to use that function. I am aware that there are questions as to usability with cable, though, and had planned on calling my cable company to check on compatability before I purchased it. I had been warned about TLC’s comments too – that I may end up having to rent another cable box for $5 a month or something – so that may put the kibosh on PIP too.

Thanks for all the comments, though. I think I’ve ruled out the flat screen as a result – I’m convinced that the extra money for flat screen would be better spent on size (it’s a fairly big room and much of the TV viewing is done from between 10-15 feet away).

8

I use the picture-in-picture almost daily, especially during baseball season. (I’ve had the option on my TV for close to ten years, I think, and I really do find it comes in handy.) I love to watch the baseball games, but let’s face it: sometimes there’s no action going on. So I put it on in the PIP while watching a show, movie, news, whatever, and if something exciting looks like it’s happening, I switch over. It’s also great during football season, for example, when there may be two games you’re interested in watching. Or, if it’s halftime and you want to switch over to something else, but don’t want to miss the start of the second half, you can put the PIP on too.

A 27-inch TV with PIP for only $230 is a great deal. Mine is only a 25" and I find it plenty big enough. What store are you getting that deal at?

9

Nineiron, that was at Walmart in Fairfax VA. Not sure if it was a store-only sale or if you would be able to find it online though.

10

FWIW
Here are two TV’s worth recommending, I personally like toshiba and mitsubishi televisions. I think they have the best picture and quality. The below are two toshiba’s. Mitsu’s are typically larger format tv’s (50" and greater) and not in your price range at this time.

http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=11101555&m=1&cat=24&scat=27

http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=11209592&m=1&cat=24&scat=26

11

One more buying tip.

Good Guys and Circuit City and some other have “we will match any price” guarantees. We found a great 36" tv at Best Buy for only $499…but they were so understocked we would have had to wait THREE MONTHS for delivery.
Went across the street to the other chain and saw the same exact tv for $699. We told them about the price across the street, they sent a salesman over to verify it and they matched the price.
I asked how long it would take for delivery and he said, “tomorrow.”

I am a firm believer in getting the biggest screen for fewest bucks. Most tv’s come with standard 6mo to 1 year warranty which is long enough to find out if you bought a lemon. DO NOT BUY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY! Those are for suckers and simply give a huge commission to the salesperson. Most tv’s will last a good 6-7 years without any problems…I have a little 13 inch television that I have owned since 1987 that still works great. Another 31 inch tv worked great for 8 years (cost me $299 new) and then bit the dust.

I am waiting for the plasma tv’s to come down…I have already seen some 42" models for $2999 but that is still about $2000 more than I am willing to pay, no matter how good the quality.

12

DMark
The extended warantee at Best Buy I know for a fact does not affect the sales persons comission, because they do not make any. They are straight hourly paid employees (used to be one.) I totally agree on not buying the extended warantee for a cheap item. But lets say I was buying a 4000 dollar tv I would definately get one. Especially living in the lightning capital of the world. Also a good thing with Best Buy if you buy any item and it is classified as a “devo” item you can bring it back to the store when broken and if they have something comperable at the time you get the new item. This is of course if you have the extended warantee. The devo designation means that best buy will not even try and repair the item they will just send it back to the manufacturer and get reimbursed that way. So being a little devilish and working the system after 2 1/2 years you want a new TV yours just might have to break and then you can pick the latest and greatest for the same dollar amount you have spent. Not that I would do anything like that though to take advantage of the extended warantee. :cool:

13

The flat screen can be used as a consideration when the lighting in the room is not ideal. A curved screen can take a light source that is not directly in front of the tv and make it part of your picture. A flat screen generally does not reflect any light unless is it directly in front of the screen.

14

“Not a single one of them used it past the first week.”

Yeah, PIP’s complicated. There are some remote controls with Macro keys that should make using pip easier. My vcr functions as one tuner, my tv the other & that’s how it works. Nice thing is that my rca displays closed captions in the PIP at the same time. I wonder how people listen to two audio channels? (One pip, one tv) But for me, closed captions on both makes it fun.

Rca isn’t very reliable so I bought the extra guarantee on it. be careful cause sometimes your credit card gives you twice the guarantee, up to a year. So a one year guarantee would be two years & if you bought an extra three year one, you’d be paying a lot for just one extra year. Visa also offers pretty cheap extra guarantees (cheaper than the ones circuit city has).

15

I’ve used PIP regularly for years. It’s great during football season and when you’re watching someone else’s favorite program and you want to channel surf during commercial breaks without upsetting them worrying that they’ll miss their program return while you’re surfing. One recommendation though is get a tv with two tuner PIP. This means that you don’t need an external tuner, such as your vcr. Much less complicated, plus you can use it while you are taping yet another program.

I’d also recommend a flat screen. As has been mentioned before, the room lighting is not such a problem, plus it affords a wider viewing area if you have multiple people viewing from different angles in the room.

If you have any video only specialty stores in your area, I’d go there and do your research. By and large, the salesmen in these stores are a bit more savvy, can answer questions, and explain the differences. After you make a decision, go around and shop for price. Find out if the video only store will match prices you find elsewhere.

Another factor in video only stores is they usually carry the newest models. This means they often greatly discount slightly older models or open stock to clear them out. You can really pick up an excellent deal this way.

Oh, and definitely opt for additional inputs on the front if you use a camcorder at all.