I am asking myself the same question: Is the expense of a widescreen TV worth it?I really love the HDTV-but in my area, there are only 3 channels that broadcast in HDTV. Also, when you see the amount of commercials on cable TV, you have to ask if it is really worth it.
I think I’ll wait for commercial-free TV!
Here’s how a friend of mine handled it: He “bought” it as a Christmas gift for his girlfriend. Heh.
well, I have a Samsung 42’ widescreen. it’s rear projection, but it’s still top quality, and it only cost me $1500. with the right DVD player and component cables, my movies look awesome! I’m sure the better, more expensive systems would deliver greater quality, but I’m always in awe with my TV set.
I’m single, so I have no advice how to handle the lady, but here’s some advice for the TV:
Do, do research. my set is awesome, it has better brightness and color saturation than other sets in my price range. Check for inputs/outputs. measure the physical size of the set, and how far off the ground it is. I bought the extra $100 stand because the set was too low on it’s own.
Check out all possibilities with performance first. The one thing that irks me about my TV is that is will not display 4:3 dvds in a pillar mode with progressive scan. I have to change modes to non-progressive scan and even then pillar mode has GRAY boxes on the side instead of black ones. This was a moderate bummer for me because a lot of my DVD tv collection is in 4:3. now I just watch them in a “pan” stretch format, where the center of the image is pretty close to normal, but the side are stetched out further to fit the ratio. Bring a few DVDs to the store to test them out. granted they will have different players, etc, but it’s a start.
HDTV. I had it for a while, but I trashed it because the cost was more than the enjoyment I was getting out of it (I watched more basic channels like the History channel, AMC and TCM, than I did of the HD channels). but movies do look a ton better with the extra resolution! I can’t wait for HD-DVD players.
And last, but not least. Get a TV with a DVI connection. Even though component cables are great, sometime down the road, the DVI connection will be utilized more, and it should have better quality and data transfer. Plus you can even connect your PC to the TV (if you’re into that kinda thing). I imagine in a few years time, the computer might be hub of the entertainment center (DVD player, mp3 player, games, internet, etc).
that’s all I got to say, over and out,
michael
Well, today I went looking around at a few stores, including one of those “ultra high end” home theater places. The new rear projection sets are vastly improved over the older models I had seen previously, so I’m back to considering a rear projection widescreen.
I saw several models that would satisfy me for less than $2000…maybe I’m just an old fogey, but damn that’s still a lot of money for a freakin’ TV set!
Tomarrow I’ll drag Mrs manniac around to a few stores to see if I can overcome her reluctance. I really don’t want to spend the next 10 years hearing her complain about spending that much on a TV…
A vote for the wife, here. You don’t need it. It’s a luxury. If your wife thinks it isn’t a necessary one, it’s very possible that she’s right. She is an autonomous individual with valid opinions, ya know.
On the other hand, there is such a thing as compromise. Perhaps if you hunt around for a used one, she’d be more amenable. It’d take longer, but might save lotsa bux.
Last weekend we bought a 65" widescreen HDTV-upgradable Mitsubishi.
In a brilliant flash of genious, I took Mrs manniac into a store that had a really nice walnut with bevelled glass entertainment center thingy…you know, the kind that go around big screen TVs. She fell in love with the furniture, and then we had to get a TV big enough to fit into it!
Wow this just reminds me why I do not marry and why I need to find someone with the same thoughts as me.
I would just say I was buying the dang thing. No convincing here. I still dont get it after reading the whole thread. I wouldnt care if it was 1 year or 40 years. Each person has different priorities. Mine just happen to be I have to have the latest and greatest electronics too. But if it was kitchen stuff I would understand why he wanted the 2k tv cause I would of bought a 1.5k fridge…
Hmmm 