So, my current TV is one I bought in 1999 — small as hell (I was watching from a shorter distance then), CRT with built-in VCR. The fact that I still have VHS tapes is a matter for another time.
But browsing at my local Fry’s made me think that I might want to consider buying a new one. I don’t watch an overly large amount of TV, but a friend got me an Apple TV box for my birthday, and he has a Plex server with quite a few titles on it, so there’s always that. I’m both cheap and of unstable income right now (though I have a good savings cushion), so I don’t want to spend more than a couple hundred bucks. From what I can see, that’ll get me about 22" max.
What brands are good? Fry’s has a sale on a 19" Polaroid (I didn’t know they made TVs!) model for $100. Is any extended service plan suggested or advised against?
I’d say pass on the Polaroid. They didn’t build it, it’s some unknown Chinese company with a Polaroid logo slapped on.
For your very basic needs just go with the best price you can find on a name brand. Sony, Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Vizio, Sharp, Toshiba, Philips are all good.
Avoid off brands like Polaroid, Westinghouse, Insignia, Coby, Funai, Audiovox.
Make sure it has the right kind and amount of inputs you want and you really can’t go wrong.
Do not buy a set just because it’s cheap. You are throwing your money away. There are a lot of electronics makers that are really good at making something that looks like it will do but is horrible and won’t last a year.
Look up reviews at Amazon for any model you are considering.
So a friend recommended that the TV be at least 1080p and 120Hz (especially the latter). Given that most TVs I don’t cringe on seeing the price tag for are 720p and 60Hz, am I just doomed to a small screen (albeit probably still bigger than I got now) or spending more than $300?
It really depends on what you’re watching and your screen size to determine if 1080p and 120hz is worth it.
1080p pictures need a 1080p source. Bluray discs can be 1080p while dvds and vhs are not. Cable and satellite are not 1080p. You apple TV may be 1080p if it’s a 1080p unit.
But on a screen size you’re looking at (32" or smaller) you really won’t see much difference if any. You’d have to do a side-by-side comparison, freeze the picture, and stand 3 feet away to say “okay, maybe the 1080p set looks a little sharper”.
120hz also really depends on your viewing habits. Watch a lot of live sports broadcast in HD? Then maybe the 120hz can cut down on the motion blur of a fast moving puck or baseball. Watching movies and tv shows in 120hz won’t give you anything appreciable.
I agree with Hampshire: on a small screen, you aren’t going to notice a huge difference in picture quality at 720p vs. 1080p, or 60hz vs. 120. And you’re upgrading from a 15-year-old 9" screen, so you’ll practically be overwhelmed by the improvement, regardless!
That said, last spring, I bought a small Vizio Vizio smart TV for my husband - he was stuck in the bedroom, recuperating from his car wreck, and had more surgeries to “look forward” to, so I wanted something that I could easily move from one side of the bed to the other. Gotta say, we’ve been pretty darned pleased with it, and the 24-inch is still under $200. Having an HDMI port and WiFi capability has been very very handy.
If you have the patience wait until October. Black Friday specifically. I know its a HORRIBLE time to shop, but last year I managed to upgrade my tv to a 44" for 190 bucks. They had a 32" or 36" for less than 100.
You can get a 32" TV for less than $200 and that’s the smallest screen that would be “comfortable” for most people to watch for extended periods. You can also look on CNET as they have a number of reviews for variety of electronics.
With the prices so close between the sub 32" screens and the smaller units, it might make more sense for you to simply splurge and get the biggest screen that you can afford.
Do those still exist? I thought everything was online now. Like craigslist.
Some impoverished friends of mine got a humungous TV (the kind with the flat screen, but it’s not a real flat screen TV, if that makes sense - I’m not a TV person and don’t know the terminology) for free on craigslist last fall. It works great. Free because so many people are upgrading to the real flat screen TVs and are giving away or selling REALLY cheap, perfectly good televisions.
The thing to keep in mind when buying a new TV these days is that they are disposable items. Only the top tier brands have a service, parts and repair network that allow a set to be repaired.
I was thinking of used, but it seems like I’m paying for cheaper with more hassle and risk (of being cheated or there being defects I won’t notice - and I won’t, due to the fact I haven’t shopped for a television in over a decade). I’d frankly rather pay for peace of mind.
