You don’t seem to want to consider a new TV, and that’s fine. But I’m VERY glad I got the 46" Sony to replace the 32", and am currently thinking of an even bigger one. But certainly not with the expectation of improving the sound from the internal speakers, as I said before. I think a good soundbar is the minimum prerequisite. I don’t even watch much TV, but I enjoy approximating a theatrical experience when watching movies. And I do love my home theater system, which is fully capable of rocking the house on its foundations!
If it were me, I would NOT get the cheapest soundbar, but explore Amazon and reputable reviews for a well-regarded name-brand product that you could use with both the present and future TVs.
The picture you took does not show an optical output. But the schematic does, and so does the specifications page. However, it may be a mistake in that maybe only the larger 32" model in the specs has it. An optical output jack is vaguely rectangular (to match the connector on the cable I linked to) and covered by a little door. When the TV is on you can typically see a red laser glow behind the door, though you may have to poke it open to see it. If you have no such connection, then no, you don’t have optical digital output on that TV. But you definitely have analog stereo audio output via the RCA jacks.
That manual was supposed to cover several models, right?
I’m not categorically, dead set against getting a new TV. But a bigger one wouldn’t look right in my tiny living room. And the picture on this one is still excellent. I get a contrary sort of satisfaction from being happy with a TV this old.
+1 to a low cost soundbar. The one you linked to would be a good fit. Anything larger, especially at the $300 range, would be way overkill and your sound would be much bigger than what you see on screen.
Alternately, for $300, you can get a nice 32-40" HDTV. Since the bezel on newer sets are much thinner, a 32" set won’t be much wider than your current one. You may think you set looks good, but LCD technology has improved tremendously in the past 15 years and you’ll likely be surprised how much your set has dimmed and strayed from the correct colors of the years. Also, 15 years is a good lifespan for an LCD. It’s not matter of if, but when it will fail.
I certainly understand how satisfying it is to squeeze every ounce of value out of something. IMHO, I think you’ve done that already. I also think that soundbar solutions are going to be a temporary fix here. I did a little bit of poking around. You mentioned that you have a Roku. I have a TCL TV that has Roku software built in, and I friggin’ love it. You can get this set on Amazon for $128. It’s just 2" wider than your current TV, and gives you more than 50% more screen. It’ll reduce your 3 remotes down to 2 (actually, 4 down to 2, since the soundbar will also have a remote), you can plug your antenna into it for your PBS fix, and anything else you want. I think the improvement in picture quality will be very noticeable.
Ha. It’s actually not even 1080p - it’s a 720p. But it’s going to be brighter, a little more responsive, etc. It’s probably sharper as well at this point. (For $22 more, you can get a 4K Hisense - which is also a very solid budget brand, and it’s the same size. But it’s Android TV, which I can’t speak to. I hear it’s good. It would be quite a big improvement in picture quality as well.)
Here’s a link to the Hisense. Either set is going to fit in just fine. They both have razor-thin bezels, small legs, black matte finish. They’re both actually shorter than your current TV.
What are these various connections on the back of my current TV. Can you walk me through them? What are Video Pb and Video Pr, and S Video? HDMI audio in?
The three video-in connections with different colored RCA jacks are “component video” inputs, which allows for much higher quality video input than the single-jack component video (which is limited to standard-definition, not HD), but has generally been obsolesced by HDMI. S-video is also a now-obsolete standard which provides better video quality than component, also limited to SD.
Pretty sure that “HDMI audio in” is for when you have HDMI carrying video-only, with the audio on a separate audio cable. Normally, HDMI will multiplex HD video and audio on the single HDMI cable.
RE: the Roku TV – I have no idea of its quality but willing to take @Munch’s recommendation at face value. It certainly shows how far LED HDTV prices have dropped in recent years! My first HDTV, the 32" Sony Bravia, retailed for over $3000 at the time – three zeroes there, not a typo – though I got it by trading in airline miles (approximately one bazillion of them!!).
But I’ve heard that smart TVs have the disadvantage that they are not necessarily upgradeable with respect to the streaming software in them – just something to check out and keep in mind.
Also, I don’t think most TVs will obviate the need for a decent sound bar. Look at it this way: a good soundbar can cost hundreds of dollars or more. This entire TV costs half of that. How good do you think the built-in sound will be? You may not need a high-end soundbar, but you probably need better sound than most TVs can provide with their internal speakers. You should maybe check out TVs and soundbars at a local retailer and give them a test listen.
As for 720p vs 1080p vs 4K, I would offer my opinion that at 32" screen size or less there is virtually no discernible difference between them. Even on my 46" (which is pretty small by modern standards) you can detect 1080p only if the original source material is high quality (like a modern movie) and only if you look carefully. Some movies, like the opening scenes in Life of Pi, are breathtaking in 1080p, but for a lot of material I’m fine with 720p. And honestly, 4K is becoming commonplace just because it’s practically as cheap as 1080. Unless you have a really big screen or a projection system, it’s hard to tell the difference. 4K actually exceeds the resolution of first-gen theatrical digital projectors.
In this case, Roku is Roku. But even if for some reason the software becomes unupgradeable, you can just plug an external box into it, just like she’s doing now.
Bah! Not enough coffee this morning! What I meant to say was: The three video-in connections with different colored RCA jacks are “component video” inputs, which allows for much higher quality video input than the single-jack composite video.
Distinguishing resolution is dependent upon viewing distance. I sit ~5’ from my 40" set (1080p) and ~7’ from my 55" (1080p), both within the recommended range where the difference between 720p, 1080p and 4K becomes noticeable. https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/by-size/size-to-distance-relationship Note how close you have to sit to gain the benefits of 4K. I remember when 4K first came out. There were markings on the floor saying where to stand to see the difference. It was 2ft away for 4K!
I can easily distinguish between the same video at 720p and 1080p. Before anyone says “You’ll burn your eyes out!”. I’ve tweaked my sets to the recommended settings for movie viewing and always watch in a near pitch black setting. With the lights on (I have no sunlight at all in my apartment), the picture looks dull and the whites yellow, but turn off the lights and it looks perfectly natural.
I found this online at Best Buy this afternoon (on sale), ran up, and picked it up curbside. It is installed and works great. Fits comfortably on top of the TV. It’s heavy enough to feel planted there firmly.
In that weird way that people feel stupid when they don’t know what they don’t know, I’ve been feeling stupid about this for many months. A few questions answered from helpful Dopers, and I dashed ahead to a resolution. I will get a new TV one of these days … but for now I’m content.
If the soundbar doesn’t do the trick, consider headphones.
My teenage kids complain when I crank up the sound on movies and Pink Floyd albums on my home sound system, so I bought a pair of well-reviewed sub-$75 Bluetooth headphones. (Damned kids these days and their soft music preferences!). If your TV or receiver isn’t Bluetooth, you can get a Bluetooth transmitter for < $30 that plugs into your headphone jack and transmits sound to the headphones.
If you’re like me (60+ years old), your ears have trouble hearing movie/TV show dialogue. This is because today’s actors whisper most of the time…and listening to years of Pink Floyd at full volume damages your ears. Headphones enhance dialogue quite well. Sure, I can’t crack the foundation of my house with my kick-ass sub-woofer like I used to, but I do get good sound from the headphones (and my kids and neighbors no longer complain).
