Should I buy a new TV?

In My Humble Opinion
1

We came home from dinner last night to find that our 30" LCD (Sceptre X30SV-NagaIII) no longer works. We’ve had it for about four years and it shows signs of age, but it’s been fine as our primary TV. Now as far as I can figure, the power supply has gone out (LED no longer glows) so I could order a replacement online, but there’s no guarantee that would fix it. So do I:

  1. Buy a fancy new HDTV (1080p) and toss out this one?
  2. Buy a slightly larger, crappy but cheap 720p set and wait till Blue-Ray gets cheaper (and my kids get older) before buying a 1080p set?
  3. Say Hi to Opal and do without TV?
  4. Order the power supply and hope for the best, while consigning my family to watch DVDs on the computer and TV on the analog set in the basement?

The cheapest 1080p sets 30" and above start around $850, while I can get a 32" 720p set for a little more than half that. I can afford to go either way, but my inner cheapskate usually makes the decisions.

As far as what I’ve got connected, I’ve got the cable box (component), a DVD player (component), VCR (RF), a PS2 which we don’t use (composite), and alternately a Thomas the Tank engine video game (composite) and a camcorder (S-video) that we hook up. I wouldn’t mind switching to HDMI, but don’t know if it will make a difference on 1080p.

2

TV channels aren’t broadcast in 1080p so the only reason to spend more for one of those is to watch Blu-Ray/HD movies. I’d say buying a nice sized 720p set will be fine for your needs. I have a 32" Panasonic model that is great. Don’t get a crappy one just because it may be a little cheaper though. You’ll regret it in the long run.

3

On a 32" screen, you probably wouldn’t notice the difference between 720 and 1080 at normal viewing distances.

As mentioned above, the only 1080p source currently and/or commonly available is Blu-Ray.

Go for a 720p set, and if your DVD player is getting old, consider upgrading to an “upconverting” DVD player.

HDMI is the best quality connection to use, so use it if at all possible as it eliminates a whole round of digital to analog (component video) and back to digital conversions - the signal stays digital all the way through. (And don’t be suckered into buying those “monstrously” overpriced cables. The $10 cables are fine.)