How do I know what to ask and choose? Not opinions, I mean – functions and interconnectivity.
We have a smallish CRT color television set, which we use to watch DirecTV satellite programming and to play DVD and “Blueray” disks. We want to get a much bigger screen we can put on the wall, primarily because the small set across the room and our visual acuity conspire to make watching a bit difficult. For example, I can’t read the channel guide from which one chooses a satellite channel (not that I ever get the remote). We have a little box that switches the video input for the television set between the satellite box and the DVD player. Also, we have a stereo CD player nearby, and also an Apple wireless network node that has a stereo audio output jack that we currently use to play iTunes content from computers elsewhere in the house. We have all the audio stuff kind of plugged together and connected through a little stereo amp to two speakers in the wall.
What do we have to know to go shopping? Do television sets have all the satellite and DVD stuff built in, or do we still use separate boxes? If we were interested in exploring one of those companies who can send you stuff to watch over the internet, do we have to get a special set for that, or a special box to plug into it? Do television sets have multiple jacks on them so we can just plug the DVD player and the satellite box directly into the set?
Are there different formats for the signals and do we have to make sure we get a set and other boxes that use the same one, the way computer monitors are with DVI and VGA?
Do television sets have operating systems or something like that? Are there different kinds we have to learn and choose from?
I’m not looking for recommendations and opinions, I just want to know what the parameters are and what we need to study in advance. I figure to spend $1000 or so, if that clarifies what we need to know.
Satellite not built in, DVD rarely. Bad idea anyway.
Flatscreen displays are like computer monitors and will be amazingly clear compared to CRT. All are hidef - you might need a new satellite box to take advantage of that.
HDMI cables are the standard now. Carry both video and audio from satellite & bluRay.
If you want an Internet streaming video box like Roku, you will need 3 HDMI inputs. (Separate switch boxes are expensive - better to get a new audio receiver that does that for you.)
Cheaper, off brand sets like Polaroid, Westinghouse , Insignia etc. lack repair and parts depots and are essentially disposable if they break.
Shop at Costco if you can. They double your warranty for free and have reasonable return policies.
We just moved and I have been looking to getting a new (and bigger TV) more suited to the new arrangement.
New TVs are gigantic and relatively cheap for what they deliver. They tend to be widescreen 1080p resolution, which will be a lot finer detail than what you are used to with the CRT. The latest thing is 4K resolution - four times as fine as 1080p. There is not a lot of content for this yet and it is more expensive, so you probably do not need to worry about it.
Many are ‘Smart’ TVs and have WIFI and a processor and allow you to browse internet, use apps, and stream video or audio from services like netflix or from a device on your network. Some newer models use Android OS so that is a bonus if you are used to an android phone. These features can be provided by other devices such as PVR’s, game consoles, and media players, so I don’t see it as a required feature.
You will need to by a suitable mount if you want to put it on the wall. Figure on $100 dollars for that if you want anything reasonably adjustable.
There are a lot of other gimmicky features like 3D that are probably more than you are looking for on your budget and you can probably ignore. Google new TV buying guide.
Don’t go for the “biggest you can afford”, go for what seems a reasonable size for your room. You will probably have to discard all the hodgepodge of cabling you are currently using and start over. It might even be worth paying someone to set it up for you as it can be quite tricky with all the options.
The new TV will probably be set far too bright so that it looks good in a showroom. This can give you a headache and you will need to go through the settings to reduce the glare and to suit your room.
For everything you could possibly want to know, and a lot you don’t, go here. https://www.avforums.com/
One year after buying a flat screen TV no one has ever said “Gee I should have gotten a smaller screen”
On the other hand lots of people have wished that they had gone larger.
I can second the “avoid Westinghouse” advice. They’re very inexpensive but that’s because they’re crap, both hardware and customer service. I got my husband a Chromecast and a Netflix sub for his birthday and had to replace our ancient CRT to be able to use it. So I bought a 40" Westinghouse online for $170. It worked fine for a couple of months then just died. No picture, nothing. We spent a week trying to get Westinghouse to replace it, finally got the word to send it to their return warehouse in California, paid UPS $150 to do so, then had them back out because the screen cracked in transit, which took us another month and a half to find out after not receiving any word from them. The whole electronics division is crap.
Maybe because the people who overwhelm smaller rooms with bigger screens tend not to be sensitive to the point in the first place. I’ve certainly seen cases that should have inspired the thought.
Mmm…your mileage may vary. I purchased a 50inch Samsung for my elderly mother to replace her 29" CRT. She was speechless for a while and not in a positive way.
Fundamentally the problem was that her modest living room became dominated by a big black screen in the corner. To her (and my sister) there was almost an ominous presence, a sort of black hole sucking attention out of the room.
Weird to me but I’ve become aware that there are other people who feel uncomfortable with disproportionate tv screens. My wife is one but I hadn’t realised it.
Anyway we swapped for a 42" Samsung and all is well.
It’s pretty hard to get anything worse these days, but you want 1080p. 720p/1080i is harder to get now except in the smallest screens. 4K is probably more beast than you need, especially considering the OP.
Brand? Sony, Samsung, LG, etc. not some off brand.
Smart TV is the term for one that has built-in internet functions. But a lot of people think that they are crappy (jack of all trades, master of none kind of thing), and buying a separate device like Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, or Chromecast (that last one is slightly different) is the way to go. I am happy with Roku 2. They have free stuff, but usually this means you want to pay the $8/month or so for Netflix or similar.
I agree that you want as many HDMI as possible, but Roku only takes one slot, not sure why that’s a special case. You mean because OP already has DVD and DirectTV? The boxes aren’t too terribly expensive (~$50).
For under $1K you can get a 55" Vizio 4K Smart TV and use the features you like and ignore the rest. I can’t imagine that your CRT is anywhere near that large and trust me, you’ll love the difference. You would also have money left over to upgrade from your outdated DVD player to a 4K Blu-Ray player. I would figure that into your budget no matter what size TV you get.
Personally, I’m hearing impaired, so I run captions and being able to read them from 8ft away without glasses is wonderful. If you’re afraid of big TVs you probably know that, so I’m definitely in the bigger is better camp. I have a 50" 4K TV that sits a little more than 8ft away and I don’t feel the least bit overwhelmed. As always, YMMV.
As someone who has purchased 3 TVs in the past 2 years, three points:
I agree that bigger is not always better. If the screen is too large for the room, it almost makes you motion sick while watching it because it seems like you are focusing on individual skin pores instead of people. YMMV, of course, but get the appropriate sized TV for the room. It probably won’t be an issue for a living room, but it is bad, IMHO, to have an 80 inch behemoth dominating your small bedroom.
To hell with Smart TVs. The previous poster said it well. They cost more and you are limited to the apps the manufacturer provides in the set. Save money and spend it on a $50 Roku, Fire, or Chromecast stick and get a wide variety of apps.
Same with Bluray/DVD. Get a separate box. Don’t have it integrated into the TV. The TV is far more expensive and the integrated ones are pretty universally craptacular.
Decide on a size, and then focus on picture quality as well as buying a brand that has good reliability and post-backup. A quick search for ‘TVs 2015’ will bring up lots of articles comparing TVs. A lot of the cheapest echelon are actually last year’s model getting kicked out the door.
Having a feature called OLED seems to be the current key to getting a TV with good picture quality and ended up being the main criteria for my shortlist. thelurkinghorror’s chart is a good guide to the other terms that you really need to know. There a a lot of other buzzwords that are included in the specs that are just puffery - a good rule of thumb is if the same one is used accross all brands, then it is one worth investigating.
Anyway, my suggestion is to use as many resources on line as you can, and have a list of criteria ready for when you go shopping.
A second on the caution against Smart TVs or even streaming video support in DVD players. The UI tends to limited, slow and seldom updated compared to Roku, Fire or AppleTV.
OLED looks very promising (as it has for years) but it has yet to prove itself and carries a price premium that can be significant.
4K sets look great but actual 4K content is still rare. It is the future, but you are just switching to high definition - just that will blow you away.
Just a thought, you might want to consider a home theater system reciever, which everything will plug into (satellite/cable box, DVD, Roku, Apple node, etc. will plug into). Add a Harmony remote control to make life easier.
People prefer black. They are a lot smaller and flatter now. You could in principle get with the times and make your house more modern looking, with lots of use of black and other modern, trendy colors in the paint and styling.
Lots of info there, but those guys sure tend to suffer from “Analysis paralysis”. Some of them might be watching in black and white while they wait for the perfect television…
Do not go to avs forum. It will give you a headache.
It seems to me that your question is more about how to connect your existing setup to a new tv. As others have pointed out, HDMI connections are the latest thing. Your DVD player may or may not have such a connection. If your DirecTV box does not have one, I am sure you can get a new box, probably for free.
First of all you can ditch that switching box. Any tv you buy now will have enough connections, and your tv effectively acts as a switching box by using the remote to switch input.
If your DVD does not have an hdmi connection, you can connect directly to the tv using composite video, though you will likely get a better picture by buying a new player and connection through hdmi.
You can connect your audio to your stereo in the same way you do it now, using the audio out jacks on the tv.
As far as an operating system is concerned, this is only an issue for “smart” tvs. If you do want to stream video, forget about the smart tv and get one of the other devices. It is possible that your DVD player already has access to things like Netflix and Amazon.
Don’t agonize about which tv you buy. Just buy a name brand.
