Cool, this should be a good technology thread, how modern is your home, your style, image?
I purchased a Sharp Aquos four years ago. Spent $1300 on it. 2 weeks ago...wouldn’t come on. Called Sharp, they sent me to an authorized specialist. They said they were on the phone with Sharp for over two hours. They could not get it on...said it was dead...could not be repaired.
So, I purchased a Sceptre 46” from QVC...$599, on 6 easy payments. I am delighted with it. Better picture than the Sharp and much better sound quality. I am quite happy with it. Good TV for the money. Good luck with your search!
An LCD, for sure. The size is the only question. Don’t scale down in the name of frugality. Get one that seems nice and big to you ... there will be ones even bigger, don’t worry about that!
Get an internet ready HDTV. I’m typing this from my recliner on a Samsung 42” plasma screen. Awesome!
You want a large 32” flat screen TV/monitor. The main signal you will be using is the VGA adapter so you can connect it to your computer. You will begin to watch movies through your computer. You will create a new micro library in an external 2 tera bite hard drive. You will start ripping the main movie of your DVDs and copying your old VHS cassettes onto your external hard drive using software and hardware on your computer. This external hard drive is going to become your new video library so instead of having to keep shelves and boxes of DVDs and video cassettes, you will store all the videos on a single hard drive which is no bigger than one VHS cassette. You will be able to select your video file(s) from a list on the screen and you won’t have to go hunting for the actual box you use to store it in. The film will play from the hard drive through your computer on Windows Media Player through the VGA adapter to your 32” flat screen TV. There will be no commercials because you can edit them out with software on the computer. You will also watch other sources like Hulu or Youtube or Animefreak.tv over the internet on this new TV. You library of classics, Disney, documentaries, action adventure, sci-fi, cartoons, sitcoms, etc. will be accessible within a few mouse clicks instead of a trip across the living room. You’ll have so much material you could broadcast your own TV channel for days, weeks, or months before seeing a rerun. What brand of TV? ANYTHING EXCEPT EMERSON will do.
Forget about all that stuff. They all have their good and bad points. Just go to the store tomorrow and buy whatever strikes your fancy. Take it home and enjoy it.
Keep it simple. Please just keep it simple.
Now days (having just did this several times)....go to www.circuitcity.com or www.ecost.com....get either a new or factory refurbished 1080p LED or LCD flat screen, about 40”-42”. You won’t break the bank. Brand doesn’t much matter any more. Try to get 120Hz (screen refresh rate); your eyes will thank you.
Other than that....I swear that’s all you need.
Later..
Make sure to get 1080p, the rest is up to you, but LCD is by far the most common. The reason you want 1080p and not 720 is that a 1080p will have a sharper picture and if you have a bluray player you will see a difference. Your new TV can also be used as a second computer monitor, and then you can use services like Netflix and Amazon to watch movies.
I use it for my comp monitor.
Haven't turned on the "TV" in years now. I watch all my "tv" off the web anyways.
Microcenter regularly has some outstanding deals on monitors. For example, right now, they have a deal on a 23.6 inch LED monitor for $139.00. If you were to combine that with a refurb desktop computer, such as this HP, for $179.00, you would have a fully functional media center for less than $500.00.
You can go for monitors that are sized up to 27 inches: for about $350 or so. If you want to go with a larger size, you can get 40 inch televisions that can serve as a monitor for around $500-700 or so.
Nevertheless, I would suggest that you look at upgrading to the media center computer model vice the TV/DVD model.
For television specs, I would suggest the following:
Don't even consider 720p or less. The technology is such that 1080p is absolutely the way to go. The more dots per inch, the better off you'll be.
A real key is to look at the different types of inputs that are available: you want to have a monitor that will accept VGA (so it can serve as a computer monitor), HDMI -- I would suggest one that accepts 2 HDMI inputs. One for a laptop / desktop, and one for a Blu-Ray player.
I would stay away from Plasma technology. My first preference would be LED over LCD. LED technology is thinner, lighter, and generates less heat than LCD technology. I say stay away from Plasma technology because if ANYTHING happens to it, the entire monitor is gone, while with LED/LCD, you can lose a pixel or two and the monitor is still usable.
If you are interested in Microcenter, they have stores in Patterson, Westbury, and Yonkers, as well as a web store.
Best deal around:
LG 42 LED
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005JK01GO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
If You just need a monitor, I would look at Computer monitors
and not even get a TV.
“Old TV broke, just want new TV to watch DVDs, not shows, what TV should I be looking at?”
Your computer.
Widescreen 17”.
Laptop or desktop, doesn’t matter.
Another consideration is getting the same brand TV as your DVD player. I have Samsung TVs and DVD players, which means the remotes are compatible and in your case, everything can be done with the DVD remote, since you don't use it for cable or on-air. If your DVD player is ancient, consider getting a Bluray DVD player. They're pretty cheap now and will give you a much better picture.
Avoid all the gimmicks like built-in wifi or wifi ready, since you don't seem to use such features. One thing getting really cheap is 3D plasma TVs, which might be of interest to you since movies are coming out in 3D.
Get a free one of Craigslist. People can’t give older TV’s away.
The advice about looking at Craig’s list is good for your needs. Or go to a second hand shop and pick up an old used TV w/a DVD player. Should keep you happy for a few more years.