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Hi-Def TV is now cheap enough for me

Snade

Snade

humble AK member
I've been sticking with analog TV, because paying more than 500 bucks for a TV seems like a luxury to me. I'm probably cheap.

But last week, I bought a nice HDTV for $430 (including tax) from the local Costco.

32" Sharp Aquos LCD 720p, the regular Costco price was $475 but they sent me a coupon book including $80 off this TV and with the coupon plus sales tax the final cost was $430. Setup was super-easy.

I'm very happy with this TV. I know 720p is old school, but the picture quality for baseball and tennis is great, to my eye.

I hooked it up to the DIY coat hanger antenna and I get all the major networks here in the burbs of Chicago for free.

A few shots of the TV:

hdtv_1.jpg



hdtv_2.jpg



Coat-hanger antenna

hillbilly_antenna.jpg


Cheers, Snade
 
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Sox 4---Cubs 1, I like that. ;)

You got a nice TV there, 4 years ago it would've cost about $1500. 720 P looks very good, very little programming is in 1080P anyway unless you want to do Blu Ray and there are very few interesting pictures (to me anyway) available on it.
 
Snade said:
I'm very happy with this TV. I know 720dpi is old school, but the picture quality for baseball and tennis is great, to my eye.


Cheers, Snade
Click to expand...

Watch some of the stuff the Discovery Channel puts out in HD. Really amazing!
 
They are getting less expensive. Not quite in the sub $500 category here yet for a really decent one but, getting nearer. I've been doing research on the free over the air channels and apparently there is the possibility of 18 in the area. I've got an analog set that still looks good but the cable costs keep rising and the offering reduced so looking to update and the alternatives.
 
Tom Brennan said:
Sox 4---Cubs 1, I like that. ;)

You got a nice TV there, 4 years ago it would've cost about $1500. 720 P looks very good, very little programming is in 1080P anyway unless you want to do Blu Ray and there are very few interesting pictures (to me anyway) available on it.
Click to expand...

Wrong Sox :-P

Like that quad-bay bowtie antenna! I need to build or procure a decent "indoor" UHF antenna... I have finally found most of the OTA TV channels again using the big directional Yagi with the downstairs TV (although the only one we really watch -- WCVB -- is hit 'n' miss depending upon time of day and weather).

Upstairs, everything's gone save two Spanish-language stations out of (I think) Woosta... unfortunately neither of us speaks Spanish.

Sorry for the semi-hijacking...
 
I'm still happy with my 720p Panasonic plasma.
From my viewing distance 720p is just fine.
Although I'm really impressed with the new LG 240hz 1080P LCD tvs.
 
Nice job... You really need a hi def cable feed to really enjoy these, though. The costs are getting prohibitive. Watch the BlackHawks on that thing and you'll wonder why you waited.
 
I'm with you on the free OTA thing. I gave up Direct TV over a year ago and I don't miss it much. Yeah, Discovery and History Channel were nice, but at $70 a month I could not justify it anymore. A rooftop antenna pulls in a lot for me in Oak Park.
 
Snade said:
I've been sticking with analog TV, because paying more than 500 bucks for a TV seems like a luxury to me. I'm probably cheap.
Click to expand...

I'm not sayin'...I'm only sayin'! :D :D :D

Watch a few Planet Earth dvds on that thing...you'll be amazed.
And +1 on hockey. The white contrast to the color of the uniforms will blow you away.
 
Snade, I have a 42" Samsung Plasma 720p that looks great and OTA HD broadcasts look incredible.

Congrats on your new toy!
 
many stations around the Austin area broadcast OTA in HD at quality that meets or exceeds what you get over cable or satelite. And, unknown to most consumers, cable stations DO NOT always give you HD even on their HD channels. It's all based on bandwidth. You only get the resolution that your bandwidth allows. This can be a real problem if you "bundle" your services. For instance, if you are watching TV, and your kid is surfing the INTERNET, and your wife is on the phone, chances are you are getting nowhere near HD. In many instances, it can be as low as 540p....in other words, just barely noticeably better than standard def. That said, ATT guarantees that picture quality won't drop becuase of the other activities you are performing, so they seem to be moving in the right direction anyway.
 
hey Snade, I once read an article explaining how the human eye would have to sit within 5-6 feet of a 50" 1080p tv, to distinguish the pixel difference from a 780p tv.

Must of us don't sit that close to our TV's, 780p looks great. That money was wisely spent.
 
klama2006 said:
hey Snade, I once read an article explaining how the human eye would have to sit within 5-6 feet of a 50" 1080p tv, to distinguish the pixel difference from a 780p tv.

Must of us don't sit that close to our TV's, 780p looks great. That money was wisely spent.
Click to expand...

Good point on the pixels and sitting about 8 feet from this TV, not sure I see any advantage to having a bigger TV that this 32". Watched the Wimbledon tennis final today and the picture was fantastic. You could really see how beat-up the grass surface was on Center Court.
 
You are in real danger now. Once you start watching programming in HD, it is going to be very hard to watch SD programming.

I also agree with the others, 720p is the perfect choice in a 32" display. You really need a much larger display or sit really far away to take advantage of 1080i/p and even then, you are limited by the signal being sent via cable or satellite. Rarely true 1080i resolution!!!!

P.S. The Tour de France looks awesome in HD.
 
I'm happy for ya ! Enjoy your new tv.I have a $400.00 32" Sanyo 60hz 720p from Wallmart and I'm perfectly content with the picture. HD channels and Blu Ray are incredible. I've looked at several $810.00 120hz 1080i 32" tv's---they are nice and deliver a sharper picture.However,for my budget I'm not seeing a $400.00 difference in picture quality.

Still,if someone gave me a $810.00 tv as a gift i'd be fine with that:yes:
 
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