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Guest Princess Leena

My apologies if this has been answered already... but, I'm not fully understanding this end of analog in February 2009 thing.

 

Does this mean that all non-HD TV's will be completely useless, or does this only affect the poorer people who use antennas and don't have cable/satellite receivers?

 

It just means that the broadcasters must transmit digitally. If your cable company decides to downconvert to analog still you will be just peachy keen.

 

And Mole, a lot of people use attenna's to grab local OTA HD off the air.

I have Dish Network, which I assume is digital. It only affects me as I get local channels through an ancient antenna because I can't obtain them other ways... and I'm sure we'll be getting an HDTV in the next 2.3. I'm more curious because I think this will piss off lots o' people.

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My apologies if this has been answered already... but, I'm not fully understanding this end of analog in February 2009 thing.

 

Does this mean that all non-HD TV's will be completely useless, or does this only affect the poorer people who use antennas and don't have cable/satellite receivers?

 

It just means that the broadcasters must transmit digitally. If your cable company decides to downconvert to analog still you will be just peachy keen.

 

And Mole, a lot of people use attenna's to grab local OTA HD off the air.

I have Dish Network, which I assume is digital. It only affects me as I get local channels through an ancient antenna because I can't obtain them other ways... and I'm sure we'll be getting an HDTV in the next 2.3. I'm more curious because I think this will piss off lots o' people.

 

I doubt anyones going to be pissed off. Supposedly the government is subsidizing production of set top converter boxes to help produce them fast enough and to lower costs.

 

Set-Top Boxes. If the transition happened today, between 20 million and 80 million televisions would need set-top boxes. Thomson Electronics says it can sell a box for $120; other manufacturers say the price will drop to $60. The later the date, the more households will have digital sets, so fewer subsidized boxes will be needed.

 

Stevens set aside $3 billion of his fund for these subsidies. He estimates that up to 60 million Americans will want $60 boxes, and will fork over $10 as a "co-pay." The House Energy and Commerce Committee says 20 million boxes will be necessary. With a $20 consumer payment, the subsidy would equal about $800 million.

 

I dont think they've agreed on it though, but no one is going to be completely without TV after April 2009.

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I hope when this long-awaited conversion happens, the local channels up their HD signals. Right now I only get CBS, Fox, and CW affiliates in HD, and I only live 10 miles away from a major city.

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Well, if the ones you are missing aren't transmitting digitally then you may get a shot at them, but I doubt there is too much incentive to boost their power.

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http://www1.epinions.com/RCA_R52WM24_Telev...lay_~full_specs

 

I'm buying this tv on black friday at Walmart but am completely clueless about HDTV specs.

 

Can someone please explain what exactly I'm buying without trying to sell me a 2500 dollar tv? I'm set on this TV. The dickhead at Best Buy certainly couldn't understand, so I think someone here can.

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My Dad is going to go to WalMart at 5 to get one. I am trying to tell them that it isn't very good, but they don't listen. They "like the deal."

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My Dad is going to go to WalMart at 5 to get one. I am trying to tell them that it isn't very good, but they don't listen. They "like the deal."

 

None of the actual good black friday deals are worth it to end up having to camp out like you were for a PS3 or a W!!, which is what you'll end up having to do if you want any of them. Stores probably only have like 2 or 3 of the good deals and theres about 50 million people fighting to get them. Not worth it.

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Westinghouse is one of the top rated LCDs out there. Don't let the fact that it doesn't say SONY/LG/Toshiba on it fool you.

 

And Marvin, just because you're a hermit doesn't mean others are so shut the fuck up about anything to do with going outside.

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So yeah...

 

I'm set on this TV.

 

You wont get the TV at Wal Mart on Black Friday unless you start camping out now for it, and its not worth that.

 

Best Buy's gonna have a 32 inch LCD for less than $500 although its like Westinghouse or something.

 

My Dad is going to go to WalMart at 5 to get one. I am trying to tell them that it isn't very good, but they don't listen. They "like the deal."

 

Let's try this again.

 

I am going to buy this tv. I want this tv. I don't want a 32 inch Westinghouse LCD. A pal o'mine has this exact TV and it works absolutely fine. You may not have noticed from my post, but I'm NOT looking for top of the line. I'm not even really looking for a TV. I found the one I want to buy. I was looking for help from two "HD guys" and was hoping that I would get help different from the tool at Best Buy.

 

If you can help me with THIS TV, please do. Thank you.

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Westinghouse is one of the top rated LCDs out there. Don't let the fact that it doesn't say SONY/LG/Toshiba on it fool you.

 

And Marvin, just because you're a hermit doesn't mean others are so shut the fuck up about anything to do with going outside.

 

The one I saw on display looked surprisingly good but reviews on the net say elsewise.

 

and I stood in line for almost 4 hours sunday morning for a W!!.

 

In front of a pair of mothers from NJ (who both were listening to Ipods) and in back of a pair of sisters who wouldnt shut up talking to each other about something or another...

 

Fun times.

 

As for the Max's tv that he's dead set on..its only got DVI so you'll more than likely need a hdmi-dvi adapter..get it off the net instead of instore though, it will be cheaper.

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Okay, well it is a CRT TV which is the best kind of HDTV, IMO. It doesn't have an HDMI input, which is a negative. But it does have DVI input.

 

For that price and that size, it isn't that bad of a deal.

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Okay, well it is a CRT TV which is the best kind of HDTV, IMO. It doesn't have an HDMI input, which is a negative. But it does have DVI input.

 

For that price and that size, it isn't that bad of a deal.

 

Mole..really..do you know the difference between CRT and Projection..it doesnt seem like it.

 

Projection tvs in general all have weird viewing angles and look faded out from a distance..

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When is the best time to make a purchase this year? I'm looking to put down around $1000-1800 for something, with my options being Costco and Walmart. Slim pickings, I know.

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When is the best time to make a purchase this year? I'm looking to put down around $1000-1800 for something, with my options being Costco and Walmart. Slim pickings, I know.

 

Anytime from here on out is good..but I wouldnt fool around with the BF deals..Tons of TVs will be onsale..

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I actually didn't see projection listed, I just saw CRT. I should have realized it when it was 52".

 

And what is your deal anyway? You're like that kid in class who corrects the teachers all the time. Yes, you know more about HDTVs than me. However, I do know my share. Stop acting like your a God to the world when it comes to HDTVs.

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Could any of you guys put a "Do Get/Do Look For" bulletpoint for me?

 

All I know is, I need a new television after giving away my old standard 27" to my mother a few days ago, and I'm itching to get into the new-age models to take advantage of my 360. Gears of War has been sitting on my shelf for over a week now. The situation is, I don't have HDTV capabilities (yet), so I'm simply getting in now for the 360, my assload of DVDs and the fact that it's a bad idea to stay with the standard television for another year and try and justify that purchase.

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What's everyone think of all the "no name brand" LCD tvs that are on the market now? Everyone seems to have them in stock now, whether it's Wal-Mart or the big box electronics stores. Conventional wisdom would say to avoid unknown brands, but at the same time, a lot of these flat panels are basically the same thing as the set made my other "known" brands, just with a lower price tag and different name on the front. Of course, it could be bad to bu a set, and then find out a year later when you're having problems with it that the company doesn't exist anymore. That said, a 32" LCD HDTV for about 500-600 bucks is a hard bargain to pass up.

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As for max and his RCA TV he wants to get...you should be fine with that one. It's a rear projection TV...the only downside is typically that they are hard to view with a lot of room glare from windows and other light sources. They also don't have the wide viewing angles of LCD or traditional direct-view CRT sets. Still, if that TV has an integrated HD tuner, it sounds like a bargain.

 

We've had a Mitsubishi 48" HD-ready rear projection for three years and I don't regret it one bit. It's survived one move already and has held up really well. Great picture. Mitsubishi is a little more high end than RCA, but I'm of the opinion that brand names don't matter as much as people think either, as long as the specific set you're buying has all the features that _you_ need.

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Okay, well it is a CRT TV which is the best kind of HDTV, IMO. It doesn't have an HDMI input, which is a negative. But it does have DVI input.

 

For that price and that size, it isn't that bad of a deal.

 

Mole..really..do you know the difference between CRT and Projection..it doesnt seem like it.

???????

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Okay, well it is a CRT TV which is the best kind of HDTV, IMO. It doesn't have an HDMI input, which is a negative. But it does have DVI input.

 

For that price and that size, it isn't that bad of a deal.

 

Mole..really..do you know the difference between CRT and Projection..it doesnt seem like it.

???????

 

The TV in question is a projection, and even if he didn't read CRT, the picture is clearly of a projection style tv.

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Okay, well it is a CRT TV which is the best kind of HDTV, IMO. It doesn't have an HDMI input, which is a negative. But it does have DVI input.

 

For that price and that size, it isn't that bad of a deal.

 

Mole..really..do you know the difference between CRT and Projection..it doesnt seem like it.

???????

 

The TV in question is a projection, and even if he didn't read CRT, the picture is clearly of a projection style tv.

RCA makes CRT-based projection screen TVs.

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You guys are splitting hairs. Technically a rear projection TV (aka a "big screen") is a CRT TV, since it still uses cathode ray tubes. A traditional CRT set (generally under 40" in diagonal screen size) is more accurately called a "direct view" set.

 

As an aside, RCA must be one of the last manufacturers currently marketing a rear projection set. The last time I was in Best Buy, it was all LCD, plasma, and DLP (microdisplay) type sets.

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I don't think anybody's splitting hairs. One guy's trying to correct everyone else even though he's wrong.

 

Im not wrong here though. He said "well it is a CRT TV which is the best kind of HDTV". Generally, projection sets, even if they technically are CRTs, are not considered the best kind of HDTV due to the odd viewing angles and such. Regular flat screen CRT HDTVs are still considered the best for picture quality (most notably better black color than any other option) despite the fact that they are about 50 times larger and 1/3 to 1/2 cheaper or more for comparitive options.

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I don't think anybody's splitting hairs. One guy's trying to correct everyone else even though he's wrong.

 

Im not wrong here though. He said "well it is a CRT TV which is the best kind of HDTV". Generally, projection sets, even if they technically are CRTs, are not considered the best kind of HDTV due to the odd viewing angles and such. Regular flat screen CRT HDTVs are still considered the best for picture quality (most notably better black color than any other option) despite the fact that they are about 50 times larger and 1/3 to 1/2 cheaper or more for comparitive options.

 

That is true, if I understand what you were saying correctly.

 

One of the reasons I'm still shying away from LCD and plasma screens is in fact the lack of deep blacks. Greyish blacks just look awful to me. Maybe they've improved over the last year or so, but I'm not sure as of yet.

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Well, either way...

 

I'm curious if max got the TV he wanted or not.

 

Si.

 

We got there early friday morning, having found one of the tv's misplaced in electronics on black friday. My gal stood guard while I emptied the truck out. I made a post on here while in the store, on my laptop because they tried to correct the mistake by taking the tv from our possession (We each were standing guard on the thing, like we were guarding a plate of money) and moving it back to layaway. The manager had to be called, since we weren't giving the thing up; They had fucked up by leaving it on the floor, I wasn't going to go stand in the line that was now at least 25 people deep, since I knew for a fact that they didn't have more than 8 of these tv's. So since I refused to move and wouldn't let them take the tv, we simply outlasted them and the p.a. rang out that it was 5am. So we bought the tv. Got it home (not easy with my back being wonky lately), set it all up, including moving half the living room to accomodate. Turn it on...doesn't work. Blank screen. I almost woke up the neighbors, but luckily caught myself at the last moment before I screamed in disgust.

 

So, we waited until Sunday to take it back. Roll it in the truck, tie 'er down, go to the local Walmart, where they want me to pay the remaining cost on the tv. Well, that won't be happening. We happen upon the same manager (who I think wanted revenge for me having upstaged her on black friday), who refuses to do the return because the tv doesn't sell for 474 anymore, it's 894 now. So she says that we're on the hook for the extra money. I most respectfully disagree and Max v. Manager II is on. I win again by calmly pointing out the flaw in her logic (with the fact that she had just allowed a return for something else that wasn't the same price anymore) and leave. Not before getting her name and the picture from the manager's wall. We went to a Walmart in Fort Myers and returned the tv with no problems. Got her home, and it works beautifully.

 

The attached picture is a bit blurry, but the tv works very, very well. A long post from me, but it's because I haven't really gotten to sound off on this at all so it's been festering for a few days now. I feel better now.

post-682-1164671412_thumb.jpg

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