Yet another big TV post

[PersonaNonGrata]

I've read many a post about people's big ass TV's with some envy. Some of you guys have a pretty insane HT setup. (You know who you are!) My wife and I do enjoy our TV watching and now our Wii sports but had been pretty happy with my aging but still fully functioning Toshiba 42" rear projection that I had since then end of '04.

But since we got the Wii and play some stuff split screen I have commented about wanting a bigger set. We went to Costco on the weekend to look at a chair they have and we left with a big ass TV. (Isn't that always the way it is?) We didn't plan on it but when we started looking in the TV aisles we were kind of taken by one in particular. Being a somewhat impulse buy, the price point was a major consideration. The size was as well. It had to be appreciably bigger than a 42". We had previously ruled out LCD's and plasmas because we have a big niche that is about 24" deep so paying the premium for one of those would be wasted. when it would just be set in a deep niche anyway. We had been thinking of a 55".

We wound up buying a Mistubishi Diamond 62" LCD rear projection. It came with a very nice Mitsubishi stand that we cannot use. (It made the whole package too tall for the niche. We had to improvise/"McGyver" a 15" stand.) The price was a major clincher for us: $1500 for the whole deal, plus tax of course. There is not much to compete with that price unless you want a 42" Vizio plasma which we don't. It's bigger than we had thought about but for the money, it was a no-brainer. We thought "why pay more for the 50" Sony LCD rear projection?". There was a Toshiba 62" DLP rear projection 1080p TV on special for $2000 after a $200 coupon. It was too tall, $400 more, and the picture wasn't that good anyway. There was a 56" JVD HD-ILA for about the same price but it was aesthetically bad looking and JVC had a terrible reputation with those HD-ILA chipsets burning out early. The Costco TV guy used to work at Best(Worst) Buy and said that they got one of those returned per week. :

I do have some questions and wanted your opinions:

1. I know it's a LCD projection and with LCOS, SXRD, D-ILA, and DLP, did we shoot ourselves in the foot? I don't think we did, especially for the price. I don't have a problem with LCD projection. The thing I had heard about that was it was a little dim but ours seems very bright.
2. It's not a 1080p set but from my research it seems that 1080p is more of a marketing thing and that there is very little difference. There is an illusion created that 1080p is superior to 1080i when in reality, it's more or less the same thing. Thoughts?
3. The 62" is bigger than we had been considering but again, the price was just too good and the selection in the 55" range was not good. (They only had a 56" JVC HD-ILA that I and many people don't trust.) We sit about 10 feet back and so far, it seems okay. Further back would be ideal but until we move into a bigger house 10 or 11 feet is it. We would like to be able to use this TV in a bigger house someday. What are your opinions on viewing distance and a 62" TV?
4. I'm currently running with component video but it has one HDMI input. Is it worth the price of the HDMI cable?
5. I think I have a buyer for my 42" Toshiba. What's a fair price to sell it? It's in perfect condition. There were a few on eBay from $400 to $800.

We were planning on using it and see how we like it and seeing if Costco gets anything good in the 55" range. I would like to keep the Mistu just to avoid trucking it back and if we go smaller later on it might be rough to go to a smaller TV.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble. Your opinions are appreciated.

[LeMansX5]

Congrats! 1080p is good if you have blu-ray player or PS3.
How long you intend to keep the TV? That determines if you need 1080p. if not more than 4 years, than you should be fine.
Costco has excellent return policy and if you change your mind, you can always return.

[Juanted]

Niiiiice!!

As far as your questions:

1. No, you did not shoot yourself in the foot.

2. 1080p IS a marketing thing. There is NO (read, ZERO) programming offered at 1080p natively, and it won't happen for years, if at all.

3. Dunno. Mine is a 50".

4. No.

5. Dunno.

Enjoy!

Juan

[PersonaNonGrata]

Originally Posted by LeMansX5

Congrats! 1080p is good if you have blu-ray player or PS3.
How long you intend to keep the TV? That determines if you need 1080p. if not more than 4 years, than you should be fine.
Costco has excellent return policy and if you change your mind, you can always return.

Thanks man! Yes, I thought about Blu-Ray but I read that even though it is a 1080p format, it basically converts it to 1080i anyway. I read a few different articles on HT sites like AVS Forums. I have also heard that it is highly unlikely that the networks will be pushing out broadcasts in 1080p as it would be too costly in bandwidth. Hell, it's tough enough to get good clean 1080i HD signals from the networks. (Discovery HD rocks! )

The Costco return policy is one of the main reasons we had to buy our TV there. Another thing is that if the price goes down, which it will in the next few months I'd guess, we can get a price adjustment. This Mistu was about $2000 when it first hit Costcos in 10/06 so it has already gone down $400. As another example of that, I know a guy who bought the 63" Philips plasma and as of yesterday it went down $300 or $400 from just a couple of months ago.

[motordavid]

PNG/K,
Congrats on the Big TV!

Costco, et al, make their living off cases like yours where
a couple say, "let's stop in for a case of paper towels"
and you walk out with a TV/Necklace/Case of Bordeaux.

My opins to your questions:
1-No...the different versions are like stocks: everyone has a fave,
no one ever agrees.
3-No...we sit 11-12ish feet away from our 60"Sony,NoBaloney:
It looked freakin huge the first day. We got used to it in a few
days. Well, it still looks huge, but the pic is not too big at all.
I think for a viewing distance of 10 ft+, 60 inches & up is almost
minimum, espc for wide screen programs, and espc action games
with lots of players: hockey, football, etc.
4-I have HDMI cable from my ComCrap HD/DVR box to TV and from
my Samsung DVD player to TV; they are really short runs and were
really on sale. Otherwise, I doubt I would have bought them.
5-No clue...I suspect a used TV of any ilk is like trying to off
17" wheels: low value and the buyer has to be motivated and very
local to you.

2-1080p: agree it's a mkting surge that isn't gonna surge anytime
soon...

However, I would have gone for a 1080i TV. In that size, the
diff, to my eyes, is amazing when viewing the true widescreen
channels shot in HD, eg Discovery, Golf, Football, HBO HD, et al.

No dis to your new TV and I'm sure the 720 will serve you well. And,
the technocrats here may arm wrestle with me over that, but 720 is
not the same as 1080i, viewing-wise, in some situations and on
some channels, to my eyes and, imo.

Other than that, hope you & A enjoy the hell outta it!
BR,mD

[rayxi]

Don't sweat the 1080p vs 1080i thing. Even with a Blu Ray or HD DVD player there will be absolutely no difference in the picture with proper deinterlacing when watching film (24 fps) or video (30 fps) based material. The only situation where it makes a difference is with computers or game consoles that can output at higher than 30 fps.

Congrats on the deal and enjoy!

[JCL]

I agree with MD on all points, and I do think that there is a difference between 720 p and 1080p. The comparison isn't between p and i, it is 720 and 1080.

However, the only thing that really matters is what it looks like to your eyes, with the input signal you will be using, in your ambient lighting conditions.

[AutoXer]

Don't know the answers to your questions. But congratulations on your purchase. Now when we are in your area, we know where to go to hang out and play video games

[PersonaNonGrata]

Thanks for the responses. But I have another question. I hadn't actually thought about the 720p vs 1080i issue. (I have resolved that a 1080p set is not important.) In reading the specs for the Mistu, it states that it's a 720p LCD engine but when I have something like a Discovery HD that looks amazing, the on-screen information tells me that it's showing it in 1080i. I understand that whether a program is 720p or 1080i is dependent on what the broadcaster is sending out the source material in. So I guess my question is, technically, is there any detriment to having a set that has a 720p engine? Is it that 720p=1080i? I cannot seem to see any difference in the quality of the picture. It seems that the quality of the signal is more of a factor than the television itself. I have asked a couple of friends, one with a 46" Aquos LCD and one with a 67" Samsung DLP, and they both report the same thing.

I'm getting more confused the more I think about this.

[rayxi]

720p is the native resolution of your display (hardware).
1080i is the resolution of the input signal (data).
Your TV takes the 1080i signal and scales it to the native 720p resolution.
BTW, all non-crt displays are progressive.

The various HD channels are broadcast in either 720p or 1080i at the source. Your cable STB or Satellite receiver (the box) will take whatever signal resolution from the source and convert it to the output resolution of the box, be it 720p or 1080i.

Theoretically, your picture should look the best if your STB/Receiver is outputing the native resolution of your display. In reality, some TV's look better or the same in the non-native input resolution due to various processing quirks that the TV does regardless of what you set it at.

Bottom line is experiment and trust your eyes.