Need HDTV and Sat advice!

[KenP]

I don't think 1080p vs 1080i is going to matter on that size. If you were pushing 60" it might.

We've got a Sony Wega crt in the den. It's fine for what it does, and you can watch HD on it too. The picture is just smaller when doing that, tho.

[KenP]

Found some stuff for you:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-6361600-1.html

1080p resolution--which equates to 1,920x1,080 pixels--is the latest HD Holy Grail. That's because 1080p monitors are theoretically capable of displaying every pixel of the highest-resolution HD broadcasts. On paper, they should offer more than twice the resolution of today's 1,280x720, or 720p, HDTVs, such as Samsung's HL-P5085W. Some companies, such as LG, refer to these super-high-res of sets as ultra-HD, while others prefer to substitute true or full for ultra.

2. Why 1080p is theoretically better than 1080i
1080i, the former king of the HDTV hill, actually boasts an identical 1,920x1,080 resolution but conveys the images in an interlaced format (the i in 1080i). In a tube-based television, otherwise known as a CRT, 1080i sources get "painted" on the screen sequentially: the odd-numbered lines of resolution appear on your screen first, followed by the even-numbered lines--all within 1/30 of a second. Progressive-scan formats such as 480p, 720p, and 1080p convey all of the lines of resolution sequentially in a single pass, which makes for a smoother, cleaner image, especially with sports and other motion-intensive content. As opposed to tubes, microdisplays (DLP, LCoS, and LCD rear-projection) and other fixed-pixel TVs, including plasma and LCD flat-panel, are inherently progressive in nature, so when the incoming source is interlaced, as 1080i is, they convert it to progressive scan for display.

3. What content is available in 1080p?
Really, nothing at this point. Today's high-def broadcasts are done in either 1080i or 720p, and there's little or no chance they'll jump to 1080p any time soon because of bandwidth issues.

READ THIS:
http://www.hometheatermag.com/gearworks/1106gear/

There Is No Difference Between 1080p and 1080i
My bold-printed, big-lettered breaker above is a little sensationalistic, but, as far as movies are concerned, this is basically true. Here's why. Movies (and most TV shows) are shot at 24 frames per second (either on film or on 24-frame-per-second HD cameras). Every TV sold in the United States has a refresh rate of 60 hertz. This means that the screen refreshes 60 times per second. In order to display 24-frame-per-second content on a display that essentially shows 60 frames per second, you need to make up or create new frames. This is accomplished by a method called 3:2 pulldown (or, more accurately, 2:3 pulldown). It doubles the first frame of film, triples the second frame, doubles the third frame, and so on, creating a 2-3-2-3-2-3 sequence. (Check out Figure 1 for a more colorful depiction.) So, the new frames don't have new information; they are just duplicates of the original film frames. This process converts 24-frame-per-second film to be displayed on a 60-Hz display.

[Tah2oe]

I've got this TV and it is great. Cable card just plugs right into the TV with no need for the set top box. Go with cable and this and you will not be dissapointed.

Samsung

LN-S4696D
46" Wide HDTV with Integrated DCR Tuner and 1080P

Samsung's sleek 46" LCD leads the industry in realistic home entertainment. With its 6000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, over two million pixel resolution, Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp. S-PVA Panel, and 10-bit processor with 12.8 billion colors, the LN-S4696D delivers a picture of startling clarity that rivals real life.

[bparker]

If you can get ATT Uverse in your area i HIGHLY recomend it! As much as I dislike ATT this is by far the best looking and sounding HD programming I have had. I had Direct TV, Cable and lastly had Dishnetworks HD premium - but this Uverse blows it away. The quality of picture on non-HD is night and day better where as the HD picture is the same - BUT - the sound quality is way far beyond what I have gotten out of any other providers.

Now as for TVs, I love Pioneed Elite(s) they are pricey but well worth it if you want the best picture AND a long life.

I opted for a Hitachi Ultra Vision 55" plasma on the wall above the fireplace which is a nice touch. And a JVC 42" plasma for the bedroom. I have only had the Hitachi for 2 years but all is well with it. The JVC I have had for over 5 years and still going strong.

You can get the Hitachi 55" for the same coin as most high end 50" plasmas too. I would put the Hitachi on your "to view" list.

[BKLYNH2]

can't get uverse or fios here yet. i will check out the hittachi too. doing some looking tonight.

[BKLYNH2]

Ok saw a few at best buy last night and my head is spinning. I saw that Pioneer which was nice but the color was super saturated. Everyone looked like they had a bad sunburn. The floor guy said it was in vivid mode or something like that and he couldn't change it. He assured me that it was awesome. Don't really want to go by his assurance though. Hawk do you know about this vivid mode and do you leave it off or do you correct the color otherwise?
Other than that I was left a little unsure about plasmas as they said that glare can be a problem and I'm not sure if the lighting in my place might be bad for that. I guess I could be safe and just get LCD they certainly come large enough now. I thought the sharp lcd's looked really good, even better than the Sonys. I saw a bluray movie too that was so clear and colorful it hurt my eyes after a while.

[MarineHawk]

Originally Posted by BKLYNH2

Ok saw a few at best buy last night and my head is spinning. I saw that Pioneer which was nice but the color was super saturated. Everyone looked like they had a bad sunburn. The floor guy said it was in vivid mode or something like that and he couldn't change it. He assured me that it was awesome. Don't really want to go by his assurance though. Hawk do you know about this vivid mode and do you leave it off or do you correct the color otherwise?
Other than that I was left a little unsure about plasmas as they said that glare can be a problem and I'm not sure if the lighting in my place might be bad for that. I guess I could be safe and just get LCD they certainly come large enough now. I thought the sharp lcd's looked really good, even better than the Sonys. I saw a bluray movie too that was so clear and colorful it hurt my eyes after a while.

I had the installer dude optimize the settings on ours. It looks way better than the one in the store did. You just have to have it set correctly.

I worried about the glare too, but it's not noticeable to us. To the extent that there is any glare, the aforementioned wall pivot mount has completely taken care of that. During the day, we just rotate it a little away form the windows to the right. At night, if we have some lights on behind us, we just rotate it a little the other way. The picture on HD is really unbelievable. I doubt we'll ever go to a theater again. (I always end up with a cross-eyed psycho with bad breath and a bladder control problem sitting next to me).

[MarineHawk]

For example, this article has the optimal settings for a Panasonic: http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatvreviews/panasonic-th50px60u-review.html

The Best Buy store here had most of the TVs running on default settings, which weren?t that good.

Here are some hopefully useful info sources:

http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatvreviews/plasma-vs-lcd.html

http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatvreviews/plasmatv-fireplace.html

http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatvreviews/whyplasmatv.html

http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatv/plasmatv-misconceptions.html

[KenP]

Originally Posted by BKLYNH2

The floor guy said it was in vivid mode or something like that and he couldn't change it.

That's common as most stores do that. Or so I read...

We've got BluRay and it's awesome.