Re: OT: Television recommendations

On Sun, June 29, 2008 11:57 am, John wrote:
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> Hi folks,
>
> Although off topic, I know there are many here who are multi-media savvy.
>
> Our family is looking for a new television for our satellite service.
> We're looking at 32" LCD HD models, since we don't have any extravagant
> needs.  Here's a few questions that I have.

Hi John,

I was kind of in the same boat as you a few months back. I was looking for
an affordable set with a good variation of inputs, built in HDTV tuner (I
can pick up Comcast HD channels that I don't have to pay for and get
over-the-air local HD), a decent picture and on the lower end of price. I
opted for the LG 32" 32LB9D. It gets good reviews and you can get it from
Newegg for $700 with free shipping.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889005019&Tpk=lg%2blcd%2b32%2522

>
> What makers are better?
>
I am no expert, but I knew that LG makes good LCD panels. Many OEMs use LG
electronics in their laptops and desktop displays, for  instance. I also
looked at Samsung, but thought that the price was too high at the time.

> Are there any specific features that we ought to consider?
>
I would look for something with a built-in tuner so that you can get local
over-the-air if you want to and you can pick up premium channels off cable
that are not encrypted.

> Should we choose 720p or 1080p?  What's the difference?
I may be wrong, but as I understand it, there really is not much available
in 1080 yet; some are betting that there may never be much available in
1080 because of bandwidth limitations. These people surmise that
broadcasters will choose to have more channels at a lower resolution than
vice versa. The price differential to get 1080 just wasn't worth it to me
either. If I were more of an A/V buff, I might opt for 1080, but alas I am
not and am just as satisfied with 720 for now. Can you tell the
difference? Probably, if you know what you are looking for.

Overall, I am very happy with the model I picked up and do not feel like I
got ripped off. We have not had any problems with the remote on this model
that others reported, so I assume we got a later model with the kinks
worked out. The audio on the built-in speakers is pretty decent -- again,
if I were an audiophile, I would have external speakers.

-Dennis