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Any advice on buying a TV?
August 16, 2008 - 2:31pm
I'm surprised prices have come down a lot. There are 32 inch LCDs for under $500... maybe I should consider plasma? I'm not sure what the relative advantages are.
I read that too, and it's confusing, because some plasma TVs have an energy star compliant rating, implying they use significantly less electricity than most TVs.
Examine the remote control carefully. Every one has quirks that can be annoying or features that you are used to that aren't there. Probably a good idea to make a list of the features you want in a remote before you go to the store. And check out the on-screen menus that are accessible with the remote. Are they logical? confusing? easy to navigate?
What if the remote gets broken or lost? Are there sufficient controls on the set itself to allow you to use it? (e.g. some sets have no volume control!!).
When you find a model you think you will like, Google the model number and read the online reviews and user ratings before buying.
And LCDs do use a lot less power.
That's another problem... the reviews seem to be written by uber-junkies, where $600 TVs are referred to as having "bargain-basement" prices, and the norm, the expectation of the people who bother to write reviews might be a 3000 dollar Sony.
From what I've been told, Bell and Shaw require subscribers to use Bell and Shaw digital tuners anyway, so the digital tuner in your Sony or other TV won't actually be used. And that's an extra $150 to $200 dollar accessory built in to the price. The thing about having a built in digital tuner is that it allows you to daisy chain cable inputs to a couple of TV's in your house without having to have two set top box digital converters.
Apparently some people have tried to save the cost of the digital tuner by buying large LCD screen monitors. Technically speaking without a digital tuner, it's classified as a monitor and so therefore should be cheaper. Should be but not always. You can buy some off brand 37" and 42" monitors and still pay almost as much as if you were buying a Sony or Toshiba TV.
[ 17 August 2008: Message edited by: Fidel ]