Help me chose a *Flat TV*!

[Patriote]

Hey ppls!

Been a while since i been here. Not much time anymore. On July 1st i will be moving in my new apartment with my GF. First time for both of us. We are all ready and have some extra cash which i want to use to buy us a new HDTV, maybe a Blueray DVD player and a set of nice 5.1 speakers. I already have a Pioneer VSX-815 receiver (Which i never used...).

So i have some questions.

Can i use this receiver combined with an HDTV set-up? Or do i absolutely need an "HD ready" receiver for the 5.1 surround sound set-up ?

Also, can you recommend me an HDTV around 30" ? My mom has a Samsung 32" LCD and i think it totally sucks. They have the Illico HD machine and when you listen to some channels that aren't HD, the image is ulgy. Really ugly. It has kinda like some snow* in the image. You know that white snow you see on some channels? Or when the TV is on with no cable plugged in. Well, it has such snow (Well, way much less compact) but it's not white. It just in the image. Hard to explain actually. But i asked, and all cables are plugged well. Same thing for DVDs that aren't HD. It HAS to be HD for the image to be good looking. And when it's on HD, it really shines. Is that normal?

Also, what do you think of a Blueray DVD player?

I have a small question regarding such Blueray DVD player. Can i listen to normal DVDs in that player or does it have to only be Blueray DVDs?

Thanks a lot ppls! I know this community is really helpful and is filled with lots of ppls ready to help their next one :thumb:

 

[CMetaphor]

#1) That reciever will work just fine for a good home theater setup, but make sure whatever sources you use (Bluray, Consoles, etc) have the highest audio output set at DTS-ES or Dolby Digital EX since those are the highest surround formats your reciever supports. (Your reciever doesn't support the newest HD audio formats such as DTS Master audio, Dolby digital plus or Uncompressed)

#2) If you have a costco (or club price) they are the only ones that seem to carry the Viewsonic HDTV series. Including at 32'' at around $600 and a 37'' at around $850. Link:
http://www.costco.ca/Common/Category.asp?whse=BCCA&Ne=5000001&eCat=BCCA|79&N=4008766+4294965637&Nr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Ns=P_Price|0||P_SignDesc1〈=en-CA&topnav=
Its not listed there, but I've also seen a 42'' LCD HDTV at Costco for around $1100, but all of the above are far far cheaper than othe brand names and it's still very good quality stuff.

#3) For a Bluray player, you can't beat a PS3. Its about $100-300 cheaper than most other Bluray players, is an amazing Upconverting dvd player (on of the best I've ever seen, and I've owned 4) and is a modern generation console to boot. And I'm not even listing its slew of other handy features.

If you have any other questions go ahead, I've done many home theater setups including my own overly excessive one (which I should probably get around to posting in the home theater areas, lol).

 

[ChuckleBrother]

As for the visual issue, that is fairly normal, the picture never looks perfect when it comes in as a SD feed vs a HD feed. Now, this is mostly fixed if you get a proper upconversion(which your Pioneer does not) going, this SHOULD fix the majority of the artifacts. Not all, but it will look a great deal better.


As for the TV itself, I'd recommend something in the Aquos line from Sharp(using the 37" model atm whilst I type this out, its a really nice tv imo), or a Bravia from Sony.

But really, the best way to find a good tv is go down to a FS or BB and walk around, look at the tvs, they have them out for good purpose. Spend an hour, compare what you see and pick the one that has the nicest picture(or balance of picture and aesthetics).

 

[CMetaphor]

As for the TV itself, I'd recommend something in the Aquos line from Sharp

I second the recommendation for a Sharp Aquos if you're not on a budget, since I have a 46'' Aquos myself (LC-46D62U) and it looks amazing. :thumb:

 

[ChuckleBrother]

Agreed, at $1100 on sale the 32" Aquos model is not really a budget tv.
Future Shop: TV & Video: 30"-39" TVs: Sharp Aquos 32" 1080p Flat-Panel LCD HDTV** (LC32D64U)

It is a very NICE tv though, so if you have cash to blow, its definately worth a look.

 

[Patriote]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

I'm definitively on a budget TV since all that moving will already cost me a lot. But whatever, maybe i should just put all to get it done the right way so i end up with something kickass rather than something cheap. Me and the GF, we are Movies lovers. So, something that will do it right is really what we are looking after.

I was thinking of buying the TV from BestBuy since i know someone who works there which can have some great rebates :biggrin:

I found the Sharp 32 AQUOS Flat-Panel LCD HDTV on BestBuy but it comes with a home Theater which i don't want... Best Buy Canada Web Store: Home Electronics: Televisions: Sharp 32 AQUOS Flat-Panel LCD HDTV and Bose Digital Home Theatre Speaker System

I'm sure i can get the TV without the rest.

So what receiver and 5.1 speaker set (Compatible with the HDTV) you guys think i should get? Any recommendations? Not too expensive too! Oh and try to stay on the BestBuy site :bleh:

As for the Blueray DVD player, the PS3 is that good ? Does it have all the feature a normal Blueray Player would have? I like the idea of having a PS3 home Playing games on the PS3 on HDMI is possible with that console right?

Oh and a question regarding the PS3, will it read normal DVDs ? And will it be able to read Burned DVDs ? Like, i do a lot of back-ups of my original DVDs...?

Thanks a ton guys!

 

[CMetaphor]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

So what receiver and 5.1 speaker set (Compatible with the HDTV) you guys think i should get? Any recommendations? Not too expensive too! Oh and try to stay on the BestBuy site :bleh:

Like I mentioned in my first post, your receiver will play most surround sound formats up to DTS-ES and Dolby Digital EX. It is true that the receiver does not upconvert any video signals, but you can always still use it for just processing audio sources and go straight to the TV with your video sources. As for buying a better one, unless you have about 500-600 or more to spend on Just the receiver I'd keep what you've got.

As for the Bluray DVD player, the PS3 is that good ? Does it have all the feature a normal Bluray Player would have? I like the idea of having a PS3 home Playing games on the PS3 on HDMI is possible with that console right?

Oh and a question regarding the PS3, will it read normal DVDs ? And will it be able to read Burned DVDs ? Like, i do a lot of back-ups of my original DVDs...?

The PS3 does have all the same features as a regular Bluray player, although you have to use the PS3 controller to control the Blurays/DVDs unless you buy the extra remote for it. It can output your video at 1080P via HDMI and your audio (up to DTS-ES or DD-EX like I mentioned in my first post) via Fiber Optic to your receiver without a problem. And finally, yes the PS3 plays DVDs, burnt Dvds, Divx Dvds and upconverts them ALL for your HDTV (trust me, they'll look awsome).

Lemme know if you have more questions!

 

[enaberif]

PS3 is pretty much one of the best all around blu-ray players and can be upgraded for newer standards and a lot of review sites agree if your going to buy a blu-ray player just buy a ps3.

Second any of the Aquos tvs are great.. theres no need to get the new ones that are 120hz cause a lot of people don't like those.

Third don't bother with a good tv or video unless you got the audio to back it up as audio makes the experience just that much better.

I have a ps3 collecting dust cause I can't stand the way it looks on my old 4:3 crt from 1994

 

[CMetaphor]

I have a ps3 collecting dust cause I can't stand the way it looks on my old 4:3 crt from 1994

:sad: So sad....

 

[Cptn Vortex]

32" Sharp Aquos FTW!!!! Be sure to get the 1080p models....it's night and day. Also makes a WONDERFUL computer monitor. I LOVE mine. You can find them for under $1000 now I am sure.