New Shiny! (teevee)

[BarTopDancer]

I've decided that most of the movies I rent look like crap on my old skool TV since the wide-screen formatting has squished it to a tiny viewing area.

I've been saving up to get a new shiny and have no idea what I am looking at/for.

I've found some options I'd like opinions on:

Vizio 32
Vizio 37
Vizio 40

I don't have a cable box or a HD Tivo and upgrading isn't at the top of my list. Digital cable doesn't work well with the TIVO and I really don't like the DVR layout of the cable DVR (nor do I want to pay money for something I've already paid for). I also don't care about Blu-Ray at the moment. But I want to get something that I'll be able to use for at least 5 years in some way when I do decide that I want digital cable and have to move to Blu-Ray.

I'm also not locked into Costco, I'm looking at them since their return policy and warranty extension is awesome.

[Alex]

I have a 32 inch Vizio. I'm completely fine with it. Though by many people's standards I'm sure that it is shamefully puny. I kind of like not having a TV wall.

[BarTopDancer]

My current TV is 27in CRT. I was looking at a 32 (it's not going on the wall) and it looked tiny. It was also next to the giant ones, so I know it isn't as small as it seems.

[Moonliner]

Scoot on over here and spend some quality time.

After all, if you are keeping this for 5 years you have at least a chance of seeing your Ducks play for the cup on it one day. So it needs to be what you want.

[BarTopDancer]

Pshhh. I have friends with much better set-ups than what I'll be doing to watch my Ducks go after another cup.

Thanks for the link!

[CoasterMatt]

I love avsforums.com

[Pirate Bill]

Originally Posted by BarTopDancer

I don't have a cable box or a HD Tivo and upgrading isn't at the top of my list. Digital cable doesn't work well with the TIVO and I really don't like the DVR layout of the cable DVR (nor do I want to pay money for something I've already paid for). I also don't care about Blu-Ray at the moment.

If you're going to be only watching standard definition (low-res) material on a bigger high-def TV then be prepared for even more disappointment. It looks horrible. DVD will look fine, but at least consider getting an antenna for over-the-air HDTV programming.

It's not the size of the box that matters. It's what you put in it.

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by Pirate Bill

It's not the size of the box that matters. It's what you put in it.

If a line ever deserved to be saved for posterity...

[BarTopDancer]

Originally Posted by Pirate Bill

If you're going to be only watching standard definition (low-res) material on a bigger high-def TV then be prepared for even more disappointment. It looks horrible. DVD will look fine, but at least consider getting an antenna for over-the-air HDTV programming.

It's not the size of the box that matters. It's what you put in it.

I've seen SD pictures on big TVs (not every channel is in HD you know) and it looks fine. But since I keep getting told that unless I am going to upgrade to blu-ray and spend the money on a cable box it's going to completely and totally suck I guess this was just a really stupid idea. Not everyone wants to spend $60+ a month on cable* and not everyone cares about blu-ray. I own less than 20 DVDs. Blu-ray is a waste of money for me. I just wanted a new shiny to watch stuff blowing up on.

*I don't have a south facing apartment for satellite options, FIOS isn't in my area yet and the cable box won't work right with my TIVO anyway.

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Pirate Bill

... at least consider getting an antenna for over-the-air HDTV programming.

Originally Posted by BarTopDancer

I don't have a south facing apartment for satellite options

Just to make sure there is no confusion, PB is not talking about satellite TV. Most local stations now broadcast at least some HD content over the air for no charge just like in the rabbit-ears days. Assuming your new set has a digital tuner, all you need is an external antenna and you are good to go. To get an idea of what you can pull out of the air and the type of antenna you need to do it from your location visit antennaweb.org