The new tv is here!

Check out that foxy box

Sex-ay!

It's thinner than Kate Moss!

Checking out a high def recording of "Heroes" before I reluctantly head back to work

Even the news looks amazing! Check out the detail on Belinda's leather jacket. It's like you can reach out and rub it. And let me tell you, I intend to as soon as the restraining order she has against me expires.

A pregnant Belinda tries to grab my man purse. No! That's my purse! Bad!

Preparing a nursery for your HDTV

The other night I looked behind my mismatched tv stand and realized that now was as good a time as any to get rid of the mass of cluttered wires behind it, have of which weren't even connected to anything. I disconnected my receiver, speakers, soon-to-be-replaced Tivo Series2, cable box, and television, and set them all aside to sort through the mess. I made a pile of trash to be thrown away, a pile of cables I need to use, and a pile of good cables that I don't need now, but would be handy to have around. Two problems resulted. First, my living room is now a cluttered mess. Second, I discovered that my 9 year old tv stand has become quite wobbly in its advanced years, and I do not trust it to hold my new LCD tv, which will be delivered early next week. So now I'm scanning craigslist for used furniture.

Regardless of my lack of entertainment-related furniture, I had to get the new Tivo Series3 configured and ready to go so the cable guy could install the CableCards today. It was the first time he'd ever configured them in a Tivo. He was a little shakey on the menus, and I had to point out to him that he'd installed the first card in the wrong slot (the slot label and the menu screen both clearly said to use the bottom slot first, but he must not have noticed that). He did just fine in the end though, and everything is now up and running smoothly. I can now record my shows in HD, but will have to wait until next week to actually watch them in HD.

The HDTV is on its way

After a final trip to Best Buy to check out the picture on a 65" Mitsubishi DLP and a couple other models, I finally realized that I would never really be happy with the picture on a DLP. Yes, I know some of you have DLP's of your own and swear by them, but I decided once and for all on Saturday that I was going with a flat panel. The viewing angle is better, you can mount it on a wall, and if I want to get a bigger tv for my living room a few years down the road, I can easily move it down to my basement or another room.

On Sunday, I did several hours of searching deals and reading and rereading reviews online and it came down to the very highly rated Sony KDL46XBR2 46" 1080p LCD or the Samsung LN-S5296D 52" 1080p LCD. Sonys run quite a bit more expensive then the Samsungs, so the 52" Sony was too far outside of my price range. Both had been extremely high on my list previously, but reading some angry posts on AVSForum about developing issues of "clouds" and uneven brightness gave me pause. However, more recent posts have had encouraging tales of people fixing the issues themselves. For those unwilling to fix it themselves, Samsung has been extremely responsive and has replaced sets with older manufacturing dates with newer ones with little pushback. Sony, on the other hand, has denied up and down the problem even existed. With all of this in mind, I decided once and for all that the Samsung was my tv.

Unfortunately there was the issue of price. When I set out on this HDTV quest, I had set a relatively firm budget of $3,000 for the set itself, which left room for other expenses like an extended warranty, Tivo Series3, HDMI cables, a power conditioner, and possibly an upconverting DVD player (I'm sitting tight on an actual high def player until the HD DVD vs Blu-Ray war is settled or prices for both come down significantly). The cheapest I could find the Samsung at a reputable online store was in the $3,400-$3,500 range. But I've always said I could justify away the The Rapture. *grin* In reviewing my financial situation, I realized that in my cautious delay on making the purchase, I had socked quite a bit more money away into my tv fund. I did some figure checking, and it added up. As a bonus, I'll still be able to pay my mortgage and can continue to avoid the all Ramen diet! Oh, and continue to save for retirement and have extra funds for a rainy day, blah blah blah. *grin*

So brace yourself. Here is the rundown. Is it polite to talk about specific dollar amounts? Eh...that's debatable, but I'm posting this in hopes that it will help others make a decision for themselves. I want them to know just what they're getting into financially, too.

I could have paid less for the television itself, but I decided to get it from newegg.com. I have purchased a lot of computer parts and equipment from them in the last 6 years, I know they are trustworthy, and they seemed to have the least outrageous prices on the extended warranty.

Samsung LN-S5296D from newegg: ~$3600
Shipping: ~$100
5 year extended in-home service/replacement warranty: ~$450
Tivo Series3 from DigitalHotBuy: ~$610
Shipping: ~$15
Geek Squad branded voltage regulating UPS from Best Buy w/ tax: ~$100
HDMI cables, two 4 foot cables: $12 (a guy I know who works for Best Buy used his employee discount to buy then--normally $60 each, or $120!!!!! Can't beat a 90% discount!!)

Total so far: ~$4887 (gulp!)

Despite having more than enough money on hand to pay this stuff off, suffice it to say that I will be taking a more miserly approach to spending until that credit card balance is zero! Just in case my hot water heater decides to crap out or my car decides to spontaneously explode in my garage.

HDTV search update

I realize price and technology will always be changing rapidly, but I'm becoming more and more conflicted about whether to buy now or wait. The signs seem to indicate that we are sitting on the edge of a crucial turning point for both technology and price in the HDTV world. TV-related product announcements are coming pretty much hourly from CES today. Samsung is moving entirely from short-lived bulbs to LEDs rated for 20,000 hours in its rear projection displays (though I was underwhelmed with the picture on their first gen LED rear projo). Budget manufacturers are coming out with 50 to 60 inch LCDs and plasmas priced around $3,000 over the coming months. And as of last week, you can get a 47 inch 1080p display from Vizio for under $2,000. This is sure to get some of the big boys to drop prices on their products, as well.

My excitement over getting a new tv is growing, and my patience is wearing thinner, but my brain is telling me to wait it out just a little longer.

The HDTV hunt continues

I stopped by Ultimate Electronics in Burnsville on the way home from work tonight to get a gander at a few more HDTV models. I was pleased to see they had one of the new Samsung HL-S5679W units on display. It's a 56 inch LED-based DLP rear projection. LED in DLPs is quite new. I was excited after reading about it because the LEDs are supposed to last for 20,000 hours. That's 6+ years if you watch 8 hours of tv every single day. The CNET review I read of this one raved about the color reproduction, but knocked off points for poor black levels and a "hot spot" or a spot on the screen noticeably brighter than the rest. Well now I've seen one in action, and sitting next to a Toshiba and a JVC bulb-based DLP, the Samsung's picture was underwhelming to say the least. The brightness was extremely uneven. I stooped down, looked from different angles, and tried every which way, but could not get a good viewing angle on the thing. Not impressed. So draw a line through that option.

NuVision, evidently a relative newcomer in the states in the tv market, also has an LED-based 52 inch DLP, but I have yet to see one in action for myself. I've heard good reviews on this model, but I'm hesitant to drop 4 digits on a first generation product from a company whose history of quality I'm not familiar with.

One thing I got out of my window shopping tonight was that some of the other tv models that haven't rated all that great in CNET's reviews looked just fine to me (I'm reading other sites, Consumer Reports, but I just trust CNET more on consumer electronics reviews--they are picky, but not ridiculously so like some hardcore videophile reviews). I also loved the picture on the Samsung 1080p LCD flat panels and was blown away by the picture on the Sony flat panels. But those sell at a premium.

Time will tell. Soon, my pretties. Soon.

In the market for an HDTV

I've decided the time is nearing to upgrade my 27-inch old school CRT television to something more 21st century. Granted, I briefly owned a 50 inch rear projection DLP HDTV about 4 years ago, but severe buyer's remorse guilted me into returning it. DLP HDTV's were relatively new at the time, giving the unit a price tag north of $4,000. The moment I got home with it, I realized that spending that much money was not a prudent decision at the time, nor was it smart to buy an HDTV without fully understanding all of the available options and technologies.

This time, however, I'm prepared. I'm up to snuff on the technology (or so I think). I'm reading reviews and comparing prices online. I've stopped by stores to see display models in action. I also have a pretty firm budget. Here are my criteria and nice-to-haves:

-50 inches or larger.
-Must be 1080p and have at least 2 HDMI inputs that accept 1080p/60fps (I'm aware that 1080i vs 1080p makes little difference for movies and tv at 24fps, but I foresee using the tv for gaming from my PC)
-Built-in QAM/ATSC highly preferable, but not required.
-CableCARD nice, but not required.
-$3,000 or less.

I had originally decided on buying either the Sony KDS-60A2000 ($2200+) or the KDS-R60XBR2 ($3000+). Both are 60 inch rear projection LCOS models. The former has 2 1080p HDMI inputs, while the latter has 3. The latter also has an updated LCOS engine, a slightly brighter picture, and comes with a replacement bulb.

Every review I read said the picture on both models was essentially the same as the other, save a glitch or two in earlier production models of the KDS-60A2000. While the KDS-R60XBR2 had a brighter picture, it was not significantly brighter. There was also the somewhat shady issue where Sony took the unusual step of not providing a life expectancy on the projection bulb for the newer model. Is that why they provided the extra bulb? Is it going to fade out in a year, sticking me with an annual $300 bulb replacement bill? Nuts to that! So I decided on the KDS-60A2000. It's been around a while, and is proven technology.

Then I read in several forums about color uniformity and other issues that have popped up with the KDS-60A2000 after a few months of use. Some people had it, others didn't. But it was enough to give me pause. Then I thought if that was the case, perhaps the newer model was a better choice. But will people be complaining of the same thing for that one a few months down the road? Then I began thinking about the issue of bulb replacement. The thought of having to dole out a hefty $250-$300 on a bulb every 2 or 3 years dimmed the appeal of a rear projection model, despite getting massive size for the buck.

It also occurred to me that in the next 2 or 3 years, I'll probably want to buy at least one more HDTV to replace the one I watch while running on my treadmill. Perhaps going smaller and getting a plasma or LCD model is the way to go. 40 to 50 inches now, and 3 years from now, I'll probably be able to get a 70 inch or larger LCD or even OLED for the same price, if not cheaper. Ok, back to square one.

After several evenings of additional reading and research, I now think I've settled on the Samsung LNS5296D. It's 52 inches, has a 6000:1 contrast ratio, an 8ms response time, 1080p over the VGA input and HDMI inputs, and all of the other goodies I need. Some over at avsforum.com have complained of its overscan, but I can't say I'm personally all that concerned about it, though I will definitely try to see one in action in a store before purchasing one.

The downside? Currently the cheapest price I could find from a reputable online retailer was over $3500. But I'm not in a hurry. I'm optimistic that prices will come down in January. After Christmas and before the Superbowl is a prime time for tv purchases, and retailers will be trying to lure men into getting something to watch the big game on. For me, I'm not terribly concerned about the timing. If the prices and features aren't in line with my requirements, then I'm willing to wait a little longer.