I'm in the market to buy a television & need assistance.

[phattymatty]

make sure you get a remote control, it's so much easier than changing the channel at the TV

good point, never thought of that.  thanks.  i should probably call comcast and order cable too.

[Rome]

i've got opinions from about 4 or 5 real friend people, and then all you fake internet people, and almost everyone tells me LCD is the way to go.  why are plasmas more expensive then?

I don't think they're more expensive anymore.  I've seen plasma sets around the same size as mine (40") that were cheaper.

[SunMo]

good point, never thought of that.  thanks.  i should probably call comcast and order cable too.

don't get crazy though

[mussa]

Let me get this straight, HDTV is just a certain type of signal correct? And LCD and Plasma are 2 diff. screen types, correct? Both LCD and Plasma run HD signals, right?

This should prob be in the ask dumb questions thread, but whatever...

[Rome]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-definition_television

High-definition television (HDTV) is a television broadcasting system with a significantly higher resolution than traditional formats (NTSC, SECAM, PAL). While some early analog HDTV formats were broadcast in Europe and Japan, HDTV is usually broadcast digitally, because digital television (DTV) broadcasting provides much greater bandwidth. HDTV technology was first introduced in the US during the 1990s by the a group of electronics companies called the Digital HDTV Grand Alliance [1] [2].

In the 2000s, a number of high-definition television standards are competing for the still-developing niche markets. Current HDTV standards are defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-R BT.709) as 1080 active interlace or progressive scan lines, or 720 progressive scan lines, using a 16:9 aspect ratio. HDTV is also capable of "theater-quality" audio because it uses the Dolby Digital (AC-3) format to support "5.1" surround sound.

The term "high-definition" can refer to the resolution specifications themselves, or more loosely to media capable of similar sharpness, such as photographic film. Currently, approximately 48 million households have HDTVs.

[Diomedes]

Grand Alliance?   bwahahaa

[phattymatty]

i have a friend who got a Philips 42" LCD for around $1300 and said he could get me the same deal.  anyone have a philips TV and is this a good deal? 

from what I see that seems to be way below normal price.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Make sure it support 1080p, then go for it.

[ice grillin you]

check buy.com....i got a 37 inch viewsonic for 799 off there a few months back...included in that was  $200 rebate....buy.com has great deals popping up all the time

[phattymatty]

Make sure it support 1080p, then go for it.

i don't think it does:

http://www.buy.com/prod/Philips_USA_42PF7421D_42_Widescreen_HDTV_LCD_TV_with_Pixel_Plus/q/loc/111/203000099.html

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Wait for a deal like IGY's, then.

[phattymatty]

my price would be almost $400 less than that though.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

The Philips employee pricing is pretty good, agreed.  You certainly won't regret making that purchase.

[Susquehanna Birder]

i've got opinions from about 4 or 5 real friend people, and then all you fake internet people, and almost everyone tells me LCD is the way to go.  why are plasmas more expensive then?

I don't think they're more expensive anymore.  I've seen plasma sets around the same size as mine (40") that were cheaper.

Yep, from what I've seen, plasma sets are a little less expensive. And the difference increases as screen size goes larger.

[Wingspan]

i've got opinions from about 4 or 5 real friend people, and then all you fake internet people, and almost everyone tells me LCD is the way to go.  why are plasmas more expensive then?

LCD is the best bet for any video game playing.