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What is the best time to buy HDTV? - Page 2

post #16 of 26
12/3/09 at 11:48pm
^^ the upconverting in TVs is of various quality. Some are quite bad at it, actually. They can't achieve what a good video processor or upconverting player can.
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post #17 of 26
12/4/09 at 5:10am
It's a great time to buy a 720p plasma, I got a 42" panasonic under $500 the weekend before turkey day. Plasma technology has more or less matured, LCD still has room for improvement. Plasmas are more power hungry than tube or lcd TVs, but as long as your TV isn't a fireplace (on all day long) the extra cost is minimal. Plasma may become extinct in a few years, I heard California wants to ban them (power issue). My upconverting Onkyo dvd paired with my 720p plasma is just OK, nothing special. HD broadcasts look a LOT better since they're 720p or 1080i material. So get the blu-ray. I'm waiting for a decent selection of blu-ray players with netflix AND wifi -- very few have both right now.
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post #18 of 26
12/4/09 at 11:13am
Anytime. The profit margins on HDTVs are very, very slim. Stores make money by selling you HDMI cables, power strips, and other accessories.
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post #19 of 26
12/4/09 at 11:42am
Apple TV does 1080p, so I don't really see how Bluray could be noticeably better.
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post #20 of 26
12/4/09 at 11:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ambulance Chaser View Post
Anytime. The profit margins on HDTVs are very, very slim. Stores make money by selling you HDMI cables, power strips, and other accessories.
When I went in to future shop to buy my ps3 I couldn't believe the price they are charging for HDMI cables ($100-$150+ depending on length). Bluejeanscable.com is the only way to go. The other thing they make money on is the extended warranty. I told the guy right off the bat I didn't want it, but he ignored me and tried to sell me on it. And then since i was buying a ps3 with extra controller and game, an optical digital audio (30 bucks) cable and a generic hdmi cable (still $30 bucks), he basically made the price of the cables nothing and gave me the 2 year extended warranty for $60 bucks. I wasn't even trying to bargain for it because I really didn't care. I was just saying "no. no. no." and then he asked "well what if I make the price the same as without it?" I probably paid an extra 5 bucks in total. The cables and warranty = pure margin imo.
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post #21 of 26
12/4/09 at 1:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisjustinparr View Post
Apple TV does 1080p, so I don't really see how Bluray could be noticeably better.
I don't think so. AppleTV only output 720p as the highest resolution. It also doesn't support higher bandwith sound tracks included on all Bluray disks.
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post #22 of 26
12/4/09 at 2:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmax View Post
I don't think so. AppleTV only output 720p as the highest resolution. It also doesn't support higher bandwith sound tracks included on all Bluray disks.

It doesn't matter. People with apples are probably using bose sound systems.
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post #23 of 26
12/4/09 at 3:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GQgeek View Post
It doesn't matter. People with apples are probably using bose sound systems.
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post #24 of 26
12/4/09 at 4:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisjustinparr View Post
Apple TV does 1080p, so I don't really see how Bluray could be noticeably better.

1080p doesn't say everything about picture quality. The encoder used, the bitrate of the encoder, and the skill of the person doing the encoding will affect the picture quality far more than the output resolution spec. The stuff you get from the iTunes store is much lower in bitrate than BD by at least 10x.

Also, as Dmax mentions, the native resolution of ATV is 720p and uses lossy sound formats. It can output in 1080p, but it's just scaling. The iTunes store content are all 720p or lower.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GQgeek View Post
It doesn't matter. People with apples are probably using bose sound systems.

Some of us just have good taste.

--Andre
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post #25 of 26
12/4/09 at 4:56pm
I usually see the best deals before the Super Bowl.
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post #26 of 26
12/8/09 at 3:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by GQgeek View Post
^^ the upconverting in TVs is of various quality. Some are quite bad at it, actually. They can't achieve what a good video processor or upconverting player can.

+1, quality upconversion makes a huge difference.
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