Topic: Talk Me Out of This TV Set

[wing]

Saw a commercial last night, 73" mitsubishi 1080P for $1300USD.  hint hint. haha

[EV Dan]

Saw a commercial last night, 73" mitsubishi 1080P for $1300USD.  hint hint. haha

Back of a truck sale? 

[wing]

Nah check out Mitsubishi tvs, I believe they are DLP projection though.  They have 82's even!

[Dexer]

One HDMI connection on the TV is all that's required because I leave it's input on HDMI and have no need to use the others, including component.

As I said, my TV set has NO HDMI input. NONE. NADA. ZIP.

In my previous post, I said  "If my set had even a LONE HDMI port. I wouldn't be in a pickle."

My current TV arrived on May 12, 2003 (I wrote the date on the back of it....easy for me to remember anyway because it was a week after I got out of the hospital following my cancer surgery).

From Wikipedia:  "HDMI products started shipping in late 2003."

When my TV was made HDMI didn't even exist on TVs!

The only connections available for my video are coax, S-video, composite and component.

[CatsEye68]

My current TV arrived on May 12, 2003 (I wrote the date on the back of it....easy for me to remember anyway because it was a week after I got out of the hospital following my cancer surgery).

Interesting... I bought mine under similar circumstances except mine wasn't cancer.

It's only $1200 - not all that much in the overall scheme of things. Buy what you feel good about buying and make yourself happy. You deserve it.

[Dexer]

Sorry about your experience with Sammies. Did you check Costco? They have 2 year warranty on all Tvs and 90 days satisfaction guarantee IIRC. Another question, do you only watch dvd/bluray or also download videos?

I'm strictly a DVD and Blu-ray guy. Now that Winnipeg is FINALLY starting to get OTA HD, I look forward to watching the main network programming in HD...which once again highlights the fact that my current big set has no HD capable receiver although my little 22" Sammy can pull in the signal quite nicely.

I'm actively trying to avoid movie downloads as part of my ongoing effort to streamline the various services I subscribe to.

I will say that I don't want to be a Samsung naysayer and I don't want to "warn" people away from them. I realize many people swear by them and I'm perfectly OK with that. But, when I look at my own situation, I can imagine how foolish I would feel if something went wrong:

"Hey Dex, hows that new Samsung TV"?

"Geez, it ain't working right".

"Have you owned Samsung products before"?

"Yes".

"Were they good"?

"No, I had trouble with them".

"If you had trouble with your other Samsung stuff then why were you stupid enough to buy a freakin' big Samsung TV"?


So I just can't justify it to myself.


Regarding Costco and others...no...I haven't looked there yet. And if nothing comes of my current search, I will certainly consider them.

I should add that there is FOR THE SHORT TERM an incentive for me to deal with the Sharp that I have my eye on. With both Future Shop and Best Buy having this set on sale in their national flyers, it's giving me a bargaining position with the local shops. For example, I just checked and discovered that Best Buy is offering five times the Reward points on this TV. That works out to about $130.00 in Best Buy gift certificates. That gives me one more thing to take to the stores next week and say, "OK, you're all offering me the same set at the same price...but Best Buy is gonna give me a $130.00 gift certificate as well...can you throw a little something extra in the deal so that I should get it from you instead"?

I should be able to come in UNDER 2K.

All that being said, this particular sale ends on the 27th. I'm sure, of course, another sale will come along. But for this particular cycle, when FS and BB end the sale, I loose my leverage with the other stores for this particular model. That's not a problem if I really want another set but it will sorta' lock me out of this one. The secondary problem is that I don't want to keep showing up at the same stores trying to squeeze deals and never following through. I realize salesmen want to sell but I don't want to be in a position where they say, "Hey, aren't you the guy that comes in here every month, negotiates a big discount and then never buys from me?"

[Schmengie]

One HDMI connection on the TV is all that's required because I leave it's input on HDMI and have no need to use the others, including component.

As I said, my TV set has NO HDMI input. NONE. NADA. ZIP.

In my previous post, I said  "If my set had even a LONE HDMI port. I wouldn't be in a pickle."

My current TV arrived on May 12, 2003 (I wrote the date on the back of it....easy for me to remember anyway because it was a week after I got out of the hospital following my cancer surgery).

From Wikipedia:  "HDMI products started shipping in late 2003."

When my TV was made HDMI didn't even exist on TVs!

The only connections available for my video are coax, S-video, composite and component.

Sorry, my bad.   Along with mis-reading your post, I assumed older HDTVs had HDMI. Now I get it.

[Dexer]

Oh...one more point about my bargaining position.

In West Winnipeg, the situation exists where the Best Buy and Future Shop are right beside each other in a big box mall called "St.James Station" (named for it's location near an old rail road station the St.James suburb). And it's within short walking distance of my house (10 minutes).

So, when they both advertise the same product, the consumer is in a good position. If you say to a salesman, "No problem, I'll just go next door and get it", he knows you're not bluffing. You can walk out of the TV department at Future Shop and be in the TV department at Best Buy in two minutes. The salesman knows that I don't have to travel across town or make a special trip.

Should I decide to go with this set (still not a final decision) my thought is work on the Future Shop salesman. He's on commission and has already shown willingness to deal. The Best Buy guys are salaried and are less likely to bend...plus I don't think I can wring anymore out of them. But discovering this five times the reward points at Best Buy certainly gives me extra ammo with the Future Shop guy. I'm thinking that $50.00 delivery charge just went out the window .

[Ex-airbalancer]

I would make sure the tv has a media player built in for when you start to download movies from a hard drive

[[ EMT ]]

So, when they both advertise the same product, the consumer is in a good position....

  In my experience when the product is on sale in two different stores....a "newer and improved" television will be forthcoming in the spring. My suggestion is to HOLD OFF the purchase.  However, get the SHARP, I prefer them than Samsung. Like you, I have problems with the Samsung products that I have owned.

  Good luck!

[Dexer]

I would make sure the tv has a media player built in for when you start to download movies from a hard drive

This model has quite limited media playback capability...and I'm not honestly sure of the full extent.

Seriously though, that's one thing I couldn't care less about. My interest in storing movies on a hard drive (including downloading to an HDD or streaming to my set) is slightly less than my interest in owning a cell phone. And I don't have a cell phone.

In the most literal sense, it holds zero appeal or interest to me. Again, I have no problem at all for those who like that kinda' stuff. I don't.

Now, I'm not a total Luddite...just a partial Luddite. I get a kick out of downloading interesting things off the net and I'll plug some cool old videos into the USB on my PS3 and watch them on my big TV.

But, by nature, I'm a home theater buff who likes to own and collect physical things. As part of my aforementioned rationalization, I'm limiting the amount that spend on downloads, subscriptions and so on. Yes, I have a well stocked MP3 player but it's stocked with free music. I do have some video stored on a hard drive but, as is my practice, it's free stuff (old TV and such).  My next door neighbour likes to download movies and, if he likes something, he burns a copy to DVD for me (swell guy).

I have no interest in storing my "real" movies on a hard drive.

[Leviathan]

Re: Samsung - I had to have the power supply on my 40" LCD repaired out of warranty (2+ years old) for ~$200 but otherwise it's been ok. I'd buy another Samsung at this point.

[Dexer]

  In my experience when the product is on sale in two different stores....a "newer and improved" television will be forthcoming in the spring. My suggestion is to HOLD OFF the purchase.
 

Oh, there's absolutely NO DOUBT that the new improved model is coming in the Spring. I know it. Every salesman I talked to admitted that new stuff will be here in about three months. And the Consumer Electronics show just wrapped up with various new model announcements.

So I'm under no illusions about what's happening.

Here's the thing: This particular model was first announced on Jan 6 of last year. When first available, I've found a record of it retailing here for $3200.00. Obviously, prices fall and you can see it dropping through $2600.00 last fall. It's "on sale" now for $2199. I've got deals brewing that should get me to about $2000...if I decide to go with this set.

And, in fact, Sharp has already introduced improved models like the 920 series.

The obvious problem is, if you wait for the next model, the whole cycle starts over again. New sets come out in April. They start off at 3K. By late summer they be $2500.00. January of 2012 they'll be clearing them out for 2K. There's a point at which you have to make your deal. For me, I think now is a good time to make a deal on last years model.

Some of the recent feature upgrades to Sharps new TVs are things that are of little interest to me. The new models include a hard glass screen (but it's more reflective). They have also added better wifi capability and internet apps but I have no desire to hook my set to the net. And they have naturally added a new line of 3D sets but, while not opposed to 3D, it's not a big deal for me (I buy older catalogue films).

If I thought there was some improvement in picture quality coming at a reasonable price, I would hold off. If they had some way to sell a 60" set with full array LED lighting and local dimming for cheap, I'd wait. But I don't want to wait and end up going through the whole price cycle again so that I can get a TV with a free wifi dongle included .

[Ex-airbalancer]

I would make sure the tv has a media player built in for when you start to download movies from a hard drive

This model has quite limited media playback capability...and I'm not honestly sure of the full extent.

Seriously though, that's one thing I couldn't care less about. My interest in storing movies on a hard drive (including downloading to an HDD or streaming to my set) is slightly less than my interest in owning a cell phone. And I don't have a cell phone.

In the most literal sense, it holds zero appeal or interest to me. Again, I have no problem at all for those who like that kinda' stuff. I don't.

Now, I'm not a total Luddite...just a partial Luddite. I get a kick out of downloading interesting things off the net and I'll plug some cool old videos into the USB on my PS3 and watch them on my big TV.

But, by nature, I'm a home theater buff who likes to own and collect physical things. As part of my aforementioned rationalization, I'm limiting the amount that spend on downloads, subscriptions and so on. Yes, I have a well stocked MP3 player but it's stocked with free music. I do have some video stored on a hard drive but, as is my practice, it's free stuff (old TV and such). My next door neighbour likes to download movies and, if he likes something, he burns a copy to DVD for me (swell guy). I have no interest in storing my "real" movies on a hard drive.

Someday he may move!
I say give DVDs 5 more years and they will be gone

[quadzilla]

You never did say how far you sit from your TV.

The obvious problem is, if you wait for the next model, the whole cycle starts over again. New sets come out in April. They start off at 3K. By late summer they be $2500.00. January of 2012 they'll be clearing them out for 2K. There's a point at which you have to make your deal. For me, I think now is a good time to make a deal on last years model.


Some of the recent feature upgrades to Sharps new TVs are things that are of little interest to me. The new models include a hard glass screen (but it's more reflective). They have also added better wifi capability and internet apps but I have no desire to hook my set to the net. And they have naturally added a new line of 3D sets but, while not opposed to 3D, it's not a big deal for me (I buy older catalogue films).

I agree with these two points. I've bought almost all of my home theater equipment at the end of their model year/product cycle and have saved thousands by doing that. The picture quality of the new Sharp model will look the same as this model to all except one person (ignoring the placebo people of course).

I'm not happy with all the functions they are adding to TVs. Just give me a monitor that has a great picture and two speakers for watching the news as I have a killer sound system for movies. I don't need all the widgets as I rather do that through external devices (computer, BD player).

After listening to your arguments Dexer, I really think you should buy this TV. The price and size is right (any bigger, buy a projector) and it isn't like Sharp makes a bad TV. With the savings I would look for a qualified calibrator to make the picture all that much better.

I try to buy my TVs at Costco for their great warranty service but online it looks like they only have up to a 55" model.

http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10344643&whse=BCCA&Ne=5000001+4000000&eCat=BCCA|79|2341&N=4008767%204294967201&Mo=4&No=0&Nr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-CA&Sp=C&topnav=

Still, drop by the store as sometimes they have other models in store.

[Ex-airbalancer]

At a  Costco store they have TV up to 65"

[safristi]

  good for them................... ....can they hire HIGHER legged dudes......and get to 100inches........

[PJungnitsch]

I'd be tempted to keep the old TV for news and middle of the day viewing, and spend on a projector with a 96" or bigger screen for movies and so on. Bigger is better!

[Dexer]

I say give DVDs 5 more years and they will be gone

People have been telling that for the last 6 six years!

Seriously, I swear I've been having that argument for so long that I've forgotten when it started.

While there is no doubt that 'net based things like streaming and downloading are making huge strides, I think those of us who populate the internet tend to overestimate their immediate impact and underestimate their long term problems.

I remember about three years ago getting into this discussion with people who told me that downloading would kill DVD in the same way it killed CD. Recently, I saw a statistic that (as of the last reporting period) 80% of music sales were still on physical media. My local HMV and CDPlus are still loaded to the gills with CDs.

Those of who chatter on these forums tend to be the first with high tech TVs and the first adopt the new technologies. We see these things advance quickly within our own communities. But I go to my Wal Mart and I see throngs of average, lower middle class folks (and I'm lower middle class) who more closely represent the broader reality. Most of them will still have 4:3 SD sets. They'll eventually get 16:9 HDTV's but it may be years before they get an HD signal. Most them likely have no concept of hooking their TV's to the internet. These things will come but it will take a very long time. We tech geeks see these advance move quickly in our tech world...but I suspect that once all of us get "connected", things will move much slower amongst the masses.

And I see a number of challenges facing the delivery of net content once it tries to go big time mainstream.

First, there are a number of issues regarding the technical and legal side of net delivery. We are already seeing issues about various tiers of service for different users. There are net neutrality issues about service providers who are also content providers.

One scary thing is "rights" issues. I heard a studio rep the other day say that he was "Happy Netflix is buying up content that nobody else seems to want". And Netflix themselves have said that they are going to concentrate a lot of effort on securing licenses for content that they can deliver. I see many bad things here. For one thing, maybe Netflix does become the giant "Microsoft" of net delivery. Do you think you'll still be getting access for $8.00 a month if one company controls the things you want to watch? How about competition...competition is always good...right? But then what happens if the content you want is controlled by three different companies and you have to subscribe to three different services to get what you want?

Nah...I'll just buy the disc. And that day may end sometime. When it does, I'll be OK. I've got enough discs that, even if a few rot, and can watch stuff everyday and not see a repeat for years .

[Dexer]

I'd be tempted to keep the old TV for news and middle of the day viewing, and spend on a projector with a 96" or bigger screen for movies and so on.

I have come VERY close to buying a projector and, in fact, I intend to give a couple of projectors one last look before committing to a TV. A  projector  purchase was my original plan. So I'm in agreement with you. Bigger is better and people who have projectors seem to love them.

I've run into a couple of problems, though. For one thing, projector prices move very slowly. I guess that's a result of low volume. I've had my eye on a certain Optoma for over 6 months. Last fall, I jokingly said to the salesman, "When is the price going to come down on this thing?" He laughed and said, "Probably Boxing Day". Guess what. It didn't come down on Boxing Day and the price today is exactly the same as it was last August. To top it off, it's now an "old" model and still not discounted.

Another problem is that, here in Winnipeg, you find very few set up for viewing. It's almost a blind buy.

I can tell you that a projector is still something I want but the local buying environment is not friendly.