Me: 2 15 inch tvs (yes i know they're small)
Dude Roommate: 1 15 inch tv
Chick Roommate: 1 37 inch hdtv in her room
Living room: 30 inch standard def tv which is a little long in the tooth, but it still does its job well.
Now, with regular tv, I honestly don't give a damn about resolution and all that other crap. To be honest, I think some people should not be allowed on hi def tv due to magnified ugliness. However, in the realm of gaming and movies, I am one of high definition. I had purchased a ps3 over the summer for myself due to the fact that I love games and will continue to play them long after I am old. I opted for the ps3 due to the fact that I already had purchased several wiis in the past and sold them or gave them to my gf and that the 360 was still in crazy RROD mode at that point (I won't lie, I'm thinking about picking up a 360 soon. Gears of War and other coop games ftw!). Blue ray is also amazing. Watch Planet Earth and then talk to me if you don't think so.
However, being a frugal person that I am, my desire for the most powerful and greatest looking tv was met with shock at some of the prices. However, I think now is probably an awesome time to look for tvs. The market is slowly shrinking due to the economic conditions that we face all over the world. At the same time, these television companies are putting out tvs that need to be sold year after year.
So what's the best plan of attack? Research.
Websites Used: HDGuru.com- One of the most widely trusted websites out there on advice for getting a tv. The owner is very technical at researching his tvs and many geek websites like engadget and gizmodo link to his site. Very helpful if you want to know more about quality.
Amazon.com and Newegg.com - These two, including Tiger Direct, are the only places where I will order online with confidence. Their customer service and prices are second to none. I love NewEgg more due to more geek stuff and more technical reviews, but I tend to avoid rebates with them. Actually, I avoid rebates all together. But that's for another time.
Cnet.com and Consumer Reports blog - These two websites gave me good advice on buying tvs as well, and cnet offers reviews of many of the more popular tvs.
Requirements:
So I had a few things I wanted in a tv:
Screen Size: I was aiming for a 37-40 inch tv. My room is fairly small. I originally wanted to put it in the living room but since I was getting it for myself I figured if I really wanted to share it I could always take it downstairs. Maybe.
Output modes: 1080p, hands down, had to be the max resolution. I don't like regretting purchases later incase 1080p is supported. However, this can be arguable at smaller sizes (see below after these bullet points)
Model Overall Quality: I had to research models that did not wear out in the first few months, were well known and were not prone to bad pixels. God help me if I find a dead pixel *shakes fist*. This is where the reviews come in. Also, you more often than not can't trust the manufacturer with a lot of their data. All that contrast bullshit and refresh doesn't mean a damn until you see it in real life.
Price: I'm still a recent college grad, almost done paying off college loans (I opted to do that now that the market is in a condition I am not willing to throw more money into with my Roth IRA), but I am still paying that debt and thus I need to save money still. My target? Under $1000 definitely, preferrably $800 or below.
I don't care about inputs other than at least 1 HDMI port and my ears are so crap I don't care about audio as much as long as I have something that spits out noise.
The Approach:
-Using the Consumer Reports page, I did some research about tvs and things to spot. I've seen enough of them to know what I want and I am technical enough to know about the regular goofs people make so this was a pretty fast part.
For most people, I would advise that if you find a model you want, go into a store and look for that model of tv and see it in real life. I did not do this part partially because I feel that I've read enough reviews of my tv to be confident in that it won't be total crap and also even if I found a better looking tv in store, you couldn't beat the price I was looking at for it. Also, DO NOT be suckered into buying expensive cables. Do your research. Buying a $10 cable is just as good as buying a $50 one. I would advise doing this part online.
-I kept tabes on sites like amazon, newegg, and deal sites like buxr.com, dealhack.com for hot prices on tvs that were seeing huge price drops. I used those in tow with HDguru.com, specifically it's article on the HDTV Christmas Buyer's Guide, specifically the list of tvs at each screen size and price level. Naturally, since I was looking for a 40 incher, I focused on the Toshiba 40 inch model 40RV525U. THAT was originally the tv I was going to buy.
-I talked to my geek friends about what to get and prices and such. Props to my brother and steve for their advice. Steve was still an ass about it, but I digress. Going to friends gives you a personal second perspective and they might know things you don't.
Conclusion:
This is what I went with: Toshiba REGZA 42 inch 42RV535U And here is why:
Reviews: If you look at the reviews on both Newegg and Amazon, everyone is saying that the quality and output is stellar. 4.5 cumulative on amazon and mostly 5's on newegg. Ignore the idiot on the amazon review who says it doesn't output 1080p, as people have corrected the fool. I tried to google the tv, but I found way more positive reviews about this tv than I did negative. Always google your model number online to find out if anyone has had problems or to get more reviews than just amazon and newegg.
Size: 42 inches! Holy shit! Where am I supposed to put this damn thing?
Output: HDMI, S-Video, yadda yadda, I just want the damn HDMI.
Price: Here's the funny part. Remember how I said I wanted the 40RV525U? That was recommended by HDGuru as the budget TV to get at the 40-42 inch level. But this model is a step up in every way, and more importantly, at the SAME PRICE.
As of this article, NewEgg and Amazon both have the 40RV525U and the 42RV535U at $800, maybe a few bucks more or less for some reason.
NewEgg 40 inch
Amazon 4o inch
NewEgg 42 inch
Amazon 42 inch
However, I found a coupon today due to it being SuperBowl week for $50 bucks off (MMCHTV50) at NewEgg. Also, I picked up a $50 1 year onsite warranty in case something happens in the first year. HDTVs in general do not have high failure rates. Generally if it lasts the year it'll last a while. I wanted onsite because I travel a lot for work, and incase the thing breaks I may not be able to come home to mail the monster out. So for the same price at NewEgg and Amazon, I also got a 1 year warranty thrown in too. Hah!
(Note: I don't usually advise getting extended warranties for TVs. Consumer Reports blog advises against doing so as well due to low failure rates and the standard warranties cover most problems. However, if you look at what I'm paying vs. the cost of the warranty, a 6% cost of hedging the tv for a year ain't bad. If it was more like $100 bucks, I might not have done so. Also, that $50 coupon helped a bit)
Final thoughts and what you need to know if you buy:
I could have walked into a Best Buy and picked either of the TVs up there if I wanted as well. Hell, the 40 inch was also $800 there too! But then I would have had to pay $40 bucks in taxes. The 42 is $1000. And Best Buy isn't held high in my regard due to past experiences. Meanwhile Amazon and NewEgg are both awesome and their customer service is excellent. I'm a little scared of having this delivered due to possible poor handling but I'm hoping it comes through. In the event something breaks, well, that's what the warranty is for.
Things to do when looking for a TV:
-Look at websites for reviews on tvs and advice on what or how to buy.
-Price match on websites like amazon and newegg (use pricegrabber.com if you have to).
-See your tv in real life if you can to see for yourself.
-Ask friends for advice if you can.
-Be flexible and if you find deals on something you like, take advantage of it.
It's okay to wait on things like TVs. Electronic devices become cheaper all the time as they make more and new models come out. Hell, remember that 2 gb Sansa clip I got for $40 a while back? You can get it for $20 now. Beat that Apple.
My biggest issue about getting this tv was more personal than anything else. I haven't bought too many big ticket items before, so getting over that was pretty hard. And with this economy, this may be the only present I'll get myself this year. But oh, man, what a present. Of course, this could all backfire on me. But I think I was careful enough and I can't wait to see this baby.
My review on the tv and reflections on it once the thing comes in, probably next week.
Upcoming things I'm going to blog about:
-Portable Hard Drives because I keep telling Jean I would finish this and I suck. I know.
-Budget gaming because I realize i'm buying too many games. So I'm trading them. Online.
So in the mean time everyone, stay smart and stay cheap.
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