# HDTV's



## trailblazer295 (Mar 7, 2010)

Hey everyone 

I'm looking into finally upgrading from an old 26" crt to a an HDTV. Haven't been to motivated for years on account of I don't spend a lot of time watching tv in my room and cost. This is the time of the year to take the plunge. Now I do have an understanding of the current technology out there, resolution, refresh rates, number of inputs, ATSC tuner etc. I've been doing more research lately and while the new OLED's look really nice they are way too expensive. With any electronic device if you believe everything you read then all of them are junk, cameras, cell phones etc. My question is do you guys know of an electronics store (not a big box) with knowledge staff that are helpful? The specs give you a small glimpse of what you are getting and all TV's on display are not set up properly at all and seem to usually have CG movies playing which won't show you how good the colour is on real life images. I'm looking for a TV in the 42-46" range, for the right price I would entertain a bigger one if it was a really good deal. It would be used for light gaming, movies and streaming from my laptop. 

Thanks

Scott


----------



## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

Try Electronics4less.ca

They're an online "e-tailer", but their offices are on East Beaver Creek Rd in Richmond Hill.

Great guys to deal with, they know their stuff, and are very fair/competitive with their pricing... I've bought a few things from them in the last couple of years, and every time they've been awesome to work with (the last time was for a ceiling mount - they couldn't supply the one I wanted in time due to supply issues, so to keep the customer (me) happy (I wasn't unhappy!), they upgraded the unit at no extra charge to me!


----------



## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

I only buy Sony because they last forever and the picture quality is fantastic. If you buy one at Costco they double your warranty and they have a no hassle return policy so if you don't like it once you get it home and used it for a few weeks you can return it.
--
Paul


----------



## trailblazer295 (Mar 7, 2010)

Thanks for the info guys, I'll look into that. I don't have a costco card but a family friend does. I'll look into that site.


----------



## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

Y2KGT said:


> I only buy Sony because they last forever and the picture quality is fantastic. If you buy one at Costco they double your warranty and they have a no hassle return policy so if you don't like it once you get it home and used it for a few weeks you can return it.
> --
> Paul


Sorry man - friends don't let friends waste good money on Sony AV equipment!


----------



## mrobson (Mar 5, 2011)

Windowlicka said:


> Sorry man - friends don't let friends waste good money on Sony AV equipment!


i hear that, i have the 50" bravia in my livingroom and my cheap LG i got for gaming looks way better. The sony brand has gone way down in overall quality over the last few years.


----------



## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

I have a Vizio LED LCD from Costco and I love its 52 in It was great deal and never had a prob with it and the pic is amazing cant stand watching reg channels now they look fuzzy.


----------



## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

pat3612 said:


> I have a Vizio LED LCD from Costco and I love its 52 in It was great deal and never had a prob with it and the pic is amazing cant stand watching reg channels now they look fuzzy.


You make a good point. Far to many people buy one of these HDTVs and then hook them up to analog cable when they get home and complain the TV is crap. I've been a Bell Expressvu customer for ten years now and all I can say is that when I got my new HDTV receiver from Bell and connected it to my new Sony 55 inch LED HDTV last year I was blown away by the picture and the sound. 100% digital and an HDMI connection makes all the difference in the world.

And remember that every manufacturer makes low end models and high end models so when you're comparing any manufacturer make sure you're comparing models with similar features such as refresh rates and the same screen technology such as Plasma, LCD and LED.
--
Paul


----------



## Tbird (Oct 5, 2009)

Y2KGT said:


> You make a good point. Far to many people buy one of these HDTVs and then hook them up to analog cable when they get home and complain the TV is crap. I've been a Bell Expressvu customer for ten years now and all I can say is that when I got my new HDTV receiver from Bell and connected it to my new Sony 55 inch LED HDTV last year I was blown away by the picture and the sound. 100% digital and an HDMI connection makes all the difference in the world.
> 
> And remember that every manufacturer makes low end models and high end models so when you're comparing any manufacturer make sure you're comparing models with similar features such as refresh rates and the same screen technology such as Plasma, LCD and LED.
> --
> Paul


Very good points here!! Even when comparing HDTV channels from different companies, Bell, Rogers, Cogeco, etc they are not always equal. Cogeco as far as I know has not released 1080P yet, they are running 1080i. So there will be some difference is pic quality. As with anything else, make you are using quality cables. Your system is only as good as the weakest link. You can have the best TV and surround sound system but if you are using the cheapest cables, you are definitely not using it to its fullest potential.

I currently have a Sony LCD, a Samsung series 6 Plasma 3D and a Panasonic plasma. All have great pictures but I definitely love the Samsung's picture. My biggest beef with Sony is how they changed the labeling of their TV's. Various types with different levels in each one.

I have to agree with Paul, Costco has some very good prices and the extended warranty is very good too. If you decide not to purchase there, check with your credit cards to see if they offer an extended warranty also. There are always lots of sales out there so if you have rewards cards, if might be worth looking at those other stores too. I got my Samsung at the Bay during boxing week, great price and the points I had on my HBC points card saved me almost $200 more.


----------



## trailblazer295 (Mar 7, 2010)

Tbird said:


> Very good points here!! Even when comparing HDTV channels from different companies, Bell, Rogers, Cogeco, etc they are not always equal. Cogeco as far as I know has not released 1080P yet, they are running 1080i. So there will be some difference is pic quality. As with anything else, make you are using quality cables. Your system is only as good as the weakest link. You can have the best TV and surround sound system but if you are using the cheapest cables, you are definitely not using it to its fullest potential.
> 
> I currently have a Sony LCD, a Samsung series 6 Plasma 3D and a Panasonic plasma. All have great pictures but I definitely love the Samsung's picture. My biggest beef with Sony is how they changed the labeling of their TV's. Various types with different levels in each one.
> 
> I have to agree with Paul, Costco has some very good prices and the extended warranty is very good too. If you decide not to purchase there, check with your credit cards to see if they offer an extended warranty also. There are always lots of sales out there so if you have rewards cards, if might be worth looking at those other stores too. I got my Samsung at the Bay during boxing week, great price and the points I had on my HBC points card saved me almost $200 more.


Do the 'quality' cables make that big a difference? Can you tell the difference between a midgrade cable and a 'high' end one? My credit card does come with extended warranty, doubling the manufacturer warranty up to a year. In this case it would get me an extra year. I haven't had to use it but my father did with his and it was a smooth process. Cut him a cheque and went after the manufacturer themselves after.


----------



## RR37 (Nov 6, 2012)

I don't think so - the "digital" connection either works or it doesn't. I've got the cheapest of the cheap and $100 Hdmi cables that came with a blue ray player. Not perceivable difference from my couch.


----------



## trailblazer295 (Mar 7, 2010)

I didn't think there would be, can still find cheaper gold plated cables. If you were running a cable a ridiculous length then I could see a signal loss but for the few feet between a TV and source I doubt it.


----------



## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

trailblazer295 said:


> Do the 'quality' cables make that big a difference? Can you tell the difference between a midgrade cable and a 'high' end one? My credit card does come with extended warranty, doubling the manufacturer warranty up to a year. In this case it would get me an extra year. I haven't had to use it but my father did with his and it was a smooth process. Cut him a cheque and went after the manufacturer themselves after.


I wouldn't buy the expensive cables but I wouldn't buy the cheap ones either. I order mine from Dell when they have their Dell Days of Deals. You can usually get a two pack of Belkin cables for $15 which is a steal in my opinion.
--
Paul


----------



## trailblazer295 (Mar 7, 2010)

Y2KGT said:


> I wouldn't buy the expensive cables but I wouldn't buy the cheap ones either. I order mine from Dell when they have their Dell Days of Deals. You can usually get a two pack of Belkin cables for $15 which is a steal in my opinion.
> --
> Paul


I'll worry about the cables once I have a TV to plug them into. I'm fine spending $20 or so on a gold plated cable. But I seriously doubt the $80 cables in box stores are worth what they are charging. The problem with having a working knowledge of technology means you want the better stuff but then it costs $$$. Still looking for the right set with right amount of inputs.


----------



## RR37 (Nov 6, 2012)

Canada Computers sell them for a song... least they did when I bought them a few years back.


----------



## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

There was a consumer reports TV programme a while back which compared the 'economy' HDMI cables to the 'premium' ones. Their findings? Don't waste time/money on the expensive ones - there is zero difference in picture quality.

The following link verifies some of this (it's a little old now, but still pretty valid):
http://news.consumerreports.org/ele...sary-regular-basic-hdmi-tv-bluray-player.html

I buy mine from either Princess Auto (Belkin 2x pack of 6' cables + AC home theater surge protector kit for $9.99) or Sayal Electronics.


----------

