Devon’s guide to HD
*CONSUMER ALERT*
Time for me to go all Ralph Nader, pre-crazy, on you. Over the last 2 weeks, I have been researching big screen/HD TV’s pretty much full time, and I am now confident that I know more than anyone has a right to. I know I have a few friends thinking of taking the plunge, so I though I’d share a few tidbits.
If you’re going to play video games or hook it up to an external home audio system, don’t get a Samsung – even though they have great (comparably) reliability and picture. Their incredibly complicated image enhancing systems slow the signal down so much, lips will move after the talking’s done, and you’ll never score another TD on Madden.
Don’t believe all the hype about the new DLP standard from Texas Instruments (who’d have thought Texas Instruments would be the Microsoft of HD?). Just because a TV says DLP (which uses a field of thousands of tiny mirrors about the size of a postage stamp to spray the image on the screen) doesn’t mean it’s all that great. Almost every manufacturer is incorporating DLP into their sets, except Sony, who is introducing their own system of daisy chaining 3 LCD chips together. Both work very well. All the new Sony’s look great – though some complain they are a little dark. Not all DLP’s can say the same.
Don’t believe pretty much anything a salesperson tells you. About the products. About the technology. Even about the store’s own policies regarding warranties, returns and service. I went to several stores multiple times, and got different answers to relatively simple questions every time I went. Always get everything corroborated by a manager and in writing.
Unless you are independently wealthy and care that your watch is a Rolex, don’t even look at plasma screens – they are incredibly unreliable, expensive, and don’t really have the best picture. But they are very, very sexy. And you can hang them on the wall. If you’re in to that sort of thing. If you must have something that thin or hangable, and don’t need anything too big, there are some nice pure LCD screens that are pretty affordable. And by affordable, I’m still talking $1000 for a 26-inch. Ouch.
Get the store to show you different source video on the TV you’re looking at. All of these HD TV’s have inferior analog pictures compared to a good analog-only TV. And chances are you’re going to be watching a lot of analog TV. Got a TiVo? That’s analog. Some of these TV’s look bad with a non-HD signal. Don’t get it home before you realize 90% of your usage is going to suck.
If you start leaning towards a DLP or rear-projection LCD “microscreen†(which are not called “micro†because the screens are so slim, but because they use microchips to project their images) be aware you will have to replace the projector lamp regularly. Probably every other year or so, if you’re lucky. And they cost $200.
Whatever you do, and I cannot stress this enough – when it comes time to buy something, buy it at Costco. They don’t deliver. They don’t have the biggest selection. They don’t take credit cards (except AmEx). But they do have excellent prices on relatively top-of-the-line technology. And more importantly, they have a lifetime no-questions-asked return policy. These televisions will break. They are shockingly finicky. These aren’t like that 22-inch RCA tube set in your bedroom you’ve been carrying around since college. And when they break, they are expensive. There’s a good chance that one-year warranty from the manufacturer will be used. And after that year’s up, and something goes wrong, and it will, you’ve got a $2500 blackboard.
If you insist on buying from someplace other than Costco, you must purchase the extended warranty from the store. Normally, these plans are just pure profit cash grabs for the store (last year Circuit City revealed 100% of its operating capital came from extended warranties), but with these TV’s they are economically smart. They’re usually for 4 or 5 years, and cost anywhere from $160 from Walmart to $500 from Sears. You will blow at least 2 lamps in 5 years. There’s $400 right there. Circuit City’s extended warranty covers 1 lamp replacement. Best Buy’s covers as many lamps as you can blow in the 4 years they cover. Do your homework. Do the math. And that’s just on what you know will go wrong. A popped color engine? That’ll be $1000, minimum. Spider-screen (a semi-common phenomenon caused by chemicals in the screen to discolor in weird fractal shapes)? You might as well throw it away and buy a new one for what that’ll cost to fix.
Bottom line – Sony, Samsung, Mitsubishi and JVC seem to be the way to go. LG is also worth a look. If you’re not into video games, I think Samsung is the best choice. More features for the money, and it does have a great picture. Stay away from RCA and Toshiba as a rule. Happy shopping!