Invisible wrote:
> It seems that LCD TVs go up to absurd sizes, with a price tag to match.
 

Having just shopped around for and bought one of these, I can answer some
 of 
these questions...

> - Some of the units claim a contrast ratio of 500:1. Some say 700:1. 
> Others claim 1,000:1. Which is fair enough. But then some claim 
> 10,000:1. (And yet have similar or identical prices.) Am I *really* to 



Part of it is the kind of glass they put in front of the LCD. Some of the
 
Samsungs, for example, go from 10,000:1 to 40,000:1 by putting a shiny 
tinted glass in front instead of a matte glass.  You'll probably get more
 
glare with the higher contrast ratios if it's in a bright room.

> - Gotta love the way websites tell you a TV has audio connectors, but n
eglects to specify whether these are inputs or outputs! :-P 

Probably inputs, with one being outputs. That's so you can connect your V
CR, 
your video game, your DVD player, etc to the TV. Why would you need lots 
of 
outputs?

> - I _presume_ (since I haven't found one yet) that it is impossible to 

> get a TV with full 1080 resolution that is only 30" across. Is that the
 
> case? (What, they figure you can't see details that small except on a 
> larger device?)

You can get a monitor like that, but it won't have a tuner built in. And 

yes, on my 46" HDTV (1080p), it's hard to see all the pixels standing a f
oot 
away. Seriously, compare your current computer display's pixels-per-cm to
 
the 30" 720p display and see.

> - Trying to figure out which TV is going to give me a decent picture is
 
> maddeningly difficult. If you shop online, you can't *see* anything at 

> all, so you just have the luminance, constrast ratio and response time 

> to go at. (And the viewing angle - if that actually means anything.) If
 
> you go to a physical shop things are not much improved; all the TVs I'v
e 
> seen look terrible, most of them being driven by a simple RF signal ove
r 
> cheap coax cable. (!!) How the *hell* am I supposed to tell which ones 

> are any good?

Go to amazon.com and read the reviews by people who actually already boug
ht 
it. Or go to a better store where they're actually interested in selling 

them. If you're spending $2000 on one, drive to London and look or someth
ing.

> - What are the best brands to go for? (I have a Samsung computer monito
r 
> at home that works very well, so I've been tending to look mostly at 
> Samsung. But I don't know if they're really the best.)

Dunno. Mine is nice. Many of the differences is stuff you're not likely t
o 
use - does it have a USB port where you can plug in a camera and look at 
the 
images? Does it have an ethernet port that will pick up local weather 
reports and put them on screen? Does it have a connector that plugs into 
the 
bracket that holds the thing to the wall so you can turn it left and righ
t 
with the remote control? Does it have (WTF) a recipe book built in?

> - What is HDMI? Does anything use it yet? Is there a specific reason wh
y 


HDMI is basically DVI (digital video) plus sound on the same cable. It's 
$80 
because they can. Radio Shack (the fast food store of electronics around 

here) has cables for $20; you can get the same length "monster" cables fo
r 
$150.  Shop around. It's marketing.

> And of course, the million-dollar question:
> 
> - Are there any ways to obtain HD signals yet? (I gather BluRay players
 
> are actually on sale now, but still prohibitively expensive. Are there 

> any other possible sources?)

Computers. Video games. Cable TV here carries some HD channels. Satellite
 
dishes.

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   The NFL should go international. I'd pay to
   see the Detroit Lions vs the Roman Catholics.

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