Buying 37" 1080p, Which?

[bossuwe]

Hi guys, I want to purchase a 37" 1080p tv for my room. It will mainly be for watching tvs and for my ps3. I recently looked at the Sharp models and was wondering which model to get? It came down to the 37D64U or 37GP1U models. I was confused of which model to choose and i need opinions. =)

 

[PurdueRy]

Just my humble opinion but if I could only afford a 37" model I would "downgrade" to a 720p set and at least get a 42" model. I doubt you need 1080p in your 37" set anyway.

 

[DrunkenSano]

I agree with PurdueRy, you're just wasting money on a 1080p if your TV is under 50". You can't tell the difference unless you're sitting half a foot away from the TV, the TV just isn't big enough to require that many pixels. TV companies are making a killing with this 1080p hype because it's the new 'hot' thing that everyone wants to cash in on.

 

[sdifox]

I'll be redundant and say the same as PurdueRy.

 

[techwanabe]

Originally posted by: DrunkenSano
I agree with PurdueRy, you're just wasting money on a 1080p if your TV is under 50". You can't tell the difference unless you're sitting half a foot away from the TV, the TV just isn't big enough to require that many pixels. TV companies are making a killing with this 1080p hype because it's the new 'hot' thing that everyone wants to cash in on.

I "wasted" my money on 1080P on my (under 50") 46-inch Sammy LN46A650. I like it and am glad but I can see the argument for 720P on smaller sets. I can definitly see the difference on my 46-inch if the source is good like a bluray movie. Certainly for some sources, it makes little difference.

 

[bdubyah]

i'm planning on getting a 42" 1080P tosh sometime soon.

while i could get a 720P version cheaper and go bigger because of it, i'm going to use it as a monitor as well. i'm doing that right now with my 32" 720P westy and i'm tired of the retarded resolution. my PC doesn't even get stressed running games at 1360x768 ir w/e the res is. i want 1080P mainly so i can use 1920x1080.

edit: to stay OT, i would check out the AVS.com forums. read up on those TVs. apparently a lot of them have banding issues. YMMV though, just might want to read up on it and then decide.

 

[DrunkenSano]

Originally posted by: techwanabe

Originally posted by: DrunkenSano
I agree with PurdueRy, you're just wasting money on a 1080p if your TV is under 50". You can't tell the difference unless you're sitting half a foot away from the TV, the TV just isn't big enough to require that many pixels. TV companies are making a killing with this 1080p hype because it's the new 'hot' thing that everyone wants to cash in on.

I "wasted" my money on 1080P on my (under 50") 46-inch Sammy LN46A650. I like it and am glad but I can see the argument for 720P on smaller sets. I can definitly see the difference on my 46-inch if the source is good like a bluray movie. Certainly for some sources, it makes little difference.

Hmm, did you compare it to like a LN46A450 as opposed to some random 46" 720p TV? Some brands are just horrid TVs, especially if you just go around Best Buy. I was in a store that specialized in TVs and couldn't tell the difference between a LN40A450 and a LN40A650. Both were side by side showing the same cartoon (don't remember the movie) on BlueRay. I also spoke to the guy and he said that the difference is pretty much negligible unless you got 50" or higher and it doesn't matter if you're watching regular TV.

 

[Tiamat]

Echoing everybody else, the value of 1080P depends on your viewing distance as well as your usage. For me, a 37" 1080P LCD was awesome. I sat about 7 feet away from the display and used it for computing as well as gaming. My eyes could resolve individual pixels at that distance (could see a stuck-off green subpixel as magenta on white) so if you have reasonable vision, and are less than 8 feet away, 1080P could be for you even on a 37" display.

If all you are doing is watching HD content (no computing) and have the choice between a budget 1080P display and a nice 720P display (better backlighting, color reproduction, etc), then the 720P display could be better for you especially if you are sitting around 8+ feet away from the display.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy
Just my humble opinion but if I could only afford a 37" model I would "downgrade" to a 720p set and at least get a 42" model. I doubt you need 1080p in your 37" set anyway.

yep.

only reason you'd need 1080 on that set is for computer work. save some cash, get a better TV.

 

[bossuwe]

I guess i will go with 720p then. Should i go with 32" or 37"? My room is kinda small so i watch tv 1-2 metres away from it. I really want a good picture on for tv and ps3.

 

[Trader05]

I'd suggest a 37" 720p.

My first tv i bought for my living room was a 37" Toshiba LCD, i was glad i didn't buy a 32" it looks tiny compared to a 37" in the store. Around last year i picked up a Sharp 42" 1080p, i really didn't see a difference in resolution with a PS3 since most games are 720P, other than color quality between the 2 manufacturers. Then again i didnt watch blu-rays with my 37" either.

I thought the basic fact was the closer and bigger the tv you have, the higher resolution you need. http://www.engadgethd.com/2006...stance-to-screen-size/

 

[DrunkenSano]

Am I missing something or is this 42" Opus at $999 a really good price? From what I have heard, the LG Opus TVs are pretty good TVs though expensive?

 

[Whitedog]

I'll chime in on the "wasting money on 1080p" tidbit.

If you ever plan on hooking a computer up to it, it most certainly IS NOT a waste of money.

I have a PC hooked up to my 1080p 46"er (along with my 52" as well) and it CERTAINLY is pretty awesome playing games at 1920 x 1080 (as well as desktop candy).

I would certainly feel disgusted playing at a mere 1280x720.

In fact, I'd say the Opposite. Buying a 720p TV is a waste of money.

That's my .02


I will say this much though, using an HDTV as a computer monitor is hardly a good thing. Desktop is no where near as crisp as you will get with a "computer monitor". It's good, but you certainly will miss viewing your desktop on that crisp computer monitor.

 

[Tullphan]

Originally posted by: DrunkenSano
Am I missing something or is this 42" Opus at $999 a really good price? From what I have heard, the LG Opus TVs are pretty good TVs though expensive?

While that deal is dead now (currently $1099 +$67 shipping), i'm in the same boat.
My local appliance store is recommending to me the Opus for $1199, but they also have another model (30-something series) for around $850.
Of course the salesman swears up & down the picture on the Opus is better, but is the Opus $300 better than the LG 30-something series w/720p?
The TV will be in the living room...my chair approx 8-10' away & the couch approx 10' away from the TV.
I doubt i'll rent very many blu-ray movies as i've not invested in the player, nor have I invested in the upgrade to HD through my cable service.
Should I spend the extra? Is this "future-proofing"?

 

[s44]

If, as the OP says, he's going to be watching from 3 feet away, 1080p definitely isn't a waste.