WTB a TV,

[r337ard]

I've been musing over buying a new TV to replace my old 27" Sony CRT. My primary reason to replace it is it's lack of computer compatible hookup (VGA, DVI, etc) for my media center. I don't need it enough to spend the ~$500 required for a decent new LCD TV,

I'm looking to spend under $300, and hoping to find something around the same size as my current TV. I'm not expecting (m)any responses, but does anyone have an older TV with the above features they don't use/want anymore?

[TFG]

Granted, its not no spiffy name brand, but if you can cough up the extra 30 bucks:

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/ ... ec7b54en02

[Spyhop]

You're better off going used on that budget

[r337ard]

You're better off going used on that budget

Maybe I should have been more clear, but I'm looking for a "new to me" TV You know, since it's in Garage Sale, and it says "does anyone have an older TV with the above features they don't use/want anymore?" I thought it was already clear enough.

[r337ard]

Granted, its not no spiffy name brand, but if you can cough up the extra 30 bucks:

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/ ... ec7b54en02

I had a look earlier at considerably better TVs for not considerably more than that. A TV is not a place to be super cheap, especially if you use it regularly, but I just don't need a new TV and thus don't want to spend the money for something new. Were I to buy new, it would need to be at least as big as my current TV (this one is smaller) and I would shell out for a better unit.

I'm just fishing for someone who either has recently bought or plans on buying an wants to get rid of their old TV to help cover the cost. If someone has a better TV they want to upgrade/sell and wants to make me an offer, be my guest - worst I can do is say no.

[touque]

when I was looking for a 40" - 42" LCD for Trina I went to Futureshop(among many other places) and saw the Dynex panels.

I compared the Dynex with a Samsung and a Sony (they were on either side of it) I angled the other two so I could stand in one spot and have the same viewing angle on each set(salesman thought I was fucked). I have to say I was impressed with the Dynex (I don't know who made that particular batch of panels but it looked good). It was better than the 40" Sony and I couldn't see a difference between the 42" Samsung and the Dynex (black levels, motion blur, brightness, clarity etc)

I know the processing must be very different but I wasn't looking for a movie TV - just one for everyday shows and games for the wife and kids in the living room.

In the end I found a 46" 1080p Sony in excellent shape on Kijiji for $600 so I went with that but I almost bought a Dynex.

JM2C

[r337ard]

I think I found a winner.
http://accessories.dell.com/sna/product ... 0#Overview

One day sale, but I think I'll pick it up. 60hz might not be stellar for hockey games, which is the majority of -my- TV viewing, but the price is right and the specs seem alright.

[Spyhop]

Worth the money, but you get what you pay for, January 19, 2009
By Berton Heaton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This TV is perfect for those who just want to get with current technology, and want a decent sized, and compact TV.
You will definitely see a picture improvement over traditional television, and the picture looks very good for bright pictures (ie sports games, most television shows).
Picture clarity is pretty good, the artifacts are pretty minimal.
What this TV is severly lacking in, is depth of color. Don't listen to other reviews that say "it's just as good as higher priced televisions," because it's not. This is very noticable in low light levels, the colors get very washed out, to a disappointing degree.
The sound is not bad, a lot of the lower priced flat planel speakers sound very tinny. Its speakers sound worse than higher quality sets, but are still pretty tolerable.
All in all you get what you pay for. This TV isn't garbage but it's not going to win any awards. If you are looking for a TV to watch football on Sunday in hi-def this is the television for you. If you are a gamer, or a movie enthusiast with a blu-ray player, save up your money and go with a higher quality television, as you will find the depth of color on this television a bit disappointing.

I get that you're shooting for as cheap as possible, but a TV is something you're going to be looking at for years. Size is relative, but color depth will annoy you if it's bad. I can't see a 32" Samsung costing too much more.

[LiViD]

It's been known that Dynex will use Chi Mei panels, the same kind that end up in Sharp, Vizio, RCA, Toshiba, and Sanyo TV's. If I found that the panel was the same being used in a Sharp, I would buy a Dynex just to save money.

[Spyhop]

http://edmonton.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sel ... Z192294126

[LiViD]

Not bad, but new ones are $50 more.

[Spyhop]

You can usually talk kijiji people down though

[Latency]

I know it's out of your price range but I did own this and loved it.

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/sam ... 6e227fen02

I ended up deciding on the Panasonic though, it had deeper blacks but less accurate colors than the Sammy. I watch a ton of horror flicks so the deep blacks took priority. Don't get me wrong, the Samsung will kill almost all LCD's for black level still, the Panasonic was just that much better (but more expensive). When you go this cheap there are always trade offs. I dunno, cheap LCD's look horrible IMHO. I would never buy one. I looked at lots of budget LCD's and brought about 3 of them home and returned them all. I tried Sharp, Panasonic, and Samsung. Go plasma man. Every HT enthusiast will tell you, for buget TV's you can't beat Plasma until you buy an LCD in the $2000 range.

[r337ard]

As I said above, I realize a TV is not a place to cheap out on, but I'm not in it for the long haul. This is a temporary solution to an annoying problem, were I looking for something long term I would be in the $700-900 range easy.

It all comes down to projected use. I don't really watch much TV now, and I'm only in the market to replace my current TV because it's annoying to hook up my Media Center and it's fuzzy on text. When it came down to it, this TV isn't impressive but it's more than adequate for my purposes - and the price was right. Buying used is an attractive option given the price, but it's a crapshoot when you're not dealing with someone you trust. I could end up spending just as much on a bad used set + eventual replacement as on a great new TV. So why take a chance saving a few bucks ($20 in this case) instead of going with something new?

[Latency]

As I said above, I realize a TV is not a place to cheap out on, but I'm not in it for the long haul. This is a temporary solution to an annoying problem, were I looking for something long term I would be in the $700-900 range easy.

It all comes down to projected use. I don't really watch much TV now, and I'm only in the market to replace my current TV because it's annoying to hook up my Media Center and it's fuzzy on text. When it came down to it, this TV isn't impressive but it's more than adequate for my purposes - and the price was right. Buying used is an attractive option given the price, but it's a crapshoot when you're not dealing with someone you trust. I could end up spending just as much on a bad used set + eventual replacement as on a great new TV. So why take a chance saving a few bucks ($20 in this case) instead of going with something new?

Yeah. I see your point. I just figure if you're spending $400 already, you may as well get something good for your money. My last Toshiba 27" CRT was in use for 12 years before retiring it to the kids in the basement. So I know how you feel. But TBH I would rather use a 27" CRT than an LCD. You might be happy though, maybe you're not as picky as me. Just make sure you upsample everything, you have to run native rez for anything to look half decent.