Finding a New TV: Small & Perfect for Bedroom

[Evo]

My beloved ancient tv that was given to me is dying, so I need to find a new one.

I need suggestions for a small, maybe 19 inch one for my bedroom.

 

[turbo]

If you are not a nut about sound quality, want the ability to play DVDs and TV, this is about the cheapest way out. It is pretty small, so it will not take up a lot of space, and the DVD/CD drive is slot-fed, not tray. I was looking at something similar until my wife found a local sale on combo CRT, DVD, VHS (she has lots of fitness tapes) for the bedroom.

http://www.buydig.com/shop/product....utm_campaign=CBTFDVD1973&sku=CBTFDVD1973#tabs

 

[Evo]

If you are not a nut about sound quality, want the ability to play DVDs and TV, this is about the cheapest way out. It is pretty small, so it will not take up a lot of space, and the DVD/CD drive is slot-fed, not tray. I was looking at something similar until my wife found a local sale on combo CRT, DVD, VHS (she has lots of fitness tapes) for the bedroom.

http://www.buydig.com/shop/product....utm_campaign=CBTFDVD1973&sku=CBTFDVD1973#tabs

That is a good value.

Evo Child gave me a new DVD player last Christmas though.

Kurdt said to go with Sony the other day, but he was talking about a very high end one, and I'm not going that big for the bedroom. I was thinking of this, what do you think?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sony-KDL22BX300/13812459

 

[turbo]

I don't know, and no way to do a side-by-side comparison. The Coby has pretty high resolution, though Sony makes some pretty nice electronics. It it was just for casual use in a bedroom (forget the home-theater quality), I'd probably opt for the less expensive model. By the time it craps out, the entry-level models will be better, cheaper, with more flexibility.

 

[dlgoff]

Evo,

When I decided to buy a new tv, I went to Walmart and viewed them from probably 100 feet as I was walking to their electronics section. It was clear that there were only two choices; the two with the brightest, clearest picture. When I got there and looked, they were the Samsung and the Philips. I looked at their specifications and they were almost identical. The biggest difference was the cost; the Philips being the cheapest. So I bought the Philips and have been very satisfied for over a year now.

I would suggest looking at the specs very closely. Here is Walmarts Philips 22" that you might want to take a look at.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Philips-22PFL3504D/14690503#ProductDetail"

 

[Evo]

Evo,

When I decided to buy a new tv, I went to Walmart and viewed them from probably 100 feet as I was walking to their electronics section. It was clear that there were only two choices; the two with the brightest, clearest picture. When I got there and looked, they were the Samsung and the Philips. I looked at their specifications and they were almost identical. The biggest difference was the cost; the Philips being the cheapest. So I bought the Philips and have been very satisfied for over a year now.

I would suggest looking at the specs very closely. Here is Walmarts Philips 22" that you might want to take a look at.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Philips-22PFL3504D/14690503#ProductDetail"

Oooh, that does sound good! According to the reviews, it allows you to watch poor signals, which is a concern with my cable, not all channels are clear. The repairman blames the phone company wiring which the cable company had to use to send signals over because the apartment complex would not let them run new wiring. The complex had originally gone with Direct TV and it was so horrible they had to dump it.

Do you find that it let's you watch degraded signals. The new Samsung I bought a few years ago wouldn't allow me to watch a station if it didn't think the picture was perfect. I threw it away.

 

[mugaliens]

That is a good value.

Evo Child gave me a new DVD player last Christmas though.

Kurdt said to go with Sony the other day, but he was talking about a very high end one, and I'm not going that big for the bedroom. I was thinking of this, what do you think?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sony-KDL22BX300/13812459

That's only a 22". I have a 22" monitor just two feet in front of my face, and I'd still like a larger one!

I have a 32" TV I use with a DVD play when I have friends over. It seems too small, these days, but my folks have the same size in their bedroom.

If you're ok with using it for background while going to sleep, it should be just fine, and at a good price, too. :)

 

[Evo]

That's only a 22". I have a 22" monitor just two feet in front of my face, and I'd still like a larger one!

I have a 32" TV I use with a DVD play when I have friends over. It seems too small, these days, but my folks have the same size in their bedroom.

If you're ok with using it for background while going to sleep, it should be just fine, and at a good price, too. :)

The tv sits next to my computer and is literally 2 feet away.

 

[Lacy33]

Great timing for us. I was just asking family about getting a new one because they are the lowest prices ever.
http://money.cnn.com/2010/09/23/technology/lcd_tv_prices/index.htm?hpt=T2

But which one?

 

[Evo]

Great timing for us. I was just asking family about getting a new one because they are the lowest prices ever.
http://money.cnn.com/2010/09/23/technology/lcd_tv_prices/index.htm?hpt=T2

But which one?

Thanks Lacy! maybe I'll drag my feet for another month.

 

[dlgoff]

The complex had originally gone with Direct TV and it was so horrible they had to dump it.

That's too bad. I've been with DirecTV since they first started operation. And I've loved their service.

I purchased my own receiver and dish way back when and earlier this year they gave me a new receiver at no cost so I could enjoy some of their other interactive features (being a loyal customer and all).

Do you find that it let's you watch degraded signals. The new Samsung I bought a few years ago wouldn't allow me to watch a station if it didn't think the picture was perfect. I threw it away.

I have an outside antenna for my over the air stations (in HD btw) and get all the KC and Topeka stations without even rotating my antenna like I had to do with their analog signals.

I would complain to your complex manager about the bad wiring if you are paying for cable service or it's in the rent agreement.

 

[Lacy33]

Thanks Lacy! maybe I'll drag my feet for another month.

Me too. We will be dragging our feet around the entrance of the store with head and elbow guards on for when they open the door for the killer sale.
Maybe I need a hockey stick. Oh no! I will use my walker!

 

[Kevin_Axion]

I'm not sure if you have a Tiger Direct near you but they tend to have some very good prices: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=3648

 

[Lacy33]

Is there anything special one needs to know about buying these "new" large screen TV's?
Something that plays DVD's. Small apartment size. Do they go on the wall or stand alone? Are they easy to program? Do you need rabbit ears for them?

 

[turbo]

I can't handle being in public, so Black Friday for a loss-leader at Wal-Mart is out. Still, it might be nice to take the opportunity to get rid of this monster Philips CRT TV and the large piece of furniture that houses it.

 

[minger]

It was clear that there were only two choices; the two with the brightest, clearest picture.

Just realize that in department stores the brightness/constant on every TV has been CRANKED up to make them look bright against the harsh fluorescent lighting and will (should at least) not be how you view your television at home.

 

[dlgoff]

Just realize that in department stores the brightness/constant on every TV has been CRANKED up to make them look bright against the harsh fluorescent lighting and will (should at least) not be how you view your television at home.

The specifications don't lie. When one says a contrast ratio of 2100:1 and another says 50000:1, it's obvious by looking. The differences that I've seen aren't those that are made by "personal preferences" settings.

 

[dlgoff]

... it might be nice to take the opportunity to get rid of this monster Philips CRT TV and the large piece of furniture that houses it.

Do it. Save energy. And get a great picture.

 

[jtbell]

Is there anything special one needs to know about buying these "new" large screen TV's?
Something that plays DVD's. Small apartment size. Do they go on the wall or stand alone? Are they easy to program? Do you need rabbit ears for them?

I think the ones that include DVD players are mostly smaller models intended for kitchen counter or desktop use, up to maybe 22" or 26".

Flat screen TVs come with a removable pedestal so you can put them on a small table or equipment stand like I do, or mount them on a wall like a lot of people do.

Wall-mounting isn't practical for us because the wall space in our living room is already "filled" with windows, pictures, furniture, bookshelves and a non-functional fireplace. If we took down a picture or two to make room for a TV, we'd have to mount the TV above eye level which isn't optimal for steady viewing while sitting on the couch.

Also, we'd have to do something about the wires. I have a lot of gadgets feeding the TV (DVD, Blu-ray, HD DVD, a couple of DVRs, DVD recorder, an audio amplifier that feeds a pair of good speakers). They're all in a two-shelf stand next to the fireplace, with the TV on top and the wires more or less hidden behind the stand. Even if you don't have all that stuff, you still need some kind of connection to your antenna or cable TV feed or whatever.

We have an antenna on the roof (two of them actually, one for VHF and one for UHF) because we're in a rural area, a long way from our TV stations' transmitters. If you're close enough, an indoor antenna may work OK. There are lots of variables involved, so no guarantees. Here, we used to be able to pick up a couple of channels with the built-in antenna on our kitchen TV which isn't connected to the roof antenna. The picture was only just barely watchable. Since the analog TV transmitters shut down last year, we can get only one digital channel reliably on that TV. But on the living-room TV with the roof antenna, we can get more channels in digital than we could with analog!