Advice on 23" LCD? HD vs ED, Sony vs Samsung vs JVC?

nk126

Hi. I'm new to the forum and would appreciate any advice from anyone with more experience/knowledge about this stuff than I have.

I'm looking to get a new TV for the bedroom to replace our 17" Dell widescreen LCD (w1700). We mainly watch shows off of our Comcast HD/DVR settop box (motorola 6412). Most of what we watch is standard def broadcast, but we watch some HD stuff as it's included in the montly fee for the DVR box. Also some DVDs from a low-end prog scan DVD player.

Definitely want another flatpanel for reasons of space & aesthetics, and want something a bit bigger than the 17". A 23" is probably the biggest set that we want at this point, again more having to do with how it looks and feels in the room than with "pure viewing." I'm tempted by the Westinghouse 27" model listed below, though, as I'm guessing HD will look better the bigger it gets.

Here's my question: Lying in bed, our eyes are about 9-10 feet away from the screen. At that distance, would one really be able to tell the difference between an HDTV (1366 x 768) screen and an EDTV widescreen (1280 x 768)? My cable box can switch between 1080i, 720p, and 480i/p, I believe.

Any any advice on what set to buy? Any thoughts on getting a used set to save money? Bad idea? Do I need an extended warranty?

We'd prefer a model that has speakers bottom-mounted (not side) because it takes up less space and looks nicer. So Here are the models I'm considering right now:

Sony KLV-23M1 23" (1366 x 768, HDMI) - $730 shipped from B&H Photo. This is an older model, maybe last year's?

Sony KLV-S23A10 23" (1366 x 768, HDMI) - Current model, selling for around $950 new and shipped from online retailers.

SONY KLV-23HR1 23" TV (1366 x 768) - Someone local is selling a used one, 2 yrs old, "barely used" in excellent shape, well cared for, for $425. No warranty, two years old, that's my hesitation.

Samsung - Samsung LN-R237W 23" (1366 x 768, HDMI) -- These are selling new for around $650-700 shipped on ebay.

JVC 23" LCD HDTV Monitor LT23X475 (1280 x 768, no HDMI) - Used for about two weeks, selling for $500 from a guy locally, bought at a GoodGuys closeout sale. This is a 1280 x 768, seems to only do 480p/i.

WESTINGHOUSE LTV-27W2 27" (1280 x 768, HDMI) - $740 shipped new from jandr.com. This is a bigger screen, but bottom mounted speakers so it might be okay size-wise. Not "true" HD from what I understand, but specs say it'll do 1080i and 720p, and it has HDMI input. Reviews I've read are good. Haven't seen one in person.

I'm leaning towards the Sony KLV-23M1 based on Sony screens I've seen (picture quality), reviews I've read, and that it's a little less pricey than the new model but still new in box with warranty. My c/card would double the mfr. warranty to two years, which seems pretty adequate. Same set is available from sonystyle.com as a refurb with an extended warranty option, but would come in about $100 more with a 3-year warranty.

Any advice (or recs of other models) would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
nk

hdliving

"At that distance, would one really be able to tell the difference between an HDTV (1366 x 768) screen and an EDTV widescreen (1280 x 768)?"

1280x768 is a hdtv.

nk126

Okay, so when the specs say it only does 480i/480p signals, that's still hi-def just not as good hi-def? Or is it that the screen is capable of HD but because of the way the set is built/configured, the inputs only take up to 480i/p and so that makes it an EDTV.

I'm probably wrong, but I thought that 480p was "EDTV" not HD.

kstrike155

1280x768 is HD.

480p is not HD thought. It is, what you say, EDTV (enhanced-definition television). The resolution is 640x480.

720p is the resolution 1280x720 (1280x768 is slightly stretched, but 720p nonetheless).

1080i (and also 1080p for that matter) are 1920x1080. Most TVs (and I don't think ANY TVs in 23") support this resolution. Instead, they will downconvert any 1080i signals into 720p to fit it on the TVs resolution (usually 1280x768 or 1366x768).

As for which set to go with, I have the KLV-S23A10 23" Sony and I love it! I paid a lot more for it than that though ($1130 after tax) but I bought it at Circuit City in the store just in case I had any problems. This way I could just go back and talk face-to-face with the people. But, people are blown away by the quality of the set when they walk in my room.

I bought the TV because the speakers were bottom mounted (I just don't have the room for side-mounted speakers). I have only used the speakers once because I have a surround sound system hooked up to my TV. They weren't super-loud or anything, but definitely sounded great and loud enough for bedroom purposes.

9-10 feet away would be perfect for this TV. The brightness and contrast is outstanding and there are plenty of video inputs (although, only ONE component input). The VGA input is a nice feature, so I have it hooked up to my computer for watching video off of that, too.

I don't understand why there is an HDMI jack with no digital output for audio on the set though. So if you use the HDMI, you HAVE to use the TV speakers (or use the analog audio outputs on the TV to a receiver... but it won't be surround sound) to get sound.

The TV can automatically dim or brighten according to ambient light, which is nice.

I turn off the lights and the TV dims down to the appropriate level so it doesn't kill your eyes. Very nice for a bedroom.

HD does not necessarily get better the bigger you go. In fact, it is just the opposite. You only have a certain number of pixels to fill the screen with. The resolution of the larger TVs don't get any better (until you jump to the 1920x1080 TVs). When you go bigger, there are less pixels to fill a larger space. This results in an image that is not as crisp as a smaller TV. The same applies to a standard definition television. Look at an 8" TV hooked up to regular cable, and then hook up a 20" TV next to it. The 8" will have cleaner lines and better colors.

Good luck on your hunt for the perfect TV. I know I have found mine with the KLV-S23A10!

-Brian

RSawdey

Many of those 1280 x 768 panels are only 15:9 and clip the sides off the image... and bigger would still be better in these sizes... lots of other 26 & 27" panels to choose from...