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In Reply to: Advice for Buying Big screen TV? posted by SD on January 4, 2003 at 00:19:01:
Hi SD,I went through this process about 18 months ago. Prices have come down quite a bit since then, so IMO, your budget is likely to be right on target for a great set. Here are a few ideas for your search.
- Check out the reviews at Stereophile Guide to Home Theater here:
http://www.guidetohometheater.com/
I don't always agree with them, but their advice and opinions are usually on the mark.- Use the net for research and negociating a better deal. I found the best price on the net, printed it off, and then took it to a local vendor to negociate a better price on my set. That saved me $650.
- Be cautious of brand loyalty -- it will cost you extra dollars. In this price range, you should find very nice sets from Mitsubishi, Philips, Sony, Toshiba, Hitachi and Panasonic. There may be others, but these seem to be the most widely discounted in my part of the US.
- Go to a high-end store and check out a couple of sets that are VERY expensive, perhaps 2-3 times your budget. It'll help you see what's possible, and also help you decide what features are important to you.
- Beware of maladjusted sets. If you're in a high-end store, that's less likely to be a problem, but if you're shopping at your local Circuit City or Best Buy, the sets on the floor often have the brightness cranked up to give the illusion of the best picture under poor lighting conditions. That can mean disappointment when you get the set home.
- Know the return policy. Suppose you have the set for a week and decide that you just don't like it. What are your options? Or suppose it dies in the 1st 30 days. What's the return / swap policy? This may not sound important, but my first RPTV was DOA -- pretty annoying when you just paid 4 figures for a set.
- Verify how the set looks with the sources you plan to use.
- Watch for price drops as the models change. My set is a Philips 55" RPTV that initially was released at $4600. A month or two after I bought, the last sets available were going for $1900 at Costco (IMO, a steal). If you have time, you may find a better set than you thought you could afford by waiting for the model year change.
In any case, have fun shopping, and let us know what you buy. And for whatever it's worth, yes, I'm still very happy with my Philips RPTV.
Good luck,
-BQ
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Follow Ups
- Re: Advice for Buying Big screen TV? - BQ 10:48:19 01/04/03 (0)
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