Foo - So I'm getting a TV...

For the last 2 and a half years I've avoided it, using my laptop as a DVD player. But as I lay yesterday, sick on the couch, all I wanted to do was watch Seven Samurai. It had always worked on my laptop before, but after a couple dozen failed attempts and my DVD drive making clicking noises and louder than usual whirring sounds I gave up. It was the last straw. Well, the last straw was actually Sanjuro.

Anyway, after I sell off some junk I no longer need or use (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=260950) I plan on buying a TV along with a DVD/VHS player. I've been out of the loop for so long I have no idea what a good deal is. I'm thinking about Toshiba's 30" widescreen (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7694649&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat95100050007&id=1138084372830). Plain 'ol tube TV and cheapish. Probably the most I'm willing to spend. I'm wondering if any of you folks have any suggestions before I lay down my ill-gotten cash. I don't want HD and I can't afford LCD/Plasma. And I'd rather not get some piece of crap that will start falling apart on me in a year.

So, Foo, I humbly as you to open your infinite well of knowledge so that I may pee in... errr... drink from it.

high quality tube tv's still have some of the best pictures on the market. that being said, the price and quality of plasma and lcd tv's have changed a lot lately. you can pick up a no name 30 inch lcd tv from as little as 500 bucks some places, and you would be getting a great picture. i know that this will always be true of electronics, but if you hold off for maby another 6 months, looking at the trends in tv prices recently, you would for sure be able to get a 30 inch ish lcd tv for 500 bucks. and why dont you want hd? im not saying you need it, far from it, but sooner or later it will be the industry standard and people without an HD capable tv will feel like people still using dial up.

If you're gonna be spending that much, why not go for a projector? Portable, large screen, nice inputs, and if you wait around you can probably find a sub $400 after MIR one on fatwallet. You could also try opening up your dvd drive and carefully clean the lens with distilled water, check the rails, poke it with your pinky. I've extended the use of a few that way.

The HD thing is mostly a price issue. The $400 I'm willing to spend is already stretching it. Costco has a 32" HD LCD TV for $600 after a coupon. I still can't really afford that. Plus, I plan on only living in this apartment for another 3 years before I buy a house. When I do that I'll probably buy a nice HD projector. But, right now, there's really no way to set one up in my apartment.

Thanks for the tips, lyeinyoureye. I'll see if I can get my drive working better.

See this thread. http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=262493

Oh no! Evil! Evil! ;)

See this thread. http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=262493
So then what should I be looking for? I have no idea how S-video compares to DVI comares to whatever.

Oh no! Evil! Evil! ;)
Yeah, I know. But at least I won't be getting cable. It'll be nice to pop in a movie whenver I want and not have to worry about it not working. Plus I have a box full of old music VHS tapes that I've meen missing...

Yeah, I know. But at least I won't be getting cable. It'll be nice to pop in a movie whenver I want and not have to worry about it not working. Plus I have a box full of old music VHS tapes that I've meen missing...

Yeah, that would be the ONLY thing I would ever want a TV for. Fortunately, DVDs play pretty well on the Mac, so we don't see any need for getting one. I seriously just can't stand the thought of even owning one anymore. I've wasted so much of my self previously, just zoning out and watching it...I don't ever want tha to happen again. I already waste too much time online, and that's just as bad! So yeah, I'm a little biased when it comes to TV. :)

I notice that when I actually do something with my day, I feel much more fulfilled when I go to bed rather than if I had sat on my bum and watched tv or browsed bf for half the day.

I notice that when I actually do something with my day, I feel much more fulfilled when I go to bed rather than if I had sat on my bum and watched tv or browsed bf for half the day.


Of course you feel more fulfilled! You're actually out there doing something with your body! Human bodies weren't designed to sit around all day. We're not cats, after all. ;)

We're not cats, after all. ;)

Sometimes I wish I was a cat. Those things have the life! Just sit around and sleep, then get up, go outside and kill something. But cat's probably can't type on a keyboard or use computers, so I wouldn't have Foo. :(

Of course you feel more fulfilled! You're actually out there doing something with your body! Human bodies weren't designed to sit around all day. We're not cats, after all. ;)
Of course today is the exception, because I'm in a bad mood. So sitting and eating is all I'm doing today. :p

I notice that when I actually do something with my day, I feel much more fulfilled when I go to bed rather than if I had sat on my bum and watched tv or browsed bf for half the day.
I agree. But I've never been one to sit in front of the TV all day, even when I had one.

Sometimes I wish I was a cat. Those things have the life! Just sit around and sleep, then get up, go outside and kill something. But cat's probably can't type on a keyboard or use computers, so I wouldn't have Foo. :(


I sometimes think that would be cool, but then I REALLY think about it and realize that it soooo wouldn't work for me. I can't stand being inactive, I don't like meat, I detest violence, I don't like sleeping for 18 hours a day...etc. But I do like to purr, so who knows! ;)

Of course today is the exception, because I'm in a bad mood. So sitting and eating is all I'm doing today. :p


Everyone needs their days to just let go! :)

there are actually a pretty large number of people my age that don't own tv's anymore and just watch movies or various shows they can download, including myself. i do it to save money and not lug a tv around whenever i move but I really did love TiVO. regular tv is the devil, the commercials they pump through normal programming these days is rediculous. after having a DVR, i usually read a book while commercials are on if i'm somewhere stuck watching tv, like holidays at my parents... :)

i usually watch movies on a 17" LCD or my 13.3" widescreen on my laptop, it's not so bad.

i usually watch movies on a 17" LCD or my 13.3" widescreen on my laptop, it's not so bad.
That's what I've been doing. But, aside from current issues with my DVD drive, it's gotten to be more of a pain than I want to deal with. Plus my laptop has never really handled DVDs that well. There's always been some kind of clipping when I played a movie.

And now that I'm thinking about it, I remembered a friend offer his 44" TV for free if I was willing to move it. Apparently it's a heavy mofo... I'll ask him about it tomorrow.

I would get an LCD TV. The CRT's are going away fast, LCD's are more economical now. I read somewhere that LCD's outsold the CRT's last year for the first time. Check ebay for surplus auctions! Another big advantage of the LCD is that you can actually ship these things since they don't way 50 pounds.

Look for a 27" Samsung. I've been very happy with mine and believe I paid somewhere in the $270 range for it April of last year.

LCD, Plasma, and the rest of them aren't worth my $$ yet. Simply put, they don't last long enough. I've seen plenty of LCD's with burned out backlights, and Plasma has a reported live span of 3-5 years.

Look for a 27" Samsung. I've been very happy with mine and believe I paid somewhere in the $270 range for it April of last year.

LCD, Plasma, and the rest of them aren't worth my $$ yet. Simply put, they don't last long enough. I've seen plenty of LCD's with burned out backlights, and Plasma has a reported live span of 3-5 years.

Thats why I have a DLP, I can buy a new HID bulb every year and get the same exact picture quality. And if the mirror doesn't survive in 3-4 years, I just buy a new tv.

I was going to buy a TV recently, then I decided to wait 'til I can afford an HDTV. My parents bought one, and they really are great. I don't want to buy a standard CRT if I am just going to replace it in a couple years anyway.