Sharp Aquos LCD or other 36"-46"?

[navychop]

I am considering buying a 36"-46" flat screen HDTV for my in-laws for Xmas. They are moving in a few months to a smaller place, and will likely sit 8'-10' from the TV. They don't want anything "too large." Well, OK- she doesn't want anything too large. Her plan is to hang it on the wall and surround it with bookcases/storage. Until they move, it will likely sit on it's stand in front of current bookcases. They're moving from a 27" CRT viewed from 8' away and shall we say, are not too critical of PQ. There will be no sound system, no OTA antenna, and will feed it exclusively thru a cable box, probably with the 70 channel basic tier. Sound will strictly be from the TV itself. The vast majority of what they watch will be SD (no sports, mostly network serials such as L&O, Desperate Housewives, etc.). And I expect they will not light the room properly for quality viewing. Lord knows, they turn on every light in my house, both in front and behind the TV, when they watch my 61". No, I can't give them my 61" RPTV and buy a new one for myself.

I stopped at a local computer store chain and found a Sharp Aquos (42" or 46") for less than $1800. I did not get the particular model, but I suspect it was the LC46D43U. This particular TV is a 1366 x 768 unit, but that's ok.

I have a high opinion of Sharp Aquos, but haven't followed too closely as I am not in the market for myself. This idea came up rather suddenly. Are there any Sharp Aquos models that are not really good? Am I mistaken to view them as top tier?

Anybody know anything about the Sharp LC46D43U or LC42D62U in particular? Yes, I've read the Amazon reviews.

I'll only buy a brand name, perhaps as low as Philips. And no Sony, for other reasons.

She would like being able to insert an SD card in, for easy viewing of her pictures. This will likely matter more than resolution. So maybe I should consider a plasma such as the 42" Panasonic TH-42PX75, with built in SD card reader and 20W sound? But then, with most watching being SD, perhaps a plasma unit is not a good idea. Maybe I am shooting too high since PQ is not too important in this case- features such as a QAM tuner and SD card reader matter more. I don't plan on inheriting it one day, so no need to overbuy with a distant future in mind. The closer to $1,000 away from $2,000 - the better. And I will probably buy this one B&M so there's a person to return it to if there's a problem, and a throat to grab to get their attention.

Anyone have any experience buying a set for elderly folks? Recommendations?

 

[akodoreign]

I am considering buying a 36"-46" flat screen HDTV for my in-laws for Xmas. They are moving in a few months to a smaller place, and will likely sit 8'-10' from the TV. They don't want anything "too large." Well, OK- she doesn't want anything too large. Her plan is to hang it on the wall and surround it with bookcases/storage. Until they move, it will likely sit on it's stand in front of current bookcases. They're moving from a 27" CRT viewed from 8' away and shall we say, are not too critical of PQ. There will be no sound system, no OTA antenna, and will feed it exclusively thru a cable box, probably with the 70 channel basic tier. Sound will strictly be from the TV itself. The vast majority of what they watch will be SD (no sports, mostly network serials such as L&O, Desperate Housewives, etc.). And I expect they will not light the room properly for quality viewing. Lord knows, they turn on every light in my house, both in front and behind the TV, when they watch my 61". No, I can't give them my 61" RPTV and buy a new one for myself.

I stopped at a local computer store chain and found a Sharp Aquos (42" or 46") for less than $1800. I did not get the particular model, but I suspect it was the LC46D43U. This particular TV is a 1366 x 768 unit, but that's ok.

I have a high opinion of Sharp Aquos, but haven't followed too closely as I am not in the market for myself. This idea came up rather suddenly. Are there any Sharp Aquos models that are not really good? Am I mistaken to view them as top tier?

Anybody know anything about the Sharp LC46D43U or LC42D62U in particular? Yes, I've read the Amazon reviews.

I'll only buy a brand name, perhaps as low as Philips. And no Sony, for other reasons.

She would like being able to insert an SD card in, for easy viewing of her pictures. This will likely matter more than resolution. So maybe I should consider a plasma such as the 42" Panasonic TH-42PX75, with built in SD card reader and 20W sound? But then, with most watching being SD, perhaps a plasma unit is not a good idea. Maybe I am shooting too high since PQ is not too important in this case- features such as a QAM tuner and SD card reader matter more. I don't plan on inheriting it one day, so no need to overbuy with a distant future in mind. The closer to $1,000 away from $2,000 - the better. And I will probably buy this one B&M so there's a person to return it to if there's a problem, and a throat to grab to get their attention.

Anyone have any experience buying a set for elderly folks? Recommendations?

I have a Sharp Aquos 37" - And it is absolutely gorgeous. 6000: 1 contrast ratio is teh uber. They will love this tv.

 

[Lazybird000]

Hey navychop you can get a Hitachi P42H401 for them, Plasma Anti-reflective screen are better than the LCD .1080i (1024 x 1080),Widescreen aspect (16:9), 3D Digital comb filter. My fateher is thinking of getting one for my gradepa, we found a deal on it for $1150 in (dealstudio.com). I think that's a good choice for elderly folks. And I think if possible you can get a bigger screen for them, and you should choose a tv with good audio output, elderly folks need good pictures and also nice sound.

 

[Digital Dude]

Check out this deal for a plasma for them, $728 shipped, add an extended warranty and your gold.

Philips Electronics Outlet

 

[Digital Dude]

Even better, expires tonight at midnight

Philips Outlet Store Holiday Employee Sale - Incredible savings on select Fatcory-renewed Philips and Magnavox electronics

 

[navychop]

Thanks. This is a major temptation. If I'm not in the chat tonight, it's because my She Who Must Be Obeyed and I will have gone out to find a Philips to see. I didn't sign up for any prizes, anyway- let somebody else win.

 

[navychop]

Which TVs would have the best SD picture off cable?

 

[navychop]

Well, so much for the sale. In both FF & IE I get "ISA Framework: Internal Error: java.lang.NullPointerException" when I click on any model #. No way to see any info or order anything. Going to the outlet store and searching on model #s gets zero results. Maybe they've run out?

- Yep, found another way to locate them. Sold out.

 

[LER]

I have a 42" Aquos 1080P, and LOVE IT.

 

[Digital Dude]

The pixel plus on Philips TV's is excellent at making 480i look decent. There are still a couple of bargains on their site. Just click on "specials".

 

[markh]

If they like a lot of lights on when they're watching TV then you might be better sticking with an LCD. If you're considering plasma, Panasonic does make some plasmas with anti glare filters. I think the model # is TH-42PX77U for the 720p model. It also has speakers on the front instead of the hidden speakers. They sound a little better IMO. At AVS they mention Panasonics as being pretty good at SD. It also has the advantage of being closer to $1000 than $2000. Sears has had some good deals on this model. If you want to take a look at a plasma, this might not be a bad one to see.

I've paid more attention to plasmas than LCDs. Digital Dude's suggestion of Philips sounds good. They've always looked good when I've seen them. LG TVs don't get much love but the 42LC7D has always looked good to me. I've seen them at Circuit City for less than $1200.

 

[navychop]

My wife and I went to several stores, "name" stores and warehouse stores, and looked at many, many models. The Aquos models we saw were gorgeous! However, we just couldn't justify paying the freight for a couple who don't value PQ. Their idea of great PQ is when the picture fills the entire screen, with no pillar boxing. I shudder to think they'll be watching stretched SD- but if I don't show them how, they'll never know how to do it. :devil:

The Panasonics looked good too, but were still too reflective. A couple of Philips models got our attention, but didn't quite make the cost/PQ cut. We decided the TV we were buying them must have HDMI, component, composite and S-video inputs- and a QAM tuner. It could not be very reflective on the surface, and that eliminated almost all plasmas. ED was acceptable. It had to be viewable in a bright room, have good enough audio, and loud enough audio. SD PQ had to be acceptable. We wanted it to have an SD card reader built in, if possible.

We got all that in the Toshiba LCD model 42HL67, except for the SD card reader. This is the "720" version. The -167 is the 1080 version. Not worth the extra cost. Almost bought the 37" version. We found it on sale online at CC, and then added in the AAA discount. Got it for a VERY good price, almost exactly $1,000. This worked out a bit less than Amazon, after considering shipping vs taxes. Some unknown online places appeared to be a bit cheaper, but why take the risk? And we could examine it immediately for problems, and return it to the local store if there are any. Less chance of shipping damage, and it's here in plenty of time to exchange if there's a problem.

Then the guy tried to load the 50" version into my truck, and I blurted out it was the wrong model. Oh, well, at least I don't have any guilt feelings. Besides, my mother in law doesn't want one that large, and I'd have had to just put it in my bedroom.

This weekend I'll open it, set it up and see what SD and HD look like in home. I might do some basic calibrating, maybe more in their home when I set it up there at Xmas. I'll compare it's picture when fed a Blu-ray signal to my current 61" RPTV. Or maybe I shouldn't.

Thanks to all for your help. There's certainly a LOT of good TVs at good prices out there, if you're willing to take the time to look around a bit.

Now for the last question: Think we oughta wrap that sucka?

 

[markh]

Wow, they've really come down since last Spring when they first came out. I've had good luck with Toshiba and looked at them when I was shopping but they were in the $1500 range at that time. Careful checking it out, if you like it you may have to go out and get one for yourself. Nice TV, your in-laws are lucky to have such a nice son-in-law.


I think a nice bow on top would be easier than wrapping.

 

[Jim S.]

On another forum, I see lots of complaints about the Toshiba Regza series having a nasty problem whereby the picture is too green and it's almost impossible to fix within the range of calibration options available. Did you notice anything like that?

 

[navychop]

I'll have to check tomorrow. Haven't been able to open it yet due to other commitments.

 

[allargon]

Which TVs would have the best SD picture off cable?

Philips have really good scalers. I don't like how many of them lack a VGA or DVI input port for coputers. I also don't like how they stretch SD by default (TBS and TNT would be proud.)

 

[navychop]

Thanks. Makes me glad I didn't get the Philips. But that might be a good feature for them, since they like the "whole screen filled up."

I bought the Toshiba even though I don't like their HD DVD bit- but the TV looked so good when I set it up I didn't make any adjustments. No green push. I might when we set it up in the room they'll actually view it in. Assuming my MIL doesn't decide to keep it boxed up to "save it for later."

After we bought it, I saw where we could have gotten a nice Panny plasma (which we looked at but cost too much) for $1500 with a free Blu-ray player. I approached She Who Must Be Obeyed with the idea of a return and exchange. A Japanese Zero never shot something down so quick. Just as well, I guess.

I'll post later on how it goes over for Xmas. If for some reason she rejects it, I think I'll keep it for my master bedroom. And, as I told my wife, replace it with a coupon for McDonald's for them. A cheap coupon. You never know how my MIL will react to money being spent. Plus, she expects me to do a lot of little jobs around her house over Xmas, after driving 5 hours to get there.

 

[navychop]

Well, she accepted it. Their current local cableco has a few digital channels. At least they call them that. One is the Science channel, not HD. All the other "digital" channels are music channels that display a static image on the screen. No HD at all. And it's hooked up to their combo VCR/DVD unit also. She sees little or no difference between the coax, composite or component cable TV feeds. If she does not switch to the component input for DVD playing, she'll get a squished picture. So maybe she'll learn to switch inputs.

So there's no calibrating it now. What a waste. But in a few months when they move, it will be better. If we pay for the HD cable upgrade.

 

[allargon]

Well, she accepted it. Their current local cableco has a few digital channels. At least they call them that. One is the Science channel, not HD. All the other "digital" channels are music channels that display a static image on the screen. No HD at all. And it's hooked up to their combo VCR/DVD unit also. She sees little or no difference between the coax, composite or component cable TV feeds. If she does not switch to the component input for DVD playing, she'll get a squished picture. So maybe she'll learn to switch inputs.

So there's no calibrating it now. What a waste. But in a few months when they move, it will be better. If we pay for the HD cable upgrade.

Rabbit ears, Man... Rabbit ears... There's a +50dB gain Philips set at Lowes for $30. Hooking SDTV only into a HDTV in 2007/2008 is beyond a waste of money. It's insulting to the HDTV and insulting to the SDTV (which does a better job of displaying SDTV). Pretty much all modern HDTV's have ATSC tuners. It's not like 4 years ago.

 

[Peter Parker]

Philips have really good scalers. I don't like how many of them lack a VGA or DVI input port for coputers. I also don't like how they stretch SD by default (TBS and TNT would be proud.)

Mine does not do that. But perhaps some do.