Going High Def!! Need Some Advice

[PeteEU]

LED all the way purely on the power consumption.

Plasma is not even being made any more by the big manufactures so what stock you can get is old.

Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, and Toshiba are the ones making all the LED (and LCD) screens out there, with the first two making a huge portion. All are good imo.

Do not buy a brand you never heard off... frankly dont buy anything that is not the above.

 

[George Costanza]

I don't understand the difference between LCD and LED. Are both of these types of high definition screens, or only one of them? If both are, which is better? If only one, which one?

 

[techieny]

LED all the way purely on the power consumption.

Plasma is not even being made any more by the big manufactures so what stock you can get is old.

Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, and Toshiba are the ones making all the LED (and LCD) screens out there, with the first two making a huge portion. All are good imo.

Do not buy a brand you never heard off... frankly dont buy anything that is not the above.

Why? The Sharp Aquos is a very nice unit!

 

[Ropey]

I don't understand the difference between LCD and LED. Are both of these types of high definition screens, or only one of them? If both are, which is better? If only one, which one?

There are three technologies. LCD which are LCD pixels. LCD/LED (Edge LED) is a LCD pixel with a string of LED around the edge of the LCD in order to remove the need of a back light. It shows a clear difference in color clarity. Then there is a new technology that uses LCD with an LED full backlight.

It's quite amazing. I've never seen anything quite so clear, sharp and the blacks are amazing.

I believe only Sony/Samsung have this LCD/LED Back light but it will be taken up by all the other proprietary control companies.

LED all the way purely on the power consumption.

Plasma is not even being made any more by the big manufactures so what stock you can get is old.

Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, and Toshiba are the ones making all the LED (and LCD) screens out there, with the first two making a huge portion. All are good imo.

Do not buy a brand you never heard off... frankly dont buy anything that is not the above.

Why? The Sharp Aquos is a very nice unit!

Sharp technology still has banding issues. Very lovely panels, but the banding is something problematic. Had this not been the case, I would have bought a Sharp for my last model.

Sharp Aquos LC37D44U Banding Issue - AVS Forum

There are fixes:

http://www.ehow.com/how_7761236_repair-banding-problems-sharp-tvs.html

But if a reset happens. Back to square 1.

 

[Ava]

Hang out here for a while
Plasma TV Buying Guide: Plasma TV Reviews, HDTV Ratings, Pricing and Comparisons
I've got a 42 inch LG at 720 and HD.
It's pretty damn slick and the price was decent. $1600 with a 5 speaker surround sound DVD-USB setup ( fat 32 USB format)

Thank you. Probably not going to go into the surround sound bit - at least not at first.

What about brand names? We just came back from a week in a Marriott resort where they had LG plasmas. I thought they were terrific. But my golfing buddy says Samsung is the industry standard these days.

Any thoughts on that?

Plasma's put out a lot of heat. LCD's, less. I consider myself an audiophile and want the best in everything that will play music, as well as watching other "stuff." I prefer to stay with companies that have been into music making-instruments for the longest time and that is why my two widescreens are LCD's. 40 and 46 inch, Sonys.

Phillips has been doing music well, for a long time too. Samsung is also a good brand from what I hear from others. I love Sony for music and Bose for headphones. Computer speakers are great too and they are Logitech.

You will love your new HD.

And "yes" size matters....

Depending upon the size of the rooms and how far you will be located from your new HD's, means a lot. If you sit to closely to a 46 inch, you can see the pixels. I like to stream from my 46 inch and I like to be about 4 feet in front of it. Any closer, and I see the pixels. I like the things I like, up close and personal, George.

Another thing to consider (although this information may have changed in the past 3 years since I purchased mine,) is that the largest size isn't always the best picture as it expands the pixels more. I was told then, by geek friends, that the 46 inch was the best size for the best picture, because of the pixel issue. Mine are sharp and clear and I LOVE the resonance of the Sonys. Very rich with good base, as I like my music.

A friend just bought her new HD, Toshiba , and she cannot stand the sound it produces and it was installed by a tech., so I don't know what to say there. Just FYI.

 

[Navy1960]

We bought a LG 55" TV not too long ago and while I'm sure there's some great one's out there, the picture is wonderful and the THX sound on it is great too. When we looked, the Best Buy kid tried to talk me into a 3D TV and I looked at him and said, son by the time I have a house full of my daughters friends watching the thing I would go broke buying those glasses for the thing, so no thank you. I'm sure there's a few out there that are nice though.

 

[ogibillm]

LED all the way purely on the power consumption.

Plasma is not even being made any more by the big manufactures so what stock you can get is old.

that's simply not true. off hand i know that panasonic and samsung both make plasmas - and they both make 3d plasmas.

Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, and Toshiba are the ones making all the LED (and LCD) screens out there, with the first two making a huge portion. All are good imo.

Do not buy a brand you never heard off... frankly dont buy anything that is not the above.

 

[PeteEU]

LED all the way purely on the power consumption.

Plasma is not even being made any more by the big manufactures so what stock you can get is old.

Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, and Toshiba are the ones making all the LED (and LCD) screens out there, with the first two making a huge portion. All are good imo.

Do not buy a brand you never heard off... frankly dont buy anything that is not the above.

Why? The Sharp Aquos is a very nice unit!

Forgot about Sharp... ever since they went off Manchester Uniteds Jersey, they have been slowly falling away in obscurity here in Europe.

 

[PeteEU]

LED all the way purely on the power consumption.

Plasma is not even being made any more by the big manufactures so what stock you can get is old.

that's simply not true. off hand i know that panasonic and samsung both make plasmas - and they both make 3d plasmas.

Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, and Toshiba are the ones making all the LED (and LCD) screens out there, with the first two making a huge portion. All are good imo.

Do not buy a brand you never heard off... frankly dont buy anything that is not the above.

Yes they do make plasmas but they dont sell them. If I go to my local tv store I can find 99 LCD/LED and maybe one Plasma and the Plasma is always one of the most expensive ones.

Plasma has always been expensive to make and hence expensive to sell and hence dont sell squat against LED screens and especially against the cheaper LCD screens.

 

[George Costanza]

I don't understand the difference between LCD and LED. Are both of these types of high definition screens, or only one of them? If both are, which is better? If only one, which one?

There are three technologies. LCD which are LCD pixels. LCD/LED (Edge LED) is a LCD pixel with a string of LED around the edge of the LCD in order to remove the need of a back light. It shows a clear difference in color clarity. Then there is a new technology that uses LCD with an LED full backlight.

It's quite amazing. I've never seen anything quite so clear, sharp and the blacks are amazing.

I believe only Sony/Samsung have this LCD/LED Back light but it will be taken up by all the other proprietary control companies.

LED all the way purely on the power consumption.

Plasma is not even being made any more by the big manufactures so what stock you can get is old.

Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, and Toshiba are the ones making all the LED (and LCD) screens out there, with the first two making a huge portion. All are good imo.

Do not buy a brand you never heard off... frankly dont buy anything that is not the above.

Why? The Sharp Aquos is a very nice unit!

Sharp technology still has banding issues. Very lovely panels, but the banding is something problematic. Had this not been the case, I would have bought a Sharp for my last model.

Sharp Aquos LC37D44U Banding Issue - AVS Forum

There are fixes:

How to Repair Banding Problems on Sharp TVs | eHow.com

But if a reset happens. Back to square 1.

Very informative - thank you. I am going to play hooky from work this afternoon and go to Best Buy. We went there last night, but didn't have much time. Here's the deal:

I am getting two HD's, one for the den and one for the master bedroom. As soon as we have them, I will call DirecTV Guy and set him up to come over and do his number.

The HD for the den is going to be in the neighborhood of a 26" diagonal. The one for the master BR will be larger - I was looking at a 46" diag last night but, on further review, may tone that down a bit to something in the neighborhood of 32" diag. The viewing distance on the den HD is only 6' - it is a small room, and the viewing chairs sit right in front of the set.
The viewing distance in the master bedroom is 10' while lying in bed, 8' if sitting in a chair next to the bed.

I am thinking Samsung or Sony, LED (or LCD/LED backlight, as you suggest, if they have it), 1080 res, 120mh. Not interested in 3D. In set sound is fine - not going to go boom boom at this time.

I am told there are different considerations based upon the size of the set, i.e., maybe on a smaller set, you don't need certain (expensive) bells and whistles that might be necessary on a larger set.

Thoughts?

 

[Warrior102]

We are going to convert all of our (four) television sets to flat screen, high definition. We are with DirecTV. I have spoken with them and as soon as we get the flats, they are ready to come out and do their switchover number.

I know zero about HD - so please help me out here.

Which is better: Plasma or LED?
Which name brand is best? Samsung? LG? Sony? Other?
What is the best resolution to get?

Anything else I need to know?

Thanks in advance.

Buy a Vizeo. I have four of them. They have a fantastic warranty and you can actually speak to someone in the U.S. if you ever have a problem. I had a picture issue with one of my smaller ones (one in the kitchen), they sent me a new one - I sent the bad one back in the same box - no questions asked.

 

[Navy1960]

I don't understand the difference between LCD and LED. Are both of these types of high definition screens, or only one of them? If both are, which is better? If only one, which one?

There are three technologies. LCD which are LCD pixels. LCD/LED (Edge LED) is a LCD pixel with a string of LED around the edge of the LCD in order to remove the need of a back light. It shows a clear difference in color clarity. Then there is a new technology that uses LCD with an LED full backlight.

It's quite amazing. I've never seen anything quite so clear, sharp and the blacks are amazing.

I believe only Sony/Samsung have this LCD/LED Back light but it will be taken up by all the other proprietary control companies.

Why? The Sharp Aquos is a very nice unit!

Sharp technology still has banding issues. Very lovely panels, but the banding is something problematic. Had this not been the case, I would have bought a Sharp for my last model.

Sharp Aquos LC37D44U Banding Issue - AVS Forum

There are fixes:

How to Repair Banding Problems on Sharp TVs | eHow.com

But if a reset happens. Back to square 1.

Very informative - thank you. I am going to play hooky from work this afternoon and go to Best Buy. We went there last night, but didn't have much time. Here's the deal:

I am getting two HD's, one for the den and one for the master bedroom. As soon as we have them, I will call DirecTV Guy and set him up to come over and do his number.

The HD for the den is going to be in the neighborhood of a 26" diagonal. The one for the master BR will be larger - I was looking at a 46" diag last night but, on further review, may tone that down a bit to something in the neighborhood of 32" diag. The viewing distance on the den HD is only 6' - it is a small room, and the viewing chairs sit right in front of the set.
The viewing distance in the master bedroom is 10' while lying in bed, 8' if sitting in a chair next to the bed.

I am thinking Samsung or Sony, LED (or LCD/LED backlight, as you suggest, if they have it), 1080 res, 120mh. Not interested in 3D. In set sound is fine - not going to go boom boom at this time.

I am told there are different considerations based upon the size of the set, i.e., maybe on a smaller set, you don't need certain (expensive) bells and whistles that might be necessary on a larger set.

Thoughts?

George, we also bought a little while back for our kitchen a Sony "Google" TV, now while it's not up there in terms of fan favorites, I can tell you for us it's been a wonderful addition to our kitchen and not only is it nice to take a quick glance at email, weather, the picture quality is really nice too. There are plenty of nice TV's out there, but it's also a pretty good one.

 

[Ropey]

I don't understand the difference between LCD and LED. Are both of these types of high definition screens, or only one of them? If both are, which is better? If only one, which one?

There are three technologies. LCD which are LCD pixels. LCD/LED (Edge LED) is a LCD pixel with a string of LED around the edge of the LCD in order to remove the need of a back light. It shows a clear difference in color clarity. Then there is a new technology that uses LCD with an LED full backlight.

It's quite amazing. I've never seen anything quite so clear, sharp and the blacks are amazing.

I believe only Sony/Samsung have this LCD/LED Back light but it will be taken up by all the other proprietary control companies.

Why? The Sharp Aquos is a very nice unit!

Sharp technology still has banding issues. Very lovely panels, but the banding is something problematic. Had this not been the case, I would have bought a Sharp for my last model.

Sharp Aquos LC37D44U Banding Issue - AVS Forum

There are fixes:

How to Repair Banding Problems on Sharp TVs | eHow.com

But if a reset happens. Back to square 1.

Very informative - thank you. I am going to play hooky from work this afternoon and go to Best Buy. We went there last night, but didn't have much time. Here's the deal:

I am getting two HD's, one for the den and one for the master bedroom. As soon as we have them, I will call DirecTV Guy and set him up to come over and do his number.

The HD for the den is going to be in the neighborhood of a 26" diagonal. The one for the master BR will be larger - I was looking at a 46" diag last night but, on further review, may tone that down a bit to something in the neighborhood of 32" diag. The viewing distance on the den HD is only 6' - it is a small room, and the viewing chairs sit right in front of the set.
The viewing distance in the master bedroom is 10' while lying in bed, 8' if sitting in a chair next to the bed.

I am thinking Samsung or Sony, LED (or LCD/LED backlight, as you suggest, if they have it), 1080 res, 120mh. Not interested in 3D. In set sound is fine - not going to go boom boom at this time.

I am told there are different considerations based upon the size of the set, i.e., maybe on a smaller set, you don't need certain (expensive) bells and whistles that might be necessary on a larger set.

Thoughts?

Since you are going for the smaller models then 1080p is likely going to be too great a pixel distribution.

So, you can save money by finding a panel that does 720p instead of 1080. That will save you money. Plasma are not bad at all and the price point is quite good.

How's your eyesight? I would go to a media sales department and ask to see the models (in the size you wish) in 720 and HD and then just step back to the desired position and see how they fit.

Any of the technologies are good and at such small panels, you should have a very wide assortment.

Ask them how the controls are on the panels. If they say that they are all good on all the models and don't give you true comparisons, then it's on to finding another salesman.

That's harder than the TV purchase sometimes.

So, your eyesight and price point are the most important considerations.

 

[George Costanza]

We are going to convert all of our (four) television sets to flat screen, high definition. We are with DirecTV. I have spoken with them and as soon as we get the flats, they are ready to come out and do their switchover number.

I know zero about HD - so please help me out here.

Which is better: Plasma or LED?
Which name brand is best? Samsung? LG? Sony? Other?
What is the best resolution to get?

Anything else I need to know?

Thanks in advance.

Buy a Vizeo. I have four of them. They have a fantastic warranty and you can actually speak to someone in the U.S. if you ever have a problem. I had a picture issue with one of my smaller ones (one in the kitchen), they sent me a new one - I sent the bad one back in the same box - no questions asked.

Thanks. A guy I work with has a Vizeo. He loves it.

 

[George Costanza]

There are three technologies. LCD which are LCD pixels. LCD/LED (Edge LED) is a LCD pixel with a string of LED around the edge of the LCD in order to remove the need of a back light. It shows a clear difference in color clarity. Then there is a new technology that uses LCD with an LED full backlight.

It's quite amazing. I've never seen anything quite so clear, sharp and the blacks are amazing.

I believe only Sony/Samsung have this LCD/LED Back light but it will be taken up by all the other proprietary control companies.



Sharp technology still has banding issues. Very lovely panels, but the banding is something problematic. Had this not been the case, I would have bought a Sharp for my last model.

Sharp Aquos LC37D44U Banding Issue - AVS Forum

There are fixes:

How to Repair Banding Problems on Sharp TVs | eHow.com

But if a reset happens. Back to square 1.

Very informative - thank you. I am going to play hooky from work this afternoon and go to Best Buy. We went there last night, but didn't have much time. Here's the deal:

I am getting two HD's, one for the den and one for the master bedroom. As soon as we have them, I will call DirecTV Guy and set him up to come over and do his number.

The HD for the den is going to be in the neighborhood of a 26" diagonal. The one for the master BR will be larger - I was looking at a 46" diag last night but, on further review, may tone that down a bit to something in the neighborhood of 32" diag. The viewing distance on the den HD is only 6' - it is a small room, and the viewing chairs sit right in front of the set.
The viewing distance in the master bedroom is 10' while lying in bed, 8' if sitting in a chair next to the bed.

I am thinking Samsung or Sony, LED (or LCD/LED backlight, as you suggest, if they have it), 1080 res, 120mh. Not interested in 3D. In set sound is fine - not going to go boom boom at this time.

I am told there are different considerations based upon the size of the set, i.e., maybe on a smaller set, you don't need certain (expensive) bells and whistles that might be necessary on a larger set.

Thoughts?

Since you are going for the smaller models then 1080p is likely going to be too great a pixel distribution.

So, you can save money by finding a panel that does 720p instead of 1080. That will save you money. Plasma are not bad at all and the price point is quite good.

How's your eyesight? I would go to a media sales department and ask to see the models (in the size you wish) in 720 and HD and then just step back to the desired position and see how they fit.

Any of the technologies are good and at such small panels, you should have a very wide assortment.

Ask them how the controls are on the panels. If they say that they are all good on all the models and don't give you true comparisons, then it's on to finding another salesman.

That's harder than the TV purchase sometimes.

So, your eyesight and price point are the most important considerations.

What do you mean "too great a pixel distribution"? When that happens, how does it affect the picture?

Are you saying that by going 1080 on a 26" screen, I could actually detract from the quality of the picture?

Also, I don't understand about asking about the controls on the panels. Are you talking about the manual controls which you operarte by pushing various buttons on the sides of the panels? When would anyone ever do that? We have DirecTV and will be using their remotes to operate the sets.

 

[Ropey]

Very informative - thank you. I am going to play hooky from work this afternoon and go to Best Buy. We went there last night, but didn't have much time. Here's the deal:

I am getting two HD's, one for the den and one for the master bedroom. As soon as we have them, I will call DirecTV Guy and set him up to come over and do his number.

The HD for the den is going to be in the neighborhood of a 26" diagonal. The one for the master BR will be larger - I was looking at a 46" diag last night but, on further review, may tone that down a bit to something in the neighborhood of 32" diag. The viewing distance on the den HD is only 6' - it is a small room, and the viewing chairs sit right in front of the set.
The viewing distance in the master bedroom is 10' while lying in bed, 8' if sitting in a chair next to the bed.

I am thinking Samsung or Sony, LED (or LCD/LED backlight, as you suggest, if they have it), 1080 res, 120mh. Not interested in 3D. In set sound is fine - not going to go boom boom at this time.

I am told there are different considerations based upon the size of the set, i.e., maybe on a smaller set, you don't need certain (expensive) bells and whistles that might be necessary on a larger set.

Thoughts?

Since you are going for the smaller models then 1080p is likely going to be too great a pixel distribution.

So, you can save money by finding a panel that does 720p instead of 1080. That will save you money. Plasma are not bad at all and the price point is quite good.

How's your eyesight? I would go to a media sales department and ask to see the models (in the size you wish) in 720 and HD and then just step back to the desired position and see how they fit.

Any of the technologies are good and at such small panels, you should have a very wide assortment.

Ask them how the controls are on the panels. If they say that they are all good on all the models and don't give you true comparisons, then it's on to finding another salesman.

That's harder than the TV purchase sometimes.

So, your eyesight and price point are the most important considerations.

What do you mean "too great a pixel distribution"? When that happens, how does it affect the picture?

Are you saying that by going 1080 on a 26" screen, I could actually detract from the quality of the picture?

1080p is 1080 horizontal lines of vertical resolution. The pixels grow and shrink on this line.

720p is 720 horizontal lines of vertical resolution on the same screen.

Now a very large screen can 'afford' less pixel 'width' and still keep the screen viewable. Have you ever seen a monitor with the resolution so high that everything is too small to be easily read? That's what most people will find with a 26/32" screen that allows for 1080p.

That's why you really need to check them all out. To be sure that they fit your eyesight at that resolution.

 

[George Costanza]

Since you are going for the smaller models then 1080p is likely going to be too great a pixel distribution.

So, you can save money by finding a panel that does 720p instead of 1080. That will save you money. Plasma are not bad at all and the price point is quite good.

How's your eyesight? I would go to a media sales department and ask to see the models (in the size you wish) in 720 and HD and then just step back to the desired position and see how they fit.

Any of the technologies are good and at such small panels, you should have a very wide assortment.

Ask them how the controls are on the panels. If they say that they are all good on all the models and don't give you true comparisons, then it's on to finding another salesman.

That's harder than the TV purchase sometimes.

So, your eyesight and price point are the most important considerations.

What do you mean "too great a pixel distribution"? When that happens, how does it affect the picture?

Are you saying that by going 1080 on a 26" screen, I could actually detract from the quality of the picture?

1080p is 1080 horizontal lines of vertical resolution. The pixels grow and shrink on this line.

720p is 720 horizontal lines of vertical resolution on the same screen.

Now a very large screen can 'afford' less pixel 'width' and still keep the screen viewable. Have you ever seen a monitor with the resolution so high that everything is too small to be easily read? That's what most people will find with a 26/32" screen that allows for 1080p.

That's why you really need to check them all out. To be sure that they fit your eyesight at that resolution.

Oh, I get it. I run my computer screen resolutions as low as possible for that very reason. Anything higher than the lowest setting causes my eyes to burn, because everything is so small. There is a price to pay for this, however - significant portions of what is supposed to be on the screen, do not appear. Sometimes this can be a real problem, as in when the "Continue" button cannot be seen or other, important things to click on. When that happens, I have to first remember that it is probably a resolution problem and then go in and reset my res to something a tad higher.

 

[Ropey]

What do you mean "too great a pixel distribution"? When that happens, how does it affect the picture?

Are you saying that by going 1080 on a 26" screen, I could actually detract from the quality of the picture?

1080p is 1080 horizontal lines of vertical resolution. The pixels grow and shrink on this line.

720p is 720 horizontal lines of vertical resolution on the same screen.

Now a very large screen can 'afford' less pixel 'width' and still keep the screen viewable. Have you ever seen a monitor with the resolution so high that everything is too small to be easily read? That's what most people will find with a 26/32" screen that allows for 1080p.

That's why you really need to check them all out. To be sure that they fit your eyesight at that resolution.

Oh, I get it. I run my computer screen resolutions as low as possible for that very reason. Anything higher than the lowest setting causes my eyes to burn, because everything is so small. There is a price to pay for this, however - significant portions of what is supposed to be on the screen, do not appear. Sometimes this can be a real problem, as in when the "Continue" button cannot be seen or other, important things to click on. When that happens, I have to first remember that it is probably a resolution problem and then go in and reset my res to something a tad higher.

Down-sampling via the pixel per pixel mapping technology of an HD TV will deal with this issue you find on your computer monitor. Basically it will deal with over/under sized issues with pixel/widening or shortening..

Edit:

Word of advice for anyone.

If you use your computer (or watching tv) for a half hour or greater without losing focus, then close your eyes.

If you feel a burn, you are damaging your eyes.

 

[George Costanza]

Well, Round 1 is over, and it didn't go too well. Yesterday afternoon, I went to Best Buy and walked out with two Hi-Def TV's. The one for the den is an LG, 26" that will be fine. That one wasn't the problem. The one for the master bedroom was/is the problem.

In the store, a 40" looked great. I went top of the line - Samsung, LED, 120h, 1080, blah, blah, blah. Took it home. Set it up, i.e., put the stand under the screen and put it up on the dresser. WAY too big. WAY HUGE too big. Saturday a.m., it goes back. It's really too bad, because this is a SUPER unit, but I learned my first lesson, which has to do with nothing technical and everything practical - make sure you get one that's the right size. Who'd 'a thought?

Have any of you ever taken a look at the Hi Def viewing distance charts? Google Hi Def viewing distance, and check it out. The rule of thumb appears to be that you don't want to be any closer than l.5 times the diagonal measurement of the screen, nor any farther away than double the diagonal measurement of the screen.

OK - let's take a 26" diagonal screen. If you believe the viewing distance charts, you can be as close as 39" (a little over three feet) but cannot be any farther away than 52" (a little over four feet). If that is to be believed, it means that you have a ONE FOOT window into which you have to position your head/eyes while you are viewing this particular size Hi Def television.

I call bull shit. That just can't be. Am I misreading something?

DirectTV Guy comes on Saturday, November 5th, between 8:00 a.m and Nooner. I have until then to get my damn act together on this. I will be so glad when this is over. It really is stressful. Did I mention that it took me one hour to assemble the stand/screen on the 40 incher last night? Ever try to interpret the damn directions these morons include with products these days?

 

[Ropey]

Well, Round 1 is over, and it didn't go too well. Yesterday afternoon, I went to Best Buy and walked out with two Hi-Def TV's. The one for the den is an LG, 26" that will be fine. That one wasn't the problem. The one for the master bedroom was/is the problem.

In the store, a 40" looked great. I went top of the line - Samsung, LED, 120h, 1080, blah, blah, blah. Took it home. Set it up, i.e., put the stand under the screen and put it up on the dresser. WAY too big. WAY HUGE too big. Saturday a.m., it goes back. It's really too bad, because this is a SUPER unit, but I learned my first lesson, which has to do with nothing technical and everything practical - make sure you get one that's the right size. Who'd 'a thought?

This is a normal learning curve George. Welcome to the grand world of returns. I remember the days when you bought something and pretty much paid your money and took your chances. Now one can buy something, take it home, set it up and return it if unsatisfied. Make use of this fine thing.

Have any of you ever taken a look at the Hi Def viewing distance charts? Google Hi Def viewing distance, and check it out. The rule of thumb appears to be that you don't want to be any closer than l.5 times the diagonal measurement of the screen, nor any farther away than double the diagonal measurement of the screen.

OK - let's take a 26" diagonal screen. If you believe the viewing distance charts, you can be as close as 39" (a little over three feet) but cannot be any farther away than 52" (a little over four feet). If that is to be believed, it means that you have a ONE FOOT window into which you have to position your head/eyes while you are viewing this particular size Hi Def television.

I call bull shit. That just can't be. Am I misreading something?

This is where theory and practicality split George. I buy and setup and return until I find what I like. I don't follow charts. I know what works for my eyes. I know that if I watch TV for a half hour and close my eyes (holding them closed) then if they hurt, I am hurting them. Charts notwithstanding.

DirectTV Guy comes on Saturday, November 5th, between 8:00 a.m and Nooner. I have until then to get my damn act together on this. I will be so glad when this is over. It really is stressful. Did I mention that it took me one hour to assemble the stand/screen on the 40 incher last night? Ever try to interpret the damn directions these morons include with products these days?

I would keep the two events separate. The purchase and your own testing for personal choice. Then, when it all fits you can get the guy in. One hour to setup the stand?

Now that's some stand to take an hour to insert George. But, you did it! I've broken one. Soon it will be over and it's clear vision ahead.

Ohmmmmmm....