papasmurff
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« on: November 12, 2006, 12:16:04 AM » |
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So i want an HDTV for gaming and well just to watch. I was looking at the black Friday thread and saw that BB has a 32 Westinghouse for $499!! That seems dirt cheap and well....It is an off brand but still. Take a look. I have posted the link to BB. I need advice. Good or bad buy? The only draw back the guy told me at BB was that the panels are cheap. He said they are the panels that Sony and samsung reject. But I should be ok as long as I don't drop the thing. I know jarrod has a 27 westinghouse and has had no problems with it and I don't care if the panel isn't as shinny or whatever. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8120366&st=8120366&type=product&id=1158319080440I am also kinda thinking about running my laptop on it. Is that possible? |
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« Last Edit: November 12, 2006, 12:20:08 AM by papasmurff »
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SkyLander
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« Reply #1 on: November 12, 2006, 01:27:11 AM » |
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Don't buy off brand TVs. Main brands are always better. You are looking for HDMI ports and compenent inputs specifically and usually the off brand ones have signicantly less than regular TVs do. Safe bet is to just stick with Samsung at the moment they are still considered the best in TVs from what I understand.
Laptop should be fine, just make sure the resolution for the output matches the reslolution of the TV. Supported resolutions are usually in the manual.
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« Last Edit: November 12, 2006, 01:31:32 AM by SkyLander »
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Pretty....what do we blow up first?
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papasmurff
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« Reply #2 on: November 13, 2006, 02:11:12 AM » |
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See that is kinda what I thought; I know off brands can be ok though because you have to figure in the price of the name. Sony and Samsung are just sooooo expensive when the only drawback I have heard about this brand is the paneling is not as high quality. It is just hard to pass up a 32" HDTV for $479 which would be a huge step up from the SDTV that I have that runs at 480i which is sub HD (HD starts at 720p right?) and is only 24". As far as connections all I really want is the VGA for the comp. and a component for the x-box with the audio out to the surround sound.
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pingwrx
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« Reply #3 on: November 13, 2006, 03:19:49 AM » |
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It looks like it has all the inputs you need go for it.
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CeeKay
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« Reply #4 on: November 13, 2006, 03:59:19 AM » |
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If all you're using it for is gaming than the inputs looks like it will be enough. Right now on my new Samsung I have 3 composite, 2 component and 2 HDMI (plus a VGA input). I currently have my DVD player and 360 on component and my PS2 on composite. However, when I get the HD stuff from my cable company I'll have to make sure I have a DVD player that can use one of the HDMI input (and hopefully the DVR they give me will also have a HDMI connection so I can move the PS2 to component). Of course, if I ever get a PS3, I'll have to decide whether to put it on HDMI or component, in which case the DVR would go to composite.... excues me, I think my brains melting from the game of musical inputs I just found out I have ahead of me  |
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papasmurff
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« Reply #5 on: November 13, 2006, 05:58:23 AM » |
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Lol that is why I only have the one console and it doubles as my dvd
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CeeKay
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« Reply #6 on: November 13, 2006, 05:01:02 PM » |
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Lol that is why I only have the one console and it doubles as my dvd
and it just occurred to me that I have no clue where I'll hookup the Wii if and when I finally get it. Do they even make system selectors for component outputs? I have an old one, but it's composite only... |
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Kevin Grey
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« Reply #7 on: November 13, 2006, 05:05:53 PM » |
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Lol that is why I only have the one console and it doubles as my dvd
and it just occurred to me that I have no clue where I'll hookup the Wii if and when I finally get it. Do they even make system selectors for component outputs? I have an old one, but it's composite only... Yes. I have one from Pelican which does nicely for my setup. You can get much higher class ones as well. |
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Knightshade Dragon
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« Reply #8 on: November 13, 2006, 05:14:07 PM » |
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Lol that is why I only have the one console and it doubles as my dvd
and it just occurred to me that I have no clue where I'll hookup the Wii if and when I finally get it. Do they even make system selectors for component outputs? I have an old one, but it's composite only... Yes. I have one from Pelican which does nicely for my setup. You can get much higher class ones as well. I have the same one. I like it.  |
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jblank
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« Reply #9 on: November 13, 2006, 05:36:41 PM » |
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That Westinghouse TV, while not in the league with many Tier 1 manufacturers, is still a decent TV, and for that price, is great. Keep in mind though that it may not have the longevity others have, and if you have a problem, don't expect great support (though all companies are fairly deficient in this to a degree).
I say go for it, especially if you have the money now, and won't need anything bigger or better for 2-4 years. There are MUCH worse TV's out there than the Westy's and you will find a lot of people are extremely pleased with them.
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jblank
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« Reply #10 on: November 13, 2006, 05:37:53 PM » |
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Lol that is why I only have the one console and it doubles as my dvd
and it just occurred to me that I have no clue where I'll hookup the Wii if and when I finally get it. Do they even make system selectors for component outputs? I have an old one, but it's composite only... Yes. I have one from Pelican which does nicely for my setup. You can get much higher class ones as well. Kevin, is it powered? The reason I ask is that I have heard the non-powered ones can drop your picture quality by a significant amount. |
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deadzone
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« Reply #11 on: November 13, 2006, 05:46:04 PM » |
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I just wanted to point out that Westinghouse is a pretty strong contender in the HDTV market. They were also one of the first manufacturers to really bring 1080p resolution to the forefront of their features. A lot of manufacturers do it now, but they were doing it since the beginning of last year. Check out AVS forums for some feedback on Westinghouse. It really comes down to the personal taste of the buyer though. Edited to add that JBlank makes the same point about the brand Westinghouse... I guess if you can afford the more well-known brand names then it's a good thing. I have seen ton's of Vizio and Westinghouse TV's and I really liked what I saw pretty much every time (unless there was a crappy feed going into it, then no HDTV looks good)... |
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« Last Edit: November 13, 2006, 05:48:59 PM by deadzone »
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Kevin Grey
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« Reply #12 on: November 13, 2006, 05:48:46 PM » |
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Lol that is why I only have the one console and it doubles as my dvd
and it just occurred to me that I have no clue where I'll hookup the Wii if and when I finally get it. Do they even make system selectors for component outputs? I have an old one, but it's composite only... Yes. I have one from Pelican which does nicely for my setup. You can get much higher class ones as well. Kevin, is it powered? The reason I ask is that I have heard the non-powered ones can drop your picture quality by a significant amount. Yup, powered, can do switching for 8 component, 3 optical, and 3 ethernet connections. Completely compatible wth my Harmony remote too. There still might be some potential bandwith issues compared to a higher end switch but any signal degradation isn't noticeable on my 32" HD gaming television. I would probably use something nicer if I needed more switching for my 55" Mits though. |
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jblank
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« Reply #13 on: November 13, 2006, 05:55:13 PM » |
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If you don't mind me asking, how much did it cost you? I may be interested in buying it.
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Kevin Grey
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« Reply #14 on: November 13, 2006, 06:48:29 PM » |
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If you don't mind me asking, how much did it cost you? I may be interested in buying it.
$70 at Fry's about a year or so ago. This is the one that I got but it seems to have been updated since then. The model shown on Pelican's website (not easily linkable through their flash setup) looks a little bit fancier in aesthetics but has fewer switches. This switchbox from Audio Authority seems to be very highly regarded if you do lots of HD over component switching, but it's about double what the Pelican goes for. |
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Kobra
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« Reply #15 on: November 13, 2006, 06:56:04 PM » |
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Wait for the new LaserHD units coming next year.. With 90% acuity, they'll make the current gen HD units look like Etcha-Sketches.
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Knightshade Dragon
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« Reply #16 on: November 13, 2006, 07:20:32 PM » |
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Wait for the new LaserHD units coming next year.. With 90% acuity, they'll make the current gen HD units look like Etcha-Sketches.
Got a link to that? If it blows us away like the Emotion Engine in the PS2 did.... |
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CeeKay
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« Reply #17 on: November 14, 2006, 01:25:32 AM » |
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Wait for the new LaserHD units coming next year.. With 90% acuity, they'll make the current gen HD units look like Etcha-Sketches.
Got a link to that? If it blows us away like the Emotion Engine in the PS2 did.... |
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Because I can. XBL: OriginalCeeKay $200 bucks will get you the right to purchase more costumes in Marvel Heroes! |
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