HDTV recommendations

Aren't some models of the PS3 backwards compatible with PS1/2? Which model do you have?

Tek7 said:
I guess manufacturers don't care about people with old consoles, eh?
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That's why companies make converter boxes. :p
 
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Odale said:
Aren't some models of the PS3 backwards compatible with PS1/2? Which model do you have?
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A Slim model. To my knowledge, none of the slim models feature backward compatibility. Even if they did, I have a PS2 and shouldn't have to use a newer console to play older games if I already have existing hardware.

Composite input is likely a non-issue for most people, but it's important for me. If I'm going to drop hundreds of dollars on a product, I expect to be able to do everything I did with older, less expensive hardware (within reason) without buying additional hardware.

Odale said:
That's why companies make converter boxes. :p
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I haven't looked for composite-to-component converter boxes, but I've never heard of them, either.
 
My wife and I bought the Samsung LN46C670 (which is the same as the LN46C650 except for a different accent color and a Best Buy exclusive).

Input lag on standard mode was noticeable and annoying, but turning on Game Mode made the lag unnoticeable (for me and my wife, anyway) and didn't hurt the picture quality.

I feel dirty for buying something so expensive from a brick and mortar store, paying tax, and especially for buying from Best Buy. I stand by my assertion that Geek Squad is a group of salespeople masquerading as computer technicians, but my wife and I agreed that buying a television from an online retailer was too great a risk, especially given the added risk associated with less mature technologies.

I also wanted to clarify a few things:
  • Yes, I am still unemployed.
  • Yes, I am still looking for work. I recently interviewed for two local jobs. I just got word back on one (didn't get it :() and I'm waiting to hear back on the other.
  • Yes, my wife works. We are counting this television as our Christmas gift (and possibly our birthday gifts) to each other.
  • Our old TV is a (fantastic) Toshiba 27" CRT. The television will be moved to another room and re-purposed.
  • Yes, we spent more than we originally planned on a HDTV, but, given all the information available, I believe we made the right choice. We paid $400 less than MSRP on the TV.
  • Yes, we agonized over this purchase. I did research until my eyes were about to bleed. We're still not 100% sure we're not going to return it, but if we keep it, we'll know we did everything within reason to make sure we did the right thing.
  • My wife and I agreed on this purchase. It was a mutual decision.
  • Yes, we have a little one set to make her debut in February. Yes, babies are expensive. But we felt as though if we didn't purchase the TV now, it would be a very, very long time until we did.
  • Yes, I'm still a frugal gamer. I spent $15 (shipped) on Katamari Forever two days ago, but I also summoned the totality of my self-control to pass on buying a Hori Real Arcade Pro .3 Fighting Stick for $60 shipped.
  • Yes, I'm still going to make a few purchases on Black Friday. For the last few years, I've gotten into the habit of saving my Christmas gift money until next year's Black Friday. I still have most of my gift money saved. I'll probably "apply" whatever gift money is left over on November 27 toward the purchase of the TV and zero out my gift money.
  • Aside from student debt, my wife and I have zero debt. We have no credit cards. We do not buy on credit. Well, I don't know if you count a house and mortgage as "buying on credit" or not, but you get the idea. We don't hit the mall with a credit card and buy a bunch of overpriced stuff we don't need. We thoroughly (and I mean thoroughly) research our major purchases and make certain we agree before spending the money.
I understand I don't owe anyone an explanation regarding how my wife and I spend our money, but I also understand I'm in a highly visible position of leadership. If people just see an unemployed gamer drop hundreds of dollars on a new TV without knowing the context of that decision, they might come to a false conclusion.

Now, with all those disclaimers out of the way, I can say that this TV is awesome.
 
Congrats!

Tek7 said:
I feel dirty for buying something so expensive from a brick and mortar store, paying tax, and especially for buying from Best Buy. I stand by my assertion that Geek Squad is a group of salespeople masquerading as computer technicians, but my wife and I agreed that buying a television from an online retailer was too great a risk, especially given the added risk associated with less mature technologies.
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I bought a laptop recently (as in less than 1 month) at BB to avoid the hassle if I had a problem. The power port went bad very quickly, got intermittent connection after a few weeks, then went caput (in the middle of a guildwars event, no less!). I went to multiple BB stores for an exchange, all of which implied I was an idiot for not paying $250 for a warranty plan to prevent this sort of problem. No help there.

I calmly explained they were removing the only motivation I had to ever buy an expensive product at their store, but that didn't help. At this point I'm actually looking to return and pay the restocking fee, then buy somewhere else.

Bottom line: BB is convenient, but I wouldn't expect help on anything beyond something that is DOA. But thankfully we have manufacturer warranties.
 
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RyanB said:
I bought a laptop recently (as in less than 1 month) at BB to avoid the hassle if I had a problem. The power port went bad very quickly, got intermittent connection after a few weeks, then went caput (in the middle of a guildwars event, no less!). I went to multiple BB stores for an exchange, all of which implied I was an idiot for not paying $250 for a warranty plan to prevent this sort of problem. No help there.

I calmly explained they were removing the only motivation I had to ever buy an expensive product at their store, but that didn't help. At this point I'm actually looking to return and pay the restocking fee, then buy somewhere else.

Bottom line: BB is convenient, but I wouldn't expect help on anything beyond something that is DOA. But thankfully we have manufacturer warranties.
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You're in Oklahoma, right? If so, you may want to file a customer complaint with the Attorney General's office against the Best Buy where you purchased the laptop.

I filed a complaint against Circuit City after three consecutive to the local store where I found the printed ad included a pricing error that Circuit City refused to honor. I received an apology letter and a $25 gift card. The system works.

And yes, I know Best Buy is probably worse than useless when it comes to post-purchase support. When my wife bought her laptop there, the Geek Squad salesperso--err, technician was incredibly pushy when trying to sell additional software, going so far as to say that Geek Squad would refuse to work any further on a machine if they opened it up and found a freeware anti-virus program installed. I felt like grabbing him by the collar, explaining to him that I actually have a CompTIA A+ certification, and that I would never let a Geek Squad employee within a mile of my or my wife's computer.

But I didn't. I bit my tongue, we left, and I proceeded to wipe the hard drive on my wife's new laptop (clearing all the pre-installed adware, trialware, and other crapware), re-install Vista, and install the essentials.

I don't know if I've ever had a worse post-purchase experience in my life.

This time around was much easier. The employee who rang up the purchase asked if we wanted any accessories or an extended warranty, but was polite when we declined. I don't have any issue whatsoever when store employees ask if I want an extended warranty--they'd probably get in trouble if they didn't. I just don't take kindly to some salesperson playing at IT telling me that I'm an idiot if I don't drop $60 on anti-virus software.

Man, I'm really prone to ranting today. Sorry about that.

Coming back to the main topic: My wife and I decided not to get the extended warranty and put whatever money we would have spent on the warranty toward service, repairs, and a future replacement. Or at least that's how we justified it in our minds.

And yes, we still have the manufacturer's warranty.
 
I'll definitely be filing a complaint, and don't worry about the rant - you got a TV so I figured it would be ok to hijack the thread. It can live on now, if even for a little!

I'll definitely be putting in a complaint with BB simply for the gift card and also because I think it's important they get the negative feedback. The only reason they do these kind of things is because they find it profitable. My guess is they've simply found it more profitable to turn some people off while raking in extra money from coercing unknowing customers into paying more. I'm thinking that would be the only thing the AG might be interested in talking about, but that would be more along the lines of some lawyer wanting to file class actioin, haha.

Funny thing is that I'm just shy of "silver" status, which would've granted me a no-hassle return. It's very sad that you have to spend $2500 at a store in one calendar year to be treated the way they would have treated you when Circuit City was still open.
 
Hello! Thought I'd chime in since Tek told everyone that yes, we pulled the trigger on the TV.

Still suffering a little bit of sticker shock since we're not generally the type to spend larger chunks of money on entertainment purposes, and yes, we have some significant expenses coming up, but I believe we got a pretty sleek TV for the price. I have a feeling someone else will be eating up our Christmas budget in years to come, so this probably our last big "fun thing" for a while. :p

Yeh, we were all ready to buy online and save a few $, but since we (especially Tek) were concerned about input lag (understandably, since gaming is one of the primary uses for this TV), returning it would be a huge headache. BB guy said we could return it within 30 days with no restocking fee, so that gives us time to decide while minimizing the hassle in the event of a return. Ehhh....

But! So far, so good. :)
 
Odale said:
Antec 1080 Soho Case FTW!
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That case is a tank. And it weighs about as much as a tank, too. It's rough to bring to a LAN party or move to a new residence. But I <3 it. I've swapped out so much hardware in that case and it's always a pleasure having so much room to work with.

And yes, that's the desktop computer I had hooked up to my 27" CRT TV. BitTorrent + MediaPortal + S-Video Out = fansubbed anime <3.
 
Odale said:
My friend just bought the perfect Media PC keyboard.

Check it out.
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I ended up buying the Logitech Wireless Wave Combo MK550 for $25 after $30 rebate. (I still need to mail in the rebate.) I originally ordered the combo online, but called the local Office Depot to confirm they had a Canon Pixma MP495 Wireless All-In-One Printer in stock for $30, drove out to the store to get the AIO printer, and found a MK550 box at the store. I bought both the printer and the keyboard/mouse combo in-store, then went home and canceled my online order for the MK550. (I also picked up 2 DVD+R 50-packs and a DVD-R 50-pack for $6 each.)

I'm lovin' the MK550 so far. It'll take a little while to get used to the keys (I'm used to a split ergonomic keyboard), but it's quite comfy. The mouse is surprisingly well-made, too.

Back to the topic of our new Samsung LN46C670: I think we picked the right TV:

 
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