Display hardware, in this case

[unixronin]

Technically, we have a TV¹.  It's a Pioneer 46" 4:3 back-projection NTSC TV.  It's also still in North Carolina, twelve years old, and needs its front screen replaced for the second time (because of damage inflicted by small people, also for the second time), which will probably cost around $400 even assuming parts are still available.  Doesn't seem like a good investment in a 12-year-old TV.

Costco has a coupon special good through this Sunday offering a $300 discount on this Vizio 42" direct-view LCD HDTV.  Right now, it appears that direct-view LCD is the technology to go with in a large-screen TV.  Direct-view LCD TVs have a wide viewing angle, low power draw, low heat output, good brightness, do not rely on short-lived halogen bulbs (which are often vendor-proprietary and cost as much as $500 each), and are typically on the order of 4" thick (and therefore readily wall-mountable).

Downside:  The Vizio unit does not natively display 1080i, but down-converts it to 720p (its native physical resolution is 1366x768, rather than the 1920x1080 required to natively display 1080i broadcasts).

Then again, neither does anything else under $3000 in that size, so far as I can tell.  I have found exactly three HDTVs under $3000 that natively support 1080i/1080p resolution.  Two are 37" sets: the Planar XP37W at about $2000, and the Westinghouse LVM-37W3 (which is a pure monitor and requires a separate tuner even for NTSC/ATSC) at about $1200.  The third is JVC's 40" LT-40FN97, which has an MSRP of $3499 but can be had for $2600 online.  It tunes ATSC and QAM internally, but apparently not NTSC.  The Vizio, at $1299 until tomorrow, tunes all three and is larger than any of the sub-$3000 1920x1080 units.

For an almost 3:1 price differential for the same screen size, I think we could stand to forego native 1080i resolution.

[1]  Well, technically, we have two.  We were given an old Sharp CRT set in the 19" range with only composite NTSC input, a missing power button, and a screen about as curved as a football.  The kids use it to watch videotapes of The Magic Schoolbus and the like.

Comments

[mrmeval.livejournal.com]

Yea the front lenticular lens is fragile on those, it's why they have the hard screen kits to protect them and newer ones come with those integral to the unit.

I'd suggest mounting the unit in such a way the kids cannot touch it. Buy them there own remote and when they break it let them go for a month without TV. :)

[mrmeval.livejournal.com]

BTW LCD's are much much worse about damage. I'd suggest some sort of plexiglass shield but don't know if one is available.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Well, unfortunately, there wasn't really any way to mount a unit four feet high, four feet wide and over thirty inches deep up out of the reach of children. :)

With a thin-and-flat screen, it won't be a problem. We're thinking of putting it above the mantel, over the fireplace in the upstairs living room at the house. This will also mean small people running around the room will not interrupt line-of-sight for people watching the TV -- no more "Hey! DOWN IN FRONT!"