Hello, McCook! I get a feeling of "future shock" every time I look at
the consumer electronics market. Below are a few useful links to sites
that should help you in your television quest.
======================================================================
At eCoustics.com you'll find a collection of links to reviews of a
large number of LCD televisions and monitors:
eCoustics
http://www.ecoustics.com/Home/Home_Video/TV/TV_Reviews/LCD/
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I also recommend that you visit Epinions.com, where you can compare
the features of many brands, read reviews written by actual users, and
look for a good price all on one site:
Epinions
http://www.epinions.com/Flat_Panel_Televisions-LCD
I have consulted Epinions before buying almost every appliance in my
home, including my pride and joy, a 35-inch HDTV-ready CRT monitor
with SVGA input (wonderful for Web surfing on a grand scale!) Although
Epinions does accept advertising, the reviews are quite unbiased, and
occasionally there are scathing reports on "lemons" (good to know this
sort of thing before buying.) While Epinions is not highly
technically-oriented, the users are mostly quite articulate. Since LCD
televisions are quite new on the market, there are not many reviews in
yet, but the product details should be useful for comparison shopping.
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Another good comparison shopping site that offers a range of LCD TVs
(but no reviews yet) is Pricegrabber.com:
Pricegrabber
http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php?page_id=80&sortby=popular-&vendors%5B%5D=0&popup10%5B%5D=0&popup10_attr_id%5B%5D=66&popup12%5B%5D=0&popup12_attr_id%5B%5D=370&popup20%5B%5D=0&popup20_attr_id%5B%5D=395&popup30%5B%5D=0&popup30_attr_id%5B%5D=133&popup40%5B%5D=0&popup40_attr_id%5B%5D=249&popup50%5B%5D=0&popup50_attr_id%5B%5D=260&popup80%5B%5D=0&lo_p=0&hi_p=0&form_keyword=lcd&ut=cda6352304
13962&x=0&y=0
( If the URL above does not work, please try this smaller one:
http://tinyurl.com/edzn )
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And yet another such site (a few reviews here) is Dealtime:
Dealtime
http://ic.dealtime.com/xPP-Flat_Panel_Televisions~KW-~PG-1~MNP-240~MXP-21490~S-212~AT-RF~Attr=63766^2447---
( If the URL above does not work, please try this smaller one:
http://tinyurl.com/ee1q )
======================================================================
Some useful information may be found in various Audio/Video and Home
Theater forums, and sometimes in forums that are quite unrelated to
electronics. Here's a thread with some useful advice about LCD
televisions:
Hollis Town Forum
http://www.townsforum.com/HollisNHforum/viewtopic.php?p=448
These are my favorite forums for discussion of home theater issues.
You'll find a lot of very knowledgeable and helpful people here:
AVS Forum
http://www.avsforum.com/
Home Theater Forum
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htforum/index.php?s=91a3868553a4d5f02e990d47585c8fc2
SMR Forums
http://www.smr-forums.com/
======================================================================
What Video is a British magazine with online archives that can be very
useful. Here's an article about plasma and LCD displays:
What Video
http://www.whatvideotv.com/articles/hardware/200103_tvs.shtml
What Video also has reviews of specific models of LCD televisions that
are available in the British market.
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Here's an LCD buyer's guide that is oriented toward computer monitors
rather than TVs, but there is a lot of good info here:
Gen- PC: LCD Flat Panel Buying Guide
http://www.gen-x-pc.com/lcd_flat_panel_buying_guide.htm
======================================================================
In case you're curious about how these devices do their magic, if you
scroll down in this review of an Acer monitor, you'll find a simple
explanation of how LCD displays work, complete with far-out terms like
"twisted nematics" and "groovy polymers":
Techwatch: All About LCD's
http://www.techwatch.com.au/reviews/hardware/acerfp581lcd/
======================================================================
Oh, dear. You asked for two sources of information, and I've thrown
half the Internet at you. ;-)
To narrow all this down: in my view, the very best places you can go
to acquire knowledge that will help you to choose your new LCD
television are the AVS Forum and eCoustics (both linked above). The
AVS Forum is an excellent place to ask questions and get useful hints
from power-users; eCoustics has a super-large list of links to recent
online reviews.
======================================================================
Search terms used:
"lcd television(s)"
"lcd tv(s)"
"lcd display(s)"
"comparison"
"reviews"
======================================================================
I hope I've helped you toward making an informed decision on your new
television. If anything is unclear or incomplete, or if a link does
not function, please request clarification; I'll gladly offer further
assistance before you rate my answer.
Best wishes,
pinkfreud |
Request for Answer Clarification by
mccook-ga
on
16 Jun 2003 19:35 PDT
Pinkfreud: Excellent resources. I've had a general look at each of
them and, taken together, they offer many insights as I carry on with
my investigation. If you're of a mind, I might ask whether we can
narrow the criteria just a bit: Is there a resource that would tell
me what ancillary equipment I'd need to have in order to make one of
these things really do what's advertised? At one shop, a salesman
touted the virtues of these machines and then threw in a line about
needing a [something], which would add about two hundred bucks to the
costs, "but hey, you can't live without that [something]." I want to
know what all the possible [somethings] might be before I go too much
further. Maybe what I'm looking for is a list of definitions to do
with inputs, outputs, widgets, drumthwackets and all the rest. I'm
not conversant in the technology, and therefore the requirements of a
thing like this. So I'd like to be confident about what additional,
specific gadgetry a rube like me ought to think about before I go much
farther. It would be great to be able to look the floorwalking,
wideget-peddling youth in the eye and say, "Ha, you Floorwalking
Youth! I know very well you don't need a widget -- or a drumthwacket,
for that matter -- in order to make one of these puppies go! Pinkfreud
at Google Answers steered me to [website] and you can stick both your
widget and your drumthwacket in your ear! Fork over the machine, and
nothing but the machine, and be quick about it, False
Wideget-Peddlar!"
I went off a bit there, I know, but it gets at the depth of my anxiety
about the whole digital business. Electronics pretty much left me
behind when things stopped being powered by squirrels in wheels.
Thanks for the assistance!
McCook
|
Clarification of Answer by
pinkfreud-ga
on
16 Jun 2003 21:43 PDT
I must admit that I have no personal experience with LCD television
sets (can't afford one yet!) I've done a bit of searching, and I have
not been able to find specific advice aimed at the would-be LCD TV
buyer who wishes not to be hornswoggled by video salesmen.
My best suggestion for learning which ancillary drumthwackets are
desirable is to post a question on one of the forums I mentioned (I am
particularly fond of the AVS Forum, but the others are also quite
good.) Video buffs tend to be remarkably helpful, and many are willing
to share their expertise with those who are new to the field. I
received a lot of free assistance and hand-holding from the folks at
the AVS Forum when I first began considering the purchase of an HDTV
set. I am certain that they can steer you right; even though some of
them are (in real life) video salesmen, I don't think they are the
kind who specialize in snake oil, smoke, and mirrors. ;-)
~pinkfreud
|
