So, I'm looking to buy a rear-projection TV:

-at least 46"
-hdtv ready
-2-tuner PIP

I guess the $texas is my problem, though. I 'm looking to spend a total of $1100-$1500, might finance as well.

I heard NOW! is a good place to shop, but their prices were steep (compromised with stellar service)...

8/12/2005 10:24:48 AM

For that money BB and CC will have the exact same models, possibly at cheaper prices. They are more likely to have more options in your price range too. Tweeter (Now!) will tend to have more outside of your range probably.

8/12/2005 10:45:07 AM

sam's club and bj's have better prices than best buy and CC. sometimes the price difference is much more than the cost of membership. another place to check is j and r music stores. their website is jandr.com

8/12/2005 11:22:46 AM

yea definitely looking for a place that I can go and pick up the TV from...ain't trying to pay those ridiculous fucking shipping charges...

i doubt BJ's or Sam's will work with financing it though

8/12/2005 11:38:02 AM

shipping on mine was 49.00 and it took 3 days. still saved about 300 bucks AND tax. since j and r is in NY, no sales tax for NC residents.

8/12/2005 11:45:34 AM

so you bought it straight out?

8/12/2005 11:48:32 AM

yeah, it was a 32" lcd hdtv with pip and about 9 inputs. out of stock now, but the shipping was less than what tax would have been, and the item was almost the cheapest I could find it anywhere to start with.

for example though, on a 108lb 52 inch dlp tv, which runs about 2000 bucks, the tax would be 140 bucks and shipping is only 120.

anyways, not sure if they offer financing, though they're a department store so they probably do.

8/12/2005 11:51:28 AM

51" toshiba from best buy

8/12/2005 2:27:07 PM

If I were you, I'd buy a cheapo big screen TV from Walmart for now.

8/12/2005 2:27:49 PM

financing a tv just isnt a good idea unless you actually have the money and are just wanting to do something to build credit or something, which I don't think is the case.


some of the walmart ones aren't bad at all and are in your budget..hell some of them are twice your budget. some walmart are getting some pretty decent electronics sections and their prices really are some of the lowest

8/12/2005 3:10:05 PM

It'll take loaning $2,000 for like 5 years to get any credit related benefit anyway.

8/12/2005 3:17:16 PM

Quote :

"51" toshiba from best buy"

This is right on the money. I was in the exact same situation. I went to BB and checked out the Toshiba model 51H84 (51" HDTV). It's got HDMI, 2x component, S-Video, Audio Out, 2-PIP (2 actual in-TV tuners to accomplish this) and an amazingly good speaker system for a built-in job (good bass).

Amazingly clear picture. It looks 100x better home than it did @ BB, and it looked freakin' great at BB. I'm watching analog cable now and it even looks acceptable; the great thing about Toshiba's are they have excellent 4:3-to-16:9 stretch modes in which you can't even tell it's stretched. All non-HDTV programming relies on this to take up your whole screen, so it's rather important. Watched the Braves game last night and it was beautiful. Xbox via component hookups look rediculously good.

I'm getting TWC HD installed Tuesday and I can't wait. Got the HD pack w/ ESPN-HD, HDNet, etc. Right now if you order online, you get a DVD Recorder for free. I did that; ordered online for in-store pickup in Cary (Sorry, I got the last one when I picked it up Tuesday, but the floor model's still there and MIGHT be for sale now, dunno) and got the free DVD Recorder. I may sell that, but hey it's free. Applied for 6-months no interest on the BB card and hit that up & will just gain interest on my cash and pay it off before 6 months is up. It was $1,390 after tax for the both of 'em. Used a friend's Tacoma to pick it up. It has built-in & pre-installed casters so it just rolls around effortlessly. Everybody's like " " when they see it. I couldn't find a better deal, and I considered ordering online but the 1st issue you have & hafta ship it back, you'll regret not spending ~$200 more for the convience. Good luck!

[Edited on August 12, 2005 at 3:19 PM. Reason : .]

8/12/2005 3:18:21 PM

Quote :

"financing a tv just isnt a good idea unless you actually have the money and are just wanting to do something to build credit or something, which I don't think is the case."

it wont help your credit it will hurt it

8/12/2005 3:37:05 PM

yeh id recommend a RPCRT HDTV too. i have a Hitachi and its awesome. be sure to calibrate it though. out of the box its way too bright. i found a forum just for my TV and found some recommended service menu and color settings. also check the gun alignment every few months for the first year or so as they will drift a little. its easy to align though, my tv and i'm sure most all have a little calibration program to align them.

RPCRTs are bigger and require a little more tweaking, but they can look as good as anything

8/12/2005 3:57:06 PM

Quote :

"financing a tv just isnt a good idea unless you actually have the money and are just wanting to do something to build credit or something, which I don't think is the case"

Quote :

"it wont help your credit it will hurt it"

i wasnt sure which way itd go, I assumed proving you can pay a loan would help but I've never borrowed money so hell I wasn't sure ...but it further makes the point that financing a tv isn't a good idea. Just keep saving and you'll have enough..and in the mean time prices are only going to fall

[Edited on August 12, 2005 at 6:35 PM. Reason : edit]

8/12/2005 6:35:17 PM

as long as you dont have hundreds of loans out and you pay on time, everytime, it will help it.

but financing ANY luxury item like this is completely fucking stupid.

8/12/2005 6:41:45 PM

A lot of times they offer interest free financing for 1-2 years....I had 2 years for my Hitachi RPTV....paid it off within a year. Maybe it does hurt my credit, I dont know, but its over with now. I do like my RPTV, but if I was buying now, Id most likely go DLP since they can be found for <$2000 now as opposed to the $3000+ they were when I bought my Hitachi.

8/13/2005 2:29:42 AM

well..i think dude just needs to keep saving his money regardless. by the time he saves some more prices will have gone down some more plus there could be some good christmas sales going on at the big chain stores especially.

anyways, also I have to reccomend not getting a stupid-big tv. i have a 42" plasma and it fits in my living room pretty well. I've seen some ppl with like 60" projection LCD tv's that take up so much room (thick as hell) and have such a shitty picture on regular channels that really they're just a waste--esp. in a small room where are 4ft from the tv all the time. i havent done much research on projection lcd's but most ive looked at just dont seem very bright compared to plasma's or the thin lcd tv's. oh well, i'm done blabbing now

[Edited on August 13, 2005 at 3:20 AM. Reason : lalala]

8/13/2005 3:19:40 AM

Sears is currently offering 0% for 1 year. We have HDTV big screens starting right at $1000 too.

8/13/2005 8:48:23 AM

i'm going looking at best buy/cc and might check out sears this weekend after I get all my shit moved in...

i've got the cash right now to buy it straight out, but I don't start working until mid-september, so I'll prolly just pay it off in six or twelve months with a store credit card...

8/13/2005 9:18:25 AM

I can't NOT recommend Plasma's highly enough. My folks bought a 42" Plasma and it just sucks compared to my CRT. I mean it's fine and all, but not worth $1,000 *MORE* than what I paid for less screen real estate.

And don't let yourself get caught up in the "oh wow I can hang it on my wall!" without realizing "oh wow I hafta punch a hole in my wall behind it to run the cables through the walls or else they'll all hang all down and look tacky".

8/13/2005 9:20:34 AM

oh i ain't fuckin with a plasma

give me a few years before i test those waters

i just want an enormous, space filler to consume the den

8/13/2005 10:00:44 AM

i dont have much room (well, distance between the couch and wall that the tv would be on or against was pretty small) in the living room so a plasma made a lot more sense...I didn't want a thick ass projection LCD taking up a lot of that space. Oh well, I left the wires hanging down...it looks ghetto and I don't care

8/13/2005 5:53:56 PM

Get this one:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002KQR9Q/qid=1123974086/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl23/002-6463215-8449657?v=glance&s=electronics&n=507846

I've got the 52" one and it's awesome!

8/13/2005 7:02:10 PM

plasma is totally a fad

it'll be gone by tomorrow

8/14/2005 2:48:45 PM

plasma's a fad?? lol, doubtful...a new technology that does the job better of making a tv the thickness of a picture and wall hangable might make plasma's cost drop but I doubt they'll pass as a fad

8/14/2005 4:04:35 PM