We're finally upgrading to HDTV
Dec. 18th, 2013 09:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sraun(This is the post promised in a later bottle.)
We're upgrading to DirecTV's Genie device / service. Our DirecTiVo that we got in ... 2002? 2003? is dying - it is randomly locking up, and sometimes not finishing a boot after being power-cycled. We've been loyal DirecTV customers for sufficiently long that the hardware upgrade (include mini-Genie for a second room, and new satellite antenna) is free - we're paying $21.50 for the installation, and our bill is going up about $19/month.
This means that our TV that was new in 2000 is finally getting replaced by an HDTV.
And I need some help / pointers.
We'll be sitting 100-110" from the TV. We have a low awareness / high tolerance for digital artifacting.
Research is leading me to believe I'm looking at wanting a 35-70" TV. The space it's going into is about 51" wide - our current theory is that we're going to get a new media center with a built-in support for the TV that will fit the space. The media center that the old TV is in has a hole 28" wide for the TV - the HDTVs that would fit that space are way too small.
How important is 1080 vs 720? p vs i? (I know i is interlaced, and that I should prefer p.) 60hz vs 120hz? What are the trade-offs of bigger vs. smaller? Got any pointers to a good 'I'm almost totally ignorant, educate me on the pros and cons'?
Finally, any brand recommendations? Pro or con accepted.
We're upgrading to DirecTV's Genie device / service. Our DirecTiVo that we got in ... 2002? 2003? is dying - it is randomly locking up, and sometimes not finishing a boot after being power-cycled. We've been loyal DirecTV customers for sufficiently long that the hardware upgrade (include mini-Genie for a second room, and new satellite antenna) is free - we're paying $21.50 for the installation, and our bill is going up about $19/month.
This means that our TV that was new in 2000 is finally getting replaced by an HDTV.
And I need some help / pointers.
We'll be sitting 100-110" from the TV. We have a low awareness / high tolerance for digital artifacting.
Research is leading me to believe I'm looking at wanting a 35-70" TV. The space it's going into is about 51" wide - our current theory is that we're going to get a new media center with a built-in support for the TV that will fit the space. The media center that the old TV is in has a hole 28" wide for the TV - the HDTVs that would fit that space are way too small.
How important is 1080 vs 720? p vs i? (I know i is interlaced, and that I should prefer p.) 60hz vs 120hz? What are the trade-offs of bigger vs. smaller? Got any pointers to a good 'I'm almost totally ignorant, educate me on the pros and cons'?
Finally, any brand recommendations? Pro or con accepted.
