Plan9

Confession: I've never actually bought a television. Ever. I either borrowed one from my folks (college), my roommates (military) brought one or whatever woman I was with had one. Most homes have several televisions and, as such, I've always had one sitting around. Now that I'm a wealthy sellout and want The Finer Things In Life (TM), I gotta get an idiot box. I mean, watching the masterpiece that is HBO's Rome on a laptop is totally unacceptable.

Help me out, Tilted Technology! I'm a bit of a tech 'tard. Haven't been keeping up on this topic.

What I want:

- Simple, low profile entertainment center that doesn't suck (Ikea maybe?)
- 36"+ television / computer monitor (is there a difference anymore?)
- Computer tower w/ DVD drive (only needs to be able to watch Hulu / surf Web)
- Wireless keyboard and mouse (Logitech, so I don't have to get off the couch)
- High speed Internet connection (to avoid dreaded YouTube buffering)
- Dolby 5.1 surround sound speakers (for extra awesome gunfights)

Basically, it's a giant extended desktop computer that I'm going to use while sitting on my Testosthrone (TM) couch to watch Hulu and DVDs. I might even set up a webcam so you can watch my girlfriend and I as we watch movies (which seems to be wildly popular in TFP video chat for some reason).

Questions:

- What kind of flat panel TeeVee or computer monitor should I buy? Is there a difference anymore? I don't want super huge, so I'm thinking somewhere in the 36"-42" range. Is that a good size? LED seems new and expensive; what should I buy that gives a decent picture?

- Will a XX"+ flat screen TeeVee work with a computer tower provided I use X cables? I'm sure this is a common setup today with people moving away from cable providers. And what do I need on the computer tower? Special video card? What about running a dual monitor setup?

- Do I plug the surround sound into the computer or into the monitor? Should I use a particular sound card?

- Anything I've missed? Monitor, tower, wireless peripherals, speakers, hard line Internet connection. What else is there?

...

While I'm doing more Google research, feel free to chime in with your advice and experiences.

...

I'll add pictures of my finds and the final product once I get it up and online. It's gonna be fun.

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Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

uncle phil

but seriously, i don't have a whole bunch of "techie" knowledge either, but if you go into your local friendly staples store and ask for the head geek, they'll outfit you with exactly what you want for as good a price as you'll find anywhere... (my humble opinion...)

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TheCrimsonGhost

If you get a nice plasma screen, I think it would suite your needs. LCD could also double as TV/monitor well, but I'm partial to the plasmas and I think you will like the quality of it better like myself. As far as the computer goes, I always build my own PC's so really I'm not too knowledgeable on what pre-built systems are good, but I would stay away from Dell and the likes.

amonkie

I don't really know much about the TV angle but this is my current setup:

26" Flat screen LCD TV

hooked to Sony 5.1 Surround speakers via HDMI cables

HDMI cables from TV also run to both of my laptops as needed. I only have 2 ports on my TV so I just switch out the cable based on which laptop I am using. I just had to grab an HDMI to USB adapter and I am able to use the TV as a bigger screen for my 13" MBP, and I run the sound from my laptop into the surround sound speakers.

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jewels

My home system is sorta piecemeal. My TV is a Sony Bravia - 46", I think? but I have an older "boxed" JVC dvd/receiver/speakers that sounds great to me, and easily hook my Macbook to it as the Sony has ample input for both the Wii and PS3 game systems, 'puter and HDMI for the cable. The only must is that the TV and stereo have ample inputs, so you can hook the sound for all your devices.

I'd google some guides, go to a couple of stores to check out setups. See what you like. Ikea would be good for a simple stand, as it looks good and is easy to put together and reach behind.

If you need help with the hookup once you've got it situated, let me know. It's what I do.

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Shadowex3

Welcome to the cultural wasteland of excess consumerism and unrealistic portrayals of beauty and life created by the media-elite!


-Ikea, DIY, lifehacker can offer tips, but don't discount the *marts or even some kind of wallmount entirely.
-Yes there is, a profound one actually. Monitors are smaller physically and designed for high resolution use only a foot or two away from your face. Televisions are larger physically and designed for lower resolutions with a wider aspect ratio and to be used from across the room. A good example of both is a 24" monitor running the 16:10 resolution of 1920x1200 vs the 30+ inch television running the 16:9 resolution of 1920x1080.
-DIY hands down unless you can get a really good deal on a cheap prebuilt, you can make a mythbuntu box that works like tivo.
-Like you said, logitech, you've already got it covered.
-That's up to your ISP.
-Logitech ZX-5500's, playing hl2dm over lan with those in the room was like getting hit in the chest with a phonebook every time someone chucked an exploding barrel.


-This can start a holy war. My best answer is: Do you know what a trinitron is and do you care about the flaws that flatpanels have compared to CRTs. If the answer is yes then you want a quality plasma hands down. If the answer is no then basically plasma's are the better display technology but heavier, larger, and hotter while LCDs hands down wins the size and space argument. Power consumption and lifetime used to be a big issue for plasmas but both of those (and the "burn-in" boogeyman) aren't real issues for modern ones. DLP is the third tech but it's expensive and has its own issues. Full disclosure: I hate LCDs, and they hate me back.

-The answer is honestly it depends on the TV. For example a lot of 720Pers don't actually run 1280x720 but will actually run some balls wierd 1300x768 or so resolution. Running on displayport or HDMI you get less issues though so as long as you do that you're prolly ok. Any modern gaming videocard will have DVI or HDMI out (DVI being convertable with just a plug adapter), and you can run two monitors really easily off modern videocards since they come with two plugs for that exact reason. Most of the time you plug the second in and it Just Works, even at different resolutions.

-Honestly I don't know. If you're using it as a TV presumably you plug it into the TV, if you're using it as a monitor then you plug it into the computer. Soundcardwise... again I'm not sure. Creative Labs basically has that market cornered with their x-fi's but that's more for gaming.

-ALL of the contrast, response time, and whathaveyou numbers should be treated as basically utter bullshit. On ANY display. They get those numbers by running every absurd outlier scenario they can think as many times as it takes to cherrypick good results.

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Lasereth

Buy this: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Insignia...&skuId=9748831 , thank me later. I got it for my dad for $369 on black friday. It regularly goes on sale for $399 which is an absurdly good deal. I have the 50" version and it's outstanding. These models are actually rebadged Samsungs which is why the rating and quality is so high on them. Shadow is right, the numbers and specifications don't mean shit on TVs. Also, if you go in a store and say "gosh this one looks the best out of all of them," I will punch you in the nuts. Those things are hooked up through COAXIAL cable on standard def channels and none of them have been calibrated. Customers and employees are constantly dicking around with the display settings on them as well. It's absolutely impossible to gauge the quality of a TV from a display unit in a store. Don't discount a TV because it's "only" 720p either. Humans can't even tell the difference between 720p and 1080p unless they're sitting REALLY close to the TV. And even then, it's the digital signal and progressive scan technology that's making the biggest difference on the TV, not the resolution (though it does matter, just not as much as people say). Most PS3 games are 720p, and the 360 can't display true 1080p (only 1080i). A huge portion of HD TV stations in my area broadcast at 1080i but it's not true HD. Most are going at 720p, just like Netflix streaming.

You can connect it to a PC through HDMI if you get an HDMI compliant videocard.

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"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

RogueGypsy

I've been puttering around with ways to integrate all my tech toys into one lump for about a year. To date, I've found a few devises that do most of what you're talking about very well, but no single box that does them all well.

What I have is a mess of goodies all linked through a wireless N/router and it does what I want it too. PM me if you want a list and schematic.

If you want to take the minimalist approach:


42" flat screen- I prefer Samsung for the price to quality ratio. 32's just not enough if you're more than 5' away.

PS3/move- Plays DVD/BD/CD/MP3 etc.., downloads Netflix, has a web browser, Move integrates a web cam (I'm pretty sure), HDMI interface and an optical digital audio output. Up to 320g internal drive and unlimited storage expansion. Get the DVD remote too, it's just easier. Oh and it plays games too.

Western digital- 2TB external usb drive. All the storage you'll need for a while, chain in another when you need more.

Logitech- Wireless laser mouse and Keyboard of choice, I like the MX3200 keyboard and the Performance MX mouse Performance Mouse MX? . I have an older version with a couple more buttons added for Zoom. The back/forward buttons are priceless, the scroll wheel is revolutionary and I have the scroll wheel 'click' set to "open new tab". All of the heavily used browser functions at your finger tips, outstanding.

Cable internet connection-

Cisco or Linksys- wireless n/router, gives you virtually limitless internet connect-ability.

Any HTiB (Home theater in a box) that has HDMI, optical audio connect-ability and sounds good to you. HDMI is not necessary in the HTIB, but nice to have. Digital audio connect is a must. (PS3 and Samsung use Toslink optical cable, other brands may use a coaxial cable [not coax]). With HDMI to the TV and Toslink to the receiver, you have audio to both so you don't have to have the receiver on to hear the audio. Don't pay more for either cable, if it connects and work, it will sound/look just as good as the $200 cable on the rack next to it. -Unless your running the HDMI over 20', upgrade to a better quality cable to reduce signal loss-.

Ikea stand of choice.

2nd Subwoofer- 12"+ just because, one in the front and one in the back of a room is simply outstanding. And most HTIB's come with an underpowered 8" woofer, which is great for mid-bass and fill. But if you want to feel your bones vibrate you need size and power. This will probably cost more than any two of the above listed components, but it's worth every dime.

Comfortable chair-
Good supply of cereal-


The only draw back to this set-up is the processor in the PS3, it plays videos and games just fine, but web browsing is a little slow.




..

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Plan9

Thanks for the all the detailed, thoughtful responses. I'll keep you posted on what I end up piecing together. It should be gnarly.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

Shadowex3

This is a good point I missed, and it brings up cables which are important. Specifically: Monoprice is THE BEST place to buy cables. Don't fall for the scams about expensive cables and all that bullshit, anyone that knows something about anything electrical can tell you at great length why most of their claims aren't just marketspeak but also physically impossible.

As for store displays... they also tend to have the settings cranked all wierd in a massively over-lit store. Nothing's going to look the same.

If you can't see the difference between a resolution lower than a computer monitor from 1998 (768 vertical lines vs 720) and 1080 vertical lines then something's wrong with your eyes or your glasses. Interlacing is a big deal, yes, but so is resolution. Take a resolution basically designed for a 17" screen and stretch that out to a 40 inch TV and tell me that's not going to be ugly as sin even in progressive scan. You're going to want that extra resolution at the size you're aiming for.

Also interlacing is a complete red herring, this guy explains it really well for people who aren't up to their elbows in technical jargon.

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Lasereth

I am a complete bitch over image quality. I obsess over it. I am a graphics whore. I will buy and take back 42" LCDs same day if I don't like them.

I can say with 100% confidence that there is little to no discernible difference between my 50" 720p and my 42" 1080p flat panels. This is completely factored on how far away you sit from the television, however.

There IS a limit to what the human eye can notice. You must be sitting 6-6.5 feet or closer to your TV to tell the difference between 720p and 1080p on a 50" flat panel. 6 feet is absurdly close to me. I sit about 10 feet away and consider it the sweet spot for a 50".

For a 42" TV, you can't tell a difference until you're sitting a comical 4'11" to 5 feet away.

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"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

SirLance

I enjoy my Vizio 37" flat screen 1080p LCD TV. I also have a blu-ray dvd from Sony that I like, and it has wifi and will access various internet video services. However, it doesn't work with blockbuster's on-demand service, but does work with netflix, if you go that route you'll want to make sure that the device you buy talks to the service you want to use. Evidently Sony and blockbuster aren't kissy-kissy.

I bought the 37" for space reasons, but they have larger models. Do you have a costco? I got both at costco and saved big bucks.

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woohog1

I may be a little late here, but this is my opinion. As much as I like lcd, I dont want the picture to fade. It will fade overtime, not something that you will come home one day turn it on, and suddenly realize OMG my tv is faded, but more of a gradual fade to it. However Plasmas run on gas and can go out. Granted they take FOREVER(insert sandlot movie reference here) to go out, but they still do.
All that being said, I prefer the LED/LCD t.v. I know Mitsubishi makes a killer 40 inch flat panel that has, to me, just as awesome of a picture as a samsung, phillips or Sony.
I currently have a Sony Bravia, 37 inch, and have it running my sat via HDMI. The picture is pretty good, but a bigger screen size would be better. Also, the Mitsubishi also has built in surround sound speakers on the bottom, and at work when we play the demo, usually on a war movie, sometimes the flashbacks start.
I would stick to the major brands ie... Mitsubishi, phillips, samsung, sony.... Also somethingh else that you may want to consider is the refresh rate and the hertz rate. Not to get too technical as I may confuse myself as well, but the hertz rate is basically when you look at a moving object and you can see a blur. The better the rate the less blur. The refresh rate is also hard to understand, but basically to the best of my knowledge this is how fast the pixels change to the next image.
I know this maybe an over simplification, but I like to keep things simple, for myself especially.
How soon are you willing to buy another t.v.? The reason I ask is this, you can buy a vizio (wal-mart special) but if it breaks there are very few repair centers around the country. Also while there are many repair centers in the country, most Sony t.v.s require the service/diogonistic repair be paid upfront. Now you wont pay it, but the service company will, which means higher bills. Just my 2 cents worth hope it helps!

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