# Flat Screen Advice



## Rumble Filldirt (Sep 19, 2012)

I am a total noob when it comes to flatscreen TV's.
I have a 720P, 120 Hz, 32" Haier, but I want to purchase a 54" or maybe slightly larger 1080 flatscreen.
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I am set with audio and have an almost Pro 2.1 sound system W/active triamping, 2 Lab 12 MLTL subs, 2-12" woofers in 73 liter sealed boxes and mid top columns (short line arrays) with 4-5" mids and compression tweeters.
I also analog input a mixing board to the DEQ for my synthesizers and groovebox.
The system is optical digital from the satellite receiver and DVD player through the EQ and crossover where it becomes 6 channel analog.
I use an MSB-MVC 8 channel volume control to tame the whole system.
I also have an optical to 5.1 converter and was thinking of splitting the optical signal to at least gain LR rear mains.
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Onto to flatscreen selection.
I presently do not have an HD receiver, but obviously will upgrade to a new DVR.
I also have a large collection of DVD's and that is not HD either.
I would like to be able to still watch the DVD's and use my non HD DVR for a few months until I can do an upgrade.
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*I guess my question is, are all flatscreen's able to display non-HD programming like my 720P Haier can do?
*
I realize that you do not use the whole screen this way.

*My windows 7 laptop has HDMI out and when I can finally get high speed internet,which is being dug in on my road right now (or get a Hughes net limit your data plan), I would like to use that for streaming, Netflix ETC...*
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Any recommendations as far as flatscreen TV's?
I am unsure about the compatibility differences between 120 Hz and 240 Hz TV's.
I was thinking of getting a RCA LED55C55R120Q 55-Inch from AMAZON or maybe a better 3D unit but I know nothing about 3D units and back compatibility with lesser signal inputs.
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Any links to "flatscreens for idiots" or some such threads would be welcome.

Please help,

Rumble Filldirt


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

> I guess my question is, are all flatscreen's able to display non-HD programming like my 720P Haier can do?


Yes, it will still display the video, but not at 1080p. When you get an new AVR, most upscale the signal to 1080p.



> Any recommendations as far as flatscreen TV's?


What kind of features do you need? The smart TV's are nice if you need that functionality (Netflix, You Tube, Internet, Scype, etc.). Many of the new AVR's offer that as well, if you plan on upgrading soon, no need to buy it twice.



> I am unsure about the compatibility differences between 120 Hz and 240 Hz TV's.


That is the refresh rate of the TV. Nothing to do with compatability. The faster the rate, the smoother the picture is during action/fast moving scenes. Be careful, many manufacturers use misleading terms that sound like they are quoting their refresh rate when they are not.


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## Horrorfan33 (Jun 11, 2013)

I'm sure you will get a wide range of responses on this one, but the main question is the *budget*..How much are you looking to spend?
Most LCD/LED tv's have both type of outputs for your situation..You can run your DVD player from the component inputs (red,yellow,white) and hook up a blu ray player using the HDMI inputs, as well as an HD Receiver/DVR..There are usually at least 3-4 HDMI inputs on the back of the LCD tv's so you will have room for expansion in the future..
As far as the TV itself, that's a very broad topic and really depends on budget and your own personal viewing preference. If you're trying to stay under $1k I would recommend one of the following:
VIZIO E550i-A0 55-Inch--$800
LG 55LN5710 55-Inch--$800

*There are, of course much better TV's, for much higher prices..If you have a decent budget, I would highly recommend a newly released Samsung plasma!!

There are also many different opinions on 3D!!..Personally, I love it!!..There are 2 types of 3d on the market..
Active and Passive....Passive is generally a little cheaper, but not quite as impressive as Active..But, on the other hand, Active 3D requires battery operated/rechargable glasses, that average about $60 a pair compared to $5 for the passive glasses and don't require batteries or charging!!..You will also to have to purchase a 3D blu ray player or a PS3 to view 3D movies and make sure to use "real" high speed HDMI cables 1.4 or higher. You can get a decent LG 55" passive 3D TV for about $1,200, which includes apps for Netflix,Hulu, amazon,etc...
Anyway, hope this helps a little..I'm sure you will get many more opinions from the experts here 
Good Luck in your journey and be sure to keep us updated!!


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## Rumble Filldirt (Sep 19, 2012)

Horrorfan33 said:


> I'm sure you will get a wide range of responses on this one, but the main question is the *budget*..How much are you looking to spend?
> 
> I don't want to get silly and spend 3 times more than I have to for that little bit of extra feature, but money is not really a problem.
> I started to look at $600 TV's and then I see that for $800 I can get allot more.
> ...


$1200 you say, I will have to look into it.

Thank you for the honest replies, I realize a question like this can open a can of worms.

I think I need to do allot of reading and maybe some window shopping.

Rumble


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## Rumble Filldirt (Sep 19, 2012)

Tonto said:


> Yes, it will still display the video, but not at 1080p. When you get an new AVR, most upscale the signal to 1080p.
> 
> Is a 720, when being driven from my 525 line NTSC DVR, upconverting to 720?
> I notice some programming fills the whole screen, while allot of it does not.
> ...




Thanks


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## Rumble Filldirt (Sep 19, 2012)

So I bought an LG 55LN5710 55-Inch 1080p 120Hz TV.
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I had read numerous reviews that said this has somewhat lame net functions but a very good picture for it's price.
The reviews of failing screens made me wary of the Vizio E550i.
And instead of the $799 to $849 which it is now, the LG was on sale for only $699.
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It has a great picture especially using a Blueray player.
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I have ordered HD satellite and should have that installed in a few weeks.
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Next question has to do with AVR's or if I even need one.
I am presently pulling the audio from the optical output of the TV
I am feeding it to the Toslink on my sound systems DEQ2496.
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Also, I could feed either a split off optical or a coaxial S/PDIF to feed a Coosis DTS/AC TO 5.1 (only because I have one) to gain rear channel info.
I have an 8 channel volume control (MSB-Tech) with only 6 channels presently used for my PA system.
So I could route rear channel speakers through the volume control.
Subs are presently part of my PA system.
I could control video inputs with the TV's inputs, or use an AVR.
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Maybe someone could recommend a decent AVR that I would mainly be using to control video input .

The only thing that I would really want is the ability to output from the AVR, a Toslink or S/PDIF coax for my main PA system so i can keep it digital throughout all the processing (EQ & 3 way Crossover).
I suppose that I could also use the SW or LFE channels for the subs instead of my DCX2496, but I def want to keep my front mains digital until the amps.

Thank you for all the help so far,

Dave


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## Rumble Filldirt (Sep 19, 2012)

I bought an Onkyo TX-NR717 7.2 AVR.
It has pre-outs for all channels so it will integrate well with my present sound system.
It also supposedly has pretty decent up-conversion for any old equipment that I might still use.
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I probably will not use many of the features, well at least at first.
But it seems that it will work well for me.

Thank you for your time and recommendations.

Rumble


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