Newb looking for help with requirements

[mattlang]

Hello all,

I'm finally making my first foray into a big screen TV. I've done quite a bit of research and decided that for my needs I'd like to go with a 42" plasma. I'm not tied to Blu-ray as most of what I'll watch is through Verizon Fios and standard DVDs through a Philips 963SA player. I'd like to be able to stream from Netflix which I have as well. So here are my questions:

1) How important it is to have 1080p with a screen size of 42" (my viewing distance is ~8') given my source material or would 720p be OK?

2) What feature will I need on the TV for me to stream Netflix through my laptop to it (or is there another way I should be doing this)?

FYI My 2-channel audio setup will be used in conjunction.

Thanks in advance for any advice given.

Matt

 

[washburn]

1 - Depending on your source material you MAY be able to see a difference at that distance - I have dist of about 8 ft with a 40" and i do see a difference betw. 720p and 1080p, but I am very picky. And this is with Blu Rays.
These days, the price difference betw. 720p and 1080p is not much, so I'd say, for future plans like Blu Ray and HD streaming, spend that small amount and go with 1080p - otherwise you might regret it later.

2. You can connect a laptop via VGA or HDMI (best quality) to the LCD TV. For tis the TV needs a VGA (pc) input, OR if your laptop has HDMI out, and HDMI input (most TVs have several of HDMI inputs anyway, and they will also have VGA input also) - so in this case you are just using your TV as an external display. Make sure your laptop has one of those video outputs (some might even have S video, but it's not HD)

OR: you can get a Blu Ray player, which can be connected to the internet easily via your router (most BR players off this function these days) and use the built in Netflix or amazon or Vudu feature (needs account, but you already have Netflix account) to stream movies in HD. a lot easier and direct and quality is also better than going through a laptop with a mess of cables, etc...

I have a Panasonic BD65 which is great for this type of thing, and it's under $100.

you can connect the 2-ch audio out of a BR player to your amp/receiver for audio.
If you use the laptop, I guess you can use the headphone out jack the same way...

 

[Pyrrho]

Hello all,

I'm finally making my first foray into a big screen TV. I've done quite a bit of research and decided that for my needs I'd like to go with a 42" plasma. I'm not tied to Blu-ray as most of what I'll watch is through Verizon Fios and standard DVDs through a Philips 963SA player. I'd like to be able to stream from Netflix which I have as well. So here are my questions:

1) How important it is to have 1080p with a screen size of 42" (my viewing distance is ~8') given my source material or would 720p be OK?

2) What feature will I need on the TV for me to stream Netflix through my laptop to it (or is there another way I should be doing this)?

FYI My 2-channel audio setup will be used in conjunction.

Thanks in advance for any advice given.

Matt

Here are some links to help you:

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/features/2006/02/maxing-out-resolution

http://carltonbale.com/1080p-does-matter

http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com/Tv-viewing-distance.html

An online calculator:

http://www.digital-digest.com/articles/viewing_distance.php


Unless your vision is better than 20/20, you will not see the difference between 720p and 1080p with a 42" screen unless you are closer than about 8.19 feet. If there is some other difference in the sets, then you might see a difference.

Now, if you are watching DVDs and other sources less than 1080p, the difference between the sets is going to be generally insignificant, as far as resolution is concerned, unless you are close enough to start making out the individual pixels (dots) that make up the screen image.

 

[Biggz]

Hello all,

I'm finally making my first foray into a big screen TV. I've done quite a bit of research and decided that for my needs I'd like to go with a 42" plasma. I'm not tied to Blu-ray as most of what I'll watch is through Verizon Fios and standard DVDs through a Philips 963SA player. I'd like to be able to stream from Netflix which I have as well. So here are my questions:

1) How important it is to have 1080p with a screen size of 42" (my viewing distance is ~8') given my source material or would 720p be OK?

2) What feature will I need on the TV for me to stream Netflix through my laptop to it (or is there another way I should be doing this)?

FYI My 2-channel audio setup will be used in conjunction.

Thanks in advance for any advice given.

Matt

You would have to be sitting very close to the TV to see any significant difference at that size. I have a 50" X1 720P Plasma and a 58" S2 1080P both Panasonic. I bought the 58" because the picture on the 50" was unbelievable. I didn't think the picture could be better. But I must admit there is a little more detail on the 58". As far as blu ray. I really didn't see a big difference that would make me spend the additional money for 1080P. The 58 is 14' away. the 50 is 8 feet away. In fact the only reason I upgraded was because the 50's picture was so good compared to my LCD that I knew the only way I could get it in my room was to buy a bigger TV to calm down my wife.

If you want to stream Netflix from your laptop in HD you will need to have HDMI or component connections on the laptop. Forget about streaming via wifi. use cat5 or invest in a powerline like Linsys PLK300 for AV. It streams up to 200 mbs. You'll need at least 4mbs to really be streaming HD content and much more to stream blu ray quality video. I stream video from my server at 7 - 9 mbs depending on the media. M2ts is much more stable in my experience, AVI is also very good. MP4 is good and uses less space but if your streaming to several TVs it can get a little jerky if the server is being over worked. Last you'll need a fast connection. Else forget it. Download your media and just stream from a hard disk via usb to a client like HDTV or PS3. I hope this helps.
Biggz

 

[mattlang]

Thanks Biggz...sorry for the late response. Sick kids and all that good stuff. I pulled the trigger on a Sony KDL40HX701 240Hz LCD for $500 at Sams the other day...couldn't pass it up. Now I just need to figure out how to use it. I hope you don't mind if I ask you more questions as they come up.

Matt