Worth it to upgrade?

[Lego]

Right now I have a decent to small sized room. With my bed, computer desk, bookcases, dresser, and TV, I barely have enough room for what I have now. At the moment I have this TV and this DVD player. Both work fine for me, and the Toshiba TV has a 16:9 mode, which lets me watch things in widescreen. But I see all of these nice LCD HD TV's with progressive scan or CRT TV's that are "flat" with HD and 1080 and wonder how much am I missing out on.

Being on a limited budget, I really can't go out and buy a TV that is in the thousands heh. I've been looking around for a decent HD or Progessive scan TV for around 500-600, but I really haven't seen aything. I don't have much space in my room, as even a 24" is pushing it. I would willingly give up a couple inches of picture if it would improve my video and audio experience.

So my question is, should I stick with what I have, or should I spend a little to upgrade? I mean right now I'm using component input with a interlaced picture. Will having a HD TV for movies and progressive scan really make anime or other movies look that much better to warrant spending a decent ammount of money on it?

[Skywise]

Room issues aside, I'd wait on upgrading now anyway. 1080p sets have just started coming out, and are still relatively expensive. By this time next year prices should not only have fallen to a more normal level, but the technology should have matured enough by then that there'll be a lot more competition in that bracket. While there's "always" something new on the horizon, you still have to recognize when there's a techology shift and then buy in at the right time. The right time is next year. You can still upgrade now, but you'd end up paying a lot more for the lifetime of the gear than if you do it later.

[Elana]

I agree with Skywise. Pundits say now is not the time to be buying a new TV. Wait a bit until the current technology is at its best state (money-wise).

It might also be worth waiting until you can fit the stuff into the room. Nothing makes a room feel more cluttered than oversized items. It's why God invented IKEA. [img]/images/graemlins/happy.gif[/img]

[Ty]

You seem to be chomping at the bit a little bit here Lego. [img]/images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif[/img]

So what's your first instinct here? Do you want something better yes or no? In my experience if you really want something better you should just pick up what you want. Each year for the next forseeable few years the prices of these tvs are going to drop and each year they will get better. There isn't going to be a "good" time to buy this decade with that idea in mind. So if you really want a new set just get one. It sounds to me like you're trying to talk yourself out of it.

That's my opinion anyway. [img]/images/graemlins/happy.gif[/img]

[quenelf]

[ QUOTE ]
Xcalibur said:
Each year for the next forseeable few years the prices of these tvs are going to drop and each year they will get better.


[/ QUOTE ]

That's true to an extent, but as Skywise pointed out, 1080p isn't really available for a good price yet - and it'll be a long time before there is HD content at a higher resolution than that. So there is a 'ceiling' for improvement at least in resolution terms, and it might be worth waiting until prices at that level drop so you can afford the optimal resolution.

--quen

[Lego]

Heh Xcalibur, good work finding those posts. It really isn't me talking myself out of upgrading, it's more like my wallet begging me not to. What it's, is that what whenever I buy big electronics(Computer, TV, DVD Player), part of me thinks I could of got something better. I check reviews from multiple sites before I buy, and make sure I'm getting the best product. But I guess it just comes from me seeing HD TV's with progressive scan and wondering if anime will look "that much better".

It's something where I'll most likely save my cash like the others have mentioned until a affordable set comes along(Black Friday) or something of that nature.

[Ty]

[ QUOTE ]
quen said:
[ QUOTE ]
Xcalibur said:
Each year for the next forseeable few years the prices of these tvs are going to drop and each year they will get better.


[/ QUOTE ]

That's true to an extent, but as Skywise pointed out, 1080p isn't really available for a good price yet - and it'll be a long time before there is HD content at a higher resolution than that. So there is a 'ceiling' for improvement at least in resolution terms, and it might be worth waiting until prices at that level drop so you can afford the optimal resolution.

--quen

[/ QUOTE ]

It depends upon how you define expensive. The Westinghouse LVM-42w2 broke below $2,000 recently. A 42" 1080p set that is highly regarded and produces an accurate picture for less than the price of it's comparable plasma cousins. Heck, it's stepping on the toes of DLP and LCD microprojection sets in the 40-50 inch range now and has the benefit of being flat and 1080p. Plus, remember that 5 years ago the bukly RPTVs in this size range even cost this much. What I'm driving at is that by the time the Westinghouse ends it's model lifecycle it'll be streeting for $1,500. Then it's sucessor model will come out with an MSRP just above that and when it ends it's lifecycle it'll be streeting for barely more than $1,200. Yes I'm guessing here but the point is that if you want a new tv and you're eager for it playing the waiting game is going to result in a long wait because there will never be that "good chance" where the buy feels just right. By the time LCD settles down in price a competitor, be it SED, OLED, or otherwise will be challenging it then sparking another price war.

So, like I said, if you want a new tv and you want it now you should just buy it now. [img]/images/graemlins/happy.gif[/img] Specifically on the 1080p issue I do believe it's worth waiting for but only if you're shopping for a bigger set 40" or above. Plus we already have some nice choices now that aren't too expensive like the Westinghouse. It's really not so bad a time to buy anymore IMO. I'm sure the people who bought their plasmas and LCDs 3 years ago ar aching at how much cheaper they are now, but the price slide is leveling off.

[Lego]

Heh, I just purchased a LCD monitor a couple months ago(I love it). Best Buy had this interesting 360 bundle for a while. It was the 360, a game, a controller, and this Samsung(believe it was a Samsung) HD TV that could either do 720 or 1080 for around 800 dollars plus tax.

[Leon_Belmont]

[ QUOTE ]
Lego said:
Heh, I just purchased a LCD monitor a couple months ago(I love it). Best Buy had this interesting 360 bundle for a while. It was the 360, a game, a controller, and this Samsung(believe it was a Samsung) HD TV that could either do 720 or 1080 for around 800 dollars plus tax.

[/ QUOTE ]

It was 720. I think next Spring is looking more and more for me like a good time to snatch up a PS3 and an HD. Until then, I can do without, but simultaneously, I don't want to be one of those Sony fanboys dropping good money on technology I can't take advantage of. It's starting to feel like the right time, and those Sony XBR sets are indeed beautiful, but since it's SO close and I don't need it quite yet, I'm waiting until at least the end of this year and see if something emerges.

Do whatever works for you. If you've got a lot of entertainment time to kill as of now and your finances aren't in too poor a state, what the hell, no one can blame you for updating now. Totally up to you.

[Lego]

Yeh. I've seen things like SDTV's really start to show up in weekly flyers and retailers. I'm gonna take the threads collective advice and wait till more sets come out, and then try to get one at a nice price [img]/images/graemlins/devil.gif[/img].