Ok, so I have a set budget to get an HD-TV. I have some gift cards from Best Buy so I have to get it from them. These are the two that are what I'm looking for in terms of size and aspect ratio, etc. Here are the links:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7279198&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat31800050030&id=1118839462408
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7023525&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat31800050030&id=1099394447059

My question is, the Magnavox says it displays at 1080i resolution. The Insignia has no resolution listed, but it is a progressive scan, which the other doesn't say. I'm sure some of ya'll with more HD experience can tell me, which one will give the best picture? I will use it for my X-Box and I watch a lot of movies on DVD and have Dish Network. Don't have a progressive scan DVD player though, yet. Thanks in advance.

1/31/2006 12:58:08 PM

im pretty sure every new hdtv (if not all of them) do 1080i. i havent seen one yet that doesnt. if it doesnt say specifically but is prog scan i would assume it is 480p 1080i.

[Edited on January 31, 2006 at 2:59 PM. Reason : best to just look for those models at another site to get full specs as they relate to hd]

1/31/2006 2:58:24 PM

haha, walmart had a nice panasonic and a pretty nice sony 30" 16:9 HDTV on sale a while back.. but you said bestbuy only so i'll shutup now

1/31/2006 3:02:12 PM

from what i gather from breif searches they both look like 480p/1080i, just ask when you go, but im sure that is it from a price/size standpoint.

1/31/2006 3:03:59 PM

what's the budget? Also, check philips outlet, you can get 30" hd crt's for $400 all day (Shipped)

1/31/2006 3:32:46 PM

http://www.outlet.philips.com/b2c_redesign/b2c/productdetail.do?productguid=41907ABB9A6F008D00000000828BD472427D96A29FB6423300000000828BD443&productarea=41907ABB9A6F008D00000000828BD472&scenario=catalog&shop=OUTLET

pretty nice, i might convince myself to get one for 388 shipped.

[Edited on January 31, 2006 at 3:51 PM. Reason : like 4-5 models under 390]

[Edited on January 31, 2006 at 3:55 PM. Reason : though this review i read says he got a dead tv and they didnt fix it]

1/31/2006 3:48:40 PM

^Where you reading the reviews at? I am interested in doing this instead if it can save me some cash and get me a nice HD set.

1/31/2006 4:33:14 PM

it was some random review from one of those deal-finding sites. was the only reviews, so im not sure how valid it is.

1/31/2006 5:03:50 PM

edit: i did a little looking around since it is a good deal and it seems that the outlet is a real pain in the ass. countless ppl are talking about getting broken tv's and then having philips try and refuse a refund. aparently the average time to get a refund is a couple of months. they have a 90 day warantee, but if you get a shitty one be prepared for a ride.

[Edited on January 31, 2006 at 6:19 PM. Reason : even ebay sellers selling these things have tons of negatives cuz of DOA tv's]

1/31/2006 6:00:36 PM

i would save up for a 34". SD TV is going to look pretty small with the sides cropped

1/31/2006 6:30:10 PM

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=608877

AVS Forum is a good place for opinions on any kind of home theater stuff

1/31/2006 10:01:01 PM

The Magnavox and Phillips are going to be very similar, and the Philips looks like garbage.

You should go to Best Buy to see for yourself, but the Insignia has better picture quality. Plus, the Philips has a goofy menu interface.

1/31/2006 10:07:34 PM

Well I read some awful threads about the service with Philips, so fuck them.

I'd really like about a 34" 16:9 HD set, but I only have like $150 in gift cards and can only spend about 3-400 in cash right now.

1/31/2006 10:09:34 PM

if you dont mind not having flatscreen the samsungs are on sale for 400 and have the same resolution as those.

[Edited on January 31, 2006 at 10:45 PM. Reason : meant widescreen, since the 30" widescreen is prolly similar to 27" when in 4:3]

1/31/2006 10:28:36 PM

I just got a Panasonic HDTV crt widescreen and signed up with TW digital cable. I am not that impressed with HDTV quality on CRT's. I play a lot of xbox and halo 2 looks great. I have a Sony Projection HDTV and here's what I think: Gaming looks a little better on the CRT, but HDTV content looks much better on the large projection TV. Also, standard def channels look much better on the CRT. In the end, I think you should save up some more money and get a LCD or something else

2/1/2006 12:50:48 AM

LCDs are overrated.

A good CRT (like Sony's) will look as good, or better than an LCD.

2/1/2006 12:59:28 AM

Quote :

"A good CRT (like Sony's) will look as good, or better than an LCD."

and I own an lcd

if anyone is willing to trade me a 34" sony XS or XBR crt for my 32" olevia lcd, lemme know.

2/1/2006 2:27:53 AM