[ninefivezero]

So someone is selling a Philips 60PP9202 TV on craigslist for $600.



It however is slightly older, and is only "HD Ready", full specs here: Amazon.com: Philips 60PP9202 Epic 60" HDTV-Ready TV: Electronics

Broadcast Format Supported 1080i (HDTV) • 480p (EDTV) • 480i (SDTV)
Digital TV Standard HDTV-Ready - Requires separate receiver to view HDTV signals.

Ok, so it can do 1080i, that is good (yah, 1080p or whatever is better, but meh) right, but needs a receiver for actual HDTV.

I have digital cable with HDTV, but probably will be mostly watching standard TV and standard DVDs. I know very little about HDTVs, so I need advice, is this a good idea? What can I expect from using it without the HD box, and are they easy and cheap enough to come by, and worth it?

Or, is my fancy Comcast Cable box the HD receiver? It says "HDTV capable" and has all the different outputs, coax, component, HDMI, s-video...

Someone has to know, I'm meeting the guy to look at it tomorrow!

[Mr. Ali]

umm, that looks like CRT projection. i wouldnt spent more then $400 on crt projection with DLP being so cheap these days. ugh, i just noticed its not even 16:9, fuck that.

EDIT: Also, to answer your qestion HDTV Ready means it will output HDTV video but it does not have an over the air tuner so you can hook up a hdtv antenna and get local HDTV channels for free. but if you have cable via comcast and that cable box, you really dont need that tv tuner and you will still get access to all the comcast hdtv channels that you are offered with that tv and cable box. most people dont need it.

[Scooby]

Yeah man, and im many cases 720p looks better than 1080i.

[randomtask]

My tv doesn't have a digital tuner built in, but I couldn't care less. This is because I wanted my PVR anyway.

My Sony PVR has dual HD DVB tuners, meaning watching a channel while recording another. Or better yet, recording 2 channels at once, whilst watching back a previous recording stored on the hard disk. Therefore, if my TV had a built in tuner I more than likely would never use it.

[namelessentity]

You could probably find a cheap LCD for the same price. Are you looking for something huge, or just looking to join the HD world?

HD programming sucks, it's a fucking joke that Comcast makes me pay 10 bucks a month for like 12 channels. If you don't plan of gaming or using it for upscaled/HD DVD/ Blue Ray I wouldn't even bother. Standard programming doesn't look very good on HD sets, so you may even be disappointed with the purchase.

[Torx]

thats not even widescreen!! cant believe non of you mentioned that
skip that one fiddy.

despite what people say.. RPTVs is by far the choice of "video heads" because they put out blacker blacks and crisper whites compared to lcd or dlp. But at the cost, its older technology, takes up more space, and needs to be calibrated and cleaned once a year.

just make sure it comes with an hd tuner, or tv tuner built in.
make sure it has plenty of component inputs(3-4 or more), hdmi(a must), and plenty of other composite inputs. If you buy a RPTV, go see it in person and make sure theres no burn-in. This will show as permanent ghost icons that wont go away.. icons like static tv symbols from channels and such. Make sure theres no bleed-in, which is red outlines on objects or blue outlines on objects(usually can me remedied by calibration or cleaning).

WIDESCREEN. should be no excuse to go widescreen.

EDIT: amazon squished the picture to make it look widescreen but ITS NOT! read the print
Technical Details

* 60-inch projection TV with auto aspect-ratio adaptation; 52.6 x 64.1 x 27 inches (W x D x H)
* Standard 4:3 aspect ratio; 35-point digital convergence

[mistawiskas]

Waste of 600 bux.
Phillips is now owned by LG and the build quality today is much better. Those old projections are crap....pure crap.
for the same price you can get an LCD of 37" that'll fit an apartment much better.
Newegg.com - Olevia Black 37" 16:9 8ms LCD HDTV w/ ATSC Tuner Inside Model 237V - Retail
Newegg.com - HYUNDAI Black/Silver 37" 16:9 8ms LCD HDTV w/ Built-in ATSC Tuner Model E370D - Retail
Or you could go with a "recertified/openbox" for less than 600 and still get the one year warantee.
That thing is monstrously big and would take up half of your living space.

[ninefivezero]

Ok ok, so it was an impulse idea, you have all convinced me not to get it

I guess I'll stick with my old 27" Sony CRT for now

[Torx]

hey now!! my sony rptv has been going strong and has great contrast!
i think fiddy needs to take a trip down to avsforum

whiskas is right, $600 could get you a real nice little setup with money left over to spend.

[ninefivezero]

I read the AVS forum all the time, I just keep to the Audio Area, since that is all I really have much of an interest in Hence why I don't know much about TVs....

So now i just feel like I can blow some money on speakers since I didn't buy the TV, but I should just pay down my credit card instead

[MSP]

I'm still using my old Sony 32' Trinitron, so I'm probably not the guy to ask.

[Torx]

save up for a projector.. im sure your room is crowded with speakers, lol

[Miller]

ill sell you my 52" toshiba for 600$

is 16:9 too

[Chris]

I was never a fan of CRT Projection TV's, they look like complete ass in my opinion. Plasma/LCD gogo.

[mistawiskas]

The newer LCD's are getting good black levels and the manufacturing proccess has brought the prices of display panels down. i'm eyeballing an LG 50" plasma down at the store....no-where to put that monster in my small living room though. i'll probably get something in the 37-42" range for that reason.

[MaesterB]

My 42" rear-projection HDTV will have to do for now. I enjoy watching movies on it, hd cable looks good, and I don't even notice the little yellow dot in the middle anymore.