Look at LCD's also..not a huge DLP fan but for the money you are talking you can get a really nice LCD



Goose

 

I have a 42" Samsung DLP Rear projection that does 720p. A lot of the HD broadcasts I get from cable or OTA are at 1080i, and the Samsung handles it very well. I have no complaints at all with it.

The more expensive one likely has the new LED based light engine. It also has 3 HDMI inputs vs 2 with the cheaper one.

One of the nice things about DLP TVs is that you do not have any issues with screen burn-in.

 

No burn in with LCD either..that is plasma and they have really come along so that really isn't too much of an issue unless you have it on 24 x 7



Goose

 

Just picked up a Sony Bravia KDL-40VL130 (Flat Panel HD LCD). Has 1080 resolution and the picture is outstanding!!

Go with the higher resolution! Maybe a bit more, but worth it!

 

See the thing is, I just got a 2 grand bonus for finishing this huge job, and the list of stuff that I want/need is adding up.

TV - That's $1000-1600. I'll also need a stand for it.

I need tires for my car. I never got them rotated and the fronts are almost completely bald. Driving in the rain is hazardous.

And the XBox 360, and more than likely I won't get the elite since I have all this other stuff. So that's $400-500 (with games).

So, even though I would love to have the 1080p, I'll probably have to go with the cheaper of the two. Unless... I go through Rimco and do a payment plan on the tires... Hmm...

 

I got my 42" DLP at Costco in February for $999 (CDN funds when our dollar sucked), and that included the stand.

 

Don't short change yourself on the tires. You're in Enid, So I'm guessing winter worthy ones are not a priority.
These ALL season F1 Goodyears seem worth a look:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....+F1+All+Season

There is even a thread on them here:

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/tires-wheels-49/i-tried-new-goodyear-f1-all-season-10290/

Good luck in your quest, but put'em on a charge and gtet a new HD TV with 1080P and be done with it. They are all so good now, but LCD has come a long way. The blacks are finally black, not just dark gray like the sets of a few years ago.

A Rear projection TV like a DLP or Sony LCOS look nice as well, with no burn in , but they have off axis viewing compromises and take up more room than an LCD or Plasma TV.

We have A Sony LCOS 60" and love it, but regular standard def TV can show its short comings depending upon the channel you are viewing. We have the 360 and the PS#. We play Marvel Alliance ( Of course ) on the 360 and have no games for the PS3. Got the PS3 because it is and was the best Bluray player for the money. It is quite good. I'm more into movies than games, and for Guitar Hero, I pull out my Les Pauls and crank 'em!

The PS3 is about to have a special new version made at $399, so that may be of interest to you.

The 360 has a $179.00 add-on to play HDDVDs. We have that too, so if either camp releases something we are covered.

Bluray and HDDVD prices need to get lower to gain any market penetration. Also, a well made DVD upsamples quite well in the PS3 ( GREAT upsampling software ) and looks quite nice on an HD TV. Most people are satified with DVD so I'm not sure either HD optical disc design will prevail or become much more than a niche' market filler like Laser disc was.


It seems the 360 has the better game batch, for now.

 

They're not expecting a horrible winter this year, no. It's never really that bad. Only a couple of bigger snows a year. 2 years ago it was 70 degrees on Christmas But last year, I got stuck a couple of times, mainly on hills when I was at a dead stop, but I slid alot too. Nothing seriously dangerous, just the occasional little ice patch. But I definitely don't need like extreme winter tires... High performance all-seasons is more my ticket..

And the bigger selection of games is what is enticing me. Plus that game "Rock Band" will be coming out on the 20th... SWEEEET!!!!!!!!

 

The only problem with this new version coming out is that it will not have the compatibility software in it to play PS1 and PS2 games.

It will only play PS3 games (and has Blue-Ray DVD player if that interests you).

 

I'm actually considering getting a Wii for my son, but of course I will play it as well. We have a PS2 now and love it, but my son loves the new control system the Wii has, and it is only $250. I'm a big fan of the Ratchet and Clank games, and will buy a PS3 later, when the price comes down and more games are available.