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I tagged on to a thread in General, but this looks likes a better fit.
I am looking for a 50-55" HDTV. I bought a Sony KDF-E50A10, 50" HD LCD TV like 10 years ago. It is not bad, and it has been durable, but it has cut out twice in the last year. I vacuumed it out, re-set it and it is still working, but I am thinking of upgrading and moving it into the basement for the kids Xbox.
I had zero'd in the LG LEDs and had kind of discounted the Plasma. My opening size is 53w x 42t so a 60" is out. I want to stay under $800 (about half of what I paid for the Sony0. I am looking at ChromeCast as opposed to a SmartTV. The LG brand is kind of where I ended up, a 55" LED or a 50" Plasma. I hear the Panasonic Plasma is the best, but is it really...still?
My ultimate goal is to discontinue Satellite and watch HD over the air and on-line. Any and all advice appreciated as you guys seem to be a lot more direct than the crappy on-line reviews. TIA.
hurley842002
11-25-2013, 13:50
Tagged for info as well. We just gave up Direct because they couldn't get a signal at our new place. We are planning on going strictly HD over the air. Hopefully we can get enough best buy gift cards for Christmas to help out with a large portion of a television purchase.
Planning on picking up the Chromecast dongle this weekend.
Well, lets hope we get some good advice.
tech bargins and slick deal is your best friend! find a good deal on smart TV and you can get off air locals in HD.
Since i am in the industry, i get all my TV for free... but its amazing how much paid TV is monthly.
I just picked up a 1080p 120hz 39" TV for the guest bedroom for $228. Hoping to get rid of all the CRT TVs this year and go all flat screens.
Micro Center in the DTC is a good source for deals as well
Given a model number, I can find a good deal. I am really looking at WHAT is the best bang for the buck, or at least 800 of them or so. What technology is the best value long term?
blacklabel
11-25-2013, 19:43
I've had a Samsung 50" Plasma 720p for 7 years now with absolutely no problems. Our next TV will be a 60-65" Samsung plasma as well. I haven't looked at models as I'm not in the market but you can't go wrong with a Samsung plasma in my book.
hurley842002
11-25-2013, 20:27
Given a model number, I can find a good deal. I am really looking at WHAT is the best bang for the buck, or at least 800 of them or so. What technology is the best value long term?
I can at least give you an opinion on the last flat screen I had, tho I can't compare it to much.
It was a 50" Panasonic viero. I'm not sure if it was considered a "smart" TV, but it had Pandora, Netflix, YouTube, Facebook, and a few other programs pre installed.
It was only a 720p plasma, but it had amazing picture. I may go back to a viero but in 1080.
Guess I will go with a 51" Samsung Plasma.
hurley842002
11-27-2013, 18:12
Here in a few minutes I'm going to run to best buy and see if they have the Chromecast dongle in stock, if so I'll give my first impressions on that.
Here in a few minutes I'm going to run to best buy and see if they have the Chromecast dongle in stock, if so I'll give my first impressions on that.
That would be awesome. Thanks!
I thought the collective would give me so much advice I'd need a day to sort it out, but it has been a bit sparse on this thread...
hurley842002
11-27-2013, 20:14
That would be awesome. Thanks!
I thought the collective would give me so much advice I'd need a day to sort it out, but it has been a bit sparse on this thread...
No problem!
So I got the last device in the store, just set it up, and WOW awesome! I should have done this sooner, even with a cable/satellite provider, for $35 this is a no brainer.
I can stream all my Google play music, which alleviates my need for a bluetooth stereo.
Google play movies/TV allows me to see any episode of the walking dead, or any other hit television show (at a price of course), which basically let's me hand pick my shows, instead of paying for tons of channels I don't need.
For $16 a month I've got Netflix and Hulu plus, along with you tube and a few other things.
Chromecast is adding new programs at a fairly rapid pace, and the device automatically updates.
So far, for being only 30 minutes into it, I'm sold!
ChromeCast...can you get Amazon Prime movies and other media on it as well?
In that price range, yes Panasonic plasma is still the best.. However.. they are running out and Panasonic is leaving the plasma business. What is left on the shelves will likely be it and we will be stuck with inferior LED/LCDs until OLED or something else steps up to the plate which I don't see happening for the next few years.
Thanks. Bought a Samsung Plasma yesterday. Got a great deal on it and it had some of the highest ratings in the size.
Thanks. Bought a Samsung Plasma yesterday. Got a great deal on it and it had some of the highest ratings in the size.
Which model did you get? I am hoping to pick up a flat screen soon myself.
Which model did you get? I am hoping to pick up a flat screen soon myself.
Samsung 51" 5300 Series Full HD Plasma TV
$527 from B&H shipped. Only one I found cheaper was a store display model in Utah. ChromeCast is on the way too.
That sounds like a good deal. Who is B & H?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4
That sounds like a good deal. Who is B & H?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/
They started out just selling mail-order mid to high end photography many years ago. Now they offer almost all consumer and prosumer electronics at great prices. Very good to deal with.
jerrymrc
12-01-2013, 15:07
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/
They started out just selling mail-order mid to high end photography many years ago. Now they offer almost all consumer and prosumer electronics at great prices. Very good to deal with.
My A-1 Canon came from them 30 years ago. Good people.
Got everything hooked up, really pleased. ChromeCast is pretty cool. Never knew there was a RedbullTV channel. :)
Anyone with ChromeCast know if there is an app yet, or planned for live sports? I got WatchESPN, but it is reliant on having a Cable or Dish provider. If I could get Avalanche and Rockies, I would be set.
I hear the Panasonic Plasma is the best, but is it really...still?
After 19 years in the business.. yes it is.
sent from a soup can and some string..
If you are going chrome cast route take the time and build a plex server if you have the technical ability. That way you can throw on about any movie from sources shall we say "less than legal"? and stream them to your TV and other devices (tablets,pcs,phones etc.)
Wanted to do a little update...
I got a cheap HDTV antennae for the TV in the gun room, and a micro PC. It works pretty good and I can watch OTA HD and it is really good quality. Then I hooked up the ChromeCast, it was okay, but not marvelous. Since I got it a year ago, they have added a lot to it and I can now cast from any device (music, photos, my content, etc) running Chrome as a browser. I have figured out how to do pretty much everything I want except sports that are not network broadcast. I also got a FireStickTV dongle and I think I actually like it better than than Chromecast, but I use Amazon Prime so that increases the value there. I did end up getting a better HDTV antennae for the main TV. My wife really wants a DVR, so I am looking at getting one that will record OTA live HDTV so she can record her shows and watch them when she wants. So for about $300 or so in total hardware, I have a wider selection, the shows we wanted and no monthly bill.
I was able to get some sports, but not everything. It looks to be better in 2015 than it was a year ago, but then a few Rockies games a few Avs games and the Broncos are about the only sports I watch anymore.
Sling Television, just announced as a sister company of DishNetwork looks to be the final piece of the puzzle for me. $20/month with no contract for live sports and several other channels.
Honestly, I have no idea why anyone would keep Dish, Comcast or Direct with the options available in 2015. I am not a tech genius, but I was able to figure it all out with about 10 hours of research and 5 hours of configuration and set-up over the course of a year. I am sure there are others interested, and still others that are WAY beyond me, but this thread has had so few responses, I figure I will at least outline what I have and what I am doing with it all. I looked at the Roku a little, but the Chrome and Amazon integration seemed easier to me for what I choose.
First, I have a Samsung Plasma as the main TV that has two HDMI ports. One has a Chromecast ($30) in it, the other a FireTV ($20) stick. I took down my Dish Satellite and replaced it with an RCA outdoor DTV OTA antennae ($50) and connected the cable from the Satellite dish to the antennae. I also have a Tablo OTA DVR with USB connected HDD. The antennae connects directly to the Tablo which I then use to tune the OTA stations. Our smart phones control all of the devices and apps, the ChromeCast, the FireTV Stick and the Tablo. The Tablo streams any of the live or recorded OTA stations through the ChromeCast, to our smartphones, tablet or PC that is on the network. It is really pretty cool and seemed like the best combination to be able to watch live, as well as record, network TV for no fees. ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and about 25 other stations, some I have never heard of that are pretty cool, come through the Tablo. From the Tablo app, tap on a station to watch, tap on a show to record.
I have Amazon Prime through work, so that was a pretty simple choice to add the FireTV stick. Since I run the Chrome browsers, casting my PC or laptop screens to the HDTV is pretty cool there. I can also play my entire music library from Amazon.
The only downside I see it that the Tablo requires a $4.99/month or $149 Liftetime fee for access to their menu based recording app. But you can still watch live and record manually if you don't want to do that.
So, I went from about a $90/month DishNetwork bill to $0/month for the total cost of about $500 and right now, the only thing I can not get is the ESPN stations, and for $20/month, I will probably do that in the winter months. I have not added up all the content, but it is easily tripple what we had. I also prefer the searchable menus on the smart phones to find the shows/content I want. Just looking for stuff, we have enjoyed watching some of the movies we enjoyed as kids/teenagers with our kids.
How I started was with ChromeCast and DishNetwork and slowly, we found shows and content we wanted through apps or online streaming. Then I put my DishNetwork into a suspended mode ($5/month) for 6 months and we watched the DVR shows that we had recorded and started using the Tablo for live TV.
I hope this helps someone. While I am sure the 20 somethings have the whole digital age all figured out, I never used a computer until college, and it had punch cards, really. Satellite TV seemed easy, and while I know we all watch too much of the crap, there are shows the wife and I enjoy. I decided last year that the I was going to learn what I needed and figure out how to get rid of Satellite/cable and still get the content I wanted. From what I have learned and seen over the past year, if I had a job reliant on Satellite/Cable I would be looking for a job real quick.
Mark,
Do you need a separate Chromecast stick for each TV?
What would you lose without the Firestick?
hurley842002
01-09-2015, 20:25
Mark,
Do you need a separate Chromecast stick for each TV?
What would you lose without the Firestick?
If you don't mind moving the chromecast from tv to tv, then one is fine, which is what we do, but I'm over it and about to buy another one, or get the Amazon option.
You can move it. The Fire gives me Amazon prime video, some games, apps and music not on Chrome Cast.
if u got a streaming device one of these downloads is the hot ticket for streaming tv...might have to jailbreak your d
kodi.tv/download
search the youtube for kodi and xbmc. joenobody and spoonfed productions make helpful guides....
trlcavscout
01-12-2015, 07:40
Sling Television, just announced as a sister company of DishNetwork looks to be the final piece of the puzzle for me. $20/month with no contract for live sports and several other channels.
Honestly, I have no idea why anyone would keep Dish, Comcast or Direct with the options available in 2015. I am not a tech genius, but I was able to figure it all out with about 10 hours of research and 5 hours of configuration and set-up over the course of a year. I am sure there are others interested, and still others that are WAY beyond me, but this thread has had so few responses, I figure I will at least outline what I have and what I am doing with it all. I looked at the Roku a little, but the Chrome and Amazon integration seemed easier to me for what I choose.
First, I have a Samsung Plasma as the main TV that has two HDMI ports. One has a Chromecast ($30) in it, the other a FireTV ($20) stick. I took down my Dish Satellite and replaced it with an RCA outdoor DTV OTA antennae ($50) and connected the cable from the Satellite dish to the antennae. I also have a Tablo OTA DVR with USB connected HDD. The antennae connects directly to the Tablo which I then use to tune the OTA stations. Our smart phones control all of the devices and apps, the ChromeCast, the FireTV Stick and the Tablo. The Tablo streams any of the live or recorded OTA stations through the ChromeCast, to our smartphones, tablet or PC that is on the network. It is really pretty cool and seemed like the best combination to be able to watch live, as well as record, network TV for no fees. ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and about 25 other stations, some I have never heard of that are pretty cool, come through the Tablo. From the Tablo app, tap on a station to watch, tap on a show to record.
I have Amazon Prime through work, so that was a pretty simple choice to add the FireTV stick. Since I run the Chrome browsers, casting my PC or laptop screens to the HDTV is pretty cool there. I can also play my entire music library from Amazon.
The only downside I see it that the Tablo requires a $4.99/month or $149 Liftetime fee for access to their menu based recording app. But you can still watch live and record manually if you don't want to do that.
So, I went from about a $90/month DishNetwork bill to $0/month for the total cost of about $500 and right now, the only thing I can not get is the ESPN stations, and for $20/month, I will probably do that in the winter months. I have not added up all the content, but it is easily tripple what we had. I also prefer the searchable menus on the smart phones to find the shows/content I want. Just looking for stuff, we have enjoyed watching some of the movies we enjoyed as kids/teenagers with our kids.
How I started was with ChromeCast and DishNetwork and slowly, we found shows and content we wanted through apps or online streaming. Then I put my DishNetwork into a suspended mode ($5/month) for 6 months and we watched the DVR shows that we had recorded and started using the Tablo for live TV.
I hope this helps someone. While I am sure the 20 somethings have the whole digital age all figured out, I never used a computer until college, and it had punch cards, really. Satellite TV seemed easy, and while I know we all watch too much of the crap, there are shows the wife and I enjoy. I decided last year that the I was going to learn what I needed and figure out how to get rid of Satellite/cable and still get the content I wanted. From what I have learned and seen over the past year, if I had a job reliant on Satellite/Cable I would be looking for a job real quick.
The reason most people will always pay a service provider is because they don't want to have to research, install, and maintain their own stuff. They want to pay $100 a month for cable, phone, and internet and have someone else do all the work. Most people won't troubleshoot simple stuff like the tv being on the wrong input, they will wait two days for a tech to come out and change that input for them. More and more people are useing Roku, and apple boxes etc, then when it quits or they can't figure stuff out and that provider can't help them they call their cable/satellite provider for help because they are lost. Even the younger college age kids, which are actually the worst at troubleshooting abilities, will call a service provider and pay a $70 service call before they try changing the batteries in the remote. But then again IT guys will pay a $99 service call for internet speed problems before they even see if the problem is with their equipment. The people that will spend the time and effort to maintain their own home entertainment set ups are few and far between.
Well, I guess I have an idea, still does not make sense to me, but then I have not been accused of being normal very many times. :)
trlcavscout
01-12-2015, 10:17
I totally agree with you, and I would not pay for service I didn't need to either, but most people are "hands off" and just want it to work. Another funny thing I notice is that people would rather pay $100 a month then to pay a one time $500 expense.
It took me a year, and I stretched it out, over a year. I think if a person was tech savvy, they could spend $500 and get it all done in a day.
It took me a year, and I stretched it out, over a year. I think if a person was tech savvy, they could spend $500 and get it all done in a day.
Took me two days - yesterday PM and today - from when I received the Tablo and Chromecast, to get it all operational. If Dish had not sent me certificates for 2 free movies, I'd be calling them today to place my account in suspended mode. Here is my configuration:
Previously Owned Equipment:
* Panasonic Plasma 50" HDTV
* Yamaha AV Receiver
* Android Smartphone
* Kindle Fire HDX Tablet
* Antennas Direct DB4 OTA Rooftop Antenna
* Samsung Blu-Ray Player w/native apps for Amazon, VUDU, Netflix and others
New Equipment Purchased:
* Tablo Quad Tuner
* Chromecast
* Toshiba Canvio 2TB Portable hard drive
New Equipment On Order:
* ASUS Android Tablet - only because the Tablo App for the Kindle does not currently work with the Chromecast
I first connected the Chromecast to the Yamaha receiver on one of the available HDMI-In slots. Once installed, the rest of the setup was a snap. It took at most 5 minutes to get the Chromecast device fully operational.
Next up was the Tablo. I already had the OTA antenna installed on the roof/chimney (been intending to use OTA signals since they were still broadcasting them from downtown Denver). I also had already installed the Tablo App on both the Kindle and the Smartphone. Connected the coax to the Tablo and moved the ethernet cable from the Dish box to the Tablo. Connected the USB hard drive and then powered it on. First tried to connect to the Tablo thru the Kindle App, but it kept losing connection. Went to the Tablo App on the Android phone and was successful with getting the Tablo configured within just a few minutes. From there it was a matter of the Tablo formatting the hard drive and downloading the Program Guide - both done in the background. There was a bit of a learning curve with getting the Tablo App on the smartphone to cast to the Chromecast. In fact, I learned the Kindle App simply does NOT work with Chromecast presently - and the Android App is a bit buggy. Fortunately, the Web App from my laptop worked perfectly.
At this point all 4 Tablo tuners are in use and recording, and have played back several of the recorded programs. While I think the Kindle will be fine for viewing, my primary interest in the tablet app was to act as a smart remote for the Tablo and for the receiver. I decided to spend the extra money for a new Android tablet running the latest version of Android (4.4) and will add an IR capability so that it can control all the devices from one small 'box.'
So tallying up the costs to get it running (not including smartphone and HDTV) looks like this:
* Tablo 4-tuner $270
* Chromecast $30
* Toshiba Canvio 2TB hard drive $95
* Antennas Direct antenna $90
Just a bit less than $500.
We will use the Blu-Ray player for access to Amazon and VUDU. At some point the Tablo people plan to create an App for the Fire Stick which would simplify things slightly. A couple of things my kids will miss from Dish are Nickelodeon and Disney channel. I'm exploring options to see how I can get these, but if not, there is still plenty of programming available.
Thanks to Mark for initiating this thread. While it has cost me some time and money in the short-term, being able to dump Dish and their $100+ monthly bills will pay off quickly.
DHC, how does the Antennas Direct Antenna work for you?
I bought a RCA mast style, then bought the amplifier...it was worse. I ended up returning the $75 worth of RCA stuff and am using a flat panel RCA 360 degree in house one that gets me two more channels than I am "supposed" to be able to get. About $30, direct attach to the Tablo, and almost all in full 1080HD.
SamuraiCO
01-27-2015, 13:13
The wife and I have wanted to get a newer smart TV. Can't think of a better reason than to cut the satellite bill as well.
DHC, how does the Antennas Direct Antenna work for you?
I bought a RCA mast style, then bought the amplifier...it was worse. I ended up returning the $75 worth of RCA stuff and am using a flat panel RCA 360 degree in house one that gets me two more channels than I am "supposed" to be able to get. About $30, direct attach to the Tablo, and almost all in full 1080HD.
I am using an older Antennas Direct DB4. It brings in all the stations from Lookout Mountain at excellent signal strength (about 30 miles away). Couple of days ago I put a 3-way splitter on the unamplified coax cable and the Tablo connection still reads all channels with excellent signal strength - the only exception being channel 59 which is now moderate strength.
The newer version of the antenna I have is called the ClearStream 2V (https://www.antennasdirect.com/store/ClearStream-2V-UHF-VHF-Long-Range-Indoor-Outdoor-DTV-Antenna.html).
BTW, the reason for the splitter is I now feed the cable to; (a) the Tablo for recording, (b) the HDTV for appointment viewing and (c) the HD Radio input on the receiver. I was surprised to learn of so many OTA HD radio signals on sidebands of the more popular stations.
IHTH
PS - you can order that ClearView antenna from your local Walmart. They even have them on the shelf in a few. FYI
Another update. I got the SlingTV (about 8 channels for $20/month). If you order and pay for 3 months, get a FireStick for Free. Will try it for a few months and see how much I actually use it. Dropped the home phone and DSL and got the Comcast internet. All told I went from about $180/month to $40/month and have a lot more options.
Been getting about 55M down and 5.5M up from Comcast which is more than 5 times what I was getting from CenturyLink for about the same price.
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