26 inch LED TV with 1080p

[MillCreek]

I had not realized how difficult it was to find a 26" LED TV with 1080p resolution.  In stock somewhere at a bricks and mortar store in Seattle.  I see that Newegg has a couple of Vizio refurbished models, and I like the 37" Vizio in the family room.  Any other online place I should be looking?  I tried TigerDirect, Amazon and Newegg.

[RocketMan]

Target has a Vizio 720p unit on sale for $249.
They have a 1080p unit that is currently out of stock online. I'd imagine it will be available again soon.

Disclaimer:  I work for Target, but you know that already.

[cordex]

On that small of a TV, can you really tell the difference between 720p, 1080i and 1080p?

[MillCreek]

On that small of a TV, can you really tell the difference between 720p, 1080i and 1080p?

That's a very good point. Can I?  This will be in the bedroom hooked up to a standard digital cable TV signal (not HD) and to a Panasonic HD Blu-ray player with streaming Net video.  Viewing distance will be about 10 feet.  It will be replacing a 20 + year old Magnavox CRT TV.  Two 50 + year old people will be watching it who wear glasses.

So with that data, is 1080 essentially a waste of money for this application?  The Vizio is 1080 and we can tell it on the blu-ray DVDs. But that viewing distance is about seven feet or so.

[lupinus]

We have a 26 inch 720 in the bedroom and while it doesn't look bad on the HD stations or the blue ray player, I can tell a difference from the 1080 in the living room.

But the living room TV is a reasonably good Vizio and the bedroom TV is a bought it on sale with no bells or whistles (I think..) Sharp. So even aside from the 720vs1080 it may not be a fair apples to apples comparison. But I notice a small difference anyway.

[Frank Castle]

28" Hannspree ST289MUB 1080p Widescreen LCD HDTV - 16:10 10000:1 (Dynamic) 5ms 2 HDMI ATSC/QAM/NTSC Tuners (Black)


http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=ST289MUB-PB-R&cat=TVS

[Devonai]

I have a 21" 720p that I used to bring to work third shift when I was still a security guard.  At that size, 720 is indeed good enough.  Availability notwithstanding, if price becomes a significant factor then I say go with the 720.

[BryanP]

On that small of a TV, can you really tell the difference between 720p, 1080i and 1080p?

From what I've read, 720P is fine up to about the 37" models.  40" and up you can start seeing the difference.  But honestly, I still see 50" 720P sets that look pretty darned good.

[HankB]

. . . This will be in the bedroom hooked up to a standard digital cable TV signal (not HD) and to a Panasonic HD Blu-ray player with streaming Net video.  Viewing distance will be about 10 feet.  It will be replacing a 20 + year old Magnavox CRT TV.  Two 50 + year old people will be watching it who wear glasses.

Are you seriously space-limited?

I'm working now on a 26" monitor (1920 x 1200 resolution), am 50+ and wear glasses, and I wouldn't particularly enjoy watching TV on this at 10 feet - with today's prices, I'd look for something larger.

Who's your cable provider? I have Time Warner standard cable (not digital - no cable box) and I get the local broadcast channels and a few of Time Warner's own in HD -  mostly 1080, a few in 720. I thought most cable providers will supply HD signals of local broadcast channels if their broadcasts were in HD?

[MillCreek]

^^^ I am space limited by the piece of furniture that holds the TV.  I am not going with a wall-mount, replacing the entertainment unit or putting a TV on top of our dressers.  I have been using a 26" CRT TV in the same configuration for over 10 years and am satisfied.  We have the big screen LED HD in another room for movies and such.  And we have Comcast digital that has to connect via a box.

[CNYCacher]

^^^ I am space limited by the piece of furniture that holds the TV.  I am not going with a wall-mount, replacing the entertainment unit or putting a TV on top of our dressers.  I have been using a 26" CRT TV in the same configuration for over 10 years and am satisfied.  We have the big screen LED HD in another room for movies and such.  And we have Comcast digital that has to connect via a box.

Assuming your comcast box has HDMI out: Stop looking in the realm of "Televisions" and look in the realm of "Computer Monitors"  Many of them have built-in speakers, which is all you need in this application.  The difference between a Monitor and a TV is just the presence of speakers and a tv tuner.  Lots of Computer monitors now come in 1080p native resolution (1920x1080)

Also, if you are assuming you need a 26" tv because you are trying to fit it in the space of your 26" CRT, and your CRT was not widescreen format (come to think of it, I can't ever remember seeing a widescreen srt. . . ) then you are in for some fitment issues.  A 26" screen in 16:9 is wider and shorter than a 26" screen in 4:3

On that small of a TV, can you really tell the difference between 720p, 1080i and 1080p?

If his visual cortex is 1/100 the power of his coffee cortex.

[HankB]

As others have said, all else being equal, I doubt you'll be able to see an actual difference at 10' between a 720p and 1080p television; any picture differences will be more a function of panel quality (contrast, dynamic range, color fidelity, viewing angle, etc.), backlighting, and refresh rate than resolution.

Best Buy has a bunch of 26" flat panels, but only one (the Sharp LC-26SV490U) is 1080P . . . and it's only got a 60 Hz refresh rate, which I personally don't find acceptable.

As long as I wasn't planning to use it as a computer monitor, in this size class I'd be more inclined to look for a 720p set with 1) 120 HZ refresh rate; 2) matte finish on screen; 3) decent sound quality.

Also a narrow bezel . . . they vary a bit, so take along a tape measure.  

[MillCreek]

The interior dimensions of the TV space is 29" wide by measure, so I am eyeballing the actual width of any prospective TVs.  Just about all the 26" flat panels are around 25.5 inches wide or so.  I also looked at 32" units, but they are all around 30.5 inches wide. 

And the crappy Comcast box has a coax output. 

[zxcvbob]

You don't have any video source capable of 1080p, so you won't be able to see any difference.  If you get a Blu-ray (sp?) player in the future you might -- so I'd get a 1080p if it cost the same, or maybe $10 more, but I wouldn't pay more than that for it in a set that small.

Do any stations in your area broadcast over the air in HD?  You might get a better picture with an antenna than with the converter box.

(all this from someone still using a 26" CRT television, and seldom watches it.  So I might not know what I'm talking about)

I wonder if anybody makes an intermediate size, like 29" or 30"?  A 26" flat panel is gonna look a lot smaller than a 26" CRT because of the aspect ratio (wide format)

[MillCreek]

I do have a Panasonic 1080 Blu-Ray, so that would be my only 1080 source.

[MillCreek]

Target has a Vizio 720p unit on sale for $249.

I did indeed go with this. You guys persuaded me that for this application there is not much perceptible difference between 720 and 1080 resolution. We have been really happy with the 37" 1080 LED Vizio, so I am favorably disposed towards this brand, especially with the sound quality. Both my wife and I have a high-frequency hearing loss, so being able to boost the treble really helps. So far it is looking pretty good, it fit perfectly in the entertainment center and the price was right as well.

It was of interest to me that there seem to be very few HDTVs with all the bells and whistles under 32".

[RocketMan]

My 401(k) thanks you.

[MillCreek]

My 401(k) thanks you.

I was actually hoping that some way cool system of computer-controlled conveyors and chutes would deliver it to my house in a very logistical fashion, but alas.