Can anyone give TV buying advice?

[Indoor66]

Amen, brother, amen. The 'exit interview' with Comcast as I turned in my hardware was pure joy.

Comcast Schlub: So, you're giving the FIOS thing a try. Would you mind telling me why?
Me: Well, I get 2x your internet speed, 10 more HD channels, 50 more movie channels, and it costs me $40 less per month.

What are your internet upload/download speeds? I use Comcast in Broward County, FL.

I ran the free PCPitstop tests (http://www.pcpitstop.com/internet/default.asp) and got these results:

Download speed: 5287 kilobits per second

Upload speed: 379 kilobits per second

[billybreen]

What are your internet upload/download speeds? I use Comcast in Broward County, FL.

I ran the free PCPitstop tests (http://www.pcpitstop.com/internet/default.asp) and got these results:

Download speed: 5287 kilobits per second

Upload speed: 379 kilobits per second

I consistently get downloads of 20000 kbps and uploads of 1500 kbps. My previous Comcast connection was really good for cable as I was getting about 13000 kbps down.

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

Does anyone have any experience with DirecTV's HD DVR? I picked up a second HD TV over the holiday and it's now time to step up to HD, but I haven't decided whether to stay with DirecTV (using one of the old Tivo DirecTV boxes with it) or switch over to Time Warner (our only cable choice).

I just my DirecTV HR-21 installed the other week. So far it works very well, with much of the search capabilities of the SD DirecTivo I previously used. I'm still getting used to it, but I like what I've seen so far. The expanded HD channels are great.

I'll be happy to answer any questions about it.

[Clipsfan]

I just my DirecTV HR-21 installed the other week. So far it works very well, with much of the search capabilities of the SD DirecTivo I previously used. I'm still getting used to it, but I like what I've seen so far. The expanded HD channels are great.

I'll be happy to answer any questions about it.

I'm glad to hear that, as the reviews on the internet for their various HD-DVR products aren't all that good. I did decide to stay with DirecTV and I'll be getting the upgrade in a couple weeks. I can't wait.

[Methodistman]

We bought a Sharp 42" 1080p from Sam's Club (LC62C42U). It was absolutely amazing, however, after a couple of months we did begin to have problems. Sharp sent out a rep who serviced it, but could not fix it (in the middle of the screen there was a vertical band that slightly distorted the picture), so Sharp gave me a brand new one of the exact same model. Obviously something was wrong with the first one, because the 2nd one has been even better from the moment we turned it on. Even the factory settings have provided a better picture.

BIG helpful tip: If you have a Star Wars DVD (or many others, I think most Disney DVD's also have this), then in the main menu screen, look for the "THX Optimizer" - this is a step by step way to make sure your TV is calibrated properly, and pretty simple to follow.

[hc5duke]

Philips is having a refurbished HDTV sale - use coupon "SELECT-0408":

http://www.dealsea.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=16839

42" and above Flat TV
50PFP5332D/37B 50" Plasma flat HDTV $1,099.99 $699.99
47PFL7422D/37B 47" 1080p LCD flat HDTV $1,299.99 $749.99
42PFL7422D/37B 42" 1080p LCD flat HDTV $949.99 $649.99
42PFL5332D/37B 42" Pixel Plus 3 LCD flat HDTV $849.99 $599.99
42MF437B/37B 42" Magnavox 1080p LCD flat HDTV $899.99 $579.99

19" - 37" Flat TV
37PFL5322D/37B 37" LCD flat HDTV $699.99 $459.99
37PFL5332D/37B 37" LCD flat HDTV $699.99 $459.99
26PFL5302D/37B 26" LCD flat HDTV $499.99 $299.99
26MD357B/37B 26" Magnavox LCD flat HDTV with DVD $449.99 $279.99
26MF337B/27B 26" Magnavox LCD flat HDTV $399.99 $259.99
19MD357B/37B 19" Magnavox LCD flat HDTV with DVD $299.99 $189.99
19PFL5422D/27B 19" LCD flat HDTV $299.99 $179.99

Some of these might be sold out. I just bought the 42" 1080p LCD for $650 (+tax+ship = $750).

comes with a 90-day warranty; I don't think Philips has an official "dead-pixel policy", which kinda scares me, but the price was too good to pass up.