Why is everyone buying LCD TVs??

By LCD TV, I mean the HD ones.

So really, why? For the non-geek, TV is meant for watching TV. Thats it. No gaming on PS3s, no burning HD clips onto DVDs and certainly no Blu Ray.

I own a 29" CRT TV, which I use to watch TV, thats it. Everything else is done on my PC. So should I be going for an HD LCD TV?

I was considering getting myself a Samsung 32", but I began to wonder what the point was. There is no HD broadcasting to be had, I don't own a 360 or PS3 or a Blu Ray player, so why? Is there any real benefit, apart from vanity?

And btw..won't the picture quality of regular cable be worse on LCDs as compared to CRTs?

What about DTH? I'm ready to invest in Airtel or BigTV or something if it means my daily soaps look better. Which is better? DTH+LCD or DTH+CRT?

Lots of questions, but any replies appreciated

Its a question which has lot of answers.

1) Some buy because they own a PS3 or Xbox 360.

2) Some have money to splurge & hence they buy HD TV.

3) Some want the best possible i.e. they need to be constantly on upfront of technology.

Investing in a DTH service has it benefits in the form of good quality though not anywere near the the 720p or 1080p clips we watch on our computers. Its way better than our regular cable though.

My view is that 90 % of the people who purchase LCD tv in India are actually not aware of 1080p or 720p(akin to 1080i). They just purchase is because of the following reasons:

1. They have surplus bank balance....
2. They have found themselves left out among the colleagues who have already taken LCD tv(reasons unknown)
3. They have seen LCD tv around for a long time now so they feel in the world of upgrades its high time now and next is LCD tv for them.
4. They want to distinguish themselves from the housemaid!!! coz she too has the same TV now unless they have an LCD; their status suffers
5. They have been told that for a home theater the LCD tv is a must.

These views are entirely personal and any co-incidence in this living world are purely co-incidental.

Other wise I have as of now these reasons to hold on

1. No HD transmission so far (Most imp reason)
2. No HD video available(Except for few select cities where u find selected movies or use torrents)
3. Price correction expected as the demand increases(and that will happen when above 2 points are satisfied)
4. Investing today and waiting for the above critereon will make u vulnerable to the technological advancements i.e we found LED tv entering the market instead of CCFL and very soon shall be the time for OLED.
5. LCD tv is more suitable today for places with limited space and higher asthetic requirements. Hence the eligible places are hotels/malls/multiplex/other public places. Wiser would be to wait and watch the conventional CRT at home with higher colour/contrast performance as of now.

LCD's consume a lot lesser power than CRT's. So electricity bills are sure to go down.

Krow said:
LCD's consume a lot lesser power than CRT's. So electricity bills are sure to go down.

If you're willing to spend that much on a TV, a few hundred bucks here and there isn't going to affect you much, is it?

And I've almost dropped the idea of going for an LCD guys. Just one question remains..

LCD+DTH vs. CRT+DTH... which offers better picture quality? Theoretically.. it should be the CRTs right? Coz as far as I know.. the DTH providers broadcast their content in VGA.. which has to be stretched to HD res.. that'll make it look bad right?

I'm a bit of a videophile.. and so a better picture always makes me smile

@ring_wraith - You're better with an 24" or even 26" Full HD LCD monitor if you are a videophile. Drop the idea of HD TV. Also don't go for those hybrid HD TV + LCD.

1.LCD tv consumes lesser power, so longer invertor backup and lesser electricity bills
2.LCD tv takes lesser space.

F

consumes less power
soft on eyes
compact, easy transfer
higher resolution

Well, I guess I've dropped the idea after all. And seeing as its at the least a few years before HD Transmission starts off properly in India.. I might just buy a nice CRT to keep me satiated for a while.

If you are a gamer and have the urge to view your games at the best resolution possible u can go for the 24 or 26" monitor but i dont know how comfortable will it be to see a game in such a large monitor when sittning closer. For this you will have to increase the viewing distance to get the correct and comfortable viewing angle.

If ur need is DTH/Cable tv then i suggest dont go for HD right now. One more thing which i forgot to share and is really funny is,many of those with LCD tv dont realize the difference in 4:3 and 16:9. So they end up stretching the Katrina figure to Munmun by stretching the conventional 4:3 video to 16:9 aspect ratio. If you try to correct them they say that the black space on either side of the video is going waste and this is the main idea of purchasing the LCD TV!!!!!!!! Great na!

Lol @ Katrina and Munmun. :doublethumb:

@ ring_wraith Get one of those slim CRT's for as less as 5k. Should be fine for your needs.

as you mentioned you can spent money on HD DTH
First HD DTH Service
*ratevin.com/story.php?title=SUN_Direct_Launches_HD_DTH_Service_In_India_Sun_Direct_DTH-1

@hansraj.. i truly agree to you.

Well i think its not about LCD only, we buy many things without thinking the actual use of it OR how its gonna help us in true sense. Its mainly because of our "Sheep in a herd" attitude. He bought, they bought, why not I?????

@sude
Its not uncommon to find these kind of people around us about whom ur talking. And I am proud of the fact that those who r the members of this forum are not these kind of "followers" but have the knowledge and quest to know the reality of the things around us in detail.