Upgrading to HDTV

Greetings people

This is my very first thought to connect something big and shiny to my macbook pro so i need advices and opinions.
I got few ideas:
1. Seeing that most tvs got lower resolution then native resolution on my macbook pro i am thinking that i might be able to play games without much stress on video card.
2. I am planning to buy ps3 as well.

So whats good now? What lives long, got good image quality and lets say somewhere around $700-$1000. LED, LCD, Plasma, whatever?
Obviously the bigger the better.

In fact i wasnt watching tv (and dont have one) for more then ten years so i am completely lost.

Ty!

 

A few things:

1) Bigger is not better. It is very possible to buy a TV that is too large, especially with a budget of $700 - $1000. I don't know how far away you plan on sitting from your screen, but be sure to estimate that distance first.

2) To give you an idea, the smallest practical HDTV size you want to look at is going to be 32". These will start at around $400 - $500 for a decent model, and will require you to sit at least 4 feet back to get a comfortable viewing distance. If you are sitting closer than a minimum of 4', you will seriously start getting eyestrain.

Some manufacturers do sell 27" and 24" 1080p (more on what 1080p means), but you are going to have a much smaller selection. When you start getting down into that size range, you should seirously consider whether you need an HDTV or a monitor.


3) Whatever you do buy, be sure it is 1080p resolution. 1080p translates into 1920x1080 resolution. You absolutely want to stay away from the less expensive 720p / 1080i HDTV sets (1366x768). The resolution is so low on those displays that it will make reading text unpleasurable.

Note that a 1080p resolution (1920x1080) is a *HIGHER* native resolution than a 15" Macbook Pro.


4) Your laptop is most likely DVI output, whereas your HDTV will most likely be HDMI input. This is not a problem. You can easily buy converter cables that convert DVI --> HDMI from a place like Monoprice.com for $5-$10. If you pay anything more for a cable, you are getting ripped off (which means do not buy Monster Cable).



Now that is out of the way, you will want at least a 32" 1080p HDTV LCD. Plasma has gone out of favor (and doesn't come in HDTV sets that small).

You will occasionally find HDTVs that are labeled as "LED backlit" or "edge lit" sets (less common on smaller 32" HDTVs, but commonly found on larger HDTV sets). Those features are a nice-to-have, but don't bend over backwards looking for HDTV sets with those features. The idea is that those features have the *potential* to provide better image quality or a thinner profile. But the reality is that there are several manufacturers & models that use the traditional CCFL ("regular" LCD backlighting) so well, that they actually provide superior image quality.

 

I choose a LG 37" HDTV with 1920x1080.
I love that its a matte screen and its fully open to tweaking.

My friend owns a 40" Sony but that wont play nice with my notebook.
For some reason the image turns into a purple shade after 5 to 10 minutes of usage.

But since you use a Macbook Pro you might need a displayport to hdmi adapter.

 

hmm... getting bigger resolution slightly kills the purpose of connecting it to notebook, but i guess i can at least get some ps3 or xbox for it.

Any advices as to some specific models?
I can sit as far from it as i want via moving armchair away from the wall (i guess i got at least 4-5 meters to work with)

 

There are a few on-line calculators that will help you figure out the size of hdtv screen based on how far away you'll be sitting. Lets you get the right sized screen so that your head and eyes aren't constantly scanning left/right.

Human vision has some very specific limits.......

 

I am pretty sure that i can handle sizes within my budget quite easily anyway.
32 to 42 that is. So just need to pick a good model )