The Scrounger's Guide to Cheap Satellite HD TV

[linuxman]

I got my Vantage 1100S receiver a couple of weeks ago and have been scanning the skies with no problems since.

The only issue I ran into was my 15 year old 27" Phillips TV. I sit about 15 feet from where the TV is, and I found that I wasn't able to read the information on the "Info" screen without getting up and walking closer to the TV.

That started me to thinking about how to go about getting a bigger TV, and if I was going bigger, why not something that would display the nice HD channels the Vantage was finding.

I remembered the "Scrounger's Guide to Satellite TV" that I had read somewhere when I got into this hobby, and I think it was Hermitman who provided a copy for me almost 3 years ago. I posted a copy below for those who have not read it. It opens in Wordpad with a nice format.

I took that guide to heart, especially hunting for satellite equipment. You can read for yourself my "Adventures In Dish Hunting" threads in the C-Band section.

So I thought, how can I go about finding a cheap way to get a bigger TV for my receiver? Some of you might be saying to yourself at this point, why have an FTA HD receiver if I don't have a TV to display it on? Or you could be saying, how can I afford an HD receiver and an HD TV?

Well, the answer is simple.

Scrounge!!!!

HD FTA receiver prices are dropping like rocks. You can get great FTA receivers for $100.00 on Ebay, and I am about to show you how to get an HDTV for really cheap.

I went to my local Craig's List for St. Louis and just typed in TV in the search. There are right now over 1000 TVs listed in the past 6 days, and there are many "older technology" TVs listed. The economy is bad, and if people aren't using these older units any more, they are shucking them for whatever they can get. If you want to spend up to $350.00, you can get Plasmas. :yikes:

"Older Technology" means rear projection, Big Screen HD TVs for as little as $150.00 and cheaper. Some of them are free for the pickup and hauling away, but most of them need work of some kind or another. After doing some research, most of the problems can be fixed with relatively inexpensive parts bought online and put in yourself.

My electronics neighbor across the street tells me these older huge TVs were designed to be fixed in the field. The technician goes in with a repair kit of boards etc. and fixes it on the spot. The service manuals are available, and probably half the guys on this forum can do electronics of one type or another.

I watched for about a week, and inquired about several of them and settled on a particular model. Just remember to do your research. Big does not always equal 1080i display. There are lots of huge TVs out there that only do 480i.

The model for sale was a Toshiba 42h82. I posted a picture below. The guy wanted $150.00 for it, but guaranteed it to work. I didn't want to have to immediately work on the TV, so I was looking for one that worked at the outset.

The other thing to remember is that these types of TVs are "BIG", and "HEAVY". They also "NEED" to be transported upright.

The one I got was 46.5 inches tall and weighs about 80 pounds. If it is bigger, it will be taller, and much heavier. I had to borrow a box trailer from a buddy to haul mine home, but my Son and I had no problems lifting and carrying it.

I actually paid $100.00 for mine. We got it home, and hooked it up using only component video since this one was before HDMI inputs.

All I can say is WOW. It works great!!! It pulls in all the HD TV channels that my Vantage can display with an excellent picture in 1080i. It is a 42" screen, and I am ecstatic!!

So now along with "Dish Hunting", you can start "TV Hunting" too.

Here are the Scrounger's Guide, and a stock pic of my "Cheap" HD TV.

EDIT: I forgot to say that I can now see the "Info" screen information without a problem.



View attachment the-scroungers-guide-to-satellite-tv.txt

 

[turbosat]

Thanks Linuxman, that is good info. Maybe that would be the answer to my "small print" problem too, lol.

 

[riffjim4069]

Before we moved to Dallas I gave away my 55" Mitsubishi Diamond CRT RPTV (circa 2002) to my wife's friend who did not have an HDTV. The set was in like new condition and non-professionally calibrated (that would be me), but it still looked better than any of the DLP or LCD TVs we've owned since. I wanted to keep the set, but I didn't think it would fare well during the 1260 mile journey. Since it is "uncool" to own something other than a flat-pannel TV these days, I can honestly say there are a lot of gems to be found out there at rock bottom prices...free! Additionally, I gave away a 36 RCA tube TV back in 2006 that we no longer used, and I just gave away my parents 36 Toshiba tube TV after putting in a 52" Sony Bravia. So there are probably a lot of really good 32-36" CRTs that can be had by just having the muscle to haul them away.

 

[tvropro]

I didn't totally scrounge my way into HDTV but I get a smokin deal. When I bought my 32" LCD Sharp Aquos in February I was looking at the 720p non Aquos model for $499.00 on sale. The guy offered me the floor model 1080p Aquos for $500.00 with a full one year warranty parts and labor. The thing was cherry so I thought about it a bit and went for it. I saved $450.00 over the normal retail price. So I guess in a way I sort of scrounged it.

 

[GreatFTA]

Back in '85, I bought my first satellite system for $600. My father-in-law knew I wanted a system. He knew a dealer from a town 50 miles away and the dealer told my father-in-law he will give me a great deal.
So two friends and I went there. Out of this deal I got a used receiver, LNA, and a brand new solid 8 foot Odum dish with mount/pole! For $600! I hired a local installer to install it. I watch him do the aiming and all.
Since then, I had installed several systems myself, and now, do the FTA stuff myself, after buying my first FTA/4DTV system for $400!
I learned to be a bargain hunter on everything. The way things are now days, it pays to be a scrounger.
Today I still use my 8 foot Odum dish for my 4DTV/FTA system.

 

[GreatFTA]

Last year I bought my Phillip 50" DLP HDTV for $600. The tv was only 1 1/2 years old. It retailed for $1400 when new...

 

[TRG]

I didn't totally scrounge my way into HDTV but I get a smokin deal. When I bought my 32" LCD Sharp Aquos in February I was looking at the 720p non Aquos model for $499.00 on sale. The guy offered me the floor model 1080p Aquos for $500.00 with a full one year warranty parts and labor. The thing was cherry so I thought about it a bit and went for it. I saved $450.00 over the normal retail price. So I guess in a way I sort of scrounged it.

Great deal tvropro! I recently got a 32" LCD Sharp Aquos from Costco. The set was $479 minus an $80 coupon for a grand total of $399. Its 720P but that's fine for what use it for. It took a fair amount of "fiddling" with it to get the colors, brightness and tint dialed in. I still have adjusting on the green to make it more lifelike. The factory settings were pretty horrible.

 

[Anole]

no EDTV:

I'd be careful on some of the older (usually) plasma sets which are EDTV's
I think that meant Enhanced Definition TV.
Actual screen resolution is in the neighborhood of 850x480
These sets will down convert real HDTV and display it, but would not be as good as a 720p set.

When you are scrounging, don't turn up your nose at a 720p HDTV set.
I've had an LCD Syntax 42" TV for about four years, and the picture is outstanding!
At a reasonable viewing distance, you are at the limit of normal visual acuity.

Actual 720p pictures are [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/720p"]720p - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="image"><img alt="Question book-new.svg" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png"@@AMEPARAM@@en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png[/ame], so any TV with a panel close to that resolution can reproduce your video quite well.
The Syntax is actually: 1360x768, and is just fine.

Real 1080 pictures are [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1080i"]1080i - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:Television_icon.png" class="image"><img alt="Television icon.png" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Television_icon.png"@@AMEPARAM@@commons/b/bb/Television_icon.png[/ame].
This format is easily downconverted to the 720p format and displayed on a good set.

My 42" is a 720p set, and I use it in my living room.
For this size or smaller, there's little use for higher resolution.
It's also the smallest I'd recommend for a living or family room.

 

[tvropro]

Great deal tvropro! I recently got a 32" LCD Sharp Aquos from Costco. The set was $479 minus an $80 coupon for a grand total of $399. Its 720P but that's fine for what use it for. It took a fair amount of "fiddling" with it to get the colors, brightness and tint dialed in. I still have adjusting on the green to make it more lifelike. The factory settings were pretty horrible.

Mine is the LC-32C64U 1080p model. When my 32" Toshiba bottle blew up in Feb I went out looking the next day. I looked at quite a few Tv's but this was the best bang for the buck in a name brand. I didn't want to get a no name cheapy. The picture really looks good on SD and HD. I like Sharps "Smart Stretch" it does a good job with SD material.

I spent quite a while setting all the settings to my liking and fine adjusting each input for it's source. What I like is all the settings work for each input, that is nice. I spent some time building it into my entertainment center but very happy with the results. (see attached) Nice upgrade

 

[Inno]

Nice pic tvropro, I used to have an equalizer just like that one, it's a Realistic from Rat Shack right? I also still have a Laser Disc player just like that pioneer unit you have.....well, very similar to it. Nice job building it in! I'll have to post some pics of the home theater in my "new" house. Just realized all the pics I have up in the HT pic area are of my old place.

My first HD set I had to purchase. Actually it's my only HD set unless you count the projector in my HT which is native 720......At my last job I worked as a tech. for a retail electronics store so I got my 51" Hitachi rear projo just over cost.
I agree there are some smoking deals to be had if you have the room for a rear projection set. I'm not in the market for one as my TV needs are being more than met right now but I fix 'em too and if I needed one that's what I'd be doing.

 

[Phottoman]

Costco was having a clearance on their 62" rear projection sets a few years ago, they marked a $3000 set down to $1500. I saw that and left immediatly to go home and get my check book. Brought a friend back with his PU truck and carted it home. It wouldn't fit through the door of the apartment till we got it out of the box. LOVED that picture (oops, forgot to mention it was a Philips), and came with an add on, a 5.1 surround sound for $30 extra shipped from the factory.

OK, fast forward to two years ago this week. I had bought property in NW AZ, with a three bedroom trailor (12' X 65') and the living room wouldn't hold all we brought so we deligated one of the bedrooms as the "TV Room," but the darn thing was SO big that we could never watch the TV comfortably. The only way we could set this room up was for the TV to block the only window in the room, and sit about 5 feet from the TV. When we watched something that had dialog, it was like watching a tennis game, heads swivelling back and forth.

I mentioned to a co-worker that I had this big TV, they came over and looked at it, played a dvd, and showed them the only OTA HD station we could get, but they said they subbed to cable so that was no prob, and he offered me $1000 as is for the set.

WOW, I watch that TV for three years plus for $500.

Now if only I could find someone with a TV they wanted to sell for .... never mind, we have a TV 'fund' started that the CFO doesn't know about, and for her birthday, we are traveling to Las Vegas to FRYS and getting her a new flat scren TV.

Photto

 

[tvropro]

Nice pic tvropro, I used to have an equalizer just like that one, it's a Realistic from Rat Shack right? I also still have a Laser Disc player just like that pioneer unit you have.....well, very similar to it. Nice job building it in! I'll have to post some pics of the home theater in my "new" house. Just realized all the pics I have up in the HT pic area are of my old place.

Yes the EQ is a RS my LD is a Pioneer CLD 1080 (1990 vintage) I like the built in look the best it adds a touch of class. I hung the LCD in the rack then trimmed it out.

Here's a shot of my video wall. I can't fit the whole thing in the camera shot but got what I could.

 

[Inno]

I've added some pics of my current home theater in the picture area under "current home theater".
All the FTA and 4DTV stuff is upstairs and that is a whole other system in itself.......pictures when I have time.

 

[Anole]

so, . . . how . . big . . IS it?

IF you watch 4:3 SD in the middle of your 16:9 HD screen....
... then it's the height of the picture you need to compare between existing 4:3 sets and your new HD toy.

The following table is based on picture height, and compares the two formats:

[FONT=Fixedsys]   
   
[/FONT]Table of examples for common sizes:

  4:3 set size    equiv 16:9
      ========    =======
        19              23
        26              32  
        27              34
        30              37
        32              40
        34              42
        36              44
        38              47
        40              50
        42              52  
        45              55
        47              58
        52              64
        56              68
        60              74

Couple of obvious facts are:
- if you have a 26" 4:3, then you need a 32" HD just to be equal height.
- if you have a 32" 4:3, then you need a 40" HD just to be equal height.
(my 42" HD is lookin' pretty small, by comparison. )

 

[tvropro]

You do loose height with 16x9 but you do gain width. I thought when I bought my 32 HD that it was going to be a big difference then the 32 SD I was replacing. But surprisingly to me the width made up the difference. I run all 4x3 content using Sharps Smart Stretch so it kept the picture bigger, I ended up happy