Replace 35" TV with something bigger


I have built a great surround sound system around my old 35" television, which works well, but is pretty small when watching widescreen DVDs. What do you suggest for a larger screen? My 19x16 room can be dimmed, but can not be made completely dark(except at night). I need to put my center channel speaker somewhere also.(currently under the 35" TV)
beam
Most decent Audio / Video stores will carry one of the two discs mentioned. If they don't have either, they can typically order it. You might also try something like Amazon, etc... on the web.

As mentioned, the Video Essentials DVD is easier to use while Avia can get much more involved and goes into greater depth. I think that for most practical purposes, Video Essentials is what i would use 90% of the time simply for ease of use. Avia can get to be a bit of a pain with all of the calibrations that they expect you to do.

I do have to make mention of a few "caveats" here though. Some TV's only have calibrations for ALL sources or inputs while some can be adjusted based on which input you select. If you have the "one size fits all" type of tv, adjusting it for best color and resolution with your dvd may make watching broadcast, cable, satellite, vcr, etc... hard to do. Once the TV is "dialed in" to that one format, it can really show just how out of whack some of the signals being broadcast truly are.

Another "quick" suggestion is to kind of "log" where each adjustment is once your finally happy with the settings. Most tv's return to the factory defaults ( which typically look like junk ) if you lose power. This means resetting the tv step by step all over again. As such, having ballpark adjustments to go by at a glance can really make life easier. Sean
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Hey "Swampy", do you feel that using Video Essentials made a worthwhile change to your video performance ? Would you buy and use it again knowing what you know now ? I don't want some of these folks to buy this thing if i'm the only one that thinks it's a good investment. Sean
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Thanks, I must be spending too much time at indecent A/V store's. I will go out and try to find a decent one today. :)
Chris
Have a look at the new Loewe Aconda that is scheduled to hit U.S. stores some time in May. It's gonna be the big brother of their 30" Aconda and clock in at 38" (both 16:9 aspect ratio screens). The 30" Aconda has the single best picture I've ever seen and I expect that the 38" inch will be equally impressive. Many claim that the Aconda is, bar none, the best direct view television on the market. The new one is suposed to retail for around $5,600 (the 30" is $3,600). The 30' will be my next TV, and I would seriously consider the 38" inch if I had the room for it. Don't know whether this is enough new real estate for you, coming from 35", but it would definitely be worth a look.