[P1et]

Hello,

I am thinking about upgrading my home theather and am looking for suggestions. What I'd like to upgrade is possibly the TV and also get a Blu-Ray DVD player.

I currently own a 40" 720p Sony LCD TV (KDL-40S2400) which I love. I have it coupled to a Sony DVP-NS3100ES, which upconverts DVDs nicely via HDMI to the TV.

Would I benefit from buying a Blu-Ray DVD player? Or would I have to get a 1080p TV go go along with it? Otherwise, I was looking at a 46" Sony XBR5. I'd get a 52" Sony, but that might be a bit too big for our living room. I'd put the 40" Sony in our bedroom.

Thank you for your suggestions...

P1et

[Reflect]

Blueray on a 1080i wont make that much of a difference, at least it won't begin to tap it's potential. Do you have optical cables hooked up to the tv?

[ehuth1]

P1ET if you go bluray go 1080p. I just picked up a PHILIPS 1080P 120hz LCD on sale from Dell for $1299 and I'm more than impressed. I loved the Sony's but the Philips has me sold just as much and I saved $800-$1000!!! I have the PS3 hooked up HDMI supporting 1080p (1920x1080) resolution and I have my PC hooked up DVI/HDMI supporting (1920x1080). The contrast on this thing is so blunt and crisp my buddy that has a Panny plasma thought mine was a plasma not LCD. Remember the more HDMI's outputs the better if you plan on hooking up more than one thing. Oh and just buy the PS3 for your Bluray it's just as much as any of the stand alone players.

	PC Porter-Cable Orbital Buffer 7424 or 7336. One of the most famous tool used by a variety of detailers, from weekend warriors to professional detailers.

[Grey Ghost]

if you want blu-ray, you're not going to see any benefit with the 720p TV you currently have as Blu-Ray resolution is a native 1080p.

the best HD TV tech so far are the 1080p 120hz TV's. Plasma is old tech since it used a charged gas that needs servicing after a few years and get very dim once this happens.

don't bother with DLP Tv's unless you just want a projector.

as far as a Blu-ray player its your choice. DVD players used to cost the same price at $1K+ new. so when people say "might as well buy a PS3" is really a moot point nowadays anyway.

as ehuth1 said, the more HDMI port that are on the TV, the better a/v experience you will have as now everything is migrating towards HDMI cable connection.

a good stereo will now have HDMI ports as well so you can have an entirely digital HD setup.

[yukonon22]

get 1080p with or without the bluray

[PERFECTION]

I have a 720p samsung 50 plasma and a sony 301 blu-ray and it works great I also have a 1080p sony 120 lcd with blu-ray and it is great. The nice thing about the blue-ray player by sony is that in your set up menu it will let you set your blu-ray for a 720 p set and it looks fantastic. I encourage you to get the blu-ray player first than worry about the tv later.

[Denzil]

Hey P1et, I'd say it depends on how much you really want to spend. For me, I'd splurge all around and do it right the first time but that's just me.

Depending on the size of the TV you want to get, you could go with either plasma or LCD. LCD's are generally better for sizes under 50" and plasmas are better for 50" and larger. The main competitors in the market happen to be Samsung, Panasonic, and Sony.

There's an equation that can determine the best size TV based on your viewing distance. That number is 2.5. Given a distance in inches, you divide by 2.5, rounding down, and that will give you the ideal size flat screen for your viewing distance.

Will you be investing in a HD receiver? With a HD receiver with multiple inputs, you won't have to worry about how many inputs your TV will have. Everything would be controlled by the receiver if you do choose to go this route. This is how I would do it.

As far as the Blu-Ray player, I would just go with a PS3 (any version is up to you). The PS3 is a very versatile device and you'd be surprised at how many thigns it can do if you aren't already aware.

Oh, make sure you invest in some good speakers and a nice sub, hehe. Good luck!

[P1et]

Thanks everyone for your input! My main question was whether hooking up a Blu-Ray DVD player would make a difference on my 720p Sony. But it sounds like it won't?

In any regard, I currently have a Sony STR-DA5300ES that's supposed to be good. I bought it a few months back but it's still unopened in the box. That has about 6 or so HDMI inputs, which should be plenty. All my speakers are all Bowers & Wilkins. So I should be set on that as well.

I get great discounts through work for Sony products, which makes purchasing their gear a no-brainer. I went to the Sony Style store on Saturday and fell in love with their new Z-series TVs. The model name was the Sony KDL-46Z4100.

So it sounds like a new 1080p TV with the Blu-Ray player is the way to go, right?

[ehuth1]

[Gemini13]

Originally Posted by P1et

So it sounds like a new 1080p TV with the Blu-Ray player is the way to go, right?

Yep. As everyone has already stated to get the most out of a Blu-Ray player you need a 1080P tv.