Dorm TV recomendations?

This semester, i'm going to have my own room, and i'm looking to get a TV for myself to suit my needs. I can't afford one too expensive, so anything up to $400 is my limit. I really only plan to hook up 2 units to it, a DVD player, either upconvert or normal, and my original Xbox. I might eventually hook up my 360, but for the time being, it will just be the original. I wouldn't mind being able to hook it up to my Mac, but it's not necessary. And it has to have internal speakers. Can anyone lend me their advice? Thank you!

I just glanced over Best Buy's listings, and your choices are pretty limited. I'm inclined to recommend the Samsung 19" LCD models. Samsung has a pretty good rep with their equipment in general. Not the best you can get, but far from the worst.

Toshiba has some 19" models also that happen to have a built-in DVD player. I'm generally loathe to suggest such units since you are stuck with what you get even if you'd prefer or have a better DVD player. But if it suits your needs (for a dorm room, the space savings may be highly desirable) then this may be a good option.

The only other budget brand I can recommend offhand is Sharp.

I would check around craigslist or just watch you local ads to see if you can find a 32in Westinghouse or Vizio LCD in your price range. With the deals they had on those around last X-mas, there have to be some deals to be had.

Is Craig's List a lot like ebay?

Why not get a tuner card and use your 22" Samsung Monitor?

Craigslist is just free online (local) classifieds. You'll get to see what you'll be buying in person, before paying for it. I wouldn't buy anything on craigslist that wasn't local.

I would suggest a 32" Vizio or maybe something a little smaller if your room is small. You might find a refurb. or used in your price range.

buddenbohn said:

I wouldn't buy anything on craigslist that wasn't local.

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I agree.

Craigslist is basically like taking an ad out in the local paper. It is great for selling furniture, TVs, and other household items that are impractical to ship.

mynameis said:

I agree.

Craigslist is basically like taking an ad out in the local paper. It is great for selling furniture, TVs, and other household items that are impractical to ship.

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Its where I got my Wii too.

My feet are still firmly planted in the CRT camp.

Salvation Army or a comparable thrift store will have tons in stock for $25-40, and the best part is, CRTs are pretty much indestructible.

Of course, this is just my two cents, but keep in mind, in a dorm, you get your random acts of weirdness that result in an airsoft pellet hitting an LCD screen, and well, there goes that TV.

Durability is key when living in a Dorm.

Derek McNelly said:

My feet are still firmly planted in the CRT camp.

Salvation Army or a comparable thrift store will have tons in stock for $25-40, and the best part is, CRTs are pretty much indestructible.

Of course, this is just my two cents, but keep in mind, in a dorm, you get your random acts of weirdness that result in an airsoft pellet hitting an LCD screen, and well, there goes that TV.

Durability is key when living in a Dorm.

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I never thought about that, but then again, what if the tube gets knocked over, and the glass breaks? I guess it's weight makes up for that though. Thanks for all the opinions guys, i'm going to definately have to look in more places for this type of thing. One more quesiton though, in buying a TV, should i buy from a store or online?

Yah, just get like a 27 inch old school TV or something. you really need durability and non-stealability in a dorm.

lifeafter2am said:

Why not get a tuner card and use your 22" Samsung Monitor?

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That's actually what I did when I was living in a dorm, though I had a 17" monitor at the time. One of the best things was that having a DVR that I didn't have to pay extra for was really nice

I would recomment picking up an EyeTV Hybrid, which will give you TV, DVD via your Mac, and you can play your Xbox over the component connection. It means you can't multi-task, but that shouldn't be too hard to work around.

mknabster said:

I never thought about that, but then again, what if the tube gets knocked over, and the glass breaks? I guess it's weight makes up for that though.

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Really, that's most likely not going to happen.

Plus, have you ever dropped a CRT? 9 times out of 10, the worst you get is a slightly cracked shell. The tube almost never breaks.

When I was in the dorms, LCD TVs were constantly getting broken/stolen.

Best bet is to buy one in store so you can actually SEE the TV firsthand.

there isnt really any tv stealing going on in dorms now from what i saw last year but there is still a chance. alot of people on my floor had this tv and it looked really good for the price. i would recommend this if you can shell out the extra $100 bucks.

kkelly122 said:

there isnt really any tv stealing going on in dorms now from what i saw last year but there is still a chance.

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Well, most of the people living in my dorm were from the Detroit area, so, you do the math.

Funny thing is about going to a store to pick one out, i called all the local Sears, Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City, Radioshack, and Boscov's, and none of them even carry CRTs in stock anymore. I'm trying to work out something with my father for him to give me our old 26in Panosonic tube. But i was told to look at this TV at newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889234036. It looks like a good one, how is Westinghouse?

mknabster said:

Funny thing is about going to a store to pick one out, i called all the local Sears, Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City, Radioshack, and Boscov's, and none of them even carry CRTs in stock anymore. I'm trying to work out something with my father for him to give me our old 26in Panosonic tube.

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If you can do the deal with your dad, that's probably the best option, but if not, local thrift stores (Salvation Army, church run shops, goodwill) have extremely cheap CRTs that are usually in really great shape.

Check out woot.com today if you haven't already decided on a TV, there is a Refurb 32in LCDTV for $399, only $5 shipping and the specs look decent.