So here's the deal... I've been wasting my time away browsing the "Black Friday" (day after Thanksgiving) ads, which normally have a few good deals but otherwise sell a bunch of crappy brands that I don't want. While browsing, though, I did notice a few things...
1.) The Samsung 225BW 22" Widescreen that has been the subject of a lot of threads (backlight bleed issues, bang for the buck, what kind of panel it is). I find it listed at CompUSA for $229 and Circuit City for $279 (now obviously I'd have to pay around $400 and get mail-in rebates, but still...).
2.) Nobody is able to post the Best Buy ad because they have been threated with legal action, but from a few people who claim to have seen it, there are reports of a Westinghouse LCM-22W2 22" Widescreen for $199 (once again, probably pay around $400 and then get it back in MIR).
Both are listed at 5ms, 700:1 contrast ratio; 280 cd/m² brightness; 1680 x 1050 resolution. The main differences... the 225BW has HDCP (which doesn't matter for now, but in the future...) and there are a lot of reviews for it (good and bad, but at least I know what issues there are), while the LCM-22W2 has more connections (1 AC, 1 stereo minijack, 1 composite, 1 S-video, 1 component, and 2 RCA) but no HDCP support and virtually no reviews on it.
To throw in a curveball, Best Buy has just started carrying the Gateway FPD2275W 22" Widescreen, which seems to be the best of both worlds... identical specs, but with HDCP support AND component video, composite video and S-video inputs (as well as 4 USB 2.0 ports). Only problem is that it's $399 and I have yet to see it on sale at all (let alone for less than $280).
So basically... what should I go with? I'm not planning on getting a Blu-Ray or HD DVD player any time soon, but with Vista coming out soon HDCP might not be a bad investment. Then again, having some inputs to hook up a DVD player, PS2, or cable (I have a coax-RCA converter) to what would amount to being a portable TV would also come in handy. Any and all advice would be helpful... thanks!
1.) The Samsung 225BW 22" Widescreen that has been the subject of a lot of threads (backlight bleed issues, bang for the buck, what kind of panel it is). I find it listed at CompUSA for $229 and Circuit City for $279 (now obviously I'd have to pay around $400 and get mail-in rebates, but still...).
2.) Nobody is able to post the Best Buy ad because they have been threated with legal action, but from a few people who claim to have seen it, there are reports of a Westinghouse LCM-22W2 22" Widescreen for $199 (once again, probably pay around $400 and then get it back in MIR).
Both are listed at 5ms, 700:1 contrast ratio; 280 cd/m² brightness; 1680 x 1050 resolution. The main differences... the 225BW has HDCP (which doesn't matter for now, but in the future...) and there are a lot of reviews for it (good and bad, but at least I know what issues there are), while the LCM-22W2 has more connections (1 AC, 1 stereo minijack, 1 composite, 1 S-video, 1 component, and 2 RCA) but no HDCP support and virtually no reviews on it.
To throw in a curveball, Best Buy has just started carrying the Gateway FPD2275W 22" Widescreen, which seems to be the best of both worlds... identical specs, but with HDCP support AND component video, composite video and S-video inputs (as well as 4 USB 2.0 ports). Only problem is that it's $399 and I have yet to see it on sale at all (let alone for less than $280).
So basically... what should I go with? I'm not planning on getting a Blu-Ray or HD DVD player any time soon, but with Vista coming out soon HDCP might not be a bad investment. Then again, having some inputs to hook up a DVD player, PS2, or cable (I have a coax-RCA converter) to what would amount to being a portable TV would also come in handy. Any and all advice would be helpful... thanks!