<p>Do most people bring their own TV or their own console?</p>
<p>yes, most rooms have a TV (as in, someone brings one). The roomies usually work out who is bringing what, and one person will bring a TV.</p>
<p>Yeah, everyone has at least a TV in their room. I know several rooms where the occupants split the cost of a cheap Target TV. Consoles are not as common, but yeah people do bring 'em.</p>
<p>In general, people bring 20" or smaller. I have a 24" Sony Wega and it's the biggest of all the TVs up here. I insist on using it because it's the one I got for Christmas last year and the only things I have smaller than this are a 1979 Zenith and a 1976 Sony B&W set (both of which still work). I also have a half-dead RCA (had to be tuned through a VCR) that I got in 1994. It was 27" and is what my Wega replaced, as well as a 27" Sony that is in my living room. Also didn't want to spend any extra on some cheap TV or a really small one that I'd have no use for after I graduated except for maybe in the kitchen (and since I'm coming home it's a good thing I didn't invest in an extra TV).</p>
<p>In the not too distant future I want to replace that 27" with a 36"...</p>
<p>As far as brands are concerned, most people get the cheap ones. If you go to Wal Mart on Black Friday next week, you'll see lots of people getting off-brand TVs for next to nothing. If you are the parent of a high school senior and they don't care about picture quality as much as I do (I'm VERY picky about color balance and sharpness and I've been known to adjust TVs for hours) it should work. A 13" is fine unless you're a serious gamer, in which case you'll want at least a 17". Of course, I produce videos so a larger one was good for me since it gave me S-Video and Component Input.</p>
<p>A suggestion--don't buy a TV without stereo. Virtually everyone broadcasts in it these days. My top pick among 13" TVs with stereo is the 13" Sony Wega (it costs a bit more than the others but is excellent). Sony also makes a 20" model before stepping up to my 24".</p>
<p>Some people may be tempted by those all-in-ones that have a DVD or a VHS player in them. I don't recommend them becuase if something breaks you are out a TV as well as that component when you send it to the shop. A seperate DVD player usually has better quality, especially if you use S-Video or Component. You'll have less luck finding top-notch VCRs today than you would three years ago. My VCR is three years old and has more features than the models that replaced it. The positive about both DVD and VHS players is that neither should run over $100 for a good one. All DVD players also play CDs through your TV sound. Alternately you can link a set of speakers to the TV if you have room. Most small sets use a minijack plug so you can use computer speakers.</p>
<p>I also have a tape deck on my TV. It's good if you record lectures and want to play them back on something other than a 25 year old portable tape player.</p>
<p>You'll want at least one set of RCA jacks for your game system. Most little TVs have one set, some have more. If you add a VCR you typically gain some extras. If you just so happen to have a mono TV, get a y-adapter for the sound on your video game unless you have something old like the NES that doesn't need it. You also need RCA jacks if you want to put a camcorder on your screen or connect an iPod through the audio in jacks (or video, now).</p>
<p>As far as reputable brands--Sony is at the top for TVs and DVD players. They make incredible products that last forever. Hitachi is also good, as is Toshiba. RCA is unreliable with all products except for cables, which I buy all the time. Although I love Sony TVs, DVDs, and Camcorders (Sony is tops there, Panasonic is #2), I don't like their VCRs. I'm all for Panasonic there. My tape player is a Technics and it's been wonderful. Sony also makes good tape decks. GE is owned by RCA so you know the results there. My speakers are old Zeniths from 1979 (didn't take them to campus, left them at home with the matching reciever and turntable) and they work great--but Zenith isn't as reliable as they were in the 1970s and 1980s. I also have a Panasonic surround sound system (with a DVD player) on the 27" Sony at home that has been quirky at times but is good as far as performance goes.</p>
<p>For stores, Circuit City is #1. Sears is #2. Wal Mart and Target aren't bad if you know exactly what you want. Avoid Best Buy, as I've read horror stories about them plus have had first hand experience with an "open box" VCR from there. Best Buy also pressures you into buying unnecessary warranties. Don't take out a warranty on something that costs you under $150 since you'll pay for over 50% of it in labor should it break/get destroyed on campus. TVs seem to have the weakest warranties with DVD players being better.</p>
<p>If by "console" you mean game system, you'll find them everywhere. If you mean a "console TV" like the ones popular in the early 1970s, good luck finding them at the local store. I have two video game consoles on my TV (an old NES and a Game Cube) and one more at home (Nintendo 64). If you take multiple consoles and run out of RCA jacks, get a switcher. I have one that lets you put three devices on one set of jacks. Doesn't require power, either. Also one of the few GE products I recommend outside of refrigerators or light bulbs.</p>
<p>One last item of note--if you are picky about your colors like I am you should definitely get a Sony. The red is brought out much better in particular. The green and blue are more vivid as well, but red is the most noticeable. It's washed out on most other sets. Read the most recent Consumer Reports and see what TVs ranked in the top of every category--I bet red balance had something to do with Sony's high rankings. It's also noticeable in their camcorders--a friend of mine put together shots from my Sony and her Canon camera last year and the difference was noticeable even though they were recorded on the same Panasonic VCR. Sony also has good speakers on their TVs, but so did my old RCA.</p>
<p>Well, that should be enough advice...by the way, I do NOT sell TVs although I am considering getting a job in that field next summer to supplement my income as a computer technician. Nor am I affiliated with Sony. I'm just a big fan of their products outside of their VCRs. Don't ask me for exact prices--they vary all the time!</p>
<p>almost no one i know has a tv in their room.</p>
<p>we have suites here so we have them in common rooms, usually.</p>
<p>How big a TV can a typical dorm accomodate? I'm looking to buy a 27-32" HDTV for my XBox 360, but I don't want to waste my money on a TV that won't fit my dorm when I go to college.</p>
<p>How do you guys get so much money to spend?Most of mine is going to go into just holding up at college... :(</p>
<p>perhaps you can get a lcd tv. you can use it with your computer, and hook up consoles to it....if you have a laptop, you can hook up the console to the tv when the tv is not hooked up to your computer.</p>
<p>So happy my S and his roomie didn't want a TV. So much else to do every minute of the day and their laptops are cool enough for sucking away time when relaxing. As a parent who showed up to college with a hair dryer, a turntable and seven albums, a 6 dollar desk lamp and a hotpot for "Russian Tea" (So Chic, main ingredient was Tang!), it was my secret hope that there would not be a TV in the 2005 dorm room. I know I am a drag, but computers already have us in enough of a trance. i am here for instance.</p>
<p>I wouldn't get an LCD TV if I were you. The prices are falling, but are still higher than a regular CRT tube design. A warranty won't do you any good if someone vandalizes it. I am panicky enough with a 24" Sony Wega that was only $300...if I had one of those LCDs I'd probably hire a 400 pound guy to watch over my room at all times to guard it.</p>
<p>As far as size goes, it all depends on the room you're in. 24" is the safe maximum for most dorms. In general a 13" is a bit small for people who grew up on big TVs, but a 20" set (or 17-19) is what most people get.</p>
<p>Also make sure you invest in a good stand if you don't keep it on a desk or dresser. Always check the stand and see how much weight it supports. Be sure to check this number against the weight of your TV (it should be in your manual...my Sony's was and so was my old RCA's). Make sure this will be high enough for you, especially if you watch in bed.</p>
<p>Bring a TV even if you have a huge one in your common room. Our common room has a 50" RCA projection screen, but the sound conked out when it was two months old. Even if the TV in your common area is reliable (RCA sets are NOT reliable...my old one ate up three tuners over six years before I resorted to using a VCR as a tuner--and an $85 VCR was cheaper than another tuner once labor was done) you should have one anyway because chances are you won't like what's on the common room TV.</p>
<p>You can read the rest of my stuff a few posts earlier.</p>