I am thinking of purchasing an HDTV system in the next couple of months. I will be replacing my 34" Panasonic POS, and I was wondering what a good buy would be. I intend to mostly watch DVD's and play games. I would like a 32-40" set, probably a 36", I have mainly only looked at the Sony XBR Wega (KV-36XBR450) and the JVC AV-36P902. Also, all said and done what would be a good price for one of these bad boys?

I recomend if you do go HD you go 16:9 as well. Picture tube is going to be a better picture than projection but will cost. Sony makes a nice 34" wega 16:9 HDTV. $$$$ Somewhere around $5K. Awesome picture. Loewe also makes some fine tube 16:9 HDTV's ... Here again $$$$. I am a firm believer in "You Get What You Pay For"! Not saying more $ = better product. Do your research.

I would seriously consider getting a RPTV for the money, I have doubts that a 32" set will have the big impact of increased resolution that a larger (55" and bigger)does. Also I think the little glass tube HD's are really pretty pricey for what you get. For the same range you are easily into Mits Platnum line and Pioneer.

Also forums (over at Hometheaterspot)have been showing some concerns about Lowe TV's and the repairs on them.

I just can't see buying an RPTV right now, unless you have a hi-def source. Even the very best of them look crappy on regular cable. I spent the last three or four weeks looking at everything I could find, and the projection sets still look as crappy as they ever did: pixeleted, slow to respond when motion (like sports) is happening, difficult viewing angles. I just watched the brand new RCA 43" (I think) RPTV with HD receiver built in, and the hockey players looked like bad JPGs downloaded from the web.

Even the $900 sets sitting beside the RPTVs look excellent by comparison.

On the other hand, the new RCA 38" widescreen tube 38000 has the most incredibly sharp and detailed picture I've ever seen. Worth every penny of the $5000 Cdn. ... Mike

Mike,

I will have to disagree with you on RPTV. I do admit that if you go into these stores you will rarely see a good looking rptv unless it's hooked up to a hi-def feed.

The reason is a combination of things. Factory defaults of the video settings are usually way off. They could have a cable signal being split who knows how many times. The bigger the screen the more readily these things show up. If you see pixelating, that has nothing to do with the tv. That is the source doing that. For a few months Dish Network was overcompressing their signals resulting in a horrible picture with pixelating all over the place. It has gotten much better in the past month.

Now I do agree that hd tubes have a great picture with hi-def, but I imagine that a properly calibrated RPTV (calibrated for hi-def) will come close to the tube. Last Friday I saw my same exact RPTV at circuit city. Horrible. It looked nothing like what i get from my satellite. Not one single RPTV looked decent in there. They really should just loop dvds.

If I were shopping for a RPTV I would bring my own dvd player, cables, and dvd discs to hook up to these tvs!!!! It's really the only way you can get an appreciation of the picture.

Slocko: Generally I would agree with you, BUT:

... I go to three different stores regularly (apart from the Best Buys and Future Shops) where they guys know their stuff. Over the years I've watched them learn how important it is to properly set up high-quality sets if they want them to sell. Two of the guys I deal with are actually going for their ISF accreditation this coming summer.

So it is not without some background that I describe what I'm seeing.

But I am REALLY curious about your comment on the source signal: as it is, we are limited here to two satellite providers and on cable provider. The all offer HDTV now (although it won't be available in my area for a while, it is just a mile down the road). I have a digital cable box, and on program feeds from other parts of the country, I see a lot of really crappy "digital" signals... in fact, some of the channels look as crappy on my 36" set as they do on a poorly-tuned 53" RPTV.

I would like to find out more about the source issue. HD signals look pretty amazing around here on the big-screen models, although still not nearly as good as the tube sets. But standard broadcasts look like crap. So if it is a source problem, then I need to start harangueing the providers... ... Mike

I can only comment on dbs. Dish and Directv. I have dish but follow both at www.dbsforums.com.

A few months ago, the PQ (picture quality) began detoriating on dish and directv. This was related to he fact that by jan 1st 2002 by law the satellite companies were compelled to carry all local channels in a given market as defined by the rules.

This was a problem for the dbs providers because the more channels they carry, the more they have to compress them to fit them into their fixed bandwidth.

Dish had fought this in oourt and lost. directv prepared for it by launching spot beams. spot beams essentially allowed them to use the same satellite to beam different channel to differnt parts of the country. some sort multiplexing i imagine.

the over compression causes a bad picture and at the extreme pixelating on any programming that carries a lot of action like sports. dish lately has become better at using their bandwidth and has reached a better balance. most of the channels looks better than my local cable company. the super bowl looked really good with no pixelating what so ever.

some of these facts may not be 100 percent as i am going by memory and interpretation of what i read in the forums.

Mike,
I believe wholeheartedly that youknow more about ths subject than I, but, here in Athens, GA, almost all of the TV's, both tube and RPTV, are turned up so bright in the stores, they nearly melt the screens right off the front of the machine. The way I understand it, they do this to compensate for all the reflections in the store, and to be more appealing to the untrained eye.

That is just how I understand it, I may be wrong.

Robby

Robby: Generally you are correct, especially if you go into the big chain stores. However, I deal with serious shops that know what they are doing. As I said, two of the guys are actually going for their Imaging Science Foundation diplomas; right now they use an ISF pro to set up their in-room displays. This means that the factory settings are totally overridden by people who know what they are doing. Also, the systems are usually in a display room where they lighting and the size represent a typical low-light at-home situation. .... Mike

Ditris,

I walked down your exact path this last month, and for me, the choice was easy. First off, I suggest HDTV ready, vs. true HDTV. If you can find a true HDTV, they are very expensive. When the time comes, you'll get your HDTV tuner from the cable company.

Based on the room I have for my home theater, I chose the 50" Toshiba TheaterWide 50H81. It's a 16:9 set, and perfect for watching movies. When compared side by side at Best Buy with all the others, it's picture was outstanding. Nothing else came close. They also make a 57" which is about $300 more. A good deal, but was too big for my room. And trust me, you can easily get something too big. I never thought that was possible.

Best Buy wants $2700 for this tv, and $300 for a 4 year extended warranty, which begins the day you purchase the tv. Kind of a rip off. What about the one year manufacturer's warranty???? The salesman at Best Buy (here on known as Worst Buy) even tried to tell me that Toshiba did not warranty their guns in the first year of ownership, but Worst Buy would cover the guns ($400 a pop to repair).

So the solution? Get your self a Sam's Club card. They have the same set, for $1999 and a TRUE extended 3 year warranty (for 4 years total) is only $134. But they don't deliver! :(

I'm proud to say I'm a card carrying member of the Sam's Club.

Now if my choice in audio gear had been that easy!

Good luck!

Rob

i would just add that once a tv is properly calibrated, you will see only small variations in picture. you will be happy no matter what you have bought once your set is calibrated.

.... so a buddy bought the 38" RCA HDTV tube widescreen directview. And he took it back a week later. This set comes with an HD converter and a satellite converter built in. Seems the set kept looking for a satellite or HD signal, and was taking three or four seconds to change channels. In Canada, if you want satellite, you have to get the box from the service provider; a "generic" box will not work in the majority of cases.

For me, the biggest aspect of buying HDTV has become "How does it look on regular cable or satellite" since there currently so few HD broadcasts. And the truth is that upconverting a standard signal makes the picture look a lot worse than it really is. So cable pictues on HDTVs look godawful.

And I have to agree with Slocko on his last point. .... Mike

I got a pioneer elite 610 floor model from hifi buys a lil over a month ago and i have directv with hd broadcasts. i haven't had the set isf'ed yet do to $$ flow right now, but it's in the works. I LOVE my TV. and i couldn't beat the $3700 tag, with a 5yr in home warranty included. I feel like I STOLE this set!!! :)

But one size bigger than the biggest you think will fit. Get Direct TV STB with OTA HD and don't look back. I originally wanted a 58" Elite but got a good deal on a 64" and was worried about the size of the cabinet etc.. Bigger is better, we sit about 15ft away and now the thing seems too far away (too small). I said that around my wife once and she just about lost it. She thinks the 64" is plenty.

Watch HD for a while and everything else will look like crap regardless of the picture size.

Good luck!

if you mainly watch dvds then any properly calibarted rptv is going to look good.

if you mainly watch cable/sat, then look for one that has a good line doubler. from what i have read the hitachi which i have, seems to have a very good line doubler. it seems to be as good as most low end progressive dvd players. my satellite picture looks very good now that dish network is not compressing the signal so much. on the hitachi calibration covers all inputs, so it has also helped the satellite picture.

many people complain about the mitsubishi because it has a poor line doubler and cable/sat looks bad on it. so that might be another aspect of your research you have to look at. you can compensate for that if you have directv by buying a directv stb that has it's own line doubler built in. that is one reason so many people rave about the zenith 1080. it cost $700-800 but they all say the improvement in picture for regular satellite is astounding.

all research should begin at www.hometheaterspot.com