im in the market for a new tv but dont have enough money for the new sony wega

$1000 budget

i was wondering if any body had any suggestions about a 36' incher
concerining sharpness and other features any comments welcomed.

thanks,
daniel

For a tube set I would go with Sony only because I like Sony, and I can connect the Sony S-Link cable. S-Link is good for me because it makes my AV setup smart. For example, when I select DVD the TV goes on and selects the proper signal path. I like Sony, and Sony makes a great TV line. My next TV will be a Sony 53", bigger picture at the cost of picture quality. I've been watching a Sony 41" and it was great with DVD, and VCR, but when it comes to crappy cable, it sucks. My DSS system looks great with S-Video also.
The features of the set you buy can be very important, make sure it has S-Video ports, two would be great. Then having two or more video inputs, and one audio out that is controled by the volume control of the TV, that way when you turn down the volume, your surround system goes down also. You can find this on many higher end TV's, my Hitachi has it. One set of jacks should be on the front of the set.
Hitachi makes a great TV. Stay away from RCA, Phillips, Zenith, and Proscan. JVC was good, but after two bad 36" sets in one month, my Dad, and my girlfriend, I won't touch them.
You should look over your AV setup and see what features you will need to make it all work together well. As you add features, the cost goes up, but not so for the picture. You can get a better picture for more, and more features for more, but getting both is much more. You can get more in features from other brands than what Sony will give you for the same money.

Check out the Panasonic CT-32SF36 (~ $850) for a 32" and the CT-36SF36 36" (~ $1100). When I was shopping for a TV I compared these (actually last years 32SF35) to the WEGAs and I thought they made a strong stand considering the price differential.

The Panasonic has very rich, vibrant colors with excellent contrast, sharp straight lines, and virtually no distortion in the corners. Panasonic's "Super-Flat" tube is not really very flat, but it's better than most.

The only problem I've had is that when the tint is calibrated, the red gun seems to be brighter than the other two. Perhaps one day I'll get around to having that checked out... There are butt-loads of inputs, 2 S-Videos and 4 composites. No component input, if you care... Also Sony's have discrete codes for input sources whereas Panasonic TV's don't, to my knowledge.

Good luck..

Andrew

Toshiba's cinema series are great tvs. i've owned the cn32n95 since january and been nothing but pleased. Paid $800 plus tax from HhGregg.

Dan e-mail me and I will get you into a wega very close to your budget.........It is the least I can do for you..... I love your site

Thank you very much to all of you, you`ve all been very helpful i actually just got back from Japan two nights ago and saw alot , one sight of intrest was akihabara :japanese for belly of the monster: anyways it had more tvs than anybody can imagine and so many widescreens. any ways it was very impressive. after a short break im still searching but i definitley appreciate your input also taft i definitley agree with you this is a most excellent sight.

Daniel T.,

Look into the Toshiba CF32H60. This is a 32" SDTV. Under $1000.

Daniel, you might want to look around and see if any dealers might still have any Mitsubishi's for sale. since they've discontinued there direct view sets, you might be able to find one relatively cheap. Go for that 40 incher.

I don't know ow well anyone here's going to respond to this idea, but....

I think your'e crazy or rich if you spend anything more than for a GE 35".

I bought this model for under $700 about two years ago. It doesn't have the darkened glass tube (aka $150 "extra black" screen). It doesn't do pic-in-pic.

It does have a pleasing picture, S-video input and a reasonable price-tag.

Take ther money left over and buy a DVD player to hook up to that S-video connector - it looks great!

I bought a Wega a few months back and I couldnt be happier. I bought a 32 for a little over a grand, and it was well worth the price. Sony just released their new Wega models a little ways back so you might find last years at a great price.

Nick

a Panasonic CT36SF36 for 1100! That's a great buy!! The tv has very good blacks, excelent color rendition, and when compared to a Sony, i think you'll go with the Panasonic.. I've only seen the Panasonic go as low as 1550! If you really want a lot of features for the money, definitely the toshiba CN36Z60, the new model actually has component video inputs (much better than s-video, and chances are that your DVD player has it) the Z61 gives you 2 tuner pip and a front panel input. 1000 for the Z60, 1200for the Z61. Email me for more info!!