(sent PM)

Wow, that's for the detailed posted

I think I'm gonna let that sink in for a few days.

The only way you really know whether you like a TV a lot is to test it out...a lot. I went to H-T retailors for about a week before I knew I wanted the 40" XBR...it's widescreen aspect is as big as a 30" 16:9 only tv. ...it's great for video games.

Take a look at this one. Great picture. Personally, I like the picture on this set better than on the 34" Sony.

Philips

Hiker,

Comparing in a store - let alone different stores - is very difficult due to the vagaries of hook-up and how a particular TV has been set up.

That being said - and I do *not* have this TV - but the XBR910 Sony is a very different animal from other 34" XBR Sonys let alone the non-XBR 34" widescreen TVs.

Here is a review of the XBR910 by a reviewer whom I have known of and corresponded with occasionally and is a very well known ISF calibrator:

Sony XBR910 Review

Here is another review from Gary Merson who is very highly regarded and some would argue is the premier reviewer of High Definition Television displays (producing at one stage his own HDTV newsletter for the industry):

Gary Merson review of Sony XBR910

Peter

Hmmm. :nods head: The Toshiba 30" and 34" direct view were also very nice, not (very) expensive, and adds DVI over the Philips.

I guess the question is to David: How far are you going to sit away from the set? Use that as a factor to judge was screen size you want (and, of course, can it fit!!)

I own a Toshiba 40" HDTV, rear projection. I purchased it for about $1000 used, but it was very well cared for by a videophile who even got it ISF calibrated.

You can pick up basically any 40-42" rear projection HDTV for under $2000 easily these days. I recall seeing a 42" LCD rear-projection unit at Costco for $1999 a few weeks ago, and if that deal was around when I picked up my TV, I would probably have picked it up instead.

BTW, it was a Panasonic LCD-projection HDTV.

If you really want brand recommendations, personally from what I've seen:

Pioneer Elite, Mitsubishi, Samsung, and Toshiba all make very good TV's.

I've never had a good impression of Sony's, and while PQ might be great, there's a certain line where you start paying for their line and they also add on a bunch of extra items (like Memory Stick picture view, etc.) that are completely unnecessary.

Panasonic is good as well.

Make sure to go with a good widescreen TV, be it Direct-View, RPTV, LCD projection, or (if your budget widens), plasma. There are other technologies out there at well, but probably beyond your price limit.

You'd probably want to get an HDTV with DVI input, because the traditional component video input (RGB) does not provide a true HDTV 1080i signal.

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Ditto on the 34XBR910. My dad purchased one last weekend for $2300 including the tv stand. The sharpness and the the color on this 34 inch is to die for. It is IMO the best 34 inch CRT I've seen in this price range. Another neat thing about this tv is that it has a memory stick slot up front so you can veiw jpegs that is stored on the stick.
The 34XBR910 was originally my first choice until I was swayed to purchase the Sony WEGA KE-42XBR900 42 in. flat panel plasma screen.

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Yes the memory stick slot may be unnecessary to some, but it is a nice addition especially if you are going to pony up that kind of money.

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I think simplicity is more preferable to me. The less addons, the more reason the company has to beef up their primary techonology.

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davidmiya stated that he wanted nothing fancy on his TV, so I think a good HDTV would serve his purposes well.

Also, it doesn't seem like many have addressed this, but you would not only see the difference in HDTV picture quality with HDTV broadcasts, but also with DVD's and gaming consoles as well.

Progressive-scan DVD players upconvert the 480i signal to 480p, which is an HDTV signal that only HDTV's can broadcast (ETV's can too, but that's just an HDTV knockoff). Some games are available in 480p on XBox, and look really good I might add (Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball comes to mind).

David, if you stick to the full, original budget of $2500 most CRT RPTV's under 51 to 57 inches fall in that range so you have a big choice. In the 51 /57's Mitsubishi, Toshiba, Hitachi and Sony are probably the top contenders in CRT's. You may be able to find an LCD model from Samsung, Panasonic and others in there as well.

Pioneer is halting production of all their CRT projection sets by the middle of 2004. Whether or not you wish this to influence your Pioneer buying decision is up to you.

FWIW - The Perfect Vision, last month, just gave out its yearly product awards. The winner of Product of the Year was the Sony KP-57WS510, CRT rear projection, 57 inch (as the model number implies) with a retail of $2199. Yeah, a $2200 set won over all the more expensive ones. They felt the picture out of the box was the best; the others were ultra serious contenders, especially once ISF calibrated to get them closer. The Sony loses a few modest features to keep it in that price range but they thought it a great trade. I, personally, just wish the Sony's didn't suffer from the Big Silver Box Syndrome in styling (I want basic black). But that's personal.

But, in that price range, Mitsu, Tosh and Hitachi all have some *awesome* sets. You're going to have to get to a showroom and check them out...once you spend 20 minutes or so calibrating each set on display so that you can compare them equally. If you're hoping to go to a store, walk in, and see them correctly tuned so you can make a valid comparison...we're all dreaming. I made good connections with the salespeople at 1 of the Best Buy's I stopped into because I went twice to adjust the sets - taking 2 hours each visit - and look. I even did a serious reconvergence on a Philips which had taken a hit during the install into the store and was so far out none of the kids there could get it even close - I got it on the head ( ) but either the light box or mirror was knocked out of alignment and the picture was skewed in the cabinet, with nothing I could do without taking it apart.

You'll have to adjust each set individually to it's best, taking that time, before you can honestly compare them. If you've never done that, and it's above your head that's cool, but in that case none of the sets are adjusted to look "real" in the store and you really can't get an honest opinion of them. They are set up to look bright in the store but look carefully - does it look like you are viewing through a window into a reality? Not even close. Sparkles (video noise), fine white lines around objects (from too much edge enhancement or the SVM (Scan Velocity Modulation) being turned on / on too high (think - do real objects have little white lines around them? Look for sets that don't)), ringing (faint double images of bright objects)...these are all things to look for a set not doing. Regretfully, in the store, you'll probably end up seeing every set doing that.

The great sets are the ones in which you can remove those errors yourself using the menus. The excellent sets are the ones where you can remove those errors inside the Service Menu with simple tweaks (where you can get into the Service Menu yourself with a bit of cheating), and the very very good sets are the ones which that stuff can be removed with a calibration (at least, that listing structure is just my opinion).

Read reviews, and then go hang out in the two video forums - Home Theater SPot! and AV Science. Learn from other people's experiences in shopping for and owning them (why make all the mistakes yourself?? ). Go to a few shops and look. Then go back to the forums, web and reviews and filter out models. You should, after a time, end up with a short list of 2 to 4 models based upon features, size, cost and review / owner feedback. Then, finally, go to a shop which had the models you are interested in (more than one; get at least 1 side-to-side comparison going) and spend the time to tweak them to the way you like to do the side-to-side comparison (DO NOT bother anybody (the salespeople, other customers) until that last batch of comparison shopping by asking a lot of questions or fooling around with the sets much. Save the questions to be answered yourself, on the web and reading reviews. The salespeople will appreciate you that way, see you're a serious shopper who knows what he is doing). If you are cool, talk to them but don't waste their time a good salesperson, once they see you have made the final decision wisely and smartly, will offer you a decent deal to make the sale (if they can). Don't show up TOO much at any shop; a couple of times before the final purchase is OK, but too much and the salepeople get antsy and hold it against you when you finally buy (how do I know all this? I was in the business for over 15 years).

Well, that's all I can think of (now). Hope all this trash helps. It's an expensive purchase so don't jump in - carefully check all your options, weigh them, research 'til you're blue in the face. When you say to yourself "I'm sick of researching, I just want to buy one!"...you'll be ready.