Toshiba TV's: 43H71 vs 42H81 (or 4:3 vs 16:9)

[kefrank]

hi all. i'm considering a new large tv in the near future and i've basically come down to deciding between the following toshibas:

42H81 - 42" 16:9 HD-Ready RPTV
43H71 - 43" 4:3 HD-Ready RPTV

The price for both is similar, so what it really comes down to is aspect ratio of the television i think. I'm leaning toward the 4:3 model for a few reasons. My viewing habits are probably split half and half between DVD's and television broadcast. And I'd say about 10% of my DVD's are 4:3 (because they're old movies). The 43H71 does 3:2 pulldown and has a 16:9 mode, so I won't be sacrificing resolution quality when watching anamorphic DVD's. And the widescreen image size would only be a couple of inches smaller (about 10%) than on the 16:9 television. Regular tv broadcasts would be substantially larger than on the 16:9 television and wouldn't have to be distorted at all to fit the screen. Can anyone give me some reasons to consider the 42H81 (16:9 model) over the 43H71 (4:3 model)? Thanks.

[Mammal]

It all depends on what's more important to you - Teevee and pre-1954 movies or post-1954 movies. A 16x9 set optimizes the viewing of the latter.

There's no need to distort the 4x3 picture when watching TV - just zoom the picture - many current programs are shot with eventual 1.78:1 reruns in mind. A major plus for me is that zooming restores the correct aspect ratio when watching open matte DVDs.

[Gomez]

Look at my sig and you'll see I am a widescreen fan. All arguments aside, widescreen just looks so cool anyway.

[gross@iastate]

If you are going to buy an HDTV, buy a widescreen. Enough said.

[kefrank]

Originally posted by Mammal
It all depends on what's more important to you - Teevee and pre-1954 movies or post-1954 movies. A 16x9 set optimizes the viewing of the latter.

well, as i said its about 50/50. as far as optimization for widescreen movies, the only real advantage would be about the 10% larger image size that i mentioned right?

Originally posted by Mammal
There's no need to distort the 4x3 picture when watching TV - just zoom the picture - many current programs are shot with eventual 1.78:1 reruns in mind. A major plus for me is that zooming restores the correct aspect ratio when watching open matte DVDs.

no distortion, but zooming loses a bit of the image for broadcast tv and decreases resolution slightly doesn't it?

[kefrank]

Originally posted by gross@iastate
If you are going to buy an HDTV, buy a widescreen. Enough said.

well, you may think its enough said, but i fail to see why. i'd love to hear your reasons.

[kefrank]

Originally posted by Gomez
Look at my sig and you'll see I am a widescreen fan. All arguments aside, widescreen just looks so cool anyway.

i've seen your sig, you have an awesome set up. i have considered that tv as well actually. incindentally, where did you get that A/V component rack? (and how much was it if you don't mind saying?)

[Mammal]

When you zoom you enlarge the picture, so any defects in the picture are more visible; so is picture detail. Watching Full Metal Jacket or Babe in the theatrical aspect ratio is like watching a non-anamorphic widescreen DVD.

If you zoom the TV picture it does cut the top and bottom off the picture, but it usually doesn't matter. If it does, like subtitles or the score/clock thing in a sporting event, the zoomed picture can be moved up or down to include it.

Truthfully, I'd love to have both sets - one for 4x3 material and one for 16x9 material - but I have to choose, and I love 16x9.

[Gomez]

Originally posted by kefrank
i've seen your sig, you have an awesome set up. i have considered that tv as well actually. incindentally, where did you get that A/V component rack? (and how much was it if you don't mind saying?)

Tech Craft WF-45 for $157 at discounts-n-deals.com. See this link: http://www.discounts-n-deals.com/acatalog/Discounts_n_Deals_Tech_Craft_Racks___Shelves_44.html

That website and www.harmanaudio.com are 2 favorites of mine.

The Panasonic TheaterWide HD series televisions are pretty nice and the price is right. After a little tweaking on my set the image is simply astounding on strong channels, mind-boggling on anamorphic DVD.