Rear Projection/Progressive Scan Recommendations?

dvdsleuth · 10-24-00, 05:26 PM

I'm considering taking the plunge VERY soon. But I'm not very knowledgeable about this whole HD/Digital TV thing. It's intimidating to me actually. I went to Best Buy today to ask questions of their "sales associates" and they were not very helpful.

I have about $3-5K to spend and want the biggest, best picture I can afford that will be usable with HDTV broadcasts in the future.
What should I look for?

-Some of the models say they have a 480p RGB input for progressive scan DVD players. Why won't these TVs do 720p also? (They all mention 480i, 480p, and 1080i, but NOT 720p)
-Will these sets automatically "resize" the picture for "anamorphic" DVDs?
-Should I buy a 4:3 or 16:9 screen? The 16:9 screens look like less real estate for the same money if you are watching 4:3 content. Black bars at the top and bottom don't bother me. There will be bars on the sides of 16:9 screens sometimes anyway.

Does anyone have any specific model recommendations? (I've been looking at the Sony, Toshiba, and Pioneer models.)

DigIt · 10-24-00, 06:05 PM

quote:
Originally posted by dvdsleuth:
I went to Best Buy today to ask questions of their "sales associates" and they were not very helpful.

Hahahahahahahaha

Definitely get a progressive-scan input for a DVD player.
Some TVs upconvert 720 to 1080.
Most TVs will not automatically resize but are easily switched.
4:3 TVs will have black bars more often than 16:9 TVs will (if everything goes according to plan). Pioneer SD-532HD5 is DTV ready and is less than $5k.

10-24-00, 06:05 PM	#2
DigIt DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Jun 1999 Location: Chicago Posts: 1,468	quote: Originally posted by dvdsleuth: I went to Best Buy today to ask questions of their "sales associates" and they were not very helpful. Hahahahahahahaha Definitely get a progressive-scan input for a DVD player. Some TVs upconvert 720 to 1080. Most TVs will not automatically resize but are easily switched. 4:3 TVs will have black bars more often than 16:9 TVs will (if everything goes according to plan). Pioneer SD-532HD5 is DTV ready and is less than $5k.

10-24-00, 05:26 PM	#1
dvdsleuth Member Join Date: Mar 1999 Posts: 174	I'm considering taking the plunge VERY soon. But I'm not very knowledgeable about this whole HD/Digital TV thing. It's intimidating to me actually. I went to Best Buy today to ask questions of their "sales associates" and they were not very helpful. I have about $3-5K to spend and want the biggest, best picture I can afford that will be usable with HDTV broadcasts in the future. What should I look for? -Some of the models say they have a 480p RGB input for progressive scan DVD players. Why won't these TVs do 720p also? (They all mention 480i, 480p, and 1080i, but NOT 720p) -Will these sets automatically "resize" the picture for "anamorphic" DVDs? -Should I buy a 4:3 or 16:9 screen? The 16:9 screens look like less real estate for the same money if you are watching 4:3 content. Black bars at the top and bottom don't bother me. There will be bars on the sides of 16:9 screens sometimes anyway. Does anyone have any specific model recommendations? (I've been looking at the Sony, Toshiba, and Pioneer models.)