I have a SD9200 DVD player. I am looking at a new TV. I narrowed it down to a rear projection, HD capable/ready and 16x9 style/format(widescreen) I was looking at Toshiba and Sony. Which one would you guys suggest??? I was really liking the 65 inch Toshiba. Model numbers and reasons would be great. I am looking at buying one ASAP. Thanks.

Mitsubishi 65907 is what you want. This is what I have and it has been an excellent set so far. Great picture and no problems as of yet.

Is this a Progressive Scan TV??

By "Progressive Scan TV", I guess you are asking for a TV that can display a progressive signal? Most HD & HD ready TVs can display 480p from a Progressive Scan DVD Player and only a few can display 720p HD from a capable HD Set Top Box (Decoder). Only a few non-HD ready sets like the Samsung EDTV can display 480p. Just check the specifications of the TVs you are interested in.

Is it that simple??? Basically look for a HDTV ready unit. That can display 480 or better?? That would mean alot of models!!! How do you optimize picture??? I used interconnects for the audio and a s-Vid cable for video. Is there a better way to hook this up? How about using an Optical Cable???

You optimize picture by calibrating your set. You can calibrate it to a point by using DVDs such as Video Essentials and AVIA but ultimately you might want to pay an ISF certified calibrator to finish it off. Most HD ready TVs can display 480p & 1080i. Only a few can display 720p.

Which models display 720P??? I am going tonight to take a look.

What 720p material do you plan on viewing?

Make sure you have TV stations by you that broadcast HDTV. Most limit their HDTV programing to a few shows and special events. If the TV you get does not have a HDTV decoder built in(which most don't) you will need a set-top decoder and a special antenna.

Also you would be using your component video outputs on your DVD player not your s-video.

I have an HDTV ready TV but no decoder yet becuase there just isn't enough programming in HDTV to warrant the cost. I got it to watch DVDs in 480p.

Also if you have digital cable remember that it is digital but not HDTV.

Satellite providers have a better range of HDTV programs but you need an HDTV satellite receiver.

I realize that it probably will not have a decoder. I just want it for DVD's. Watching TV in HDTV is really not that important to me. I would like to get rid of those bars and hopefully a widescreen set would do that, But what about watching regular TV with a widescreen set?? Will there be bars on the left and right?? To use the component hook ups can I use my regular interconnects or do I have to buy cables just for component hookups??? I just happen to have a bunch of audioquest interconnects left over from my main system. Will they work? I was really thinking about the Toshiba 65 inch widescreen or the Sony.

The black bars will only go away on anamorphic movies filmed in the 1.85:1 ratio. Anything wider than that or letterboxed(non-anamorphic) films will still have black bars. You can zoom in on the wider movies but the image quality will degrade and you will cut off the sides.

You will have a few options for regular TV programming. You can stretch it, which will stretch the outer edges of the picture to fill the screen. You can zoom in to fill the screen. You can expand the picture which makes everyone look short and fat or you can have gray bars on the sides of the picture to view the aspect ratio correctly. Of coure when looking at buying a TV you should look for these different features.

Cables are a whole other thread in itself. In my opinion you definitely want to go with a good quality set of component cables but I guess you could get away with a decent set of 75ohm video cables. My opinions have changed on the quality of video cables having seen the difference between cheap and expensive cables. I have not yet been convinced that expensive audio cables and speaker cable improve sound.

HDTV sets rock for DVD. Many of them have an internal doubler that will upsample a 480i signal to 480p. Some will let you select between 480p & 960i. (the set will only use it's doubler on interlaced input signals - not progressive)

The black bars will be there on anamorphic 2.35:1 disks. They only go away with the 1.77 or 1.8:1 movies. Some sets have expand or zoom modes to overcome the bars, but you'r messing with the OAR doing that, and your milage may vary as to the quality of picture after expanding it like that.

For the sidebars on 1.33:1 pix - see above.

Yes - You could use your normal interconnects for the componant connection. I don't want to enter into the religious debate between quality or funky cables. But if you use seperate interconnects to make the connection, make sure all three (75ohm) cables you use are the same exact length. Given consistant impedance, this is the next big issue on how well your connection will work (timing on an HDTV is critical).

I went to go get one today and still cannot decide. I may have a problem getting most large units up my stairs. The saleman at the store told me that the 65 inch Mitsubishi came apart and it made it easier to go up/down stairs. Are there any other HDTV ready/widescreen units that come apart for easier delivery???

any Progressive Scan TV for under $900?

Saw a Openbox 32" Samsung HDTV @ Bestbuy for $899... thats about it

Got the WS65908. After a little tweaking and some tips from HTS. It rocks!!!! The set looks best 10 ft and over away. Anything closer and you can notice some artifacting.

That's exactly how I feel about my Toshiba 65" TV. I tried sitting about 8' away at first and it was just too close, especially for regular TV. From at least 10' away, though, it looks really nice. I usually sit 11' from the screen, which works out great for both DVDs and regular TV. Even 2.35:1 DVDs look pretty good size on it.