Trigger

I'm in the market for a huge TV. I want to get a 53" to a 64" Rear Projection HDTV Ready set. I don't want a widescreen set and I don't want to hear the arguments about it either. I've been researching and I'm discovering that the Sony 4:3 sets are the best in terms of doing justice to anamorphic DVDs... plus the rest of my stuff is Sony. I'd like to get a 61" or 64" set I think. I want to get a good deal, so where are the best places to shop for something this large? Also to consider - I have a Dreamcast, an X-Box, a PS2, 2 DVD players, a VCR and I hook it up to regular cable so I'll need lots of inputs. The VCR, Dreamcast and maybe the PS2 can be standard input - I don't care, but the rest needs to be S-Video or better. Thanks.

Patrick G

Why in the hell would anyone buy a 4:3 set today -- especially a 60 incher. You need to seriously rethink your purchasing decision. You do realize that 4:3 TVs will soon be a thing of the past.

joshd2012

Mitsubishi all the way...

Patrick G

Toshiba is my first choice for its tweakability, followed closely by the Mitsubishi.

Kman1011

I definetly see the validity of a 4:3 set, it is a matter of personal taste.

Patrick G

I can see the validity of buying a 4:3 set if you're buying a 20 incher for the bedroom. But if you're buying a 60 incher, I'd hope you were buying it for DVD and HDTV viewing purposes. That being said, you'd be stupid to buy anything but a 16:9 because ALL HD content is 16:9, and most all films are at least 16:9.

Trigger

Oh jeebus... like I said - I researched this quite thoroughly and I don't want a widescreen TV. If you can't suggest one, I don't really want to hear it. With my usage, a widescreen TV would give me a 115% loss in screen real-estate half the time and 20% loss the rest of the time when comparing a widescreen and a 4:3 at similar prices. Just because a Best Buy employee told you everything is going to be widescreen in a few years doesn't mean it's true... and even if it was true, I'd still want a standard set. Is there anybody out there who can give me solid advice about a 4:3 set? Where to purchase? Which one to get? etc... I'm leaning towards the Sony because it can do the Anamorphic squeeze.

Patrick G

Dude, you are the Best Buy shopper, not me. And everything going to widescreen in a few years isn't just an opinion, it's a fact - it's going to happen - just read a few articles. I mean, haven't you heard that by the year 2008, all United States television stations will be converted to DTV - and many will convert by the end of this year. That means that ALL programming is going to be 16:9. You speak of losing screen real estate, but what you should be concerned about is losing picture real estate. You're the type of guy who is willing to lose a third of the picture content as long as it fills your screen. The reason you aren't getting any opinions is because no one is buying 60 inch 4:3 TV's anymore, and if they are, you sure as hell don't want to take the advice of that person. You need to visit a few more websites like hometheaterspot.com, avsforum.com or hometheaterforum.com and do a little more research before flushing $2000 or more on a 4:3 set.

Trigger

http://www.cavecreations.com/tv2.cgi

ckolchak

Trigger,
last Jan. i bought a 53HS10, and loved it.
the anamorphic squeeze on the Sony sets worked great, and i don't think your nuts at all for going 4:3, but that opinion will definately be in the minority.

i haven't been keeping up with RPTVs beyond to go into CC or BB to gaze upon them with bemused satisfaction.
as much as i loved the sony set, it soon became pretty much solely a dvd delivery device.
53" worked great for standard fare, but losing the real estate when i would watch 1.85 or 2.35 material was always disappointing.
in Aug. i found a deal on a front projector and sold the tv a friend.
i hope i never have to go back to a "mere" 53" digital tv .
I always like the Sonys, i don't think you can really go wrog with their current version of the HS series, but frankly there are a bunch of brands that all look pretty decent, including, suprisingly, some of the RCAs.
however, if you do go 4:3, do yourself a favor and make some MATTES for widescreen material.
they definately make a difference in that situation.

also, if you can wait, there are bound to be sales on this stuff in the next few months ( fathers day and labor day, and july 4th come to mind).

X

Trigger and Patrick G, both of you had better watch the insults. They're getting close to needing some administrative action.

Patrick G, can you just let the guy decide what he wants and buy it? You are thread-crapping by your constant insistence that he doesn't know what he wants. You gave your opinion in your first post, now be done with it.

ckolchak

just thinking about that 53" i had, some more and need to add:
i researched these quite extensively before i purchased the sony. the deciding factors were
1) i trust sony in regards to displays. i have problems with some of their other products, but they are among the top of the line in this area.
dealers and commisioned salemaen hate them, because of profit margins and other issues, but they do make fine sets.
2) that particular set resolved problems with lower quality signals (vcr mostly) better than any other i tried. i wanted a multi-use set, not just something that looked good w/ hi-def or dvd material (even though, as it turned out, once i saw the quality from good discs, dvd was all i really wanted to watch on it).
3) i went 4:3 over widescreen at the time due mostly to money. the disparity between size and price was just too great to even consider, but i think in the last year and 1/2 this has narrowed quite a bit.

in any case, with a crt rp your going to be risking burn-in. its not just widescreen dvds on a 4:3 set or 1.33 on a widescreen set. its also those damn network logos at the bottom of the screen- something to be wary of.
thats another reason i would dread going back to a rp.

just for reference, i paid about $2700 for the 53HS10. don't know what they run now.

Patrick G

I never insisted that he doesn't know what he wants. I'm only trying to educate the man.

Patrick G

This is not true. You don't have to worry about this with new sets unless you have it turned on 24/7 and have the contrast at 100%.

X

And you're talking about educating other people?

http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/learnabout/burnin.html

Patrick G

X, if you are disputing that statement, you obviously have no idea what you're talking about. And I'll be glad to have some "experts" chime in to support my statement.

Blade

No, you are thread crapping.

Trigger specifically stated that he had already researched this issue to his satisfaction. For you to come into this thread and tell him he should still get a widescreen set is an unwelcome attempt to interfere with the intended purpose of this thread (ie. thread crapping).

You were informally warned to stop this, and since you have continued to keep discussing the merits of widescreen TVs, you are now receiving a formal warning.

Honestly, I understand wanting to make sure a fellow member doesn't make a mistake on as big a purchase as this, but when he stated for the second time that he had researched this matter to his satisfaction, you should have just dropped it. This is about deciding on the best 4:3 RPTV set he can buy. Let him gather his information in peace.

Trigger

Well I didn't mean to spark a debate and I certainly wasn't trying to insult anyone. I honestly didn't even see that it was the same guy saying I shouldn't get a 4:3 TV, I thought it was just a bunch of different people cuz I didn't look at the names of who was posting. I was just commenting about all the anti-standard set comments... I wasn't trying to single anyone out. I'm sorry if anything I said offended anyone.

As for the advice about the 53HS10, ckolchak - I'm starting to wonder if a 61" screen is too large. I have the space for it, but am starting to worry it will look out of place in my living room. I'd really like to get one of those portable projectors, but it just wouldn't work with what I have right now... I wouldn't know where to put it and I'm just not that fancy. If I had an entertainment room in a basement or somewhere, I'd totally go that route. How far away from the 53"er did you sit? Is it worth upgrading to a 53" set from a 36" set? I'm going to be sitting about 9 feet 2 inches away from the set.

I play alot of PS2, Xbox and Dreamcast games. I get cable, but not digital cable. I don't watch shows like Buffy the Vampire slayer or Angel or ER, so I don't really care if they are displayed wider in a widescreen set. I have alot of VHS tapes and non-anamorphic DVDs. The bulk of my DVD collection (around 900 DVDs) are non-anamorphic widescreen. I also have a ton of Anime which is in 4:3 - another reason to go with such a set. Patrick, I'm sorry my decision doesn't sit well with you... I don't know what to tell you, but I'd rather have a standard set because of my usage. I thank you for your input, and looking past the insults I can see where a widescreen TV would be better for someone that's not me and that you probably had good intentions. I'm not trying to buy a TV for the future, I'm just buying a set that I can use now. If you check out that link I posted above and took into account the types of things I'd be using the TV for, you might see where I'm coming from with my decision.

agent2099

I really don't see the need for all the justification.

Even if 100% of your viewing material is 16x9, for any 16x9 television, you can get the same width picture from a 4x3 set for much less money.

gcribbs

http://www.sonystyle.com/electronics...d=10841&type=p

the 61" Sony is real nice. I agree however that if you are going to be too close then go for the 53".

I also like Mistubishi's TV's.

however they only have 16x9 tv's in HDTV capable. the models that are 4:3 are all analog.

ckolchak

when i first got mine, i used to sit about 9-10' away. by the time i sold it, i was sitting about 6' away.
i too thought the 53" would look too big. after i had it a couple weeks i went back to the store to see if i could upgrade to a 61" (they wouldn't do it).
no matter what you get, you'll soon get used to it and begin to crave something bigger.

if you can get it into the room, i'd say go with the 61" (which will actually, with the 16:9 squeeze, make your set the equivilent of a 53" (or so) widescreen set).

just make sure you get a progressive player to use with it. the panasonic rp56 uses a chip that works especially well with video based sources (like a lot of anime). another good choice is JVC 65gd.

i think i saw the 61" here going for the same price i paid for my 53" last year.

non-anamorphic disc, when played on a good prog scan player thru component cables, looked great on my set.

i don't think you would be disappointed with this. just make sure you haggle and are prepared to wait for the best price (it won't be that long) .

btw- your right about a projector probably not being right for your situation. as much as i love mine, it needs to have the whole room calibrated to really shine. i have it in the basement (and i just painted the ceiling black a few days ago). unless you have a dedicated room, a budget pj isn't going to cut it.

Trigger

damned if I do... damned if I don't...

Trigger

#1 - Well, then that's all you had to say... I'll go for the big'un. I have the space, so why not? I'll just have to double check the dimensions. We used to have this really old projection TV - It was the hugest thing ever. It was an Advent and this coffee table sized box sat in front of this gigantic screen that was propped up on legs and cast these Red Green and Blue images on the screen... that thing was dope. Too bad we still don't have it. The screen would've been great for getting a new projector. This was like 20 years ago.

#2 - What do you mean by this? haggle with who? I was thinking about picking it up at ABT electronics cuz they had free shipping and the lowest price shipped. A 61" set for 2700 bucks. I'm good at haggling, but who can I haggle with?

Trigger

SRP = $3099

SRP = $3199

Both Sets are nearly the same price and have almost exactly the same features. Both sets are about the same size width... (the widescreen tv is 52 and 1/4 inches wide and the standard set is 54 inches wide) resulting in roughly the same size image for widescreen anamorphic images. Standard 4:3 images would fill my screen if I had the standard set, but would make my widescreen set only as large as a 47" standard set. That's still huge compared to what I have in there now (a 36" set), but I'd still prefer to have more real estate that I could use if I wanted to. I've kinda picked Sony's set because from what I understand, they have a process that will make Anamorphic images look like they would on a widescreen set. It's HDTV ready and whatnot. Is this the set for me?

ALso - the 61hs30 has the shield over the screen and the 61hs20 doesn't. Some say it casts too much glare, but some say the sets without it look kinda dull or soft. Input? Also - I am wondering about burn-in. I don't have to worry so much with my tube sets I guess, but this being my first projection set (outside of my parent's old sets before widescreen anything was available) I'm wondering how much I should be worried about it. The TV is on alot I guess - maybe 2-4 hours a day of widescreen stuff and 1-2 hours of 4:3 video gaming and 2-6 hours of 4:3 broadcast analog cable programming... (it's not all me, I have roommates). Let's say I watch 4 movies a day every day... so 6 to 8 hours of widescreen presentations and black bars... how many weeks, months, years would it take before I notice a burn-in. I plan to get something else anyway in the next 5-10 years.

joshd2012

If you are going to purchase a Sony, I would recommend waiting til they put out their new line. They are supposively changing HDTV and the models right now won't support the new version. Sony said that their new models would. I would wait til then if you are going to buy a Sony.

You don't have to worry too much about burn-in as long as you won't have a static image on screen for a long time. In other words, don't pause a video game for hours at a time, or keep it on one channel with those little name things in the lower corner for an extended period of time (like Court TV). As long as the type of media is changing, you don't have to worry about it.