Looking for the cheapest, highest quality, widescreen hdtv... help!

That is pretty much a oxymoron! If you are looking for "cheapest" then you can forget about "highest quality". Looking to somply go the cheapest will get you a HDTV that you may well be able to afford but one you will not be satified with. If you see a HDTV that looks good to you and it is out of your price range it would be best to hold off a little longer and save up the extra cash for the HDTV you like.

I have seen WAY TO MANY people buy what they could afford at the time and kick themselves because they were less then thrilled with their purchase.

Personally, I do not think now is a good time to buy a low-priced hdtv. The new technology hdtvs (DLP, LCD and LCOS) will be driving prices down and bringing much better picture quality with it.

If you are set in getting one now, look at the purchase as a 2 year investment and not something "you will enjoy for years to come."

How long do you think it will take to make a good purchase?

now IS a good time to make a purchase. newer technologies (DLP, LCD, LCOS) have driven down the price of traditional CRT sets bigtime. you can buy an excellent 50" to 57" 16x9 HDTV set for between $1500 to $2000. almost any of these sets will serve you well for many years. something better is always coming along so there is never a "best" time to buy...but bang for the buck is on your side if you buy a CRT model now. if you can fit one in your place there's no need to wait. take a look at the hitachi, toshiba, and pioneer models. any of them will provide a great picture when properly calibrated.

and as far as the newer technologies providing a better picture that is not true across the board...for example lcd will not give you the black levels found in any CRT set. and dlp which is better in that regard still isn't perfect and has it's own issues with rainbows. i say the best way to go is to get something affordable now and something affordable later. enjoy the set today instead of waiting for the perfect time...which really never comes. then when these new technologies are being pushed by the next great thing to come along pick one of them up too and relegate the CRT set to a different room.

remember, the life clock keeps ticking.

When jsambz asked for the cheapest, I didn't think he meant $1500-2000. I took cheapest to mean the very inexpensive rptv's (1000-1500?). I do not believe an investment in one of those is worthwhile unless one is not particular about picture quality at all.

I agree there is never a perfect time to buy. But as Frank S had stated, I would hate to see someone buy something inexpensive and not be happy with it.

jsambz, what price level are you looking at?

My opinion is bang for the buck is the $2000-4000 range.

lol, I was hoping around $1000, but I can see saving up for $2k-$3k.... what can I get for that?

I just picked up a 47" Panasonic HDTV (PT-47WX53) for $1349 on sale a week and a half ago. It has great picture quality(I know Mits or others probably "look" better, but I was going up from a 25" with no s-video) and was a great deal for the price. I live in a apartment, so I couldn't go much bigger. But it will hold me over until the high quality stuff comes down in price in several years.

jsambz, you really need to provide us some information before we can recommend any products to you. so far all we really know is that you are looking for a 16x9 HDTV capable display and are looking to spend anywhere between $1000 and $3000.

what will you be using this display for mostly? what % of your time using it will be spent watching HDTV, DVD, Cable (what kind...digital, analog, satellite, etc.), PC Gaming, Console Gaming, etc. how big is the room you will be putting it in? is there a lot of ambient light in this room? about how far from the screen will your viewing distance be? what size screen are you envisioning?

if you give us some basic information we can point you in the right direction.

and to answer your last question...you can get a lot for $3000 these days!

XBOX, Gamecube, PS2, DVD, Analog Cable

Small Room, think apartment bedroom.

light is right above where it would go.

2ft-12ft for the distance...

I'm thinking around 30".

Thanks For All The Help!!

SAMSUNG makes a terrific 53-inch DLP set. You really need to check this one out...and it's only $3,999!!!

53? really?

Samsung makes the dlp in 5 sizes: 43", 46", 50", 56" and 61". I believe it is the 50" that has an msrp of $3999. There are two cosmetically different models of the 43 and 50.

Sorry, guys, I stand corrected as it is a 50".