I'm about to buy this tv from my local Best Buy, for around 310 bucks. Now, it is widescreen, but I'm having a hard time finding out if it's truely... widescreen. Now I know all about anamorphic dvds and how they should be displayed on a widescreen television, but there doesn't seem to be much information around the internet about how this tv will display them.

Will the Philips 26PW6341 propperly display anamorphic 1.66:1, 1.85:1, and 2.35:1 dvds?

i.e. 1.66 should fill up the screen with no bars. 1.85 should have slight barely noticable bars on the top and bottom. 2.35 should have minimal but somewhat noticable bars on the top and bottom.

*note that it does have componant video, if that matters at all.

Actually 1.66 should have tiny bars on the sides, while 1.85 will come closest to filling the screen (a 16:9 screen is 1.77:1). But yes, it will be pretty much what you expect.

Be aware of course that this is not an HDTV display. It will work very well with DVD, which is standard-definition analog NTSC video, but when you're ready to go HD you'll probably be looking for a new TV.

RichC

Yeah I'm aware that it's not HDTV... but right now I just need a new one since my roomate moved out and took his TV with him. And I figure a decent sized widescreen television for only 300 and change? Why not.

I actually did up buying it and the dvds look great on it... It was open box and didn't come with the remote, so I need to get one from Philips so I can nudge the image a bit, but everything looks like it should.

For $359 shipped you could get a refurb 30' Widescreen HDTV from Philips Outlet.

I would recommend this route as well. The visual space is so much greater on 30" rather than 26".