Is anyone here knowledgeable about HD sets?

A local Pawn shop has a used 2005 Panasonic 52lcx15 52" Rear projection set for $480.

What is the difference between Rear Projection / LCD / Plasma? This set is rear projection. I THINK it's also LCD.

The picture seemed really dark in the store. The manager said I had to sit on axis with this type of set. I lowered myself to screen level & it improved, but still seemed dark. Do the lights have to be out in the room for this type of set?

Any knowledgeable advice would be really appreciated. I wasn't planning on moving to hd yet, but the price is awfully cheap & with my failing eye site (my surgically repaired left eye now has a cataract that I may be living with for awhile) the bigger set would really help.

2 other questions: how long does this type of set tend to last? My viewing room is pretty small. With a regular crt tv, the small room is a +. Will it be a problem with this type? The projector is built into the frame.

Googling got me very little information & no in depth reviews.

Stay away from it. I'd recommend an LCD for around $700 or a plasma for probably a little more. RPTVs are ok, but don't buy them from a pawn shop. Unless you're an electronics guru and know what you're buying and can do a check on the equipment yourself on the spot, pawn shops are the worst place to buy electronics.

If these guys are selling it for $480, stop and think for a moment. This is a pawn shop. The RPTV is probably worth $50.

Look for 2007 models. Don't buy anything past the previous year, unless you're buying the equipment from a private seller whom you know the equipment is in great shape and has been taken care of.

You're asking a lot of questions, but I'll try to answer some. Now, this is my opinion, but plasma sets are what you should strive for. They are normally more expensive. LCD sets are more affordable, but they do tend to have a certain "look" to their image quality. Go into a video store and compare a plasma to an LCD set. The differences are usually noticeable on most sets. The higher end LCD sets you won't notice the difference, but you're talking easily over $1,000 (given you're buying a previous year's model--the current year? Just add another grand to that price and more).

RPTVs are great and probably the best bang for the buck. If you REALLY want a larger screen, then look for a 2007 RPTV, but there are even different kinds of these.

You need to go to a few video stores and just not worry about what kind the set is at first, but just watch and compare the quality and take mental notes on what you like best. Then find out if what you like was an LCD, plasma, or RPTV set.

If you have a small room, I'd recommend something no larger than a 50". You could get along just fine with a 42" from what you posted, I think. Or a ~47".

So, go find what you like, and then come back here and tell us what models and kinds of HDTVs you had in mind. If you like the picture of an LCD, then start looking for LCD deals. Same goes for plasma and RPTVs.

Reason I say this is because I'd hate for you to blind buy a television. Blind buying a DVD is fine, but with an HDTV, you're forking out some cash and it's a pain in the ass to take it back and get another one.

As to what I own, in case you ask, I have a 50" Panasonic plasma. The TH-50PH9UK (I bought it last year about a year ago). It's not 1080p, however. Hell, it's only "768p" but puts out an amazing picture.

I only read the first two lines and stopped.

Rear projection sets are all but done. Save a little more money and you can have your choice of some great sets at Costco, Best Buy or a number of other places. Good sets can be found in the $750-$1200 range depending on the exact size you want.

Good luck.

yeah that is crazy

you can get a 1080p 50" lcd/dlp projection for ~ $1k

or a flat panel lcd/plasma for cheap nowadays

I have a 6 year old rear projection, and it still looks great. So I won't bash them by any means. That being said, with the price of brand new models these days I probably wouldn't spend that much on a used rear projection. As mentioned, you can get something brand new for not much more. And in general, used HDTVs do make me a little nervous. If it was $200 it might be worth a chance - IMHO $500 is a little much for the potential risk.

^^^have you replaced any bulbs in those 6 years? That was what I was thinking with that $480 pricetag. He gets it home, only to discover he needs to replace a bulb, which can run around $200.

Yeah, I was going to mention that it looks like the pawn shop set may need a new bulb, and they aren't cheap.

I have done exactly nothing to it.

And that's even after about 25 gallons of water dumped directly on top of it from the ceiling when we had a water line break. That was almost 5 years ago, and still running strong!

Thanks to all for the feedback! As you can likely tell, I haven't researched HD at all, due to a combo of being priced out of my range & while I enjoy better visual quality, I've lived ok with cheap crt's all my life (Currently have a 3 year old or so analog Toshiba 32" CRT). My interest was due to the price (Lowest I've seen for a set this large) & my declining eyesight.

Well, don't sell your $500 price range short. You CAN find deals out there. But I'd strongly suggest monitoring websites which offer specific deals (such as FatWallet and SlickDeals), and with your price requirements, I'd pay the most attention to sales on the major holidays. The upcoming holiday is a good bet you might find something. Hek, if you can live with a 37" LCD, they can be found for about that price.

Wait, Shelland, are you talking about your Pioneer (CRT) or Sony (LCD)? Cause there might be temptation for a good used CRT RPTV, but I'd have little reason to look at a used digital RPTV that does, most likely, need a new lamp. I'd have to agree with everyone that the TV in the original post is not very enticing.