Help, I need some advice from those of you who have been there. Beginning to build my home theater system and am stuck on the type/size tv. We sit about 10 feet away from the screen and are presently watching a 27 inch toshbia. A little small, but fine for regular TV. Recently got a DVD and are watching a lot more 16:9 films. Now the small size of our TV is problem. So do we go with a rear projection big screen (50 inches or so) lose some picture quality, but gain size or do we opt for a Sony Wega-type very high quality TV, limiting us to 36 inches, but superior picture.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

I am biased against rear projection TVs.
(unless they display high definition.)

I like the picture of conventional tube better, that's why I settled for a 36 inches WEGA. (From a 27 inches Sony.)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by cinemaphile7:
I am biased against rear projection TVs.
(unless they display high definition.)

I like the picture of conventional tube better, that's why I settled for a 36 inches WEGA. (From a 27 inches Sony.)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I felt the exact same way until I actually bought a RPTV. I used to have a 35 inch tube TV until I got tired of the small picture on 2.35:1 DVDs. So, I bought a Hitachi Ultravision RPTV and I have loved it ever since. Calibrated with Video Essentials and through component video, this thing has a better picture than my tube TV had, not to mention the fact that it is much bigger which *really* helps on letterboxed movies. If it wasn`t for DVD, I would have stuck with my tube TV, but I definitely like this one better. BTW, I have never seen a RPTV look good in a store. The factory settings are horrible. I admit that RPTVs look much better in a dark room and you really don`t want to watch one during the day with the shades open and sun shining in. Anyway, I sit only 8 feet from my 50 inch TV and I cannot see any scan lines. The picture looks terrific, not as good as a Wega I`m sure, but worth it for the added size IMO.

I recommend a Wega. You'll get better picture quality for your buck. I have the 27" KV-27FS12 and love it. I don't think it worth it to shell out 2,000-3,000 bucks to get a really good 50" or greater RPTV right now with HDTV around the corner. I guess if you have the money you could get a really good HDTV ready RPTV, and then just buy and decoder box later. It all depends on your cash flow. http://talk.dvdtalk.com/ubb/smile.gif

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Josh Hinkle
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Yeah, I was leaning toward the 36inch tube, Just not sure if I'm gaining enough, size/quality from my 27 inch to make a difference?

Any thoughts,cinemaphile7 or anyone else.

It sounds like you are relly interested in a big difference in picture size. I really think your best bet would be to get a HDTV ready RPTV that has component video imputs. Daylight does hurt picture quality with RPTV's, but shades or blinds can easinly solve this problem. The component video makes such a dramastic difference in picture video quality. Your best bet would be to visit a local HT store and see for yourself before making such a substantial purchase. I think it would be a bad idea no matter what TV you buy to not get one that is at least HDTV ready. I don't know how financially comfortable you are, but in May of either 2004 or 2005 (I can't remember) all television will be brodcast in HDTV. It seems a waste to me to have to go out and get another tv 5 years from now. The HDTV ready RPTV's are acutually very close in price to the Sony WEGA 36", so I would invest in the bigger better RPTV.

One more thing I would say a good recommendation for a TV would be the Toshiba TW40X81 40inch widescreen HDTV. You could pick it up for $2150 which isn't bad considering the WEGA 36" will cost you $1600. The Toshiba also features component video which will complement the TV nicely.

Zendog, thanks for info. Natuarlly, I'll go out see for myself the different options, this fourm is just a good way to begin and focus my search. the daylight thing may be a problem for me. This would be our main set and to close up the room everytime we want to watch it could suck. The tosbia that you mention, is that 40inch "regular" TV or widescreen measurement. The manufacturers are playing with us a little in promoting their widescreen sizes. I've come across TVs that boost a big screen 'size' but turns out that for 'regular' format, i.e., vertical bars, it's barely larger than a good 36inch. My confusion seems to multiple, the more I know...

I would assume the 40" is a widescreen measurement although I am not 100% sure. If you do the calculations you will see that when watching television it wil give you about a 37.5" (regular tv measurement) which is right there with the WEGA, but the picture quality should be much better with the HDTV Toshiba. You also have to consider that soon enough television will be brodcast in widescreen format. I am more into HT so I would prefer watching movies on a wide screen tv as opposed to a regular tv. I also feel HDTV is a neccesity.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ZenDog:
I would assume the 40" is a widescreen measurement although I am not 100% sure. If you do the calculations you will see that when watching television it wil give you about a 37.5" (regular tv measurement) which is right there with the WEGA, but the picture quality should be much better with the HDTV Toshiba. You also have to consider that soon enough television will be brodcast in widescreen format. I am more into HT so I would prefer watching movies on a wide screen tv as opposed to a regular tv. I also feel HDTV is a neccesity.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Actually, a 40 inch widescreen TV will give you a 32 inch picture in 4:3 mode. Another example: a 50 4:3 TV will give you a 46 inch picture in widescreen mode (45.7 to be exact). For a lot of people, buying a large 4:3 set is the best option not only for the lower price, but for the picture size as well.

People on the net always brag about the Toshiba 40 inch 16:9 TV, but for me it is just too small, even though I only sit 8 ft. from my screen. I want to get a 16:9 TV eventually, but it will have to be at least a 55 inch to justify getting rid of my 50 inch 4:3 TV which, even on widescreen films, is substantially larger than the Toshiba TW40X81.

There is a size converter website that compares all the differences in size between 4:3 and 16:9 TVs and it lists not only picture height and width, but square inches, too. If I find it, I will post it.

It depends on the RPTV. A Pioneer Elite or a Sony 53" or 61" XBR RPTV properly set up by an ISF technician will yield very good results and probably would compare well with the Wega given the increased screen size.

I agree with AW. If you can afford the 53" Elite I would definitely get it. My friend has one hooked up to a progressive scan DVD player and the picture is nothing short of amazing! The only draw back is that it costs quite a bit more than a WEGA.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by AW:
It depends on the RPTV. A Pioneer Elite or a Sony 53" or 61" XBR RPTV properly set up by an ISF technician will yield very good results and probably would compare well with the Wega given the increased screen size.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have to wonder how many people are actually going to fork out $300 to have their TV ISF calibrated. To me, a lot of RPTVs look just great by altering the settings yourself. The original poster was considering a $1600 Wega. A Pioneer Elite with ISF calibration would cost well over $3,000.

Why not just go and look at some RPTVs in stores, purchase one for around $2,000 and use Video Essentials. Maybe your settings won`t be `correct`, but unless you are having Joe Kane over to watch movies, who cares as long as it looks good. And implying that a $2,000 RPTV cannot look good is stupid. One does not have to spend $5,000 on a TV to get an impressive picture with DVD. Also, as far as ISF calibration goes, there aren`t that many people that do it. In some parts of the country, an ISF tech would have to drive several hours to come out to do a calibration.

I agree with Xytraguptorh 100%.

I have had both a 32" tube and a 50" RPTV. With a watching distance of 12' I would definitely go with a larger RPTV. A budget of $1600 will get you a decent but not a HDTV projection TV. The Cost of these models have gone down as more HD sets come onto the market. This is a good time as the new sets are coming out soon and there are bargains out there. My RP cost $1000 (last one in box, last years model) an I'm glad I went this route. Without a Calibration (my local ISF guy spoke with me at length and basically stated that unless you want the slight improvement in color and scale that a ISF can produce, then use AVIA and do it yourself.this set looks great on DVD. Even people I know who are not "into" HT comment on the clarity and look of DVDs on this set.
With a tube at this distance, I am now not satisfied with the size on letterboxed movies and I totally enjoy them on the RP.
If you are going to ues it for DVD mostly, I would get the RP, same for sports. The only drawback is unless you can control the outside light, (I have it in a basement windowless room) then these sets are not as impressive or as easy to view. I have not once regretted going this route.
BTW The one person who commented the most has a 40" tube and still says the pic is better on the RP! Keep in mind that the limitations of a poor cable signal will also be magnified by a larger set.

Happy hunting and post when you decide.
Good luck.

All TVs are measured the same so a 16:9 40" would not appear to be as big as a 4:3 40".
However, if you are going to spend $1600-$2000 I would go with the Toshiba 40" TW40x81. Toshiba's 2001 model of this is coming out in October and is the 40H80. Wegas are nice but don't stack up to a Rear Projection HDTV.

In Japan Sony just released Grand Wega and its 50 inches.So you got a combi of Wega and big screen in one. http://talk.dvdtalk.com/ubb/smile.gif The picture is the best in big screen for now.


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What's so great about Wegas? I don't get it. Esp when compared to HDTVs or HD ready anyways...

I just got a the NEW Wega on Friday (XBR400) to replace my OLD Wega (XBR200)

It's an amazing set.

Geometry is very very good.

Convergence from my inital viewing seems spot on.

I chose the Sonys over Rear Screen Projection becuase 1)I feel the look better 2)My living room is too small to support a TV much bigger than the 36 inch Wega, as I sit 6.5 feet from the screen.

I'll wirte a review later over at audioreview.com and post a link to it.

The new wega IS HD ready btw.

Xytraguptorh:

There is no substitute for a properly calibrated gray scale, even on a $1,600 television set. Using a calibration disc like video essentials is ok, but, except for the one or two sets out there that come out of the box without being way to blue, having an ISF calibration is dramatically better and the only way to get the gray scale correct. In addition, on some RPTVs, having a tech come in and converge the set may be the only way to set the convergence properly.

In my opinion, given the improvement that an ISF calibration will yield on most televisions, $300 to set up a $1,600 television that you will use for at least 10 years is money well spent . . . even if Joe Kane never visits your house.

I bought a 36" Toshiba Cinema Series HDTV and it looks just like WEGA XBR 400 but it's $500-800 cheaper. I never liked projection TV until one day I walked into a store and saw a new model of the Panasonic PT-56WXF95.
It was playing a DVD through the Toshiba 6200 with progressive scanning and I have to admit that I have never seen a movie to look so realistic in my life. The set runs between 3500-3900 but I think I will exchange my Toshiba for this one. It's got a true 56" 16:9 or 46" 4'3. If anyone already bought this set let me know if you have the same experience.

For those of you RPTV fans, how does it look in a "normally" lite room. My main viewing room has a sliding glass door, although the sun wouldn't shine on the set, the room gets good light. I'd hate to have to close us in just to watch TV!

I'd also be interested in any experience with the Panasonic PT-56WXF95

Should we start a new topic on Panasonic PT-56WXF95?
I think that set is the best on the market of HDTV. I have never seen such a good picture and colors and 3d mode on any tube Tvs including WEGA. The only thing that might be better is the Plasma Screens but they are $5-7K more expensive.